Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Seven Leaks (七漏)
In order to cultivate, we must have all the right conditions. We must have a healthy body, a safe environment, and sufficient time. There are very important for practitioners.
However, they are often unnoticeably neglected. Can we maintain a healthy body at all times? Our vitality lessens unnoticeably. Youth and health diminish discreetly with the passing of time. As we ago, our bodies become less healthy, we become older and weaker. We often have no idea when we lost our health.
The same is true with time. As time continuously passes, we remain unaware. Only after a day has passed do we realize that it is gone, and we have lost another day in our life. Moreover, we are often unaware of how the day started and how it ended. Time passes away unnoticeably.
Health also passes away unnoticeably. Even the nature environment fades away unnoticeably. This is what is meant by Leak. A Leak is a flaw. Let’s examine this. In general, our mind has seven types of Leaks. Those mentioned earlier are external Leaks, now we will discuss the Seven Leaks of the mind. The Seven Leaks are afflictions. “Leak” is the “alternate name of affliction.” When we talk about Dharma we must also talk about afflictions. Dharma is like medicine and clean water; medicine is for curing illnesses. All of us have mental afflictions. Clean water is for purifying our minds. Therefore, we often talk about afflictions. Thus, the Seven Leaks mean that there are seven kinds of afflictions.
The Seven Leaks may cause all wrongdoings.
Seven Leaks:
1 Leak of View 2 Leak of Cultivation
3 Leak of Root 4 Leak of Evil
5 Leak of Convenience 6 Leak of Sensation
7 Leak of Thought
So “all afflictions are Leaky outflows. Thus, they are called Leaks.”
When there are afflictions, things continuously leak out. Though there is inflow, it keeps leaking out. Just like a very dirty bucket, although clean water is poured in, it will eventually leak out. Similarly, we often listen to Dharma and understand that our minds are full of afflictions. We also know to use pure water, Buddha-Dharma, to cleanse and counter afflictions. But we often forget. Then we speak carelessly or hurt others unknowingly. What should we do?
Some say, “Yes, I’m very careful. I didn’t want to do it. But somehow that behavior came out, and made others very uncomfortable.” These are our habitual tendencies. Habits give rise to all afflictions. One affliction is that when we want to learn the Dharma, we forget about it easily. We often hear others say, “I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry.” After offending others or making mistakes, some know that they have to repent at once. They say it was not their intention. But saying that means they had wanted to change and do better. They wanted to listen to the Dharma, but could not retain it.
Therefore, their habitual tendencies appeared. They speak improperly, make mistakes, or express their intentions incorrectly. That is because the wholesomeness that flows in quickly leaks away. We all have the same wisdom as the Buddha. But our wisdom and knowledge is continuously obscured by afflictions, thus it constantly fades away. So it is said to Leak.
Everyone has the same wisdom as the Buddha, but the wisdom is constantly obscured by afflictions. The knowledge that we have gained continuously flows away. This is called a Leak.
The first is Leak of View.It is the affliction of view. We have mentioned this earlier. We are reminded again that biased views are afflictions. The first among the Seven Leaks comes from deviant views. Deviant views harm our will to practice and “sever our path of cultivation.”
To counter this, our minds should truly merge with the Dharma to fix the Leak. Only when Dharma exists can we truly eradicate deviant views. So to stop deviant views, we need to have sufficient wisdom. If deviant views appear, they harm our Wisdom-life. So whether we have wise or deviant views depends on which side we are determined to uphold. If we are determined to uphold wisdom, we can eradicate deviant views. Deviant vies can harm our Wisdom-life, too. Therefore, we have to be careful.
The second Leak is Leak of Cultivation, which includes greed, anger, ignorance, etc. They are “what we eliminate when cultivating.”
To uproot greed, anger and ignorance, we should diligently cultivate the Way. Otherwise, once a Leak exists, although we really want to practice, the Dharma slips away. So our cultivating minds must be very firm, or they will be obscured by greed, anger and ignorance. If we wish to uproot greed, anger and ignorance, we need unwavering minds to earnestly practice the Way. It works both ways, by cultivating the Way, we can uproot greed, anger and ignorance.
Next is Leak of Root.
Third of the Seven Leaks is Leak of Root. It is the afflictions that arise through the sense organs of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, etc. The sense organs are the doors that allow afflictions to arise due to external conditions.
Leak of Root refers to our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body senses, our Five Roots. When the Five Roots connect with external states, afflictions arise. Thus, it is called Leak of Root. Also, “Roots are the doors that allow afflictions to rise from external conditions.” This is because we possess these sense doors. Our eyes are the visual door. If you open the visual door, and see external states, you will be lured by them. Our Sixth Consciousness connects to external states through the visual door, and draws them into the mind. Thus, it is a sense door. This door is “consciousness,” which perceives and connects with the outside world through the eyes. This gives rise to the afflictions of Leaks. So the afflictions of the Five Roots enter through the sense doors and become Leaks. Everyone should understand that we draw in afflictions from the outside through consciousness. The sense doors are our external connections, they form five afflictions when they are drawn in through our Mind-consciousness. This is the third Leak.
The fourth is Leak of Evil.
The fourth of the Seven Leaks is Leak of Evil. It is the affliction caused by evil events and subjects such as evil elephants, evil kings, evil friends, evil countries, etc.
Evil is a perceptual state. People with merits have Circumstantial Rewards. The country they live in is prosperous, with a good ruler who cares for his people. They live where there is ample clothing, food, and high moral standards. People with good karma are born in such places, but some people are born in unfavorable places. All the conditions are very dreadful, such as evil elephants, evil kings, evil friends, evil countries, or evil occurrences around them. Because of the negative environment and all the surrounding evils, deviant views, etc. they develop evil ways. Evil ways give rise to many afflictions. Because of numerous external factors, resentment accumulates in people’s minds. With the accumulation of resentment and lack of education and guidance, they act negatively toward themselves, their society, and their family. Thus, it is called Leak of Evil.
The fifth is Leak of Convenience.
Fifth of the Seven Leaks is Leak of Convenience. This affliction arises from being accustomed to the conveniences of clothing, food, housing and medicine.
Clothing, food, housing and medicine are four indispensable items in our lives. Some people wear clothes to stay warm. However, the rich are afflicted over what to wear. Those with nothing to wear also worry. Some overdo it, and feel they are always lacking another outfit. Every day they worry about obtaining more clothes or getting better fabrics. In contrast, some suffer from the cold and have nothing to wear even as they freeze to death. This is also an affliction. Possessing and not possessing create afflictions. Clothing is essential to our bodies.
The same is true with food and housing. Are those living in luxurious mansions content? Many are not. In contrast, some sleep on the ground without beds. They live out in the open, without shelter to block rain and wind. This also creates afflictions. Medicine can also be worrisome when one is ill and lacks medical treatment. These four necessities are essential to life, but can also make people worry.
The sixth is Leak of Sensation. The sixth of the Seven Leaks is Leak of Sensation. The three sensations of pain, joy and equanimity give rise to greed, anger and ignorance. This is called Leak of Sensation.
Suffering is painful and joy is blissful. Extreme joy gives rise to tragedy. Those who desire joy can never be joyful in any external environment. With greed, sometimes one feels pain and wishes to let go, but cannot do so. One desires too much joy and suffers from it, but still cannot let go. It is difficult to let go of all these attachments. These are Leaks or afflictions. The three sensations “lead to greed, anger and ignorance,” so they are called Leaks.
Next is the seventh Leak, Leak of Thought, which is deviant thought. The seventh of the Seven Leaks is Leak of thought, or deviant thought. Deviant thought can give rise to afflictions. Thus, it is called Leak of Thought.
Deviant thought is the same as the aforementioned deviant view. Deviant thoughts arise when the Five Roots connect with the external Five Sense Objects. Thoughts come when sense and objects connect, and are felt in our minds. When one cannot stop thinking about something, such a mindset is deviant. People crave what they should not obtain, and are afflicted when they cannot possess it. This is Leak of Sensation and Leak of Thought. The main causes of afflictions are sensations and thoughts. We perceive various external states and keep them in our minds. If we have certain sensations and cannot stop thinking about them, it is the main cause of our wrongdoings. “Leak of Evil and Leak of Convenience are the internal causes of afflictions.”
We mentioned that poor environments lead to the accumulation of stress. Also clothing, food, housing, transportation, etc. are external conditions that arouse our greed. Greed, anger and ignorance continuously arise; they are our conditions. In brief, Leaks are afflictions. These afflictions arise from external states or internal sensations that lead to outbursts of evil conduct. This results from the lack of Dharma in our hearts. Thus more afflictions are accumulated. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)