PROLOGUE:

*WITHOUT MIND, COMPREHENSION IS ULTIMATE, AND IN A SINGLE THOUGHT ONE THEN TALLIES WITH THE FAMILY OF THE BUDDHA. THE WORTHY LEADER CHAPTER SAYS, "IN THE PRESENCE OF THUS COME ONES MANY AS TEN KSHETRAS DUST MOTES ONE MIGHT ATTEND UPON THEM ALL FOR AN ENTIRE KALPA, BUT IF ONE CAN RECITE AND HOLD THIS CHAPTER, THE BLESSINGS FROM THAT FAR EXCEED THE FORMER," AND SO FORTH.

COMMENTARY:

*WITHOUT MIND, COMPREHENSION IS ULTIMATE. Not having a mind is the Way.

When one speaks to the point of no mind, then that is the Way.

      However, it's not easy to reach the state of no mind.

Without mind and without thought,

Blessings are limitless.

With desire and scattered thinking,

Then there are offenses.

If you can reach the state of no mind, there are no attachments, and comprehension is ultimate. You have ultimate understanding, which is to open enlightenment. When one takes comprehension to its utmost extremity, in A single thought one then TALLIES WITH THE FAMILY OF THE BUDDHA, one unites with the position and the principle of Buddhahood, which is to be born in the Thus Come One's household. This requires having no mind.

*If you have mind, you strike up the false thought, "Probably I have opened enlightenment and tallied with the family of the Buddha." What Buddha's family have you tallied with? As soon as you move your thought, you have a mind. You think, "What do I want to do?" Your wanting to do something is false thinking. To have a mind is false thought. When there's no mind, there is response.

*So when you cultivate the Way, you shouldn't think about what you're going to do. As soon as you think of doing something, that is false thinking. When the time comes for you to be a model for gods and humans, the gods, dragons and others of the eight fold division will promote you, and even if you're reluctant, there'll be no way out. It won't be from your having the false thought yourself. You think, "What do I want to be? I want to be a leader of world Buddhism." Who can you lead? You can't even lead yourself well, how much the less other people. With so much ignorance and so many obstructions yourself, how can you be a leader for others?

*You say, "I'm studying the Buddhadharma and in the future I want everyone to know who I am." Where do you think you're going with that? What use would there be in everyone knowing who you are anyway? If everyone recognized you, what use would there be in that? Then what?

Just be concerned about the Buddha,

And don't be concerned about people.

"If the Buddha knows about me, that's enough." If you're interested in the Buddha knowing about you, then when you give rise to ignorance or have false thinking, the Buddha knows. He knows when you become greedy, angry or stupid. You can't get by the Buddha or the Sages either. Bodhisattvas all have the penetration of others' thoughts, and you can't fool them.

*So don't have false thoughts. If your causes and conditions are such that something should happen, it certainly will. You should be without a mind. Imitate the person of the Way who has no mind. He can get along with anyone. He has no view of self, others, living beings or lifespans. One should follow the Buddhas in study and be in harmony with everyone. You should be like the person of the Way with no mind and eat without knowing you're eating, wear clothes, sleep, walk, and sit all without knowing you are doing so.

*You say, "Then wouldn't I be an idiot?" If you can really be that way, then that is great wisdom which resembles stupidity. Then you're someone who really has wisdom. But you can't do it. If asked whether or not you've eaten today, you're certain to know you have if you have, or that you haven't if you haven't. Have you put on clothes or not? You are sure to know, "Today I put on some clothes." If you can eat without eating, wear clothes without wearing them, then that is very wonderful, inconceivable, and you are a person of the Way with no mind. That's comprehension to the ultimate, and in a single thought you tally with the family of the Buddha.

*THE WORTHY LEADER CHAPTER SAYS, in the Sutra text itself, "in the presence OF THUS COME ONES MANY AS TEN KSHETRAS' DUST MOTES ONE MIGHT ATTEND UPON THEM ALL FOR AN ENTIRE kalpa." Buddhas, Tathagatas, many as fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands could know about you, and you could attend upon them, make offerings to them, for as long as one great aeon, which would give you a great deal of merit and virtue. "BUT if ONE CAN RECITE AND HOLD THIS CHAPTER," if you can recite the Worthy Leader Chapter and maintain it, "the blessings from that FAR EXCEED THE FORMER," AND SO FORTH. Those kinds of blessings and virtue are supreme, far greater than the merit and virtue from attending upon and making offerings to as many Buddhas as there are fine motes of dust in ten Buddha ksetras. This shows that the Flower Adornment Sutra is the most wonderful of Sutras. For us to be able to hear even a single word of it is already an inconceivable state, which plants an indestructible vajra seed.

PROLOGUE:

FURTHERMORE, THIS BENEFIT INDIVIDUALLY PAIRS WITH THE PREVIOUS NINE, MAKING UP TEN BENEFITS. THEY ARE: ONE, HEARING THAT THE DHARMA IS THAT WAY, ONE 'KNOWS THAT IT IS CONSTANT AND PERVASIVE, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF SEEING AND HEARING. TWO, HEARING OF ORIGINAL CONDUCT AND VOWS, ONE STUDIES THE BUDDHA AND MAKES THE RESOLVE, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF BRINGING FORTH THE RESOLVE. THREE, HEARING OF RESPONSE IN ACCORDANCE WITH POTENTIALS, ONE KNOWS THAT DHARMA ARISES BECAUSE OF THE GOOD, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF STARTING TO PRACTICE. FOUR, HEARING THAT IT ACTS AS THE ROOT, ONE KNOWS THAT ITS MEANINGS ARE PERFECT, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF SUDDEN ATTAINMENT. FIVE, HEARING OF THE VIRTUES OF THE FRUIT, ONE THEN BELIEVES, REJOICES IN, AND VOWS TO EQUAL THEM, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF DESTROYING OBSTACLES.

COMMENTARY:

FURTHERMORE, THIS BENEFIT INDIVIDUALLY PAIRS WITH THE PREVIOUS NINE. This Benefit pairs with each of the previous nine Causes, MAKING UP TEN BENEFITS. THEY ARE: ONE, HEARING THAT THE DHARMA IS THAT WAY, ONE KNOWS THAT IT IS CONSTANT AND PERVASIVE. One then knows that every dharma is constant and all pervasive, and accomplishes THE BENEFIT OF SEEING AND HEARING. TWO, HEARING of original conduct and vows, upon hearing how the causes from cultivation In past lives were deep and thick, one studies the BUDDHA AND MAKES THE RESOLVE. One wishes to imitate the Buddha and brings forth the Great Vehicle great resolve for Bodhi, and ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF BRINGING FORTH THE RESOLVE.

THREE, HEARING OF RESPONSE IN ACCORDANCE with potentials, the principle of response according with potentialities, ONE knows THAT DHARMAS ARISE BECAUSE OF THE GOOD, that all merit and virtue is founded on what is wholesome, AND accomplishes THE BENEFIT OF STARTING TO PRACTICE. One sets about practicing what one had not practiced before, and there is that benefit. FOUR, HEARING THAT IT ACTS AS THE ROOT, the root of the Teaching, ONE KNOWS THAT ITS MEANINGS are perfect, that its principles are perfectly fused without obstruction, and accomplishes THE BENEFIT OF SUDDEN ATTAINMENT. One achieves the sudden attainment of that benefit, because when one knows the perfection of meanings, one can obtain that benefit very fast.

FIVE, the fifth kind, is HEARING OF THE virtues of THE fruit, when the virtues of the fruit of Buddhahood are displayed, one THEN BELIEVES, REJOICES IN, AND VOWS TO EQUAL THEM, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF destroying obstacles. Because one believes in them oneself, is pleased with them, and vows to reach the same position as the Buddha, one obtains the benefit of being able to have one's karmic obstacles destroyed.

PROLOGUE:

SIX, HEARING OF THE POSITIONS, ONE LOOKS FORWARD TO ACHIEVING ENTRY TO THEM, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF GATHERING IN THE POSITIONS. SEVEN, HEARING OF CONDUCT, ONE RESOLVES TO CULTIVATE, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF THE ARISAL OF CONDUCT. EIGHT, HEARING OF DHARMA, ONE CERTAINLY MUST UNDERSTAND IT, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF SINCERITY. NINE, HEARING OF THE CAUSE, ONE KNOWS THAT ALL HAVE IT, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF PASSING ON THE BENEFITS. TEN, ONE TAKES THE PREVIOUS NINE TOGETHER, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF RAPID CERTIFICATION. THEREFORE, THE PREVIOUS NINE CAUSES ALL CONSTITUTE THE PRESENT BENEFIT.

COMMENTARY:

SIX, HEARING OF THE POSITIONS, having heard the positions discussed, one LOOKS FORWARD TO ACHIEVING THEM. One brings forth the Bodhi resolve to attain those positions, and accomplishes the benefit of gathering in the positions, of drawing in the Positions. Seven, hearing of supreme CONDUCT, ONE RESOLVES TO CULTIVATE according to that supreme conduct, and accomplishes THE BENEFIT OF THE ARISAL OF CONDUCT. One achieves the benefit of bringing forth the cultivation of that conduct.

Eight, hearing OF dharma, hearing about true and actual Dharma, one certainly must understand it. One then understands it very well, because one is certain, has no doubts about it, AND accomplishes the benefit OF sincerity. One then brings about the benefit of merit and virtue arising from sincerity. Nine, hearing of the cause, when the causal nature is revealed, ONE KNOWS THAT ALL HAVE IT, that all living beings have the Buddha nature, the wisdom of a Buddha, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF PASSING ON THE BENEFITS. One then passes the benefits on, wishing to teach and transform living beings, so they all obtain those benefits too.

TEN, ONE TAKES THE PREVIOUS NINE TOGETHER. To make the tenth benefit, one combines the previous nine kinds of benefits, AND ACCOMPLISHES THE BENEFIT OF vapid certification. One can very quickly certify to the attainment of the fruit of Buddhahood. THEREFORE, THE PREVIOUS NINE CAUSES ALL CONSTITUTE THE PRESENT BENEFIT. All the nine benefits that came before make up the benefit of rapid certification, with the hope that all of us will quickly attain Anuttarasamyaksambbdhi.

*The second summer session (1971) is about to begin. No matter how many people attend, our schedule is just as busy. We still bow the Great Compassion Repentance in the afternoon. The merit and virtue of the Great Compassion Repentance is inconceivable, and those of you bowing it should be very sincere, and transfer merit to those not bowing the repentance. Now among the Dharma protectors in the Buddha hall some are having karmic obstacles appear, so they're always having lots of false thinking. These are not false thoughts they wish to have, but karmic obstacles disturbing their cultivation. When we bow the repentance we should do so for their sake, hoping that Thousand Handed Gwan Shr Yin Bodhisattva will aid them to attain purity of body and mind, and not have so many afflictions.

*That is the Bodhisattva conduct of benefiting self and others. We who study the Buddha wish others to do well and be free of karmic obstacles, so you should transfer merit to those who have karmic obstacles. If you want others to attain purity of body and mind, you yourself are certain to attain it too. Helping others is just helping yourself, and helping yourself is helping others. There's that interconnection. Now we have come together here because we have affinities with each other, and so we should have harmonious union of self and others, and save each other, helping each other out. You should make that kind of Bodhi resolve, which is a door of practice for rapid certification. Everyone should pay particular attention to this.

In China there is a set of matched couplets which goes:

Petty people tell lies,

And shift from red to green,

Trading faces, trying to pass for gentlemen.

When a great person speaks,

It is like white cloth dyed black:

Changing one's word does not make for a hero.

A person of small stature enjoys talking wildly and lying. Something will be red for awhile, and then suddenly become green. He'll be saying one thing, and pretty soon it's changed into something else. He trades his face of a petty person, putting on a masque and pretending to be a superior person. But when someone of great stature talks, it's like dying a piece of white material black. To alter what one has said is not heroic. This is very well put.

PROLOGUE:

      IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE TO DERIVE TEN BENEFITS FROM EACH OF THE PREVIOUS DOORS, WHICH CAN BE DETERMINED BY REFLECTION.

DUE TO THE TEN CAUSES STATED ABOVE, THIS TEACHING FLOURISHES. IN THE CHAPTER ON BRINGING FORTH THE RESOLVE THERE ARE TEN CAUSAL FACTORS. IT SAYS, "BECAUSE OF THE BUDDHA'S AWESOME SPIRITUAL MIGHT; BECAUSE OF THE ORIGINAL VOWS OF THE WORLD HONORED ONE;" AND SO FORTH. CAUSES AND CONDITIONS INTERACT, AND THE CORRESPONDENCE OF CAUSES WITH CONDITIONS CAN BE DETERMINED BY REFLECTION.

COMMENTARY:

IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE TO DERIVE TEN BENEFITS FROM EACH OF THE PREVIOUS DOORS, WHICH CAN BE DETERMINED BY REFLECTION. That is, each of the ten doors that were talked about before can be explained as having ten kinds of benefits. You can figure them out for yourself. due to the causes and CONDITIONS STATED ABOVE, THIS TEACHING flourishes. The Ten Causes just discussed are the reasons why the Buddhadharma is able to arise and prosper.

IN THE CHAPTER ON BRINGING FORTH THE RESOLVE THERE ARE TEN CAUSAL FACTORS. Here only two of the ten are mentioned. it says, in the Chapter on Bringing Forth the Resolve, "BECAUSE OF THE BUDDHA'S AWESOME SPIRITUAL MIGHT," and "BECAUSE OF THE ORIGINAL VOWS OF THE WORLD HONORED ONE," the power of the Buddha's spiritual penetrations and the vows originally made by the World Honored One, Sakyamuni Buddha, being the two reasons. The rest of the reasons are: in order to reveal the Buddhadharma; in order to bring about universal illumination of all living beings by the light of wisdom; in order to set forth true and actual principle; in order to bring about living beings' certification to the Dharma Nature; in order to delight the multitudes in the Dharma Assembly; in order to reveal the causes of the Buddha Dharma; in order to obtain the impartiality of all Buddhas; and in order to understand the non duality of the Dharma Realm. It states those ten causes in the Sutra, of which the Prologue only mentions two and adds and SO forth.

CAUSES AND CONDITIONS INTERACT. There are conditions within causes, and causes inside of conditions, causally conditioning each other as they interact, and the CORRESPONDENCE OF CAUSES WITH CONDITIONS CAN BE DETERMINED BY REFLECTION. If you understand the causes, then you can understand the conditions, and vice versa, for they correspond with each other, which is just another way of saying they interact. If you think this over, you will understand it.

Above, the Ten Causes within the First Door, the Causes and Conditions for the Arisal of the Teaching, have been explained. Now the Ten Conditions within the First Door, The Causes and Conditions for the Arisal of the Teaching, will be explained.

PROLOGUE:

THE SECOND, EXPLANATION OF THE SUTRA'S CONDITIONS. THE OUTSET OF EACH SUTRA STATES THE TIME, THE PLACE, THE PERSON(S), AND SO FORTH. THIS IS ALL ARISAL FROM CONDITIONS.

COMMENTARY:

THE SECOND, EXPLANATION OF THE SUTRA'S conditions. It talked about the Causes for the Sutra before, and now it's going to talk about the Conditions. The outset OF each sutra, the Sutra's very beginning, STATES THE TIME, THE PLACE, THE PERSON(S), and SO forth. This means the Realization of a Time, the Realization of a Place, the Realization of a Person, the Host, or Persons, the Realization of the Assembly. For the Buddha, the Host is realized from a person, and the Assembly is made up of persons who listen. *This IS ALL ARISAL from conditions. The Teaching arises due to those kinds of conditions.

PROLOGUE:

NOW THERE ARE THE TEN CONDITIONS: ONE, DEPENDING ON THE TIME, TWO, DEPENDING ON THE PLACE; THREE, DEPENDING ON THE HOST; FOUR, DEPENDING ON THE SAMADHI; FIVE, DEPENDING ON THE MANIFESTATION OF MARKS; SIX, DEPENDING ON THE SPEAKER; SEVEN, DE­PENDING ON THE LISTENERS; EIGHT, DEPENDING ON THE BASIS IN VIRTUE; NINE, DEPENDING ON THE REQUESTER; TEN, DEPENDING ON THE ASSISTANCE.

COMMENTARY:

NOW THERE ARE THE TEN CONDITIONS. They underlie the speaking of The Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra. ONE, the First Condition, is depending ON THE time. If there is no suitable occasion, there is no way to speak the Sutra. TWO, DEPENDING ON THE PLACE. There has to be a place for it to happen, or else how could you lecture the Sutra and speak the Dharma? Three, depending on the host. If there is no Dharma speaking host, no one will speak the Sutra, so to have a host is another Condition.

FOUR, DEPENDING ON THE SAMADHI. "Samadhi" is a Sanskrit word which means "Proper Reflection" and "Proper Concentration,' which is another necessary condition. FIVE, DEPENDING ON THE MANIFESTATION OF MARKS. The Buddha, for example, made appear a 10,000 foot tall body of Nishyanda Buddha to speak the Flower Adornment Sutra. SIX, DEPENDING ON THE SPEAKER. Basically, the Host is the Speaker; but "speaker" here means in this Sutra there are others, Bodhisattvas or Good and Wise Teachers, who speak too, which is another Condition.

*Every Sutra begins with these Six Realizations:

1. Realization of Faith.

2. Realization of Hearing.

3. Realization of Time.

4. Realization of a Host.

5. Realization of Place.

6. Realization of Assembly.

      SEVEN, DEPENDING ON THE LISTENERS. If someone speaks the Dharma, but no one listens, the Dharma isn't complete, so the condition of their being listeners must be met as well. Eight, depending ON the basis IN virtue. Although someone may speak the Dharma and others listen, if the person speaking has no virtuous practice of the Way, this condition will not have been fulfilled. NINE, DEPENDING ON THE REQUESTER. There has to be someone who requests the Dharma too; otherwise not all the conditions have been met. Ten, depending ON THE ASSISTANCE. The Buddha may emit light to assist the multitudes in the Dharma Assembly, or even the Buddhas of the ten directions, so those who lend their aid form another of the conditions.

PROLOGUE:

NOW THE FIRST, DEPENDING ON THE TIME. WHENEVER THE MIND MESHES WITH THE HIGHEST WAY, THEN ANCIENT AND PRESENT BLEND INTO ONE. SINCE THE DHARMA REALM IS WITHOUT PRODUCTION, THERE IS BASIC ABSENCE OF TIME DIVISIONS. A VERSE LATER IN THE SUTRA SAYS, "WHEN THE THUS COME ONE OBTAINS BODHI, IT ACTUALLY IS NOT BOUND TO A DAY."

MOREOVER, THE SPEAKING HAS NO BOUNDS, FOR THOUGHTS AND KALPAS ARE IN PERFECT FUSION.

COMMENTARY:

NOW THE FIRST, DEPENDING ON THE TIME. The First Condition is that of Time. Basically there is no definite time, but living beings, having attachments, become attached to time. The prologue says, whenever THE MIND MESHES WITH THE HIGHEST WAY. Why do we cultivate? It's because our inherent wisdom was never lost, so all we need is to embody the ultimate in a single thought, and we tally with the family of the Buddha. A single thought instant of purity and one is a Buddha for that single thought. If one's every thought is pure, then one is a Buddha in every thought. So, whenever the mind meshes, unites and tallies, with the highest and most ultimate Way Enlightenment THEN ANCIENT AND PRESENT BLEND INTO ONE. The past becomes the present, and right now is just before. There is no duality between then and now. Living beings attach to the existence of past and present, but if you understand the highest Way, there is no past and there is no present. There is no time at all. The Vajra Sutra says:

Past thought cannot be got at.

Present thought cannot be got at.

Future thought cannot be got at.

The three thoughts ultimately cannot be got at. That is ancient and present blended into one. You can't tell one from the other. Why not? Since the dharma realm HAS NO production. There is neither production nor extinction to the Dharma Realm, and because Of that THERE IS BASIC ABSENCE OF TIME DIVISIONS. Since there is no coming into being and no passing away, there fundamentally is no time.

The text talked before about gathering limitless kalpas into a single thought, and stretching out one thought into limitless kalpas, so there is no long or short to limitless kalpas and instants of thought. The only basis for such distinctions as long and short or few and many is the attachments of living beings' minds. A VERSE LATER IN THE SUTRA SAYS, when you get into the text of the Sutra itself, "when THE thus come one obtains BODHI", Enlightenment "IT ACTUALLY IS NOT BOUND TO A DAY." You really cannot say there was one particular day on which the Buddha accomplished the Way. It was not limited to a given day. The minds of living beings distinguish a certain day when he became a Buddha, and another day when the Buddha entered Nirvana; but when your true mind meshes with the highest Way, long is not long and short is not short, ancient is not ancient and present is not present. Therefore, there isn't any fixed day or time when it happens. National Master Ch'ing Liang, in discussing the principles of the Flower Adornment Sutra, is describing an inconceivable state when he says it actually is not bound to a day.

The Buddhadharma exists in order to break the attachments of living beings. If you rid yourself of attachments, the Dharma also disappears. It's because you have attachments that there is Dharma to break them. For example, after you cross the sea, you don't need to continue the boat ride. The Dharma is like a boat. After crossing the sea you can't decide to walk around with the boat on your back. That's why the Vajra Sutra says:

Even dharmas should be relinquished,

How much the more so no dharmas.

You even have to put the Dharma down. If you get rid of your attachments, really forget all about time so there is no past or present, then you won't have to use Dharma. But now you can't achieve that, so you have to break attachments. We have attachments to everything, but once free of them, it is truly wonderful to the ultimate.

MOREOVER, THE SPEAKING HAS NO BOUNDS. There are no limitations to it, and no time when it stops.

Before, there is no past;

Ahead, there is no present.

At no time does it end, and so the speaking of the Flower Adornment Sutra has no bounds, FOR THOUGHTS AND KALPAS ARE IN PERFECT fusion. Thoughts are single instants of thought, and kalpas means great kalpas, and they perfectly fuse without obstruction. This wonderful Dharma is perfectly fused with no blockage inconceivable. A single thought is limitless kalpas, and limitless kalpas are just a single thought. How can that happen? Due to unobstructed perfect fusion. There are no obstacles, and this is inconceivable, unobstructed interpenetration, a state which ordinary people cannot know. Sakyamuni Buddha, within the Land of Eternal, Still Brightness, is always speaking the Flower Adornment Sutra, and never stops for an instant, so the Flower Adornment Sutra is in unobstructed interpenetration, with no beginning and no end. Its beginning can be its end, and its end can be its beginning, interpenetrating perfectly without obstruction.

PROLOGUE:

NOW TO USE THE TIME OF NO TIME, IN GENERAL THERE APPEAR TEN KINDS OF DIFFERENCES OF TIME. FIRST, ONLY ONE THOUGHT, TWO, THROUGHOUT SEVEN DAYS; THREE, PERVADING THE THREE LIMITS; FOUR, GATHERING SIMILAR KINDS OF KALPAS; FIVE, COLLECTING DIFFERENT KINDS OF KALPAS; SIX, USING A THOUGHT TO GATHER KALPAS; SEVEN, KALPAS AND THOUGHTS COLLECTED IN LAYERS; EIGHT, TIME OF DIFFERENT KINDS AND REALMS; NINE, MUTUAL ENTRY OF EACH INTO THE OTHER; TEN, USING THE ROOT TO COLLECT THE BRANCH TIPS.

IN THE PREVIOUS TEN TIMES, THERE IS CONSTANT PROCLAMATION OF THIS SUTRA.

COMMENTARY:

NOW TO USE THE TIME OF NO TIME, the time of there being no fixed time, IN general THERE APPEAR TEN KINDS OF DIFFERENCES OF time. In a general way, ten distinctions of time manifest. First, only one thought, in a single kshana going to boundless places and speaking boundless Dharma. TWO, THROUGHOUT SEVEN DAYS. One sits Seven days and it seems only as long as one thought. Not only that but three, PERVADING the THREE LIMITS. The three limits are the limits of the past, the present and the future throughout them all. FOUR GATHERING SIMILAR KINDS OF KALPAS. Long kalpas are put together with long kalpas, and the same thing happens with short ones. FIVE, COLLECTING DIFFERENT KINDS OF KALPAS. Long and short kalpas collect each other in. Long kalpas can become short ones, and short ones can become long ones, so there is no long or short.

SIX, USING A THOUGHT TO GATHER KALPAS. Within a single interval of thought limitless kalpas can be gathered in, and limitless kalpas are just a single thought. SEVEN, KALPAS AND THOUGHTS COLLECTED IN layers. If you say it is a kalpa, it still does not go beyond a single thought. If you say a kalpa is a single thought, the kalpa still remains. They collect each other in multiple layers that kind of state. Eight, time of different kinds and realms. That is, all that is different from kalpas, for example trees, rivers and so forth, all can enter into each Other. NINE, MUTUAL ENTRY OF EACH INTO THE other. This enters into that and vice versa. TEN, using the root to collect THE branch tips. It can work the other way around too", the branch tips can be used to gather in the root. They inter collect each other. That is using the time of no time, that IS to say, from using NON kalpas AS kalpas. You say they're kalpas, yet they aren't. You say they're time, and they're not time. The state of the Flower Adornment Sutra is such that there are no kalpas, no time, or any fixed intervals of thought, so this is all inconceivable. There is no way you can conceptualize its principles and wonderful states.

IN THE PREVIOUS TEN TIMES, THERE IS CONSTANT PROCLAMATION OF THIS SUTRA. In the ten kinds of unfixed time just listed, the Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra is always being spoken.

PROLOGUE:

MOREOVER, THOSE TEN KINDS ARE EACH COLLECTED IN THE PERFECT. BASED UPON THIS TIME OF SPEAKING, THERE IS THEN NO BEGINNING AND NO END. YET IN ACCORDANCE WITH SEEING AND HEARING, ONE SPEAKS OF FIRST ACCOMPLISHMENT AND SO FORTH, AS WAS DISCUSSED BEFORE IN DHARMA IS THAT WAY.

IF BASED UPON THIS TIME, THEN IT IS FAR DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER TEACHINGS; AND YET THE TIMES OF THE OTHER TEACHINGS DO NOT GO BEYOND THIS.

OR ONE MAY SPEAK OF THREE WEEKS, SIX WEEKS, AND SO FORTH, FROM ACCORDING WITH SEEING AND HEARING. THIS IS DISCUSSED AT LENGTH IN THE CHIH KUI.

COMMENTARY:

MOREOVER, THOSE TEN KINDS ARE EACH COLLECTED IN the perfect. Those ten kinds of time all perfectly fused without obstruction so they are collected in by the Perfect Teaching. based UPON THIS time OF speaking, THERE IS THEN NO BEGINNING AND NO END. The proclamation of the Flower Adornment Sutra being based in those ten kinds of time means there is no start or finish to it, no ancient or present. YET IN ACCORDANCE WITH SEEING AND HEARING, ONE SPEAKS OF FIRST ACCOMPLISHMENT AND SO FORTH. Although we’ve said there is no time, yet in accordance with the seeing and hearing on the part of ordinary living beings, one talks about first accomplishment of the Way and the rest, and yet:

Upon first bringing forth the resolve,

One immediately accomplishes Proper Enlightenment.

AS WAS DISCUSSED BEFORE IN DHARMA IS THAT WAY. The principles are the same as those discussed in the First Cause, because the Dharma is that way.

      IF BASED UPON THIS TIME, if one uses the previous ten kinds of time as its basis, THEN IT IS FAR DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER TEACHINGS, for they all have something fixed, while this is the Sudden Teaching in which there is nothing fixed. AND YET THE TIMES OF THE OTHER TEACHINGS DO NOT GO BEYOND THIS. Although it is so different from the rest of the Teachings, it still includes them all, so the times they establish do not transcend this time.

      OR ONE MAY SPEAK OF THREE WEEKS, SIX WEEKS AND SO FORTH. Someone may object saying, "What about twenty one days, three weeks? Isn’t that time?" FROM ACCORDING WITH SEEING AND HEARING on the part of living beings, giving such times as three weeks and six weeks. THIS IS DISCUSSED AT LENGTH IN THE CHIH KUI. IF you want to investigate this principle in depth, take a look at the Hua Yen Chih Kui, which has a lot to say about it.

      The third day of the sixth lunar month is the Birthday of Dharma Protector Wei T’ou Bodhisattva. If you have time, come for the bowing ceremony as a Dharma Protector. "Wei T’ou" is Sanskrit, Veda, which means "Clear Knowledge" and "Clear Benefit." Wei T’ou Bodhisattva understands how to benefit living beings and with intelligence and wisdom protects the Buddhadharma. He’s not stupid, doing things all upside down, having studied Buddhadharma so long but still being just as messed up. He is actually a virgin youth who vowed to become Wei T’ou Bodhisattva.