Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Put Knowledge into Practice (知行平齊)
Afflictive views and perceptions seem easy to understand, but true realization is difficult. Put knowledge into practice as if cherishing life. Then you can persevere with the Seven Factors of Enlightenment and the Eightfold Noble Path.
In my morning lectures, I cannot talk about the Path without mentioning the mind. The Path arises from the mind. How do we practice this Path? The Path is the Truth. How do I describe Truth? I must begin with the mind.
Every day we keep listening, hearing many things. But how much do we truly comprehend? Sometimes our opinions and our assumptions prevent us from realizing things. And we are too busy, occupied by past, present and future delusions. Can we understand each of these afflictive views and perceptions? Some smart people say, “I understand them. I know the terms, too. I also know how people bring afflictions on themselves when they face external conditions. I’ve heard all these terms, so I understand.”
After they understand, can they explain it? They can. Among all the scriptures in the Tripitaka, which one do you want them to cite? They can use it to analyze each affliction. That is not difficult for people with modern education and knowledge. They seem to understand everything, so this comes easily to them.
Since they know so much, have they eliminated afflictive views and perceptions? They seem to have eliminated them through their understanding. If they understand them, how can they not? Sadly, their understanding is only an appearance. They seem to understand because they can talk about it. But that is the easy part. “Understand is easy, but practice is hard.” It is easier to point at a Sutra and say, “Study it and you will understand.” But truly eliminating those afflictions is much more difficult.
Thus, “true realization is difficult.” True realization is not that easy. Speaking of afflictive views and perceptions, it is easy to know about them, but to truly comprehend them is not that easy. True realization depends on our practice. We know so many things, but do we truly comprehend all of them? We know we should not be petty and should be more open-minded and forgiving. That is easy to explain. But when we face other people and their reasoning, being open-minded and forgiving is difficult.
So “understanding is easy, but practice is hard.” To truly display our knowledge and act on it is really not that easy. Eliminating afflictions takes true realization. Eliminating interpersonal disputes is only possible with true realization. So it all comes down to the mind. We need to “put knowledge into practice as if cherishing life.” Put your knowledge into practice. We already know about afflictions. We must also eliminate them. That is practice. We must practice each thing we learn. Otherwise, if we discuss many things without actual practice, we will be far off the path. So, practice what we know as if cherishing life.
Cherishing life is about transmission. What do we need to transmit and pass down? Wisdom-life. Where is this Wisdom-life? Whose Wisdom-life is it? The Buddha’s Wisdom-life. We have this inherent virtue, so this is how we must care for it. This is our mission. This is something inherent to all of us. The Buddha inspired us, so we know that this is something we all have.
So we must care for this life, for our innate Buddha-nature. Knowledge and practice must progress equally. They need to work together, like the legs of a person. One of the ten titles of the Buddha is the Most Honored Among Two-Footed Beings. His perfect blessings and wisdom are like two feet. Knowledge is wisdom, practice is cultivation of blessings. So, blessings and wisdom must advance in parallel.
How do we understand blessings? Through the Four Methods of Contemplation. Then we can see that everything happens because of the karmic law of cause and effect, and we will have a better understanding.
Four Methods of Contemplation:
1. Contemplate causes and conditions.
2. Contemplate effects and retributions.
3. Contemplate one’s own body.
4. Contemplate the Tathagata-body.
Reflect long and hard on the body with the Fourfold Mindfulness, Four Right Efforts, Four Bases of Spiritual Power, Five Roots, Five Powers, Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Eightfold Right Path. We must always keep them in our minds. This is simple. Now that we know them, we must practice them. Actually, we need to contemplate our body with the Fourfold Mindfulness, so we can constantly practice in our daily living.
Since we are practitioners, we exemplify the Four Right Efforts in our actions. The Four Bases of Spiritual Power nurture the mind. Then what can possibly make us feel disappointed or unfulfilled? When our sense organs encounter sense objects, why can’t we use the Five Roots and Five Powers? We possess these virtues by nature, so we should really understand them. But we continually create obstacles for ourselves.
Next the text says, “We have obstacles to Emptiness, Impartiality and the Middle Way.” We have created obstacles for ourselves. Emptiness is the view that all is immaterial. Impartiality is the view that all is illusory. The Middle Way is the middle view. These Three Meditations are contemplations on our perspectives and understanding. We often say that everything is empty. What in this world is real? In the end, there is nothing left. We are attached to existence. Existence is illusory, but we keep clinging to it. We are attached to illusory form, so people always become entangled with others. That leads to afflictions. Know that no matter how attached we are, in the end there is just emptiness.
I saw this story about an Italian archeologist who excavated around Mantua to study its history and found two complete sets of 6000-year-old skeletons, a man and a woman, still in full embrace. Based on his estimation, this pair was fairly young, barely in their 20s. How could he tell from their bones? Because their teeth were intact, they must have been young. They were probably in their 20s. In their time, burying people together was rare. They were intertwined and face each other, which has never been seen before. It must have been the tangled affections of youth.
How did they come to be buried together? Why were they preserved so perfectly? This happened so long ago. Though they loved each other so much back then, where are they now? They are simply a pile of bones. Let us think about what is real. When this happened over 6000 years ago, this man and woman must have been physically attracted to each other. They elicited in each other a craving that could not be fathomed, a love that pulled at them. Would you say they were empty? Clearly they existed, from over 6000 years ago until now.
But if they were real, where are they now? Over the last 6000 years, they must have reincarnated many times. Are they still together in this world? Their bones are locked in a tight embrace, but are they still a loving couple today? Are they still together? Perhaps love turned into hate. People are entangled in love and hate and constantly fighting. Perhaps they are enemies now. Maybe they experienced many moving, harsh or dreary moments in the world since then.
So, real or illusory, illusory or real, what is there to cling to? Everything is empty and illusory, so why don’t we take the Middle View? We know there is truth to emptiness, but we have to realize the meaning of True Emptiness. Emptiness does not mean there is no good or bad retribution for our good or bad deeds. Denying the law of cause and effect leads to tragedy.
With that denial, evil thoughts will always arise and we will drift farther from good Dharma. So, we cannot deny the law of cause and effect. If we believe nothing exists, life will be very dreadful. As for emptiness, we need to understand it, but we also need to understand the Wondrous Existence in True Emptiness. If everything was ultimately empty, there would be no feelings. “Everything exists because of cause and effect. After people sow a seed, they receive the appropriate retribution. Why save them? Why help them?” This view is incorrect. Yes, there is emptiness, but there is Wondrous Existence in that emptiness. Everyone faces retribution, but we have to know the cause of it. That cause resulted in this retribution. We must willingly endure this
So, let us take good care of our minds and remain calm and peaceful. True beliefs lead us to do some truly good deeds to benefit others. This is Wondrous Existence in True Emptiness. We must recognize cause and effect, and we must understand karmic retribution.
We must clearly understand the views that things are empty and illusory. That is the Middle Way. Everything in the past is empty. The Five Aggregates are empty. But karma cannot be avoided. Although we know that the Aggregates are empty, we cannot ignore the law of cause and effect. Understanding this is integral to learning Dharma. If we cannot understand these concepts, we will cling to what is empty and illusory. If we cling to that, we cannot maintain a balanced view. Although we know to practice, we are in a constant state of attachment. That is wrong.
As one learns the Dharma, one should understand that the Five Aggregates are empty, yet one cannot ignore the law of cause and effect. If one cannot understand, one clings to emptiness and illusion, causing afflictions to continuously arise.
How can we be peaceful and at ease? If we cannot see through emptiness and illusion, even our spiritual practice cannot change us. We will be unable to attain peace and freedom. So we must have an inclusive view, the Middle Way. This means that although we know the Five Aggregates are empty, we cannot ignore the law of cause and effect.
I have told you we need the Fourfold Mindfulness, Four Right Efforts, Four Basses of Spiritual Power, Five Roots, Five Powers, Seven Branches of Enlightenment and the Eightfold Right Path.
These are the 37 Practices to Enlightenment. They are very important to us, as are the Four Immeasurables, kindness, compassion, joy and giving in equanimity. If we can apply such simple Dharma to our daily living, then our knowledge and practice can proceed together. The Buddha told us about the virtues we possess by nature. The Dharma-body is in our nature, and we will return to that true nature. Isn’t this truly accepting the Buddha-Sharma? The Buddha entrusted this mission to us. Truly everyone originally had a Buddha-nature. Which Buddha’s mission are we following? In truth, we have the Buddha-nature in us. Without the Buddha’s teachings to open our minds, we would not know this. We know we have many afflictions, and that we must eliminate them. We cannot just know this or say we will do so. We must truly realize it. True realization is very difficult. Put knowledge into practice as if cherishing life, then you will recognize your nature.Everyone, please be truly mindful. Whether you think about emptiness or illusions, having the Middle View is most important. To put simply, although we know the truth of emptiness, we must never lose sight of Wondrous Existence. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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