Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: All Things Are Created Only by the Mind (萬法唯心惑業轉)
Date:August.05. 2015
“All things are created only by the mind, which gives rise to deluded karma. Those with strength take from those without. The wealth, recognition, profit, authority and power that they desire and pursue, even if obtained, will never bring contentment.”
“All things are created only by the mind.” If our minds are oriented toward goodness, everything will be good. But if our minds are oriented toward evil, if we deviate towards evil, that slight deviation can lead us far off course. Once we give rise to a thought of evil, we will begin to create much karma. The more karma we create, the more deluded we become. By making mistake after mistake, we continue down the wrong path.
“Deluded” refers to the state of ignorance and afflictions we are in, and “karma” is what we create in that state. Once we create karma out of ignorance and afflictions, we keep going and find it hard to turn back. This is the cause of suffering in our lives, the reason that in this life, we are lost and cannot return to our nature of True Suchness. This is all created by our minds. If we cannot turn back, what will happen? “Those with strength take from those without”. In international news, we see so many reports of [people] “giving rise to deluded karma” and of “those with strength taking from those without.” On a smaller scale, all of us get into conflicts for similar reasons. We go through each day, “working at sunrise, then resting at sunset.” This way of living slowly turns into a routine. Some feel that this kind of life is too ordinary, so they are determined to do something [greater], like making big business deals, etc. Then, as they develop more experience and establish their direction, they gradually grow from ordinary people into those who are more well-known, then into major figures. To achieve this, they fight with others and take from them. So, we must not underestimate anyone.
When a seemingly ordinary person expands his ambition and scope, he can achieve great power and influence; this begins with thoughts of greed and desire. Greed for wealth and material possessions is inseparable from recognition, profit, authority and power. People are greedy for all of these things. Desire for these few things alone can cause great havoc in the world. Desire for these few things can disrupt the peace of society. The minds of human beings were originally very simple and straightforward, yet we create so many complications for ourselves.
We never stop in our desires and pursuits, so we never feel content. But, with goodness in our minds, we will understand how, as we are born into this world, we need the earth’s material resources to live. Because these resources sustain us, we should try to give back to the world. This is how we nurture thoughts of goodness.
Since the world nurtures our body, we must nurture thoughts of goodness. This is a cycle of goodness. These past few days we have discussed the ways animals live and the ways humans think.
The previous sutra text states, “This pack of canines battled to seize small bits. Emaciated by hunger and maddened by fear, they dashed about seeking food everywhere. They clashed and fought, grabbed and pulled, growling and barking at each other. This house was terrifying, having come to look like this.”
There are people whose lives are very similar to that of animals. When we see humans interact with each other, sometimes we see the strong bully the weak, or the strong fight the strong, or people fighting openly and plotting secretly.
Isn’t this how humans life?Some are relentless when they are in the right, while others keep fighting even if they are in the wrong.After fighting and getting what they want, people may still feel unsatisfied.
Therefore, the Buddha felt very sad for us.Are our lives really that sad?Actually, we can all listen to the Buddha-Dharma, understand the principles and let go of our many negative habitual tendencies and quickly eliminate them.
If we can remain pure in our body and mind, we can also walk the Bodhisattva-path; we can love others and be loved by them.We can do all these things.
So, by turning around our state of mind, we can reach a different state.I believe I have told this short story before.
A dog happened to run into a room.This room bad mirrors on all four walls.When the dog ran inside the room, he was surprised to see so many other dogs there, and he became afraid.
Upon seeing the other dogs he began barking at them.
When he barked at them, they barked back.
When he made any sound, he saw them make the same sounds in return.Then became more and more panicked, so he wanted to show them be was dominant and ready for a fight.The other dogs all showed the same expression, as if they were ready to attack from all sides.
In that room, he felt surrounded by enemies, so he kept turning around and around, ready to fight the dogs on this side and that.He turned and turned until he became exhausted.
Finally, he was so worn out he could not breathe, so he died.Isn’t this what our life can feel like?Where did those dogs come from?
It was that dog himself who ran into the room and became aggressive, so the dogs on all sides became aggressive too.
Did those other dogs exist or not?No, they were never really there.However, the dog kept fighting with these non-existent dogs.In the end, he was also left with nothing, not even his life.
Isn’t this how people are?No matter how much authority people have or how they exercise it, what are they actually left with in the end?
Our lives end after we take our last breath.What do we bring with us?We bring karma with us.
Isn’t this the same for both humans and animals?
What is sad is when people’s states of mind contain the natural tendencies of animals.
These animal tendencies can all be found in people’s minds.
The next passage of sutra text states, “All around there were goblins and monsters yaksas and evil ghosts, eating human flesh. There were all kinds of harmful insects, evil birds and beasts.”
These are also analogies.These are ghosts, monsters and so on.In the world, there are many living things that we can see; birds, animals, harmful insects and so on.We can see the way that they live.There are also creatures that we cannot see, “goblins and monsters”.
They are analogies for the afflictions of deviant views, which are things that we cannot see.
All around there were goblins and monsters:
This is an analogy for the afflictions of deviant views.
Legends say the spirits who live in mountains and rivers are called goblins.Those who live in rocks and trees are called monsters.They are all spirits, invisibles, yet they seem to exist.
Goblins and monsters are in legends passed down from the ancients.Evil spirits in the mountains and rivers are called “goblins”.
People in tempest made up stories about the spirits in the rocks and trees or about how the animals that live there, like foxes and so on, would turn into spirits.All this is described in ancient texts, which speak of strange and odd things, such as demons, ghosts, monsters and so on.
Actually, the worst demons, ghosts and monsters are inside our minds.Actually, outside of our minds, all these things are only mentioned in ancient legends; we cannot see them.People would talk about monsters who “who live in rocks and trees”.
These are spirits in the rocks and trees.So, these are goblins and monsters.“Monsters” are
“[spirits] who live in rocks and trees”. These monsters are also spirits. They are invisible yet seem to exist. From what we hear, they seem to exist, and “It is better to believe in them than not”. That is what people used to say.
I always say, “There are spiritual beings above us”. Having spiritual beings above us means that we should be very cautious as we go about our daily living. Though we may not see it, the law of karma still applies. It is because we created those causes in the past that we face these effects now. When things do not go the way we want, we should promptly examine ourselves. We need not consult the spirits. Instead, we should ask ourselves, “Did I plant causes in the past that led to these karmic conditions?” So, when we are facing these karmic retributions, we need to find a way to get through these negative karmic causes and conditions.
We need to develop a mindset that helps us overcome [the effects] of our negative causes. To overcome evil, we must give out of goodness.
In summary, we humans must constantly nurture our thoughts of goodness and avoid being tricked by ghosts [in our minds].
These monsters, these legendary ghosts, like to trick and harm people, delude their minds and lead them to do the wrong things.
Our afflictions arise from our own minds, as do deviant thinking, views and practices. This is like letting goblins and monsters into [our minds]. It is as if we are possessed or hallucinating. If we think the voices we hear are real, we will become consumed and disturbed. This means that originally we made an effort to be good people, but we could not follow through.
Some people say of others, “He did not follow the teachings.” This is what happens to people. These goblins and monsters enjoy tricking people. We humans like to trick other people. If we see someone in a good situation, we may intentionally lead that person astray. When that person foolishly listens to what we say, we enjoy watching them make a mistake or enjoy watching them engage in odd behavior. We are like ghosts that like to trick people and tempt them to go astray and make mistakes. This is how some people are led to become lost. Goblins and monsters enjoy tricking them.
So, these things are all invisible and intangible. They are all in our minds.
“Yaksas and evil ghosts [were] eating human flesh. Yaksas are also called [raksas] or “speedy ghosts”, because they are very fast. They are a kind of evil ghost. Actually, their life is filled with suffering because they depend on sucking human blood and the blood of other animals to live. So, yaksas are also called “Lives-off-other’s-suffering”. Living like this is quite painful.
In fact, yaksas are both visible and invisible, so they are also an analogy for deviant views. Yaksas are evil ghosts that eat flesh and blood; they have the strongest negative karma. This demolishes the paths of goodness to the heaven and human realms.
To cultivate the path to the human realm, we must uphold the Five Precepts. But some people deny the law of cause and effect. They are undisciplined and do not abide by the Five Precepts. To reach the heaven realm, we must practice the Ten Good Deeds. When people deny the law of cause and effect and disturb those who are practicing good deeds, they are like evil ghosts that eat flesh and drink blood. This is an analogy.
“Yaksas and evil ghosts eat human flesh”. They are an analogy for deviant views. These disrupt people doing good deeds and destroy people’s Right Views. This is all analogous to “yaksas and evil ghosts eating human flesh”. These are used as an analogy. Those who disrespect the Three Treasures and deny the law of karma are sentient beings with deviant views.
Moreover, these kinds of ghosts look ferocious; they are creatures with ugly appearances. Their dispositions are vicious, so they are an analogy for deviant ways that demolish the paths of goodness. This kind of evil will destroy goodness. There are many ways to describe their ugliness.
“Evil ghosts drink blood and eat flesh. They have the strongest negative karma. They demolish the paths of goodness to the heaven and human realms. They do not respect the Three Treasures and deny the law of cause and effect. Thus sentient beings with deviant views are likened to creatures with ugly appearances or vicious dispositions.”
Next the sutra mentions, “There were all kinds of harmful insects evil birds and beasts”. Harmful insects damage crops and agriculture. Humans rely on eating crops to live, but then these harmful insects strike.
See, crops that are about to be harvested may suddenly be infected by disease, infested by insects, etc. So, loss of the harvest may also be caused by harmful insects.
Evil birds and beasts and other vicious animals give rise to dangers in our surroundings.These things do actually exist in the world.
For instance, a snake may suddenly emerge. People are afraid when they see the snake. Some snakes are very poisonous. Some snakes are afraid of people. Some spit venom when they see humans. All these kinds of behavior can be seen in this world Human and animals, whether they are poisonous snakes or people, are afraid of each other. They are vicious and treacherous. This is an analogy for human relationships. People oppose each other and fight each other, each one trying to be more vicious than the next. Each country also tries to outdo the next with their arsenal of weapons isn’t this what people do? Humans and animals are the same.
“With venomous and treacherous schemes and stratagems,” humans “all clash and fight with each other.”
There were all kinds of harmful insects, evil birds and beasts: Harmful insects damage crops. Evil beasts create hidden dangers. With venomous and treacherous schemes and stratagems, they all fight and clash with each other.
Animals and insects alike can damage our crops. Besides directly causing damage to humans, they indirectly harm us by damaging what we grow. Humans can likewise directly and indirectly cause harm. We also constantly create hidden hazards in our surroundings. There are many clashes between humans and animals, not to mention between different people in this way, “Deluded karma is accumulated and reproduced beyond calculation.”
We sentient beings are just like this. We create karma out of delusion and ignorance, and after creating it, we reproduce it unendingly with all kinds of vicious acts. “We follow our karma as we come and go in the four forms of birth and the Six Realms.”
Our karma can change our appearance, as we follow our karma through the four forms of birth and the Six Realms. We may be in the human or hungry ghost realm Perhaps we will end up in the hell realm, or perhaps the animal realm. Birds and beasts all have different appearances. It is the karma we create that leads us to come and go through the four forms of birth in the Six Realms. This is all a result of our karma changing our appearance. This is all the effect of karma.
So, the five acute afflictions are in everyone; every person has them View of self, extreme view, stubborn view, view of deviant precepts and so on are the habitual tendencies we have in life. Our deviation from proper beliefs start with nothing other than this body. We also have the five chronic afflictions of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt. They are all in our minds.
So, the five acute and five chronic afflictions are found in everyone.Thus, people do not act completely human. Many do not abide by human morality, which makes them no different from animals.
Deluded karma is accumulated and reproduced beyond calculation. We follow our karma as we come and go through the four forms of birth in the Six Realms Karmic forces can change our original appearance. The five chronic afflictions: All ordinary people have them. When humans do not follow human morality, they are no different from birds and beasts.
In summary, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must be oriented toward the Right Path. We should understand that where we end up in the four forms of birth and the Six Realms depends on our minds.
So, “All things are created by the mind.” All the karma we have arises from our minds and from the actions of our body. Everyone, let us always carefully contemplate everything, and always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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