Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Sixteen Views Part 9 (十六知見九)
Of the Sixteen Views, the ninth is View of a Doer. A Doer can do good or evil. Many ordinary people have false thoughts, so they follow erroneous paths. In interpersonal relationships, if they feel bothered by something, they may feel enmity or hatred towards others and do things to harm others which end up harming themselves. In this case, the Doer faces the consequences. We all understand this simple principle. But sometimes we harm someone with whom we have absolutely no issue. Where does this come from? There must have been an “Instigator.”
The View of an Instigator is the tenth view. Sometimes we may hate someone, but will not do anything to harm them ourselves, so we get someone else to do it. If we do not like someone, we will not say it directly to them. We talk behind their back, and get others not to like them as well. We can see this all over society. People encourage others to do evil, whether it is robbing, killing, etc. They think, “If I get someone else to do it, then it does not matter.” Actually, if we get another to do it, we are still responsible. Legally, this is also true.
When illusory and discursive thoughts arise, they lead one to act badly, creating evil karma. This is the View of a Doer. When one loathes someone else, one may instigate others to hate that person or even harm them. This is the View of an Instigator. Whether the evil is done with the View of a Doer or with the View of an Instigator, one receives evil karmic retribution.
Once we are born, the Law of Karma is in effect. How can we escape the suffering of the world? We must certainly transcend these kinds of deluded calculations, worries over this and that, gain and loss. We must eliminate these thoughts. Only then will we cease to have conflicts or discriminate between what we like and dislike. Then we will no longer create these mindsets, and naturally, we will not do anything to harm others or ourselves.
If we do not do it ourselves, and get others to do it for us, this is a deluded calculation; it is wrong and creates karma. The Buddha came to our world and wanted to teach us to contemplate the truth. We must have the heart of a Bodhisattva, a heart that closely adheres to the Truth. This is the contemplation of Bodhisattvas.
Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas contemplate in this way. They give rise to sympathy, great loving-kindness and compassion, and save and relieve others from suffering. “Sutra of Infinite Meanings.”
We should all apply the principles of the Bodhisattvas in all our actions. If we have the heart of a Bodhisattva, then even within the Five Aggregates, we will still become one with the principles. No matter what forms we see, or what kind of person we encounter, our minds will retain the principles, and our senses will not be influenced by the negative environment outside. We can naturally very calm. This is the heart of a Bodhisattva. When we become one with the principles, we will not be driven by the Five Aggregates or the Sixteen Views.
To summarize, in studying Buddha’s Way there are many subtleties. In your daily lives, as long as your principles and your mind are as one, then all people, things and situations will also be as one. You will naturally be able to know when someone suffers a lot, and think, “I must find a way to help this person!” Bodhisattvas contemplate the suffering of all beings and vow to relieve it. Aren’t there many instances of this in our world? Especially in our organization, Tzu Chi, we often meet people who made mistakes in the past.
Our Da Ai TV aired a documentary profile. It’s should be in the Tzu Chi Archives. I was in Taichung in 2006, the day before the certification ceremony. The local community commissioner brought his community trainees to be certified the next day. Among them was Mr. Tsai, who appeared very dignified and gentle. But while he was there, he very sincerely confessed his past misdeeds. When he was a teenager, he started doing drugs, getting into fights, and causing trouble. Not only was he using drugs, he was selling them. After doing this for a while, he was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment.
When causes and conditions matured, he came across a book in prison, called “Liao-Fan’s Lessons.” After he read this book, he understood the gravity of cause and effect and began to self-reflect. He understood that in the past, not only did he make many mistakes, he also harmed many people. How many people lost their way and suffered because of his drug trafficking? He thoroughly wanted repent. Around the same time, someone gave him a Tzu Chi Monthly Journal. He saw many good people in the magazine, doing so many good deeds, not only in Taiwan, but all over the world. He thought to himself, “What have I done with my life?” He pondered this and watched others. He also read the Jing Si Aphorisms, which are very easy to understand and memorize. In our Tzu Chi Monthly, there are always a few Jing Si Aphorisms.
Someone later gave him a book of the Jing Si Aphorisms. He used these simple principles in his life, when dealing with people or things, so his behavior in prison was very good. His life sentence was reduced because of good behavior. It was changed to eight years. During those eight years, he remained diligent and earnest. He was even able to help others in prison.
Thanks to his practice, he got out of jail. After he got out, he wished to join Tzu Chi, but he still felt inferior, so he just hovered outside. Qiu-xia saw him and took the initiative to greet him. “Why don’t you come in?”
He remained outside and said, “Can I come in? I have done so many bad things, made so many mistake. I only just got out of prison.”
Our commissioner heard him talking about his mistakes, so she said, “That’s nothing! I used to manage a bar, and I had many girls working for me. I used to gamble and drink. I have also done all kinds of things. We are not that different, you were not worse than I was. Look, now I am a Tzu Chi commissioner. Tzu Chi is filled with blossoming lotus flowers. That’s how our Master says it. The field of blessings invites all good people, ten thousand lotus hearts make the Tzu Chi world. As longs as you really want to change, the lotus flower in your mind will appear.” This is how the commissioner brought him in.
Indeed, after he joined, he was very diligent, with good moral conduct. He was always willing to work, no matter what the task, whether it was recycling or implementing some program. He was always close with his colleagues and very mindful. We observed him over several years with Tzu Chi. He gave everything he could. And so he began his training, at the end of which he could be certified.
At this time, he came and told me many stories. He even brought other people with him. Since he had been down this path, many people who were lost asked him to talk about the course of his life. He was able to transform many who were lost and bring them back. One of them was Hung Sung-yung. This young man was in his thirties with a very good background. He was his mother’s only child, and she had very high expectations of him. But despite growing up in a good environment, when he was 17 and out partying with friends, he started taking drugs. His mother did not give up on him, even though he spent over NT$30,000,000 on drugs alone, not to mention other expenses. She was patient, and even helped him find a wife. Mr. Hung got married and had a child, but still could not give up the drugs. His mother tried everything, encouraging him with love. Sometimes he would also think, “I should change. I am married, with a child, I can’t be such a bad example.” But so many times he tried to change and failed.
Once he agreed to be locked in a room upstairs. They really locked him in, hoping that when the craving for drugs hit, he would not be able to get outside. Maybe then he could overcome the addiction. They locked all the doors, but when the cravings started, he overturned everything in the room and looked everywhere to find drugs. He even tried to break down the door. He became crazy and could not take it anymore. He jumped out of the window and broke his leg.
He was taken to the hospital, but even a couple of months after the operation, the wound had not healed properly. He stayed in the hospital for many months. His mother was very distraught and did not know what to do. She looked everywhere for help.
Our community commissioner saw the mother and her son in such a pitiful state. For over 10 years the son was terrifying whenever the cravings flared up. The commissioner was also worried about drugs in the community. This young man’s mother was truly in a pitiable state as were his wife and child as were his wife and child. So our commissioner started visiting. Mr. Hung, his mother and wife. At the same time, the commissioner discovered that Mr. Tsai had gone through a similar experience of taking and selling drugs, among other kinds of evil deeds.
Since he had already reformed and had vowed to help people with these problems, the commissioner introduced him to the case. Mr. Tsai would visit Mr. Hung every day to counsel him and talk to him. They would discuss their addictions, the unspeakable suffering, and their constant struggles. The two of them shared stories with one another, and the young man gradually broke his addiction. But his leg still had not healed, so, Tzu Chi volunteers visited him often.
One day, he asked his mother if she would go to the Taichung Branch of Tzu Chi “Please pray to the Bodhisattva. If I can be healthy again, I vow to be a Tzu Chi volunteer.” His mother was very happy. She went with our commissioner to Taichung to pray.
After a while sure enough, Mr. Hung left the hospital. He was well-behaved after that, and became an Environmental Protection Volunteer. Whether it was cleaning the community, cleaning toilets, or any other job, he was always willing to work. He even vowed to help with ceremonies for the dead wherever and whenever he was needed. A group of people from Tzu Chi cared for him, so he was very moved. He vowed to be an excellent Tzu Chi volunteer, and a good disciple.
Every time the Taichung Branch held a group study, his mother, wife and child all went with him to study and recite the Lotus Sutra. He is already a new man. From the start, his mother was happy and she trained to be a community and recycling volunteer. After she was a certified volunteer, she vowed to become a commissioner. She wanted to be a commissioner under Mr. Tsai, and in this way repay him for guiding her son back to the path. From this, her son also vowed to begin training.
At the same Mr. Hung’s own son also felt much better about his father. In the past when the cravings hit, his father would go crazy. The son would tell his grandmother, “Grandmother, tell the police to take Dad away.” That was before, now he says, “Grandmother, Bodhisattvas helped us bring back a better father.” Their lives were transformed, and this family was saved.
Bodhisattvas must have principles. People cannot avoid making mistakes. If they can connect the mistakes with principles and follow the path, their lives will naturally be transformed. Not only can we transform ourselves, we can also influence others to transform. There is merit in doing good, whether you do it yourself or get someone else to do it. We can do it ourselves, and we can also lead others to do it. If we abandon our principles and treat others poorly, if evil thoughts arise, whether we harm someone ourselves or get someone else to harm them, both the doer and the instigator will suffer the effects. Both create evil.
All of this is in the space of a thought, so everyone please be mindful. Our minds must become one with the principles, then we will not become lost or make mistakes. We should always mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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