Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Six Practices: Ten Dedications [Overview] (六行~十回向行)
Earlier we discussed the Practice of Ten Actions, which follows the Practice of Ten Abiding Conducts. Everything before that was about self-cultivation, letting us distinguish between good and evil. Before the Practice of the Ten Abiding Conducts, we learned how to turn from evil, toward good, and how to cleanse the defilements in our minds.
The Practice of the Ten Actions taught us how to maintain good thoughts and put them into practice. We spoke of this earlier. Since we already know to quit evil and do good, goodness abides in our minds and we know where to direct our actions. We must be diligent and progress with the Practice of the Ten Actions.
Next we will discuss the Ten Dedications “Using compassion to save all sentient beings is named the Ten Dedications.” I have said we must return to our Buddha-nature. The minds of Buddha & sentient beings are the same. The Buddha felt sympathy for all beings’ suffering. So if we want to advance toward Buddhahood, we must have a Buddha-mind and feel for suffering sentient beings. We must have great compassion.
The Practice of Ten Abiding Conducts is about “the mind leaving the mundane.” We must calm our minds, leave the mundane, and go toward the Way. When we practice the Ten Abiding Conducts, we learn to recognize and eliminate our bad habits and to hold fast to good habits. That is how we can leave the mundane. Do not be swept away by waves of mundane habits. We can escape these defilements or habits, and abandon the Five Desires. Then we can begin to leave the mundane. We practice the Ten Abiding Conducts and Ten Actions in order to leave the mundane.
Sometimes we see someone with a “great desire to leave the mundane, but very little compassion.” The Ten Abiding Conducts and the Ten Actions are not enough. If we feel that we must do good but our minds are not firm, then our will alone is not sufficient. So we must be stronger. Giving is a core duty and basic responsibility, so we must toughen our resolve. The Ten Abiding Conducts let us leave the mundane and the Ten Actions nature our compassion. But that is not enough, we must progress further, “to save others with a Vow of Compassion.” Now we begin to make a Vow of Great Compassion.
The Practice of the Ten Abiding Conducts allows goodness to abide in our minds so we can leave the mundane and go toward the Way. The Practice of the Ten Actions makes us aware of the tendencies of our actions and helps us cultivate a compassionate mind. The Practice of the Ten Dedications affirms the Tathagata-nature in ourselves. We must forego all evil, practice all good, and make a Vow of Great Compassion.
Does a Vow of Great Compassion call for us to leave society? We spoke of leaving the mundane, but that is just in our minds. We still live among other people. “To save others with a Vow of Compassion, live in the mundane to benefit all beings.” We must live among others but work to benefit them and “dedicate the merit of good deeds to all living beings.” This is Dedication of Merit from Small to Large. We used to think only of ourselves, but now we must expand our idea of self. This is Dedication of Merit from Small to Large.
And also “to all living beings.” We do not do good deeds solely for our own benefit. We spoke of the differences between blessed rewards and blessed virtues. Blessed rewards are rewards for doing good deeds. If we try to create blessings without wisdom, they are small, self-beneficial blessings. That is not enough. These types of good deeds cannot last forever.
So now we study Buddhism to dedicate our merits beyond that. To what extant? “To all living beings.” It is not just to love ourselves and other people, but to love all sentient beings. That is Dedication.
Genuine Dedication is about returning to our pure and undefiled innate nature. Expand the intention of practice from your own benefit to include all sentient beings.
If we can understand this reasoning, we will travel down a straight Bodhi-path. The Bodhi-path is very big, straight and broad. When the Buddha came to the world, wherever He went. He was always teaching.
The Buddha once told the following story to His disciples. In ancient times, there was a widow, a single mother with a small boy. She often took her son to the temple to pay respect to the Buddha and listen to the Dharma. Because they constantly pursued the ancient virtuous path, this child of seven or eight was very sharp, diligent and sincere.
He admired those qualities most because a mind that is true progresses diligently with benevolence. He pursed teachings every day and night, but unfortunately, they lived in a kingdom where the king was not a follower of the Way. He was greedy, lecherous, tyrannical, and mistreated the poor and the wise. He robbed his people of all their wealth, so the people lived in deep poverty. Many were angry with him but afraid to speak out. They were very poor.
The king himself thought, “This world is impermanent. I have done so many bad things in the past. So after I die, will I descend into Hell? If I’m going to Hell, I must collect more money. I need gold and silver treasures, so when I die. I can curry favor with Yama, the King of Hell. Then he will lighten my punishment.”
So how did he strengthen his efforts? By confiscating even more things from the people. His people suffered and were afraid of him. Everyone tried to think of some way out. Then one day, the little boy said to his mother, “Mother, I remember hearing you say that when father died, we put a piece of gold in his mouth. Can I open his coffin and take it out?”
His mother simply asked, “What for?”
He replied, “I will offer it to the king.”
By now, his mother knew he was wise, so she did not press him for a better reason. She told him, “Do what you think you should do.”
So he dug up his father’s grave. He opened the coffin, extracted the gold from his father’s mouth, and rushed to offer it to the king.
When the king saw it, he asked, “How did you get this? Where did it come from?”
The child said, “When my father died, we buried him with a piece of gold to bribe and curry favor with the King of Hell. I knew about it, so now that you really need it, I opened my father’s coffin and retrieved it for you.”
The king asked, “When did your father pass away?”
“Eight or nine years ago.”
“If you took his gold, how can he pay King Yama?”
The child responded by saying, “Good brings blessings, evil brings misfortunes. Misfortunes and blessings follow us like sounds and shadows.”
This means when we do good, blessings will follow. Those who do evil will be followed by misfortune. Misfortunes and blessings are like shadows and sounds. Shadows follow the body, and sounds follow struck objects or spoken words. “Can we move our body to avoid our shadow? If I keep running, can I run away from my shadow? Is that possible?”
The king said, “Of course not. Wherever you go, your shadow follows. Can you smother the sound of something that is falling to the ground? Will that stifle the sound? That is also impossible.”
“Correct.” the child said. By the same logic, our bodies are made up of the Four Elements, earth, water, fire and wind. If the Four Elements are not in harmony, many illnesses develop. At the end of our life, the Four Elements disperse. When there is no harmony or union, they disperse, and life is over.
“When the soul passes on, the body transforms.” When the Four elements depart, the soul departs. And when the soul leaves, the physical body becomes defiled, ugly and filthy. The soul follows karma to either the three Evil Destinies or the Five Realms. The soul id then reborn in one of those realms. Those who do good are reborn in the Heaven Realm. Those who do evil will descend into Hell and suffer in the three Destinies. This is something no one can alter. King Yama judges us based on karma. There is no way to curry favor with him or bride him. That is impossible. If this is true, why do you create so much evil? Why do cause your people to suffer?
Today, you are the king because you gave generously previous lives. You were blessed, so you are king in this life. You should cherish this and continue you past generosity. You will only be blessed if your people lead abundant lives. Now you are the king, so if you can treat your people with loving kindness, you will extend your blessings to your next life. Then, if you reach them wisdom and kindness, and turn their minds toward good practices, you will have both blessings and wisdom, as well as countless blessed rewards.”
After the king heard this he thought, “This is true. Why didn’t I think of this? Why was I so foolish?” So he was very regretful and deeply ashamed. He opened the Treasury and returned all the money he collected. He released those hr jailed and locked up for having no money, and began to rule with the Dharma, dispensing wisdom to his people.
The Buddha reached this point of the story and said, “Did you know? I was the child. I manifested and took many forms in the past, in many countries, and as people of all ages.” When we learn Buddhism, it is the same. The Buddha will work to transform people of all countries and of all appearances. As we said, we must work in the mundane world, in the midst of others, to benefit all sentient beings. Leaving the mundane does not mean avoiding people. No. It is our minds that must leave behind mundane desires and afflictions. We must live among people with a transcendent mind, and try to benefit them. This is Dedication of Merit from Small to Large.
To inspire and transform sentient beings, we must work in the mundane world with a transcendent mind. We must live among people to benefit them. This is Dedication of merit from Small to Large.
Everyone, you often hear me say to use a transcendent spirit to do wordly works. This is means living among and benefiting others. The mind can transcend the mundane, but we must work in society. Thus we Dedicate the Merit from Small to Large. Everyone, we should always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水).
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