Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Spread the Seeds of Love (心無所住行正行)
Previously, I explained that the 37 Practices to Enlightenment start with the Fourfold Mindfulness, which is followed by the Four Right Efforts.
The Four Right Efforts: Eliminate any evil that has already arisen Prevent evil from arising. Encourage good to quickly arise. Nurture any good that has already arisen.
We practice the Four Right Efforts by heightening our vigilance and carefully observing our state of mind. If an evil thought arises, we must quickly eliminate it. Do not allow it to exist. If the evil thoughts have not yet arisen, we must take good care of our minds, and keep them pure and undefiled. This is to “refrain from all evil.”
Do not let any evil arise. But we must also “do all that is good.” If good thoughts have not yet arisen, we must quickly develop and nurture them. We should not stop after we have awakened the love in our minds. Once we have this seed of love, we must promptly provide it with suitable conditions for it to grow. Thus we “encourage good to quickly arise”
As for good that has arisen, now that our roots of goodness are growing, we must not let them wither. If we have good thoughts, we must quickly realize that we are on the right path. We must further strengthen these good thoughts and actively engage in doing good. Aside from fostering good thoughts in ourselves, we must also create conditions for others to nurture their goodness as well. This is what we call “spreading the seed of love.” Tzu Chi volunteers spread the seed of love and goodness by sowing them in the minds of everyone in society and the whole world. To sow these seeds we must create opportunities to do so. Next are the Four Bases of Spiritual Powers.
The Four Bases of Fulfilling Power are also called the Four Bases of Spiritual Power. “Base” means something we rely on. Fulfilling is about obtaining one’s wishes. It means that we will always accomplish what we vow to practice.
The Four Bases of Fulfilling Powers: The Power of Aspiration, the Power of Thought, the Power of Diligence, the Power of Wisdom.
Fulfilling Power means that under favorable conditions without adversity we continuously push forward. Even if we encounter adverse conditions, they will be Advantageous Conditions. If we are diligent in our practice, all conditions are opportunities for goodness. When we encounter adversity, we must treat it as an Advantageous Condition. The key lies in adjusting our mindset.
Take the Power of Aspiration, for example. With aspirations, we can practice and attain enlightenment. Aspiration refers to our hopes and vows. Making a vow will strengthen our wish to realize it. So I often say, “Intentions bring blessings, resolve brings strength.” This aphorism is referring to the Power of Aspiration. As long as we make the vow, the resolution, and pursue it, we will have strength. Yes, indeed, every day we see Tzu Chi volunteers on Da Ai TV who are good role models for us. Recently on “Grassroots Bodhi,” I saw two Bodhisattvas, Mrs. Chen Bao-lian and her husband, Mr. Kang De-zeng from Taipei.
They are truly role models who can teach us how to make and realize altruistic vows. When Mr. Kang was young, he was a high-ranking military officer. When his wife was young, she wanted to be a nun. She kept searching for a good teacher and monastery. However, the conditions were not there so she did not have that opportunity. Later other conditions arose and she married her husband.
The couple lives simply and they are very kind. They have no children. They are in their 70s or 80s, and live in a simple place. There are spots that are rundown, that have not been repaired. When the wall needed to be repainted, they did it themselves. Mrs. Kang also revealed that “Since we got married, I have never gone to a hair-dresser, never been to a movie and never shopped at a boutique. We live very frugally. We eat one meal a day and are very thrifty.”
Yet, did you know that they have donated NT$ 2 million by being so frugal? You see, they live very simply and more importantly, they are kind to everyone. They choose to have no conflicts with anyone over anything. By living such a life, they have formed good affinities with many and have recruited many donors for Tzu Chi. They are very competent Commissioners, great (hospital) volunteers, and diligent environmental volunteers. The way they live is very simple. Do you think this would be possible if they did not make such a vow and have this sense of aspiration? They gave all they could. They resolved to give out of love. This couple did not have any children. But the two of them shared the same heart, path and mission, and they lead a simple and frugal life.
You see such a life is truly rich spiritually. This is called the Power of Aspiration. Aspirations lead people to diligently and unrelentingly work to fulfill their vows. This desire to be diligent is called the Power of Aspiration. This power is like a tool that allows us to travel freely on our path. This couple was willing to cultivate blessings and wisdom. Isn’t their simple living a form of wisdom? Aren’t they cultivating blessings by serving as Tzu Chi Commissioners, doing recycling, protecting the Earth, and loving others? Thus they cultivate blessings and wisdom. This is called the Power of Aspiration.
Always vow and resolve to work hard and diligently progress. Give happily and freely. This is the Power of Aspiration.
Next is the Power of Thought, which means to single-mindedly focus on principles. Doing so is very important. We must always take good care of our minds so our every thought adheres to proper principles. This is called Power of Thought. One of Da Ai TV’s dramas tells the true story of a very filial son. He had a great career in Taipei. When his mother fell ill, he would occasionally bring her to Taipei to stay with him. However, his mother could not adjust to city life. When she was young, she worked as a hairdresser and knew many people in her village. She was also a Tzu Chi member. Since she was old and had cancer, her son thought, “As the only child, if I don’t take care of my mother, who will?” He had no siblings. He felt “I only have one mother I can find another job,” so he resigned. His boss saw him as very capable and did not wish to see him leave, so he tried to convince him to stay. The son said, “I need to care for my mother. I don’t know when I will be back. It is better for me to resign” His boss thought highly of him and said, “Take as much time as you need, I’ll be waiting. Just focus on taking care of your mother. I will save this position for you.” So he went back to take care of his mother.
We often heard our senior hospital volunteers share stories about a young man in the Palliative Care Ward who cared for his mother’s every need. He cherished and cared for her as if she was his daughter.
In contrast, next to his mother’s sickbed, there was a mother who was meticulously caring for her daughter. Her daughter was also a cancer patient in the palliative care ward. This mother kept blaming herself. She said, “My daughter beliefs delayed her treatment. When her daughter fell ill, she consulted spirits. The spirits told her that this was her daughter’s destiny. So she prayed for a cure by drawing lots and asking mediums. She fed her daughter what they prescribed. Thus she delayed medical diagnosis and treatment until it was too late.
So, proper thinking is very important. If we follow superstitions or misguided beliefs, every step we take will be wrong. So we must pay close attention to the Power of Thought. We must carefully look after our thoughts. Every thought must adhere to proper principles. Then there will be less suffering in our lives. We must bear in mind the laws of Nature. How long in our journey in life? How long will we live? We cannot know the length of our lives. I always say, “We must widen the breadth of our lives. We must also delve deeply into everything. We want to be people of breadth and influence.
So we must use our bodies, which are vessels for spiritual practice. If want to live a life of value, we must make good use our bodies. While we are healthy, we should contribute willingly and happily, then our lives will be worthwhile. This is the Power of Thought.
Have altruistic aspirations and great vows. Let your mind abide in Truth. Then every thought will be pure and free of afflictions. This is the Power of Thought.
Following this is the Power of Diligence. To be diligent is to progress courageously. For the past few days I have often said, “The path to Buddhahood is straight. This Bodhisattvas-path is a broad path to enlightenment. It is very straight and smooth. As long as we head in the right direction, there will be no difficulties. Once we make our vows, we will be on a straight path. Once we choose this level and straight path to Buddhahood, we must progress courageously. This is called diligence.
If we diligently move forward, we continuously accumulate merits and virtues. Merit comes from our minds. Humbling ourselves is a merit. As we practice, we should often remind ourselves not to be too conceited. We must be diligent.
As long as we head in the tight direction, and courageously and diligently go forth without relaxing or pausing, we will see the bright and clear Truth. This is the Power of Diligence.
The fourth is the Power of Wisdom. We use our true nature or true principles to observe and reflect. When we contemplate everything with wisdom, we will be free from delusional thoughts and will not be confused. This requires that we awaken our wisdom. I often say, “We have wisdom equal to that of the Buddha.” Our inherent wisdom never changes, never decreases, and is never extinguished. We inherently possess this wisdom, so we should work to awaken and bring it forth. The Power of Wisdom is very important. We can use the light of wisdom to dispel the fog and darkness in our lives. Then our minds will not be confused. We learn Buddhism to become diligent, undistracted and unconfused. This cannot be achieved without wisdom. So the Four Bases of Spiritual Power are important.
We all inherently have a pure, intrinsic nature. If we can awaken our wisdom, we can be free from random and delusional thoughts. This is the Power of Wisdom.
So not only do we need to practice the Fourfold Mindfulness & Four Right Efforts, we must also develop the Four Bases of Spiritual Power. They are the beginning of the 37 Principles to Enlightenment. Next is the 5 spiritual Faculties, 5 Powers, 7 Branches of Enlightenment and 8-fold Noble Path. We must first lay a solid foundation to have the right perspective. Then we will not stray from the correct path. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水).
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