Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Four Currents Create All Wrongdoings (四流造一切罪)
Yesterday we spoke about Four Grounding States, which are all about our states of mind. We must cultivate our minds. If our minds are not attuned properly, problem will develop. I have often mentioned the Four Elements.
All illnesses and disasters are causes by an imbalance of the Four Elements: earth, water, fire and wind. When we are physically ill, it is also an imbalance of the Four Elements. The four states of mind, arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing, these four kinds of imbalance of afflictions, can become afflictions and ignorance. If the mind is not properly adjusted, our thoughts and views will deviate and produce problems. Thus, in our spiritual cultivation, it is most important to adjust and harmonize our minds.
Next are the Four Currents. “The Four Currents may cause all wrongdoings.” The Four Currents: Current of Desire, Current of existence, Current of view, Current of Ignorance.
“Current” means fluid or flow. We know that to develop Samadhi of the mind we must first uphold precepts. Then, the mind can be still and wisdom can develop. However, ordinary people often fail to discipline the mind thus creating delusions. Delusions are afflictions causes by external phenomena we encounter. We all crave imminent desires. So the pleasing states of desires bring about delusions in our minds again.
The first of the Four Currents is called the “Current of Desire”. Ordinary people are in Desire Realm, and seek desire. They crave instant pleasure. We like whatever makes us happy. So there is no stopping us from doing whatever we please. Of course this approach creates delusions. Thus, “the deluded eyes mislead the mind. External phenomena mislead our perception. Our eyes constantly connect to external conditions. Our ignorance deludes our sight, which connects to external conditions. It then influences the mind. Thus the deluded eyes mislead the mind and cause movement or flow in our minds.
Flow means unsettled, movement means not still. When a practitioner’s mind is not still, he lacks Samadhi. When we encounter people and matters each day, we should understand the importance of upholding precepts and rules. We should safeguard the purity of our minds, and not be affected by what we hear and see.
Thus, we will not allow verbal conflicts affect our minds. This is true practice. Besides all the things in this world that have shapes and forms and are able to stir our minds, there is sexual desire, which is most frightening. The emotional ties between men and women or members of the same sex can lead to confused lives. Thus, this is called the Currents of Desire. It can delude our eyes and mislead our minds, causing the rise of ignorance and delusions. This will once again bring about disputes afflictions and sufferings.
If the mind is undisciplined, it will be guided by external conditions through the senses. It will cling to the desire for pleasure and create all kinds of afflictions. This is the Current of Desire.
The second is the Currents of Existence. When ordinary people fail to control their desire, they engage in actions that go against basic human morality. After committing misdeeds, our minds become disturbed by afflictions. If we abide by rules and behave ethically, our minds are calm and peaceful.
Therefore, our minds should not be disturbed. Once a negative thought emerges, we may overstep the boundaries of proper behaviors. When we digress from rules and discipline, our life will be filled with suffering and our minds will be bound. So, it is called the Currents of Existence. It means once exists, afflictions follow.
Indulging in desire and acting unethically and immorally causes the mind to be entangled by afflictions. That is the current of Existence.
The third is the Currents of View. The Currents of View is our ideas or opinions. Once we commit wrongdoings, our minds become entangles by afflictions. These afflictions will obscure our minds. Many people try to hide their wrongdoings. As we have discussed before, “afflictions obscure the mind.” The more wrongdoings one commits, the more one lies. The more wrongdoings one creates, the more one hides, and the darker one’s heart becomes. Everything is caused by individual views.
In the Tzu Chi, many of our volunteers have made mistakes in their past. However, they were able to turn their lives around. After making a mistake, we must liberate ourselves by setting our minds free. The method to do so is through open repentance.
In our Abode, we recite repentance verses every day. Repentance is to confess openly. Besides reading and reciting the repentance, we should be mindful of whether it resonates in our minds and causes us to become more vigilant. Not only should we recite it to the Buddha, we should truly immerse our minds in the worlds we recite. If we are able to do so, we will be more mentally alert in correcting our mistakes immediately.
Sutras point to the Way. The Way is the Path. Sutras are just like a road or path. Studying the Sutras is like checking our path. We look back to see if we are on the right path. Moving forward, we must choose the way carefully. If the direction is wrong we must correct it right away. If the direction is right, we should walk cautiously and mindfully. This is the real meaning of studying the Sutras.
Studying Sutra is like checking our path. We should always be alert, self-reflective. If you direction is off, correct it all once. If it is correct, stay on it even more mindfully. This is the real meaning of studying Sutra.
But when we recite the Sutras, we are often just reading it in front of the Buddha. We keep repeating, “I want to repent: I want to make a vow.” But the Buddha statue is made of wood or clay. Whether we are compassionate or make mistakes, it does not respond. What is most important is that we strive to improve ourselves, as we all have a Buddha-nature. Thus, we must elevate our minds to believe that “I am a Buddha and everyone I meet is a Buddha.”
The Buddha said, “There is no distinction between the Mind, Buddha and all beings.” As long as our minds are pure, we can return to our true nature and attain Buddhahood instantly. However, our minds are filled with afflictions because we are still ordinary people. We still have to respect others. If their minds are pure, they are just like Buddha. Moreover, they can serve mankind; they are the Bodhisattvas now. So we should face all these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to recount our past mistakes to them and repent. We should be grateful that someone has guided us onto the Bodhisattvas-path so we can now walk diligently on it. We should repent our past mistakes and maintain a pure mind. By openly confessing our mistakes to others, we can make a vow, with others as our witnesses, that we will correct our behaviors. This is the best repentance and best resolution.
Everyone possesses a sense of shame. We have confessed openly how bad we were before. We have also vowed to change. Thus we have to change now. If we do not change, others will talk about how bad we were before. If we do not change now, more people will know and they will laugh at us. Therefore, we should be very cautious. In this way, we can alter our perceptions and release the entanglements in our minds.
If we later hear people criticize us, we can say, “Yes, I have already told others of my mistakes.” Thus, our minds will be at ease. Although we have erred in the past, once we confess openly we will not worry about others knowing. Our minds will not be tied down by worries. Then our views can become open. The Currents of View means our minds are entangled by afflictions and worries. Once the afflictions and worries are released, our perceptions will be open. This is called the Currents of Views, which is the confusion of the Three Realms.
Thus, afflictions refer to our present state, our mindsets after we’ve done something, or the entanglements of our minds after we committed mistakes.
When afflictions accumulate and obscure the mind, our thoughts and views deviate. That is the Current of View. If we can repent openly, our minds will not be entangled by afflictions. When our minds are open,we can be liberated and at ease.
Next is the Currents of ignorance. Ignorance is deluded views and thoughts in the Three Realms. Whether it is in the present, in the past, or in the future, delusion starts from ignorance and leads us to differentiate among all external phenomena. In the past, present & future, our differentiation of external states will give rise to ignorance and confusion in our perceptions and thoughts. These kind of conditions will continuously develop. Whether in our present, past or future, these kinds of afflictions continuously accumulate.
I have often said that only karma remains with us when we die. Our present life is the result of the karma from our past lives. Retribution arises when karma and conditions ripen. Thus, when the seeds of karma are affected by present conditions, the power of such effects is beyond our control. Thus, we uncontrollably create more negative causes and negative affinities that bring negative retributions. What would such states of views and delusions add to our minds? They would increase our hatred and desires. Such hatred would grow and entangle our minds. These are all called ignorance, the Currents of ignorance.
We afflictions are caused by foolishness, that is the Currents of Ignorance. The influence of ignorance will cause us to uncontrollably create negative causes and conditions, resulting in negative retributions.
To learn Buddhism, we must be aware of the power of the Currents of Ignorance, which can affect our actions and words. This power is unexplainable and uncontrollable. It can cause our mindsets to continuously change according to the conditions we encounter.
We’ve talked about the 7 Branches of karma. Four are speech: lies, flattery, gossip and harsh words. There are of the body: killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. Then seven kinds of karma of body and speech originate from delusions of views and ignorance. These delusions are greed, anger and ignorance that bind us to the Three Realms.
Therefore, proper views are critical. Similarly, in life we encounter many circumstances that give rise to our desires. Once desires arise, a confused life will bring suffering. With suffering comes entanglements, with entanglements come views, confusion and delusion that continue to accumulate. When one errs, and is afraid of others knowing, it is a difficult burden. Therefore, such heavy afflictions flow like currents in our life. So “the Four Currents may cause all wrongdoings.”
Everyone, we should truly be mindful. Let us take good care of our minds and not allow afflictions to influence us to deviate from the right path. Therefore, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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