Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Protect the Present (守護現在)
We have been talking about the Six Roots, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. They all become entangled, so unwholesome thoughts constantly arise. We think about many things that we should not. We do many things that we should not. This is all a matter of perspective.
The body is greedy for sensations of pleasure, so we unconsciously created karma. Because of the greed of our body, we look for ways to pamper our bodies, avoid doing hard work and maximize our pleasure. For this reason alone, we create much karma in our daily living.
But we do not realize this. So, we have to always be more vigilant. The mind leads consciousness to perceive objects through the sense organs, or Roots, of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. The external objects of form, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought are called the six sense objects, or Six Dusts.
When sense organs meet sense objects, attachment and grasping arise, giving rise to confusing thoughts. When sense organs meet sense objects, our minds produce greedy thoughts and cravings. We cannot forget about them and remain attached.
Thus our minds are bound by these desires and give rise to many confused thoughts.
Due to the body’s desire for sensual pleasure, it unconsciously creates all kinds of karma. The mind leads consciousness to perceive sense objects through sense organs, causing attachment, entanglements and confusion.
So, we have to always remind ourselves to remain simple when our sense organs interact with sense objects. We should get along peacefully with everything in the world, and be grateful that the world produces everything we need to support our lives. So, we should cherish all living beings. Humans are the only ones with this innate ability and potential.
So, how can we repay everything in the world? Whenever we see anything in this world, we must let a sense of non-possessive love arise. Cherish everything. Do not get attached for selfish reasons. If we view the world with a simple mind, we will cherish everything without attachment. All that we really need is clothing, food, housing and transportation. Clothing is having something to wear. Housing is shelter from wind and rain. Food provides nutrients. Transportation allows us to travel smoothly. This should be enough.
But we humans complicate things, so we become greedy and possessive, and we never stop pursuing things.
The repentance text continues by saying, “Our body enjoys beautiful damask, splendid brocades, silk and crape, clothing that is sheer and smooth, beautiful and covered with jewels, thus causing unwholesome thoughts to arise.”
We should be grateful that we have clothes to wear. In the past, we have said simple clothing and food is good enough. But some people are very picky about clothing. It is not enough to have clean and neat clothing. No, they crave beautiful damask. They want to look resplendent and beautiful.
Clothing should actually be very simple. Its purpose is to keep us warm during the winter. At other time, it allows us to cover our bodies, protecting them and preserving our modesty. The biggest difference between humans and animals is that we can wear clothes. We do it to protect our bodies and look proper. We also wear clothes as a form of courtesy to each other.
We often hear about how some volunteers used to lead extravagant lives. They went shopping for imported clothing every day. They selected clothes based on price. They could not discern good from bad. They thought the most expensive items would be the best. Those were name brands. Wearing those brands was a way to show off their wealth and status. This is how ordinary people behave.
However, when they became Tzu Chi volunteers, they changed their mindset. Look at our commissioners, they participate in Tzu Chi activities every day. They wear the same uniform every day, regardless of their wealth or status. Once they join this organization, they all wear plain and simple clothing, all with the same colors. Watching all of them as they approach in a group is very beautiful. Being respected by others, we should give to benefit sentient beings. There are disasters in many countries that are fire-or water-related. It pains us to see people suffering from disasters.
Then we see another group of people, appearing among those victims of disaster. Look at how they give, how they comfort others and understand their needs! They gather their strength and put their wisdom and empathy to work to quickly distribute relief goods. These volunteers have always worn blue and white over the years. So, people associate that with us. When people in disaster areas see us, they smile because they feel that once people in this clothing arrive, they will be saved; these volunteers are their benefactors.
Do people need to wear precious silks? No, If we express our sense of mission through our everyday behavior among others, people will respect us. We do not need to wear beautiful clothing to be respected. No at all.
So, “Splendid brocades, silk and crape” are all very finely made. They are the finest hand-woven fabrics. They are very comfortable to wear. But having clothes wear is good enough. What kind of sensation is comfort? It is only a matter of perception. We do not need to be very particular. We do not need precious clothing sewn with gold thread and decorated with agates, pearls, and such. This is unnecessary. If we have these desires, these attachments to pleasure, these are unwholesome thoughts.
“Perhaps the mind is full of discursive thoughts and turn towards aberrant ways. The transgressions created from the Six Roots are countless and boundless.”
Everyone, we talked about eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body. Yesterday, we also said that for the sake of taste we consume the flesh and blood of many beings. But if we want to take good care of our bodies, modern medicine tells us to eat three meals a day. We should eat light foods that are not too oily. Grains and cereals provide the best nutrition. If we harmonize body mind, we will be healthy. We do not need to consume those creatures. When some people get sick, they look for folk remedies, rather than doctors. These secret remedies have no scientific basis. Can they actually cure illness?
In Master Lian-Chi’s Essay on Liberating Life, he told such a story. They Fan family was a wealthy family in the Jiang-su Province. The wife had tuberculosis at a young age, so she never got pregnant. The husband really adored his wife, so he found many famous doctors to treat her. She took a lot of medicine, but nothing worked.
Later he heard that one doctor was very good at treating tuberculosis, so he asked him to treat his wife. The doctor’s diagnosis was “This illness is very serious. I am the only one with a prescription to cure it. This prescription requires 100 sparrow brains for the medicine to work. Only then will your disease be cured, only then is the medicine effective. In addition ,within 21 days you have to finish the medicine and eat all the sparrows.”
Her husband quickly told the servants to purchase or catch 100 live sparrows and keep them in cages. When his wife heard about this, she was very angry. She told her husband, “I am just one life. Many doctor said there is no way to save my life. Why would someone who is about to die sacrifice 100 lives? I’d rather die than allow so many innocent birds to be killed for my one life.”
She was so angry that her husband gave in and said, “Fine. If you won’t eat them, I’ll release them.”
So the wife watched her husband open the cages. The birds happily spread their wings and flew away. The wife felt happy and peace. Starting that day, she become very happy, she was able to eat and absorb proper nutrition. Slowly, gradually, she got better. Her body slowly recovered without any medicine.
Before long, she become healthy and unexpectedly, she got pregnant. After a full term her child was born. He was an adorable child, but strangely, at birth his arms were covered with black spots. Upon a closer inspection, they seemed to be bird –shaped marks, all over his skin.
The child was well-behaved, cute and very smart and the wife also lived a long life.
So you see, is it right to kill sentient beings for own our lives?
In the Sutras, the Buddha often warned us with many stories like this. Many people become healthy after liberating life. But liberating life is not like what people do today, when they say, “I want to liberate life. Go catch some fish and birds for me. I want liberate them for merit.”
We should know fish are in tremendous pain, when they are caught and pulled out of the water. Causing them to struggle before releasing them is wrong. Birds fly freely in the sky. If we catch and frighten them before releasing them, that is wrong, too.
It is also wrong to eat them for the sake of our bodies, as part of a prescription.
All sentient beings have their living environment. We do not need to hurt them this way. This is all a matter of thought and perspective.
Think about it. With discursive thoughts from our sense organs, we “turn towards aberrant ways.” We have completely turned away from the Dharma. Thus “the transgressions created from the Six Roots are countless and boundless.”
So always repent with utmost sincerity to the Buddhas of the Ten Directions and all sages Openly and completely repent. This is what I always tell everyone. Quickly correct mistakes. Always self-reflect. We do not know how we may have unconsciously triggered thoughts and created karma. With our sense organs, particularly in the past.
So let us always reflect on our past and safeguard the present. This is vigilance.
Please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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