Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Always Listen to Right Views (正見多聞)
In learning Buddhism, we need to learn Right Views. Right Views are very important.
The Medicine Buddha Sutra states, “Always Listen to Right Views.” If our views are correct, out of the many things we hear, we will identify what is right and what is wrong. “In a group of three, at least one is my teacher.” When we hear the right counsel from a wise person, we will be very grateful and will practice it in our daily living. When we hear something wrong, we must be vigilant and avoid being led onto a deviant path. A person who can clearly discern right from wrong is a wise person.
A good way to explain wisdom and our mind is to use the analogy of a mirror. If the mirror is wiped clean and clear, we can clearly distinguish between different colors and forms in its reflection. But if this mirror becomes blurry, we cannot clearly see the external conditions. The path should be level and straight, but if the mirror is off, we may follow the wrong path.
The mind is like a mirror. If it is polished and clean, it can clearly reflect external conditions so we will not be deluded.
Thus, we must constantly tidy up minds. If we are free of defilements and deviance, we will not commit wrongs. Wrongdoings and misguided perspectives arise from ignorance and blindness. Thus, the text states, “ Because of ignorance and blindness, evil views arise and we commit evil deeds. Thus, the Sutras state that karma from greed, anger, and ignorance can cause sentient beings to fall into and suffer in Hell, Hungry Ghost, or Animal Realms.”
“Karma from greed, anger, and ignorance” means these thoughts have manifested and led us to act and create karma. The karma has already been created. Thus, it can cause sentient beings to “fall into Hell, Hungry Ghost, or Animal Realms.”
These are evil Realms where suffering is certain. Please do not ask, “is there really such a place as hell?” Many people ask this. Not knowing whether Hell exists or not, they simply do as they please. We must believe that those who do good will rise to Heaven, and those who do evil will fall to 3 Lower Realms. For example, when we do geed deeds in this world, we may be praised and commended. However, if we do bad deeds, not only will we be despised by everyone, we ourselves will feel anxious. Every day will be filled with darkness and fear.
You see, even in our minds, Hell and Heaven exist. When we reach the end of our current life, we wonder, “Is there Heaven? Is there Hell? If there places exist, we hear that our souls, float around after we die, so where will we go?” We may think, “If we head toward Hell, we will simply not go. We will just refuse to go.” Is that possible? When the soul leaves the body, we have no control. Emperor Liang’s Repentance stated that when we cannot breathe in again, the phenomena that appear before us are all things that we find pleasing, things that we usually like. We cannot help but be drawn to them. In that dark state of not knowing, we float about without any control and cannot see the path ahead. These are the workings of karmic forces.
Do you all still remember this story I once told? There was a monk who carefully upheld the precepts. He was young, diligent, and dignified. An elderly woman, a devoted practitioner thought, “Making offerings to monks brings infinite merits. Since this monk is so accomplished at such a young age, if I can support him and he succeeds in his spiritual practice, there will be infinite merits.” Her family consisted of her and her daughter. So she invited his monk to stay with them. She said: “Just explain the Sutras to me. Do not worry about your daily living. I will set up a clean room for you. Just focus on practice and explaining the Sutras.” The monk felt it was a good arrangement. Monks just needed a place to settle down and expounding Dharma was their duty, so he accepted the offer. With the small family, and in this clean and peaceful environment, he practiced diligently and explained the Sutras.
A few years later, this elderly woman was concerned. She felt that the young Dharma master had stayed for so long. If he did not venture outside and learn about the sufferings in the world, it would hinder his spiritual practice. She was very worried because she already saw him as her own child and hoped he could be distinguished among his peers. But she also worried that he might not be able to resist the temptations in the outside world. There are many traps in society. If he could not resist them, wouldn’t that be a pity? So one day, she said to this young monk, “You have been living here for a long time and you are like family to me. I was thinking, you are still young. Do you really need to be a monk to practice? You can be a lay practitioner. I feel that you are a good match for my daughter. Why don’t you continue to live with us and marry my daughter? What do you think?”
The monk was shocked. He thought, “How can I do such a thing? When her daughter has matured, if I am still here, perhaps one day I will lose my will to practice. I cannot let this happen, I cannot stay here.”
So he made up his mind to leave. One day, he told the elderly woman, “I think I should travel around. I cannot stay here forever.” The elderly woman was very happy to hear this. She also wished for him to see the outside world. That was why she tempted him with marriage to her daughter. She was very glad that he was free of desires.
She replied, “It is good that you want to see the world. Please firmly guard your will to practice. I do not know how long you will be traveling before you return here. I want to prepare some things for you. If you can wait for 2 or 3 days, I will make some clothes for you. It will be freezing in the winter, much colder than home, so I will make a heavy coat for you. The monk was very grateful to her and accepted her kind offer.
A few days later, the elderly woman gave him the coat. He was prepared to leave the next day. That morning, he woke up early and sat in meditation as usual. While in meditation, he suddenly saw a very big lotus flower floating in front of him. He was quite frightened, “what does this mean? He grabbed his little hand bell and placed it on the lotus flower. The hand bell disappeared. He become very panicked, “What is this state?” A while later, when he was almost done packing, he went to say his farewells. The elderly woman said, “Do be careful out there. Last night, in my stable, a mare gave birth to a foal. But for some reason, the foal died at birth. It had a little hand bell in its mouth. I picked up and washed it. It looked very familiar to me.” The monk was very astonished. “You are right, this hand bell is mine. Last night, close to dawn, as I was meditating, I saw a lotus flower floating toward me. Fortunately I put my hand bell on it. Had I developed a liking for it and sat on that lotus flower, I would have been born as that foal. This is truly frightening.”
Terrible things can happen to an unguarded mind. Such thoughts can stir even in a practitioner. Though he had stayed there for a long time and the old woman’s offerings enabled him to live a comfortable life, his mind was not settled down during his practice. When thoughts arise unchecked, it is similar to being in the Animal Realm. If he had accepted the old woman’s offer to marry her daughter, he might have ended up in the Animal Realm.
This story serves as a warning to us. When we are in good health, we have the clarity of mind to deal with people and things. Once ignorance, afflictions, and habits arise, and we no longer have control, one thought of deviation will lead to actions of body and speech. After these actions, effects will follow. Therefore, we must be very cautious.
Once karma of the mind arises, karma of body and speech will be created. Karmic retribution will surely come about. Those who do good receive blessings. Those who do evil receive painful retributions.
Whether we descend into Hell, Hungry Ghost, or Animal Realms depends on whether we have generated this karma. If this karma is not fully formed, if the thought did not turn into action, then naturally the karma will dissolve. But if the thought arises and we act on it, then the karma is formed. Thus, we must remember that all karma originates from the mind. When a thought arises in the mind and we act upon it. A seed is planted. When the conditions mature, the seed will naturally surface. So as we practice, it is very important to take good care of the field of our minds. Let us keep it clean and avoid planting any bad seeds. If we plant bad seeds, when the season arrives, when the time comes, and the conditions have matured, the seeds will come to fruition. That is the time we face our retributions.
As I repeatedly \said earlier, we cannot hide our wrongdoings. Instead, we must quickly correct our mistakes. If we violated the law, we should surrender. Naturally, we will be tried fairly. For what we have done, we must accept the legal verdict and sentence. After that, we can start anew and be good. If antagonism arises in relationships, there will be mutual afflictions and grudges. When unpleasantness arises, we should quickly admit our mistakes to the other party and promise that we will change. Then, naturally they will forgive us. The seed of affliction in their hearts will disappear. In our hearts, the afflictions will disappear, too. Thus we turn bad afflictions to blessed ones.
When we do something wrong, we should not cover it up. If we can repent and change, at that very moment, our minds will be purified. A pure mind is free of afflictions. If afflictions and ignorance do not arise, we can create goodness instead of evil and turn evil affinities into blessed ones.
Thus, if a good thought arises in our minds, we will be surrounded by good affinities. If a bad or deviant thought arises, we will create karma through action and speech. When the retribution comes to bear, we will “fall into Hell, Hungry Ghost, or Animal Realms” and endure a horrible life. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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