Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Abandon Evil and Draw Near to Goodness (五欲招苦 離惡近善)
Date: July.31.2018
“The Five Desires are of no benefit. This is like a dog biting into hot iron. The Five Desires cause conflict. This is like vultures fighting over flesh. The Five Desires burn people. This is like carrying a torch into a headwind. The Five Desires hurt people. This is like treading on vicious snakes. The Five Desires are unreal. This is like a transient, illusory dreamland. The Five Desires do not last long. This is like a fleeting instant.”
Desires are critical points to our cyclic existence and the beginning of our afflictions and ignorance. “A deluded thought creates the Three Subtleties. External states lead to the Six Coarse Marks.” The Five Desires arise in the span of a single thought. So, [we may become] greedy, angry or deluded. When thoughts of greed arise, [our minds] connect with the external conditions. Then, the Five Desires begin to create many afflictions and give rise to much ignorance. Infinite afflictions, ignorance and karmic actions are born from this source. Once they arise from this source, how do we cure them? There are many approaches. No matter how many afflictions we have, there are just as many approaches to treating them. But once people are sick with afflictions, even if they want to use the Dharma, they have already lost their way. They move further away from the Dharma, so it is difficult to help cure them. They are sick, but they do not know how to accept the medicine. It is not that there is no medicine to cure them. It is that they are deluded, so they do not know to use the medicine. They are unwilling to take the medicine, so their illness becomes more severe. The Five Desires are like a severe illness. The Five Desires truly do not bring any benefit at all. In the Sutra of the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teachings and the Sutra of 42 Chapters, the short sutra passages all repeatedly remind us that we must be able to understand “desire”. Once we encounter desires, removing ourselves from them will be difficult.
This is because “Desire nurtures desire”. By giving in to desire, we nurture more desires. Desires are like this. They arise in stages, one after another. This is like the modern saying, “Interest compounds interest.” Interest will continue to accrue more interest. This is the same principle. So, “The Five Desires are of no benefit.” When we finally look into them, [we can see] how many issues there are. People who pursue the Five Desires are like dogs biting into hot iron. When iron is heated until it becomes red hot, it is extremely hot! If a dog were to bite a hot iron, wouldn’t the iron hurt his mouth? There is not only no benefit, but it causes harm. People’s greedy desires are just like this, like a dog biting onto a hot iron.
“The Five Desires cause conflict.” When people pursue the Five Desires, the more they strive for, the more intensely they compete. There is so much competition in society and many conflicts among people. There are small conflicts between individuals, and [larger] conflicts between families or even between different communities. These conflicts of ego cause unrest, and the nations and their citizens become involved. Thus, countries fight against other countries, and families fight against other families. Nowadays, in business, people say, “This system belongs to this enterprise. This company belongs to that enterprise.” This is how it is. They are all competing against each other for profit. This “conflict” [can happen] between countries. Is it [to protect] their territory or for profit? Regardless, these [conflicts] cause disasters and manmade calamities. These conflicts may be between people, between companies, between communities or between countries. Think about it; with such conflicts, can there be tranquility? Can there be peace? Once a conflict arises between people, people will be injured. It may not necessarily harm their physical bodies, but it will harm their minds. People’s minds and their physical bodies are increasingly [harmed] by such constant states of conflict. It is like vultures fighting over flesh. People are like a flock of these birds in the sky. As long as there is food on the ground, the whole flock of vultures will fly down to fight over the flesh.
People are like these birds. So, “The Five Desires burn people. This is like carrying a torch into a headwind.” These Five Desires will burn people. It truly is like a dog biting a [hot] iron. The hot iron will burn the dog’s mouth. In the same way, the Five Desires burn people. This is like carrying a torch into a headwind. The wind blows directly towards us, so as we carry this torch in our hands, the fire is blown by the wind and burns our hands. This is how foolish people are. Their hands are about to be burned, and they still do not know that they must let go. This is foolishness. Sentient beings are like this. They crave the Five Desires. They do not know that the Five Desires burn people. “This is like carrying a torch into headwind.”
In the Sutra of 42 Chapters, [the Buddha] also gave similar teachings to educate His disciples. “This is like carrying a torch into a headwind.” So, “The Five Desires hurt people.” The Five Desires are surely harmful to us. “This is like treading on vicious snakes.” This is like when there are snakes and, not noticing them, we step on them. The snake will turn its head and, being a venomous snake, will surely bite us. Thus, we must realize that the Five Desires are like snakes. If we touch the snakes, we will be in great danger. We will surely be bitten. This is the same idea.
Moreover, “The Five Desires are unreal. This is like a transient, illusory dreamland.” In fact, what are the Five Desires in the world? They are truly empty and “unreal”. Even if we have great wealth and large businesses, we are just one person. In our lives, how much food can we eat in a meal? When we are dressed ,we all look similar. No matter how magnificent a house is, [we only use] one bed and one blanket. How much more can one person enjoy? The pleasures a single person can enjoy are, after all, limited. The amount we eat, the amount of clothes we wear and the size of the area we sleep in are all actually limited. However, people fight to expand their businesses throughout the entire world, everywhere. It is difficult for us to even reach these places. They spend so much effort and thought on this, but how long will these things last?
“This is like a transient, illusory dreamland.” This is just like a dream, which is very short. “The Five Desires do not last long. This is like a fleeting instant.” How long is a fleeting instant? The Five Desires truly do not last long.
Dr. Mao came to give a lecture. I had asked him to come turn in his “homework,” which was to research where Trayastrimsa Heaven is. Do you know how many Buddhist sutras he read? Do you know how much research he did to explore the boundless sky? He spent so much effort to find such a planet. The planet had to be at this position in the sky, since, compared to the time on Earth, one day on that planet is 100 years for us. I hope that this can confirm for everyone and let everyone truly comprehend that the Dharma is everywhere in the world!
More than 2000 years ago, before science and technology were developed, the Buddha had already discovered that beyond planet Earth, beyond this world, there are also other worlds. The sutras continually remind us about these other worlds. When it comes to other worlds, we must all clearly understand and have faith in these teachings. In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha’s disciples were willing to practice the Great Vehicle Dharma. Yet they were not willing to be in the Saha World; they made vows to spread the Dharma in other lands. The Buddha truly felt discouraged. He wanted everyone to return to the Saha World to transform sentient begins, but everyone made vows to go to other lands. Because of this, He said that in this world, we must form aspirations to uphold the Dharma.
So, we must have a strong and patient will. Manjusri Bodhisattva began to ask the Buddha to explain in detail. How could they do that? What methods could they use to help everyone avoid obstacles? How could they avoid the various evil deeds and appearances in the world? We must not only avoid [these obstacles], we need to also heighten our vigilance. The Saha World needs people to transform it. This is the kind of environment that truly needs people who are willing to enter in and transform others. But this environment is difficult to endure. How should we face it? So, Manjusri Bodhisattva asked the Buddha to explain in detail how to overcome this difficult state. To patiently endure, we need to right methods. We must make our spiritual aspirations firm, so we can avoid this environment with all its evil deeds and appearances. We must keep our spiritual aspirations firm. So, this is what this sutra passage is about.
See, now as we listen to the Dharma, internationally [through video conferencing], there are people in many countries around the world who [hear me] without any delay as I am speaking. They traveled a long way before dawn to arrive where they can listen to the Dharma. They are willing to walk such a long way to [listen] together with everyone at this moment. Although they cannot be in Taiwan or in the Abode, they are there at this very moment, directly receiving [the Dharma]. They are receiving it at this present moment. Now, in [many] communities, Tzu Chi is in the world among people. People are able to immediately learn about what our Living Bodhisattvas are doing right now. This is how they give of themselves. They go out early in the morning before the sun rises. They go to the place where everyone gathers to listen to the Dharma. When it comes to listening to the Dharma, they give of themselves early in the morning before dawn, [thining], “I am still willing to come out even in such cold weather”. If they did not make such [diligent efforts], they could not be there to listen to the Dharma. It is the same idea. If they enjoyed sleeping in and craved some extra time to sleep, they would lose the insights they gain from listening to the Dharma. When volunteers return [to the Abode], what they enjoy the most is to take in the fragrance of the Dharma. Thus, we must think clearly and not crave [the objects of] the Five Desires. The pleasures of the Five Desires do not last! “This is like a fleeting instant”. The time [they last] is fleeting. “Fleeting” means the time is short. It is not time we can make use of in the long term. Once the time has passed, it does not come back. This is [passing time] emptily.
So, “World people are ignorant and deluded. They cling to the Five Desires”. Worldly people are ignorant and deluded. They cling to the Five Desires and do not let them go, even in death. Thus in their future lifetimes, they will face boundless suffering.
People are ignorant and deluded. It is because they are ignorant and deluded that they cling to the Five Desires. Clinging to short-term pleasures leaves them unable to listen to the Dharma. They crave sleep and cannot get up, claiming that they are exhausted. This is the desire to rest more. This is the desire to rest more. The Five Desires are wealth, sensual pleasure, fame, food and sleep. Sleep is also among the Five Desires. “They do not let them go, even in death”. No matter how we tell them, they cannot let go of these desires. They cling to desires their whole lives, never letting them go whether in birth or death. “Thus in their future lifetimes, “they will face boundless suffering”. Because of this, they distance themselves from the Dharma lifetime after lifetime. They crave desires in the midst of suffering. “The Five Desires are of no benefit. This is like approaching a fire and adding fue!” The Five Desires have no benefit to us at all. This is like pouring fuel on top of the fire; the fire would flare up. We could burn our own hands, burn ourselves or cause a great disaster.
The Five Desires are of no benefit. This is like approaching a fire and adding fuel. The Five Desires burn people. This is like carrying a torch into a headwind. The Five Desires hurt people”. This is like treading on poisonous snakes. “he Five Desires are unreal. This is like what can be attained in dreams and illusions. The Five Desires do not last long. this is like a fleeting instant”.
Everyone, we must mindfully comprehend this. The “desires” are very simple. There are many kinds of desires. Wealth, sensual pleasure, fame, food and sleep are all desires. Our Five Roots and Five Consciousnesses tempt us to cling to these desires. Doing this is what makes us unenlightened beings.
So, the previous sutra passage states, “Also, they do not draw near to those who are overbearingly arrogant, who crave and cling to the Small Vehicle in their study of the Tripitaka, bhiksus who break the precepts and are Arhats in name only…”.
Think about this, aren’t these he people mentioned in the discussion of the Five Desires?”
The next sutra passage continues with, “… not to bhiksunis who love to play and joke around, who are deeply attached to the Fie Desires and pursue present Nirvana, nor to any upasikas; they do not draw near to any of them”.
We should not draw near to any of those. We must always be vigilant. There are many people we should not draw near to. We must also understand that we should [not only] avoid drawing near to “those who are overbearingly arrogant” but also to those “who crave and cling to the Small Vehicle in their study of the Tripitaka, bhiksus who break the precepts and are Arhats in name only”. We should not draw near to any of them, “nor to bhiksunis who love to play and joke around”. Some bhiksus or bhiksunis have no true intention of engaging in spiritual practice. They merely play around, make loud noises, joke around and so on. Those who are greedy, attached, frivolous and do not care about anything are people we should not draw near to. This is not to mention bhiksunis who love to joke around. We should not draw near to them when we are by ourselves. These groups of frivolous people who joke around are those whom we should not draw near.
…nor to bhiksunis who love to play and joke around: Also, they must not, when by themselves, draw near to bhiksunis who love to joke around. They must not draw near to those who would expose them to criticism by association, especially those who delight in playing and joking around. They stay away from them in particular.
“Also, they must not, when by themselves, draw near to bhiksunis who love to joke around. We should not join these crowds who are joking around. “We must not draw near to [them]”. We must not draw near to them. We must not join them nor draw near to those “who would expose us to criticism by association.”
We must not. If we draw near to them, we may become like them. If we [are seen] together, some people might say, “This person is together with those people. Is she just like them?” In particular, some people might say, “If we want to understand people’s behavior, we can tell by observing their friends”. So, we must be very vigilant. Should we draw near to them or not? No, we should not draw near to them, much less join them in playing around. We must not [join them]. We should distance ourselves from them and should not [draw near to them]. In addition, [we should not join those] who are deeply attached to the Five Desires and pursue present Nirvana”.
[Those] who are deeply attached to the Five Desires and pursue present Nirvana: Amidst the external states of the Five Dusts, they give rise to deep thoughts of desire. They cling to their deluded thoughts and seek to manifest extraordinary signs, falsely claiming to have attained Nirvana.
They are Small Vehicle practitioners. [Though] some people engage in spiritual practice, amidst the external states of the Five Dusts they give rise to the Five Desires. Some Vehicle practitioners and those who only seek to benefit themselves and so on give rise to Five Desires [and think], “I prostrate and make offering to the Buddha, so I have merits and virtues”. These spiritual practitioners, whether they are monastics or lay practitioners, seek attainment in their spiritual practice. As lay practitioners, they seek blessings, and as monastics, they seek liberation. This is all they seek. They are in the external states of the Five Dusts.
As monastics, they seek liberation. This means they only want to benefit themselves; they want to distance themselves from others. They are antisocial and do not want to interact with anyone. Such behavior is also not right! We can choose the people we interact with [Encountering] harmful friends, we must distance ourselves from them. For virtuous friends who will guide us, we must draw near to them. However, [Small Vehicle practitioners] benefit themselves while rejecting others. They isolate themselves to earnestly engage in spiritual practice. By cultivating “precepts, Samadhi and wisdom”, the Flawless Studies, they seek liberation and purity of the mind. But merely caring for oneself is not right. “Amidst the external states of the Five Dusts, they give rise to deep thoughts of desire”. Some lay practitioners make offerings and think that doing this enables them to attain blessings. This is not right either. So, “They cling to their deluded thoughts”. This is how they cling to their deluded thoughts “and seek to manifest extraordinary signs.”
Manifesting [refers to how] some monastics want to show that they have a high level of cultivation and have attained the Dharma. They see themselves as better than others, so they do not want to interact with everyone. They have their own teachings, “claiming to have realized what they have not”. These people say they are so well-cultivated that they can sit in meditation overnight without sleep and that they have certain visions from sitting in meditation. We should not draw near to people like this. We must mindfully understand this. We must be very vigilant of those we should not draw near to. “Pursuing present Nirvana” [refers to] people who cling to the Small Vehicle and seek only to benefit themselves.
Purse present Nirvana: These are people who cling to the Small Vehicle and seek only to benefit themselves. This means that within this present life, they purse attainment of ultimate peace and joy. This is also called the tranquil, undefiled Nirvana of this present life. If lay or monastic practitioners study and practice the Buddha-Dharma but are actually not yet able to comprehend the meaning of Right Dharma, they will still be unable to free themselves from the Five Desires. Those who merely purse peace, joy and purity in this present life do not [attain] the Nirvana of liberation from cyclic existence.
These are people who pursue Nirvana in this life. “This means that within this present life,” as they are engaging spiritual practice” in the present life, “They purse attainment of ultimate peace and joy. This is also called the tranquil, undefiled Nirvana of this present life.” They are biased toward the Small Vehicle.
Now, in this present lifetime, [focused on] these present phenomena, they are very satisfied. They engage in this sort of spiritual practice for “the ultimate peace and joy” for themselves. They can enjoy this and are free of worries in their minds, without any external mundane chores and so on. Throughout the day, they immerse themselves in these phenomena. They enjoy themselves, thinking that this is “the tranquil, undefiled Nirvana of this present life.” They think this is already Nirvana. They think their state is already tranquil, free of defilements and attachments. They “claim to have attained what they have not.” In this way, they limit themselves to this point. “If lay or monastic practitioners study and practice the Buddha-Dharma, but are actually not yet able to comprehend the meaning of Right Dharma….” They have not yet thoroughly comprehended the meaning of Right Dharma.
The Buddha taught the sutras for 42 years, and for 42 years, the Small Vehicle practitioners [remained] Hearers and Solitary Realizers, seeking [present] liberation. The Buddha had to patiently guide them. Beyond the Hearers and Soliatary Realizer [Dharma], the ultimate is the True Dharma of the One Vehicle which is the Great Vehicle Dharma. The most important goal is the Bodhisattva-path; this is truly the ultimate. To go among people without being affected is to enter the mud without beings defiled by it. When we go among people without letting them cause our spiritual aspirations to waver, this is true and ultimate liberation. Simply avoiding people is not a solution; we must face them and cultivate the True Dharma. But these people have deviated from that. They do not comprehend the True Dharma’s meaning. We must “comprehend the great path and from the supreme aspiration.” Isn’t this what we recite in the Three Refuges every day?
So, we must comprehend the great path and begin to form great aspirations. However, they do not comprehend the great path, so they dare not from aspirations. They only seek ultimate liberation for themselves. But as for this ultimate liberation, once afflictions and ignorance arise, they begin to [reproduce] these afflictions again. “So, they will still be unable to free themselves from the Five Desires.” They still have desires, so they are unable to free themselves from the Five Desires. “Those who merely pursue peace, joy and purity in this present life” only seek to attain what they themselves pursue in this present life. That is all they want. They think they are already pure, but “They do not [attain] the Nirvana of liberation from cyclic existence.”
They have not actually attained it. So, “They pursue present Nirvana.” Such people “desire to swiftly attain realization.” They think that in their present lifetime, they can understand and attain realization. They think they can awaken in this lifetime. But the Buddha kept teaching about [events in] the distant past, how, since Beginningless Time, He had many “causes, conditions and effects.” To truly eliminate their afflictions and attain Buddhahood, they must “perfect the causes of the Six Perfections” in order to “approach fruition.” So, it is not possible to attain awakening in this present lifetime. To pursue present Nirvana is easier said than done! But their minds are like this. “They desire to swiftly attain realization.”
Those who pursue present Nirvana desire to swiftly attain realization. They claim to have realized what they have not. They are arrogant towards others and are not vessels for the Great Dharma. So it says: For those newly-inspired to spread the Great Dharma, it is not suitable for them to draw near to people who purse present Nirvana.
“They claim to have realized what they have not.” They only realize part of it, put they think they have attained and comprehended everything. “They are arrogant towards others.” Those with such overbearing arrogance are “not vessels for the Great Dharma.” Those who pursue present Nirvana are not vessels for the Great Dharma. They have not yet comprehended the great path. Thus, they are unwilling to form great aspirations. These people are not vessels for the Dharma. So, this is what it [says here] “For those newly-inspired to spread the Great Dharma, it is not suitable for them to draw near….” We should not draw near to these people who seek to very quickly attain realization in this lifetime. We should not draw near to those people. When we ourselves are newly-inspired and have just encountered the Buddha-Dharma, if we are willing to form great aspirations but do not draw near to virtuous friends and instead draw near to short-sighted people, this is a wrong direction. If we draw near to them, we will lose our great aspirations. Thus, we must not draw near to them. So, “It is not suitable for them to draw near.” For those newly-inspired to spread the Great Dharma, “it is not suitable for them to draw near to people [who pursue present Nirvana].” Those who pursue present Nirvana are people we must not draw near to. So, we must remind ourselves to be vigilant. So, “nor [do they draw near] to any upasikas, they do not draw near to any of them.”
…nor to any upasikas, they do not draw near to any of them: Because the temptation of the alluring demeanor of female lay practitioners is hard to resist, [Bodhisattvas] cannot draw near to them, let alone those who crave desire or pursue purity and the Nirvana of the Small Vehicle in this life. [Bodhisattvas] must not draw near to any of the people mentioned above.
Upasikas are “lay female practitioners”. They have faith in the Buddha, but they have not become monastics. They are called “upasikas”. Upasikas are lay female practitioners. They are not differentiated by age. Some of them are already old, some of them are in middle age, and some of them are still [young] and unmarried. So, when it comes to lay female practitioners, we should not draw near to them. This is what the Buddha told the bhiksus. Because women have an “alluring demeanor [leading to] temptations” which are hard to resist, “we should not draw near to them.” Women have an enchanting allure and countless appearances. Women have many charming ways. So, these female charms can confuse people. Spiritual practitioners should not draw near to them, “Let alone those who crave desire or pursue purity and the Nirvana of the Small Vehicle in this life.” It is not only lay female practitioners. We should not continue to desire to draw near to them when we are by ourselves. This means we have desires in our minds. There are also people who engage in spiritual practice who think they are better than others and think that they can attain fruition in this lifetime. There are people like these. Regarding “any of the people mentioned above,” we should not draw near to any of them. The Buddha explained this to us in detail.
So, the previous sutra passage reminds and warns us to be vigilant and self-disciplined. This verse [reminds] us to be vigilant and distance ourselves from bad friends and unwholesome conditions. We must choose virtuous friends. We must be virtuous friends to each other by both giving and receiving. We must guide each other toward the virtuous place of compassion. With the wisdom of joy and equanimity, we will be at ease in peace and joy. By choosing such friends, we will distance ourselves from evil and draw near to goodness.
We must be vigilant and distance ourselves from “bad friends and unwholesome conditions. Bad friends, unwholesome friends, will constantly tempt us. They do not benefit us but will tempt us. In our spiritual practice, they will not be able to help us succeed. Instead they obstruct our spiritual cultivation. These are all bad friends.
Our time is limited. If we only spend time with these bad friends, we are wasting our time. What is most dangerous is that we may be tempted by them. So, we must distance ourselves from them. We must constantly remind ourselves to be very cautious. If we are not cautious when choosing our friends, they can easily become a burden for us. Thus, we must remember how to choose our friends. “When we see someone do good, we follow suit. When we see someone make mistakes, we correct our own.” We must be very vigilant. So, “We must choose virtuous friends. We must be virtuous friends to each other by both giving and receiving.” We must be able to give and receive. We have the Dharma to share with them, and they have the Dharma to share with us. This is like how the scientist mindfully helped us find the location of Trayastrimsa Heaven. Of course, we cannot reach that place, and we are still unable to say that apart from planet Earth, there are other planets with living beings.
Although we humans are here and we are unable to reach those planets, or make contact with them, whether they exist or not, it is sufficient that we know this. We do not think of obtaining them, nor do we hope to be born there in the future. There was a group of astronomers. They discovered “the Tzu Chi asteroid. Where is this asteroid?” I wanted to understand in depth. “Please tell me the location of this Tzu Chi asteroid.” Does it orbit around the sun or not? Is it like a planet? If it orbits around the sun, as planet Earth finishes one orbit in 365 days, for this asteroid, how many years will it take? Comparing Trayastrimsa Heaven to the Earth, one day there is 100 years for us down here. Comparing the [Tzu Chi asteroid] and Earth, how long is one Earth-year on that asteroid? I asked Professor Ip to give me this information. He put in a lot of effort. He gathered many people to discuss, research and find the answer. They discovered that based on its distance from Earth, its single orbit [around the sun] takes five years and seven months. Thus, I said, “We have an asteroid. Over there, [since] a year there is much longer than it is here, should we make vows to be reborn on that asteroid?” This was just small talk. When I was interacting with the astronomers, [I asked], “Are there such [heavens] in the skies?” The science verified that there are, but we cannot get there, nor can we make contact with them. We listen for the knowledge and understanding. The Buddha truly had great wisdom. More than 2000 years have passed. The “other worlds” He mentioned truly exist. So, [astronomy shows] that the Buddha-Dharma is true. These are our virtuous spiritual friends. As virtuous friends, we interact with each other. These professors brought us this information to verify to us and help us understand. [People like] these are called “spiritual friends”. They are also called “virtuous friends.” “Giving” refers to how, in order to explain these things to us, they had to give a lot of time to research and investigate so they could have evidence to show us. This is how they gave of themselves. Have we received it? When we received it, we were very joyful. They were also grateful. I wished to test him, so he would go to investigate it and absorb much knowledge and understanding regarding these matters. So, we can have “understandings” and “views” about them. We still cannot physically reach these places, nor can we make contact with them.
So, this is how virtuous friends “guide each other toward the virtuous place of compassion” They teach and guide us in this way, giving us a proper direction.
So, “With the wisdom of joy and equanimity, we will be at ease in peace and joy.” If we do not violate [the precepts], we can safely head toward the True Path. We must concentrate on going there. In this way, we will be at ease in peace and joy. This is how we “choose virtuous friends, distance ourselves from evil and draw near to goodness.”
This was how the Buddha guided us with such wisdom. Are we willing to receive [the teachings] and walk toward the right direction? They proved that the Buddha-Dharma and science can truly converge and come together. We must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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