Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Transcend Suffering with the Dharma (癡迷如火以法離苦)
Date: April.9. 2015
“With delusion as the source of ignorance, the fire of ignorance can create a haze of delusion. Delusion is a lack of understanding of all things. This fire quickly breaks out and burns the house.”
Life is full of delusion; the source of ignorance is delusion. Greed, anger and delusion are all forms of ignorance. Ignorance is like fire; once a fire starts to burn, a thick smoky haze will spread everywhere. So, this delusion is also due to the fires of ignorance starting to burn, spreading smoke everywhere and preventing us from seeing what is in front of us.
We constantly hear people say, “The fire of ignorance can burn down the forest of merits and virtues.” Everyone is familiar with this phrase. We can all talk about it. But most of the time, ignorance is still in our minds. When we encounter conditions, ignorance arises. When people, matters, objects or principles are in front of us, they may lead us to feel a sense of gain or loss. That is when ignorance arises. With a mindset of gain and loss, ignorance and afflictions will rise to the surface. This is what makes us ordinary people.
Delusion begins with ignorance, which gives rise to darkness and confusion. So the term, “delusion,” means a lack of understanding. Even though normally we understand the principles, we may not have truly taken the Dharma to heart. If we have not taken the Dharma to heart, the way we normally behave will not be in accord with the Dharma we speak of. This is conveyed through the following parable.
There was once a kingdom whose king wanted to visit a garden to enjoy its scenery. He thought, “I’m afraid that if the garden is too big, then walking through it will be tiring.” Taking this into consideration, he looked at one of his servants and said, “Take a chair and follow me.” This servant thought, “As a proud man, if I follow behind the king with this chair, I feel like I will lose face.”
So, he told the king, “Instead of holding this chair in my arms, I will carry it with a shoulder pole.” The king said, “That is fine with me. But if you are going to carry it with the pole, you might as well carry 36 chairs.” This is a parable.
The sutras compare us to this servant. This parable was for a spiritual practitioner. He was told to uphold the precepts, especially the one governing sexual relationships there are strict prohibitions against sensual desires for monastic practitioners. This monastic practitioner’s master asked him, “Why is there a hair on the ground? In a monastic community, such a long piece of hair can only be a woman’s hair. Pick it up.”
The monk answered his master, “It is a woman’s hair. I must uphold my precepts. How can I pick up a hair that fell from a woman’s head?” The master replied, “You only see [the impurity in] this hair. But you are not thinking about the 36 kinds of impurities inside your own body.”
The principle is the same. The servant told to hold a chair for the king felt he would lose face. The monk felt similarly about that strand of woman’s hair. He felt, “I abide by precepts, so I should not pick up that hair.” There are many principles like this that we can talk about eloquently. These words come easily to us. However, we have not truly internalized the True Dharma. We have not taken it to heart. Once we encounter external conditions, thoughts stir in our mind. In response to our surroundings, we give rise to ignorance, stirring up a fire of ignorance.
Thus, a fire breaks out and smoke arises.When external conditions appear before us, our minds suddenly give rise to ignorance.Once the fire of ignorance starts, it “burns the house”.
Our wisdom-life will be incinerated by this fire of ignorance.This is why we must constantly remind ourselves to be very vigilant in our daily living.Are we so attached to a certain understanding that we become confused about the Dharma?What we spiritual practitioners must always realize is that the Dharma can be found in our daily living; it is everywhere in our surroundings.
All at once, throughout the area, a fire broke out, setting the house ablaze.The elder’s sons, 10, 20, even up to 30 of them were still in the house.
Yesterday we discussed “all at once, throughout the area”.
This is describing what is around us; all of a sudden there is the pervasive of the Five Aggregates.The aggregate of action affects everything, in both the form and formless realms.The form realm is the realm of physical existence.The formless realm is our minds.
All at once, throughout the area: this is an analogy for the extent to which we are influence by the Five Aggregates and for how our thoughts simultaneously arise.Thoughts arise in response to the sense organs coming into contact with the sense objects.As the previous thought ceases, the next thought arises.What arose has now ceased; none of the thoughts abide.All this is impermanent.Thus all thoughts cease and are impermanent.
As we encounter the external realm of physical existence, we develop attachments and greed, anger and delusion arise in our minds.Thus, the Five Aggregates are functioning all at the same time.We connect with external conditions, then store them in our minds.Thus all the thoughts arise at the same time.
“As the previous thought ceases, the next thought arises.”
Thought after thought follows each other.Because of this, we cannot focus our minds.Thus, thoughts do not remain in our minds; none of our thoughts abide.This is what we call impermanence.
Our minds is impermanent, and our body unceasingly undergoes the changes of the aggregate of action.Our every thought will disintegrate.The same supplies to our surroundings, to everything in the form realm.Not only are the thoughts in our minds impermanent, our external conditions are impermanent as well.
Our minds keeps reaching out; this is the way our lives work.Thus, if we do not understand principles, we will just be attached to their appearances with really mindfully internalizing them.The microcosms of our bodies are all gathered in the macrocosm of the world.The macrocosm is analogous to the Three Realms, the desire realm, form realm and formless realm.
If we examine these realms on a smaller scale, we can find them in the workings of our mind; they are our desires and the [forms] in the external conditions we connect to.Apart from our external conditions, there are the intangible afflictions that arise from our thinking.Delusions and ignorance are constantly going into effect in our minds.This is formless.
However, the aggregate of action in our minds is also found in the four elements and the four forms of birth.The four elements are earth, water, fire and air.The four forms of birth are egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born.Every single sentient being is inseparable from the [Five] Aggregates.
So, all at once, throughout the area“ means that the Five Aggregates are very pervasive.In this world, whether something is tangible or formless, it cannot escape the influence of these aggregates, of the aggregate of action.Once afflictions are created, suddenly a fire appears out of nowhere.
These afflictions did not originally exist; there was nothing there.
But once we encounter external conditions, afflictions suddenly arise.
All at once, throughout the area, a fire broke out, setting the house ablaze:This is like when ignorance suddenly arises and causes an intense fire.It also means the flames of the Five Turbidities and Eight Sufferings pervade the four elements and four kinds of beings.Thus it is said that all at once, throughout the area, a fire broke out, setting the house ablaze.This is explaining what causes an intense fire.
“A fire broke out, setting the house ablaze”. A fire breaking out is also an analogy for how ignorance can suddenly arise and cause an intense fire. When ignorance arises, this is how it is ignited. These flames will be very intense and will spread very quickly. This is also an analogy for the flames of the Five Turbidities and Eight Sufferings.
Everyone should know the Five Turbidities. The Five Turbidities are the “turbidity of view, turbidity of sentient beings, turbidity of affliction, the turbidity of life and the kalpa of turbidity”. There are the Five Turbidities.
Then there are the Eight Sufferings. The Eight Sufferings are “birth, aging, illness, death, parting with those we love, meeting those we hate, not getting what we want and the raging Five Aggregates”.
Once we learn about the Eight Sufferings, we must promptly and mindfully [understand them]. Life is inseparable from these sufferings. Birth, aging, illness and death are part of the natural course of life in this evil world of Five Turbidities. The collective karma of sentient beings has caused this space, this macrocosm, to suffer an imbalance of the four elements. We have been born into this era of Dharma-degeneration. Facing these kinds of conditions, we still continue to reproduce our afflictions.
Birth, aging, illness and death already cause unbearable suffering. Then we add “parting with those we love”. Why can’t we be with the people we love? How can a loved one we were so intimate with turn on us and now be so close with someone else? This is parting with those we love. From love comes hate, and we suffer when we meet those we hate. Our afflictive emotions can drag us down and trap us so we never escape. Parting with those we love, meeting those we hate and not getting what we want [cause suffering]. With everything that we want, when we cannot get what we want, that also causes suffering!
How much do we want to have in life? This desire is endless. Think about it, doesn’t this add to our suffering? This is suffering upon suffering, on top of the suffering of birth, aging, illness and death. This countless suffering feeds into the suffering of the raging Five Aggregates. Form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness press on us like a raging fire. This is why we should be mindful and always remind ourselves to be vigilant. Everything within the four elements and the four forms of birth is encompassed by the Five Aggregates.
“All at once, throughout the area, a fire broke out, setting the house ablaze”. These objects are used as analogies for our body, mind and external conditions. Though these analogies, we should be able to realize that we must promptly take the Dharma to heart and always remind everyone to be vigilant. Right now, nothing is more important than taking in the Dharma. The Dharma must be a part of our daily living. If the Dharma is part of our lives, we will be Living Bodhisattvas. Only then can we turn the Dharma-wheel amongst the people to relieve them of their suffering and help their hearts be purified of afflictions.
So, “A fire broke out, setting the house ablaze”. Let me explain this one more time. “Broke out” means it happened suddenly.
A fire broke out, setting the house ablaze: This fire breaks out suddenly, for no reason. Like a fire that breaks out and starts to burn, this suffering did not originally exist. Because of ignorance we create much karma and thus face boundless suffering. Here, fire is a metaphor for afflictions.
[Afflictions] did not originally exist. Originally, everyone is inherently good.Everyone has an intrinsic nature of True Suchness that is free of afflictions. When and why did we start having them? We do not know; they arose like this and continued to multiply. We have reproduced so many that we are now in the era of Dharma-degenation and Five Turbidities. Here on earth, there are billions of people. There are seven billion people, and for many, their mindset has already gone off track. Once they have gone astray, they no longer behave properly. So, this fire breaks out for no reason.
Right now, in this world, we have amassed so many afflictions. This is analogous to a fire that breaks out and sets things ablaze. This [world], the Three Realms, is like a house on fire. The Three Realms is a burning house because each of our afflictions is like a spark. Everyone’s minds have afflictions in them. Where there are afflictions, there is fire.
Within the mind of every ordinary person there is a fuse that leads to the sparks that ignite this fire. Therefore, we must be careful to not allow our fire of ignorance to become a fuse that causes the Three Realms to ignite. That would create very severe karma. “This suffering did not originally exist.”
Originally, in this world, the laws of nature are very straightforward. Yet in response we stir up so much ignorance, create so much karma and face endless suffering. When we cause others suffering, we are actually suffering ourselves. So, we must help others out of love. We must give out of love and benefit everyone. We must do good deeds, create blessings and form good karmic connections. If we can do this, when everyone is blessed, we will be too. If everyone has a good affinity with us, we will have a good affinity with everyone. If this is the case, won’t we all feel peaceful and at ease?
But instead, in everyone’s heart there are always these sparks fire. Fire is an analogy for afflictions. Afflictions are like fire.
Setting the house ablaze: this is like how afflictions intensify the Fire Aggregates, and how the Fire Aggregates in turn give rise to more afflictions. These two mutually cause the others’ existence, causing this body of the Five Aggregates to become impure, so we do not understand suffering, emptiness, impermanence or no-self.
Fire is an analogy for afflictions. This kind of fire can destroy everything, not just houses. This means our afflictions keep growing as we unceasingly reproduce them. This is [the working of] the Five Aggregates, form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness. Amidst “form” we develop greed, try to grasp things and so on. This is the influence of the Five Aggregates.
So, “Then the Five Aggregates.” They are reproduced. I keep talking about reproducing afflictions. This happens because, in addition to the ignorance we already have in our minds, our external conditions cause us to give rise to afflictions and greed. When we are greedy, our ignorance will lead us to take action to grasp the objects of our desires. The act of grasping creates karma. The karma we create then gives rise to ignorance. Originally, we had a pure Tathagata-nature. But because of ignorance and the Five Aggregates, we became attached to external conditions and these sense objects we connected with. Then we physically took action and create karma. This cycle continues without end, so we became impure.
Not only is our body impure, our mind is a well. Everything is mixed up, so we are unable to understand suffering, emptiness impermanence or no-self. If we could understand these principles, naturally we would know that life is suffering. Then we would not create more suffering in the midst of suffering.
So, we should first understand. The truth of suffering. If we do not understand the truth of suffering, we will keep fighting over things, accumulating many afflictions and. This is because we still do not understand that ultimately, everything in the world is empty. Even if we triumph and have many possession our side, eventually, a day will come when we have nothing left, just two empty hands. So, what are we taking issue over? In the end, can we hold on to anything?
Life is so impermanent, why take issue over anything? So, I hope that everyone can truly understand that delusion is the source of ignorance, and ignorance is [smoke] from the fires of delusion. The fire of delusion surrounds us with smoke and flames. Moreover, delusion means lack of understanding, meaning we do not understand all Dharma. Isn’t because of this lack of understanding that we become deluded and thus accumulate much ignorance? We must develop our wisdom-life. We cannot waste any time.
Thus, it says, “A fire broke out.” This fire is about to break out, and the fire of ignorance arises very suddenly. Once the fire intensifies, it cannot be controlled. So, everyone must be constantly vigilant. We cannot deviate from the Dharma for a second. Our every thought must be immersed in Dharma, and we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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