Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Six Practices: Ten Abiding Conducts (Part 3) (六行~十住行三)
The Six Practices:
The Practice of Ten Abiding Conducts: Spiritual Resolve, Control of Mind, Practice, Noble Birth, Perfect Skillful Means, Right Mind, No-retreat Childlike Innocence, Dharma-prince, Anointment.
Yesterday we mentioned that the third of Ten Abiding Conducts is Abiding Practice. We should remind ourselves often that we are practitioners. The mind of a practitioner is clear and aware. There can be no trace of a muddled mind. In facing the world, no matter which place we pass through, or what state passes through our minds, we maintain a clear awareness. More than knowing, it is “wisdom” that allows us to be clear-minded.
With this mind of practice, we will not encounter any external obstacles. The only obstacles come from within, they do not come from outside. So we should be vigilant about this.
The mind of a spiritual practitioner should always remind clear and pure. No external conditions can obstruct us. Even if there are obstacles, they are from within. We should constantly be vigilant.
If we possess this mindset of practice, we will be able to Abide in Noble Birth. Buddha is the benefactor of our Wisdom-life, enabling the growth of our Wisdom-life. We should internalize the Buddha’s teachings and put them into practice. This is the Buddha-mind.
We should feel this sense of gratitude, for Buddha is a benefactor of our lives. We also hope to be a benefactor in other people’s lives. To help those suffering, we only need love. Companionship and sincere love will help give rise to hope. So we pursue the Buddha-path because Buddha is the benefactor of our Wisdom-life. We also help suffering beings by devoting ourselves to finding different ways to deliver them. This is our core responsibility.
Constantly be grateful to the Buddha, the benefactor who helped us complete our Wisdom-life. The basic duty of Buddhist practitioners is to dedicate service to benefit sentient beings and transform them by various Skillful Means.
The fifth is Abiding in Perfect Skillful Means. We should help ourselves and help others using Perfect Skillful Means. This is being replete with Perfect Skillful Means. Daily life is inseparable from people, affairs, and all physical material. When we interact with people, it is inevitable that we encounter people with different opinions and habits. We want to do things one way, but other people might feel differently.
What method should we use to walk viable path? First, we must open our minds. As long as the other person is suggesting a viable and proper way, we ought to let go of our bias and go with his way, by accepting his solution. We should open our hearts and accept other people’s guidance. If the other person’s suggestion does not appear to be viable, or is prone to problems, then we should use the second method-patience. Use patience to work together, and transform him.
As we collaborate with him, we can gradually lead him from the deviated path to the right path, without hard feelings. This is also wisdom.
When our view is different from the other person’s we need to first open our minds and let go of our view, remaining receptive to others’ guidance. If we realize that the other person’s way is not viable, we should practice patience and work with the person so that we can guide him in the right direction. This is the practice of wisdom.
We need tolerance to be able to collaborate with others. When we guide others toward the right direction, we should use wisdom and empathy. Only in this way can we help someone who is heading the wrong way. If we do not work together with him, we will not be able to help him. Help yourself by making friends, benefit others by transforming them. This practice of helping ourselves and others is Abiding in Perfect Skillful Means.
Next is Abiding in Right Mind. A practitioner must not lack a correct mind. To transcend the ordinary and enter sainthood is not easy, unless we have solid confidence, a strong Wisdom-mind, sufficient Samadhi, and an abiding Right Mind. Then, our minds will be the same as Buddha’s.
Thus Abiding in Right Mind is very important. “Abiding” means to dwell and reside. If we abide in the correct mind, our thoughts will be the same as the Buddha’s. If we take the Buddha’s mind as our own mind, “our minds will be righteous and proper.” Then the Buddha’s mind and our mind will be one. The important word is righteousness. Having a correct mind is about living life without deviating from the right path.
Only with strong faith and determination, can we remain unwavering in wisdom and Samadhi. When we always have Right Mindfulness, our thoughts will be like those of the Buddha.
So everyone, righteousness is very important. It is a path, a broad path. We should take good care of our minds, and not let them deviate. Actually, to correct our minds through practice is not difficult. Ordinary people can accomplish this. There are many living Bodhisattvas in Tzu Chi. There was one whom you all know. His name was Lee Zong-ji. Everyone called him Grandpa Lee.
Why did everyone respect him so much? First, he was a righteous person his whole life. Even before he joined Tzu Chi, he was a very filial person. Among the many people that I have observed, it is rare to find such a filial person. I still remember when he visited the Jing Si Abode he mentioned his mother and tears came to his eyes. I thought that his mother had just passed away, but no, it had been several years already. When he talked about his mother, he still tears in his eyes.
He told me about his childhood. Before he started elementary school, his father passed away. His uncles also passed away one after another. Providing for the family became his mother’s responsibility. Paying for school was very difficult. Life in poverty was full of sorrow and hardship. His mother had such a heavy burden that one year, when it was time to register for school, his mother asked him, “I’m having a very hard time. Do you still want to continue with school?”
He knew that his mother had trouble paying for his school. So he collected and burned all of his books, and decided to work as a child laborer. As a child laborer, he was very hardworking and honest. Seeing how upright and earnest he was, his boss wanted to test him. So the boss left money everywhere on purpose. When he found money while sweeping, he would always give it to his boss. This boss felt that this honest child could be developed, and began to train him. This is loyalty as well as honesty.
Later, chaos ensured in mainland China. He left the mainland for Taiwan. Of course, this experience was very tough. Being a child laborer, a ship crewmember, etc., was very toilsome. There is a saying: heaven will not neglect those who are earnest and diligent. He had a sense of filial piety, loyalty, honesty and chivalry. So regardless of where his problems occurred, he was able to pull through and even gain affirmation, trust, and respect from others. He accumulated enough of a foundation and promptly brought his mother over so that he could care for her. His mother was very blessed. She had a good son, a good daughter-in-law and good grandchildren. They took care of her until she passed away of natural causes.
As a practice of filial piety, he stayed by his mother’s tomb to accompany her for several months. He also moved his home to Yang Ming Shan, which was not far from the tomb. Every morning he would go sweep the tomb and pray to his mother.
More than ten years later, I went to visit him. He brought me to where he lived, and hoped that I could go see his mother’s tomb. We went and I saw that the tomb was very clean. He said, “Every morning I come here to tidy up, sweep the grounds, and pray.”
“Even now?”
“Yes.”
"Why don't you hire someone to do it?"
"Doing so myself is different. I want to come see mother."
His mother had passed away many years ago, yet he still had the same perseverance, filial piety, and love. Moreover, when his business was booming, and his fleet was expanding ship by ship, there was political unrest in Vietnam, and many refugees went to sea without food and water.
So he asked his ship crews whether they would help ship food supplies to the Vietnamese refugees. Everyone was willing.
So for those who were going, he first found ways to buy insurance policies so that should something happen, their families would be cared for. Then he sent an entire ship with food supplies to provide relief. Those refugees were so full of gratitude that they bit their fingers and used the blood to sign their names on an entire flag. This flag remains one of my regrets.
After his business grew, he donated that office building to Tzu Chi.
To vacate the space, many things were moved out in a hurry, and this flag was misplaced. When I asked him about the flag, which was signed in blood, he was very upset because he could not find it. I regret this and feel like I owe him something. But this is how he lived his life.
He followed me in doing Tzu Chi’s work with one heart, one mission.
He divided his estate into four parts, one of which was donated to Tzu Chi. He was engaged in building the Tzu Chi hospitals in Dalin and Hualien as a construction commissioner. Even though his expertise was not in construction, he was actively involved. Even after he broke his leg at the Dalin site, he marched forward after putting on a cast.
He remained active, until one year he suffered a myocardial infarction and had to undergo surgery. He began putting his affairs in order, saying, "Should something happen to me, I want to return to Hualien to be with the Master. My parents gave me life and the Master gave me Wisdom-life. Life is finite. Wisdom-life is infinite." This was what he told them.
He even told his children and grandchildren, "My biggest wish is to uphold Buddha's heart and the Master's vows while I am still alive. I will devote my whole life to doing so. And I vow to do this life after life." At that time, the surgery was very successful. But three years later, he passed away. He was already 76 years old. His son is very filial. His son brought him back to be a Silent Mentor for the anatomy class, according to his wishes. His ashes were then scattered over the sea. How carefree! He was successful in his career, and filial and benevolent his whole life. His actions were so loyal, honest, and righteous.
In the second half of his life, starting at age 60, he was close to my heart and mind, and put my vows into practice. He was a very kind and sincere elder. This elder, my disciple, was proper in mindset. Whatever he did was successful. He possessed Skillful Means. With an open mind, he collaborated with others. He used kindness and patience to tolerate others. He held on to his vows of filial piety and love. His heart was very righteous. He was a living Bodhisattva.
Although we are ordinary people, aren't we also able to accomplish this through our practice? We should be able to, as long as our thoughts are right. Everyone, we must be more mindful so that on our path of Right Thought and Right Mind, we do not deviate even slightly. Everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)