Hello, everyone. Welcome to this episode of the podcast provided by the Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated of Australia.
Today, we’re going to explore Chapter 19 of the Lotus Sutra, “The Benefits Obtained by an Expounder of the Dharma.” This part of the sutra is very profound, revealing the supreme merits that a practitioner who preserves, recites, explains, or copies the Lotus Sutra can obtain: the purification of the six sense faculties.
The Qualities of the Eye
First, we have the qualities of the eye. The Buddha explains that those who preserve the Lotus Sutra will attain eight hundred qualities of the excellent eye. This doesn’t mean our physical eyes turn into divine eyes. Instead, the eyes we were born with become pure and untainted, gaining the ability to see everything in the great manifold cosmos. They can see mountains, forests, rivers, and the earth, and even penetrate down to the Avīci hell and up to the highest heaven. They can clearly see the karmic causes and consequences of all sentient beings and the states of their birth.
The Qualities of the Ear
Next are the qualities of the ear. A practitioner who preserves this sutra will obtain twelve hundred qualities of the ear. Similarly, this is through the ears we were born with, which gain incredible powers of hearing.
These pure ears can hear all sounds in the great manifold cosmos. Whether it’s the sounds of suffering from hell, the mournful cries of hungry ghosts, the roars of animals, the subtle melodies of heavenly beings, or even the voices of all the Buddhas teaching the Dharma in the ten directions, they can hear them clearly from afar without damaging the ear faculty itself. Most importantly, the practitioner can distinguish between these sounds—good and bad, painful and joyful—without becoming attached to them. This is the state of “hearing but not being attached.”
The Qualities of the Nose
Then come the qualities of the nose. A practitioner who preserves this sutra will attain eight hundred qualities of the nose. This allows the pure nose to not only smell all the various wonderful fragrances in the great manifold cosmos, like those of flowers, fruits, and sandalwood, but also to distinguish all kinds of scents in the world, including the bodily fragrances of sentient beings, devas, and even the Buddhas.
With the power of smell, the practitioner can know the location of sentient beings from afar, and even discern their good or bad thoughts, whether a woman is pregnant, or if a heavenly being is about to die. All these subtle details can be perceived through the pure nose.
The Qualities of the Tongue
The fourth is the qualities of the tongue. A practitioner who preserves this sutra will obtain twelve hundred qualities of the tongue. This merit is shown in two ways: First, regarding the taste of food, any food that touches the pure tongue becomes as delicious as heavenly nectar. Second, in the power of speech, when the practitioner explains the Dharma to a large audience, their words are profound and touch the hearts of the listeners, filling them with joy and a desire to hear more. They can even attract devas, dragon-spirits, and even Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas, who are happy to be near and listen. Even more incredibly, the Buddhas will especially regard and protect the place where this Dharma teacher is, allowing the teacher to comprehensively explain all the Buddha-Dharma without ever forgetting or making a mistake.
The Qualities of the Body
Next is the qualities of the body. A Dharma teacher who preserves this sutra will attain eight hundred qualities of the body. The body becomes pure and untainted, like clear lapis lazuli, which fills all sentient beings with joy when they see it.
The most extraordinary part is that this pure body acts like a clear mirror or a television screen, able to reflect all physical images in the great manifold cosmos. Whether it’s images from hell, the highest heaven, or Buddhas and Bodhisattvas teaching the Dharma, they all appear within the body. Although only the practitioner themselves can clearly perceive this state, it demonstrates the vast realm that a purified body can display.
The Qualities of the Mind
Finally, we have the qualities of the mind. A Dharma teacher who preserves this sutra will attain twelve hundred qualities of the mind. This faculty of mind becomes pure and sharp, without any defilement. The Dharma teacher can hear a single verse or even a single line from the sutra and comprehend its immeasurable and boundless meaning, gaining unhindered eloquence.
This wisdom allows the teacher’s explanation of the Dharma to align with the true reality of all dharmas, without any contradiction. Even when they discuss worldly scriptures or political or commercial affairs, these teachings will be in harmony with the True Dharma. Furthermore, the teacher can know the thoughts and actions of all sentient beings in the six states of transmigration in the great manifold cosmos. Although this wisdom has not yet reached the state of being free from corruption, it is extremely rare.
In summary, if a Dharma teacher can “enter the Tathāgata’s room, put on the Tathāgata’s robe, and sit on the Tathāgata’s seat,” they can achieve the six sense faculty merits described in “The Benefits Obtained by an Expounder of the Dharma.”
Thank you, everyone.
