Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Live in the Present; Be Peaceful and At Ease (活在當下輕安自在)
It is sitting meditation important to our practice. Actually, sitting meditation just allows our minds to calm down so we can reflect and think. We contemplate whether a moment ago we just erred.
Next, we need to motivate and encourage ourselves. If we have committed no wrongs, then what did we do correctly yesterday? What did we do that made us happy? Perhaps our actions were not wrong, nor did result in any gains, but our minds were at peace. Such peace of mind is what we seek. As we practice, it is important to feel at ease, with no gains and losses. Doing good deeds may bring us joy yet this joy a without expectations.
An important part of spiritual practice is to cultivate a mind that is peaceful and at ease, feels no gains or losses. Let us truly live in the present and happily benefit others.
I received a call from Indonesia. I could hear the happiness in their voices from so far away. So I asked them, “How is everything?”
They said, “We are grateful”
I asked, “What about?”
They said, “We just distributed 10,000 tons of rice.”
We can imagine how beautiful that scene was. They were filled with love as they gave unconditionally. Their faces beamed with smiles. The recipients there had not had rice to eat for many years. Imagine them each holding one or two sacks of rice. Though the sacks were heavy, I believe they were very joyful. This environment where people gather, I believe, is a scene of harmony. After I heard their stories, I said, “You must have worked very hard.”
They said: “Yes, we are very blessed. Thank you Master.”
I asked, “Area you happy?”
They said, “Very happy. But we feel more gratitude than joy. If it weren’t for you and Tzu Chi, we could not share such good news or do such good deeds.”
“Then we would not feel such joy. So we area more grateful than happy.”
After I heard them say this, I was likewise filled with Dharma-joy. Such joy is unlike ordinary happiness. It is the joy of Dharma.
They further said, “Master, you will be even happier to hear that the local entrepreneurs from East Java came to observe how to distribute aid. When they arrived they joined us in carrying the rice sacks. These entrepreneurs have never done such a thing. Each of them had the chance to carry 40-50 sacks.
Yet they said, “Why did you call us away when we were just getting into it?”
This was because there were plans for them to see other places as well. So there are many kind-hearted people who are willing to offer their help. We just need to give them the opportunity. Even if they are required to carry heavy things, they are willing. This willingness can make people feel at peace. Although the rice sacks were very heavy, their minds were at ease. Such peace and freedom is the goal of our spiritual practice. Being happy about helping others in this world is a mindset we need to maintain constantly.
Unlike Indonesia, here we do not have such a large field of blessing to cultivate. However, in our daily living, each individual we face is our spiritual field of blessings.
We should be grateful for good people, because they teach us so much. We should also be grateful for those with whom we don’t have good relationships. The attitude they display makes us feel uncomfortable. It serves as a reminder to be vigilant about whether or not we are like them. Do we have the same bed attitude, negative tone of voice, or inappropriate gestures? Are we like them? If not, that’s good. If so, we must quickly change. Be grateful! We are thankful to learn from their display. Whether we encounter a good or bad person, someone close to us or a stranger whether the person in front of us makes us happy or mad, we should feel gratitude toward them. It is rare to be born into this world. In the world, we face many challenges. Aren’t these all learning opportunities?
Since these are chances for us to learn and grow, we must be grateful for them. This way, our minds will be calm and we will not get upset or take issue with others. So, we learn Buddhism to take good care of our minds.
Always maintain a grateful heart in your interactions with people or things, do not treat challenges as conflicts, but as opportunities for learning. Then contentious or resentful emotions will not arise to defile your mind.
Next, “As mentioned in the sutras, ordinary people create nothing but wrongdoing with every action.”
Indeed, we ordinary people create wrongdoing with every action. “Moreover they have already created immeasurable bad karma in past lives.”
In this life everything we do creates karma. OF course this holds true for our past lives. As I often say, what we encounter in this life is a result of what did in previous lives. To know what we did in our previous lives, look at what we receive in this life.
What did we do in our previous lives? We know from looking at what we face in this one. If we have blessings, good affinities and good fortune, in past lives we must have created good karmic connections and good karma. If we created blessed karma and good affinities, then during this lifetime everyone we meet will be pleasing. They are people who love us and people we love. Everything we do will go according to our wishes.
We can lead such lives because we created good karma and affinities. Thus, we should not wonder why we are not successful despite our good works in this lifetime. Our good work now will result in future blessings. What we encounter now is the maturation of past karmic causes and conditions which led to the karmic fruits and retributions of this life. Because of the Law of Karma, we experience retributions in this life due to the causes & conditions created in our past lives. Our actions in this lifetime are the causes and conditions for effects and retributions in the future lifetime. In the Law of Karma, causes and conditions come before effects & retributions. As we face the consequences of previous actions, we are also sowing the seeds of future fruits.
This means that our future retributions are the result of what we are doing now. So as we face retributions now, we are also sowing new seeds. Our present seeds will bear fruit in the future, our present retributions are due to past causes.
Hence, we should not believe that all we need to do is refraining from doing bad deeds. Aside from not doing bad, we must also do good deeds, because though we enjoy good fortune in this lifetime, if we do not contribute to others, we will exhaust our blessings. Then bad conditions will manifest and we will have to face unresolved retributions. Therefore we must seize this opportunity to pave a good path for the future.
Do not think, “We have not done anything wrong”. We should know that in our past lives, we created immeasurable bad karma, which are like shadows. “They follow one closely like shadows.” Our karma chases and follows us like our shadows. When we walk under the sun, our shadow will always be behind us. Karma will follow us around forever. Regardless of one forms we take, we are always followed by our shadow.
Thoughts continue to arise in sentient beings. It creates nothing but wrongdoings and karma. The cycle of karmic causes, conditions and retributions continue endlessly. We should seize this lifetime to pave the road for the future.
Human beings are very skilled at creating karma. I saw a news report about the monsoon season in Cambodia. Because of the conditions there, the climate and ground temperature, led to mass breeding of locusts. They swarmed everywhere. The locals caught them with nets. What did they do with so many grasshoppers? They fried them. Families everywhere ate fried grasshoppers. They used nets to catch the flying locusts. All the families were doing this. Think about it, human beings are strong compared to other animals. The strong eat the weak.
Humans have no mercy and do not know to cherish lives. Even when we face fierce animals such as elephants, tigers and bears in Africa, we can still find a way to subdue them. For instance, people hunt and kill tigers. Aside from eating their flesh, we skin them. Tiger skins are very valuable. We even kill mild-tempered elephants. Why do we kill them? For their tusks. We also see so many bears missing their paws. Why? Because they are a delicacy. Out of a desire for wealth, humans break these precious animals’ legs, skin them and pull their tusks. Human beings can indeed be very cruel. Perhaps in our past lives, we took have killed many birds, fish, land-based animals or livestock. Everyone, can we say that we have never committed any wrongs? We have already killed so many just by eating them.
Therefore, who can say they have not created bad karma? Many people are not filial to their parents. People advise, “Do not be unfilial to parents.” Many are also disrespectful toward their teachers. This is also wrong. We can all tell them not to act this way. However, there is something we often overlook. When we were young, especially the current younger generation, we all drank milk growing up. When we were young, we drank cow’s milk.
As we got older, we ate its flesh and bones. We never thought about what gave us life. Though mothers give birth to children, nowadays few people breastfeed their babies. Children drink cow’s milk or goat’s milk. And when they are older, they eat steak, beef noodles, etc. How can people dare to say they have not created any karma? We have created some amount of bad karma. We may even have created a lot of karma.
Therefore, we must always feel a sense of shame and frequently repent. We should correct our mistakes immediately. Do not say ”I have never done wrong”. If we always believe that we are never wrong, we will continually err. Intentional offenses are called wrongdoings. Unintentional offenses are called mistakes. Every action we take creates karma. Past causes and conditions result in present retributions.
When things are not going our way, we must still accept them willingly. We happily committed these acts in the past, now we must accept the consequences willingly.
To know what we did in our previous lives, look at what we receive in this life.
The suffering or joy we experience now arises from our past actions. Since we committed those acts happily, we must now accept the consequences willingly.
I often tell everyone that we need to do things willingly & accept the results joyfully. To do things willingly is to vow that no matter how tiring the work is, we remain joyful.
For example, in Indonesia the weather was so hot, around 40-50 degrees Celsius.
These entrepreneurs hauled 50 pound sacks of rice under the scorching sun and wanted to do more. The more they carried, the more joy they felt. This is an example of doing things willingly. No matter how scorching the sun was, how hot the weather was, or how sweaty they became, they were joyful. That is called willingness. We want to bring sweetness into our minds by doing good deeds with joy. We are willing to do, willing to give. This is called doing things willingly. In return, we are filled with Dharma-joy.
To know what we will receive in our next life, look at what we are doing now.
Whether we will suffer or be happy next life depends on the seeds we plant now. If we can walk on the Bodhisattva-path, and willingly act to benefit others, we will attain happiness and create good karmic affinities for the next life.
When confused people happily do bad things, they have to willingly accept the consequences. “So what, it makes me happy. It’s none of your business.” With that mindset, they knowingly commit wrongs. Since they acted happily, they have to willingly accept the consequences.
We learn Buddha’s way to take good care of our minds. Life is impermanent.
Everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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