Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Nine Bonds Part 8(九結八)
The Nine Bonds: Craving, Anger, Arrogance, Ignorance, View, Grasping, Doubt, Jealously, Stinginess.
We have been talking about the Nine Bonds. All types of Bonds tie up our minds, and unraveling them is difficult. Spiritual cultivation is a process of purifying our minds. We have accumulated garbage and ignorance. As we clear it out bit by bit, we should take care not to add more. Then over time, our minds will be clear. So whether we are speaking or listening, we must constantly self-reflect.
The eight Bond is the Bond of Jealousy. It refers to jealous or envy. Everyone, the jealousy in our minds is likely to have been there at birth. We must train ourselves to be broad-minded so that when we see others being successful, we are also very happy. When we see others leading blessed and happy lives, we can be happy for them. I do not know if everyone has this outlook; it is difficult to achieve because we discriminate. We do our best to protect and support those we love, so they can be successful. As for people we dislike, we feel unhappy and bothered when we hear good news about them. This is the jealousy of our minds. Ordinary people’s minds are very fragile. We try to expand our minds to accommodate all sentient beings. We try to sacrifice ourselves to help others succeed, but it is impossible without great courage and strength.
“Great heroes have great strength and compassion.” We recite this in morning recitations, but do we truly have the great strength and compassion they do? Ordinary people are week. We mean well but our will is not strong enough, so we are easily influenced. So, first, we must have conviction in our sense of value. We must avoid having feelings of inferiority, or we easily become jealous. We must maintain an outlook that seeks to benefit all sentient beings. If we make others happy, they will do good. We should be happy for them when they are praised and recognized. We should not be negative when we hear of other’s successes. We should be positive and let go so we can be free and at ease.
We easily become jealous if we feel inferior. Our minds become bound by affliction. We can only be at ease if we steadfastly remain on the Right Path and focus on benefitting sentient beings.
People become unreasonably jealous, starting at a very young age. For example, a boy’s mother gave birth to a younger sister when he was two or three. Before that, he was his mother’s darling and she always held him, rocked him and sheltered him from everything. But after she gave birth to his little sister, whenever she heard the new baby cry, she would rush to comfort her. The boy became angry and shoved his sister aside, saying “Mother is mine!” See, we are born with these habits.
Later on in life, mothers and daughters-in-law also fight. After her son weds, the mother sees how the son, who was always by her side, is now constantly by his wife’s side. So she becomes jealous of her daughter-in-law. Families face other similar problems. Siblings fight for their parents’ affection. Parents can play favorites and prefer one child over the others. People have these biases; whether it is between parents and children, or mothers and daughters-in-law, these unconscious afflictions cause jealousy in families.
At school, if a teacher favors a certain student, others are jealous and wonder, “What is so great about him? The teacher praises him for being a good student. But it is only because of his family’s influence that the teacher favors him and gives him better grades.” Not considering whether they themselves work hard, they become jealous easily. Therefore, we should learn to broaden our hearts, have a broad view and humble ourselves. Then we can be at peace.
We should foster respect for others and even support them. When we see others being happy, we ourselves are also “earning happiness”. By rejoicing in and praising others we also earn merit. Is this difficult? Not at all. “Earning happiness” is great. However, for unenlightened people to be happy for other people’s success is difficult.
The Sutra says that ordinary people are attached to wealth and comfort. Upon seeing others’ successes, they become jealous. They commit a wide range of bad deeds, and invite the suffering of future births and deaths.
From this verse, we can see that sentient beings are full of greed, so they fight to be favored. Without greed and craving, our minds would not be bound by jealousy. Seeing others become successful, advance in social status, and constantly gain wealth, fame, and reputation, we become jealous. It is very painful. If we are jealous, we are likely to malign others. When others receive praise, we are envious and try to point out their flaws. This is very common. This is very common
Do you know that Confucius said this as well: “To succeed, first help others succeed.”
If we are open-minded, we are not jealous of others’ status, wealth, and fame. We should have the mindset of hoping that we attain success, but before we do that, we should first help others achieve their success. Were the pyramids not built from the bottom up? Without a foundation of people working together, no one would ever reach the top.
So we must help others complete their goals first. Our own character is enhanced when their goals are completed. It is said, “Character is enhanced when one seeks nothing.” If we expect nothing for ourselves and help others, we naturally enhance our character. But we are not helping others for the sake of enhancing our own character. Otherwise we become unhappy and unwittingly create karma with hurtful speech or by impeding others’ progress. This is “committing a wide range of bad deeds.” So we must take good care of our minds. Otherwise, an unwholesome act can cause us to continuously transmigrate in the Three Realms with no way out.
Jealousy is a major obstacle. Being jealous of others’ virtues and abilities leads us to think we are right and they are wrong. If we are jealous when others cultivate goodness, we cannot learn the Right Dharma of the Tathagata.
Jealousy is a “major obstacle” in our practice. So we must never be jealous “Jealousy of others’ virtues and abilities leads us to think we are right and they are wrong.” This is human psychology. Simply seeing those who are virtuous, talented and keen can make us unhappy. It is quite serious when we are unhappy just at the sight of them. Because of their abilities or talents, we cannot accept them into our hearts. That is very narrow-minded and intolerant. Think about it; how can worldly matters not upset that kind of mind?
So, jealousy of the virtuous and able causes suffering. When we think, “I am the most capable. I am right.” “He is never right,” that is painful, too. Constantly opposing others is another manifestation of jealousy. Instead of rejoicing and admiring others as they do good deeds and create blessings, we actually malign and envy them. Many people ask, “Why do you help others? I myself need help, why would I help others?” Such people do not know that helping others is the basis of happiness. I often say, “if we have ten, give away one.” That brings joy. If we feel we can never give, then we forever focus on what we lack. That is so painful.
We are greedy and stingy. When we see other’s successes and charity, not only are we reluctant to give as they do or be happy for them, we slander them. Many people today are like this. So we need to adjust our mindset. When others are charitable, or when they are diligent or do good deeds, do not look at them and say, “that person did this or that,” making comments about them. That is bad and creates speech karma. It all begins with jealousy.
Jealousy hinders our spiritual cultivation and blocks our path to Buddhahood so we “cannot learn the Right Dharma of the Tathagata.” If we cannot cleanse our minds of afflictions, how can Buddha’s Right Dharma enter our minds? The Buddha taught us to be compassionate. He hopes we can all be blessed and accomplished. The Buddha taught us to feel others suffering, and to help them. But if we are narrowed-minded, if jealousy closes off our minds, how can we learn the Right Dharma of Tathagata? It is impossible. Jealousy hinders our spiritual cultivation, so it is major obstacle. It is a significant hindrance, not a minor one. So we absolutely cannot be jealous.
“Envying others’ wealth and offerings.” If, in delusion, we crave others’ wealth and offerings, we become hateful and jealous. Thus we have departed the Bodhisattva-practice.
Jealousy is also a form of greed. So we “envy others’ wealth and offerings.” We feel bad when we see how easily others make money. Some practitioners feel bad when they see other monks receive offerings. “We crave others’ wealth and offerings. In delusion, desires arise.” Some think, “You should make offerings to me. Why make offerings to him? You should support me. Why do you support him? He isn’t more capable or better than me.” We hold onto many things in our minds. We always want to be superior, but the Bond of Jealousy creates entanglements in our minds. So, hatred and jealousy are linked. Jealousy naturally gives rise to hatred, this is a big problem. We must be mindful as we learn Buddha’s teachings. So the Buddha told us,
“People who are entangled in craving and desire have turbidity in their minds. They cannot see the Way.”
If we have cravings and desires, we are naturally entangled by jealousy. Our minds are muddles, and ignorance gushes like a spring. Unwholesome thoughts well up and we cannot approach the Way. Thus the Buddha said,
“Cast out cravings and desires. When the defilements of cravings and desires disappear, the Way will be visible.
This is a verse from the Sutra of 42 Sections. We should cast aside craving and greed so that we can eliminate jealousy from our minds. Then defilements, which are afflictions, will be thoroughly eliminated. Then we can easily see the Way.
Everyone, learning the Buddha’s teachings is taking good care of our minds. If we are alert, we foster innate habits, such as jealousy, starting from a young age. Maybe we were like this in a past life so we now exhibit this habit in our daily lives. Unknown to us, it follows us like a shadow. So everyone always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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