Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Nine Bonds Part 6(九結六)
Previously we discussed how the minds of sentient beings are ridden with afflictions, ignorance, greed, grasping, etc. We have also talked about the Bond of Ignorance and other Bonds. Whether they come from ignorance or attachment to our physical bodies, they bring about many afflictions and problems in our minds.
Today we will discuss the sixth Bond, the Bond of Grasping.
The sixth of the Nine Bonds: Ignorant attachment to the Grasping of Views and Grasping of Precepts causes sentient beings to become deluded and to commit a wide range of bad deeds. This leads them to continuously transmigrate in the Three Realms with no way out. That is the Bond of Grasping.
The source of grasping in our minds is our preconceptions and views. “I’ll do anything to get what I want. To grasp is to take hold.” Attachment and grasping, grasping and attachment. Afflictions arise when we stubbornly grasp things. Some say, “I take what I should take,” but they take things they should not. Stubbornly trying to take that which does not belong to them results in great hardship. With Grasping of Views and Grasping of Precepts, ignorance arises, and we become attached.
Grasping of Views leads us to desire what we see. “What’s mine is mine.” “Yours and mine are about the same.” “You can’t take mine.” “But yours is basically mine.” This type of grasping causes great disputes. Wars occur when countries want to seize the land of other countries. Jealously and disputes arise because people compete over jobs. People’s stubborn grasping creates problems in society and leads to conflicts in relationships. These problems arise from the Grasping of Views and our preconceptions. The bottom line is that being self-centered in our views is a very bad idea. View of Self, Extreme Views, Deviant Views, etc. all come up because we are self-centered. Grasping of Views is truly complicated to explain. It goes beyond these two types of Bonds.
The Grasping of Views and Precepts in our daily lives and our attachment to grasping give rise to afflictions in our minds. If we analyze further, there are over 90 subtly different views. Broadly speaking, Grasping of Views is common among people in their daily lives, whether on the scale of nations, among societies, or between individuals. Many conflicts arise from Grasping of Views.
We become afflicted when we grasp things based on our own views. We fight over that which does not belong to us, and create many disputes. These are all caused by the Grasping of Views.
Some practitioners “grasp precepts”. Grasping of Precepts can be very aggravating. Delusions arise over time. With this delusion, some religious people, no matter what religion they believe in, will become attached to their views. Those views will be codified into precepts. In all religions, believers are subject to all sort of precepts, some of which are worrisome.
I remember there was a case of conjoined twins from the Philippines. By now they are about four years old. This was one of our past cases. They were named Gratitude and Great Love. Our doctors successfully separated them and the twins returned home. Then someone referred an older set of conjoined twins to us. The surgery itself was not difficult, but they had one request. They could not bleed because their religion forbids blood transfusions. This created a huge challenge. Who could guarantee they would not bleed and require transfusions? This was truly difficult.
Our doctors tried hard to solve this problem. One option was to invent a way to recycle their blood, but their religion forbids them from receiving any blood, even their own. In the end, we had to pass on this case. Our doctors did try hard, repeatedly reporting to me on the case, testing new methods, and trying to convince the parents in hopes of helping these adorable children. If they grow up and are conjoined forever, it will be painful. But because of their religion, we could not move forward, so we were troubled.
Even now, our hearts still ache for them whenever we think of them and wonder how they are spending the rest of their lives. This is a clear case of Grasping of Precepts. Delusional Attachment is a form of clinging. Grasping of Views means we fight over what we have and what we believe. Grasping of Precepts arises in a religious context. It can make everyday life difficult and cause us to commit a wide range of bad deeds. Grasping of Views is to fight and cling, which are unwholesome acts and cause the suffering of transmigration.
Ordinary people cling to the Grasping of Views; practitioners cling to Grasping of Precepts. When they cling to what they can grasp and become delusionally attached, they become ignorant and bring about the sufferings of transmigration.
Why do we suffer so much? The Buddha said transmigration in the Six Realms is painful. Why is that so? Because we cannot control it. Do not assume you can wait to practice until your next lifetime. Is the choice to be human up to you? Even if you are human again, will you have the opportunity to practice? Will you practice the Right Dharma properly? Many factors are outside of our control. We do not even know which Realm we will be reborn into, yet we assume we will be human again. And if we are lost in this life, what will happen in the next? It is beyond our control. So we need to seize this moment. We are now listening to and studying Right Dharma.
Someone might ask, “Haven’t you said that the age of Right Dharma has passed? Aren’t we at the Era of Dharma Decay? Not only has Right Dharma passed, so has Dharma Semblance. Aren’t we in the Era of Dharma Decay?”
Yes, we are. Just look at this huge population. With so many people, religions have become very complicated. People nowadays deny the laws of karma and lack religious beliefs. They are the majority, and those who believe in Right Dharma are a very small minority. If only a small number believe in Right Dharma, how many are actually practicing?
To summarize, receiving the right teachings, thinking the right thoughts, and performing right actions is not easy. In the 37 Practices to Enlightenment alone, there are eight “right” things. When these eight things are complete, we act and think correctly.
The Eightfold Noble Path: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Samadhi.
Can we truly control our minds? Can we control our lives? We do not know. Even if we make the right choices and conduct ourselves properly, life is still impermanent. How much time do we have to realize the Way? How much time do we really have to comprehend the Buddha’s state? The states of ordinary people and the Buddha are so far apart. Even with the right path marked for us, we still have a long way to go. Long journeys take time. Yet time, space, and human interactions are unpredictable. How big is space? How many conflicts arise in our relationships? How much longer do we have in this life to do what we really want to do? Ah, Impermanence.
Many things are out of our control, so we often say we must seize the moment. If we have proper views and seize the moment, we are doing the right thing. Grasping and Bonds are both afflictions. Grasping has its own set of afflictions. Bonds keep us from having an open mind, as if our mind is tied up in a knot. These are all afflictions, which lead us to cling to life. They draw us into cycle of life and death that is beyond our control, a confused transmigration in the Six Realms. Grasping is the source of all of this. Our direction is determined by this habit in thinking.
Do good, and your habits lead you to Heaven. Uphold the Five Precepts, and you keep human form. Do evil, and you end up in Hell or as a Hungry Ghost or Animal. If we do not practice to have better dispositions, then we head toward the destiny of Asura. We often talk about the six Realms, also called the Six Destinies. Destinies are manifestations of habits based on our preconceptions. Ignorance destines us for one of the Six Realms. It is scary to contemplate this. What if we do not go to Heaven? Even in Heaven, once our blessings are exhausted, we descend into a lower realm and become human. Human life is full of chaos and challenges. When can we truly be liberated? Afflictions are Bonds that tie us. Not only do they tie up our thoughts, they tie us to the cycle of birth and death. We are most frightened of birth and death. Yet we cannot do anything because we cannot free ourselves or undo the Bonds.
I often tell this story. When my father passed away, I wondered where he went. I was in pain and wanted to find out where he went. Later, by chance I went to Feng Yuan Temple. It was constructed during the Japanese Occupancy. There was a Dharma Master who taught the “Earth Treasury Sutra.” I heard some Buddhists say, “Today we talk about the Trayastrimsa Heaven and how the Buddha spoke Dharma there to save His mother.” After hearing them refer to Trayastrimsa Heaven and how Buddha went there for His mother, I thought, “I want to do this for my father. Where has he gone?”
One day, I rode my bicycle to Feng Yuan Temple. Upon seeing me, Dharma Master Miao-Guang said, “The filial daughter is here. I often hear people mention you. You are finally here.”
I said, “Master, I came to seek your advice.”
He said, “Go ahead. Don’t be nervous.” The old master was very kind to everyone.
I said, “I came to ask you, where is my father now?”
Without saying a word, he went into his room and brought out a book. That book looked like a Sutra.
He said, “Take this book home. After you finish it, you will know where your father went.”
I accepted the book and read it at home. The book was not a Sutra. I did not know what it was, but it had the same binding as a Sutra. He told me if I read it I would understand. After I went home, I read about how even Great Elder Peng died after over 800 years. The most beautiful woman Chang-E also died. Even the strongest of kings die. No matter what, everyone has to die. I did not really understand the book. It was called The Principles of Undoing the Bonds.
It left a deep impression on me. Section by section, the book analyzed how to undo those Bonds. It was based on Taoism and other beliefs, folk beliefs, and it was recited when someone died. But I did not understand, so l later went to Tzu Yun Temple and chanted Emperor Liang’s Repentance. In this repentance text, I discovered the impermanence of life and how the thoughts that arise from our minds result in many worldly afflictions. Many afflictions are beyond our control. I began hearing and learning the Dharma from. Emperor Liang’s Repentance so that I could unravel the knot in my mind.
But if you ask me, “Have you unraveled all your knots?”
I must tell you, “Not yet.”
Sentient beings have many afflictions and I still have them as well. But in any case, we must unravel our own Bonds. No one else can do it for us. Being open-minded and walking on the right path is the right thing to do. So always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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