Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Six Cravings (Part 1) (六愛一)
In practicing Buddhism, we practice the Great Vehicle. We must first understand suffering. We must know the world is full of pain. Then we can analyze the reasons for suffering. This is called the Truth of Suffering. We should let others understand it. After we understand suffering, we should seek a way to transcend it. To transcend suffering, we need to practice property. Then we share with others what we have learned about how to transcend suffering and what methods to use. Once we transcend it, we will be joyful. We have to share that too. One who understands suffering, speaks the Dharma of suffering. One who experiences peace and joy speaks the Dharma of peace and joy. This is transforming oneself and others, benefiting oneself and others, enlightening oneself and others. It is perfect enlightened conduct. So Mahayana Buddhism is to “constantly practice all good deeds with joy.”
Constantly practice all good deeds with joy. Have compassion for all sentient beings. Persistently work to benefit others, bring peace and joy. Relieve and deliver all sentient beings from all obstacles and sufferings of rebirth without thinking about your own peace and joy. Seek only the peace and joy of all beings. This is called abiding in the Great Vehicle.
We should always have a joyous heart, and practice quickly. We mentioned that some Mahayana practitioners say, “I’ve achieved a certain state, everything is empty, there is nothing, so I don’t need to be attached to anything.” But it is not like that. Indeed, we should not be attached to or conflicted by disputes; that is how we broaden our minds. So we do not let disputes or conflicts into our hearts. But we have to enlighten ourselves and others, and practice earnestly.
To practice earnestly is to “constantly practice all good deeds with joy.” We need to practice all good deeds, and refrain from evil. Is that not what the Buddha taught? Moreover, we must “have compassion for all beings.” In our hearts, we should always nurture our compassion, so that our boundless compassion encompasses the vast universe. Sentient beings are suffering everywhere, so our compassion must be ubiquitous to “persistently work to benefit and bring joy.” Do not just speak about having compassion and sympathy for all living beings. Is that enough? No, we have to take action. And do what? Beneficial deeds that bring peace and joy, so all sentient beings can be safe and prosperous. So in our daily practice, we have to take action so that all suffering beings can “be relieved and transcend.” They suffer not just from lack of material goods, but from emptiness in the heart when they lack principles.
So, we must hurry to “relieve and deliver all sentient beings from all obstacles and sufferings of rebirth, without thinking about our own peace and joy.” Our efforts alleviate all obstacles and sufferings of rebirth. We walk the Bodhisattva-path without regard for our own well-being. Do not think about what you can gain by doing something. Do not be afraid to expend too much energy. We cannot think that way, we must “seek only peace and joy for all beings.” Thus, we are “abiding in the Great Vehicle.” We mentioned this in the section about the Practice of the Ten Abiding Conducts. Our will to practice should abide peacefully in the Great Vehicle. All of us are doing this. Actually, everyone can do it, too.
In learning Buddhism we learn the Great Vehicle. Keep nurturing the heart of compassion to deliver and save all sentient beings. Then, the heart of cultivation can firmly abide in the Dharma.
As humans, we exist in the world of Five Turbidities. If we do not take care of our pure, innate nature, then we are slowly tainted by society. We are blinded by defilement, and become ignorant. Many people in his world are very ignorant, they do not understand reason or the suffering in the world. So they continue to do evil and suffer. While suffering, they blindly enjoy themselves. Such a life is truly distorted. If we live our lives in ignorance, we create a lot of conflicts. Everything in the world can be harmonious, why must there be struggle? Some people say there is enough harmony, just not enough courage. But if we want to show our bravery or strength, we should do so in harmony. So when we practice Buddhism, we learn to solve problems with harmony. Nothing is completely good or beautiful. But we must stop creating disputes and ignorance, which continue to replicate.
Without eliminating ignorance and stubbornness, then naturally, these conflicts continue to replicate. This is called ignorance. Ignorance and unawareness easily elicit chaos. Modern society is already filled with unrest. Disputes caused by ignorance give rise to continual turmoil. This is a very frightening, vicious cycle. Why are there so many vicious cycles in the world that continuously produce conflicts?
To learn Buddhism, one must realize the Truth of Suffering. If we do not realize the suffering of the world, we constantly commit unwholesome deeds, create suffering and blindly seek pleasure. Thus conflicts bind us, and ignorance arises.
Earlier we talked about the Six Practices, the Six Practices of Buddha-Dharma. Buddha taught us that to practice Mahayana, we cannot deviate from the Six Practices. But the heretics also have the heretical six practices. We practice along one straight line. If we deviate even slightly from this line, then we are mistaken. It is said that the slightest deviance leads to great divergence, so this line is key. When we practice Buddhism, we have to be constantly vigilant.
Furthermore, Six Cravings may cause all wrongdoings, or Six Doubts may cause all wrongdoings. What are the Six Cravings? Craving is attachment to False Views. We have a lot of opinions. With love, we often talk about Great Love, which is pure and undefiled. If our love is defiled by external forms, it becomes desire, greed and desire
That is attachment to False Views. So the text says, “yielding to greed and desires is craving.” If our love is based on greed and desire, it is called attachment to False Views. That is because “attachments and differentiations are False Views.”
If we use greed and desire to distinguish what we love and do not love, whether it be people, matters or objects, it is called attachment to False Views. Love tainted by greed and selfishness is attachment to False Views. From where does attachment to False Views arise? From the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body. One craves what the eyes see, which leads to greed and also to lust and also to lust. So much turmoil in families and society comes from sexual desire. This is the craving of the eyes.
Next is the craving of the ears. Sometimes we hear appealing promises and become mesmerized. And sometimes we create disputes based on what we have heard. Some people are susceptible to believing gossip. This also plants seeds of contention and creates conflicts. This is what ears crave. Similarly, the nose desires scents. With the Six Roots, even when we cannot distinguish the scents around us, we feel afflicted. It is the same with the tongue. The nose and tongue desire flavors. Avian flu comes from both domesticated and wild birds. We do not know how the virus mutated. We keep altering genes so they mutate and reproduce faster. People’s actions cause the viruses to now mutate and continuously multiply. These viruses now enter human bodies by air. Isn’t this the retribution of cause and effect? This disease broke out because of humans. We keep altering the genes of life, so the mutation of the viruses continues to escalate. Then the contaminated feces became become airborne as unnoticeable dust that was spread everywhere by air currents. So avian flu became human flu. The microbes from animals were released into the air, and circulated to infect humans. Then humans passed it on to one another as a flu. This was all generated by our Six Roots. The Six Roots continue to proliferate from a single greedy thought. Some ask, “What does this have to do with eating?” There is a profound relationship. It relates not only to ourselves, but to all of humanity.
So eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, these Five Roots give rise to wrongful attachments and cravings. This causes disorders of our thoughts, which creates our Sixth Root. The Roots that we see, eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, plus our views and understandings, become attachment to False Views. This is called defilement of cravings, and it truly cause much suffering to humanity. So these are the Six Cravings.
As I just mentioned, when desire is entrenched in the Six Roots, the Six Cravings arise. We called it attachment to False Views. The Six Roots become Six Cravings. This is also called Six Contacts. When the eyes see objects and forms, they make contact. When the Six Roots connect with the Six Dusts, they replicate and turn into desires. So “it is also named Six Contacts,” when roots contact dusts “craving is thus created.”
When eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body and mind, become defiled by greed and desire, they become the Six Cravings, which respond to form, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought. These are the Six Contacts.
When the Five Sense Organs connect with the Five Sense Objects, if we do not use thoughts and views to discriminate, the contact does not result in anything. But greed arises when we apply the views and understandings to which we are attached. So craving is greed. Greed is formless, it is just a perspective. But craving becomes greed and “nurtures ignorance.” It nurtures ignorance. It nurtures or no nourishes. Take something dry, like a sponge. If you drip water on it, it expands. With more water, it expends more and becomes wetter. This is nurturing. As for “nurturing ignorance,” once there is the slightest craving or greed, it proliferates and creates ignorance. “This conceptualizing nature” is very common.
Although we speak of Six Roots, it should really be Five Roots. It is our perspectives that cause it to proliferate and keep spreading. So it is conceptualizing or judgmental. Regardless of where ignorance and worry arise, they enter through the doors of Six Roots. Once you open this gateway, it allows ignorance to keep pouring through. So “the judgmental nature spreads uncontrollably.” These Six Cravings are the doors of the Six Roots. If a slight craving seeps in, then our judgmental nature spreads uncontrollably.
When we learn Buddhism, we need to know how to practice. Learning Buddhism starts with the Six Practices. From the Ten Faiths to the Ten Grounds, Ten Dedications, etc. until Wondrous, Equal Enlightenment. This is how we improve our practice of Buddhism, by vigilantly avoiding even the slightest evil and carrying out even the slightest bit of good. So do not commit small evils thinking them trivial; do not avoid small good deeds thinking them slight. We should hasten our diligence, because our lives are limited. So we should always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)