Dharma refers to phenomena, including material phenomena and spiritual phenomena. All material phenomena and spiritual phenomena are manifested by the mind and changed by consciousness. In other words, all dharma arises from the mind.

How does Buddhism explain the birth of the universe and life?

Answer: Buddhism is not an explanation. Buddhism tells you the truth. The truth is like this. The universe and life were born at the same time. To make it clear to you, the entire universe was born at the same time as my own life. How was it born? It is well said in the Mahayana Sutras, "Only what appears in the mind, only changes in consciousness." The heart is the nature of the mind, which is also called Dharma nature, Buddha nature, self-nature, and true nature in Buddhism. The term sex in philosophy is the ontology of the universe and life. What is this ontology? The name ontology was proposed in philosophy, but the ontology has not yet been found. No one can explain clearly what the ontology is. Buddhism makes it clear. Buddhism uses the word sex to explain it. The ancient Chinese also used sex. You see, "in the beginning, human nature is inherently good." Nature is inherently good, and this nature is the essence. Sex is not easy to understand. There is only a name and nothing real for you to touch. Why? It is not material. Therefore, if the six sense organs cannot touch it, the eyes cannot see it, the ears cannot hear it, the nose cannot smell it, the tongue cannot taste it, the body cannot touch it, and the mind cannot think of it, this thing is troublesome. But it exists, and everything appears from it.

Why not call it the manifestation of sex, but the manifestation of heart? There is knowledge in this. If sex doesn’t appear, when will it appear? The mind has appeared, so let the mind appear and recognize it. When the nature becomes the heart, it will appear. If the nature does not become the heart, it will not work. What is the difference between sex and mind? Sex has no thoughts, but the heart has thoughts. That's why the Avatamsaka Sutra tells us, "The only thought in confusion", that thought is called the heart. When you think about it, it's called the heart. When you think about it, it's called the heart. When you think about it, we talk about the thought in the heart. But when thoughts arise, not only we ordinary people don’t know about it, but also Arahants and Bodhisattvas don’t know about it. There are many levels of Bodhisattva, the so-called Great Bodhisattva and Little Bodhisattva. There are fifty-one levels of Bodhisattva in the Avatamsaka Sutra. What kind of Bodhisattva can we know? I didn’t know until I got to the eighth place. The position of the Eighth Ground is high. Look at the fifty-one positions. You don’t know the Ten Faiths, the Ten Abodes, the Ten Lines, the Ten Directions, and you don’t know from the first to the Seventh Ground within the Ten Grounds. The eighth ground is known, the eighth ground, the ninth ground, the tenth ground, this is known, why? He saw it.

Although the previous Bodhisattvas did not know it, they were just like us. We heard about it today because we heard it from Sakyamuni Buddha. It is said in the sutras. We have not achieved it ourselves. We have heard that there is such a thing. Get back to things. Thoughts are so subtle that it takes the Eighth-level Bodhisattva's deep concentration to realize that this is an extremely subtle vibration, and this movement is vibration. What causes the vibration? There is no reason, so it is called beginningless ignorance. When did it start vibrating? there is no time. There is no time or space here. Time and space only occur after vibration. When it first vibrates, there is no time and no space. What's the reason you ask? The Buddha had no choice but to say one word, called confusion, and this slight vibration caused confusion. But this mystery is not serious, why? There is no separation and attachment inside. Within this movement, this heart is called alaya. You see, it is originally called nature. It is originally called true nature, original nature, self-nature, and Buddha nature. It is originally called nature. Once it moves, it is not called nature. It is called alaya. Alaya can generate all dharma, all dharma in the universe, and the origin of our life begins.

But you have to know that if you don’t realize it, the movement is not real, that is to say, what can be born, manifested, and changed is not real. Then how can these realms and phenomena that appear and change be real? real? This needs to be understood clearly. Why are Arhats and Bodhisattvas so wise? Where do they lie? He understands clearly that he is within the appearance and is not confused or hindered by the appearance. Therefore, there are no obstacles in managing things, and there are no obstacles in everything. This is the true benefit of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas who should be transformed into the Ten Dharma Realms. Ordinary people are not the same. If ordinary people misunderstand and think that these illusions are true, they will suffer a big loss. Thinking that the illusion is real, he starts to discriminate and become attached. This is a serious problem. Discrimination, in Buddhism, is called an obstacle to understanding; attachment, which is an obstacle to troubles, arises, so these two obstacles arise. After the two obstacles arise, you do not understand the truth of all dharma. In other words, you think wrong or see wrongly. What is the impact? You're doing it wrong. The phenomenon of making mistakes becomes apparent. What is this mistake? Six paths and three paths, this is wrong. The Buddha said that "everything is created by the mind." Your mind is wrong, so the wrong state appears.

If you have no distinction or attachment, the realm you will find is very beautiful. We compare that with the Six Paths and say that it is real and that it is the Pure Land. We generally talk about the Huazang World of Vairocana Buddha. Look at how beautiful Amitabha’s Paradise is. How did he appear? It is also a mental manifestation and a change of consciousness, but his consciousness only has alaya, no mana, and no consciousness; consciousness is distinction, he has no distinction, mana is attachment, and he has no attachment. Without distinction and attachment, the realm that emerges is the Paradise; with distinction and attachment, the realm that emerges is the Six Paths of Reincarnation. When did it appear? Right now, why? There is no past and no future. This is difficult to understand. To make it easier for everyone to think and observe, we use a movie projector for everyone to observe.

We know that the movie projector is called a slide, one after another, and that one is like a thought.

You have one thought and it will appear, and then you will have another thought, so it will still appear. The colors illuminated by the projector on the screen are continuous. So when we see the images on the movie screen, they are one continuous phase, similar and one continuous phase. Why? Absolutely no two are the same, similarities lead to similarities. This is how our current world happens. It happens because of your thoughts. If you don’t have thoughts, the world will cease to exist. Therefore, Master Yongjia said very well in "Song of Enlightenment", "There are clearly six interests in the dream, but after waking up, there is nothing." What is a dream? If you are lost, if you have thoughts, you are dreaming. As soon as the thoughts stop, you wake up and the dream is gone. Therefore, the Buddha told us that when we are confused, there are appearances, but when we are awakened, there are no appearances. This is the truth of the universe.

Why are there so many phenomena, infinite, boundless, and endless? We have no way of understanding this phenomenon, so I used a kaleidoscope as a metaphor to show you. You see, the kaleidoscope is just this thing. If you compare this to an alaya, there are some fragments in the kaleidoscope, and there are fragments of various colors in it. We can see from here that if you turn the tube, the inside of it will become a pattern. If you turn it ten thousand times, it will show you ten thousand pictures, none of which are the same. This is just like Alaya. So what is the appearance? It's your heart that moves, and it appears when your heart moves. If you keep moving, its appearance will change, and it will be different. We compare the alaya to a kaleidoscope, our own alaya, and our own thoughts and ideas are the fragments inside. When you have thoughts and are attached to it, phenomena will appear. Your good thoughts will appear in the good realm, the three good realms, and your evil thoughts will manifest in the three evil realms. Hungry ghosts, hells, and animals are the three evil realms. If your thoughts are pure, that is, without attachment or distinction, they will appear in the Four Holy Dharma Realms, not the Six Paths, and the Six Paths will disappear.

Therefore, the thought becomes Alaya, and there is no defilement in Alaya. When there is distinction, defilement occurs, and when there is attachment, good and evil arise. Attachment is defilement, separation is purity. Within attachment there are good and evil, there are three good ways and three evil ways. This is how it comes about. What the Buddha said is very reasonable.

Buddhism talks about science, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t talk about science. What is science? Evidence, you can come up with evidence. The evidence of Buddhism does not require the use of instruments to observe. No, it requires meditation. In other words, if you don’t believe it, if you let go of your attachment to all dharma in the world and beyond, and really let go, you will see the state that the Buddha said let go. No matter how much you can let go of distinctions, Bodhisattvas will talk about the Bodhisattva realm in the Mahayana, and you will see it. If you can put down your delusions (thoughts), you will see the realm of Buddhas and Tathagatas. This is evidence. The Buddha asked you to witness it with your own eyes. He does not mean that you should just believe his words. This is useless. Believe what he says. If you have not achieved enlightenment yourself, you will still have to engage in the cycle of life and death, and you will still have to engage in the three evil realms. The most extraordinary thing in Buddhism is that it teaches us to ask for proof. It does not mean that what the Buddha said will count. No, we must prove it. So you have to understand the truth, all appearances are false. Why are you told not to be persistent? It is false, it is not real.

Therefore, if you want to practice Buddhism and truly enter the realm of Buddha, you must first know that "I" is false, that I am empty and cannot be obtained. After I am empty, of course what I have is unavailable, and you will not be divided and attached to it. The most difficult thing for us now is that this body is me, and the equipment my body needs is what I have. If I can't let it go, this is the most serious mistake. Therefore, the two sentences Master Qingliang told us are very important, "If you want to achieve the pure source of your heart, you must know that I am empty." The annotations in brackets were annotated by Master Zongmi. The first sentence is "To reach the pure source of the heart." If you want to reach the source of the heart, what is it? This is what you are obsessed with. It is what you are obsessed with. If you are not obsessed with reason, the source of your mind is truly pure. The Sixth Patriarch said it very well. The first thing he said after seeing one’s nature was, “How can one’s own nature be originally pure?” The Sixth Patriarch Huineng attained this sentence. Why did he attain it? He is no longer confused, he has attained. Where do we start learning? "You must know that I am empty." You must know who I am. How do you pronounce the word "I"? The annotation of Master Zongmi says that "all things are self-empty." I am a self, and all things have no self, so Buddhism teaches no-self. I also talk about it as a master. There is no master of all things. Why? How can the laws arising from causes and conditions have their own nature? When conditions come together, the phase comes into being, and when conditions disperse, the phase disappears.

This statement is also very difficult to understand. When it comes to the ultimate, Yuan Ju Yuan San talks about the ultimate, which is what Maitreya Bodhisattva said. As soon as the thought is lost, the image appears in front of you, but the appearance is too short-lived and disappears immediately. The second thought is lost again, but the second thought is definitely not the first thought, you need to know this. Just like when we look at the negatives of a movie slideshow, the previous one is not the next one. The first thought is over immediately after it arises and ceases, and the second one arises and passes away again. This phenomenon of birth and death is metaphorically described in Buddhist scriptures as "like dew or lightning." Like lightning, it disappears in a flash. We see it as a continuous phase. How fast does it flash? Maitreya Bodhisattva tells us that one thousand, two hundred and eighty trillionths of a second means one second. It flashes like lightning. How many times does it flash? One thousand, two hundred and eighty trillion flashes, and a trillion is a trillion, which is one thousand, two hundred and eighty trillion times. Everything is in vain. I am empty, people are empty, people are empty, and all living beings are empty. All living beings are all dharma and all things, and none of them has substance. "All appearances are false" and "all conditioned dharma is like a dream." You must know this. This is the truth. So do the universe and all dharma exist? Buddha tells you that you cannot say yes or no. Why can't you say no? It has a phase.

Why can't you say there is? Although there is a phase, the phase cannot be obtained. That’s why I tell you that there is neither existence nor emptiness, and there is also existence and emptiness.

But the Buddha knows that after hearing these words, ordinary people will start to differentiate. They are both existence and emptiness. They are neither existence nor emptiness. From this famous saying, they will start to differentiate and become attached. That is wrong and lost. . That’s why Bodhisattva Mawu teaches people that when listening to teachings and reading sutras, they should not be attached to the words and signs, they should not be attached to the names and signs, and they should not think about them and call them mind-conditioning signs. Once you listen to this, you will be enlightened and suddenly enlightened. . Enlightenment can only be achieved if there is no attachment to distinction. Enlightenment cannot occur if there is attachment to distinction. It blocks your door to enlightenment. What you heard was what others said, some common sense and knowledge, what others said, what the Buddha said, and what the Bodhisattva said, but you didn't see it yourself. Whenever you see it, you can see it by letting go of separation and attachment. Arhats are not attached and see a few points; Bodhisattvas are not differentiated and see many points; Buddhas can see them all without even thinking. Therefore, there is advanced science in Buddhism, which is not unscientific. It is true that you have to verify everything in Buddhism by yourself. If you don’t achieve it, it won’t count. You should still engage in the six paths of reincarnation. From this we can see how important it is to let go.

Why can’t you let go? It's because we don't know enough. Even if you know it thoroughly, it is not easy to let go. Why? Zongmi is the fifth ancestor of the Huayan Sect. He has a saying that is very good. He said that although the truth can be enlightened suddenly, this means that once you have enlightened, it is difficult to let go of false emotions. Really, the habit is too strong and I can’t let it go. What to do? We must always be aware of it, we must always see it, and see that all dharma does not originate by itself. We need to experience things and connect our minds. This is what the boy Shancai showed us at the end of the Avatamsaka Sutra. It means to experience things, grind and hone every day. The training comes to mind every day. In fact, it is very good to mention a sentence in the "Diamond Sutra", "All appearances are false." If you like something very much, all its appearances are false, and your mind will be at peace, because liking it is an annoyance; if it does not suit your will, and anger arises, all its appearances will be false, and your anger and hatred will be settled. Use this method.

The method used by Pure Land Sect is better. Pure Land Sect does not use it. All appearances are false. What is it used for? "Namo Amitabha" smoothed it out. Good times, Amitabha, adverse times, Amitabha, good conditions, Amitabha, bad conditions, Amitabha, use this sentence. This special thing, what is it? If you are not enlightened, you can be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. The Patriarch said well, "As long as you can see Amitabha, why worry about not being enlightened." When you see Amitabha, why are you still worried about not being enlightened? The Jingzong is special here. All appearances are false and can be rectified, but when they are not rectified, you still cannot escape from the six realms. But this sentence says that Amitabha can escape from the six paths of reincarnation and the ten dharma realms. This method is more wonderful than any other method, so the Buddhas in the ten directions praise him. From the founders of the Tiantai Sect to the wise masters, none of them passed away without reciting the Buddha's name. "Huayan" is no exception. At the end of "Huayan", there are ten wishes for the king to return to bliss. This method is extremely special.

Therefore, in Mahayana teachings, regardless of sects, this understanding is the same. Existence is illusory existence, emptiness is vacuum. Vacuum does not hinder illusory existence, and illusory existence does not hinder vacuum. Therefore, "Huayan" tells us the ultimate truth: there is no obstacle to managing things, and there is no obstacle to everything. If you feel there are no obstacles, if you are confused, there will be obstacles. Obstacles arise from separation and attachment, and separation and attachment are delusions, not true intentions. If you use a delusional mind, you will have obstacles, life and death, pain and joy, and reincarnation; if you use a true mind, there will be no obstacles. We have often discussed this issue recently in the Avatamsaka Sutra, and it is beneficial to listen to it often. I often hear that there are many seeds of "Huayan" in our alaya consciousness, and if they can manifest themselves in daily life, they can be meditated on. When the realm appears, you will immediately think of what the scriptures say to help you settle in the realm. Slowly you will be able to gain concentration. When you reach a certain level of concentration, your wisdom will be opened. When your wisdom is opened, you will see.