Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Enlighten Yourself, Enlighten Others (自覺覺人)
Time flies. Impermanence eats up our time; human life is short. This is the law of nature. So we should seize our opportunity in this life to develop our spiritual practice. This is very important.
Wisdom-life sometimes comes and goes in a flash. Shouldn’t we seize it? The phrase “Wisdom-life comes and goes in a flash” means that having the good karmic causes and conditions to encounter Right Dharma and true teachings is truly a rare opportunity. Even if we have the opportunity to practice Dharma, if we do not seize it firmly, the opportunity will be lost. It is rare to obtain the human form and to hear the Buddha-Dharma. It is even more rare to walk the Bodhisattva-path. To enhance our Wisdom-life, we must obtain a human body so that we can learn the Dharma and take the proper path. We should make good use of this opportunity so that we can develop our Wisdom-life. Otherwise, the opportunity will soon pass us by.
So, we must always be mindful. I have said before that we should continuously give rise to a sense of shame and repentance. Heartfelt repentance can cleanse away the ignorance in our minds. With our ignorance removed, the light of wisdom will appear; our pure intrinsic nature will show forth. When our pure nature manifests, we see people and things more clearly. If we erected the banner of arrogance in our hearts in the past, when our wisdom is awakened, we can correct our past mistakes. So when the banner of arrogance rises again in the future, we can promptly tear it down. Then we will no longer be arrogant. When desire arises within us, we get attached to worldly things. So, we should eliminate desire immediately. When we are not satisfied with people and things, the fire of anger rages within us. We must put it out immediately. This is wisdom.
“Life after life, break the banner of arrogance,” and “exhaust the water of desire.”
Then we can put out the fire of anger at once. As we continue on with the text today, it reads, “Dispel the darkness of ignorance and pull out the root of doubt.”
Dispel the darkness of ignorance, pull out the root of doubt. Cut through the net of wrong views, and profoundly understand that the Three Realms are like prisons.
Everybody is deluded. Ignorance constantly arises in us. I often say that greed, anger and ignorance have obscured the brightness of our minds. We are in the dark because of ignorance. Ignorance is something very dark that obscures the radiance of our wisdom. When we dispel the darkness of ignorance, it is like removing a black cloth that has covered a lamp. As soon as we remove the black cloth, the light of the lamp illuminates the room. When we turn on a light, the darkness is dispelled. A room that has been dark for a thousand years only needs a lamp or candle to dispel its age-old darkness and make it bright.
So no matter how long our past lives have been, even though we have dwelt in the darkness of ignorance since Beginningless Time, as long as our wisdom is inspired, the darkness will be dispelled. So, “dispel the darkness of ignorance” and “pull out the root of doubt.”
Don’t we often say that greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt keep the light of our minds from shining through? If the root of our doubt goes deep, when we look at people, we have doubts about them. When we look at things, we have doubts about them. When we look at principles or listen to Dharma, we have doubts about them all. When we have doubt, it is difficult to comprehend the truth. Time passes quickly. If we have doubts about the Dharma, we cannot understand the principles right away. Our minds cannot resonate with the principles because we have doubts. So the root of doubts should be removed. We should uproot doubt from our minds and help others to do the same.
So, when we suffer from doubt and hesitation, we should let other people know immediately. When we look at things, we should immediately apply our better judgment to distinguish right from wrong. If it is right, we should do it at once. If it is wrong, we should tell people it is wrong. Now that our wisdom has been unlocked, we should understand the truth. If we can dispel darkness and uproot doubt, we can “cut through the net of wrong views.”
In the past we talked a lot about views. Views have truly caused us many afflictions. View of Self, Others, Deviant Precepts, and other wrong views are like nets that trap us in our daily life. Look how carefree fish are swimming in the water. Once they are caught in a net, it is very difficult for them to break loose. Only when the net is cut can they escape. So we should “cut through the net of wrong views.” “Cut” means to split open.
In the Agama Sutra, there is a story about a big fish in the ocean, a king of fish that led a whole school of fish around the wide ocean. One day, a fisherman saw the school of fish and caught the entire school in his net. The king of fish and his followers knew that they were trapped as soon as the net was cast. Furthermore, as soon as he caught the fish, the fisherman quickly pulled in the net, which became tighter and tighter as the fish struggled to get free.
Just then, the fish-king had an idea. Before the net was completely pulled in, he anchored his head on the ocean floor and used his fins to pierce the net. With a great effort he thrashed about with his two sharp fins and tail, and little by little the fish-king cut apart the net until it broke open. Though the net was pulled tight, it was broken, and the fish all swam loose. The fish king had sacrificed his own life by holding onto the ocean floor, but he was able to save all the other fish. This is one of the sections in the Sutra.
Indeed, spiritual cultivation is difficult. We devote whole lifetimes to the spiritual path. We not only have to comprehend the principles, we have to work among people. We have to comprehend the truth ourselves and help other people understand as well. We have to enlighten ourselves before we can help others become enlightened. We have to seek Buddha’s way and help others. It takes a lot of time to do that.
But with the time we have, by making a real effort we can help others a great deal. We have to dedicate our lives in order to provide others with a good example. We teach with our actions as well as our words. We must put the teachings into practice. We should share our knowledge, views, understanding and actions with people. We should do it without hesitation, just like the fish-king who would break the net at all costs. In the same way, we should fully recognize evil knowledge, evil views and interpersonal conflicts. Of course it takes a lot of time to enlighten ourselves and others.
“Cutting through the net of wrong views” and “uprooting doubt” is not easy. Because it is not easy, it requires spiritual practice. It is difficult, but through it we can dispel the darkness of ignorance. So if we are not mindful about eliminating the five illnesses in our minds, one by one, we cannot profoundly understand that “the Three Realms are just like prisons” is still an ordinary person, living in the Realm of Desire. Desires are truly tempting. They are like traps everywhere. When we walk carelessly, we will very likely fall into a trap. Even walking on level ground, we may sometimes fall. In the instant we fall down, we may hurt our feet, hands, head, etc. We may fall walking even on level ground, let alone the rough and bumpy road of life. We really should be mindful every day. We should know that in the Realm of Desire, everything deludes us and tempts us. This is the Realm of Desire.
These desires are so great that not only are we unable to break free of our desirous thoughts, we are constantly faced with external temptations. Then there are the Form and Formless Realms. In the Realm of Form, thought there are not as many temptations, there is still consciousness. Desires are fewer in the Realm of Form, but with consciousness and thoughts there are still many afflictions. If we can reach the Formless Realm, thought there are no material things, one single ignorant thought can cause affliction just as well. The slightest imperfect thought can give rise to afflictions all the same.
In the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, we talk about how “an ignorant thought causes the Three Subtleties.” It all starts with ignorance. Ignorance gives rise to action. Where does this thought of ignorance come from? Everyone has a pure intrinsic nature, but with one single thought of ignorance, extremely subtle impulses begin to arise and set our consciousness in motion, causing the Aggregate of Action to arise. The causes of cyclic existence are continuously produced. The Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence drive the cycle of birth, old age, sickness and death. The accumulated ignorance in the Desire Realm causes us to create karma that leads us to the Three Realms: the Formless Realms, Form Realm, down to the Desire Realm. And it continues on.
So when we engage in spiritual practice, we are practicing to recover our original nature. So we must understand the Four Noble Truths. Now that we have come into this life, we should understand the truths of suffering. We should fully comprehend the Four Noble Truths and the Fourfold Mindfulness.
The Fourfold Mindfulness:
Contemplate the body as impure.
Contemplate al sensations as suffering.
Contemplate the mind as impermanent.
Contemplate all things as having no self.
Our minds are always changing. Our physical bodies are impure. We previously discussed arising, abiding, changing and cessation. Our minds are still in the midst of these four states of existence. We must always contemplate the Four Noble Truths and the Fourfold Mindfulness. There is so much suffering in life. What gives rise to suffering? Because we have a physical body, many desires arise. What should the body be seeking? What is purity? What is permanence? It all begins with the mind. This is why our body suffers.
So, everyone, we are in the Three Realms. But once we reach the Formless Realm, it does not mean we are liberated. We still are not liberated. One ignorant thought can still harm us, because in that Realm, as we know from the 108 kinds of afflictions, which we have already analyzed, there are still many things to tempt us. So if one single thought of ignorance stirs the impulse to act is triggered and Consciousness begins to create karma.
Everyone, we have to profoundly comprehend the Three Realms, the Desire Realm, Form Realm and Formless Realm. To engage in spiritual practice, we must be in the Desire Realm. If you can break from all desires, you can attain Buddhahood in the human world. So, we should make good use of this human body to earnestly practice Dharma. Having attained this precious human body and having heard the Buddha-Dharma, we should practice mindfully. Buddha taught us to follow the Bodhisattva-path. So, each day we must practice diligently on the Bodhisattvas-path. Otherwise, living in the Three Realms, there is not even one comfortable spot. Once you are in this prison it is difficult to get out. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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