Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Nine Bonds Part 4(九結四)
There is no other way to learn the Dharma. Our minds must be resolute, and our resolve great. If we are determined and can make great vows, we are true Buddhist practitioners.
But how do we stay true when we are often influenced by ignorance? When everything in life is going well, ordinary people dwell on desires and cravings. When something bad happens, ignorance takes over, and we hurt ourselves and others. This is very common in society. It is the state of ordinary beings. Under good circumstances, we still get confused. Under challenging conditions, we commit many wrongdoings. That is ignorance.
Sentient beings are blinded by ignorance so they cannot realize the Truth of Suffering or of the Causes of Suffering. They commit a wide range of bad deeds, causing them to continuously transmigrate in the Three Realms with no way out. That is the Bond of Ignorance.
So ignorance entangles our hearts and prevents us from walking a straight and broad path. That is why the Buddha told us, “Sentient beings are blinded by ignorance.” Ignorance constantly accumulates and blinds us. Layer by layer we are covered up, so we cannot open our minds or pave a straight path. That is how Suffering arises.
What is the Truth of Suffering? As we have said, the truth is that we cling to cravings when everything in life is going smoothly. We always have desires. Cravings can break our hearts. Our hospital volunteers see and hear many things. Some patients are still young, yet seriously injured. Why are they so badly injured? Some of the injuries are work-related, but others are from attempted homicides. Some of the injuries are self-inflicted due to ignorance.
Then we look at their families. Some have already given up on the patient; they are indifferent. Some are blinded and entangled by their love, or suffer more than the one who is hurt because of their entanglements of love or hatred. Volunteers see the various situations of many different people. I often remind them that the hospital is a place for spiritual cultivation. We can learn the Truth by seeing suffering. If we strive to comprehend people’s suffering, we deepen our understanding of the ignorance and entanglements in their lives. When we ourselves are not entangled, we feel for them and wonder, “Why are they so foolish? Why did they try to kill each other? Why are they on drugs? Why did they drink so much? Why did they drive so fast?” and so on.
We see so many things, the family’s anguish, grief and resentment, and the patient’s struggles with physical pain. After seeing so much, we become objective observers. We can delve into understanding their lives and we can quickly un-entangle ourselves as well. We understand that life is like this. We enter into suffering in order to understand it, in order to realize the Truth.
Thus the Buddha said, “they cannot realize the Truth of Suffering or of the Cause of Suffering.” Ordinary people’s ignorance prevents them from realizing that they are suffering, so they continue to create karma. For instance, take two adversaries. Neither will back down. They go to court and spend a lot of money to sue and counter-sue, wasting all their money. Yet neither will budge. We witness their suffering but they cannot see it clearly when they are in the midst of experiencing it. They are too caught up in interpersonal conflicts. Caught up in the conflict, they cannot overcome their problems. Thus they “Commit a wide range of bad deeds.” They create more unwholesome acts, and more negative karma through speech. The more they do, the worse it becomes. Thus we say “we commit a wide range of bad deeds”.
Ordinary people cannot realize that life is suffering because of their ignorance. Therefore, they continue to create karma. If they can understand Truth through suffering, then they can recognize, cherish, and create more blessings.
We say that the slightest deviation in direction can take us wildly off course. Take a drawing compass for example. If we are slightly off when we start drawing, the result will be ridiculous and not as we intended. So we must guard our minds and our true nature, or deluded thoughts will lead to ignorance, to committing a wide range of bad deeds, and to suffering beyond words. We must know that we cannot escape the cyclic existence of the Three Periods and Six Destinies. In the past, present, and future, we transmigrate within the Six Realms.
Many people say they engage in spiritual practice because life is difficult. What is the goal of their practice? To avoid being human in their next life. Not being human again is easy; just do some bad things and you will go to the Hell, Hungry Ghost or Animal Realms. If they do not want to be human or to end up in the Three Evil Destinies, where will they go? If they give to others, create some blessings, they will go to Heaven. Can they stay in Heave forever? No. Once they exhaust their blessings, they will descend because they have only created blessings, they have not realized the Truth. They may create blessings to attain blessings or give out of desire to attain blessings, but these are still only blessings. They lack wisdom.
If they do not obtain wisdom, they will eventually exhaust their blessings and become entangled with others out of ignorance. In this cycle of retribution, karma will follow them. We should know that wisdom is more important than blessings. But wisdom without blessings results in a miserable life and difficulties when doing good deeds. It is said, “It is difficult for the poor to give.” We need to possess both wisdom and blessings so we can give wisely.
How do we maintain our wisdom so we can calmly deal with people and matters? How do we eliminate our ignorance? We need to know that karma arises from delusions. What are delusions? Delusion means not seeing the truth. Delusions can be traced back to an ignorant thought we had in the past, which clouds and deludes our minds in the present. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. I don’t understand why you did this.” That shows confusion. Lack of understanding often beings with ignorance. Ignorance is terrifying, but we must try to eliminate it from our minds when we are dealing with people and matters.
Delusion means we do not understand the Truth. All delusions arise from ignorance. If we do not eliminate ignorance, we will continue to create deluded karma.
Several years ago, a heartbreaking thing happened to Mr. Liang and his wife. His family suffered a deeply painful experience. His son, a well-behaved child, was in a car accident on his way to school. It was very serious. He was rushed to the hospital, but he died. At that time, Mr. Liang and his wife were already Tzu Chi members and were looked after by our commissioners. They had many interactions with Tzu Chi, and were often exposed to my teachings. So when the accident happened, they knew how to deal with the heartache.
When I went to Taipei, they came to see me. They talked about the pain they had felt. However, they appeared to already be at peace. How did they calm down? The wife said, “I heard a Jing Si Aphorism. It said that once our affinity with him ends, we should wish him blessings. Do not hold on to the strings of a broken kite. He will be unable to transcend and move on. Although I was heartbroken, when I thought of that passage, I sincerely chanted the Buddha’s name for him.”
The husband said, “Letting go was truly difficult. I told my wife we have learned much since we joined Tzu Chi. Because of what we’ve learned, if the person who caused the accident came and apologized, then we would have forgiven him.” But this man was unwilling to apologize. So the father became angry, and ignorance arose. He said, “Fine. If you don’t come to apologize, I’ll douse you with a bucket a gasoline.”
As he was leaving to carry out his threat, he saw my portrait hanging on his living room wall. He suddenly saw things clearly. “I saw you looking at me, so I immediately bowed and repented. I should not have conceived of such things, so l opened my heart and let it go. With my mind clear, my ignorance unraveled. Then I could leave the sadness behind, and devote myself to the Bodhisattva-path.”
If they wallowed in sadness, resentment, and hatred, they would have become more ignorant. From that day on, the two of them devoutly and diligently walked the Bodhisattva-path. Now both are certified commissioners and have been faithfully and diligently fulfilling the Eight Endeavors of Tzu Chi. Thus they left sadness behind and devoted themselves to the Bodhisattva-path. He also mentioned another passage from the Jing Si Aphorisms, “Do not punish yourself with others’ mistakes.” Do not allow other people’s wrongs to lead you to commit wrongdoings. Because they shifted their perspectives, they stayed true and followed the Way, the Bodhisattva-path, the best Path. They showed tremendous love when they chose that path. And it all hung on a single thought.
I want to share a passage from the Sutra of Forty-two Sections. The Buddha said, “A person who sees the Way is like someone who holds a torch and enters a dark room to dispel the darkness, so that only light remains.” He said if we can see and fully understand the Way, then it is as if we are holding a torch. When we enter a dark room, it is very dark inside. By bringing the torch in, the deep darkness will vanish. The darkness is eliminated “and only light remains.” The light banishes the darkness from the room, so only light remains. A person who sees the Way has a very clear mind, free of confusion. He would not think. “What are you doing? Why don’t I understand? What are you saying? Why doesn’t it make sense?” We who see the Way see everything clearly.
Otherwise, our minds are filled with darkness. We often encounter obstacles in the dark, so we must keep our minds bright. Thus the Buddha said, “Learn the Way, see the Truth. Thus ignorance is eliminated. If we learn the Dharma, we see the Truth, and ignorance will be eliminated. And light will persist.”
Everything surrounding us will be perfectly clear and bright. We should know that we can eliminate ignorance. Do not say, “That’s just the way I am. It’s in my nature to be hot-tempered. No one is born with a temper, it is a habit. We should know that we can eliminate ignorance. We should also know that if we can see the True Way, we can keep our minds clear, bright, and free of ignorance. We can even eliminate Augmented Arrogance. When we clearly see the Truth, we do not make mistakes. Therefore, we should always be mindful. Knowing the Truth is like lighting a lamp in a dark room; it is so simple. So, everyone be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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