Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Overcoming the cycle of Desire and Affliction (欲無止盡有一缺九)
In this world, who is without afflictions? We all have afflictions in our lives. How long do afflictions persist? From morning till night? For a month ?A year? An entire lifetime?
Actually, even if we only have afflictions for one day, if we act on them, there will be consequences. Hidden within consequences are new causes. The cycle of cause and effect is endless. Once we have planted a karmic seed, if we are not aware of it, it will continue to produce countless seeds over endless lifetimes. Each cause can create many conditions. Out of those conditions emerge many retributions.
Yesterday I said, “the Three Leaks may cause all wrongdoings.” The word Leak is synonymous with affliction. Much in this world is incomplete and lacking. With Leaks, we are incomplete. What is incomplete? Our wisdom is incomplete. If we have wisdom, there will be no afflictions. We hardly ever apply things that are helpful to us. Yet we always recall the gossip we hear, whether it is related to us or not. If we hear others talk about us, we will be bitter and resentful and we will hold it against them. This is affliction.
If we hear gossip about another person, we will also remember it. When we see that person, we cannot hold it in, so we say “I care about you. “This is what I heard others say about you. I am not spreading gossip, I am just telling you so you know.” We remember things like this. This is affliction.
Recently I have continuously talked about how we can eliminate afflictions, be understanding, and eradicate conflicts. Do you all recall these methods? I mentioned so many terms, how many do you truly comprehend and recall? So, meaningful words, true principles, subtle and wondrous teachings easily leak out of our minds. Our minds are like a leaky bucket that can never be filled. Afflictions are leaks.
Yesterday I briefly explained this concept.
The Three Leaks refer to three kinds of affliction: The Leak of Desire, the Leak of Existence, and the Leak of Ignorance.
The three Leaks correspond to the afflictions of the Three Realms. In the Desire Realm there is the Leak of Desire. As sentient beings in the Desire Realm, we all have desires, craving and discontentment in our minds. We live in a society filled with endless desires, a material world full of conflicts. Once we have desires, wisdom cannot arise because we constantly seek to satisfy them. It is often said, “having one, we lack nine.” This constant seeking brings unspeakable suffering.
When we are discontent, and have endless desires, we produce many afflictions in the Desire Realm. This is called the Leak of Desire.
The second is the Leak of Existence which corresponds to the Form Realm. In means that actions have already been taken. Let us not describe the Three Realms, there are too many terms and details. For now, let us just speak of our actions. We just discussed our mental discontent. This will manifest in form and action. The Leak of Existence is the result of our actions.
In the form Realm, as we seek to satisfy our desires, we create karma, experience suffering and produce the “existence” of afflictions. This is called the Leak of Existence.
With this Leak of Existence, we allow things to happen, and regret them only when it is too late. I saw a news story about a mother in Yilan. One day a middle-aged man hastily came up to her and said, “Your son fell from a scaffold at work. They took him to the hospital and he need a blood transfusion. You need to buy blood.” This elderly lady was very worried and asked, “Really? What do I need to do?”
“Give me some money now. I will take care of it immediately. Come to the hospital later.”
The woman quickly rounded up around $30,000NTD($1000USD) and gave it to this person. When she rushed to the hospital the staff said, “No. Your son isn’t in our Emergency Room. Maybe he is at another hospital?”
She rushed there and they said, “No. We haven’t seen your son.”
“Then where is my son?”
Someone told her, “Your son is at the construction site. I was just there and I saw him. What are you worried about?”
She said, “Really?”
He said, “If you don’t believe me. I’ll call the site and you can talk to him. I was just there.”
When she heard her son’s voice, she said, “Thank goodness. His safety is all that matters. Experiencing adversity takes away a bit of bad luck. Now I don’t need to worry. it was worth being conned out of that money.”
In her case, a momentary concern arose. This is called worry, not affliction. As humans, if something happens to our loved ones, that anxiety and worry, that concern and depression, is inevitable. However, when she learned that her son was safe and heard his voice, she quickly changed her perspective. His safety was what mattered. Overcoming each misfortune eliminates a future disaster. She was cheated out of $30,000 NTD. “That does not matter as long as he is safe.” Things like this are very common. If she had said, “Yes, my son is safe, but how could someone con me like that? I lost a lot of money, what should I do?” If she was mired in those emotions, that hate and resentment would continue. If the loss of that money kept her from eating or sleeping, then that is called affliction.
In life, we experience suffering as a consequence of our actions. This is called the Leak of Existence. The “existence” of affliction refers to cause and effect in future lifetimes, not just the pain we experience now. Effects contain causes and causes lead to effects. Look at the fruits we eat, they all contain seeds. The seed comes from the fruit. We can then plant that seed. The seed is like a cause, which likewise gives rise to an effect. Hence, the cycle of cause and effect is endless. One seed, one cause, can produce numerous fruits.
Therefore I often say, “Relinquishing one, we gain 10,000 in return.” When we let go of an evil seed, we will gain in return. If we replicate afflictions, we will continuously produce seeds of suffering and many bitter fruits. We can sow good seeds, which are developed from wisdom. If we can plant a good seed, we will also gain a lot in return. A loving thought will also be continuously replicated and we will constantly feel its effects.
Take Tzu Chi, for example. There are so many volunteers now and they also grew out of one seed. This seed, this good though, when put into action, resulted in a fruit. That fruit multiplied from 1 to 10, 10 to 100, and grew exponentially. The seeds bear fruits, which produce more seeds. Look at Tzu Chi commissioners. The recruit donating members. Some of these then become Trainee commissioners, who are then certified as commissioners. Then these new Commissioners recruit new members. This is an example of how one seed of kindness can continually replicate itself. Thus we now have a large team of volunteers. So, a seed is a cause. The creation of this seed is a result of actions.
The evil seeds of afflictions arise from ignorance. If we allow evil seeds to replicate freely, we will end up with many painful retributions. If we can use wisdom to eliminate afflictions and plant seeds of goodness, those seeds will continuously replicate. Love and kind actions will continue endlessly.
Leak is the Leak of Ignorance. If we are filled with evil seeds of affliction, ignorance will keep blinding us. whether we are in the Desire or Form Realm, in the past, present or future, we will continuously produce afflictions. This is called the leak of ignorance.
All the afflictions of ignorance produced in the Three Realms are called the Leak of Ignorance.
Everyone, we learn Buddhism to plug these leaks, to augment and develop the wisdom we lack. Let us quickly nurture our pure thoughts and our innate uddha-nature.
This is why we learn Buddhism.
“The Three Sufferings may cause all wrongdoings.”
First is the Suffering of Suffering. We must endure many things in the Saha World. Indeed, the world we live in is the Saha world. Saha means enduring. To survive in the world, we need to endure and bear so much. Who in this world can say, “I am free of suffering?” We cannot guarantee that we will never get sick. Illness is suffering. Illness does not discriminate between rich and poor, young or old. When we face birth, aging, illness, death, and natural disasters, do we not suffer? In life, we face many natural disasters. Even if we are rich, we are in constant fear. Afflictions come with attachment. Without attachment we feel peaceful and free. See, when one is attached to wealth, one’s suffering increases. The more famous, prestigious, and wealthy one is, the less freedom one has. When one loses a life of freedom, how can one be happy? It is impossible. If we have nothing, we will have no afflictions, no worries, and no burdens. We will be at ease.
Indeed, how much wealth can we really enjoy? With only one mouth, how much food can we eat at one time? With just body, how many outfits can we wear at the same time? With just one body, how many beds can we sleep in at once? In life, why do so many people live in delusion? They stay in their comfort zone, in their own small world. There is an invisible leak gradually draining them. Some people do not know to use their resources to practice great love. If they can plant and produce good seeds, they can save, influence and motivate others. But without such thoughts, all they have is greed so they continuously reproduce afflictions. Even when they enjoy temporary good fortune, suffering is already embedded in those blessings. Once they deplete their blessings, painful retributions will manifest. Because of the “existence” of afflictions, their suffering is boundless and endless.
Hence, there is no place in the Three Realms that is truly good. This is the suffering of suffering. This sensation and pain in our minds and bodies is called the Suffering of Suffering.
Much suffering innately exists in the world. Under adverse conditions, our minds and bodies continuously create more causes of suffering, adding suffering to existing suffering.
As sentient beings in this world, have we felt of the Suffering of Suffering? Once we know suffering, we must prevent it. Let us be like the elderly woman who said, “Oh, so that’s what happened. It is fine as long as my son is fine.” Then the ordeal was over. In this world, worrying is inevitable, but we should avoid afflictions. Worry is different from affliction. Worry is inevitable. We worry if bad things happen. But if nothing actually happened, let it go.
Or if something bad did happen, let it pass. If we suffer, accept it and then move on. Worries will pass, but afflictions will last for lifetimes. Those seeds will always follow us. Thus, the afflictions of ignorance are the true causes of karma, whereas momentary worries can help eliminate karma. As the old woman said, “Going through a bit of bad luck eliminates a future disaster.” Worries are not serious, they will pass. Life is about the mindset we bring to our experiences. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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