Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Perfect the Six Paramitas to Achieve Buddha-hood (圓融六度成就佛道)
The Six Paramitas. Over the last few days we have spoken of giving, precepts, patience and diligence. Yesterday we spoke about Samadhi. Samadhi can be practiced in our daily living, in all the work we do, in every move we make, in every word we speak, in the act of eating or drinking. Everything we do can be meditation. Meditation is about having Right Mindfulness, so we must thoroughly maintain this correct state of mind.
Next is wisdom. Wisdom concerns our perspectives and ways of thinking. At an even deeper level, it is our pure, intrinsic nature. If this pure nature was never defiled, we would act righteously and without mistakes. So, in life , wisdom is very important. Wisdom helps us complete our spiritual practice, enables us to create good karma, and can keep us from veering off the correct path and making mistakes in life. All this requires wisdom. So wisdom is something we cannot be without in our daily living.
Wisdom can transform delusions, eliminate ignorance return us to our pure, intrinsic nature, prevent us from going astray and help us create good karma in our lives.
We must practice the Six Perfections in the Causal Ground. We can only learn to give in the Human Realm. Giving, precepts, patience, diligence and Samadhi must be practiced in this world. This is the Causal Ground. In this lifetime we reap the fruits of the seeds we sowed in past lives. So we must joyfully accept the past causes and present effects. But we must be very cautious of the future causes we create in this lifetime. In this lifetime, we must work hard to create good causes. In this lifetime, whether we are practicing giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence or Samadhi, we must treat every present moment as a new beginning. This present Causal Ground affects the future.
If we clearly understand how we leave and return to this world, we will not be confused when we act. Yesterday I talked about our volunteer, Mr. Fan. From Xinzhu. He was in a car accident. Everyone thought the outlook was grim and even began preparing to recite for his passing. However, his mind was still very lucid. He told himself, “I cannot just leave Tzu Chi and leave Master Cheng Yen in such a mixed-up way.” His consciousness was not mixed-up one bit. When he came to and saw a crowd at his bedside, he wrote down these words, “It’s not my time yet, please don’t recite for me” See his sheer determination was the seed, the cause He wanted to continue his advancement on this Causal Ground because such practice is crucial.
So every day, we must be very grateful. Since we are born into these surroundings, we must take advantage of this lifetime. So, wisdom is truly very important.
Retribution comes from the causes we planted. If in this lifetime, on this Causal Ground, we begin to sincerely practice the Six Paramitas, If we practice for the sake of our future, our mind will not be confused.
In Malaysia there is a town called Kluang. In early 2000, a group of Tzu Chi volunteers there visited a family that needed help. They were shocked by what they saw. The mother was very old, already 78. She was frail and ill, with asthma and a heart condition. It was very sad to see her like that. She also had high blood pressure and found it hard to move around. When volunteers arrived at her house, everything looked fine from the outside, but even before they stepped inside, they already smelled a terrible stench.
At the sight of the woman’s 50-year-old son, they became more frightened. All the hairs on his head were tangled together. He sat on his bed completely naked Piles of garbage, such as cigarette butts, beer bottles and cigarette cartons surrounded him. The garbage was almost piled higher than the bed. Things were just strewn across the room. Insects and cockroaches covered the floor. Imagine, under such conditions, the foul odor could be smelled even from far away.
He had been like this for 5-6 years. He had locked himself away and just given up. This old woman Huang De-yu actually had two sons and a daughter. Her elder son had left this family and abandoned his mother. No one knew where he went. Her second son was a plumber and electrician. He was very smart and knowledgeable, and could speak both English and Chinese. However his cleverness also caused his downfall. As an adult, he fell in with a bad crowd and became addicted to drugs. He sold all their family assets for drugs. He was later caught and sent to a rehabilitation center. A few years later, he was released. Though his drug addiction was cured, he lived as if in a daze. His mental health was poor. When he returned, he began to live this way. His mother had high blood pressure, asthma, and a heart condition so she could not clean the house.
Sometimes her son forced her to buy him alcohol and cigarettes. How did she get money for that? By collecting and selling garbage. That was why the house was filled with trash. She could not clean it herself and her son did not live like a normal person. So what would happen to this family?
When Tzu Chi Volunteers saw them, they vowed not to give up. First they tried every means to help the man clean himself, and then tidy up the house. But every time they went the old woman’s son stopped them. He refused to let people touch anything. Then in 2001 after the volunteers had cared for them for over a year, the old woman’s health deteriorated. On top of her asthma high blood pressure and heart disease, her back had begun to ulcerate, so Tzu Chi volunteers took her to be hospitalized.
For over six months, they took care of her and also cared for her son because she constantly worried about him. She hoped he could live a normal life. But in those last six months of her life, her son showed no signs of changing his lifestyle. So her last request was for Tzu Chi volunteers to continue taking care of her son, to see if they could help him become normal. This was her last wish.
She passed away at the beginning of 2002. Tzu Chi volunteers took care of her funeral arrangements as well. After that, they began to visit her son often. Perhaps her passing dealt him a big blow, because roughly half a year after she died, he suddenly told our Tzu Chi volunteers, “I am willing to let you cut my hair trim my nails, and clean out the house.”
Hearing this, our volunteer, Mr. Wang, was very happy. He quickly gathered a group of 16 volunteers to clean his house, cut his hair, and trim his nails. Everyone made all the necessary preparations. But when they arrived and were ready to begin, he regretted his decision and told them, “I changed my mind. Perhaps next time.”
But this time, our volunteers did not give up they half-forced and half-cajoled him. Then they put on face masks, gloves, rain boots, all manner of necessary gear. They moved everything around and threw out the filthy objects. They even polished the household altar. They also came across many cans. What did they contain? Urine and feces. So they threw them all out.
Then several volunteers approached this man and started to cut his hair. Even big scissors could not through it, much less ordinary small scissors. It took them several hours just to cut through the mass of knotted hair. It was a very slow process. Even the sharp knife used on his hair became dull and no longer usable. But where there is a will, there is a way. Finally, they finished cutting his hair.
His nails, which were 6-7 inches long, were hard to trim because they were tangled like vines. Finally, they were trimmed too. When they had successfully cut off his hair, they suddenly heard him cry out, “Wow, my head feels so much lighter!” These words made the Tzu Chi volunteers extremely happy.
At that very moment, after over three years, their hopes were fulfilled, and his mother’s wished also came true. They helped him clean his whole body and he looked like a new man, he was actually quite handsome.
The next step was to support and comfort him. He had had little human contact for a very long period of time. How could they ease him back into society? How could they help him fulfill his potential? He once possessed professional skills, but how could he use them again? He could still make good use of his life.
In the case, we did not simply give material aid. And upholding precepts alone did not enable us to help him. It took more than patience to endure his stench and his attitude, and to care for his mother with love. It is just these that allowed us to help. It was our persistence in giving, and upholding precepts, our patience and diligence. We spent over three years on this family. We need everyone to exercise this pure love in their minds to treat sentient beings equally. With persistence, we continued to counsel, accompany and comfort him to fulfill his mother’s wishes.
However, it is unfortunate that she never got to see him become the normal person that she always wanted him to be. This is regrettable. But I believe that somehow, she knows and is very happy about this. She is probably already with us again. While she was alive, she was cared for by Tzu Chi volunteers. When she was hospitalized, they took care of the arrangements. So over a long period of time, she had their company and love. They become like a part of her family. So, the hospital put them down as her kin. I believe she listened to Tzu Chi volunteers and quickly returned to be a person who can help others.
This case required the practice of the first 5 Paramitas and then, the exercise of our wisdom. The first five are giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, and Samaghi. These are physical acts. But perseverance brings wisdom “With pure and tranquil minds, vows vast as the universe, we remain unwavering.” To give with unwavering persistence is wisdom.
With giving, we open our hearts and minds. By upholding precepts, we guard our path of practice. With patience, we strengthen our resolve. With diligence, we improve step by step. With Samadhi, we hold firm to Right Mindfulness. With wisdom, we clearly realize our true nature. By perfecting the Six Paramitas, we can thus achieve Buddha-hood.
As we learn Buddhism, if we can maintain our initial resolve, we will certainly attain Buddha-hood. These Bodhisattvas in Malaysia were truly unwavering in their work. May everyone forever maintain this resolve. Everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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