Deep Commentary

This verse was taught by the Buddha at Jetavana Monastery in connection with a question asked by the Brahmin Devahita. One day, the Blessed One was feeling unwell and asked Venerable Upavana to go to the house of the Brahmin Devahita to request hot water. Venerable Upavana went there, explained the Buddha’s condition, and asked for hot water. Hearing this, the Brahmin was overjoyed and thought it a great blessing to have the chance to offer hot water to the Supreme Enlightened One. He gave hot water and a jar of sugarcane honey to the venerable, and ordered a servant to help carry the water. Venerable Upavana invited the Buddha to bathe with the hot water and prepared warm honey-water for him to drink. Immediately afterward, the Buddha’s discomfort eased. The Brahmin then thought: “To whom should one give in order to gain great merit? I will ask the Blessed One.” He went to the Buddha and asked in verse: “To whom should one give for great merit? Who is worthy of offerings? What kind of giver gains immeasurable merit?” The Buddha replied that offerings made to such a true Brahmin would bring very great fruit. The Buddha had attained the Three Knowledges: the divine eye, the recollection of past lives, and the destruction of the taints. Through these, he fully understood all phenomena. The divine eye means seeing clearly the nature of the cosmos and the causes by which things arise. The recollection of past lives means knowing the course of one’s own past existences and those of beings wandering through the three realms. The destruction of the taints means knowing the origin of suffering and the path that removes its causes, leading to liberation from birth and death. Such realization comes through meditative insight, through the complete ending of ignorance and defilements, and through a mind that is peaceful, still, and purified. Noble beings are no longer bound to birth and death as ordinary beings are. Yet, because of their vow to guide sentient beings, they appear throughout the three realms to awaken those who are deluded and help them escape suffering. This is their compassionate purpose in appearing in the world. Thus, the rebirth of noble beings differs from that of ordinary beings: ordinary beings are born through the force of karma and suffer the results of past actions, while Bodhisattvas appear through the power of vows to save beings. Their illness, aging, and death are only compassionate manifestations, shown in forms that ordinary people can understand. With this understanding, one no longer doubts why enlightened ones also seem to become ill, grow old, or die like us. We should remember that accomplished practitioners may appear, from the ordinary point of view, to undergo karmic results, but from their awakened understanding there is no fixed self who pays and no fixed karma to be paid. The nature of karma is originally empty; the five aggregates are also empty. From the perspective of ignorance, we may think that great beings suffer as ordinary people do. For example, Venerable Moggallana was beaten to death by bandits, and Patriarch Huike was imprisoned. If we misunderstand such events, we may lose faith and think: “Even such great practitioners still had to suffer karmic results; then what is the point of difficult spiritual practice?” We should not make that mistake. The manifestations of Bodhisattvas cannot be fully understood by ordinary eyes. Ordinary people are like those asleep in a deep dream, unaware of waking reality. The awakened ones are like people who have already woken up. If a fully awake person speaks to one still dreaming, how can the dreamer fully understand? Once we awaken as they have, we will understand without confusion. Buddhas and sentient beings differ only in delusion and awakening. Delusion and awakening are as close as the turning of a hand. To end rebirth and suffering, the Buddha teaches us to cultivate wholesome karma and complete the path. When this is fulfilled, one becomes a being of unsurpassed wisdom, fully accomplishing Bodhi. That is Buddhahood, complete awakening. This capacity for Buddhahood is attainable because it already lies within each of us. The saying “I am a Buddha already accomplished; sentient beings are Buddhas yet to be accomplished” affirms this. There is no need to doubt it. Every sentient being possesses the seed of Buddhahood. If we diligently practice, then one day we will surely realize the fruit of Buddhahood. This is the path the Buddha himself walked and brought to perfect fulfillment.