Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Care for Life (關心物命 細心戒慎)
We should be careful in our daily living and work. We must care about even the tiniest creatures and always nurture a heart that embraces all beings. We must be vigilant and careful in our actions.
To make a living, we have to work. In whatever responsibilities we take on, we have to be very meticulous. We must keep our minds focused on the task at hand. Otherwise, if we slip up due to carelessness, perhaps we will do something we regret. So as we go about our normal routine, we have to be mindful and attentive.
We also have to care about the tiniest creatures. There is a story about Zhuang Zi and his friend. They were walking by a river and crossed over a bridge, where they stopped briefly and saw that the river water was very clear. They also saw fish swimming along, occasionally leaping out of the water. They seemed to be playing. Zhuang Zi stood there and said, “So happy!”
His friend asked, “How do you know? Who is happy?”
He said, “The fish are happy.”
His friend said, “You are not a fish. How do you know if they are happy?” Zhuang Zi turned to say, “You are not me. How do you know if I know the fish are happy?”
Indeed, every one of us has their own state of mind. Zhuang-Zi and his friend are both human. Humans do not even know if another human is happy, let alone if a non-human creature is happy. In truth, we do not really know, but we can infer. We can put ourselves in their place.
During a typhoon, we worry about where the birds went, and if they are safe. After the typhoon passes, when we hear the birds singing, we know they are living happily. So, we must be empathetic and caring. Even if they are tiny, we have to focus on and care about all living beings. Since we are engaged in spiritual practice, it is most important to nurture a mind that embraces all living beings.
Humans are the most sentient of all beings. We are the only ones that can open our hearts and know everything in the world. Our hearts can open up even more, so big they can embrace the universe, and especially all living beings. We must truly make an effort to experience this, to put ourselves in their place. Think about the conditions we all need to live. Then think about the habits tiny creatures need to survive. So, we must always act carefully and vigilantly. We must understand that the world of all living creatures is vast, but it more important to focus on what is at hand. Let us do everything carefully and vigilantly.
If we see a living creature when we are cleaning, let us be merciful and gentle. We must not frighten or hurt them. This is being attentive. We must be vigilant dealing with people and also with all living creatures and objects. We must do this in all our behavior, toward everything we see, everything we touch, in all of our actions. We must be vigilant in our behavior. We must be vigilant in our behavior.
So I often say that our bodies should do good deeds. The body refers to all our actions.
Our minds must always hold good thoughts. This is being attentive and vigilant. Our mouths must always speak good words. Good words can nurture others’ minds and nurture our own good habits. This is spiritual practice. Daily living is in the details. Lets us be more careful and mindful.
Always nurture a mind that embraces all realms of sentient beings. Caring for all living beings and acting attentively and vigilantly is spiritual practice.
When Master Wu-Da repented ay Jiulong Mountain, he washed away the human-faced sore and understood the cause and effect created ten lifetimes before. He decided to erect a hut in that place and write the Water Repentance. As he sincerely paid respect to the Buddha and openly repented each day, he continued to think carefully and in great detail.
The Buddha valued life. When Anada brought Him a bowl of water, He said, “Ananda, we cannot drink this water.”
“Why?” Ananda asked, “The water is clean, why can’t we drink it?”
The Buddha said, “There are 84,000 bugs in this bowl of water.”
Look at how attentive the Buddha was. With His eyes, He saw 84,000 bugs. So as Master Wu-Da wrote the Repentance, he was very careful of even the tiniest creatures in his daily living.
At that time there were no electric lights, only oil lamps. As Master Wu-Da wrote the Repentance, he had to read at night. As he wrote, he watched a type of moth immolate itself in the flames. Such an existence! All of these moths flew into the flames, got hurt and died. So he even talked about lamps in the Repentance Text. “We may leave open lamps and candles which burn insects.”
It also says, “Perhaps we did not first shake containers of sauces or vinegars, or were not careful when we dumped out soup and water, so we killed bugs. In the Four Demeanors, when we walk, stand, sit and lie down, we often hurt or kill tiny sentient beings in the air or on the ground.”
Aren’t these part of our daily living? See, when we light lamps, moths get hurt if they fly into the flames. That is one example. If we are in the kitchen, we will likely use ingredients like oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt when we cook. We must be careful when we use them. We have to shake their containers before use.
There will be bugs in pickled vegetables if they sit for a long time. We must make sure everything is sanitary. We need to keep the outside of the bottles clean, and make sure there are no bugs inside. We must ensure there are no worms, no mosquitoes or other bugs. We have to be aware of them all. If we shake the container first, these microscopic, tiny creatures have time to leave before we use the ingredients. If we do not shake the container first, perhaps more creatures will lose their lives because of us.
Before we pour out water, we should check to see if there anything on the ground, if there are any bugs crawling around. If we see ants, roaches or other bugs, we should not deliberately pour water on them. When we hurt tiny creatures, the biggest damage is to our compassion. So in our daily living, whatever job we undertake, we must be very careful. This is especially true in our Four Demeanors.
We know these to be walking, standing, sitting and lying down. It is how we speak, act, and treat people and things. This is all part of the Four Demeanors. We often hurt or kill “tiny sentient beings in the air or on the ground.” This often happens in our daily living if we are not careful.
When we walk outside we may be bit or stung by mosquitoes, bees, and other flying creatures. What should we do? Do we kill them after we are bitten? Even if you kill them after being bitten, we were still bitten. If they carry germs or diseases, it does not help if we kill them afterwards. We should prevent them from hurting us. We also must prevent ourselves from hurting others. So, we have to pay attention to small details.
First, we make sure our environment is clean and neat. The cleaner it is, the fewer mosquitoes and bugs.
Second, we make sure our body is also clean. If we are clean, we do not attract mosquitoes and bugs. We can also use preventative measures on our bodies. The best way is to wear long sleeves. Monks and nuns cover their entire body so only their heads and faces show. There are fewer places for mosquitoes to strike. Without miniskirts and open backs, there are fewer places for them to strike. In summary, we must take proper precautions.
Hurting and killing tiny creatures diminishes our compassion. Be cautious and take preventive measures in your daily living and in all your actions.
In the past, those who practiced in the mountains had to be very careful. When picking twigs, they had to see if there were ants on them. So they shook them. Before there cut dry branches, they checked to see if there were beehives. They had to be careful. If they carried water, they used a cloth to filter it first. Then they brought it home for use.
Didn’t the Buddha set these precepts for us? When we [were ordained and] received precepts, the Precept-master gave us a bowl, a brush to wash dishes, and a white cloth. “The Buddha saw 84,000 bugs in a bowl of water, so the Buddha taught Ananda to filter water with a white cloth, and afterwards, wash the cloth in water. So although we cannot see those microorganisms, after we filter them out, we should return them to the water so they can live on. They belong in the water. Although we cannot see them, we must be meticulous to this extent.
So after we filter water with the cloth, we must not accidentally kill them. We have to be this careful when we use and filter water. I think Master Wu-Da and past practitioners used these methods to guard their minds.
Everyone, with the Buddha’s wisdom, He used His wisdom-eyes to see all the life forms in the water. As ordinary people, we just see a bowl of water. But when the Buddha looked, He saw the microorganisms. They are tiny; they cannot be seen with the naked eye. But the Buddha saw them.
So when Master Wu-Da calmed his mind to writer the Water Repentance, he was very mindful. He was attentive to daily living. Ordinary people lack a depth of knowledge, so we are often unaware. Starting today, “we must openly repent. We must always be careful in our actions. Making mistakes every day us inevitable, so we must repent every day. Whether we made a mistake in actions or thought, we must always repent. So let us be careful and vigilant on our actions. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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