Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Five Spiritual Roots and Five Powers (五根五力)
Previously, I spoke about the 4 Right Efforts and 4 Bases of Spiritual Power. The next practices are the Five Spiritual Roots and the Five Powers.
5 Spiritual Roots: Root of Faith, Root of Diligence, Root of Thought, Root of Samadhi, Root of Wisdom. Relying on these Five Spiritual Roots, the practitioners will not lose their resolve to cultivate. When the Five Spiritual Roots are strong, the Five Powers will grow and can eliminate all obstacles.
The Five Powers: Power of Faith, Power of Diligence, Power of Thought, Power of Samadhi, Power of Wisdom.
When we see things, hear sounds, or have feelings, we differentiate between good and bad. We often make such distinctions because we have taken this physical form. This is why we produce a lot of ignorance. As we turn away from the dark toward the light, and strive to walk on this broad Bodhisattva-path, we must strengthen our faith.
It is said, “Faith is the mother of all merits and virtues, it nurtures the roots of all goodness.” As we learn Buddhism we must have faith. Of course, our faith must be correct and not superstitious. How can we rectify our misguided beliefs? We need strength. So we need the Power of Faith. We must have faith and the strength to believe.
Is faith alone enough? It is not enough. When the path is correct, after we have established faith, we need to be diligent. Diligence is strength. An unwavering will is power. So we must develop the Power of Samadhi. Once we know the right thing to do, we should not let our thoughts waver. As I said earlier, We must frequently reflect on and protect our minds by taking good care of them. Otherwise, as the mind is impermanent, our thoughts will constantly move and change. One moment, faith arises in our minds. In the next moment, our faith easily wavers and our correct beliefs turn toward superstition. So we must be very certain that this is the correct direction and be firm in our conviction.
Therefore, the Power of Samadhi is very important. Then we also need the Power of Wisdom. If we already have the proper faith, proper diligence, proper thoughts and proper Samadhi, wisdom will naturally arise. These five methods will lead us to enlightenment. These are the 5 Spiritual Roots and 5 Powers. Aside from the Root of Faith, we also need the Power of Faith. The two are interlinked, as are the rest of the 5 Spiritual Roots and 5 Powers. So if the 5 Spiritual Roots are strong, the 5 Powers will naturally grow in strength. These are the 5 Spiritual Roots and 5 Powers.
The Five Spiritual Roots must develop in parallel with the Five Powers. When we practice and perfect the spiritual Roots and Powers, we can realize the Noble Path.
The second is the Power of Diligence. If we can strengthen our diligence, the Root of Diligence will grow and eliminate our laziness. So the Root and Power of Diligence can prevent us from becoming lax. If we diligently cultivate the Root of Thought, we have the Power of Thought which can eliminate deviant thoughts if we diligently cultivate the Root of Samadhi. We have the Power of Samadhi, which can eliminate all confusion. Then we will not have random, discursive thoughts if we diligently cultivate the Root of Wisdom, the power of Wisdom can break the delusions of the 3 Realms. Please cultivate the 5 spiritual & 5 Powers. The roots and powers are inseparable. The Roots and Powers of Faith, Diligence, thought, Samadhi and Wisdom need to grow together.
The Root of Faith grows into the Power of Faith and can eliminate all deviant beliefs. The Root of Diligence grows into the Power of Diligence and can prevent laziness of mind & body. The Root of Thought grows into the Power of Thought and can eliminate all deviant thoughts. The Root of Samadhi grows into the Power of Samadhi and can eliminate all confusion. The Wisdom Root grows into the Power of Wisdom, and can destroy the illusion of the Three Realms, allowing pure wisdom to arise.
In encountering all kinds of conditions, we must let faith and diligence arise. When thoughts arise in response to people and matters, we must also produce right thoughts. As for our interpersonal relationships, we must find the strength to maintain an enlightened love. Avoiding confusion requires the Power of Samadhi. If we can do so, after this interaction with people and things we can develop pure wisdom. While we are within the Three Realms, we still have the ignorance of sentient beings. Our wisdom is not completely pure or clear. However, through our interactions with many people and things in this human form, we can develop a pure wisdom.
So I often say, “Use conditions to cultivate the mind. Indeed, we face many conditions that allow us to reflect on our nature and develop wisdom. As long as we can see things clearly, we can eliminate ignorance and afflictions. What remains is the purest wisdom. Pure wisdom can generate great power.
As I mentioned earlier, Tzu Chi volunteers are spread out around the world. While facing many different conditions, they all cultivate Samadhi, practice the Bodhisattva-way, and see all sentient beings as equal. Once, the Tzu Chi volunteers in Kuala Lumpur drove for over three hours on bumpy roads to a small rural village called Batang Berjuntai. When they arrived, they could tell how poor all the families just by the look of their surroundings. They investigated how these families lived. The people wanted to work, but there were no jobs. They wanted to farm, but there was no land. Moreover, it was a very remote area. We asked, “How do the children pass their time?” “They go to school.” They went to the school and saw the innocent and lively children. Everyone was very adorable but also malnourished.
They asked the principal, “Can we help you with anything?” He drew up a list of things they needed. What they needed most was breakfast for the kids. To attend school each morning, these children walked on mountain paths. They did not eat breakfast, and had to exert so much energy walk to school. Arriving with an empty stomach meant that these children usually lacked energy. When the volunteers received the list, they purchased and delivered the items to this very remote mountain village. They brought plenty of food, enough to provide breakfast for half a month. Aside from that, they also brought nutritional supplements and other supplies. The principal was so moved he almost cried.
He said to the children, “These people from Kuala Lumpur have absolutely no connection to us. This organization is called Tzu Chi. Look at all the things they brought us. You should all learn to be grateful. Once you graduate from school, remember to always help others. That is the best way to express gratitude.” We can see that this group of volunteers had no connection to this poor village. Why were they so thoughtful in purchasing everything on the list and lovingly delivering these items to the village? They even told the villagers that they will continue to care for them.
They are learning the Bodhisattva-way. They are not just learning, they are practicing what they learned. In the very beginning, they also had to nurture their root of Faith. Once their faith was awakened, they become very diligent. With a firm conviction, they were willing to treat sentient beings equally and bring their compassion to bear. Their willingness to give came from the 5 Spiritual Roots and 5 Powers, which are faith, diligence, which are faith, diligence, thought, Samadhi, and wisdom. After we have faith, we begin to put these beliefs in action. So we need our physical body to interact with external phenomena. Then we strengthen our will to cultivate and physically carry out our spiritual practice. Thus, the 5 spiritual Roots and 5 Powers are critical for attaining enlightenment. Next are the 7 Branches of Enlightenment also called the 7 factors of Bodhi.
The 7 Factors of Bodhi: 1 The Factor of Discernment. 2 The Factor of Diligence 3 The Factor of Joy. 4 The Factor of Peace. 5 The Factor of Thought. 6 The Factor of Samadhi. 7 The Factor of Equanimity.
As we know, Bodhi is enlightenment. Sentient beings are mired in delusion, which causes them to be narrow-minded and self-centered. This selfishness and self-focus is the source of our delusions. So we are continuously covered by ignorance and our path grows narrower over time. There is a story you may have heard before about two dogs on a narrow bridge. A log spanned the stream which they both wanted to cross and they met at the center. However, the log was only wide enough for one to cross. There was no way they could cross side by side. That would be impossible. But both dogs, with something in their mouths, reached the center at the same time and stopped. They each waited for the other to give way. They were at an impasse. They stood there for a long time; neither yielded. Finally, they could not stand it and both started barking in anger. The objects in their mouths fell into the stream. Neither was willing to give way, so in the end they both fell into the stream.
Doesn’t this happen in our lives too? If we are walking in a very narrow path, we need to give way to one another so we can both pass safely. However, ordinary people refuse to give way on this very narrow path. This is an example of selfishness. So why not broaden the path in this world so it is wide enough for us all to walk on it? This spacious path is within our minds. We should broaden our minds so that many people can come together as a community, where all people live in unity, harmony, and with mutual love. Our combined strength can create a world filled with boundless beauty. Bodhi refers to enlightened sentient beings, those who realize the Truths of life. Such people will naturally give up selfishness and abandon self-centered thoughts to walk on the broad path.
So the Seven Branches of Enlightenment, or Seven Factors of Bodhi, are the path to enlightenment. In addition to the 5 Spiritual Roots and 5 Powers, in daily living, when we face external phenomena, we must be very aware of our thoughts. We must develop our Spiritual Roots and Powers. Faith, diligence, thought, Samadhi and wisdom are all essential.
So all in all, this is Dharma, which is also consciousness. Our minds must be unwavering. I hope that we will all cultivate the Roots and Powers simultaneously and always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水).
首頁 
