Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Transforming Suffering into Blessings (見苦知福轉善念)
According to the Sutra, the transgressions of theft and robbery will land sentient beings in Hell and Hungry Ghosts Realms to suffer.
Earlier we talked about theft, robbery and other transgressions. They all arise from greed. Those with a strong desire to steal do so out of habit. They are greedy.
This greed does not come from being poor, or being unable to make a living. These people have been defiled by bad habits and thus have a strong desire to steal. What can we do? We must use the Dharma to counter this. When dealing with these kinds of people, we need to use the idea of contentment to help them eliminate their greed and stinginess. Besides eliminating their desire to steal, we must teach them to give. If they are unwilling to give, we teach them how to be content. Recognize blessings by witnessing suffering; know contentment by witnessing poverty. After comparing ourselves to others, we become content.
So, we have to treat all people well, whether or not they are doing any evil. Usually we talk about the Ten Evils.
Evil appears in countless forms, but it can be summed up in ten categories. We need to figure out how to turn the Ten Evils into the Ten Good Deeds. We need to turn others’ thoughts into good ones to relieve their suffering. Otherwise, life will be truly painful. Even if we are abundantly rich, we can still suffer unspeakably.
Some often say, “I am sick,” or “I don’t have enough.” There are many people who are sick. Since we can stretch our hands and feet, and move freely, we are still healthy. Healthy people have extra strength to help those who are not. We should be content and do good deeds. This is what we should teach. In our lifetime we can teach through our speech and actions. When the conditions are suitable, we can counsel and guide others. We must be very mindful. We must do good and teach others to do the same. We must share what we know. Not only do we need to seize the moment and bring good causes and conditions together, we must set an example and leave a legacy that can be used to teach others in the future.
So the text goes on to say, “If wrongdoers are born as animals, they are limited to the forms of cows, horses, donkeys, mules, camels, etc. With strength, blood and meat they repay the debt they owe.”
People say, “If we eat four ounces we will repay eight.” In the past, people used to say this. These old sayings really correspond to the truths we learn in the Sutras. In the Animal Realm, there are many types of animals. The past few days, I have said that sentient creatures have different forms. They are all alive in their own ways. This is describing the Animal Realm. For example, if we are born as cows, horses, donkeys, mules, or camels in the future, we will suffer and toil. Cows plow the fields. Farmers work hard, plow fields, and harvest rice. It is even harder for cows. People can rest when they are plowing, but cows must keep going until they are done.
People can say, “You look tired. Why don’t you rest and let me take over.” Cows cannot. They cannot say they are tired. No matter how hot it gets, and how hard it is to plow, to even take one step after another, they still pull the plow in a straight line. Being a farmer is hard, but being a cow is harder. During harvest, people carry bales of rice; cows have to pull whole cartfuls. Think about cows and horses, or donkeys and camels, etc. When we transport goods over the desert, we use animals like donkeys and camels to pull carts and carry goods.
Camels have great endurance. They can go without food for a day, while only drinking water once. They eat little, but expend a lot of energy. The desert is hot. But no matter how fiercely the sun is shining, but they still toil and pull their loads. If we are not careful, we can be born as these animals. We can witness this type of retribution in the Animal Realm. It is as if the pain they endure in these forms helps us understand. Karmic retribution is the truth the Buddha taught. Each kind of animal is living proof of karmic retribution.
So if we know the truth and see the proof of retributions, we should be more vigilant. Otherwise, we will descend into an Evil Realm. The Animal Realm is one of Three Evil Realms. Among the Three Evil Realms, this is one of the less severe, because animals are born into this world. Though they work and toil for humans, they still make contributions.
Whether they are cows or horses, when they work for humans, they are repaying debts. In the past, I heard this story. There was a man without a field, orchard or land. But he had a cow and a cart. Since they were hired to carry goods, he took good care of the cow. One day as he fed it, he said to it, “I want you to be bigger and stronger. If you are stronger, we can pull a bigger cart. Then we can get more business. So to nurture you, I cut grass. That is also hard.”
He said this as he fed the cow. The cow ate the grass diligently. The man prepared the grass and feed in the cow’s trough and let it eat. He was also tired so he sat by the trough and took a nap. He seemed to hear someone speaking. When he listened closely, it sounded like the cow. The cow seemed to be saying, “Do not complain. We owe each other. After two and a half cartfuls, this debt will be repaid.”
He suddenly woke up and saw the cow was done eating and was chewing its cud. As its mouth moved, there was a sound. Yes, this was the voice, the voice that spoke to him. But he though, “This is not possible. This cow is very strong and my cart is good. Why two and a half cartfuls? I need to make six trips today. What was meant by two and a half cartfuls? It was just a dream.”
After he finished feeding the cow and readied the cart, the cow pulled the cart forward. When people finished cutting the rice stalks, they needed many carts for the abundant harvest. This man and cow provided their cart. The first and second trips were safe. The other carts also did the same trip, over and over. On their third trip, the sky suddenly darkened. There was thunder, lighting, and heavy rain. Others’ carts were loaded and they left quickly. His cart was only half loaded. The rain came down hard and they could not load any more. The rest of the rice was still in the field, and not harvested yet. He harvested and stacked it, but he had only filled half the cart when the boss said, “It’s useless. The rest is useless. This is enough. We must leave now or this place will be flooded and the cart will not be able to move.”
So, the man and cow pulled only a half cartful to their destination and unloaded it. Then they went home. There was still thunder and lightning. During the storm, lightning struck the cow shed and killed the cow. When the man came, not only had the shed fallen, the cow was dead on the ground. So the voice he heard in the morning was the cow saying good-bye. It had told him, “I only owe you two and a half more cartfuls.” It did not even give him an extra half cartful. I only owe you two and a half cartfuls.” After the others left, his was the only one left. Only a half cartful was left, but the water kept rising so they had to leave. Think about it, they owed each other. After they repaid each other, it was over. For us, we would rather pay back extra, instead of just breaking even.
Ordinary beings are like that; the cow came to repay its debts exactly “Whatever I owed you from the past. I’ve now repaid it.” Once they were even, it was over. So, people become cows, horses and camels to compensate and repay their owners.
Thus, in life we must be careful. Do not take advantage of others so you will not owe them. Like we said earlier about stealing and robbing, things have owners. Do not take without permission, or you will be indebted to someone. In the future, they will still not give to you. Once you take it, you are in debt. You will have to repay them later. This is the karmic law of cause and effect.
Some take human form to collect debts. Some become cows and horses to repay debts. This is cause and effect; it is unavoidable. After pulling carts to repay debts, is that the end? “With strength, blood, and meat.” Is the strength of our body enough to repay them? No. Cows are worked until they are weak and then sold. Why are they sold? For others to eat their meat and gnaw on their bones. This happens often to cows. Doesn’t this happen to other livestock too?
Many years ago, there was a magazine called Bodhi Tree. There was an illustration in the magazine drawn by an American artist. It told a story about a family that went to a restaurant for lunch. Everyone there ate steaks and other meat. They did not know how to use chopsticks. They used forks and knives. As they ate, suddenly the image of a cow appeared on the wall. Then it spoke, saying, “You are cutting the meat of my legs.”
Then a chicken seemed to perch on the window. It said, “You are sticking the fork in my wing.”
Just like this, it seemed many animals gathered there to say, “In the past we created this karma. We made mistakes and now that karma is being passed on to others.”
A lamb said, “If you become a lamb in the future, I will eat your meat.”
What was even more shocking was that everyone at the table all stopped eating at the same time. They all heard these loud noises. There were sounds of chickens, cows and lambs. The people seemed to see these images on the wall. This family, both the parents and children, paused. These were the images and words in that illustration. It was truly shocking.
After animals’ strength is exhausted, others will eat their flesh. Will their next lives be the same? They repaid debts from previous lives; they repaid what they owed. Everyone, we owe each other. People owe each other, and these ties, these relationships, cannot be severed. If something happens to one person, the other cannot dissolve those bonds; he will suffer with those feelings the rest of his life.
In summary, life is filled with causes and conditions. Are we repaying debts or collecting them? So we must be mindful and create good affinities in our daily living. We have to give mindfully in all situations. To help others transform we teach them to give and to know contentment. We guide those who commit the Ten Evils to perform The Good Deeds. Then we will have infinite merits. Everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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