Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Four Methods of Contemplation Part10 (四種觀行十)
Every day at this time, our minds should be very serene. Have you all reached the state where “the mind is pure and tranquil, with vows as vast as the universe, unwavering for countless eons”? Have our minds already reached this state?
If our minds can remain tranquil and pure, they will not waver, and our vows will be as vast as the universe. The dilemmas and afflictions in the world will not affect us. When our vows are as vast as the universe, we do not waver and our hearts remain broad and open for a long time. We engage in spiritual practice to find this state. If we can do this, naturally our minds will be sharp and we will see everything in the world as Dharma. From the sound of chirping birds to passing cars or rumbling machines, if we can listen to them with a pure and tranquil mind, they all sound like Dharma to us.
We can think about all the creatures in the world. Take a bird, for example. How does a bird experience nature? We may consider the tiniest living creatures. Do birds speak their own language? Are their chirps a conversation with one another? Probably. Let us think about this. The voices of all sentient beings are a vehicle through which the Dharma is spoken. Birds also speak to each other. Everything is Dharma. So the teachings of Infinite Dharma are not about sitting here and listening to me talk. That is not the only way to learn.
Dharma may take form or not, have sound or not. As long as we think carefully with a tranquil mind, we can hear and see Dharma in everything. Look at Pratyekabuddhas who were born before the birth of the Buddha. By observing the changes in the four seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter, and the changes in their living environment, they attained great realizations. What did they realize? The impermanence of the world, the constant change. That is the state that they realized. So whether there is form or not, sound or not, it is all Dharma.
When the mind remains tranquil and still, uninfluenced by challenges and afflictions, then one can perceive everything in the world. Whether it has form or no form, whether it has sound or no sound, it is all Dharma.
In our hearts we must know that the things we face every day are all Dharma, especially when we are speaking with others. People have different backgrounds, so when we listen to others’ stories, isn’t it as if Dharma is appearing before us? Rich or poor, they each have their own touching story to share. This infinite Dharma readily appears before us.
Have we therefore gained great wisdom and realized all Dharma? That depends on our capabilities. In Dharma as Water, in the previous passages from the Water Repentance, we have specifically mentioned four kinds of contemplation.
First, contemplate causes and conditions.
Second, contemplate effects and retributions.
Third, contemplate one’s body.
The truth of causes and conditions is very deep. With no cause, there is no effect. Without conditions, there are no retributions. This is what we have been analyzing, so everyone knows that things happen when factors come together. It is like our bodies, which are temporary unions of the Four Elements, earth, water, fire and wind. We cannot live without water.
I often worry about the day we run out of water. Global warming results in climate changes, rising sea levels, and receding underground water. So we may lose our sources of water one day. There are many places suffering from drought. There is no rain, and no water underground, making life very difficult. Water is indispensable to life. Drinking a glass of water, eating porridge; or stir frying vegetables, can we do those things without water? No.
The body is a temporary union of earth, water, fire and wind. We all know this. Knowing is one thing, but have we really thought about it in depth? What happens if there is a drought? We should have this awareness and know that we need to take responsibility for our daily actions, for our part in nature’s cycle. If humans keep wasting resources, then of course the natural cycle will become abnormal. When that happens, there will either be heavy, unceasing rain, or absolute drought. When the element of water is unbalanced, there are disasters.
See, humans must really reflect on themselves. We may think this is a natural disaster, that there is nothing we can do, but there is in our daily living, we can try to save a little bit of water while doing laundry, or figure out a way to reuse water after washing vegetables, etc. If everyone thoroughly understands this truth, that the Four Elements are indispensable; then we can prevent droughts and water shortages. If we each make little effort, the Four Elements will be balanced and the life cycle will be in harmony.
The problem originates in the human mind. We may think wasting a little does not matter. “Those [disasters] have nothing to do with me, I can do whatever I like.” If we think this way, we will cause our own destruction. This is ignorance, the loss of True Causes of Awakening, that I mention every day.
We all have inherent awareness and a pure and radiant nature. But we lost it. We lost our innate awareness and luminosity. We became ignorant and dark, so we see no one but ourselves. When we simply do whatever we desire, we easily create karma. Thus we must develop a mind of supreme, wondrous goodness.
Third, contemplate one’s body. Though we have a nature with the True Causes of Awakening, it is covered by the dark forest of afflictions. If causes cannot be eliminated, then our true nature will not manifest. I should now vow to be victorious, to shatter ignorance, remove obstacles, and eliminate the illusory cause of birth and death. Thus, the great clear wisdom of awakening can manifest and I can attain the fruit of Nirvana.
We have discussed the law of karmic cause and effect. We need to practice the Six Perfections, the Four Immeasurables and the Ten Paramitas, as well as the 37 Practices of Enlightenment. They all lead to a mind of wondrous goodness . They help us understand true principles, and help us manage our ignorance and afflictions. It is all analyzed for us step by step, but how much can we understand?
Have we really understood these teachings? Ignorance prevent us from crossing the threshold and from using these teachings. That is ignorance. What do we do about ignorance? We need to have great repentance. If we do not repent often, we cannot ”shatter ignorance.” If we do not shatter it, our minds will always be confused and obstructed. So I hope we all remember to keep our minds pure and tranquil so that we can discover our inherent spiritual awareness and prevent our radiant wisdom from being obscured. We must always earnestly apply the Dharma in our daily living. We cannot avoid making mistakes, if we do, we must immediately repent.
Only then can we “eliminate the illusory causes of birth and death.” We suffer tremendously in the Six Realms. Life and death are both illusions. Which life is the real one? They all involve birth, aging, illness and death. Was our previous life real? Either way, it is already in the past so what is left behind? The affinities we created and the seeds we planted. In this lifetime, we reap what we sowed in the past. And the affinities we create in this lifetime, whether familial or romantic, will truly entangle us. Birth, aging, death is the natural cycle. But even young people become ill, and if something happens to the people we love, we worry and suffer tremendously. We cannot keep them here. After they leave, those who are still living cannot let go. That is painful.
If we created bad affinities, then being together is torturous. Love, hatred, affection and enmity pull at us and wear us down. Look at what we are left with. Out of love, hatred, affection and enmity, which emotion is real? It does not matter, because in the end nothing exists except for suffering. So that is the illusion of life and death. Only the deeds of suffering remain, nothing else.
What about this lifetime? Do we understand all of this? Understanding is difficult to attain. We have not yet experienced of all the pain caused by our past, so we continue to create more causes for pain. We exhaust past affinities, and we sow seeds in the present. Can we really be free in the future? No, we cannot. So life and death are just illusions. Suffering is all that is left. This is beyond our control.
Where do we go after we leave this physical body? We do not really know. We plant these seeds now, but what fruit will we reap in the future? We must seize this moment. The past is already past, but we must carefully plant seeds for the future. Do not get entangled by the love, hatred, affections and enmity of past relationships and continue to create more bad seeds. We must be very careful about this. We must “manifest the great clear wisdom of awakening, which is our True Causes of Awakening. It is our inherent nature.
We already have this intrinsic nature, but due to the illusion of life and death, the seeds of suffering cause us to be entangled by ignorance. Otherwise, we are actually equal to the Buddha. So if we can eliminate ignorance, we can thoroughly understand the law of karmic retribution. As I have mentioned, we must understand this before we can eliminate the causes of suffering and manifest our great clear wisdom of awakening.
We must always eliminate afflictions and ignorance through repentance, so that the wisdom of awakening manifest and we “can attain the supreme fruit of Niavana.”
Everyone’s innate spiritual awareness is obscured by ignorance. Only by applying the Dharma can afflictions and ignorance be eliminated. Thus, the great clear wisdom of awakening can manifest and we can attain the supreme fruit of Nirvana.
These things are intrinsic to all of us, but we have always been so ignorant. Every obstacle comes from ourselves. They arise from the seeds of suffering in the illusion of life and death, which comes from our ignorance. This is a deluded mindset. Because we are ignorant, we treat delusions as the truth. Our grievances grow, and our ignorance grows even more. This makes us very worried, so we cannot truly comprehend the Truth. That is called delusion. If it is not eliminated, we can never attain enlightenment.
After we enter this Dharma-door, can we still be careless? Everyone, please always be mindful. Contemplate the body, causes and conditions, and the law of cause and effect. So please be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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