Sutra:
The River-Ruling Spirit named Pervasive Roar in the Ten Directions obtained the liberation door of constantly emitting sounds that benefit beings.

Commentary:
The next River-Ruling Spirit is named Pervasive Roar in the Ten Directions. This Spirit, who is in charge of rivers and streams, has a particularly loud sound. The sound of his roar can be heard everywhere simultaneously throughout the ten directions, hence his name, “Pervasive Roar in the Ten Directions.”

He obtained the liberation door of constantly emitting sounds that benefit beings. His roar is not a useless roar. His roar is useful. What use does it serve? “Constantly emitting sounds that benefit beings.” When one being hears the sound of his roar, that being obtains benefit. What benefit? When those who have greedy thoughts hear this sound, their greed decreases a little. When those who have hateful thoughts hear this sound, their hate decreases a little. When those whose thoughts are foolish hear this sound, their foolishness decreases a little. And so by continually hearing this sound, one's greed, hatred, and foolishness will imperceptibly disappear. That's what's meant by sounds that benefit beings. These sounds bring great benefit to beings. He attained this liberation door.

Sutra:
The River-Ruling Spirit named Universally Rescuing and Protecting Beings obtained the liberation door of constantly giving rise to kindness and never vexing or harming any living creature.

Commentary:
The next River-Ruling Spirit is named Universally Rescuing and Protecting Beings. This River-Ruling Spirit has even greater spiritual penetrations. He can universally rescue all beings. For instance, if all living beings were about to be drowned in the river, he could keep them from being drowned. He could rescue those beings. He rescues and protects beings without making any discrimina­tions among all beings. And so he is the River-Ruling Spirit named Universally Rescuing and Protecting Beings.

His attainment involves any living creature. Any living creature includes those born from wombs, from eggs, from moisture, and by transformation. Living creatures are those with awareness. Their natures have knowing awareness. Living creatures refers to all living beings. Any creature with blood and breath is a living creature. Some have breath but no blood; some have blood but no breath. Some have neither blood nor breath. These can also be included as living creatures.

He obtained the liberation door of constantly giving rise to kindness and never vexing or harming any living creature. Living beings of the Dharma Realm constantly give rise to kindness and compassion and refrain from vexing and harming living beings. This is the state, the liberation door, that this River-Ruling Spirit obtained.

Are there any questions?

Question: As to chakras, how many chakras are there?
Venerable Master: Is he a student of yoga?
Answer: He said he studied it before.
Venerable Master: Why doesn't he go ask the yogis?
Answer: ...He never knew that there were five.
Venerable Master: He didn't know there were five?
Answer: He only heard it now, because in the Yoga School they say there is one...
Venerable Master: What is his question now?
Answer: He's asking about the sixth chakra.
Venerable Master: What about the six chakras? Which one is pure?
Answer: [inaudible]
Venerable Master: This is the Buddha Eye, right here.
Answer: If this verse is talking about the Buddha Eye, why do they...?
Venerable Master: They basically do not understand at all; how could they become Buddhas?
Venerable Master: When did he give us these pictures?
Answer: About ten minutes ago.
Venerable Master: What does he have to say now?
Answer: He says that the “three contemplations” in yoga are not the Buddha Eye, but the Flesh Eye , Heavenly Eye and ....
Venerable Master: What about it?
Answer: The way they explain the Eyes and the way the Master explains them...
Venerable Master: They simply do not know, that's all.
Answer: They don't understand...
Venerable Master: If people have any views, bring them up and we can all discuss them. We were talking about yoga, but then you brought up philosophy. After a while you raised the topic of science. There's no end to this.
Answer: [inaudible]
Venerable Master: Okay. Your slippery method, taken from the palm of your hand... Has he been here before?
Answer: He came once. We asked him to come.
Venerable Master: I have no idea. Tell him there is no such person as To Lun. He does not exist.
Venerable Master: Who else has questions?
Question: Is there a way to briefly explain this song? When I hear this song, it wipes out my greed, anger, and delusion. How should it be cultivated?
Venerable Master: How should it be cultivated? Any way you cultivate it is fine! Among the 84,000 Dharma doors, as long as you understand one Dharma door, you can cultivate it.

Do not cultivate for the sake of fame; do not cultivate in pursuit of profit. Do not base your cultivation on greed, anger, or stupidity. Then you can cultivate that Dharma door. But if you get hung up on fame, profit, greed, anger, or stupidity, then it will be impossible to cultivate that Dharma door.

Are there any other questions? Who else has a question? What are you doing that for—raising both your left hand and your right hand? You are too slippery. Even your hands have “slipped” up.

Now I have a matter to tell all of you. At Gold Mountain Monastery, those who have left home and the lay people work together to translate the Sutras of Buddhism. We first translate those Sutras that we've understood, and after the translations are done, we print them. However, it is not the case that the translator takes his or her own translation and goes to find a printer and arrange to print it. That is totally wrong.

After our first translation, of the Sixth Patriarch's Platform Sutra, was completed, it was printed in the name of our Buddhist Text Translation Society. We printed it, but in Hong Kong, someone did not like the idea of using the name of the Buddhist Text Translation Society, so he did away with it. That was a great mistake. In the future, no matter who translates the Sutras, they cannot go by themselves to make arrangements for printing.

With the Earth Store Sutra, Guo Ning personally went to see C.T. Shen, recommended himself, and convinced him to print it quietly. This has been one of the most shameful and worthless things that Gold Mountain Monastery has done.

Now some other translations are done, and some people are following suit. Promoting your own translation and trying to get it printed first is a terrible mistake. It shows a selfish heart, a heart that is after fame and profit. You have not liberated yourself from the wish for fame and profit.
All of us at Gold Mountain Monastery should avoid being like common, worldly people. If we do not see this point clearly, how are we any different from those worldly people?

Now the translation of the Lotus Sutra has been completed, and those three in Hong Kong have taken charge of printing it. This is not in accord with Dharma. It is totally wrong. In the future, whenever someone finishes a translation, he or she has to hand it over to the Buddhist Text Translation Society, which will send it to be printed. That's the right way to do it. If you don't want to do that, then you needn't bother translating. Does anyone else have a question?

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Sutra:
The River-Ruling Spirit named Pure Light Devoid of Heat obtained the liberation door of universally displaying all good roots that are clear and cool.

Commentary:
The next River-Ruling Spirit is named Pure Light Devoid of Heat. “Pure Light Devoid of Heat” is the name of a River-Ruling Spirit. Devoid of heat means devoid of afflictions. Heat is affliction. If there is no heat, one attains clear coolness. Since one has attained clear coolness, one obtains “Pure Light”—a clear, pure brilliance.

The waters of the rivers and streams that this River-Ruling Spirit rules over are not heated; they are always clear and refreshing. And so he has obtained this kind of state of the Buddha.

He obtained the liberation door of universally displaying all good roots that are clear and cool.  All the clarity and coolness dispelled all the afflictions, so he obtained the good roots of clear and cool wisdom. “Good roots that are clear and cool” are just the good roots of Prajna, the good roots of Bodhi, and the root of faith. He gave rise to the power of the root of faith. This kind of faith is extremely solid, without any wavering between doubt and belief. He also had the root of mindfulness. Mindfulness of what? Mindfulness of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. He also had the root of vigor, the good roots of vigor, which includes both physical and mental vigor. Aside from the good roots of vigor and mindfulness, he also had the good roots of samadhi. Samadhi means to remain unmoved by any state. As it is said, “Unmoved by the eight winds, one sits upright on a purple-golden lotus.” One is thus and unmoving, with clear and constant understanding. What are the eight winds? There is praise, a favorable wind, and ridicule, an adverse wind. It's easy to feel happy when there's a favorable wind, and easy to get angry when an adverse wind comes. There's also the wind of suffering, which is extremely hard to bear; and the wind of happiness, which makes you joyful. Suffering is an adverse wind; happiness is a favorable wind. Suffering can also be compared to the north wind, which is very chilly, and happiness to the south wind, which is warm and gentle. There is also the wind of benefit, which is beneficial to you, and that of decline, which is harmful to you. There is the wind of gain, and the wind of loss. Praise, ridicule, suffering, happiness, benefit, decline, gain, and loss—these are all “winds.” However, these Eight Winds cannot blow and move the root of samadhi, so the good roots of samadhi are solid. Then there is the root of wisdom. If you wish to have the good roots of wisdom, you must cultivate the Dharma doors of wisdom; you have to open the Dharma doors of wisdom. All you have to do is devote more time to studying the Sutras and cultivating Prajna, and you will be replete with the faith, vigor, mindfulness, samadhi, and wisdom—these five kinds of good roots. You will obtain these clear, cool good roots, and attain this kind of liberation door.

To be continued