Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: With an Open, Pure Mind, One Nears Buddha-nature (尊重萬物普及愛)
We must constantly be vigilant and understand that the world is impermanent and filled problems and suffering. The Sutra of the Great Beings’ Eight Realizations says, “Life is impermanent and the land is fragile.” Do we not feel it? The entire planet’s climate is changing; there is an imbalance of the Four Elements. Many people are suffering. In this world, life is filled with problems and suffering.
Humans are not the only ones facing problems and suffering right now. In fact, there are also many obstacles in life. Some are external, some are internal. Some are caused by others, some we cause ourselves. The world is truly filled with suffering. So we must realize and attain purity of mind. We should always adjust our minds so that it is more pure and simple, and will not go astray. In this way, we can approach our pure intrinsic nature. As we slowly approach our intrinsic nature, our enlightened Buddha-nature manifests.
So we do not seek Buddha-dharma outside; it is within our minds. When the mind is pure and righteous, we draw near to Nirvana, a state of perpetual peace that cannot be created or destroyed. This is very important. We must attain this state of ever-lasting peace and radiance. We must learn, and we must learn now. We must learn Right Dharma and believe in karmic cause and effect. If we hold the proper views of cause and effect, we will know the Right Dharma. In this way, we can purity our conduct. The Buddha will always exist in our minds, the Dharma will always be in our actions, and we will always remain in a state of meditation. So, everyone must mindfully experience this.
We must always adjust our minds. We must have pure thoughts and not go astray. Then, we can approach our intrinsic Buddha-nature and enter the state of Nirvana.
Yesterday we mentioned that life is beyond our control. We may be born as vicious animals next life; this is beyond our control. Even if we are reborn human, we may suffer two types of retribution, “always being ill or having a short life.” The cause of such karma is “killing and eating beings.” Is illness suffering? Yes, illness is truly very painful. Everyone is afraid of being sick because illness is close to what people fear most, death. So, people suffer greatly when they are ill, and moreover it means they are close to death. Some people are fortunate enough to recover from illness, only to later become ill again. It is agonizing to always be sick. Others suffer from “having a short life.” Everyone wishes for longevity. The opposite of longevity is having a short life. How short can life be? We mentioned that some people die right after birth. Others are born physically impaired and suffer for a long time.
I one visited an ICU for infants and saw a child who was born prematurely. He was so tiny, about the length of a hand. While watching him inside the incubator, the doctor approached and said that the child had been born whit his internal organs on the outside. When I asked if the child would survive, the doctor and nurse looked at each other, then glanced at me and said it was uncertain. I asked how we could save the child and place his organs where they belonged. The doctor told me that they would try to do so gradually. When I asked how long that would take, he answered three months. Three months is 90 days. But to save this child, the doctor and nurses must patiently look after him, then little by little place the organs inside him.
A month later I revisited this child. He was more fortunate than imagined; they were able to place all his organs inside in less than two months. They were preparing to stitch the opening since his organs were in their right places again. This child has suffered since birth. Why is life like this? Because of karma created in past lives by killing and eating many beings. We have discussed this, and now we see an example of it before our eyes. How could a child be born in such a way?
In our talks recently on Dharma as Water, I spoke of different types of karma and the retributions they bring. This is beyond our control. I start to think of the many cases in the hospital. The retributions of chronic illness and short life come from killing and eating beings.
We have spoken of Flower Retribution, which means that with residual blessings, the effects of wrongdoings will manifest later. Sometimes we see bad people living happily, healthily and with a lot of power. Why don’t they suffer retribution? It is only a matter of time; they will receive their retribution. They have strong good karma from past lives, and as long as it remains strong they will continue to enjoy such blessings. Some describe these people as being very blessed. If we see people do wrong but receive blessings, does this mean they do not receive retributions? No. It is not that there are no retributions, the time has just not arrived yet. Their wrongdoings have not ripened yet, so they will receive their retribution later.
Flower Retribution: With residual blessings, the effects of wrongdoings will manifest later.
Residual blessings are the wholesome karma one has accumulated over many past lives. One may have accumulated many blessings. Bringing so many blessings with him, he can enjoy his life without exhausting them. But in this life, he is blinded by happiness, and becomes deluded. In this life, he begins to do evil. Since these evil seeds have yet to ripen, and the conditions are not yet there, he does not suffer from retributions now. When one’s blessings are still strong, one’s negative deeds have not matured, so they will not yet take effect. However, negative karma will continue to exist, and when it ripens, retribution will manifest. Such retribution may not occur until another life.
We may not be able to see our next lives, but we can see the unspeakable suffering now. When we see someone in pain, we wish to help him. But even with our help, he still suffers. Our volunteers see this everywhere, with care recipients at home and at the hospitals. We have heard that people suffer continuously from birth. Is this not retribution from past lives?
So “People first receive Flower Retribution”. Some people receive Flower Retribution in their present life. Although a bad person may not suffer retributions, others will begin to resent him. In the beginning, he will be badmouthed or cursed by others. When people are cursed at, they feel very uncomfortable. This is the beginning of a reaction. Right and wrong are decided in people’s minds. So people will start to criticize and curse them. Their wrongs may slowly become public. Things may be brought to light that these people had tried to conceal. They tried to conceal the wrongs they had done.
But one day, they will become known. Once it is revealed that they broke the law, they will face legal punishment. They may be sued or imprisoned. They may become tied up in lawsuits. This process will slowly continue. Is that the end of it? Later on, whether they receive good retributions or not, they will eventually face more suffering. After their retributions, they will still suffer. Whether they have exhausted their blessings or their wrongdoings have been made public, these people will suffer much hardship. But this is not the end of it. This karma is carried into the next life. When we die, we take nothing with us but karma. So in the next life, they may be born with various severe illnesses, with odors so terrible one cannot breathe.
Actually, all of our bodies are like this. If one behaves [badly] in this life, one may be born poor and ill in the next life. When they are ill and do not care for their bodies, their bodies may rot while they still live. One of the first three houses that we built for our care recipients in Jialiwan was given to a family that was once very affluent. The head of household was a wealthy owner of a marble mine in Hualien. At the time, when marble was popular, business was good. To obtain large pieces of marble, he mined mountains with dynamite. After getting rid of the debris, he sawed and removed blocked of marble. He damaged the mountains and upset the balance of nature.
After a while, his business grew. But after running it for a while, he began to endorse or write checks for others. While he was entertaining his clients, he killed and consumed many animals. Later he had cash flow problems, and his mind and house were confiscated by the court. The couple and their three children became homeless.
When we discovered them, they were living in an alley. The person who notified us said that was a man living with his three small children. His foot was rotting and he seemed to suffer from serious illness and abdominal swelling. After speaking with him, we understood his situation. His foot was injured at the mine. It was a small injury that had been treated at the hospital. But after becoming homeless when his business failed, the wound became infected. So it began to rot.
We asked, “Your wound is severe, are you applying medication?”
He replied, “How? I don’t even have food to eat.”
“Then, what is that white substance?” we asked.
He said, “Salt. When I’m in pain, I apply salt until it becomes numb.”
Such suffering!
Everyone, this is retribution. When the marble industry was booming, he was very well-off. So he destroyed the mountains and forest. He also went hunting. He enjoyed hunting and consumed many animals while socializing. So, he later suffered from illness and poverty. After helping him settle down, we treated his foot at the hospital. But he has to use crutches the rest of his life. We have many other cases like this.
So, one’s body can rot even before death. Some suffer from a short life. There are many types of suffering. If one kills and eats many beings, one will inevitably suffer such effects. Retribution will come in time. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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