What Are the Merits of Attaining Buddhahood?

Everyone! Today we have spoken of cultivating through three great asamkhya kalpas, saying that a person has attained Buddhahood. But what are the Buddha's merits? Consider: when a person practices giving, in a future life they are reborn in the heavens—this is their merit, their karmic reward. Then what are the merits of attaining Buddhahood? Our previous understanding of a Buddha's merits has been one-sided. Look at how the Āgama Sūtras explain a Buddha's merits: Shakyamuni Buddha accomplished his path through eight great events—after birth, he awakened to the impermanence of the world and went forth from the household life; after renouncing, he first practiced ascetic disciplines; he cultivated the meditative absorptions of heterodox paths; finally, at night, gazing upon the morning star, he attained awakening; after awakening, he taught the Dharma for forty-nine years, and then entered nirvana. This is how the Āgama Sūtras explain the Buddha's merits.

But this is not the Buddha's full merits—it is only a small portion of them. Think about it, everyone: the cause is vast, but the result seems small. You cultivate through three great asamkhya kalpas, yet the span of his Buddhahood is only forty-nine years. Not to mention the sacred paths of the three vehicles—even ordinary acts of giving that lead to rebirth in the heavens yield fruitions spanning many kalpas. How could it be that after cultivating for three great asamkhya kalpas, the karmic result of his attainment amounts to just forty-nine years before entering the great parinirvana? That is merely the Buddha's nirmanakaya, his manifestation body—like a bubble upon the ocean.

The true attainment of Buddhahood lies in the merits of the dharmakaya, the Dharma body. And where are these merits of the Dharma body? They pervade every place! Consider: every phenomenon you perceive—form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and mental objects—each one is itself the Buddha's merit. Simply put, the Buddha's merits are the wondrous fruits of environments and beings throughout the ten dharma realms. But how can a Buddha bear the fruition of the animal realm? A Buddha can manifest the fruition of the animal realm in order to liberate sentient beings within that realm. Of course, his appearance as an animal differs from ours—we are propelled by karma and have no freedom. The Buddha, however, can manifest freely through manifold means and possesses sovereign mastery.

Therefore, when the Lotus Sutra discusses the merits of the Dharma body, it offers four examples to illustrate them—great compassion, great wisdom, great conduct, and great vows. First, great compassion. The merits of the Dharma body are all-pervading, but because sentient beings made different vows during the causal ground, these merits manifest in different ways. For example, the merits of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva's Dharma body are expressed through great compassion, responding to the cries of suffering beings, as described in the "Universal Gateway of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva" chapter. Second, great wisdom. There is Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva. The Lotus Sutra describes Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva's samadhi and spiritual powers, his various skillful means, illustrating the Buddha's wisdom and adroitness. Then great vows—the "Encouragements of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva" chapter describes Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's vast vows and practices extending through limitless time and space. Great conduct is treated in the "Past Deeds of Medicine King Bodhisattva" chapter, which describes various austere practices, including burning one's own body as an offering to the Buddha.

The merits of the Dharma body are sovereign and free. Within this freedom, the contemplation of suchness is not separate from the law of dependent origination. Because a Buddha made different vows during the causal ground, the merits of the Dharma body will manifest as a particular characteristic in a particular sphere—perhaps great wisdom, perhaps great compassion, perhaps great vows, perhaps great conduct. In sum, "The Buddha is the king of dharmas, sovereign among dharmas"—he can manifest in whatever form befits the class of beings. This is the Buddha's merit: it is everywhere.

Therefore, in conclusion, the entire Lotus Sutra discusses two things: first, what is the Buddha's wisdom; second, what are the Buddha's merits. It addresses these two things—one is the cause of the One Buddha Vehicle, and the other is the fruit of the One Buddha Vehicle.