Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Not Harboring Hatred or Jealousy (勿懷憎嫉 修意安樂)
Date: August.30.2018
“Bodhisattvas constantly benefit others by giving everything without holding anything back and are determined to protect and uphold. When they encounter hardships, they patiently endure them without regrets. They practice all Right Dharma and advance diligently without growing indolent. They peacefully abide in tranquility and stillness, their minds unscattered. They use right wisdom to illuminate all phenomena. This is what it means to excel in practicing the teachings of Bodhi for sentient beings.”
We must be mindful. We must better realize and understand that the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra to teach the Bodhisattva Way. He hoped everyone could delve deeply into the Bodhisattva-path. It is not only that we should comprehend it, we must also put it into practice. He taught us how to make our faith firm and how we should face the world. No matter what kind of difficulties we encounter, He taught us how to prevent and avoid them. [He taught us] how to engage in the practice of bringing peace and joy. The Buddha earnestly and mindfully taught us all of this. So how can we not be diligent? How can we not mindfully accept this? So, we must always be earnestly mindful. “Bodhisattvas constantly benefit others by giving everything.” This is why they are called Bodhisattvas. They have already accepted the Buddha-Dharma; they have comprehended and understood it, and they are willing to give of themselves. [People like] these are Bodhisattvas. They constantly practice giving, not for a short time but over a very long period of time. Thus, “They benefit others by giving everything.” They use all kinds of methods to provide what sentient beings lack. What sentient beings lack includes what they are lacking spiritually. Ordinary beings have very limited knowledge. Moreover, all they know of is material [wealth], greedy desires and so on. When the door to desire opens, they become disorderly and distracted. They do not know many principles. As for how to enter the Buddha-Dharma, they understand this even less.
So, Bodhisattvas use all kinds of methods to draw near to sentient beings. Sentient beings suffer from many painful defects, so Bodhisattvas use all kinds of material goods and methods to supplement them. So, whether it is tangible material goods or the intangible Dharma in their minds, Bodhisattvas will give all these things to them. This is Bodhisattvas’ mindset. They do not fear hard word and [practice giving] for a long time “without holding anything back.”
“They are determined to protect and uphold.” They are determined to safeguard sentient beings as well as the Buddha-Dharma. This is their great vow. “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” They already made their vows countless kalpas ago. “I vow to eliminate endless afflictions.” They want to end their own afflictions, but they also know that the suffering of sentient beings comes from their afflictions, so they give the Dharma to sentient beings. Just as they sought and attained [the Dharma] for themselves, they use these [same] methods to supplement the needs of sentient beings. This is the mindset of a Bodhisattva; they [do this] without difficulty. Since they have formed great vows, they do not have any difficulties. When they encounter all kinds of difficulties, they will always endure them without any regrets or complaints whatsoever. [They still] give of themselves willingly. This is like our nurses. They are all very young, but they shoulder the responsibility of caring for their patients’ pain and illnesses. The most filthy thing in this life is our body.
Thus, the Buddha taught us to “contemplate the body as impure.” [He helped us realize] that our bodies are extremely unclean. He helped us understand the origin of our uncleanliness, that it comes from our bodies. As our bodies suffer from illness and [undergo] birth, aging, illness and death, these are all the roots of our suffering. As for our unclean bodies, if we are healthy, we can manage ourselves. But if we are sick, we become unable to do this. Once we get sick, we need someone who has formed aspirations to take care of us and [clean our bodies]. For some, not only are their bodies full of unclean things, but due to illness, their skin is damaged; they have illnesses that cause their skin to fester and their bodies to stink. This is hard to imagine.
With such a foul and rotten smell, [those able to bear] seeing this and smelling it are people who have formed aspirations. They formed aspirations and made vows to help patients with their illnesses. They are willing to endure the bodily smells and filth as they compassionately take care of [their needs]. These are people who have made vows. It is the same for doctors who willingly help their patients manage themselves. Whether they are doctors or nurses, they have this in common; their love [for their patients] is non-retreating. Even when facing great suffering from illness, they do not give up and do not fear the difficulty. Particularly in our society today, their service not only goes unnoticed by patients’ families. Sometimes, when a patient is suffering greatly from their illness, they lack gratitude in their minds as well. They still have many afflictions. “Why I hasn’t this been taken care of? Why isn’t this going more quickly? How could you make me so unhappy?” This kind of illness [affects] the body and mind. Doctors have a heart like the Buddha’s, and nurses are just like Guanyin Bodhisattva. They persist without giving up. From a small [glimpse of their work], we realize that those who form aspirations to do anything will encounter difficulties. They are rescuing people directly form suffering, but do those sentient beings know to express gratitude? Nevertheless, they endure without any regrets. To do this, they must form Bodhisattva-aspirations. “With sincerity, they vow to deliver all sentient beings.” They must have a sincere mind and great vows to relieve sentient begins of their suffering. These are Bodhisattvas, spiritual practitioners who are without complaints or regrets.
Currently, our Bodhisattvas [around] the world [have been celebrating] the Buddha’s birthday to help everyone understand [the importance of] the Great Awakened One being born into this world. We must remember this day with reverence. This is what Tzu Chi volunteers around the world have been preparing for. Of course, every year we see these dignified [images] of people reverently bathing the Buddha. [This is how] we express our reverent respect. Moreover, we also make use of this opportunity to help those who are unfamiliar understand [why we celebrate] the Buddha’s birthday. The Great Awakened One was born into this world a long time ago, more than 2000 years ago. His story has been gradually passed on to help everyone understand the compassion of the Buddha’s teachings and to enable more people to encounter [the Dharma]. There are now many countries [where people celebrate]. Buddha bathing in a very dignified way.
Take for example Myanmar, where they also used this time [to promote the Dharma]. It is usually [only] held in Yangon, but this year (2017), they also [celebrated] in the countryside. How did they bathe the Buddha in the countryside? What place was there to bathe the Buddha? They set their minds to it and found a place. There was a place where eight villages came together, and all eight of these villages donated rice. Each of these villages comprised nearly 100 households. Every one of these nearly 100 farming households responded to the rice bank [initiative]. There are eight villages surrounding [this place], so they chose the midpoint of these villages, where it was more open and spacious. No matter how spacious it was, it was still very simple, but they reverently [dignified the space]. They began to clean this place, and once they had begun to clean it up, they saw that it did not look bad at all. On the day before the Buddha bathing ceremony, [they divided into two groups]. One group of 10 to 20 people went to the village, while [the second group] went to clean up the site [for the ceremony]. Tzu Chi members and other young people were responsible for cleaning up the space. They picked up sticks, swept the leaves and covered the ground. After they cleaned the space, they thought about how to decorate it. They had all come from elsewhere. In such a remote area, where could they find a table? So, they went to search. In the village, there was a small local elementary school. When they found it, they quickly borrowed some tables. The tables that they borrowed from this elementary school were actually very simple too. It is their summer vacation there, so the tables were very dirty and a little wobbly because of how simply they were [made]. But the Tzu Ching members, these young people, more than ten of them, slowly moved the tables. They carefully crossed over ditches and moved them over to that place. Then, they had to carefully put [the tables] in the area that they were decorating. When they set them down, the tables were wobbly. What could they do? The tables did not fit together evenly, so they used cord to tie the tables together. Having tied them together, they began to clean and wipe them down. This small group of people there continually worked to decorate the space. Meanwhile, the other group accompanied the doctors. There were three doctors, along with nurses and Tzu Chi volunteers, who visited each farming village. They went home to home to [check up on] those who were ill and elderly. They made these home visits and provided in-home care for them; it was very heartwarming. On each visit, they told them, “Tomorrow morning [there will be] a Buddha bathing ceremony for the Buddha’s birthday. It will be at this place, please come join us”. Truly, everyone heard about it. They made the announcement and everyone heard it. They knew about the event several days in advance. Because the volunteers had come to visit and promoted it many times, they all knew about it. This time, as they went around promoting it door to door, they also provided medical care. Simultaneously, the other group was arranging the space.
When the two groups rejoined, they saw that the place had been set up and the tables were all neatly arranged. The banners [hung] around the place were made of fabric and had been tied up with string, [giving the place] a natural beauty. The clearing under the trees had been transformed into a green space, with a small grove of trees. The space was surrounded by trees, and in the middle, there was a very spacious and clean piece of land. There were many simple shacks in the area. It looked like a very natural countryside scene. They had already finished decorating the space and placing all the flowers, plants and so on. now, they all awaited the next day’s event. These Tzu Chi volunteers looked slightly different for the ceremony. In other places, volunteers wear suits and qipao dresses. But for these people to travel from Yangon to the countryside, they had to ride motor bikes. So, they could not wear qipao dresses. Instead, they wore the blue and white uniform and volunteer vests. Thus, these Bodhisattvas led the people from the villages.
They were going to begin [the ceremony] early in the morning, so they could not go home because the motorcycle ride is too long. It takes several hours. So, they had no choice but to stay and spend the night nearby. I do not know how they spent that night exactly, but it was there in that very simple village. There were more than 40 volunteers who came together to do all of this. Having decorated, first thing the next morning, they arranged the flowers and water on the table. It was starting to all come together. People were arriving one after another. There were more than 400 villagers who came, which is not a small number. More than 40 volunteers brought over 400 people to join in the Buddha bathing. There were more than 400 people from these eight villages. With reverence, they used the song]. “With minds tranquil and clear, vows vast as the universe” as the music for circumambulating the Buddha. As they went on to bathe the Buddha, they were also very organized. This was truly very touching. These Bodhisattvas continually guided them like this. After bathing the Buddha, most astounding was that all [the villagers] had brought rice banks with them.
In that place, they emptied the banks one by one into rice bags. There were elderly and children there who very happily purred the rice into the bags. This rice will provide relief for those in even greater hardship [than themselves]. This is a reverent act of giving. [Their lives] are difficult, but they still gave willingly. “I have rice to eat, so everyone else should also have food to eat”. Bodhisattvas [feel], “I have Dharma to practice, so everyone should also have it to practice”. Thus, “Bodhisattvas constantly benefit others by giving everything without holding anything back and are determined to protect and uphold. When they encounter hardships, they patiently endure them without regrets”. [Aren’t these volunteers] just like this? They could not just drive a car to get there; it takes several hours on motor bikes round trip. Once they got there, they could not just go home. They had to stay there overnight. Yet, they were willing to endure this. This is truly very touching. So it says, “They practice all Right Dharma and advance diligently without growing indolent.
They peacefully abide in tranquility and stillness, their minds unscattered”. This is the spiritual state of Bodhisattvas. “They use right wisdom to illuminate all phenomena”. Using right wisdom, they went to each village to promote this event door to door. They put in a lot of time to sincerely invite them and were able to [encourage] these people to come. They [chanted] from the Sutra of Infinite Meanings while circumambulating the buddha and reverently bathing the Buddha. Then, they practiced giving using their rice bank. Truly, they gave like this for a long time while their minds remained tranquil, unscattered and unaffected by external conditions. This [shows] their right wisdom.
So, the radiance of their wisdom “illuminates all phenomena”. Their minds are truly radiant and luminous. This is how they cultivate the Dharma, the teachings of Bodhi for sentient beings. Thus, they are called “awakened sentient beings” who practice the Bodhisattva-path. So, we must very mindfully seek to comprehend how we can apply this Dharma in our daily living. This is truly very touching to see and joyous to speak about. When they accomplished this, they were also filled with Dharma-joy. So, what mindset should we have?
The previous sutra passage states, “…their minds will be free of jealousy, anger and the obstruction of all afflictions. Moreover, they will be free from worries and from those who would revile or curse them. Also, they will have no fear of being attacked with knives and sticks and so on. Furthermore, they will never be driven out because they peacefully abide in patience”.
Bodhisattvas’ minds are constantly tranquil, so we are naturally free of jealousy and anger. There are no afflictions to hinder us, and we are free of worry even when others revile or curse us, because our minds are tranquil. When everything we do is this peaceful, we will have no fear. We are unafraid of people bullying us. We do not create enmity with others, so we will not be excluded or driven out by them. So, this allows our minds to abide peacefully. Whether in our mind, body and speech, we abide peacefully. So, “People of wisdom [are like this]”.
People of wisdom like these excel in cultivating their minds and are able to abide in peace and joy as I described earlier. The merits and virtues that these people accumulated throughout trillions of kalpas cannot be fully expressed through calculations or metaphors.
So, people with wisdom are like this, [working] to spread the Dharma. The spirit of the Great Awakened One must be implemented in our minds. This means going out to spread the teachings. Thus, people with wisdom are like this. [They] excel in cultivating their minds and are able to abide in peace and joy. They are filled with joy.
“As I described earlier…”. Previously, the Buddha told us how to uphold this sutra, how to practice bringing peace and joy and how to become a teacher of the Dharma. One chapter at a time, He taught us all of this detail. So, “The merits and virtues [of] these people…”. If they can engage in spiritual practice. In this manner, their merits and virtues will be many. These are not people who practice for a short time. Countless kalpas ago, they already heard the Dharma and engaged in spiritual practice. They have sufficient causes and conditions, so they have accumulated these merits and virtues. “[Accumulation] throughout trillions of kalpas cannot be fully expressed though calculations or metaphors.” This was from the precious sutra passage.
The following passage states, “Moreover, Manjusri, Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas, in the future era of dharma-degeneration when the dharma is about come to an end, will accept, uphold, read and recite this sutra.
The Buddha then said, “Great Manjusri Bodhisattva, after I enter Parinirvana, in the future era of Dharma- degeneration which comes after Right Dharma and Dharma-semblance, at that time of Dharma-degeneration, the Dharma will definitely be near extinction.”
This means human minds are not like in the past. These principles are continuously being lost in people’s minds.
So, in this age, those who accept, uphold and recite this sutra will attain great merits and virtues. Here, the Buddha is beginning to tell us again to [increase] our faith. We must realize that if there are great Bodhisattvas like these, in the future when the Dharma is declining and nearing its extinction, they will be able to accept, uphold and recite this sutra. They will be able to have faith in it and constantly remember it. “I have faith in this sutra. After listening to it, I will always remember it.” They will listen to it without it leaking away. They will listen to it and remember it, engraving it into their minds. Remembering and upholding [this sutra] like this is how the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra when He taught us the Bodhisattva Way. Accepting this sutra means that we must go among people and help them. Whether using the Dharma or material goods, whether tangibly or intangibly, we must work to benefit sentient beings. so, we must engrace this [sutra] in our minds, retain and uphold it and read and recite it with joy.
[They] will accept, uphold, read and recite this sutra: This refers to those who faithfully accept, retain and uphold, read clearly and recite from memory this Lotus Sutra, like what is described within the Chapter on Encouragement to Uphold the Sutra.
When we speak about the Buddha’s teachings, we must do so confidently, without reservation. Some people read the sutras and say, “I read the sutras, because if they do they will say that I am behind the times I believe in the Buddha’s teachings, but I also do not want people to know. Is this the right [mindset to have]? No, it is not.
So, this passage tells us to read clearly and recite from memory. We must tell others about it unreservedly. “I am reading and upholding the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra teaches us how to walk the Bodhisattva-path.” This will give us a chance to explain the Bodhisattva Way to others. So, we must “read [it] clearly. We faithfully accept and retain the Lotus Sutra, so we read it clearly. But we must not just “read it clearly,” we must also recite it from memory. We must recite it loudly, not just mumble it. We must recite this sutra loudly, which is what “read clearly” means. Thus, when we read it for ourselves, others will be able to hear it also. Aside from human beings who can hear it, there are also the world of goblins and monsters a world we cannot see. We cannot see the eight classes of Dharma-protectors either. So, we must read it clearly, reading it alond with great sincerity. This is what “read clearly” means. We should read it to other people, to the eight classes of Dharma-protectors and to goblins and monsters to hear. This is reading it clearly. We must also recite it from memory. We not only listen, we must also remember it. This is called “memorizing”. As for the Lotus sutra, we must read and memorize it, believe in it and recite it from memory, [as described in] the Chapter on Encouragement to Uphold the Sutra. We have said this before, so we should know it.
The following sutra passage continues, “Their minds harbor no jealousy or deceit. Also, they do not disparage or abuse other Buddhist practitioners nor probe into their strengths and weaknesses.
We must not be jealous or deceitful or harbor this kind of hatred and jealousy. “Hatred” is when we reject and detest others. When we do not have an open and forgiving heart we feel unhappy whenever we see others. As for those who are more impressive than we are we make no effort to respect them. For those who are less capable than we are, we do not realize that we need to cherish them. [Instead] we reject them. This is [due to] “hatred and jealousy. We try to drive out those duller than us, and we are jealous of those who are better than us. This is “hatred and jealousy”.
Their minds harbor no jealousy or deceit: They do not harbor hatred or envy, do not easily give rise to jealousy nor do they engage in flattery with unwholesome minds.
We must “not easily give rise to jealousy. We must not do this. “Do not” means we cannot do it. We must not easily give rise to jealousy or take on an envious or hateful demeanor. We must not do this. We must emulate virtue rather than jealousy. We must praise others for their success and take joy in their merits and virtues. When we hear or see them, we must not quickly give rise to jealousy; we cannot. So, “Nor do they engage in flattery” or “unwholesome [thoughts]. We must not do this. “Flattery” is meant to win others’ favor. We need not do this. We must be sincere in our dealings with others. We do not need to purposely flatter people. There is no need. The most important thing is to be truthful and not speak false words to flatter someone. “Flattery” is saying nice words even though we do not believe them. Yet, we are trying to please others, so we say these flattering words even though we do not think them. Thinking [negatively] of a person, but praising him or her verbally is flattery. This is wrong, we should not engage in it.
So, “flattery” means that nothing we say is true. We are lying to others. “Deceit” means fooling others. We flatter others with our words, yet our minds are not as [well-intentioned]. We speak of how great they are, but these are not honest words. To cultivate virtue in our minds, we must be impartial to all people. We must care for those who are lacking and help them become better. For those who are very capable, we take joy in their merits and virtues. If we can do this, our mind is virtuous. We must not harbor hatred, envy, jealousy, flattery or lies; such [thoughts] are all called “unwholesome”. People like these “cannot stand the glory of others and are jealous by nature”.
[They] cannot stand the glory of others and are jealous by nature. Those who deceive people to appear virtuous are treacherous by nature. Jealousy opposes a mind of compassion, while flattery and deceit go against the path of wisdom. They do not practice these ways. If their wisdom was obstructed, how would they seek the path to Buddhahood? If their compassion was hindered, how would they transform sentient beings? Bodhisattvas who cultivate the practice for bringing peace and joy with the mind must abstain from these.
When people praise others, they cannot stand it. How miserable must this be? When others are being praised, it has nothing to do with us, yet we are unhappy and jealous. We must think to ourselves, “Are we being like this?” When we hear others receiving praise, do we feel unhappy? If so, this is being “jealous by nature”. Do we have this shortcoming? If we do, we must correct it immediately. We must be very mindful. In particular, [there are also] “those who deceive people to appear virtuous”. When we speak with others, when we say nice things, we want others to know how virtuous we are. We speak of and understand many principles, and we can explain many teachings to help others understand. This is how we express ourselves before others, [giving an appearance] of enthusiasm and making ourselves seem very knowledgeable. We try to please others to make it seem like, “I am wonderful, well-cultivated and virtuous”. Yet, this all [makes us] “treacherous by nature”.
This is trying to fool people. Though we may understand a few phrases, there is no need for us to try and please others. We do not need to belittle others or win others’ favor by boasting about ourselves. How much do we actually know? We speak so highly of ourselves, but [in fact], this is all “treachery”. This is not good. We must be very vigilant of this. So, “Jealousy opposes a mind of compassion”. If we harbor jealousy in our minds, it opposes the compassion in our minds. Those who use flattery and deceit “go against the path of wisdom”.
“Go against” means to oppose; they oppose the principles of wisdom. So, we must not be jealous or deceitful. We cannot do this. We must earnestly cultivate ourselves and be mindful. If our wisdom is hindered by weaknesses such as jealousy, deceit, envy and more, when we have these weaknesses, they obstruct our wisdom. When our wisdom is being hindered by these weaknesses, how can we seek the path to Buddhahood? We may have compassion, but if we are “hindered” by these weaknesses, how can we transform sentient beings? If we are not truthful when speaking and do things improperly, while being deceitful and untruthful, how can we gain the trust of sentient beings? So, our hearts must be honest and sincere to advance in the right direction. We must be very honest. Only then can we transform sentient beings and truly enter the door to the Dharma. So, we must be very mindful. If we go against our compassion and our wisdom, we cannot seek the path to Buddhahood or transform sentient beings.
So, “Bodhisattvas who cultivate the practice for bringing peace and joy with the mind must abstain from these”. This means that our minds must be at peace and joyful.
Previously we talked about bringing peace and joy with our body and with our speech, but there is also our mind. Now, we are talking about our mind, “bringing peace and joy with the mind”. We must eliminate any [unwholesome qualities]. We must not harbor jealousy, flattery or deceit; we must eliminate them. This is bringing peace and joy with the mind. “Also, they do not disparage or abuse other Buddhist practitioners nor probe into their strengths and weaknesses.”
Also, they do not disparage or abuse other Buddhist practitioners nor probe into their strengths and weaknesses: They must not disparage or abuse nor slight or condemn or curse those who practice and study the noble path, nor probe into or scrutinize others’ strengths and weaknesses.
As we learn the Dharma, we must be earnestly mindful of Right Dharma. We must spread Right Dharma. Look at Myanmar; in order to spread Right Dharma, they remained steadfast and walked into each village, step by step, to let everyone know that the Buddha was born into the world on this day. How do the Buddha’s teachings benefit sentient beings? Just look at the villagers. They saved one handful of rice every day and were able to help others like this. This is how easy it is to follow the Bodhisattva-path. It can be done. Even the poor can do the work of the rich. It is this simple and doable. This is [applying] the Buddha-Dharma among people. [Applying] these small teachings creates an enormous [power]. This is something that [everyone] can do. So, we must not be deceitful but honest and truthful. We should do things honestly, without any jealousy or deceit. We must not speak abusively to others either. If we our minds are jealous, we will naturally disparage others. When we disparage others, we will easily speak abusively and curse them. Thus, “Also, they do not disparage or abuse other Buddhist practitioners nor probe into their strengths and weaknesses.” We must not criticize others nor begin reviling people as soon as we approach them. “Condemning or cursing those who practice and study the noble path” is something we must certainly not do. If we only keep looking for people’s weaknesses, we will not see any of their strengths. Thus, we disregard their strengths and only search for their weaknesses. This is [what it means] to “scrutinize others’ strengths and weaknesses”. We meticulously search for their slightest faults, continually searching for others’ past mistakes. Doing this is not wholesome. If we only look for others’ weaknesses and do not see their strengths, if we have this kind of mindset, then we are incorrect.
So, this sutra passage is telling us that we must [first], “refrain from jealousy.” Secondly, we must “refrain from flattery.” Thirdly, we must “refrain from deceit.” Here, “deceit” means to lie. Fourthly, we must “refrain from probing into others’ strengths and weaknesses.” [We must not] search for others’ faults. “Others praise them so much, I have to find their faults.” We look for others’ faults to show others that they are really not so great. “Actually, he has such and such [faults].” We lose our virtue in this way; we must not do it. We must earnestly and honestly cultivate ourselves through spiritual practice. We must not think only of the faults of others. We must be cautious of this in our spiritual practice.
The karma of mind that comes from probing into others’ strengths and weaknesses ushers in the negative karma of body and speech. If we covertly harbor this mindset toward those who uphold the sutras, we will surely impair the diligent advancement of those practitioners and the circulation of the Buddha-Dharma. This cannot benefit others and moreover harms them, so how could this create the merit and virtue of benefitting oneself? Thus, Bodhisattvas must strictly abstain from it.
So, there is “the karma of mind that comes from probing into others’ strengths and weaknesses.” When this karma of mind arises with the slightest thought, this will “usher in the negative karma of body and speech.” If we have this kind of mindset and wish to search for the faults of others, their shortcomings, we begin to take action with our bodies and begin to use our mouths to go around announcing others’ mistakes and faults. This is not the right thing to do.
So, we must make an effort to be vigilant of our minds. The actions of our bodies come from our minds, and the words we speak also come from our minds. So, we must take good care of the mind. “If we covertly harbor this mindset toward those who uphold the sutras…”. Harboring such a mindset towards those who uphold the sutra is wrong. Particularly, when others are upholding the sutra and everyone is praising them, we should praise them also. We must not purposely find their faults. We must be vigilant of this. If we do so, “We will surely impair the diligent advancement of those practitioners.”
If we harbor such intentions and if our intentions are deceitful, we will harbor jealousy and want to talk about others’ strengths and weaknesses. In this way, we will surely impair them, harming ourselves as well as others. We will harm their diligence. When we impair others’ diligence, we have already harmed our own minds first even before we do harm to them. So, we must think clearly before we do this. [Harming] the circulation of the Buddha-Dharma will not benefit people and will moreover harm them. It will also [hinder] others from diligently advancing as well as our own diligence. When others are diligently advancing and we harm them, we will definitely damage their character. Having said this, others might say, “That person, I heard from someone that he is not so great. Should we believe what he says?” If we do this, then sentient beings will begin to discount the Buddha-Dharma. Instead, we should praise one another.
Just like when the time comes to bathe the Buddha, everyone in the Buddhist world shares one mindset. “When monastics praise one another, Buddhism prospers.” This is correct. This is the image [we project]; the beauty of our community lies in how everyone praises one another and how we encourage one another. Anything else would be harmful. If we want to harm others, we have already harmed ourselves first. Although the people we impair may momentarily lose the trust of others, they will slowly regain it back. However, those who lose trust in them will also be harmed. So, all three parties will be harmed. We must think even more carefully [before we act.] How can we benefit ourselves and gain merits and virtues? When we harm others, how can we attain merits and virtues? Merits and virtues do not come from harming others. When we harm others, people will look down on us because our self-cultivation is not sufficient. Naturally, we will lose our merits and virtues. We must not think that by harming others we will be able to show how great we are. This is impossible. This will harm everyone involved. When people want to learn the Dharma, if the person they trust is discredited by us, their [faith] will be affected as well. When we cause this person harm, although it is momentary, our minds have already been damaged by it. So, all of this is painful and damaging. So, we must remind ourselves to be vigilant. These are the profound precepts of Bodhisattvas. We must remember to adjust our mindset. As for the many weaknesses in our mind, we must quickly comprehend and [treat] them to earnestly advance toward the Buddha-Dharma for benefiting all sentient beings. Advancing in this direction is our goal. Thus, we must not even discuss people’s strengths or weaknesses. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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