Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Canines as an Analogy for People’s Minds (群狗譬喻觀人心)
Date:August.04. 2015
“Everything in the world is impermanent, and we should contemplate impurity. Due to ignorance, we cannot awaken; this is likened to a black-shelled beetle. When our thinking becomes lost, we take the wrong fork. Noble beings see the Three Realms as impure and thus have compassion.”
As I have said, everything in this world is in fact impermanent. From ancient times until now, among those who have lived, how many can actually be considered to have had long lives? In terms of material things in this world buildings can last for a long time. For how long? How many places are still standing after 1000 years? So, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we should be mindful and meticulous and carefully contemplate. What is the meaning of our lives? We must earnestly and quietly contemplate this. Furthermore, sentient beings create karma, especially severely negative karma. Our minds are scattered and we cannot focus them, so we create karma out of ignorance and delusion. Because we cannot rein in our minds, we cannot realize how “The world is impermanent.” Since we have the karmic conditions to be born human and listen to the Buddha-Dharma, we must continue to refocus our minds and earnestly think about this.
“We should contemplate impurity.” How do we control our desires? To address wealth and personal gain, all we have to do is think, “Everything in the world is impermanent; why take issue over anything?” To address the desire for sensual pleasures, we can “contemplate the body as impure.” The human body is very unclean. How long will we actually live? In this lifetime, why should we let our desire for intimacy lead us to create afflictive emotions? How can we eliminate our scattered thoughts and afflictions? By reining in our minds. All we need is to recall the opening phrases, “Everything in the world is impermanent; we should contemplate impurity.” From this we should be able to realize that there is no need to fight or be attached.
“Due to ignorance, we cannot awaken.” Because we cling to our desire for wealth, we cannot awaken from our state of ignorance. This is analogous to being a black-shelled beetle. They live out their lives in excrement. They are very small and weak, and they physically live in such an environment. Aren’t people living in delusion just like them? Humans are truly insignificantly small, but we claim to be so great, to be on top of the world. We continually take advantage of the weak; we continually destroy things and fight others. Even if we obtain things, how long can we actually possess them? This greed and attachment arises from a state of ignorance. Aren’t we all living in such a state?
“Due to ignorance, we cannot awaken; this is likened to a black-shelled beetle.” This happens when “Our thinking becomes lost.” Our minds are all mixed-up; ordinary people are ignorant and confused, so we create karma. This happens because we are lost. As we engage in spiritual practice, we always talk about precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.
Samadhi is a meditative state. To cultivate Samadhi and meditation, we must “cultivate contemplation.” But we have lost our constant contemplation of how we can gather our minds into a tranquil and still state. More often, we are lost. If we are lost in desires, the pursuit of wealth or personal affections, then we will easily “take the wrong fork” and fall [into a lower realm].
So, noble beings see the Three, Realms as impure.Thus all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have compassion for us.We seem to be saying the same things every day.However, how often do each of us think about these concepts?
The previous sutra passage states, “Jackals and foxes chewed, trampled, sucked and gnawed on corpses, whose bones and flesh were scattered about.”
We keep fighting and fighting, until ultimately, what do we end up with?Things scattered about.
The next sutra passages continues on to describe, “This pack of canines battled to seize small bits. Emaciated by hunger and maddened by fear. They clashed and fought, grabbed and pulled, growling and barking at each other. This house was terrifying, having come to look like this.”
See, when in a pack canines will fight with and harass each other.In fact, canine is a general term.In the family candidate there are many animals.Animals described by the family “canidae” include all the canines.But there are many different species of canines.
Some dogs can be trained to quad the door.
Some can be trained to quid the blind.Since they are dogs, they have an acute sense of smell and hearing, so they can be trained to use that.They are also very clever.
Out of cleverness arises arrogance.People say “the dog steps on horse feces and exaggerates his status”.This is an old saving in Taiwanese.
Dogs can assess situations so they are very clever.If their owners are well-known, wealthy and powerful, they will take advantage of their status.Even dogs do this.
So, “This pack of canines battled to seize small bits.”Canines also possess the tendency of arrogance.Among the five chronic afflictions of greed anger, ignorance arrogance, and doubt, canines are categorized under the chronic affliction of “arrogance”.
The family canidae includes many different species.Their sense of smell and hearing is sharp, and they can be trained.With their intelligence, they become arrogant.A pack of canines fight to seize small bits so they are an analogy for the seven kinds of pride.
We humans are like these canines.The ignorance of self-arrogance drives us.Therefore we take all kinds of physical actions.So, [dogs] “rely on the power of humans, and having great strength, they forcefully seize and take from [ones] with no strength”.
Canines also use their greater strength to seize and take from those with less strength.So, “The pack of canines seize small bits.”
Some people are the same.The bigger overwhelm the smaller the strong take advantage of the weak and so on.In this way people and canines are similar; they both have this kind of nature.
Also.“They dig and search with two feet, defending what they have found.”When dogs take possession of something they will place all four feet on top of it.After holding down what they want with two of their feet they will still continue to dig and root around.
Similarly, when we humans search for something we can go wild.“Where is the thing I’m looking for?”We dive in head first digging through and looking for that thing.Dogs do this too.
Therefore, their bodies and minds are strongly driven by the “delusion of arrogance” so they are conceited and arrogant and always want to claim things for themselves.If their minds never stop moving, neither will their bodies.Their bodies and minds are so forceful and busy, but for the sake of what?
Pack of canines:
Just as the delusions of arrogance drive people’s thoughts and actions, dogs rely on the power of humans, and having great strength, they forcefully seize and take from ones with no strength.They dig and search with two feet, defending what they have found.Thus they battle to seize small bits.
The next part states, “Emaciated by hunger and maddened by fear, they dashed about seeking food everywhere.”Those with strength fight each other.
What about those without strength?Their insatiable greed is “hunger”.Among humans, some are always greedy.Although they have enough to live on, they still feel that they do not have enough.Being unable to quench desires is being “emaciated”.
In this verse, “emaciated” means to be very thin. They feel malnourished and are always hungry and scrawny. Never being able to quench their desires, they are like those who never feel well-nourished. So, with various methods, people pursue their own personal gains. They keep thinking that what they have attained is still not enough.
So, all their lives they are hateful and angry and keep creating problems for themselves. They bring worries and anger on themselves. If they cannot complete the deal they want, they hate that they could not make it happen. So, this kind of person truly has “ignorance [that] is like madness”. This is ‘maddened by fear”.
We keep currying favor and fighting for more. Limitless greed is like being “emaciated by hunger and maddened by fear. Those who are greedy may be rich but feel poor and follow objects of the five desires everywhere”
“Insatiable greed is called hunger. Being unable to quench desires is being emaciated. With various methods, people pursue their own personal gain, bringing on hatred and anger. This ignorance is like madness; thus it says they are maddened by fear. Those who are greedy may be rich but feel poor and follow objects of the five desires everywhere.
Some seem to be very rich, with many possessions, [but their state of mind] is not much different from that of the poor. So, I often talk about the similarities between greed and poverty. Thus, those who are rich may feel poor. People like this never feel they have enough so they pursue their objects of desire everywhere. In this world, amidst the sense objects of form, sound, smell, taste and touch, their greed for the objects of desire is endless. This is what people are like.
“Emaciated by hunger” is to be starving and weak, like being unable to get spiritual nourishment. “Maddened by fear” means they have a terrified and frightened appearance that comes from not severing the root of doubt.
We may have yet attained the Dharma. If we have attained the Dharma, we will be content, grateful, understanding and accommodating. Isn’t such a life one of great wealth? People who are not able to feel content have not tapped into their Dharma-nature. They have not taken the Dharma to heart, so they have not awakened their pure nature. Their wisdom-life is still parched because they lack the nourishment of Dharma-water. This is similar to being emaciated by hunger.
“Maddened by fear” means they have a terrified and frightened appearance that comes from not severing the root of doubt. If they do not take the Dharma to heart, they will be fearful; they fear losing their fame and wealth to others. People like this are constantly frightened. This is because they have not taken the Dharma to heart.
Because they have doubts, they wonder if people are friendly to them because of some ulterior motive. People with this kind of doubt can never make any close friends. They are fearful and suspicious, because they have not taken the Dharma to heart. When they act out of fear, they will not do things in the right way. This makes life hard for them. “They clashed and fought, grabbed and pulled”. People fight like this. Ordinary people secretly and openly fight over recognition and personal gain, or clash for the sake of the same. Perhaps people fight because of differences in their understanding of teachings and principles. Why is this argument necessary? Principles have always been principles. What is there to argue over? People fight over worldly recognition and gain and argue over what is right or wrong regarding principles of faith. What is the use of all this? We must elevate our own wisdom and, once we know the direction to follow, we should just stay on that course.
When it comes to the right thing to do, we should just do it. What is there to argue over and fight about? All of that is really unnecessary. But, “They clashed and fought”. In the last 100 years, this has led to so much sorrow and suffering. People fight openly and clashed secretly. They advance forward to seize or right openly and secretly in all dealings. They mutually hold each other back, so major conflicts will endlessly arise and lead to endless clashes. Then when will this world be at peace? With all this fighting and clashing, when will it finally be over? [This depends on] people’s minds.
They clash and fight: Ordinary people secretly and openly fight over recognition or personal gain, or clashed for the sake of the same. Or they may fight because of differences in understanding of the teachings and principles. They advance forward to seize and fight openly and secretly in all dealings. They hold each other back; these are all forms of clashing and fighting.
Fighting and clashing are like “growing and barking at each other.This house was terrifying
having come to look this.” “Growing” is what canines do when they fight. A pack of canines will fight over food or over a pile of flesh and bones. When they fight, as they hold what they seized under their paws, they try to lay claim to other things. They feel “This belongs to me, don’t you dare.” So, they open their mouths to reveal their teeth.
Can you imagine what this looks like?
Growling: Opening one’s mouth to reveal teeth. This is an attitude of arrogance. Biting something and fighting for it is growling. Losing something and crying out is barking. These are the sounds of angry fighting.
Canines lay claim to things and are reluctant to let go. When they see that something they want is about to be taken away, they seize it in their mouths and pull back their lips to reveal all their teeth. When they bare their teeth after biting down on something, they appear to be very fierce. If we see canines fighting, this is what they look like. If this is what canines fighting look like, what does it look like when people are fighting?
They look arrogant and self-important. Fighting like this is like “growling.” They want ownership of all things and want to win on principle. They want both recognition and personal gain. This situation is called “growling and barking.” The way people shout and curse at each other is like how dogs bark at each other. This is like “growling and barking.” “Losing something and crying out” is called “barking.” They try to lay claim to something. If they cannot claim what they want, they get very loud.
We humans do the same thing when we shout and curse at each other. We not only shout and curse when we fight, some people, out of ignorance, often yell at other people.
So, a pack of canines is an analogy for “the afflictions of doubt.”
When people cannot tell right from wrong in matters and principles, that induces five types of chronic afflictions, greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt.
There is arrogance in all these afflictions in greed, there is arrogance in anger, there is also arrogance in ignorance, there is also arrogance. Even in arrogance, there is more arrogance Doubt also contains arrogance. These chronic agents of action contain many afflictions.
Out of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, we clash and fight. “We also argue over right and wrong, so. We grab and pull.” “Debating” who is right and wrong and so on is “growling and barking.” These are the five chronic afflictions.
When a pack of canines battle to seize things, these canines all gather around and tug back and forth to take things from each other. This is a very sad way of living.
The pack of canines battling is called clashing. Their barking at each other is fighting. Going forward to seize is grabbing. Tugging back and forth is called pulling. These are all forms of conflict. Biting something and fighting for it is growing. Losing something and crying out is barking. These are the sounds of fighting.
So, when it comes to sentient beings, humans are just like other sentient beings. We are all animals. There are many species of canines, but there are many more species of animals.
All animals have special characteristics. But human [characteristics] include all the animal characteristics. We have all these tendencies within us.
So, the behaviors of animals can all be found in the human mentality. In summary, we must understand the principles and be able to distinguish right from wrong. “Everything in the world is impermanent, we should contemplate impurity.” In this way we can naturally tame our ignorance. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
