Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Pure and Sincere Repentance (清淨虔誠懺悔心)
Every day I hope that everyone can adjust their minds. We must foster loving-kindness and close the doors of desire. We must not pursuer our desires at all. Yesterday we said that Bodhisattvas cannot bear to let beings suffer. They do not seek happiness only for themselves. It should be this simple. Everyone should remember these two phrases.
We should do good, give without asking repayment, as if everyone is dear to us. Treat all sentient beings as your loved ones. If this is our way of thinking, we will give rise to the heart of a Bodhisattva. All of our daily actions will follow the Bodhisattva-path. Bodhisattvas cannot bear to let others suffer. They do not seek happiness only for themselves. They do good without seeking any reward, as if everyone was their loved one. I hope we can do this.
I have always said that sentient beings create karma. Much karma arises in the mind and is carried out through our actions. As we transmigrate indefinitely in the Six Realms, we want Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to come save us. But we do so much wrong, who can save us? We have to save ourselves. To save ourselves, we must first pacify our minds, subdue all our desires, and open our unpolluted, uncontrived, flawless loving hearts. [Flawless means without Leaks of afflictions]. In doing good, we must be “flawless”. Being flawless means being unpolluted and not asking for rewards. If we do not ask for a reward, then that is untainted good, or “flawless” good. Doing good but seeking rewards is a Flawed Good Deed. If we create some blessings, we may think, “Now everything I do will go smoothly. Since I have done a good thing, I will certainly create and obtain blessings. Now my family will be safe and healthy.” Then when someone gets sick, maybe with the flu, or something bad happens, afflictions arise. “But I clearly did good deeds, how could my loved one get sick? Why would this happen to my family? What was the use of doing good?” These kinds of afflictions arise, and our benevolence easily disappears.
When we study Buddhism, we must learn to be “flawless” and ask for nothing, then we will have no afflictions. Flawless means pure. Our minds are originally pure; our intrinsic Buddha-nature cannot be defiled, so it is considered “flawless”. If we have “flaws”, or Leaks, it means we have already been tainted by afflictions. Then we have Leaks. It is like a vessel for carrying water. If there are leaks in a bucket, even if you put clean water in, it leaks out. It is the same when we have leaks. Even if we listen to the Dharma frequently, we soon forget it. It leaks out. You should do good. “I know, I know.” We must give without asking in return. “That makes sense, I get it.” But it is easy to forget this. Then all you remember is “Do good, get blessings.” The “giving unconditionally” part leaks out, and “being undefiled” leads out. This is called having leaks. Even if you understand it, most of the time it leaks out. This is having “flaws.”
In studying Buddhism, we must learn to be flawless. Having flaws is like being a vessel with leaks. Even if you listen to the Dharma often, after hearing it , you forget it.
Sometime the dedication of merit can be flawed. Every morning, as I enter the Buddha Hall I hear you all chant the dedication of merit. “I vow to eliminate the Three Obstructions and all afflictions. I vow to obtain wisdom and realize the Truth.” Everyone is making this vow. In seeking and practicing the Buddha’s teachings, we must eliminate the Three Obstructions and all afflictions. All obstacles come from afflictions.
The Tree Obstructions:
Afflictions: Greed, Anger, Ignorance, etc.
Karma: Five Offenses, Ten Evils, etc.
Retributions: Hell, Hungry Ghost, Animal Realms.
These three kinds of things obstruct us.
The Three Obstructions hinder us, as do the afflictions of the Three Realms.
The cycle of rebirth in the Three Realms is subject to cause and effect.
It is also called the Three Existences.
1. Desire: Reincarnation in the Realm of Desire.
2. From: Reincarnation in the Realm of Form.
3. Formless: Reincarnation in the Formless Realm.
If we expect a reward for the good deeds we do, we obtain merit in the Three Realms. But the Three Realms are still in Samsara. If we do good to seek rewards, that merit does not leave the Three Realms, which are still subject to karmic cause and effect. The law of cause and effect still exists there.
The first is the Desire Realm, reincarnation in the Desire Realm. We just talked about creation blessings to protect our families, or to ensure smooth business, etc. These motivations are all in the Realm of Desire. Although we are doing good, if we seek rewards many obstacles will still exist. Isn’t this greed and desire? We have the desire for our family, our loved ones, and our surroundings to be even better. This is the obstacle of greed and desire. It is dedication of merit in the Desire Realm.
If we can transcend this kind of desire, we reach the Realm of Form. We know that having a flu and getting sick are laws of nature. It has nothing to do with good deeds or with creating karma, etc. With this understanding, we can surpass the mentality of the Desire Realm. But we still have not left the Realm of Form. What is the Realm of Form? We are in the Realm of Form when we are still attached to all the things that have material existence. It is like a typhoon. Nothing in the world can withstand the attack of wind and water. We will also feel quite worried. The people who live where disaster strikes worry about whether the ground was damaged or if their house is still standing. If there is damage, they will suffer. It is hard to see a lifetime’s hard work destroyed in a day. All they can do is pray to be spared. After the typhoon is over, perhaps all they see is devastation everywhere. Trees and houses toppled, roads and bridges broken. It is so frustrating and troubling when these difficulties appear. When you hear a typhoon is coming, pray for safety. Do not think, “Why do these disasters happen?” Disasters occur because of our collective karma. The flame of desire, the flood of greed, or the fierce winds of ignorance are all created from our collective karma. Natural disasters, the weather, all are formed by energies coming together. When air flows meet certain conditions, the result is differing effects of differing strengths. The levels of strength vary greatly, as do the levels of damage caused by the force. The extant of the storm damage is also dependant on our collective karma. Studying Buddhism is not about rushing off to go pray for safety when we hear a typhoon is coming. We must look for the root of the matter, which is the collective karma of sentient beings. Everything in the Realm of Form, everything that has material existence, they will be destroyed. If things have form, they go through formation, existence, decay and disappearance. It is no use pursuing them. When we are attached to our desires, the karma stays in this world causing events like global warming, or abnormal weather, etc.
Everything that has form, mountains, rivers, and the Earth will eventually be destroyed. So when we do good deeds, we should not expect anything in return or wait till something happens before creating blessings. We often talk about collective karma. If everyone works to do good, the power will be tremendous. Perhaps even typhoons will lose strength, or change direction. Even a slight change can lessen the damage.
Good and bad are in a constant tug-of-war. With so many people here, if only a few do good, it is not enough. They must influence more people to do the same. Otherwise, when a typhoon comes, do you think only others will be knocked down, while we are spared? If there is a flood, and other people’s houses are submerged, do we think that, since we did good, our house will be above water? Impossible. The Realm of Form is still impermanent. It is useless for us to wonder why, when we have done so much good, we still suffer the same disasters as others. Do not think like this. You must realize that the good you do by yourself is not enough. Everyone must work together in this tug-of-was between good and bad, so the forces of good will be strong enough. Only then can we stop the negative trends and reduce disasters to a minimum.
So, we should not dedicate merits in the From Realm or the Formless Real. What is the Formless Realm? Formless means having absolutely no worries about family or material things. Since we do not have these worries, we will never experience loss. What more is there to ask for? There is still existence in the Formless Realm. What exists there? Our thoughts and minds. Although we may seem to not worry about things, there are still many worries on our minds. Although we may say that all things that are born must die, all things created must perish, and that this is fundamental, we are just paying lip service. There are still desires in our minds; the “flaws” have not been removed. There are still afflictions store away. These seeds are simply being repressed. When a rock covers seeds, grass cannot sprout from them, but the seeds are still there. They are still in our minds. The Formless Realm is still in Samsara.
In studying Buddhism, we learn not to dedicate merits to the Three Realms, not to pray for rewards. We just do it. We do what should be done; that is our responsibility. Since we were born in this world, we cannot bear to let other beings suffer, and we do not seek happiness only for ourselves. We must not seek a reward when doing good, and we must treat all sentient beings equally, as if they are all our love ones. If we have done these things, then there is no need for us to dedicate merits. It is unnecessary. We just need to fulfill our vows to eliminate afflictions and the Three Obstructions. We must truly, thoroughly take these obstacles, whether from greed, anger, ignorance, or from the Desire, Form, or Formless Realms, and completely eliminate them. In this way, the Three Obstructions will vanish, and afflictions will be eradicated. If we continue to hold on to merits, we will still have obstacles, which block the world-transcending karma.
For these countless, endless transgressions, l openly repent today in front of all Buddhas and sages of the Ten Directions.
The text indicates that, “These transgressions are countless and endless.” There are so many transgressions. We have already talked about many types of karma, how different karma is created by each affliction. There are many names many forms, many different transgressions, which are boundless and endless. Since we know that we have created so much karma, “Today” we should “openly repent, in front of all Buddhas and sages of the Ten Directions.”
Since we study Buddhism and its principles, and accept the Buddha-Dharma, we begin to how that we must openly admit all that we have done in the past. Only then can we be purified. We should sincerely and thoroughly repent to all Buddhas and sages of the Ten Directions. Repentance is like washing away dirt with water. We should be reverent, and thoroughly, openly repent. We must wash away the afflictions of our minds. That is true repentance, the Dharma as water can wash away defilements.
Everyone, please always use the Dharma in your daily lives. Please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
首頁 
