Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Realize the Mind’s Nature and Develop Wisdom-life (明本心性增慧命)
Every day we need to reverently be mindful of the grace of the Three Treasures. Consider the Buddha’s wisdom. If we use the Dharma in our daily living and if we can always be mindful of the Dharma, we will not easily do wrong. But since we have done wrong, we must respect. Only repentance can eliminate bad habits.
Originally, everyone was equal to the Buddha, but after the influences of many lifetimes, negative habits were formed. Thus, we can no longer find out intrinsic nature, because it is obscured by our negative habitual tendencies. The Dharma is like water, so we need to repent. Through repentance, we can wash away these habits. Everyone needs to be mindful at all times. Being mindful of the grace of the Three Treasures will allow reverent repentance to arise. Only then can we truly develop our Wisdom-life, see our true nature, and attain enlightenment.
Reverently be mindful of the Three Treasures’ grace. Repentance can eliminate all negative habits. Develop your Wisdom-life and realize your true nature.
Since everyone has an intrinsic Buddha-nature, it is only natural to rely on the Buddha’s teachings to awaken our Buddha-nature. We also need to take refuge.
The text tells us, “Take refuge in all Buddhas. Pray for protection and care. We disciples and all others have already repented the general forms of all our karma.” This means that we have already reverently taken refuge in all Buddhas. But in our past state of ignorance, we may have already created much karma. Now, we have taken refuge.
In Chinese, these words mean turning away from darkness, the karma we created in the past, and returning to light, to clarity. We already know what is evil, what is good. Now we have turned away from evil, toward good. We have already gotten rid of evil, so now we face toward the bright and clear Dharma. This is taking refuge. We rely on the teachings of all sages with body and mind. We need to have sincerity and respect. We want to “pray for protection and care.” We pray that the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and all other sages will look on us with compassion, take good care of us and help guide our minds. We often ask, “Who has the ability to look after another person’s mind?” All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have already shown us the clear path. Just follow it! Even if we start to deviate, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, in their compassion, will correct our course and safeguard us from taking the wrong path.
Actually, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are always with us. We can also be a Bodhisattva in another’s life. With the right mind on the path, we will naturally see our true nature. If we go even slightly astray, others on the path will tell us. Then we should to be respectful and immediately return to the correct course. We cannot go further off-course. We need to return to the right path.
So, to “pray for protection and care” is not simply praying to Buddha statues to bless and protect us. Actually, we are praying to all noble sages, the Buddhas in our own minds, the Right Mindfulness in everyone. With this, we can mutually protect and care for each other. If you see others with a Buddha-mind, then everyone will appear as a Buddha. So, we should be respectful in dealing with everyone.
It says here, “We disciples and all others have already repented the general forms of all our karma.” We have already talked a lot about repenting all negative karma. If we truly and completely repent, if we change, then we will create merits. Because we have worked hard to train our minds, our outward actions have already changed. “Inwardly, being humble and modest is merit. Outwardly, courtesy and accommodation is virtue.”
In this way, slowly step by step, we rely on the Buddha’s teachings. We have already bathed in the flow of the Dharma and washed clean the defilements of our errors. This is what we mean by repentance. We have begun to understand, in general, all the mistakes of body, speech and mind. We have corrected them one by one. Since we have corrected them, we will not create that karma again. This is “repenting all our karma,” all the karma we created in the past. Starting today, we will correct all of our past mistake, one by one. After correcting them, we cannot make them again.
“Now we repeat this sequence to repent each and every specific form of karma.”
In the past, we spoke about many terms. These are the general forms. Even if we have repented each of these, as sentient beings, we are absent-minded and we tend to quickly forget. Although it has been a long time, the Dharma as Water is always reminding us that we have been polluted by these impurities, so we must wash ourselves clean at once. We have made these mistakes and created karma, so we must correct ourselves immediately. So many terms are used to teach us about creating worldly karma of body, speech and mind, making the mistakes of the Ten Evils, breaking the 3,000 or 80,000 Regulations, or other faults, etc. We already know all this. But knowing is one thing, actually changing our habits is another.
Imperial Preceptor Wu-Da’s compassion was vast, allowing us to repent in general. The next passage allows us recollect. It is alerting us, or reminding us, so that we know to repeat the entire sequence, again and again, to repent each and every specific form “Each and every” means there are very many. Before, we focus only on the general forms. Now, we consider each individual item, each with very different meanings since each of the karmic forces is different. Whatever transgressions you commit, you will receive the appropriate retributions. So now, you need to repent each specific one.
Next, the text says, “General or specific, obvious or subtle, mild or severe, revealed or hidden, and all of the various derivatives. We vow to eliminate all of them.”
This is another prayer. Though we have already repented the general forms, there may still be many other things to repent. It may be obvious, something everyone can see. Or others may not be able to see it, but it may still be a serious transgression. It can be either obvious or subtle, perhaps very subtle. Other people cannot see the subtle forms of your actions. All ordinary people are like this. Among all sentient beings, who has not made obvious mistakes? Who has not had subtle afflictive thoughts? Other people may not see or hear them, but they still cause many mistakes and afflictions.
Next is “mild or severe.” Some offenses are quite minor. By saying, “Sorry, that was my mistake,” they can be forgiven. These are considered mild mistakes. But there are also severe transgressions such as the five transgressions we spoke of, killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, drinking, etc. There are many errors of this kind. There are also the Five Rebellious Acts, killing parents, disrespecting the Three Treasures or other wrongdoings of greed, anger, or ignorance. The karma created from these is very serious. They are severe transgressions. It is more than just legal punishment. In fact, the causes, conditions, and retributions, following the karmic forces of these acts will cause descent into the Three Evil Destinies. In the Six Realms, even in the Human Realm, there is much karma. We may wonder why a certain person has so much karma. We after wave of suffering crashes upon them. This is what the Sutras mean by the residual retributions of Hell; even after returning to the Human Realm they suffer retributions for all the karma they created. Evil causes meet evil conditions. This will lead to evil effects and retribution. So, we should not create negative karma.
People say, “Karma enters your bones and cannot be cut out.” This was how the ancients described it. On the other hand, according to the Buddha-Dharma, karmas is like a shadow following a form. Whatever your shape is, your shadow will take that shape and follow you. Cause and effect is truly frightening.
We have talked before about the Four Methods of Contemplation. Everyone should remember that we must contemplate cause and effect first. We need to always be more aware.
Apply the Four Method of Contemplation as skillful means to eliminate transgression. What are the Four Methods?
First, contemplate causes and conditions.
Second, contemplate effects and retributions.
Third, contemplate your own body.
Fourth, contemplate the Tathagata-body.
All the karma we create is “mild or severe, revealed or hidden.” Some acts are known by others, while others remain unknown. We need to quickly reveal them and repent. This is “revealed or hidden.”
If you make a mistake that others do not know about, and you also do not speak of it, it is “hidden.” These are all different varieties. Whether you tell someone or not as long as you committed the act, there is already karma. “All varieties” of transgressions, whether mild or severe, have their set karma and will “follow you” whether you go, once you commit them. In the Water Repentance, the ghost followed. Imperial Dharma Master Wu-Da for ten lifetimes, waiting for the door of karma to open He entered and took his retribution, causing unspeakable suffering. Spiritual practice is fine, but if we do not thoroughly repent and willingly accept the retributions, karma will be hard to eliminate. So, do not create karma. Since we have already created karma, how can we eliminate it? With willingness, we can eliminate karma. With unwillingness, the mind perpetuates the karma, continuing the cycle of retribution. Then we will not be able to eliminate it. So, “we vow to eliminate them all.” Karma followed us to this life. Since we have a debt, we should happily pay it. This is something we often hear.
Listening to Buddha-Dharma, we learn that in a previous life we owed them something, so when they come to collect in this life, we should simply repay. We repay it willingly. This willing repayment allows us to open our minds. If we are not irritated, then we will not have many afflictions. This is a kind of prayer.
When we create karma with our body, speech and mind simultaneously it is a general from of karma. The specific forms are each of the seven branches, killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and the four of speech, lying, flattery, gossip, and harsh words. Sometimes we create karma only with our speech. These are the Specific Forms. Our bodies all have the Six Roots. Some use their hands, others their eyes; others use their mouth, or take physical action. There are many different detailed actions, each done separately.
Some people say, “I only said it, but I didn’t mean it. I was just talking, I didn’t have bad intentions.” Maybe they really did not have bad intentions. Their mind was not actively involved, it was just kind of habitual tendency. “Moving the mouth without the mind. Moving the body without thought.” There is also this kind of karma. Although the mind is not present, karma is still created. Even though they spoke without intention, if someone was harmed, there will be karma.
So, these are separated into the Seven Branches. If you analyze these, you see they are obvious. Body and speech are obvious forms. You can hear and see them. Karma of the mind is a subtle from. Greed, anger, and are subtle forms, very subtle. Before your greed, anger and ignorance manifest, while they are in your mind, no one can see them. These are subtle forms.
Everyone, to sum up obvious or subtle, if you can see it or hear it, it is obvious. When you cannot see or hear yet, what is only in your mind, what other people do not know of, is subtle. Greed, anger and ignorance are the source of all this. So we cannot underestimate the actions and karma of the mind. We need to always take good care of our minds. There is still a lot of explanation left. Everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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