Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Nine Bonds Part 1(九結一)
Spiritual cultivation requires calmness, the calmness of our surroundings and the calmness in our bodies and minds. Obviously, beginners need a quiet space so they can calm their minds. When our minds are calm, we can really think about love, truth and Dharma.
People are “beings endowed with emotions.” Practitioners seek to attain enlightenment, which is a matter of realizing the truths behind people and matters. If we can thoroughly understand people, matters, and truths, we can become enlightened. If we cannot, we are still deluded. Deluded beings have scattered minds; enlightened beings have calm minds. If we can realize the truths of life, in our relationships with people and things, the world becomes open and spacious to us. What else can disturb our minds?
Desires still disturb our mind. Life for sentient beings was once simple and pure. But when a thought of craving or desire arose, a disturbance rippled through our minds. So the Buddha guided us by tailoring His teachings to our circumstances. In the Sutra of Forty-two Sections, there are such teachings.
The Buddha said, “Those who hold on to desires do not see the Way. If still water is disturbed by a hand, those standing by cannot see their reflections.”
This metaphor means that if even a single selfish desire arises in our minds, we cannot see the Way, and truths become blurred. When a single craving arises, passion will confuse us and desires will disturb us. If we are confused by passion, how can we see the Way? Buddha used the analogy of a basin of clear water. If the water remains undisturbed, we can see our reflections. If someone stirs the water with their hand as we walk by to see how we look in the water, we cannot see a clear reflection.
So our minds are like water; as long as they remain calm, they can reflect our surroundings. Our minds need to be calmed. If our minds are calm, then we can see Buddha’s Truth and take in His teachings. Is listening alone helpful? No. We also have to feel. If we merely listen and do not feel, it is ineffective. How do we feel it? We have to take action. “True resonance between practitioners and Dharma” happens if we feel moved to accept Buddha’s Dharma and apply it as we walk the Way. I often mention, “true resonance between practitioners and Dharma”. This means you will comprehend what I say, and you will also feel it. Not only that, if you channel those feelings into action, then you will gain a deeper understanding. That is enlightenment. The feeling you get after doing something is truly yours.
If the mind is calm, a state of clarity appears, then one can truly hear the Buddha’s teachings. After listening to the teachings, true enlightenment is possible only if one can feel them, deeply understand them and put them into practice.
This is like telling you that a healthy body requires proper nutrition. To be healthy, we need to eat to absorb nutrients. What foods are nutritious? If you know, but do not actually eat those foods, then your body will not be nourished. Similarly, when I tell you something, you say, “I know. Do you feel anything?”
I ask. “Yes”
“Have you done it yet?”
“Not yet,” you say.
If you do not act on it, there is no true resonance between the practitioner and the Dharma. If you do not experience it, you cannot attain enlightenment.
It is all about the mind. The mind is most disturbed by desire and cravings. Once desire and craving arise, we are lost. How frightening! Why is life painful? Suffering originates with thoughts. That is terrifying. We should always heighten our vigilance. In our practice, we should eliminate our desires and cravings. We should not create bonds of craving because then we cannot unravel them. It is said, “People entangled in craving and desire have turbidity in their minds, and therefore cannot see the Way.”
The Buddha emphasized that people become impure because they are entangled in craving and desire. Their minds become turbid and continuously produce filth. “Turbidity in the mind” continuously arises and prevents them from seeing the Way. Like water that is muddied, once our minds are disturbed, we cannot calm down to think and distinguish right from wrong.
So the Buddha reminded us, “When you Sramanas cast aside cravings and eliminate defilements, you will see the Way.” Thus, He told us to let go of cravings. Once those are gone, things are clear, and we can clearly see the Way.
Now we are going to talk about the Nine Bonds. We have spoken about Bonds, but now we will start with the first Bond. We have learned that cravings muddle the mind. Once the mind is defiled, we cannot be calm. So when the Buddha was asked, “What is the Bond of Craving?” He said, “Sentient beings engage widely in unwholesome acts because of cravings and desires, causing them to be continuously reborn in the cycle of the Three Realms with no way out.” “That is the Bond of Craving.”
If we can take them all in, those words should be self-explanatory. Sentient beings include the multitudes of living creatures, not just humans, but all living beings in the Six Realms. Were it not for cravings, the Six Realms would not exist. Sentient beings in the cyclic existence of the Six Realms are lost. Those in Heaven are enjoying themselves. They created many blessings in this world but they have not developed wisdom and still do not understand the Truth. I often see people who are blessed, but their minds are in constant pursuit of desire and pleasure. They live comfortably but still wonder, “Can I keep doing this job? How can I make more money. How can I make more money?” I often say “having one, lacking nine.” They often look at what they lack. With that outlook, no matter what kind of desire they have, even when their desires are gratified, they will continue to desire things. They want something bigger, nine times bigger. That is truly miserable.
The more wealthy and blessed they are, the more afflicted they become. Although they lead comfortable life, a heavenly life, we do not need to envy them. The greater their luxuries, the bigger their afflictions. Therefore, Heaven is not the goal we should purse; it is not the ultimate. We should strive to surpass Heaven, to have a mind of pure enlightenment, free of afflictions. Thus, Buddhahood is the state we should pursue. The Buddha enjoyed an abundant life. He lacked nothing because He was satisfied, content, and grateful to all sentient beings. He often taught us to be grateful, to repay others’ kindness. The Four Graces include everything. Those who feel deprived are afflicted by “desires.” Satisfied people know contentment and gratitude.
What is gratitude? My teacher gave me six words two sentences that I have followed all my life to repay his grace. Since I have made my vows, I must translate his worlds into action. I repay his grace with deeds. I understand that I need to repay the grace of the Buddha, the Three Treasures. I also must repay the kindness of all sentient beings. Therefore I feel grateful every day. Why am I grateful? I have no personal cravings or desires. To repay others, I embrace Great Love. Gratitude is love. If we can see beyond selfish cravings, we can offer Great Love to repay the grace of Buddhas, teachers, parents, and sentient beings.
So doing good deeds is a form of repayment. But if we have cravings, we will “engage widely in unwholesome acts.” On the contrary, those who are content and grateful can spread Great Love and engage in great acts of kindness. The opposite of that is doing bad deeds out of greed and desire. These people’s minds are troubled and they are filled with resentment and envy, so they cannot do good deeds. Not only that, they commit unwholesome acts, which bring endless suffering in future lives. That suffering does not end with this life; or even with the next.
I often say the Three Periods are not only about the immediate past, present, and future lives. Something that happened many Kalpas ago can still have an effect now. If we still cannot see through or accept it, our thoughts stir and we create more karma. Thus, it extends farther into the future. We can talk about past, present, or future lives, but there is more than this. There is more than just last year and this year, more than just yesterday and today, the current moment and the next. They are all part of past, present and future. Thoughts constantly arise and cease. A good thought can arise and erase a bad thought. A bad thought can also arise and erase a good thought. When thoughts arise without mindfulness, we suffer. So we exist in the cycle of the Three Realms.
The Three Realms are the Desire Realm, Form Realm, and Formless Realm. Desire Realm refers to all material objects we see. I want this, I want that. I want to give things to others. These are different states of mind, but they are all desires. Form provokes desire and cravings. In the Form Realm, we see many things, but what do we actually want? Although it has not yet manifested, we know it exist, so we will strive for it. There is also the Formless Realm; here things arise out of nothing. This applies to our thoughts and views. Thus many people say that they have a blueprint, a plan for this life, etc. Those are Three Realms of the mind: a mind with desires; the weight of material goods; a conceptual framework for our thinking, etc.
If our minds cannot overcome them, we are subject to the Bond of Craving. The Bond of Craving can entangle our minds for any length of time. We suffer when our bodies and minds are entangled by craving. Craving can cause unspeakable suffering.
We practice with the hope of understanding Truth. If our minds are always calm, there is nothing to take issue over and nothing to desire. So, everyone always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
首頁 
