Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Five Spiritual Roots (五根)
I often say, “just be simple.” This means we should return to our pure nature. If all of us could maintain a heart that is pure and tranquil like the Buddha’s, there would be no need for the teachings. But because of ignorance, many afflictions arise. Since there are so many afflictions, the Buddha had to expound many teachings. We must believe that an ignorant thought can bring many afflictions. If we realize this, then it will be easy to reflect on the past and eliminate that ignorance. Then we may return to our pure intrinsic nature.
This pure nature is the “source of all merits.” In order for us to realize the same pure nature as the Buddha, we must have the Root and Power of Faith to reflect and learn from the past. When we find the path, we must faithfully follow it and act diligently. Let wisdom be deep-rooted on the Bodhisattva-path. With faith, we can differentiate right from wrong and eliminate delusions. This will allow us to nurture our inner wisdom. We must put in effort to let the Root of Wisdom grow and expand. The root must penetrate deeply. “Remain steadfastly diligent in one’s resolution. Inwardly cultivate Samadhi and wisdom, outwardly put them into practice.” We must remain unwavering, focused and be firm in our determination and will, then move forward without stopping. If we do this, we perfect our Samadhi and wisdom. When we can do that, we are practicing both inwardly and outwardly.
Inwardly, we can practice to take good care of our minds and to have a clear view of right and wrong. Having a clear understanding of the Buddha-Dharma will lead us to the correct path. When we practice, we should inwardly cultivate sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. Outwardly we should manifest kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. With the Roots of Faith and Wisdom, with our will and Samadhi, etc., we can internally strengthen our minds and externally remain steadfast in our practice. So we must be mindful every day.
The Root and Power of Faith engender the source of all merits. The Root of Wisdom is deeply planted on the Bodhisattva-path. Be steadfast and diligent in your vow. Inwardly cultivate Samadhi and wisdom; outwardly put them into practice.
We are talking about the Spiritual Roots. We must pay attention to what they are. The first of the Five Spiritual Roots is the Root of Faith. First, we must choose Right Faith. Once we do that, our faith is established. Then we can move forward with confidence.
“Have faith I the Right Path and the Practices to Enlightenment, then the flawless Dharma of liberation will arise.”
This is called the Root of Faith. We should all remember that “Leak” means affliction. The right teachings and our pure intrinsic nature will be lost because of Leaks. Then ignorance and delusions will arise. Once purity “leaks” away, contamination will set in. We have the opportunity to mend the Leak now. Without afflictions or Leaks, we are flawless. The flawless Dharma, the teachings that are completely pure, will arise. Only with the flawless Dharma can we attain liberation. This is what the Root of Faith can do.
As I mentioned, the Root must have power so that we can truly develop wisdom. If we do not separate ourselves from afflictions, we cannot attain wisdom. The same is true if our faith goes astray.
For example, in the time of the Buddha, there were many heretics in India. Their faiths were misguided, so their practices went astray. Some of them practiced an ascetic lifestyle by lying naked on top of thorns. They said that the practice was to endure pain. Is this true practice? We turn to religion to be liberated from suffering. So we must find the root cause of suffering. The Thirty-seven practices to Enlightenment being with The Fourfold Mindfulness.
The Fourfold Mindfulness is to “Contemplate the body as impure, feelings as suffering mind as impermanent; thing s as having no self.” The 37 Practices to Enlightenment will help us in our spiritual practice. They will guide us to understand how to avoid suffering. We must first understand the origin of suffering.
Everyone suffers because of the physical body. In the winter, if a door is left open, or if a window is not closed tightly, the wind cuts us to the bone, and we feel very cold. In order to keep warm, we need to put on layers of clothing. When we are hot, we turn on air conditioning to cool ourselves down. It is very easy and convenient but we know; it consumes electricity and release pollutants, such as carbon dioxide. So, we must refrain from using the air conditioner. If we do not turn on the air conditioner, won’t it be hot? Yes, it can get very hot. What should we do then? We need to think of other ways to be comfortable. We need to build houses with enough ventilation to allow air to naturally circulate. That way, even if we do not have air conditioning, it will not get too stuffy and uncomfortable.
We need to return to the natural ways of the past. This also shows that the Dharma and our daily lives are always integrated. Our study of Buddhism is inseparable from our daily living. In order to be relieved of suffering, the Buddha taught that the most basic principle is the practice of self-restraint. Nowadays we often say, “Instill self-discipline; restore common courtesy.” This is the same idea the Buddha taught. What we need to learn is how to persist through hardships and grievances, and how to diligently make progress.
Spiritual practice by itself is already hard work. In order to balance that with daily life, we must be able to endure hardships and grievances. How can we open our minds to prevent our practice from being affected by interpersonal conflicts? How can we prevent these afflictions from obscuring our wisdom? It is most important to apply our spiritual practice to our daily living. When challenging conditions arise, we must think about how to remove them. We must not be affected by such afflictions. To be free from afflictions is what we aim for in our spiritual practice. This is the path to liberation.
The Buddha guided us so that we can understand the Dharma. Afflictions have origins and so does the Dharma. If we can find the sources of the afflictions, then we can find the way to return to the source of clarity and purity. This requires us to have faith. If we understand the Root of Faith and the Practices to Enlightenment, then we will be able to remove afflictions. With the flawless Dharma in our minds, we can realize true liberation. So the Root of Faith is important, and is the first of the Five Roots.
Second is the Root of Diligence. “Study the Fourfold Mindfulness and the Practices of Enlightenment. Practice constantly with diligence.” Since we believe that this is the right path, we must not become lax in our efforts. The path has already been clearly shown to us. It is a broad and smooth path, and it is the right path. If we believe in it, then we must not hesitate. We must immediately follow it diligently. Thus it is called the Root of Diligence.
The 37 Practices to Enlightenment begin with the Fourfold Mindfulness. We already have the right view of contemplating the body as impure. We have already learned this and other practices, the Fourfold Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts, and the Four Bases of Spiritual Power. These are all good teachings.
“We need be doubly diligent.” We already know about the above twelve practices. Three sets of four is twelve. These twelve practices can help us. Since we truly believe in them, we should be doubly diligent, and apply them in order to progress. Haven’t we learned many teachings in the past? In the 37 Practices to Enlightenment, we started with the Fourfold Mindfulness, Four Right Efforts, They can help us focus our minds, and deepen our faith. In order to make progress in our practice, we need to “practice constantly with diligence.” We must be diligent. This is called the Root of Diligence.
Next is the “Root of Thought.” Having the Root of Thought is to “Always remember the right path and all practices. Remain focused completely, so no evil or delusive thoughts can enter.”
Once we have Right Faith and Right Effort, we must take good care of our minds. There are many external desires that will continue to tempt us． For example, where someone treats us nicely, we are easily influenced by them. Is that the right thing to do? It was not easy to choose this right path.
If we waver in our beliefs, we will easily go astray. So we must take good care of our minds. “Remain focused completely.” Focused on what? On the Practices to Enlightenment. These will help us to stay on the right path. We must take good care of our minds so that “no evil or delusive thoughts can arise.” We must not let evil thoughts or delusions arise. Any evil thoughts that arise, even slight ones, may lead us far off of the path.
Fourth is the Root of Samadhi. It means to be “focused on the Right Path and the practices. Be firm and tranquil. Stay focused.” In the same way, we must stay focused. If we want to be in a state of Samadhi, our minds must be focused. “Be firm and tranquil in mind.” Only when our minds are tranquil and pure can we fulfill our all-encompassing vows. That is why spiritual practice requires us to “be firm and tranquil in the mind.” If the mind is tranquil, then it will be able to settle down so it can focus.
A tranquil mind must have focused thoughts. In order to continue with the other practices beyond the Four Spiritual Powers, the Four Right Efforts, the Four Mindfulness, keep in mind that it is most important to have Samadhi. So we must focus. This practice is the most important. We must focus and let our thoughts wander. We must focus our minds; it is the Root of Samadhi.
Firth id the Root of Wisdom: “The Wisdom of the Fourth Mindedness is guided by the Dharma of Samadhi, it is the nature that shines within, it cannot be gained from outside.”
Actually, starting with the Fourfold Mindfulness, all these practices help us foster wisdom. Everyone has the same wisdom as the Buddha. Why then are people so deluded that they are easily drawn to ignorant thoughts and cannot resist temptation? We all have the same wisdom as the Buddha, except for one ignorant thought. This is why we need to recognize the importance of maintaining the Fourfold Mindfulness, which is the beginning of the 37 Practices to Enlightenment.
The Fourfold Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts, the Four Bases of Spiritual Power, the Five Roots and Five Powers are all guided by the Root of Wisdom. Not only are the Five Roots and Five Powers guided by the Root of Wisdom, the Eightfold Noble Path and the Seven Branches of Enlightenment also require wisdom. The Root of Wisdom we are discussing here is the Fourfold Mindfulness guided by the Dharma of the 37 Practices. Wisdom is essential in all of the practices. If we have the Root of Wisdom, then all ignorance will be eliminated. As I have told you before, wisdom can illuminate everything. At daybreak, when the sun rises, we can see clearly each blade of grass. We can see whether something is black or white.
Similarly, wisdom can shine on everything. So, wisdom is “guided by the Dharma of Samadhi.” All the Dharma is guided by Samadhi. Wisdom must be combined with Samadhi. “It is the nature that shines within. It cannot be gained from outside.” We cannot obtain it from other people. We should all be aware that everyone has the same wisdom as the Buddha, the same pure and tranquil nature. We should remember that the Five Roots and Five Powers allow us of remain firm.
As I said at the beginning, the Root and Power of Faith engender all merits. Wisdom is deeply planted on the Bodhisattva-path. Remain steadfast in one’s resolution and constantly be diligent. Inwardly cultivate Samadhi and Wisdom, outwardly put them into practice.”
Cultivate sincerity, integrity, faith, dedication. Practice kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. It is that simple. We must always be mindful and pay attention to our thoughts so that we may continue to progress until we achieve wisdom and Samadhi. If the five Roots are complete and healthy, we will have the power to do good. So we must take good care of our minds. Please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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