Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Treat This World as a Place for Spiritual Practice (將人間當作修行道場)
As we learn the Buddha’s way, have we become peaceful and at ease? Achieving peace is most important in our practice. In life, we have many afflictions (which weigh upon us heavily.) Love and affection are afflictions. Material desires, fame, wealth, and status are also afflictions. When we cannot let go, we accumulate many afflictions. How can we let go?
The Buddha used various skillful teachings to guide us from the simple to the profound. He taught us methods that we can continuously practice and learn from which method of practice is truly fitting for our spiritual aptitude and appropriate for our daily life? That is something that we must carefully choose for ourselves.
The 7 Factors of Bodhi are also call the 7 Branches of Enlightenment: 1 the Factor of Discernment. 2 The Factor of Diligence. 3 The Factor of Joy. 4 The Factor of Peace. 5 The Factor if Thought. 6 The Factor of Samadhi. 7 The Factor of Equanimity.
Among the 7 Branches of Enlightenment, the first is discernment. We discern what is acceptable in our daily living. We discern the path we wish to pursue. So of the 7 Branches of Enlightenment, the first is the Branch of Discernment. If the direction of the path we choose is correct, we will learn ways to love wisely. Some day we will inevitably part from our loved ones, material possessions, fame, wealth and status.
So, why disputer or fight over them? If we can understand this, our path will be correct and not deviant. We should choose enlightenment, not delusion.So the methods we choose must be right. This is called the Branch of Discernment.
Let us choose with wisdom. Discern true from false, principle from ignorance. This called the Factor of Discernment or the Branch of Discernment.
Next is diligence. We cannot stagnate on this path. Once we have heard Dharma and chosen the correct path, we cannot stop. We should live according to Dharma. If we can do so, that is called diligence. If we recite and listen to the Sutras without taking the Dharma to heart, that is like having no Dharma at all. If Dharma does not abide in our minds, and we are always just reaching to the people and things around us, aren’t we wasting our lives? In that case, we are slacking. Not only will we waste our lives, we will also create karma with our every thought.
If the karma is not good, then it is bad. If we are not diligent, then we will slacken and degenerate. Everything is relative. If we can recognize and walk the right path, that is called the Factor of Diligence. To have the courageous spirit to practice True Dharma is called diligence.
Buddhists must live according to Dharma. If Dharma does not abide in our minds, we are wasting our lives. If we waste our lives, we will slacken and then degenerate. If we practice True Dharma without pause, and with a courageous and vigorous spirit, that is diligence. That is called the Factor of Diligence, or The Branch of Diligence.
Next we need the Factor of Joy, to be happy with what we do every day. Sometimes we may feel impatient or vexed about our heavy workload, and we may feel physically tired. There is so much left undone. We feel bothered, tired and irritated. On the TV program, “Grassroot Bodhi,” we see old volunteers who lived through decades of hardship and face poor health. Many are even in great (financial) difficulty. Yet they still practice diligently with joy. I saw an elderly recycling volunteer who remains joyful, even though she walks with a hunched back. Why was she so happy? She said, “I am grateful to be able to sort recycling every day. If I didn’t do this recycling work, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.” They asked, “How long have you been doing this?” “For many tears, (since1993).” “Why are you so happy?” “The master said doing this can save the planet, and that when we recycle, first, we are cherishing our blessings, next, we can turn garbage into gold, and then the gold can be turned into a stream of purity to rescue the minds of people in this world. The master can also use the money to save others.”
The reporter asked, “What about your husband?” “Fortunately, he passed away many years ago. I spent six tears doing my best to care for him. I am also very happy that I had those six years.” “What happened to him?” “He had Alzheimer’s Disease. He couldn’t do anything for himself. I stayed by his side for six years. Sometimes he would hit me.” “Why did he hit you?” She said, “The doctor said that as part of his physical therapy, I needed to help him. But he couldn’t stand up. So I pulled harder to get him to stand up straight and push both his hands against the wall. So he got angry and hit me.” She recounted this with a smile on her face.
For six years she was like a kind mother caring for her child. Even when he hit her, she did not complain. Then he died. She was also very understanding, “When conditions end, one has to leave. In this way, he was liberated. The master says that he will return again in a new body (as a child). Children are so adorable!”
You see, she is so full of wisdom. She is not only compassionate but also wise. After her husband’s passing, she joined our recycling efforts and doing so made her happy. She set out before dawn. Pointing at the four tall buildings before her, she said, “These buildings have 20 floors. I first started collecting recyclables from these four apartment buildings. Every building is 20 stories tall, and I went through each floor twice a day.” She said this so peacefully and easily. I admired her from these words along. She then expressed her gratitude. She said, “For many years I climbed up and down those buildings. Then the residents told me that I don’t need to do that because every day they will bring their recyclables to the 2nd floor. So I am very fortunate. I only have to walk up one story to a room full of paper and cardboard. The residents neatly stack everything for me so I just have to take it away” She is so happy and full of joy despite having endured so much hardship. If she was not so understanding she would be miserable. We can see that it is hard for her to physically move around, but she willingly & joyfully contributes. Working willingly and joyfully is the life she leads now. She also keeps saying, “Every day I am grateful, and happy with what I do.” The building manager said, “She does not do this for money, and she comes twice a day. That’s truly admirable” (Look at what she does.)
After listening to my teachings, she saw clearly the truth of human relationships and the karmic affinity among people. Understanding them well, she willingly accepted her karmic affinities and was willing to fulfill her responsibility. After her responsibility to (her husband) ended, she took on another responsibility, which was her spiritual mission. Her family life was hard and she lived through it. Now as a recycling volunteer with a mission, she still works very hard, but she is joyful. So when we are vexed with our daily living, our many afflictions, and our heavy workload, we only need to look at the recycling volunteers. They provide great lessons for us. Therefore, we should practice the Factor of Joy.
When we encounter True Dharma, we will be happy. When Dharma firmly abides in our minds that is called the Factor of joy, or the Branch of joy.
Next is the Factor of Peace. Yesterday I also talked about another volunteer who was featured on show, a recycling volunteer who also willingly accepted her life. She is ill, wears a urine bag, looks after her husband who suffered a stroke, and also volunteer to clean our branch office. Look how diligent she is, how determined in her will to practice the spiritual path. This is what we should emulate. If we do not learn from people like her, we will be wasting our lives.
Eliminate all views and afflictions to be peaceful and at ease in body and mind. When we nurture our roots of goodness, that is called the Factor of Peace, or the Branch of Peace.
Next is the Factor of Thought, also called the Branch of Thoughts. Our thoughts are very important. Let us make sure that every thought is in accordance with Dharma. We must guard our thoughts at all times so they will not go astray. We should constantly look after the thoughts in our mind by quickly aligning our thoughts with the Dharma. No matter what kind of external condition we face, what kind of criticism or we hear, what kind of attitude people give us, we should immediately guard our thoughts well and immediately reflect on the True Dharma. Our thoughts must be in accord with the Dharma. Only be doing so can we have Right Concentration. By setting our minds, wisdom will arise. When our thoughts are proper, we will have wisdom and will not deviate. When our will ti practice remains steadfast, our wisdom will arise.
Constantly contemplate True Dharma. When we settle our minds, wisdom will arise. This is called the Factor of Thought, or the Branch of Thought.
Next is the Factor of Samadhi. As l just said, our minds need to be stable. We cannot let our minds become scattered. This is the Branch of Samadhi. If our thoughts are always on the teachings, our minds will be steadfast.
Let the mind remain focused and un-scattered. Thus, when encountering various conditions, afflictions and delusions will not arise. This is called the Factor of Samadhi, or the Branch of Samadhi.
Next is the Factor of Equanimity, which means we must give up false & illusory ways. Everyone, everything is impermanent. Since everything is impermanent, what is real? What is everlasting? As each day passes we come closer to our end. We study this teaching every day. Yet we do not heighten our vigilance because we take the false to be real. We think this illusory life is real so we unceasingly chase after passion, cravings, fame, wealth, and desire. This is so tiring. It is because we are not able to distinguish truth from illusion. Since everything is illusory and false, why can’t we let go? We should let it go with the passing of the day. As the time has already passed, why still hold on to the affliction?
So if we can give up all our old afflictions, our Wisdom-life can continually grow. We know that lotus flowers grow out of mud. The corrupt and defiled word we live in is just like the murky lotus pond where each lotus flower flourishes. That muck is like the organic compost that is popular nowadays.
How does organic compost turn into fertilizer? Garbage is collected together and left to decompose. After it decomposes, it will become rich in nutrients. Similarly, if we can uphold the teachings and eliminate afflictions, we attain a bit of purity. Thus, we can treat all the hardships and defilements of this life as our fertilizer. After we hear Dharma we should understand that we do not have ownership over this world, we only have the temporary right to use it. This is true no matter how much wealth or comfort we enjoy. We must be clear about this reality.
Treat this world as a place of spiritual practice and give up all illusory and false afflictions. Vigorously practice True Dharma to attain purity. This is called the Factor of Equanimity, or the Branch of Equanimity.
This is why I say that while we engage in spiritual practice here, we should treat pain and suffering as fertilizer and not be defiled by them. Only then can we truly attain liberation through Buddha-dharma. Therefore, we give up the vexations of a moment ago and give up afflictions as they arise in our minds. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水).
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