Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (221)

It is difficult to cultivate the Path amid wealth and honor

Our world on Earth belongs to Jambudvīpa, the southern continent south of Mount Sumeru. To the north of Mount Sumeru there is also Uttarakuru, to the east is Pūrvavideha, and to the west is Aparagodānīya — these are the four great continents. The people of Uttarakuru have a lifespan of one thousand years; their appearance is dignified and beautiful, their lives are prosperous, and they need not labor. All the necessities of life they require manifest spontaneously; they are replete with gold, silver, and treasures, replete with the seven precious substances, and their lives are extremely enjoyable. All sentient beings there pursue the pleasures of the five desires; they do not study the Buddha-dharma and do not seek liberation. Therefore, in Uttarakuru there is no Buddha-dharma, and there are no practitioners. Only we people of Jambudvīpa experience a mixture of suffering and happiness — there is both suffering and joy. When we can no longer bear suffering, we seek the way to escape suffering. When we encounter the Buddha-dharma, we cultivate in order to leave suffering and end suffering. In a world of pure bliss, the Buddha-dharma cannot exist. If we were to be born in Uttarakuru, or born into the heavenly realms, it would be very difficult to learn Buddhism — truly it is said: it is difficult to cultivate the Path amid wealth and honor.

For example, the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven is very blissful; the heavenly sons play and frolic every day, and apart from amusement they have nothing else to do. Lord Śakra must earnestly and patiently exhort those heavenly sons to come quickly and study Buddhism; sometimes he sounds the heavenly drum to compel the heavenly sons to come to the Hall of the Good Dharma to listen to the sūtras and hear the Dharma, not allowing them to continue indulging in the pleasures of the five desires. Because when the blessings of the heavenly realm are exhausted, they must descend again to the three evil paths to suffer. Likewise, when we are in the heavens, we can no longer study Buddhism and cultivate. Therefore, it is difficult to cultivate the Path amid wealth and honor, and difficult to learn Buddhism in favorable circumstances.