24  Incomparable Blessings and Wisdom

We will now discuss chapter twenty-four—Incomparable Blessings and Wisdom. Indeed, blessings and wisdom are beyond compare. Sakyamuni Buddha loves to use analogies in his teachings. He often uses the sand in India’s Ganges River as an analogy: If each grain of sand in the Ganges River is likened to one Ganges River, can one count the total number of sand grains in all those rivers? Impossible. In chapter twenty-four, he uses another analogy to compare blessings and wisdom. Before explaining the text, let’s discuss the comparison first.

What analogy does the Buddha use this time?

“…the act of giving seven kinds of precious jewels amounting to all the Mount Merus—the king of mountains—in the three-thousand-great-thousand-world…”

There is only one Mount Meru in the saha world. It is the tallest and biggest and is referred to as the king of all mountains. So why does this sentence refer to all Mount Merus? This phrase is a bit strange, isn’t it? Can you conjure up what is described here?

Buddhist cosmology consists of Mount Meru at the center, surrounded by four major continents and eight subcontinents. The four major continents are Purvavideha in the East, Jambudvipa in the South, Aparagodaniya in the West, and Uttarakuru in the North. Further away are the eight subcontinents, surrounded by a fragrant ocean. There is only one Mount Meru, and since it is the highest, it is called Mount Meru, the King of All Mountains.

Why does the Buddha say “all Mount Merus”? This is puzzling. Is there more than one Mount Meru? No, there is only one King of the Mountains, Mount Meru, the tallest in Buddhist cosmology, and no other Mount Merus. Then why does he say all Mount Merus?

Sakyamuni Buddha uses this analogy to illustrate the extent of giving: Imagine a Mount Meru in each of the worlds in the three-thousand-great-thousand-world and a gift of precious jewels amounting to all of them combined. One Mount Meru alone is humongous; can you imagine how big it must be to have a countless number of Mount Merus all piled together?

A person who gives seven precious jewels amounting to all the biggest Mount Merus in the three-thousand-great-thousand-world is compared to another person who accepts, upholds, recites, and expounds the Vajra Sutra, even if it is only the four-line verse. The latter will have much greater blessings by incalculable measure. I have explained what it means to accept, uphold, recite, and expound on the sutra. This is all this chapter contains.

In other words, an immeasurable act of giving is nothing compared to the four-line verse of the Vajra Sutra. They are beyond comparison. The key point is that any act of giving in the saha world is limited. Worldly acts of giving generate small blessings and small wisdom. While blessings in this world are limited, the blessings of the beyond-worldly path are limitless. Only cosmic space and buddhanature are truly limitless.

Sakyamuni Buddha often uses analogies. He uses the sand of the Ganges River to denote innumerability and Mount Meru to signify a colossal size when comparing merits and blessings. In any case, no matter how many acts of giving you do in the saha world, it is always limited; it can never compare to the limitless. What is limitless? The Vajra Sutra is, as is the four-line verse—the non-phenomena of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan. This is the true infinity, as expounded by Sakyamuni Buddha.

Here is a simple analogy. Let’s take this necklace of chanting beads. Assume each bead represents one planet. Earth, where the saha world is located, is one of those beads. These other beads represent the other planets and satellites—and many more. How much can a good deed on Earth—this one bead—amount to? See, this small bead is the Earth, and there are many countries on it, and you are merely one of the multitudes of people somewhere doing good deeds. How much merit can it be? Very tiny! Your charity in this saha world is much too insignificant, considering the vastness of the solar system or the whole universe. All Mount Merus combined are just a chain of chanting beads.

Nevertheless, this does not mean that you should not do any charity. You should still do it. However, worldly good deeds are too minuscule and insignificant compared to true merit. This is the comparison that Sakyamuni Buddha makes to convey a point.

One Mount Meru is already very large, yet so many Mount Merus combined are likened to a necklace of beads. How can you compare the limited with the limitless? It is impossible to compare the limited with the limitless; it is beyond comparison. Thus, Incomparable Blessings and Wisdom. What is limitless is the Vajra Sutra and, essentially, the non-phenomena of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan. Now do you all understand this chapter?

Buddhism and buddhadharma—the teachings of the Buddha—are limitless. Sadly, the mind of some Buddhists become narrower and narrower as they practice, indicating that they have walked down the wrong path. Buddhist practices should expand our hearts and minds to be as vast as the sky so that we can embrace anything and everything. Such is buddhadharma!

Practicing Buddhism for your own sake is very limited, whereas practicing for the sake of sentient beings is more expansive. Yet because you still hold the phenomena of sentient beings, it is not as vast as the cosmic space, which of course is limitless!

According to the Buddha, nothing is real in the saha world—which means none of the phenomena of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan inherently exist. Is there anything that is real? Nothing whatsoever!

Do you think the things you see, hear, or touch are real? They are nothing but illusions! You might think you have lots of money, but do you know that your money is not yours? You think those fancy cars are yours, but they are not. You think that you own a property, but you don’t. What actually belongs to you? Nothing! Even your body is not yours. According to Sakyamuni Buddha, everything you see, hear, or touch is not yours. These things are just for you to enjoy momentarily. Eventually, they will all disappear. I like to quote this saying: while you are in heaven, your money is in the bank, your wife is in another person’s embrace, and your brothers are fighting over your inheritance. There is nothing in this world that is truly yours.

When you comprehend this concept of infinity as spoken by the Buddha, your heart and mind expand and become all-embracing. So much so that if a thief steals from your house, you will think, “Well, since I’m not using it, others can.” Do you have such magnanimity? Can you let someone enjoy your belongings with such generosity? Can you remain unbothered, knowing someone else is enjoying your things, and believe that it’s the same whether you or someone else uses them?

We need to learn to let our heart and mind embrace this way. Jesus says if someone takes your outerwear, you might as well give him your underwear. This is what Jesus says, not me. Even Jesus knows this principle and teaches us to love our enemies. But again, the so-called enemies don’t exist in this world. You call them enemies if they disadvantage you, but if they benefit you, they are your friends. It all boils down to self-interest! Why should there be any enemies? Broaden your heart to be as vast as the universe. Otherwise, it would be impossible for you to attain any spiritual fruition. If you become increasingly narrow-minded and small-hearted, how can there be any attainment?

Do you think you have money? That stuff is just paper! It can only be used in your country or, at most, on Earth, but not when you leave the Earth—it’s not money then. If a country disappears from the face of the Earth, its money becomes worthless. At such a time, money is not money, so money is not real.

[Another joke] This is related to real money and fake money. On Ancestors’ Day, Ming went to the cemetery to burn spirit money for his ancestors. He was astonished at how spirit money looks exactly like real money nowadays. As he was burning it, he felt a tinge of reluctance. Just as he finished, his wife called and asked, “Weren’t you going to the cemetery to burn spirit money for the ancestors? How come you didn’t take the spirit money with you? Also, where are the sixty thousand dollars [TWD] I just withdrew? I placed them on the table next to the spirit money. Do you know where they went?” Upon hearing that, Ming cried his heart out, and people visiting neighboring tombs praised him, “What a filial descendent, crying so earnestly for his ancestors! It’s rare to find such a person these days.” Worst of all, that night, his ancestors appeared in his dream, complaining that the netherworld police had arrested them for using counterfeit money.

Now, I am asking you. What are real bills, and what are fake bills? If people agree that something is money, then it is money. If not, then it is not money. When a government approves it as money, it is recognized as money. Otherwise, it is not. So, money is not real [it is not absolute]. Just as money is a false reality, so is everything else in this world. Nothing is real; everything is illusory.

Therefore, the Buddha says that the human world is nothing but a mere illusion. Are you searching for something real? It can only be found in buddhadharma. Even buddhadharma is not real; it is merely a means to teach you how to become pure. Only by becoming pure can you see buddhanature.

Buddhadharma is only a tool, as mentioned in the Vajra Sutra. It is a raft that brings you to the shore of liberation. Once you arrive, you have reached attainment, so you will not need the raft anymore. Buddhadharma is just a means to help you arrive at the shore of liberation. Sakyamuni Buddha’s teaching is closer to reality. Everything else in this world has no reality to it.

Om mani padme hum.