Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Eleven Universal Agents Part 5 (十一遍使五)
We study the Buddha’s teachings so that whatever we encounter on the path of our practice, we have a method with which to tame our minds. This is how the Buddha used His wisdom to guide us according to our aptitudes.
We are all studying the Buddha-Dharma. Yes, in studying Buddha-Dharma, we must also understand the process. I often say, if we have not experienced the Bodhisattva-path, we are still very far from the state of Buddhahood. So we must use all of our abilities to advance on the Bodhisattva-path. We cannot stray even the slightest bit. How do you practice on the Bodhisattva-path? The first thought we have is a vow to benefit and rescue sentient beings. Sentient beings have both tangible suffering and intangible suffering. Whether it is tangible or intangible, we must make a vow to end their suffering.
However, we are also sentient beings, so we likewise have tangible suffering. Tangible means something you can see, hear or feel. In our daily lives, everything we see, hear and feel causes thoughts and emotions to arise. All of our troubles and karmic obstacles are created from what we see, hear and feel. That is tangible suffering.
Others have this suffering, and we also have this suffering. We want to relieve others of their suffering. Don’t we also have to relieve our own suffering? If we don’t eliminate our own suffering, how can we help and liberate others from theirs? Since suffering is our reality, how do we rescue ourselves?
First, we transform our mental state. To practice is to transform our mental state. Our surroundings are a certain way, we confront certain people, and we also have so much to do. It is exhausting. But we realize that this difficulty comes from sentient beings’ different views and habits. Our interaction with many people, all with views and habits different from our own, makes this our spiritual training ground.
I often say that wherever sentient beings are, that is our place for cultivation. When we transform our mental state, we feel grateful for the many opportunities to tame our minds.
To practice the Bodhisattva-path, we should liberate sentient beings from their suffering. However, to relieve the suffering of others, we should tame our own afflictions first, so that we can be empowered to help others. To tame our own afflictions we start by learning to transform our mind. This Saha World is our place for spiritual practice. Be grateful for all the challenges that manifest so you have the opportunities to tame your mind.
Our pure, intrinsic nature is actually gentle and compassionate. But our habits must be controlled. Because habits permeate our nature, we are unhappy when we see certain people, or we are uncomfortable with certain conditions. So we practice how to accept the Buddha’s teachings and be closer to all beings. Then, when sentient beings see us, when they hear our voice, their minds will be released, and they will happily accept transformation. But first we must control ourselves.
Our interaction with everyone is our spiritual training. If our practice is biased, then we cannot; progress even in the tangible realm. Moreover, in addition to the tangible environment, there is the intangible mental realm.
There is our mental realm, other’s mental realms, and the mental realms of all sentient begins.
There are so many, how can we transform them? In learning Buddha-Dharma, we must first have self-discipline. Let our will be strong and our thinking correct. Only then can we transform others.
Sentient beings have different views and habits. Only by first training ourselves, strengthening our intentions and correcting our thinking, will we be able to transform others.
We have talked about “Views” in the past. There are Seven Views. We have discussed the first five Views. Today we will learn about the sixth View, the View of Shortcuts. If one is greedy for the fruits of realization, during spiritual practice one is always thinking of ways to get the desired result. In the Buddha’s teachings, the Buddha said we must practice for three Great Asamkhyeya Kalpas. This is such a long time. Just how long do we need to practice?
He said to practice until you tame your mind, until thoughts and emotions no longer arise. From one day, to seven days to 49 days, no thoughts or emotions should arise. Isn’t this mentioned in the Amitabha Sutra? How can we have no thoughts or emotions arise for such a long time, while witnessing everything that sentient beings go through? Is it easy? It is quite hard. If it is so hard, how can we accomplish this goal?
So we want to take a shortcut. We look to see if there is a shorter road to get there faster. It is very easy to have this mindset. We must uphold our vow and revere the Way. We must uphold our aspiration and practice the Bodhisattva-path. At first it seems very difficult, so it I s very easy to go astray and take heretical precepts. Once someone is led down the heretical path, the quickly go astray.
View of Shortcuts is when people want to quickly realize the fruits of spiritual cultivation by taking a shortcut. Thus, they may take on heretical practices leading to a deviant path.
They “don’t know the right cause or right effect.” In their practice they do not have the right cause. The cause is like the direction we follow, the direction in which we turn our face. The cause is our starting point. It is very important. But some do not know the starting point or how to begin. Even if they stand at the right spot, they do not know which direction to go. They do not follow the right cause so as to move forward correctly.
Because of this, they do not know the proper cause and effect. They do not know which seed to plant, or how to plant it. They will still reap some fruits, but they do not give it much thought. They do not know the right seed and right fruit. They even mistakenly see bad things as wonderful. When the 9/11 crisis happened in the United States, the public panicked. People all around the world were distraught. Tzu Chi entered the disaster area with the Red Cross and Salvation Army in order to provide company and comfort those who suffered. In addition to this, we asked everyone to settle their minds and sincerely pray.
During that time, remember one professor who returned from America. I asked him, “You’re back, where were you when this happened? Were you scared?”
He said to me, “Master, I was very lucky. I wasn’t there when it happened. I was driving to another state with my wife. When we were driving, we saw something strange along the roads. All the American flags were lowered to half mast. My wife and I figured something must’ve happened. We guessed some important people died, and that’s why the flags were lowered.”
I said, “Truly, you were very lucky.”
In a discussion with him, he said that he had a meeting with a couple of professors and scholars. They mentioned the terrorist attack in New York. They said it was the doing of some deviant religious sect. He said this religious group believes in making a sacrifice for their religion. They strive for righteousness in this religion. If they can sacrifice their life for it, they immediately go to heaven. Heaven will have a grand feast to welcome them, and beautiful women will serve them in a majestic palace hall. They think if they sacrifice themselves, they will have eternal life and happiness.
This is the deviance they believe in. Hearing about this religion from the professor was quite distressing. This deviance is a terrifying example of “seeing bad things as wonderfully good.” It is clearly not good; destroying the world and killing people is considered extremely evil in Buddha’s teachings. Since it is so evil, why does it seem wonderfully good to some?
Slight deviations in religious thinking and philosophy can cause extreme evil. Considering this type of evil outlook as good , isn’t this psychological deviance? The Buddha’s teachings guide us to have correct views and understanding, and know the proper cause and proper effect. If our notion of cause and effect is not correct, then we take other people’s goals as our own. We feel that their behavior will lead to good results. This is mistaken.
A wrong thought can lead to many mistakes. If one does not recognize the right cause and right effect, and follows the wrong cause, the direction and methods become deviant. This leads one to do deeds, harming oneself and others.
You should still remember this story I told you, the one of the Buddha leading Nanda. Because Nanda wanted to return to laity, the Buddha showed him both Hell and Heaven. In Heaven, Nanda saw many beautiful women and a magnificent palace hall. He asked, “How can this palace be so majestic and magnificent? There are so many workers renovating it, and inside there are so many beautiful women.”
The Buddha said “Why don’t you ask?”
When he asked, he was told, “We are waiting for a disciple of Buddha, Nanda. His future practice will lead him here.”
Nanda then asked the girls, “And you?”
They said, “We’re here to serve him in the future.”
Nanda said, “Such Happiness! In the future this palace will be mine, and these women will serve me.” He was very happy.
Then the Buddha started to show him Hell. Hell was a place of fierce and violent flames and scalding hot oil.
Nanda asked, “What is this place? Why are you all lighting this fire? What are you doing with such a big cauldron full of scalding oil?”
They said, “This is waiting for Nanda. His understanding of practice is deviant, in the future, this cauldron will be his, so we are lighting this fire.” This was all from deviant thinking. After Nanda saw this, he was terrified.
Upon their return, he saw a bunch of monkeys.
He asked, “Why are there so many monkeys?”
The Buddha said, “Do you know if these monkeys are male or female?” Nanda said, “I don’t know.”
“Go over and take a closer look.”
He said, “They are mostly female.”
The Buddha said, “Take a look, are these monkeys beautiful?”
He said, “No, not at all!”
“Who is more beautiful, the heavenly maidens or the monkeys?”
He said, “The women, of course!”
“You should know that when the heavenly women exhaust their blessings, they will become these monkeys.”
“People were originally just like them.”
So Nanda resolved to thoroughly and absolutely practice, to uphold the precepts and revere the Way.
To uphold your vow and revere the Way is important. In short, if our beliefs are deviant, one wrong can create thousands of errors. With a false practice, it is easy to get angry. Without that anger they would not be destructive. That kind of religion trains you to destroy others for your own purposes. This is taking a shortcut. If this is the result of practicing, then that means the thinking is deviant. Trying to quickly reach the goal will cause terrible behavior later. Thoughts of anger and killing accumulate, so the future result will be terrible.
Practitioners must correct their mentality; their thoughts must be correct. We must tame our stubborn natures and not have any deviation. When we see some things, it is easy to get angry. When the anger accumulates, the future will be too dreadful to contemplate. “View of Shortcuts” is to take deviant goals. After becoming attached to the goal, we are prone store anger and hurt others.
So we must always uphold our responsibility. Uphold the vow, revere the Way, for it is great. Everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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