Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: We Foolishly Dally, Believing This is Joyful (貪迷癡闇耽著為樂)
Date:June.17. 2015
“In the realm of myriad sentient beings, the suffering is as vast as a sea. Due to greed and confusion, we become deluded, create karma and suffer consequences. In a condition of ignorance, we are unaware and do not recognize this as suffering. We foolishly dally, believing this is joyful.”
Life! For the myriad of sentient beings, the sea of their suffering is boundless. Everyone intrinsically has a pure nature, which is Buddha-nature. But sentient beings have covered it with ignorance. Ignorance is like a sea of suffering. If we are immersed in it, we will never reach the opposite shore and never be able to find the ship of compassion. Thus, we will forever drift about in the sea of ignorance. Indeed, this excessive foolishness of our lives is truly lamentable.
Because of our greed and confusion, we give rise to delusions. When we become deluded, we create karma. These are karmic conditions. Under the conditions of ignorance, we are unaware and are unknowing. Since we are unaware and unknowing, we create much suffering. Our interactions with each other are shaped by the greed in us. Thus when we connect with extent conditions, we endlessly give rise to delusions. With delusions in our minds, we are in a state of darkness.
In our minds, we constantly and easily give rise to ignorance. So, we are unaware. Being unaware means we are unknowing; we do not know that external conditions are enticing us. We are constantly influenced by them, so we continuously reproduce the causes of suffering. Then of course we face negative consequences. But, do we understand this or not? We do not yet understand. So, we are completely unknowing. This lack of knowledge leads to foolishness. Because our minds are foolish, we linger on and cling to attachments.
With attachments, we mistakenly believe all causes and conditions to be joyful. In this world, starting from examining ourselves, then expanding to the family, then the society, eventually looking at all humans in the world, we can see this greed, ignorance and foolishness; they are everywhere. This is why there is no peace in the Three Realms, like a burning house with fire on all sides. In this world, sentient beings create karma collectively. This is how things work. It starts with each of us with the spiritual home in our minds. When desire arises in the mind, that is ignorance. As external conditions continue to entice us, we are unable to stop giving rise to desires, thus we endlessly produce afflictions. This ignorance in our minds prevents us from being at peace, so naturally we create karma with our actions.
You are creating karma, he is creating karma and I am also creating karma. When all of us together create karma, think about it, doesn’t this cause a lack of peace in the world? We have been creating collective karma, which has been accumulating for a long time, from countless eons in the past up to the present.
So, floods, earthquakes, fires, storms, with every major disaster that strikes the planet, the ripples affect people, not a small number of the people, but most of them. This is the collective karma of sentient beings. Sentient beings share this collective karma because everyone has a burning house in their minds, and this house keeps burning without end.
Yesterday, we mentioned how the house keeps burning and keeps roasting us.This is how the state of our minds affects the world around us.
The imbalance of the four elements first manifests in the microcosm of our minds.With this [imbalance], this burning house in our minds, we entangle and bind each other; this impacts the macrocosm of the world.
So, the sutra text from yesterday talked about the sufferings of beings in hell, of animals and hungry ghosts.
These beings have constantly created karma in the macrocosm of the world.So living in this world, they suffer as if they are in hell.In particular, as humans, we have insatiable greed.Our greed is boundless.
Because of this, we are like hungry ghosts and can never be satisfied.[Having one,] we always want nine more.After acquiring so much, in the end, we must flee our debts.
Life is impermanent.On our last day, when we leave this life, we may have built up a big enterprise, but we will have to repay our debts in a subsequent lifetime, because we have harmed the macrocosm and damaged microcosms as well.Think about it; with this insatiable greed, we will always suffer from poverty and hardship.
In the future, as we interact with other people, we will suffer from parting with those we love and meeting those we hate, etc.This truly leads to unbearable suffering.Our suffering is what we have created ourselves.
[We] then face the suffering of the hell, animal and hungry ghost realms.If we ascend to the heaven realm or remain in the human realm, we face the suffering of poverty and hardship, the suffering of parting with those we love, and the suffering of meeting those we hate.
The following sutra passage states, “Amidst all these various sufferings, sentient beings are immersed completely, playing happily, not aware, not understanding not alert, not afraid.”
Indeed, this is how we live our lives.We are so foolish and deluded.If all we do is listen to the teachings, they seem to have nothing to do with us.Everyone, we must be mindful!
Every single word and sentence has everything to do with us.If we are not vigilant, nothing seems to have anything to do with us.If we are alert and aware, we will contemplate everything meticulously.Then how could we say that the suffering in the world has nothing to do with us?
Hell and the Three Evil Realms are different from heaven but once we deplete our heavenly blessings, we will fall back to eh human realm.In the human realm, if we create much karma, we will continue to degenerate.That means we end up in hell.The Three Evil Realms are the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms.There is great suffering in these realms.
This kind of painful retribution is unbearable suffering.
If we want to be vigilant, we should have a sense of fear.We need to be fearful; we need to be afraid of [ending up in that state].
Amidst all these various sufferings:
Hell and the rest of the Three Evil Realms are basically retributions of extreme suffering.
We should be afraid of them, but because we do not believe in the law of karma, we are not alert or afraid.
The Buddha-Dharma is in the human realm.The principles explained by the Buddha-Dharma are the law of karma.Why don’t we believe this?If we believe in the law of karma, naturally we know we may end up as a being in one of the Five Destinies.So, we must constantly be vigilant as we engage in spiritual practice and must heighten our vigilance.We must not be enticed by all kinds of temptations as we interact with others or allow ourselves to create these karmic consequences.This is what we should be vigilant of.
However, we may not have a deep Root of Faith so we do not believe in the profound karmic law of cause and effect.This is why we are neither alert nor afraid .
People think that they are now enjoying a pretty good life, so why would they need to believe in the Buddha’s teachings? Why should they listen to the teachings?Why should they give up their comforts?
“If I have liquor today, I will get drunk today.”Since they are happy and content right now, isn’t that good enough?
Even though they have the blessing to be born in heaven, once that lifetime of pleasure ends, they will fall [into a lower realm].If they are born in the human realm, they may continue to create karma out of delusion.
“Even with the blessings to be born in heaven, when that joy and lifespan are depleted, we still fall. In the human realm, when our blessings run out, we face retributions of poverty, hardship and other sufferings. This is the accumulation of much suffering. We should reflect on and repent this accumulated karma and give rise to a sense of renunciation. But due to confusion, we remain attached”.
In the human realm, we face many retributions. Some face the retribution of poverty and hardship. Many end up in families that do not get along. They often part from those they love, meet those they hate, etc. there are many various kinds of suffering. We must reflect on ourselves right away; how did our life end up this way? If we understand, we should then repent the karma we have created.
In our daily living, we are constantly becoming deluded and creating karma. Whether on the afflictions that arise in our minds or on our actions and so on, we must earnestly reflect on ourselves. We should reflect on why we are engaging in spiritual practice. To engage in spiritual practice, we must be following a path. Are we walking on that path properly? Are we doing a good job of cultivating our body and mind? If our mind gives rise to improper thoughts, we must repent. If our body does improper things, we must also repent.
With every action we take, every word we speak, every thought and so on, we are endlessly accumulating karma. We have amassed so much karma. If we repent, we easily give rise to a sense of renunciation. We naturally will not create more karma and will stop accumulating it. If we avoid accumulating karma, our minds will become more clear and our ignorance will gradually dissolve. Then naturally, we will understand. We must give rise to a sense of renunciation and renounce our ignorance and afflictions, renounce becoming deluded and creating karma. This is the only way to stop being confused. But, not only are we not vigilant or repentant, not only do we not renounce [our delusions], we instead remain deluded and linger here.
Myriads of sentient beings are likewise immersed in the sea of suffering. Though they listen to the teachings, they cannot faithfully accept them and put them into practice.
Sentient beings are immersed completely, because they are “playing happily”. This is their greed and delusion. With greed comes delusion and confusion, so they treat suffering as joy and remain immersed in it; although they are actually suffering, they treat it as joy.
The human realm is filled with conflicts. So, they are “unaware, unknowing, not alert, not afraid”. This is ignorance. Because of our ignorance, we are unaware. This leads to deviant conduct.
“Because of our ignorance, we are unaware. This leads to deviant conduct. These Three [Evil Realms] exist amidst the true principles. Foolishness, delusion, ignorance, confusion are also called poisons.”
People do what they are not supposed to do. There is a safe and stable path, but they deliberately do not follow it. This is how a slight deviation leads us very far off course. With deviated understanding, views and conduct, just the slightest difference has already taken us far astray. This is how we live our lives. The Three Evil Realms exist amidst true principles. Because we are unaware of these truths, we engage in deviant conduct and end up in the Three Evil Realms. Though we are surrounded by many principles, we still remain foolish and deluded. This is called poison. Greed, anger and ignorance are indeed poisons. We may understand the principles, but refuse to apply them. After a single thought deviates, it can cause our entire mind to deviate. We clearly understood the principles, but once our mind deviates, we become foolish, deluded, ignorant, confused. When we deliberately commit a violation, that is a truly poisonous act. This does great harm to other people and to our world-transcending benevolence.
These three poisons of greed, anger and ignorance can obstruct us and prevent us from walking the path to goodness. Take the Philippines as an example. Right now they are facing a major disaster, so we are encouraging everyone to contribute to helping them. Many people are able to help or are wealthy, but they are not willing to give.
In contrast, consider that is Africa, many people in the countries of South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, etc., in order to help the people in the Philippines, were willing to donate the few coins that they have. They also went on the streets to collect donations. Even though they themselves were poor, they did everything they could. Even single drop of water flowed together, creating an ocean of merits, and virtues. Often people without money are willing to give while people who are rich are reluctant to do so. This insatiable greed is delusion. This harms our world-transcending benevolence. Clearly, we can do [good deeds]. But because we cannot dissolve the Three Poisons in our heart, we cannot free ourselves of them, and thus we lose our resolve to do good. Once we lose this wholesome resolve,we will be unable to give to others.If we cannot do good deeds in this world,how can we possibly transcend the world?[To leave] the buring house of Three Realms,our body and mind must be pure.
To avoid creating bad karma with our body,our mind must be free of discursive thoughts.By giving rise to compassion,we will constanly give to others.Then we will have a pure mind.This is the only way to transcend the world.Giving to others without expectations is something we must practice.
We must constantly train ourselves to develop this mindset.
When sentient being are deluded and go astray,we harm our world-transcending benevolence.Because we are not aware,we do not understand and are not alert or afraid.
There are many kinds of suffering in life,like “the suffering of suffering, the suffering of decay and the suffering of action.” The first is“the suffering of suffering.” This is all the obvious suffering we face as human or in the Three Evil Realms.
We may see a lot of suffering in life.We cannot see hell,but we see people who seem to be living in hell.The suffering in hell is even worse.
Next is “the suffering of decay.” We may be very happy,but we know that from extreme pleasure comes sorrow.Most of time,we creat karma while we are happy.
The suffering of decay：
It is also called the suffering of joy.For example,the heavenly blessings and joy that are experienced by heavenly being will decay once that karma is depleted,and ultimately they return to suffering.
As heavenly being experience the joy of heavenly blessings,they are depleting their blessing.Although they have created the blessings to be born in the heaven realm,they cannot cultivate virtuous deeds in
heaven.So while there,they are enjoying themselve,but when their heavenly blessings are depleted and that life ends,they will fall into realm abain.This is “the suffering of decay.”
After positive retribution come to an end,naturally there will be decay which bring us to the human or the Three Evil Realms.We keep degenerating,level by level.
The third is “the suffering of action.” The suffering of action erfers to the way that all flawed phenomena “flow through the four states of existence and are never safe or stable.”This is called “the suffering of action.”
I constantly talk about how we are not aware of the aggregate of action.This infinitesimal changes are very subtle,so we are not aware of them.The four seasons are cycling;we humans go through birth,aging,illness and death.From childhood to adulthood our body constantly changes and deteriorates,though this happens whithout our awarness.As we engage in spiritual pratice amidst flawed phenomena,whithout realizing it we let the Dharma leak away.As we creat karma though arise and stir unnoticed.As these thoughts arise,krma continues to accumlate.This is because when we cultivate Precepts,Samadhi and wisdom,we do not earnestly maintain them.
Day and night,our precious human from continues to go through the four states of existence .We constantly experience loss.Second after second files by,so things are “never safe or stable.” This is“the suffering of action.”
Because of this,we know there are many hardships and much suffering in this world.In the middle of this,sentient beings treat their lives as pleasurable and happy.So,they are unafraid,unknowing and are not alert or afraid.
Are we ourselves being vigilant of this？This is why we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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