Lecturer: Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Benefit Society, Practice Right Dharma (造福人群行正法)
Spiritual practice is about refining our mind, body and nature. Refining the body refers to our conduct. If we do not practice by benefiting sentient beings with our actions, then our bodies will create negative karma.
Obtaining human form is rare. Our bodies are vessels of spiritual practice. We need our bodies to practice. There is a saying, “The body can create blessings and create evil.”
We need our bodies to create blessings by putting the teachings into action. I often say we should keep the Buddha in our hearts and keep the Dharma in our actions. Since we listen to the Dharma each day, each day we draw closer to the Buddha’s mind. Is it enough to draw close? We must transform our mind into that of a Buddha. We all possess the Buddha-nature, so we should always use this wisdom. Then the Dharma will be in our actions and we can benefit mankind with our bodies.
But if our minds drift from the Buddha-mind, we revert to the mind of an ordinary person. Ordinary people’s minds are obscured by ignorance and are easily tempted by the external environment. Sounds of forms easily arouse our Six Senses. If the eyes, ears, nose and tongue are aroused, but no actions are taken, then karma is not created. So it is all due to the body. Otherwise, if one simply sees, or if one simply craves, but does not use the body to act, then karma is not created. The habitual tendencies still exist, but the karma is not fully formed.
There was an elderly couple who lived in Central Taiwan. They were already quite old; their son was in his forties or fifties. The old couple agonized over his son. The family was well-off, so the son did not stick with any job he found, because he felt his father was already wealthy. He eventually became addicted to drugs. Besides constantly asking his father for money, he was also involved with fraud. Later someone introduced the father to Tzu Chi. This poor couple had wealth, but they were mentally tormented by their son. They eventually joined Tzu Chi. One became a Faith Corps member, the other a commissioner. They were very kind people.
Then a younger Faith Corps member offered to counsel their son. After much effort, they brought the son to Hualien. The son had a kind heart. He often heard about or watched the actions of Tzu Chi volunteers and was touched. He came to Hualien to speak with me, and made a promise to me. He promised that when he went back, he would quit drugs completely.
After some time, about two or three years, he came to me and said, “I have kicked the habit.”
I asked, “Are you quite stable now?”
He answered, “Yes.”
I asked, “Why did it take so long to quit?”
He said “Master, you don’t know how hard it is to quit once you’re addicted.”
“Why is it hard? Why is the mind so easily swayed?”
He said, “When you take drugs, your body is light and all afflictions disappear. It’s as if you have escaped this world. But it is painful to quit.”
I asked him what it was like.
He said, “For example, if I fight the urge, it feels as if thousands of bugs are burrowing into me. It drove me so crazy that. I wanted to rip off my clothes. It was very painful.”
I said, “Since it was so hard to quit and you’ve already made up your mind, will you be tempted again?”
He said, “No, I know it’s too painful.”
Then he returned home.
Later, I saw his father looking very depressed. When I asked him why, he shook his head and said, “My son has been tempted by his friends again.”
I asked, “Why didn’t you ask the Faith Corps members to help him?”
He answered, “It might not work this time. I am ready to give up on him.”
He could not cherish himself or his body, so once again he regressed.
For a period of time, he was using his body to created blessings.
But his mind could not be settled, and his resolve was not firm, so the sounds of the world around him tempted him again. So, our bodies can also create evil, just as water can either support or drown a boat.
We must cherish our bodies and take care with our conduct. Otherwise, when the Six Roots, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, are all functioning at the same time, they are very powerful. If they are directed toward good, there is great strength, but if directed toward evil, they are even more powerful. So, we must pay attention to our body and mind.
We have been constantly discussing repentance. We should understand and pay attention, so we do not err. But if we are careless and make a mistake, we should immediately repent.
So, now that we have already repented, we have “the virtue created through repentance.” When one transforms evil into good, there are merits and virtues. The body can create blessings. Since we have eliminated evil, we should now focus solely on benefiting people. This is merit and virtue.
Thus, “May this body wear the Tathagata’s clothing and the armor of patience, sleep on the bed of fearlessness and take the Dharma-seat of Emptiness.”
Reading these words, the mind is free and at peace. If we could do this, wouldn’t we have joy and freedom? Our bodies could wear the Tathagata’s clothes. This means always being gentle and tolerant. There is a passage, “Enter the Tathagata’s house, wear the Tathagata’s clothes, and take the Tathagata’s seat.”
To wear the Tathagata clothes one must enter the Tathagata’s house. This house is where the Tathagata exists. Once we enter the house of the Tathagata, we will put on His clothes. The following passage is in the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, From where do Buddha and Bodhisattvas arise?The Buddha said that they originated in the Buddha’s abode. Where do they practice? They practice on the Bodhisattva-path. Where do they go? They go among sentient beings. To enter the Tathagata’s door is to practice on the Bodhisattva-path.
So, we must awaken our innate Tathagata. The Tathagata’s house exists in all of us. If we are willing to open the door of our hearts and allow our intrinsic nature to truly manifest its pure positive potential, we are entering the Tathagata’s house.
By listening to the Buddha’s teachings and following this path, we enter through the Tathagata’s door. After entering, we should also wear the Thatagata’s clothes, which means being gentle and tolerant.
Being in the Tathagata’s house, one has great compassion. Wearing the Tathagata’s clothes, one is gentle and tolerant. Taking the Tathagata’s seat, one abides peacefully in the emptiness of Dharma. The Lotus Sutra.
When Tzu Chi volunteers wear their blue and white uniforms, or the women’s uniform dress, or formal dresses, they are respected and welcomed everywhere. There are many international disasters and many countries tighten their security. However, when they see our uniforms, they open their doors to us and treat us with respect. They know that when this group of people arrives, victims of disaster will receive aid. Not only will they receive material supplies in their time of difficult, they also receive love, which is crucial in calming their hearts.
So, with this uniform, one enters the Tathagata’s house and obtains the clothing of gentleness and tolerance. When they see the poor and the suffering, they humble themselves, embrace the suffering and comfort them. When they see an elder with illness, they will approach him. If his foot is swollen, they quickly kneel down and lift his foot to wash it and apply medicine. Isn’t this being gentle and tolerant? They need to tolerate the foul smell of the wound and endure the bad odors of filthy and terrible environments. This requires patience.
Or, they may be out soliciting donations. They hold the donation boxes among the crowds and bow to everyone who passes. They may stand in front of a store to ask passerby to give a bit of love. Some are touched and praise them.
However, a good majority of the people do not even look at or listen to them. Others even pass by with demeaning attitudes and looks. Some who are even worse curse at and say terrible things to them.
The volunteers still bow and say, “If you don’t want to donate, that is alright but these people are truly suffering” “and so on. They explain the victims’ suffering. But some people still do not donate so they send them off with a smile.
Isn’t this the the clothing of gentleness and tolerance? To give love, they endure the malicious attitudes of others. If they were not in the Tathagata’s house, wearing the Tathagata’s clothes and sitting calmly in the Tathagata’s seat, how could they enter disaster areas? How could they go out in society to assist people and to fundraise?
Moreover, entering the Tathagata’s house, is having a heart of great compassion. After one enters, one has great loving–kindness and great compassion. With great loving– kindness, one has no regrets. With great joy, one has no worries. With great equanimity, one has expectations. If we have such mindsets, we are in the Tathagata’s house.
We have mentioned the clothes of tolerance. Once we put them on, we are embarrassed to lose our temper. Then, we are not only gentle and tolerant, we are also benevolent and courageous. Regardless of the environment, we will have determination and courage. Then we can firmly sit on the Tathagata’s seat and peacefully abide in the Dharma of Emptiness.
If we had not opened our hearts, how could our understanding encompass so much? So from these passages, we should understand how to practice with our bodies. We should enter the Tathagata’s house and truly practice.
With the Jing Si Dharma–lineage, I hope everyone can discipline themselves, be frugal, diligent and resilient. There are many challenges to overcome. Even in the Tathagata’s house, we must always wear the “armor of patience,” which is determination.
After making our resolve, we need determination. On a battlefield, if we are wearing armor, our enemies will not be able to harm us. So with the “armor of patience ,” we will not be hurt by others’ words. We remain joyful and still bow to them with respect.
If we have this mentality, we “sleep on the bed of courage.” Even in our sleep we are not worried, not to mention in our daily living.
When we fall asleep, are we ever afraid that we will not wake up again? There is no need to worry. Since everything is empty, what is there to worry about? We will take this Dharma seat with ease.
Everything will be wide open. In reading this passage, I think about how vast the mind is. What is there to take issue over?
Everyone, this is how we should learn Buddhism. We must take care with our physical actions, which requires that we first take care of our minds. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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