The Essence of Infinite Meanings

Book excerpt: The Sutra of Infinite Meanings is a very important Buddhist sutra. It can be seen as a turning point in the Buddha teachings, coming after He had already expounded the Dharma for over forty years. It is also an introduction to the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, Master Cheng Yen often stresses that the Sutra of Infinite Meanings contains the essence of the Lotus Sutra. The Sutra of Infinite Meanings is divided into three chapters - Virtues, Expounding the Dharma, and The Ten Merits. These Infinite Meanings arise from One Dharma; this One Dharma is of non-appearance. As living beings have infinitely varying capacities, the Buddha used an infinite number of teachings. Since there are infinite teachings, their meanings are also infinite. The world is fundamentally this simple and pure - without appearance - yet humans stubbornly remain attached to appearances. The Buddha taught the Sutra of Infinite Meanings and the Lotus Sutra to eliminate the habitual tendencies humans have accumulated and to teach the multitudes of living beings with severe habitual tendencies and desires how to return to the Great Bodhi Path. A commentary Master Cheng Yen gave on the Sutra of Infinite Meanings was published several years ago. The adapted verses of the Sutra of Infinite Meanings were compiled by Mr. Wang Tuan-Cheng, who distilled the central ideas of the sutra and turned them into lyrics that could be set to music. It thus enables people to carry the Buddha in their hearts and live out the Dharma. In this book, Master Cheng Yen expounds each of the verses from the musical adaptation of the Sutra of Infinite Meanings in the hopes of getting straight to the core of the sutra's teachings. While explaining the main principles of this sutra, the Master also brings in relevant teachings from the Lotus Sutra and other Buddhist sutras. The body text is interwoven with her explanations on the sutra verses and her reflections and comments, making it an insightful and inspiring read. Readers will be able to see how the Dharma manifests in Tzu Chi's work worldwide over the past 40-plus years, thus gaining a better understanding of the underlying spirit of the Jing Si Dharma-lineage and the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism as well as the mission of a modern-day Buddhist practitioner. This book is translated by the Tzu Chi USA Editorial Team, which specializes in translating Master Cheng Yen's books, including Dharma As Water (Volume 1 & 2), The Path to Truth, etc. It includes footnotes explaining terms and references to facilitate readers' easy understanding of the contents.