[eBook] The Essence of Infinite Meanings: Teachings on the Adapted Verses of the Sutra of Infinite Meanings

[eBook] The Essence of Infinite Meanings Teachings on the Adapted Verses of the Sutra of Infinite Meanings

Introduction

The Sutra of Infinite Meanings is a very important Buddhist sutra. It can be seen as a turning point in the Buddha teachings, coming after He had already expounded the Dharma for over forty years. It is also an introduction to the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, Master Cheng Yen often stresses that the Sutra of Infinite Meanings contains the essence of the Lotus Sutra.

The Sutra of Infinite Meanings is divided into three chapters - Virtues, Expounding the Dharma, and The Ten Merits. These Infinite Meanings arise from One Dharma; this One Dharma is of non-appearance. As living beings have infinitely varying capacities, the Buddha used an infinite number of teachings. Since there are infinite teachings, their meanings are also infinite.

The world is fundamentally this simple and pure - without appearance - yet humans stubbornly remain attached to appearances. The Buddha taught the Sutra of Infinite Meanings and the Lotus Sutra to eliminate the habitual tendencies humans have accumulated and to teach the multitudes of living beings with severe habitual tendencies and desires how to return to the Great Bodhi Path.

About Author

Dharma Master Cheng Yen was born in 1937 in a small town in Taichung County, Taiwan. When she was twenty-three years old, she left home to become a Buddhist nun, and was instructed by her mentor, Venerable Master Yin Shun, to work “for Buddha’s teachings, for sentient beings.” In 1966, she founded a charity, which later turned into the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, to “help the poor and educate the rich”—to give material aid to the needy and inspire love and humanity in both givers and recipients.


In recent years, Master Cheng Yen’s contributions have been increasingly recognized by the global community. In 2011, she was recognized with the Roosevelt Institute’s FDR Distinguished Public Service Award and was named to the 2011 TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people. In 2014, she was presented with Rotary International’s Award of Honor in recognition of her humanitarian efforts and contributions to world peace.