Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Six Practices: Ten Faiths Part 4 (六行~十信行四)
As previously mentioned, the first of the Six Practices is the Ten Faiths. We have discussed Wisdom and Samadhi. If we do not retreat, strengthen our Samadhi and constantly advance forward with diligence, no matter what situation we face, the clarity of our minds will not be affected.
Next is Dharma-protection. We should always protect our minds from being seduced by external improprieties that may affect the stability of our Samadhi. Therefore, we must concentrate and not retreat. Only then will we be able to attain the eighth, which is Dedication. With Dedication, we often ask, “After reciting, did you dedicate the merits to someone?”
Some people may say, “I forgot. What should I do?” What is Dedication? True Dedication is to “preserve our awakened mind, to maintain a bright and clear awareness.
We know that everyone has such bright and clear wisdom. With this bright and clear wisdom, we can always illuminate and distinguish external occurrences regarding people, matters, objects, and environments. Everything will be clear, with no confusion. So we must always keep a clear mind. If we can do this, everything we do will always return to us in a bright and clear state.
Therefore, to dedicate merits is to have a pure mind with clear distinctions and no misconceptions. All the actions we have taken return to us. We can clearly see each thing we have done and be enlightened by each one. It is like the reflections in a mirror. With a mirror, we see the outside environment, and also the same image inside the mirror. This is called a reflection. The mirror reflects back the external state, so the wisdom gained is called the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom.
If we can always maintain this clarity and awareness, we will have “amazing power,” just like the power of a mirror. Once the environment is gone, it leaves no trace on the mirror. This is truly wondrous. Be they mountains or rivers, rich and splendorous places or smelly and filthy places, after the mirror reflects them, it is not affected or defiled. If our minds are like the mirror, it will be wonderful. These are the effects of external conditions. But they have no influence on the Buddha’s mind. It is just like the reflection of light.
“Amazing power can sense Buddha-light reflected.” We can remain pure and undefiled, turn to the Buddha, and abide peacefully. Conflicts and disputes cannot agitate our minds. We maintain one thought in our minds, continuously and undisrupted, which is the bright and clear wisdom of the Buddha. This is the reflection of the Buddha’s light, or dedication of merits.
If we have the same wisdom as the Buddha, the wisdom of discernment and equanimity towards the outside environment, our minds will not be disturbed by the conflicts and controversies around us. This is the wisdom of the Buddha. This is dedication of merits. Therefore, everyone please be more mindful.
Since we are practicing, if we are not mindful in our daily dealings with people and matters, our minds could be become entrapped by the external environment. Even after an event, our minds are still attached an afflicted. If our minds still carry these hindrances, there will be no reflection of the Buddha’s light.
Always maintain the awareness of clarity in your mind. During controversies, let your awareness turn inward and not be influenced by external challenges. Let the mind be like the mind of the Buddha shining with purity. This is Dedication.
The Buddha, in the Jataka Sutra, often used His own experiences to educate us. I have told one of His stories in the past. That is, the Buddha was once a kind and benevolent king who treated his people equally. He frequently traveled around his country. Each time, he would load great quantities of food and other valuables in his carriage. Wherever a family or individual was poor, sick, lacked clothes, food, medicine, etc., he would immediately provide what was needed. Seeing and hearing the people’s suffering, his only vow was to benefit all living beings. Because of his great heart and kind love, all his subjects respected and adored him. When a Heavenly Being saw this country, how harmonious the people and the society were and how respectful they were to the king, he became apprehensive. So he transformed into a man and said to the king, “Your Highness, your kindness is very precious, and has earned the respect of your people. But what you are doing is detrimental to yourself.”
The king asked, “How is it harmful to me?”
He said, “It’s said that all beings have a combination of good and bad karma. If those how should suffer don’t receive their rightful karmic retributions, that karma will be transferred to you. If it is transferred to me, what will happen to me?”
He replied, “You will fall into hell.”
The king then asked, “If bear their karma and fall into hell, what will happen to those who received my help?”
The Heavenly Being said, “They will go to heaven.”
After hearing this, the king smiled and said to him, “If so, I willingly accept it. My only goal and wish is to be like the Buddha, the enlightened one of this world. Many Buddhas have come to save living beings. I wish to follow the same path. One mind, one mission, moving forward diligently. There is nothing else I wish for.”
After hearing this, the Heavenly Being changed back to his true form and said, ‘I’m ashamed. I used a mundane perspective to gauge your state of mind. I thought if you create all these blessings, you would take over my place in heaven. I came here in human form in order to disrupt your mind. But you have already surpassed the mundane mind and human desires. Your mind is pure. You have attained the mind of the enlightened, living in this mundane world yet not deluded by ignorance. I feel very ashamed.”
He knelt down to repent, then disappeared. This shows that, in His past life, the Buddha also had this experience of one mind, one mission. This state of Buddhahood is what he was pursuing. He was not contaminated at all by anything around Him. This is Diligence. It is also Wisdom and Samadhi. It is true Dedication.
Such reflection of the Buddha’s light is always the luminosity of the Buddha and the wisdom of the mind. Such clarity is not defiled by worldly matters. This is turning to the Buddha and abiding there. We dedicate our minds to the Buddha, and remain immovable. That is Dedication.
The ninth is precept. Spiritual cultivation requires precepts. Everyone, in learning Buddhism, precepts are a disciplinary system. If there is no system for the practitioners, we will go astray. To stay within the light of the Buddha’s wisdom and within the mind of the Buddha, we must keep precepts. Because of the precepts, the light in our minds can shine constantly. If this light constantly remains in our minds, “we can stay immovable and uncontrived.” This uncontrived state of mind is the state of the Buddha, which is a state of no defilement. If we achieve it, we will not lose this light. It is most important to have this light of mind.
Spiritual practice requires the keeping of precepts. Precepts are a disciplinary system that can help the mind abide in the light of the Buddha’s wisdom.
This perilous if we don’t abide by the precepts. There is a story that takes place in Buddha’s time. In the state of Sravasti, the Sangha went out to ask for food. There was a young Bhiksu in the sangha. While asking for food, he met a beautiful young girl. The girl took his alms-bowl, filled it with food, and offered it reverently. The young monk was moved by her beauty, and his mind started to linger. Her image was imprinted on his mind. From that point, his thoughts were constantly on the girl, all day long. It was suffering beyond words. He became ill. A fellow Bhiksu quickly reported it to the Buddha.
The Buddha came to see him and asked, "What is the matter with you?" He told the Buddha everything.
The Buddha said, "What is so difficult? It is not difficult for you to have this girl. Come, get up and get dressed. I can accompany you to this young girl's home. Come."
Upon hearing this, he was physically energized. He got dressed and the Buddha accompanied him, with other monks holding him to the young girl's home. Before reaching the door, they sensed a foul smell. When they inquired, they learned that without any symptom of illness, the girl died three days ago. Her parents could not let go and bury her, her body had swelled, decomposed and become smelly.
The Buddha said, "This is how filthy the body is. Don't you want to see her?"
The monk looked and saw that her whole face had puffed up and her bodily fluids had turned foul, oozed out, and reeked. After seeing this, the young monk felt ashamed. He followed the Buddha back to the abode. After sitting down, the Buddha said to his disciples, "Contemplate the body as impure. Everyone's body is filthy. Nothing in the body is clean. In spiritual practice, once our thoughts are left unchecked, we perceive all the forms we see as clean. But in fact, all bodies are filthy. Once your thoughts go unchecked, believing that everything is clean, you will be seduced by external forms."
Thus, the Buddha said, "The unrestrained mind perceives forms as pure. Desires grow, creating a prison." If we have the thought that this is beautiful and we like it, craving arises. We will pursue such desires. In fact, as such consciousness of desire develops, the stronger our craving becomes.
The Chinese character, "lust", has a knife on top. Many people in this world commit crimes for lust and suffer imprisonment. If our minds are unceasingly entangled by desire, we create a mental prison. Developing a sense of awakening is most critical to spiritual cultivation. We should always "contemplate desire as impure." We should constantly remind ourselves that, to reach enlightenment, we must be aware that craving and sensual desires are impure.
Then, we can be "free from evil imprisonment, end old age & death." Don't we cultivate to end our rebirths in the Six Realms? Therefore, we must eliminate our cravings and desires, especially sexual desires and romantic relations. We must eradicate this so we will not be afflicted and entangle ourselves. The sole purpose of spiritual cultivation is to protect our minds. If we can maintain the purity of our minds, we will have firm convictions
Therefore, it is critical to keep precepts. The tenth stage is Vow. When we abide by the precepts, we can be at ease and avoid many problems. Only then can our pure minds be free, no matter where we are. Regardless of the realm, we will always be carefree and at ease. Such ease will enable us to follow our vows freely.
Everyone, if we can practice well through the Practice of Ten Faiths, then our Path and conduct will not deviate. Please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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