Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Cleanse All Obstacles from the Mirror of Wisdom (鏡智明鑑滌諸障)
In our minds there is a source of pure spring water. It is inherent to us all. But sometimes it seems like the well has run dry and we lack the nourishment of water. We always say that Dharma is like water, which can irrigate the fields of our minds and nurture good seeds.
But sometimes, for some reason, we cannot find that water. Truly, the source exists in each of our minds. But now we need to find it. We know there is a vein of water, so we must dig for it mindfully. We are clearly very close to the source, but if we stop short, the water will not come. We have to put forth more effort. Perhaps the source is blocked by a small rock. If we remove the rock that is totally blocking this spring of water, if we can move this rock aside, a stream of pure water will gush forth and cleanse defilements.
A long time ago, I told a story about a village with a severe water shortage. The people were close to death. There was a boy watching the adults dig for water. The adults dug very deeply and this boy also earnestly moved the dirt away. But the adults reached a point where they felt even if they dug deeper, there would be no water.
The boy, however, thoughts, “So many people have spent so many days digging, should we give up like this?” Since the adults had no more energy and no more faith, they left. This boy went into the ditch and kept digging and digging. He dug until he saw a rock. The rock was heavy. Everyone had already left and he could not move it by himself. He was tired, so he just lay there. He drifted off to sleep and suddenly thought he heard something. He mindfully listened again and thought. “I hear the sound of flowing water!” Where was it coming from? He used his hands to start digging again. He did not leave for six days and nights.
Finally, he reached the bottom of the rock. There was a gap in the rock there, so he pushed hard to open it up. The dirt under the rock was pretty much gone, so with effort he managed to push it aside. When the rock moved, water emerged. The boy had used all his strength, so he fainted. The water slowly flowed out and soaked the boy. When he woke up, he was surrounded by water.
People were looking for him, but no one knew he was in the ditch. When he woke up, he yelled with all his strength, “There’s water! There’s water!” Someone heard him and followed his voice to the ditch, where they saw the water. Then the boy fainted again. They quickly pulled him up and looked at this child who had already spent six days in the ditch. He had moved the rock so the water could gush out and had saved the entire village. This is a story.
We practitioners must have the same spirit as that boy. We must be mindful. Then we can hear the sound of the water. If we listen to it every day, after a long time, will we still have faith? Or will we lose our faith? We lose faith because we do not apply the Dharma. If we apply the Dharma, then we can have faith. When we add on another layer of effort, we can hear that source of water. And if we work even harder, water springs forth and the Mirror of Wisdom becomes clear with no obstacles.
When the water of our minds springs forth, its natural purity removes defilements. If our defilements are removed, our Mirror of Wisdom becomes clear and unobstructed. Then mind is like a mirror that needs to be polished and washed. If we clean and polish it to a shine, it can clearly reflect everything in the world. So, we must work hard. Like those digging for well water, or those polishing a mirror, we must work hard. Then our mind’s mirror can be clean.
So, the next passage in the text says that we must make a vow. We vow to repent all the afflictions that obstruct our practice so that merits will arise.
We know that in our minds we already have a lot of good Dharma which can help us succeed, and move from the state of ordinary beings to Buddhahood. But, we cannot do anything if we do not make a vow. We will be unable to exert our strength. So, vows are very important. When we make a vow, we have strength. With this vow of repentance, we hope to wash away ignorance and afflictions in our minds. Then we can remove all obstacles to our practice, which is like washing away all the filth from a mirror so it can clearly reflect everything in the world, just as it originally did. Then naturally, “merits will arise.” How do merits arise? When we hear good Dharma and put it into practice consistently. With one mind and one mission, humble yourselves and accommodate others. If your mind is open, you see the simplicity in external conditions. If you can do this, you are always accumulating merits.
In this way, we can be “free wherever we are born in our next life.” We do not seek anything in return for what we do. We just seek a pure and radiant mind. So, no matter where we are born, we can be at ease. This depends heavily on the power of repentance. Only the power of repentance can eliminate obstacles caused by afflictions. So, life after life, no matter where we are born, our minds can be open and pure, with no defilements or interpersonal disputes to disturb us. We want to be as simple as the boy who moved the rock.
Then we will “not be affected by our accumulated karma.” If we can solidify the power of faith and resolve, we can live freely life after life and not be swayed by accumulated karma and actions. We often think, “That’s strange, That person had great resolve. Our conversations were agreeable. He seemed to get a lot out of the Dharma. What happened to him? Now his speech is different, and his attitude, too.”
“Why is that? Not only are his speech and attitude different, he tries to aggravate people.”
“What happened?”
He must have had some kind of affliction that caused him to change his thinking. Where did these afflictions come from? He karmic forces. What are karmic forces? I often tell everyone that our habits still exist. So, we often say spiritual practice is actually eliminating our habitual tendencies. Maybe in his original environment, he already had many habitual tendencies. With a sudden change in environment, he felt, “Yes, this is truly the way that I’m seeking.” He made a resolve and was happy, so he absorbed everything he heard and expressed everything very well. But perhaps he did not completely break his habits, so when the conditions tempted him slightly, his mind reverted back, following the influence of his former habits.
So if you wonder, “Why did he revert back after making great changes?” it was due to a lack of Samadhi. Hidden afflictions may arise at any time. We must have firm resolve so that we will not be influenced when we encounter conditions which trigger our old habitual tendencies. So, we must be very careful.
Next it says, “With spiritual powers, in a split second, we can travel to all the Pure Buddha-lands in the ten directions and help transform all sentient beings.”
This means that as long as we release that pure stream in our minds, and establish our resolve and our faith, we will not be influenced by our surroundings, and the mirror in our minds will reflect clearly. Then “by grasping one truth, we comprehend all.” Earlier we talked about “fulfillment.” Because we face obstacles, we feel unfulfilled in many situations.
We often hear people say “8 or 9 out of 10 things will be unsatisfactory.” We are dissatisfied by so many things. Why are our afflictions so numerous? Who can make you unhappy? We make ourselves unhappy, otherwise how else could there be so many unsatisfactory things in the world? It is all in our minds; we feel unhappy, unfulfilled. Though we say the world is full of suffering, if we do not know the truth, everything is painful. If we can see through and understand things, we know everything is impermanent. Impermanence is a law of nature. We cannot worry about the sky falling.
How will worrying help anything? We should seize the moment and not let worries influence our minds. If we have a broad perspective, everything id open. If we do not, we worry about the sky falling. Then how can we be free of afflictions? Since life is impermanent, what is there to be petty about? With nothing to take issue over, we have no afflictions.
Of course, “fulfillment” is referring to the Four Basses of Spiritual Power. If we can cast aside all afflictions, then, when we have no afflictions, “in a split second we can travel in the ten directions.” Our minds often travel across all ten directions. Whose mind doesn’t? If I say send your mind east, your mind will go east. Which way is east? It is the direction in front of me, behind you. If you turn around, you will face east. How do we prove that is the east? The side the sun rises from is the east. If you tell me, “Master, please look west,” I will turn around. I know west is blind me because the opposite of east is west. Are east and west absolute? These are also terms created by people.
If we understand how the terms relate to the principles, we will be correct. These are just thoughts. If we call east west, and west east, that works, too. We can just exchange the terms. However, the direction cannot be changed. The sun will always rise on that side, whether we call it east, west, north or south.
Truly, no matter how we switch around these terms, the place the sun rises from is fixed. The principle is fixed. We become confused by all these terms, and lose our sense of direction, so we have afflictions.
We were originally so pure, clean as a bright mirror. The Great Mirror-wisdom is in our minds, but our vision has been clouded.
Everyone, I often say we must purify our hearts and minds. So, we need this pure water to spring forth and cleanse the defilements of our minds. Then the Great Mirror-wisdom can be clear, with no obstacles. This is all in our minds. There is an inherent pure stream of water. Move the rock blocking the source and the stream will wash away defilements so the Mirror-wisdom can clearly reflect everything. Everyone, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
首頁 
