The Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries

Chapter Twenty-Two

 

III. The Treasury of Shame

Sutra:

“Disciples of the Buddha, what is the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Treasury of Shame?

Commentary:

The Bodhisattva Forest of Merit and Virtue again calls out, “Disciples of the Buddha, what is the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Treasury of Shame? What is the Treasury of Shame that should be cultivated by all Bodhisattva Mahasattvas? Bodhisattvas repent of all of the offenses they created in the past.

Sutra:

“These Bodhisattvas remember the evil they did in the past and they give rise to shame.

Commentary:

“These Bodhisattvas remember the evil they did in the past. Reflecting on all the various evil deeds they have done life after life, birth after birth, they give rise to shame.

Sutra:

“Which is to say, they themselves reflect, ‘from beginningless time onward, we and all living beings have mutually been one another’s father, mother, older brother, younger brother, older sister, younger sister, son, and daughter. But because we are filled with greed, hatred, and stupidity, arrogance and deceptiveness, and all sorts of other afflictions, we have also mutually hurt one another and reciprocally exploited one another.

We have lusted, raped, injured, and killed. There is no evil we have not committed. It is this way for all beings. Based on their afflictions, they double their manifold evils. For this reason, among everyone there is no mutual respect, no mutual veneration, no mutual compliance, no mutual humility, no mutual guidance, and no mutual regard, rather there is a furthering of mutual killing and harming, so that everyone becomes revengeful enemies.

Commentary:

“Which is to say, these Bodhisattvas, themselves reflect. These Bodhisattvas think about it in their hearts and say to themselves, ‘from beginningless time onward, from infinite time past until the present, we and all living beings have mutually been one another’s father, mother, older brother, younger brother, older sister, younger sister, son, and daughter. All living beings have mutually been each other’s father, mother, and the rest of the six kinds of close relatives. In this life I’m the father and next life I’m the son. In this life, I’m the son and next life the father, thus mutually exchanging positions.

We and all living beings have reciprocally exchanged all those positions, have assumed all of these roles, just like putting on a play, at this time playing this particular personna and at a different time staging another act. And so, the Bodhisattva thinks, ‘But because we are filled with greed, hatred, and stupidity, arrogance, and deceptiveness, and all sorts of other afflictions, we have also mutually hurt one another and reciprocally exploited one another. We’ve all had greed, hatred, stupidity, pride, and arrogance. We’ve flattered and lied and had an excess of all the many afflictions.

We’ve committed offenses that arise from the many afflictions and on top of that mutually harmed and afflicted each other. “You kill me, I’ll kill you; you harm me, I’ll harm you; you look down on me, I’ll look down on you; you obstruct me, I’ll obstruct you.” Some little affair comes up and you want to get angry—we won’t even have to talk about the big things. People exchange insults, slandering back and forth. “You slander me, I’ll slander you; you insult him, he’ll insult you.” They communicate insults back and forth just like carrying on a correspondence. They’re always perpetuating the cycle of insulting, cheating, and robbing one another.

We have lusted, raped, injured, and killed. We have committed acts of defilement, harmed and killed. There is no evil we have not committed. There’s not a single evil that is not done. It is this way for all beings. Based on their afflictions, they double their manifold evils. All living beings are just like this. Every single living being, not just myself, does these things. It is just because of ignorance, being upside down and not understanding that they create so many different kinds of karma.

From many different kinds of afflictions, all the different evils are created. All of you should attentively listen to this section of text. This is a most important part of the Avatamsaka Sutra. The Bodhisattvas make this resolve and if we who cultivate do not do the same, then we can cultivate for eighty thousand great kalpas and not accomplish anything. We have to cultivate in accord with the resolve of a Bodhisattva in order to get anywhere. We have to change our errors and renew ourselves. You can’t just hold on to your own temperament the way it is and say you can’t change. If you can’t change you’ll put yourself in a lot of danger.

For this reason, among everyone there is no mutual respect. “You don’t respect me, I don’t respect you; you curse me, and I’ll curse you. You say I’m wrong and I’ll say you are no good. You talk about my faults, and I’ll talk about your faults.” No one respects anyone else. There is no mutual veneration. “You don’t look up to me, I won’t look up to you.” They have no mutual compliance. You don’t go along with my ideas, and I don’t go along with your ideas.” Each and every living being is mutually antagonistic. They don’t go along and accord with one another. There is no mutual humility. “You’re impolite to me and so I’ll be even less polite to you.” There is no mutual guidance. “You don’t want me to increase my wisdom, so I won’t let you increase yours either.”

Living beings are not able to say, “I don’t understand this particular affair, why don’t you tell me about it and instruct me, and what you don’t understand, I’ll tell you about.” They are not like that. They can’t exchange opinions, and there is no mutual regard. “You don’t regard, protect, or sympathize with me and I won’t regard, protect, or sympathize with you either.” Rather there is a furthering of mutual killing and harming, so that everyone becomes revengeful enemies. “You kill me, I’ll kill you.” They mutually become resentful enemies and get embroiled in all kinds of hatred.

A Bodhisattva thinks to himself, “From limitless eons in the past all living beings have exchanged places with their fathers and mothers. They have throughout their lives exchanged places with their older or younger brother, older or younger sister, also with their wives and husbands. Every day their greed, hatred, and ignorance seem to increase and every day their morality, concentration power, and wisdom decrease. So it is said that afflictions are endless—endless and limitless. All living beings have no respect towards one another. They mutually do not venerate or honor one another. They have no mutual compliance nor do they get along with each other. They have no mutual humility and no mutual guidance. They do not exhort each other on or help each other find their faults. There is no mutual regard for one another. They do not protect one another, but instead go on killing and harming, harboring hatred and vengeance towards one another. So that now, these living beings only selfishly consider their own bodies.

Sutra:

“They themselves consider, ‘We personally, as well as all living beings are shameless about our past, future, and present behavior, yet there is not a single deed which the Buddhas of the three periods of time do not know and see. So now, if we do not cut off this shameless behavior, the Buddhas of the three periods of time will continue to see us. How could we possibly not stop acting like this? There is no way we cannot stop! Therefore we should singlemindedly sever and get rid of such behavior and become certified to anuttarasamyaksambodhi, so that we can expansively speak true and actual Dharma for living beings.’

Commentary:

“They, the Bodhisattvas, themselves consider, ‘We personally, as well as all living beings are shameless about our past, future, and present behavior. “I and all living beings in the past have selfishly thought of our bodies—in the past and the present we have engaged in these deeds without any sense of shame. We have not been repentant or felt shame about any of the offenses we created in the past.” In the midst of all of this, living beings don’t even feel they’ve done anything wrong. They don’t feel they’ve made any mistakes towards anyone else and they keep on erring without any sense of remorse. They don’t even know the meaning of repentance and reform. Yet there is not a single deed which the Buddhas of the three periods of time do not know and see. All the Buddhas of the past, present, and future know and see all of this. They are aware of all the shamelessness of living beings. The Bodhisattva reflects, “All living beings do not know repentance and reform and we’ve constantly practiced these things without shame throughout the past, present, and future.”

So now, if we do not cut off this shameless behavior, the Buddhas of the three periods of time will continue to see us. If we do not stop creating these shameful affairs, then the Buddhas of the three periods of time will continue to watch us make offenses. If we don’t stop, then all the Buddhas will know that we haven’t stopped. We should then ask ourselves, “How could we possibly not stop acting like this? There is no way we cannot stop! Can we continue like this without stopping? Can we still indulge in shamelessness and not stop? This will never do! This is the most impermissible type of affair. We cannot just go on like this without stopping.” Therefore we should singlemindedly sever and get rid of such behavior. Therefore I should unify my mind and bring my thoughts to a halt. I should concentrate my mind. I should cut off this shameless practice and despicable conduct, and become certified to anuttarasamyaksambodhi, so that we can expansively speak true and actual Dharma for living beings.’ “What should I do? I should accomplish anuttarasamyaksambodhi, the right, perfect, and complete enlightenment—the fruit of Buddhahood. Then everywhere, for the sake of all living beings, I should speak the true and genuine Dharma.”

Sutra:

“This is called the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Third Treasury, that of shame.”

Commentary:

All of the principles spoken about before are called the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ —the Great Bodhisattvas’-- Third Treasury, that of shame.”

IV. The Treasury of Remorse

Sutra:

“Disciples of the Buddha, what is the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Treasury of Remorse?

Commentary:

The Bodhisattva Forest of Merit and Virtue says, “Disciples of the Buddha, what is the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Treasury of Remorse? What is it that makes up the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Treasury of Remorse? What is remorse? Remorse means that inside you feel apologetic towards people, and you give rise to a feeling of remorse. After that you don’t want to do it again.

Sutra:

“These Bodhisattvas themselves are remorseful that in the past they indulged in greedily seeking the five desires without weariness or satiation.

Commentary:

“These Bodhisattvas themselves are remorseful that in the past they indulged in greedily seeking the five desires. These Bodhisattvas themselves feel remorseful about the five desires that they have indulged in, in the past. They are remorseful over all the things they have done in the past, especially the five desires that they have indulged in. The five desires can be explained in two ways;

• forms
• sounds
• smells
• tastes
• objects of touch

and,

• wealth
• sex
• fame
• food
• sleep

Greed for forms means desiring external forms, beautiful forms.

Greed for sounds means being anxious to hear elegant sounds. Greed for wonderful smells means wanting to inhale wonderful fragrances. Greed for tastes means wanting to eat good things. Greed for objects of touch means being turned by the pleasure of touch. Or perhaps one is greedy for wealth, or greedy for sex, greedy for name and fame, greedy for things to eat, or greedy for a lot of sleep. The five desires include all the kinds of things that people are greedy for: good things to eat, good things to wear, name, fame, lots of sleep, sensual pleasures, and so forth. All of this is greed. When one wants or craves for a thing, it shows that one is greedy for that thing.

They sought without weariness or satiation. There is never any satisfaction. There is no time when they can ever get enough. There is no end to this greed. No matter how much there is, one can’t get enough of it.

Sutra:

“Because of this, their greed, hatred, and stupidity and various other afflictions increased.

Commentary:

“Because of this, their greed, hatred, and stupidity and various other afflictions increased. Since there is no satiation, there is an increase in greed, hatred, stupidity, and all of the other afflictions. Every day the greed mind increases, compounded with all the other problems. Why do people have afflictions? It is because there are things they greedily seek for. Now think about it, if we weren’t angry, if we didn’t seek after things, what afflictions would we have? You should all reflect and consider just precisely where your afflictions come from, if we look deeply enough, we will see that it is because inside we are impure. Being impure, one has greed, hatred, and stupidity. When one has greed, hatred, and stupidity, afflictions follow. Without greed, hatred, and stupidity what afflictions would you have? Not a single one.

Most crucial of all is the greed for sexual desire. If one is greedy for sexual satisfaction and doesn’t achieve it, then all kinds of afflictions arise. If one seeks and achieves sexual satisfaction, a myriad sufferings and difficulties ensue. And yet we take suffering as bliss. One feels that this is a very blissful thing. But if one didn’t have thoughts of sexual greed, then when one sees a beautiful form, one will not crave it. The defiling objects of form will not move one. If one remains unmoved by the defiling object of form, then one will also not be moved by sounds, smells, tastes, and touchables.

Sutra:

‘I should not do these things anymore,’ is their thought. They continue to reflect, ‘Living beings lack wisdom and give rise to afflictions. They all practice evil dharmas and are not mutually respectful or courteous, even to the point that they become revengeful enemies. There is no evil of any sort which they do not engage in full-force. Having engaged in it, they are happy and seek for praise.

Commentary:

‘I should not do these things anymore,’ is their thought. These Bodhisattvas think, “I should no longer practice these affairs. From now on I won’t be attached or moved by the five desires of wealth, fame, food, sex, and sleep; or forms, smells, sounds, tastes, and touchables.”

They continue to reflect, ‘Living beings lack wisdom and give rise to afflictions. A Bodhisattva also thinks thus, “Living beings are without wisdom and produce all kinds of affliction.” All these living beings don’t have any wisdom; they’re really stupid and upside down. That’s why they get involved in all kinds of afflictions.

They all practice evil dharmas. All they do is evil. They are masters at evil dharmas, but they don’t practice good dharmas, and are not mutually respectful or courteous. They have no mutual respect. They have no regard for others. They can’t get along with others. They are without humility, they do not cherish the same hopes, and they are not mutually protective. Even to the point that they become revengeful enemies. They act this way to the point that they become dead set against one another and wind up as enemies. They become polarized and turn against each other, becoming resentful enemies. “Towards me, you are the enemy and towards you, I am the enemy.”

There is no evil of any sort which they do not engage in full-force. Having engaged in it, they are happy and seek for praise. In this manner they do all kinds of evil. There is nothing they won’t get involved in, and once it is done, they are happy. After they’ve done this evil then they are delighted. Not only that, but they seek to be praised for what they have done. They say, “Hey! What I’ve done is extremely great. It happened just the way I planned it.” They seek reinforcement. They want to be respected for what they have done, because they feel they are very, very, intelligent. They are really happy to be involved in all of those evil dharmas.

Sutra:

“ ‘They are blind without the wisdom eye and have no knowledge or vision. From their mother’s belly they enter the womb and are born with an unclean body.

Commentary:

Because of this they are blind without the wisdom eye and have no knowledge or vision. They are like a blind person in that they do not have the wisdom eye and so are always doing really deluded things. They are without understanding or vision. They don’t even realize that they have done anything wrong.

From their mother’s belly they enter the womb and are born with an unclean body. They enter into the womb and receive birth. Through sexual union there is entering the womb and subsequent birth. Thus people’s bodies are basically defiled. They obtain a very filthy body.

Sutra:

“ ‘In the end, their hair turns white and their faces get wrinkled. Those with wisdom contemplate this and see that this solely comes about from the impurity of sexual desire.

Commentary:

Time quickly passes. ‘In the end, their hair turns white and their faces get wrinkled. Very slowly but surely, their hair grows out and turns white and their faces wrinkle up like chicken feet. Those with wisdom contemplate this and see that this solely comes about from the impurity of sexual desire. Those with wisdom contemplate and they see that all of these impure dharmas arise from sexual desire. A body is a product of the impurity of sexual desire. From this very unclean dharma, a body is produced.

Sutra:

“ ‘The Buddhas of the three periods of time all know and see this. If I continue to act like this, then I am just trying to deceive the Buddhas of the three periods of time.

Commentary:

“ ‘The Buddhas of the three periods of time all know and see this. All the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time—past, present, and future—know that the body is a product of this defiled dharma. If I continue to act like this, then I am just trying to deceive the Buddhas of the three periods of time. They see that we are still practicing these affairs. They see that we are still greedy for sexual desire and other desires. They see that we are just increasing our greed, hatred, and stupidity. If we continue to indulge in these desires, we are just cheating the Buddhas of the three periods of time.

Sutra:

“ ‘Therefore, I should cultivate a sense of remorse, quickly accomplish anuttarasamyaksambodhi, and extensively speak true and actual Dharma for the sake of living beings.’

Commentary:

“ ‘Therefore, I should cultivate a sense of remorse. We should practice this Dharma of remorse. We no longer want to be involved with the five desires. We want to quickly accomplish anuttarasamyaksambodhi. We should quickly realize the Unsurpassed, Proper, and Equal, Right Enlightenment and accomplish the fruit of Buddhahood. Then we should extensively speak true and actual Dharma for the sake of living beings.’ Universally, for the sake of all humanity, we should speak the true and genuine Dharma.

Sutra:

“This is called the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Fourth Treasury, that of Remorse.”

Commentary:

“This is called the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Fourth Treasury, that of Remorse.” This is what is known as the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Treasury of Remorse, the Fourth Treasury. All the previously mentioned principles are what the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas should practice in the Fourth Treasury of Remorse. Not only should the Bodhisattva practice these Dharmas, but all living beings should also practice this Fourth Treasury of Remorse. Therefore, I often quote this verse:

Truly recognize your own faults;
Don’t discuss the faults of others.
Others faults are just my own.
Being one with everyone is called Great Compassion.

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