Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Counteracting Indolence with Diligence (精勤治懈不解勿說)
Date:November.12. 2015
“Indolence: It hinders diligence and increases defilement of the mind. Diligence: It counteracts indolence and allow us to practice all good deeds. Bodhisattvas: Their fundamental practice is going among people and making great vows to deliver sentient beings.”
Indolence hinders our diligence. Not only does it hinder our diligence, it also increases defilement of the mind. Increasing defilement of the mind means we constantly accumulate afflictions; we do not eliminate any afflictions at all. This is what an indolent person is like. If we are unwilling to accept teachings, have no faith in ourselves and do not diligently walk the path, that is because of indolence.
Thus, as spiritual practitioners, whether lay or monastic, we have to be diligent. It is rare to be born human and rare to hear the Buddha-Dharma. Since we have been born human and have listened to the Buddha-Dharma, we must be even more diligent. As long as we are diligent, we can counteract our indolence.
Many of our Tzu Chi volunteers lived in a state of confusion in the past and committed many wrongdoings. But later on, causes and conditions converged, and they came in contact with Tzu Chi. A group of [volunteers] who had diligently taken the Dharma to heart used the Dharma to transform them and guided them to join [Tzu Chi], and with these methods, these people could experience and begin to realize, “I can no longer remain lost and deluded. Life is impermanent, and I see suffering people everywhere. So, if I can help them…” Thus, they began giving to others. “Wow, by giving to others I feel so peaceful. After giving to others, I feel very at ease. Doing this makes me very happy.”
From then on, they started to practice eagerly and diligently. As good deeds were being done, they were there; they did not miss out on doing any good deeds. So, “When it comes to good deeds, we must take part. When it comes to evil deeds, we must not take part at all.” They changed their lives so that they are practicing all good deeds. There are many people like them. This is what we call diligence; these are diligent people.
Being diligent is the cure for indolence. If there were more people in society like them who could express Dharma through their actions, it would not be difficult [for everyone] to practice good deeds.
A Bodhisattva’s fundamental practice is to go among people. When they interact with people, they “transform sentient beings and make great vows.” They vow to earnestly transform sentient beings. As long as we have the will, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish.
Recently, the Taiwan Council of Agriculture gave rice for Tzu Chi to distribute to impoverished countries around the world, so we divided it up and distributed it. We saw Tzu Chi volunteers in so many countries personally distributing this rice from Taiwan into the hands of those who needed it and saw the joy on the faces of the recipients.
One of the countries was the Philippines. On the day of the Buddha Bathing Ceremony, Tzu Chi volunteers there also held a distribution. Thus more than 10,000 families were able to bring rice home. Throughout their neighborhoods, the aroma of rice cooking permeated the air, and everyone was very happy. Among the recipients was one of our volunteers. Her name was on the list, and she had also registered to be a volunteer. She too received a 20-kilo bag of rice. Yet after she had received it, she encountered a couple who, a few months before, had lost their home in a fire and were homeless.
They lived on the side of the road and used broken things and plastic tarps to each a shelter; this was their home. The couple collected recyclables to sell for money. Each time, they made about 20 Philippine pesos. At most they made 30-40 pesos. This was how they survived from day to day.
When this volunteer received her bag of rice, she thought of this couple. So, instead of taking the rice home, she delicered it to this couple. After this [homeless] couple encountered Tzu Chi when they collected recyclables for income, every week they would set aside a portion of one day's worth of recyclables to give to Tzu Chi. Even though they do not even have a coin or two to give, when they collected recyclables, one day a week they give some of that to this volunteer. They said, "You are also doing recycling, so please add these to your pile". This volunteer asked them, "Why don't you sell these youself?" They said, "This is only a small portion of what we collect on one day each week, but it's an opportunity for us to take part in helping others."
You see, as poor as they are, they take a small portion of the recyclables they collect one day each week a few dozen cans, and give it away to help other people. See how they are practicing all good deeds!
Although they are impoverished they are still giving to others. And this is all because of Living Bodhisattvas. These Bodhisattvas have guilded so many people from receiving aid to giving back, to start volunteering and walking the Bodhisattva-path. Thus, "A Bodhisattva's fundamental practice is going among people." The Bodhisattva-path takes us among people to transform sentient beings and make great vows. In this way, they purify the world. Such a world is truly very beautiful.
Although we see many impoverished people, there are also many more people who walk the Bodhisattva-path and form Bodhisattva-aspirations. Seeing them is very reassuring and makes me very happy.
The previous sutra passage states, "Even you, Sariputra, needed to penetrate this sutra through faith . How much more so the other Hearers! Because these other Hearers have faith in the Buddha's words they can follow this sutra accordingly, and not their own discerning wisdom."
As modern-day Bodhisattva-practitioners, we faithfully accept and walk the Bodhisattva-path. So, we all "follow this sutra accordingly".
The Lotus Sutra is intended to teach and guide all of us to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Whether we live in wealth or poverty, whether we are old or young, whether we are wise or foolish, we can all be Bodhisattvas. We can all walk the path laid out in this sutra. This is what we Buddhist Practitioners must earnestly and diligently practice. It is so simple to become a Bodhisattva; we must not become indolent. Indolence will increase the defilement and afflictions of the mind. But if we are diligent, we will naturally eliminate our afflictions, and we will do good deeds. As we do so, we feel peaceful and at ease. This is very joyful.
The next sutra passage states, "Again, Sariputra, for those who are arrogant and indolent and for those who cling to the view of self, do not not teach this sutra. Unenlightened people have shallow intelligence. They are deeply attached to the five desires and as they listen they cannot understand. So, do not teach it to them either."
It is because we sentient beings and indolent that our minds have been covered. Due to our indolence, ignorance and afflictions have covered our pure intrinsic nature of True Suchness. Thus, we cannot advance diligently or earnestly practice the noble path. If we are like this, we have a mind of indolence.
Clearly we could help people do things by exerting some strenghth; it may be that simple. But we may just stand there and watch, refusing to do any work. Even when the task is simple, it is easy for us to remain indolent. Even moment that we remain indolent is a moment that dust, those dust-like afflictions, continues to find its way into our minds.
So, it is said that indoience arises when we refuse to advance diligently or refuse practice the principles. If we take in the principles but refuse to put them into practice, we have no way of experiencing the peace that comes from diligently giving.
So, this indicates to us that when it comes to heretics and unenlightened beings alike, those who are replete with the four evils or the three evils, we do not need to teach them this Dharma, because they will be unable to accept it and unable to put it into practice.
“For those who cling to the view of self, do not teach this sutra: This indicates heretics, the unenlightened and those replete with the four or three evils. It should not be taught to them.”
What are the four evils? What are the three evils?“Indulgence, arrogance, indolence and view of self are the four evils.”
These four evils are indicative of heretics. But what about us unenlightened beings?
Unenlightened beings have “shallow intelligence”. “They are deeply attached to the five desires and as they listen they cannot understand.” These are the three evils.
These three evils hinder our practice of the Path. We have shallow intelligence; our wisdom is superficial and dull. We are dull and indolent; we do not have share capabilities, and moreover we are very lazy and very indolent. Not only are we indolent with shallow intelligence, we are also “deeply attached to the five desires”.
We just want to enjoy ourselves; we do not want to work in earnest. We avoid sweating, we avoid getting our hands dirty and we avoid too much physical movement. Aside from these kinds of lazy people, there are people with many desires. “No matter how much I have, it’s still not enough”. They earn a lot of money but are reluctant to give. The more stingy they are, the more jealous they become. People with the five desires are stingy, greedy and jealous. When they see others doing good deeds, not only are they unhappy, they slander them. People like this are “deeply attached to the five desires”. So, this is one of the three evils.
Also, “They listen but are unable to understand”. Although they hear the Dharma, it goes in one ear and out the other; they do not take it to heart. Or else, they hear the Dharma and make use of it only as clever rhetoric; they use these words to show off. “I understand all these texts; I can recite them all”. If this is all that we do, we are both arrogant and indolent. With this kind of haughty arrogance, we claim to have attained what we have not. This is also one of the three evils. This is also indolence.
So, this is to say that we unenlightened beings have shallow intelligence and indolence, we are deeply attached to the five desires and we do not understand when we listen. These three kinds of evils hinder us.
Then, “As they listen they cannot understand. So, do not teach it to them either”.
“As they listen they cannot understand. So, do not teach it to them either: The arrogant are haughty and without faith. The indolent are self-indulgent and cowardly. Those attached to desires wallow in the defilements of the world. Those who cling to the view of self cannot reach [right] views and understanding.
Those who have listened but refuse to understand are arrogant; they are arrogant and haughty, so they will not have faith in this sutra. If we were to teach this Dharma to them, they would not accept it.
The indolent are self-indulgent and cowardly. They just want to enjoy themselves. So, at this time, we should not be in a hurry to teach this to them. We must await the proper causes and conditions.
“Those attached to desires wallow in the defilements of the world”. For people like this, teaching them the Dharma directly is a very difficult matter. Then, there are heretics and those attached to the view of self, who “cannot reach [right] views and understanding”. Heretical practitioners are mired in delusion, in deviant understanding and views. When it comes to these people, we do not need to share too much with them. For people like this, they listen but cannot understand. They cannot understand, so they cannot awaken.
Not only can they not understand or awaken, “They will certainly give rise to vicious slander”. Such heretics, or people who are indolent and refuse to be diligent will always have a justification, so they take what is clearly virtuous Dharma and twist [its meaning], making it evil.
“For people like this, they listen but cannot understand. They will certainly give rise to vicious slander, which will later result in evil retribution.”
So, the Buddha said that when it comes to people with deviant understanding or people who are indolent, arrogant and so on, for the time being we should not teach them for fear that after listening they would slander the teachings, which would “result in negative retributions”. He was worried that people would create evil karma and suffer negative retributions.
So, “If you teach this, it will not benefit them.” If they refuse to practice [the Dharma] and instead slander it, that is of no benefit to sentient beings but actually causes these people harm, for they will suffer negative retributions later. So, “Out great compassion and pity for them, do not teach it.”
Out of compassion for these sentient beings, there is need to for us to [teach] people who do not understand. If these are such indolent and arrogant people, we do not need to give them teachings. As for heretics attached to the view of self, we do not need to teach them either. Teaching them is of no benefit to them because they will slander the Dharma, which would be harmful to them. So, we should not share the teachings with them.
Then, there are those with delusions of views and thinking. What are delusion of views and thinking? Our afflictions have not yet been eliminated; besides ignorance, etc. in our minds, there are also delusions of views and thinking. Altogether there are seven kinds of these evils.
Thus, the first evil is pride; relying on one’s clan or family states, appearance, strength, cleverness or wealth to be self-indulgent.
We do not need to give such people these teachings. They think of themselves as nobility and as looking very dignifies, so they do not want to get close to people who are dirty or physically unfit. Or else, they think themselves very clever or very wealthy, so they do not want to associate with them either. We need not try to get close to such proud people. There is no need to force them to listen.
The second of the seven, evils is arrogance.
This second is arrogance. They are replete with the seven kinds of arrogance and put themselves above others. They claim many virtues when they have only few, like the 5000 who left [the Lotus assembly].
This kind of people, those who are arrogant, “put themselves above others.” They think of themselves like a bird flying high; looking sown on others, they feel they are above everyone, and everyone is beneath them. People like this are self-important and lacking in virtues. They think highly of themselves so they do not practice and thus are without virtue. Such people who are lacking in virtues mistakenly believe they are very virtuous.
At the Lotus Sharma-assembly, as Sakyamuni Buddha began to teach, 5000 people left the assembly. They fall under this category of arrogant people.
The third [evil] is indolence and self-indulgence. The fourth is view of self; there are 62 such views. These heretical views create many obstacles.
The fifth is worldly cleverness, shallow intelligence and lack of wisdom.
As we just mentioned, this is one of the three evils. If people have shallow intelligence and indolence, we should not teach them either.
The Sixth is deep attachment to the five desires, people with seven afflictions. There is no way to teach people like this; they will be unable to accept it.
The seventh is foolish unenlightened people. These foolish unenlightened people are completely unable to understand. They are those in the Two Vehicles who foolishly cling to a fixed Dharma.
For people who have not yet come into contact with the Dharma, if we teach them the Great Vehicle right away, they will not understand it.
For those who remain stuck at the level of Hearers or Solitary Realizers and only seek to benefit themselves, those who foolishly cling to a fixed Dharma, they can hear but do not understand. Since they cannot understand, they cannot put [this teaching] into practice. For people who are like this, we should likewide not give them this teaching.
In His compassion the Buddha told us that those who cannot accept this Dharma will misunderstand, distort and misinterpret it, turning something virtuous into something negative. If people’s capabilities are not mature, we must not force them to listen teachings from this sutra. We must wait until they are happy to listen and naturally willing to accept them.
So, “Indolence hinders diligence and increases defilement of the mind.” thus afflictions will keep arising. We need not teach this [sutra] to indolent people. We must heighten our diligence in order to counteract indolence. We should practice all good deeds and walk the Bodhisattva-path. We must transform sentient beings and make great vows.
The true Dharma of the One Vehicle always calls on us to put [the Dharma] into practice. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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