Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Establishing the four Faith Part 5 (立四信業五)
Establishing the Fourfold Faith. Eliminate the Four Evil Destinies. Obtain the Fourfold Fearlessness.
We have talked about Faith in the Fundamentals. What exactly are the Fundamentals? Everyone has Buddha-nature. Buddha-nature is clear and pure, without defilements. If we can be pure, without defilement, then naturally nothing is evil. There is only goodness. The accumulation of goodness results in merits. To know this is to have Faith in the Buddha and Faith in the Fundamentals.
Next, we should have Faith in the Dharma, the Buddha’s teachings. We should believe in the Buddha’s teachings. For over two thousand years, generation after generation, human society has marched along. Technology has advanced. But morality in general has been declining. Therefore, we must carry out Buddha’s teachings, abide by them sincerely, and practice them every day. We practitioners should not just pursue new technologies. We should try to maintain our pure nature and draw close to the Buddha’s heart. We should also use His teachings in our daily life. We must uphold the teachings and remain steadfast for countless eons, no matter how long it takes. Our vows should be as vast as the endless universe. We should observe the precepts and practice accordingly.
Every monastic should observe and follow the precepts. Every place of cultivation has its own precepts that we should learn and abide by. If we do not uphold them, how can we accept the teachings? The Sangha have rules that are observed in the monastic community. So, everyone must uphold the precepts, rely on a teacher, and practice the teachings. If we can do this, it is called having Faith in the Sangha.
We always practice proper spiritual cultivation so that we can benefit ourselves and others. In doing so, joy arises in our hearts. Befriend the virtuous and the cultivated. Study, spread, and follow the teachings. That way, we can improve each day. Otherwise, despite technological progress, society will continue its moral decline. That would be very dangerous. Therefore, we must uphold our virtue. To do this, we need the Fourfold Faith, which is Faith in the Fundamentals, in Buddha, in Dharma, in Sangha.
Then, we can avoid the Four Evil Destinies. As we know, the Four Evil Destinies are part of the Six Destinies. The Six Destinies are also known as the Six Realms. We talk about eliminating the Four Evil Destinies. The Heaven and Human Realms are considered the good states of existence. There is both sorrow and joy in the Human Realm. To enter the Heaven Realm, one must fulfill the Ten Good Deeds. If one dose good often, gives a lot and is charitable, then one can be rewarded with life in heaven.
However, life in heaven is not eternal. There is still a limited lifespan there; even with the longevity and many enjoyments, there is an end. So when the blessings are used up, one falls into a lower realm of existence.
Look at the Human Realm. There is heaven in this world. There are many wealthy people. For the rich, it is difficult to learn the Way. They have little opportunity to learn to practice. When they get together, they focus on who spends more money or lives in a nicer home. They compete to show off their wealth. They indulge in leisure, not realizing the hardship of others. They just enjoy themselves, while exhausting their blessings. Some spend thousands of dollars on clothing. This competition for wealth and status results in the depletion of blessings.
The Buddha said that there are 20 challenges. For the rich, it is challenging to learn the Way. After cultivating blessings in their past life, they were born in heaven. Yet once their blessings are used up they fall to a lower realm of existence. So, heaven is not the ultimate destiny. What if they were born in the Human Realm? The Human Realm is also considered good, because sorrow and joy exist equally. The Human Realm is actually better than heaven because of the opportunity to practice. It has suffering, joy, evil and goodness. There are people suffering from poverty. There are also those who live better lives. There are those who do all kinds of evil, and those who are kind and cultivated. Good and evil, suffering and joy are intermixed. There are good people and evil people poor people and wealthy people.
But the Buddha believed that all people can be educated. Those in the Heaven Realm get lost and have difficulty awakening. In Hell, there’s no chance of practicing. In the Human Realm, there is good and evil. Good people can educate evil ones. There is suffering and joy. The rich can help the suffering. All can be educated. So the Buddha chose the Human Realm to transform and educate people. We can receive the teachings and vow to engage in spiritual practice in the Human Realm.
I often say, “Witness Suffering, recognize blessings,” but many do not know that they really are blessed, as if they were in heaven. They only know how to enjoy themselves and remain ignorant of their good fortune. Some continue to compete for wealth and status. It is very miserable. But in the Human Realm, are we really in such terrible conditions? Are we really suffering? Come, take a look at those who are really suffering. When witnessing real suffering in the Human Realm, we will reflect on ourselves. “Wow, I have more blessings than he does I should not complain.” With no complaints, we wish to help others. “Since I have blessings, I want to cherish them and create more.”
Everyone should remember that when the Buddha took Nanda to the Hell Realm, Nanda was scared. It was educational for him to see the extreme suffering. It scared him, and fortified his resolve to practice. Before, his heart still lingered on the pleasures of the palace and his beautiful wife. It was hard to break from the draw of luxury and his wife’s affections. He left home on a whim. After becoming a monk, he had second thoughts. So Buddha brought him to Hell to see for himself. He saw people in the Hell Realm, and there was a fire there. Over the fire was a big pot of oil. Nanda asked, “What is the hot oil for?”
A ghost said, “At the Buddha’s said, there is a man named Nanda. Although he is Buddha’s younger brother, he has not eliminated his desire for joy. Although he left home to become a monastic and be close to the Buddha, his heart is still not settled. Look at his thoughts. If he has strong desires, it is possible that he will return to enjoy life he did before. By not following the precepts, he will deplete his blessings and fall. This pot of oil is waiting for Nanda. If his thoughts go slightly astray, he may fall into this place.”
When Nanda heard this, he was extremely frightened. He went to the Buddha to repent. “Buddha, I dare not abandon the Dharma, even though my mind was wavering with thoughts and emotions. Even with the Buddha’s great virtues, I was still wavering, not making up my mind. Now that I have seen it, I have decided that I dare not depart from the path I will practice from now on.” He confessed his thoughts to the Buddha.
The Buddha said, “Yes. Don’t think that you can depend on your special connection with me. You and I are connected through karma, thus we were both born in the palace, with the same father and different mothers. Although we share that affinity, we each create our own karma. Don’t think that this blood relation will save you. Don’t think that because I became Buddha it will help you. That is impossible. It is like having a meal; only the one who eats can be full. The same goes for spiritual cultivation. So, Nanda, please vigilant at all
Times.”
Once Nanda had seen the terrible state of suffering there, he dared not make a mistake. Although he was in the Sangha, his habits still remained. There were the Six Undisciplined Bhiksus and many stories about them. Yet even though their habits were not eliminated they would not dare return to a life of worldly pleasures. One must constantly eliminate habits. Even when the Buddha was present, He could not help others to immediately sever their habits. One must practice and do so on one’s own.
After all, the Buddha appeared in the Human Realm because there is suffering and joy here. Although He is not here to take us to Hell and see for ourselves, Tzu Chi volunteers can witness Hell in the Human Realm. Whether it is the poor, sick, old or homeless, many are living as if in Hell, the Excrement Hell for example. There are many who are living in the Hell of Body Mutilation. How many people live in the burning fire of Hell? When one suffers from burns, the suffering is beyond description. The Human Realm is full of enough hellish suffering; how much worse must the Hell Realm be! So, witness suffering, recognize your blessings and create more blessings.
The Four Evil Destinies are the Asura Realm and Three Evil Realms. They exist everywhere in the Human Realm. Those who are easily irritated and are constantly fighting or quarreling, even those who kill others, are all Asuras. There are also Hungry Ghosts that we witness in the Human Realm. Many people are so sick that they cannot eat even when they are hungry. They are like Hungry Ghosts living in the Human Realm. How much worse must the Hungry Ghost Realm be?
Next is the Animal Realm. In the Animal Realm, there are also Asuras, Hungry Ghosts and Hell beings. We can see that all kinds of livings are suffering. There are many of them. Therefore, using the Human Realm as a comparison, we know that there is Hell. But Hell is actually suffering beyond words. When Asuras are in a state of extreme suffering, they are in Hell. Hungry Ghost in a state of extreme suffering, are also in Hell. When Animals are in a state of extreme suffering, they are in Hell, too. Hell is the most miserable place. That is why it is called Hell.
Therefore, Hell, Animals, Hungry Ghost, and Astra are called the Four Destinies. They all stem from ignorance and greed, creating all kinds of negative karma. The Karma will not leave us. Good deeds create blessed karma. Evil deeds create evil karma. The blessed karma will not dissolve the evil karma. When blessings are exhausted in Heaven, one will still fall down, possibly into Hell. To sum it up, karma is like a shadow. Just like the shadow cast my five fingers under the light, karma is always there.
In summary, we have to know that in the Four Evil Destinies the suffering is beyond words. We have to stay away from them and leave strive to establish the Fourfold Faith. All we need is faith, the Right Faith. We must believe everyone has a pure innate nature, we must believe in the Buddha’s virtues and merits and we must believe that the Buddha-Dharma can benefit oneself and others. We must have faith in the virtues of the Sangha. All in all, we have to establish the Four Faith so that we can avoid the Four Evil Destinies.
Acts of kindness bring blessing and virtues. Evil acts bring trouble and calamities. Make good use of this precious human body to practice vigilantly. Thus, you establish the Fourfold Faith and avoid the Four Evil Destinies.
Everyone, in our daily activities we have to take good care of our minds and hearts. Even the Buddha’s half-brother could not escape karmic retribution. One has to practice to attain realization. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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