Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Ten Fetters Part 4(十纏四)
At this moment, my mind is very tranquil. I often think to myself, “Wouldn’t it be really nice if I could retain the sense of tranquility that I have at dawn for the rest of the day?” The mind is wild and unstable, and we cannot keep it still. It is all over the place. So we must be vigilant and prevent storms from brewing in our minds. If the tranquility of our minds was wind, it would be like a spring breeze. A spring breeze is gentle and calms our minds. It enhances the peace in our environment. In this way, everything in the world can be rejuvenated. If this peaceful spring breeze were to constantly exist in our minds, our practice would continually generate faith, like something growing in the earth.
A spring breeze is like the Dharma. If the Dharma is in our minds, it is like when spring returns to awaken all life. So we should take good care of our minds. Ignorance is like a wild wind. We can often see land destroyed by storms and rain. It is a natural phenomenon. When wind and rain are imbalanced, the land will naturally be battered and damaged. This is analogous to the rise of ignorance in our minds, because our motivation to practice and our thoughts are destroyed by ignorance and afflictions. It is not easy to maintain a calm mind and develop motivation to practice. If just a little ignorance arises, it is very easy for our faith to be destroyed. So we must always take good care of our minds.
Do you remember the story I told you earlier? A compassionate and wise young man was orphaned before he reached adulthood. When he became an adult, his caretaker listed all of his family’s properties so he knew that his ancestors left for him. It was a massive fortune, especially because it was accumulated and passed down over seven generations. However, he realized that although multiple generations of his ancestors, they all still died. So what did they take with them? Nothing at all. He thought, “What will happen when I die? The fortune will just sit here because I cannot take it with me. I should find a way to make it truly useful to me. He told his servants to exchange his fortune for cash and food.” Every day he went out with the food and money. When he saw the poor, he gave them what they needed, whether it was medicine, food, or money. Whatever they needed, he gave to them. I told this story from the Sutras two days ago.
Is that the end of the story? No. He also felt that his body was impure. “I have given away everything I can. My body is so impure, but it is the vehicle for spiritual cultivation. I want to practice.” He understood that his body would age with time, so he wanted to practice while he was still young. He walked into the woods, found a very quiet place, and began his many years of living in the wild. He picked wild fruits and vegetables to eat. He worked hard and practiced diligently. He developed a steady mind, unaffected by external stimuli. After his mind had calmed, he decided to increase his efforts and diligence. He spent seven days attaining the Eight States of Samadhi and the Five Powers. The Eight Samadhi States are incredible. His mind had transcended the Desire Realm. Attaining four Samadhi states in the Form-Realm and the four in the Formless Realm is a very advanced spiritual state.
The Eight States of Samadhi: During Samadhi meditation, there are eight states of Samadhi, ranging from shallow to deep. They are the Four Meditative States in the Form-Realm and the Four Samadhi States in the Formless Realm. The Five Powers are the Power of Faith, the Power of Diligence, the Power of Thought, the Power of Samadhi, and the Power of Wisdom.
We should remember the Five Spiritual Roots and Five Powers that are described in the 37 Practices to Enlightenment. Attaining the Five Powers meant he already had the spiritual roots needed for the powers to emerge. As noted in the 37 Practices to Enlightenment, it is very difficult to strengthen the Power of Thought. Learning he Buddha-Dharma requires us to develop the Five Spiritual Roots, the Five Powers, and the Eight Samadhi States. Then, no amount of obstacles can hinder us. What are our biggest obstacles? Our biggest obstacles are the Ten Fetters, both in life and in our spiritual practice.
The Ten Fetters: No Shame, No Remorse, Jealousy, stinginess, Regret, Sleepiness, Restlessness, Drowsiness, Anger and Cover-up.
The seventh Fetter is Restlessness, which entangles our minds so we cannot open and calm our minds. If our mind cannot be calmed, it is easily swayed. Our Faith, Samadhi, and Thoughts can then waver easily. With so many things swaying our minds, how can we be diligent? Restlessness is a major hindrance to our spiritual practice. This is not only true for practitioners, but for average people as well. Whether we are studying, doing business, or working at our jobs if we are restless, our minds cannot be settled. If we cannot focus on our tasks, we are not good employees and we cannot be good businessmen, etc. This is caused by restlessness.
A restless mind cannot settle down. Our thoughts roam all over the place and we cannot complete tasks. This is caused by restlessness. So to be “restless” is to be “swayed.” If we are unsettled, we waver and have no self-confidence. If our self-confidence often wavers, then our confidence in others is also shaken, and we become doubtful. We often say, “Faith is the source of the Way, mother of merits. It fosters all the roots of goodness.” If we do not trust ourselves, then we doubt our own character. And if we doubt our character, we feel inferior and unable to deal with people, matters or things. If we are not confident, we cannot succeed at anything. But if we cannot let go of ego, then we have Inferior Arrogance. If we feel inferior, we may develop an inferiority complex. We have to be humble so we can settle our minds.
I often say we must shrink our egos and live a life of humility. Then we can maximize our potential. If we are self-centered and lack self-confidence, those are problems. If we cannot shrink our egos, or if we lack self-confidence when we try to be humble, then how can we achieve our pure potential? Restlessness unsettles our minds and prevents us from trusting ourselves and others. We lose confidence as soon as we start something and then give up right away. People say, “We fail nine times out of ten.” Why do businessmen fail nine times out of ten? Because restlessness and lack of confidence can easily sway people lack of confidence can easily sway people. The same applies to practice, “I want to listen to a lot of Dharma. This is good Dharma, and that is also good Dharma. I want to learn this, and I want to learn that. But I fail to learn nine times out of ten because I am restless.” Restlessness is a problem that can cause people a lot of suffering. It prevents people from succeeding or accomplishing something.
Every day we sit here. If our minds are still, we can listen to the Dharma mindfully, and let it enter our hearts. If we can do this at the beginning of each day, then we can face life, people and matters with a fresh outlook. We will gain confidence from every situation. Then our practice will go smoothly. When our minds are still, we treat every situation that we encounter as a spring breeze, as the Dharma that nurtures our minds. That is the Power of Samadhi. If we are restless, we will waver.
“When one’s thoughts constantly waver and cannot be disciplined, one cannot achieve anything through any form of meditation.”
So if a practitioner’s mind wavers, he cannot absorb much Dharma. The Dharma goes in one ear and comes out the other. We must mindfully listen to the Dharma. When we are mindful, we listen with Samadhi, so it does not go in one and out the other. If that happens, it is very difficult and we are bothered by internal and external stimuli. An unstable mind will cause suffering. The eighth Fetter is Drowsiness. Drowsiness is “deep lethargy.” We are so lethargic, we want to sleep. We are drowsy because we are not alert enough, and we move very slowly. When you are drowsy, you cannot remember what someone just said. After my lecture is over, you ask, “What did she just say?”
“But you sat there and listened, too!”
“I had no idea what I was thinking. Everything just passed me by.”
So, Drowsiness is when you cannot react to what is happening because your mind is cluttered with random thoughts and fantasies. When it comes to facing reality, you live life in a daze: that is Drowsiness. You cannot stay focused and your mind is dull.
The eighth of the Ten Fetters is Drowsiness. When one is drowsy, one is deeply lethargic and one’s consciousness is dulled. If one is ignorant and does not practice diligently, one falls into the sea of suffering.
Some people instantly understand the teachings, others need to hear them ten times. Those who are sharp and clever deduce ten things from one. Those who are dull-witted need to try ten times as hard to learn one thing. If they are patient, they may be willing to try three times as hard. If three is not enough, they try six times, then mine times. This is not so bad, they can still be diligent. But drowsy people lack patience and let things pass them by. “If I cannot learn it, then fine, I will learn something else. Drowsiness is the opposite of Restlessness. A restless mind keeps moving, but a drowsy mind is sluggish. Whatever is done is done. They no longer have the perseverance to learn, to listen, or to understand.
Why do ordinary people live like that? Because they are clueless and live life in a haze. They are unaware of their circumstances, so they continue to get worse. If we are unwilling to be diligent and work hard, then we sink into the “Sea of Suffering, where 10,000 waves swell.” So we learn the Buddha-Dharma to learn to transcend these challenges and escape from the Sea of Suffering. Though we see so much and have mixed feelings about people’s disagreements, if we calm and settle our minds, we will develop Samadhi wisdom. Then disagreements naturally become lessons. If our minds are at peace, we regard any disturbance as a spring breeze, and so we learn from confusion and disagreements. We become stronger. If we can do that, we will not keep sinking into the endless Sea of Suffering.
The Sutra also says, “When our minds are drowsy and deluded, we do not see the Dharma clearly.” If we are drowsy, how can the Dharma be clear? It is not possible. Our minds are bothered and we suffer from afflictions caused by drowsiness.
If these afflictions follow our daily lives, there is absolutely no way we can truly elevate our spirit. We cannot make progress in our careers, or in our missions, our studies, our cultivation, etc. Thus, we must all take good care of our minds. Whether it is the Eight Samadhi States or the Five Powers, we must make progress and maintain peaceful minds. Even if there are disagreements, we will regard them as spring breezes that nurture the growth of the Dharma in our minds. Then we are truly practicing. So everyone must be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
首頁 
