Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Discipline Your Mind to Eliminate Ignorance (內心自治去無明)
Date: May. 03, 2013
In this peaceful environment, let us all contemplate how we are all disciples of the Three Treasures. Our minds take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. So we must, at all times, practice self-vigilance and self-reflection. We often talk about spiritual practice. What is the good of engaging in “practice”? It is all about our mind. As the Buddha told us, “The mind creates everything”. One thought can create the seed for Buddhahood or the seed for transmigration within the Six Realms. It is rare to attain human form and even rarer to hear the Buddha-Dharma. We should follow and practice the teachings. In accordance with the Buddha’s teachings, we engage in spiritual practice. We must allow the Dharma to enter our minds and focus on eliminating our habitual tendencies. Where do habitual tendencies exist? Also in our minds. If these tendencies are not eliminated, how can we follow the Buddha’s footsteps and walk onto the path of enlightenment? So, our spiritual practice must focus on our habitual tendencies. Cultivating virtues is a way to realize our radiant virtues. We must find a way to understand and comprehend these principles. Ultimately these principles will help us find the original nature of our minds. The original nature of our minds is virtuous. Radiant virtue is our intrinsic nature. That pure and undefiled nature is certainly equal to the Buddha’s. Then why don’t we just talk about nature; why talk about virtue? “The virtuous attain”. Without practice there is no attainment, so we need to cultivate virtues to correct erroneous behavior and return to the right spiritual practices. So virtue is something we attain, what we cultivate and gain. Some say, “habitual tendencies are hard to change”. Habitual tendencies seep into us. Once they are absorbed they become habits. We typically call them habitual tendencies. If we can be influenced by bad habitual tendencies, why can’t we change and be influenced by good habits? Since we are disciples of the Three Treasures, we should absorb the Buddha’s enlightened nature and earnestly practice and uphold Buddha-Dharma. We must be aware of the Three Treasures of our self-nature at all times. It is more than just the tangible Three Treasures; we must strengthen those of our self-nature. Cultivating virtues begins with our moral character. People see us and think, “They have character”. That means we have been influenced by our practice. We are absorbing the ways of the Three Treasures. “Diligently discipline and stabilize thoughts.” Our minds are often out of balance. Sometimes we see a person’s mental state constantly rise and fall. He may be deeply moved [by a certain situation] but that is temporary.
Once he leaves that environment, he returns to his original habitual tendencies.Then he becomes imbalanced again.He may be short-tempered, arrogant and egotistic.He may not get along with others, may not accommodate them, may not be understanding.If we are such a person, who can help us?No one else can ever help us.We all practice the Buddha’s way to enlightenment.We all listen to he Buddha’s teachings.We all have the Three Treasures of self-nature.
If we refuse to govern our habitual tendencies, if we do not practice, if we refuse to be more diligent, can we call ourselves Buddhist practitioners?We cannot.That would just be using the name “Buddhism” to describe what we are doing.That would be only learning Buddhism in name, not learning it with our self-nature.
So we must trust the Three Treasures of our self-nature.We need to strengthen the Three Treasures of our self-nature.To deal with past habitual tendencies, we must have self-discipline and cultivate virtues.We must be diligent, be self-reflective, and be aware of our self-nature at all times.Then our original habitual tendencies will manifest less often.Do not give others reasons to say that our minds are imbalanced.
After learning Buddhism, our minds must be truly balanced.What do we use to stay balanced?
Compassion and wisdom.Both need to be practiced in this would so we must treat others with kindness and compassion and let wisdom enter our hearts.So compassion and wisdom are practiced in parallel.This is how we discipline ourselves and treat the source of our afflictions.
We need to know that afflictions start form delusions in views and thinking.
“A deluded thought gives rise to Three Subtleties.”“External states lead to the Six Coarse Marks.”
If these Six Coarse Marks are gathered, [we see] that they are all delusions in views and thinking.
The source of afflictions is delusions in views and thinking.So, we must be a thief-destroyer.This requires us to enter the state of Arhats and destroy thieves.We often receive the Buddha’s teachings.Once we have heard them, we must take them to heart.The eighth consciousness is a storehouse.We learn the Dharma by listening with our ears, seeing with our eyes and having physical contact.Then we need to absorb it into our hearts, into our Storehouse Consciousness.
But we if we have afflictions, they are like thieves.These thieves will break into our storehouse and carry away our treasure.The Three Treasures bestow upon us an unlimited storage of wisdom.
But if there are afflictions in our storehouse, then there are thieves.So, we must destroy these thieves.
Spiritual practice is the work of a great person.We need perseverance; we need courage.If we do not strengthen our courage, we will never eliminate all our afflictions.So, we use the analogy that we must have the courage to destroy thieves and end evil.We must destroy all kinds of evils thoughts.This require perseverance.A great person must have an upright heart, upright thoughts, conduct, etc.Then we will naturally scare demons.
We can then destroy the entire demon army of afflictions and evil.This is also how we discipline our minds.So, we must “completely wash away the afflictions of desire and ignorance.”
Desire is greed.If we have no desires, all afflictions can be eliminated.There are many desires in life so we must carefully guard the door to our minds.We must stop evil thieves from invading our hearts.Then we can naturally “wash away the afflictions of desire and ignorance” and destroy the thieves.Afflictions are Leaks. We must guard our minds carefully. If we cab safeguard our minds with precepts, then naturally we will give rise to clarity, Samadhi and wisdom. If our minds are illuminated, they will be in Samadhi, and wisdom will arise.
Use the mind to encompass and cultivate virtues. Diligently discipline and stabilize thoughts. Delusions in views and thinking create afflictions. Destroy thieves and end evil, frighten the army of demons and completely wash away afflictions of desire and ignorance. Precepts protect the mind, give rise to clarity, Samadhi and wisdom.
Indeed, spiritual practice depends on the mind. So, when we join the Sangha, we must begin by heading towards pure and undefiled Arhatship. So at the beginning of the Lotus Sutra, it says that when the Buddha began teaching,
“The assembly of great bhiksus, 12,000 in all, were all Arhats, who had eliminated all Leaks and had no further afflictions.”
So, the hearts of Arhats must be pure. As I said previously, they all had to completely afflictions in their hearts so they could eliminate all Leaks. These Arhats had already attained fruition. If afflictions and discursive thoughts still exist in our hearts, we cannot realize the Buddha’s teachings. Nor can our hearts advance to a state of tranquility and clarity. So, an Arhat’s state of mind had already attained “tranquility and clarity.” This is an Arhat’s state of mind. if we can attain that state of mind, there will be no arising. This means no arising of afflictions, no complications from causes and conditions. But life is beyond our control, we are caught up in this cyclic existence of the Six Realms and constantly force affinities. We are constantly grasping connections, so we cannot escape the Six Realms. If we attain the fruit of Arhat, then there will be no arising and no more complication from cause and conditions. Then we will no one enmity or affection. With sowing evil seeds, there will be no evil fruits. So then we will “not to be reborn” and will “not experience future incarnations.” We will not transmigrate within the Six Realms. If we return, we choose to do so out of compassion. We will be very clear. “I formed aspirations and made great vows to return because off suffering sentient beings.” We are not drown by karma, causes or conditions. Not at all.
All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return out of compassion to save sentient beings, not because they were led here by karma. So, we practice to cultivate a pure mind. As Arhats do not give rise [to afflictions], they also do not experience future incarnations and are not reborn. This is the effect of scaring demons.
As l have just mentioned, delusions in views and thinking are the armies of demons, as well as the source of our afflictions. If we cut off the source of our afflictions, they will no longer arise. Naturally, we will not be tempted or threatened by these demon armies.
Many people are very fearful and anxious. This is the influence of demon armies. They tempt us so we cannot control our minds. They cause us to break our precepts and stop observing the rules we should uphold. So we must reach the Arhat’s state of mind, where there is no arising or ceasing, and so no worries of gains and losses will vex us. Naturally, demon armies will not haunt us.
All were Arhat’s who have already achieved the state of not producing afflictions and not experiencing future incarnations. Not to be reborn is the effect of frightening demons.
So we must be very mindful, very careful. It is all about our minds. So what [stage]do we need to attain? One where “all Leaks have been eliminated. Those Arhats had already advanced to a state where “all Leaks have been eliminated.” At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, all monastic practitioners wanted to hear the Buddha expound the Dharma. Everyone’s state of mind and everyone’s stage of attainment had reached the state Arhats. That is one where all Leaks have been eliminated, a very advanced state.
So, “all leaks have been eliminated” is used to praise these Arhats. They have already destroyed the thieves, eliminated all afflictions and purified everything. This is called “all Leaks have been eliminated.” Leaks refer to something leaking out. After the Buddha-Dharma enters our hearts, we allow it to leak out. No one is tempting us; it happens because our habitual tendencies have not been eliminated. This is like [pouring] clean water into a bucket. If this bucket has a leak, the clean water will flow out because of the leak. What remains in the bucket are filthy things.
In summary, to learn the Buddha’s Way, we must learn how to purity our hearts. Some people often lament, “I do not know why the Dharma does not enter my heart. I have been listening [to these teachings] but when I need to apply them there is nothing left to use.” This is a Leak. Everything leaked out. The Dharma did not truly enter their hearts. They heard it but did not retain it.Everyone, I often say that we must remember not to allow Dharma to leak out after it has entered our hearts.
“All Leaks have been eliminated” is praising the virtues of those who have destroyed thieves. All Leaks are the Leaks of Desire, of Existence, of Ignorance.
We should always maintain a Buddha-mind. We are disciples of the Three Treasures. The Buddha left us over 2000 years ago. Luckily, Buddha-Dharma still exists in the World. It is even more fortunate that we have already accepted Buddha-Dharma. We can apply Buddha-Dharma to purify our hearts and return to our Buddha-nature. We must quickly make aspirations and vows to eliminate our habitual tendencies. We must work with others with love. With a balanced heart, we exercise both compassion and wisdom. Our hearts must be pure. Our behavior must be proper. This is called cultivating virtues. This is self-discipline. We need to accept the Three Treasures of self-nature into our hearts. We must be always vigilant and eliminate the afflictions in our unenlightened hearts. Then the Buddha-mind can become our mind so we can work with others through the Bodhisattvas-path. Thus, we exercise compassion and wisdom; we cultivate blessings and wisdom among others.
Everyone, learning the Buddha’s Way is the work on a great person. We must have perseverance to destroy thieve and end evil. We must eliminate the demon armies and frighten demons. We must have the right heart, thoughts, conduct, etc. The Eightfold Path and Seven Factors of Bodhi must be applied in our daily living. Everyone, we must mindful at all times.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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