Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Create Blissful Affinities by Being Respectful (好禮樂道植福緣)
Peace is a blessing. If we can lead a peaceful life, we should be grateful at every moment. Being born human is precious. The Buddha-Dharma tells us that human life is precious, and that hearing the Dharma is also precious. Being born to a blessed life is even rarer. How do we receive these blessings?
We actually create them ourselves. We must take joy in the path and be courteous. That is where blessings are. Those who plant their fields of blessings will reap the blessed karma. These words are very simple. Whether people are fortunate or unfortunate is difficult to tell just from their material status. Some people are wealthy, but they suffer all day long. Is that really a good life?
We need to adjust our own minds, take joy in the path and be courteous every day. Since we lead such a good life, we should take care to conduct ourselves properly; since we are wealthy, we should treat all people with courtesy and be friendly with everyone. Only when we are courteous do we behave in a way that is fitting to our wealth.
If someone is wealthy but complains about their hard life all day, it is quite pitiable. With all the wealth he has, he is still the poor among the rich. No matter how good life is, he is never content. We need to train ourselves to be courteous, then we are wealthy and courteous.
If we are poor, we need to take joy in the path. We need to understand the principles. We know about the karmic laws of cause and effect. Being able to live our life simply and peacefully is good enough. It is even better if we can learn about karma and understand the principles of being human. So, take joy in the path and be courteous. If we can do this, we will find blessings. Everyone will have blessings.
Be courteous and take joy in the path. That is where blessings are. We plant our own field of blessings, and reap the blessed karma ourselves.
Blessings are not in material things, nor in fame or wealth. They are in our minds. Our minds are like a vast field, which we need to earnestly cultivate. We plant our own field of blessings, and create more blessings. Where do we create them? We create them among people. We can create more good affinities with others. When we plant these blessings, we reap the blessed karma.
Everyone, these two short sentences are filled with truth. We all need to be more mindful. Remember that obtaining a human life is rare, and obtaining a blessed life is even rarer. If we are born blessed, we need to take joy in the path and be respectful. That is where blessings are. We plant our own field of blessings, and reap karmic rewards. Let this simple principle enter your heart. Let us read the next passage of the Water Repentance.
“If they are born human, they live as slaves. Their food and clothing are insufficient. In the miseries of poverty, they lose morality.”
This passage is not very profound; the meaning is quite clear. We have said before that if you rob someone, retribution may come as rebirth in the Animal Realm. And as an animal, you must repay your past deeds of robbing, kidnapping, or taking advantage of people. Whatever the debt is, you may repay it as a horse or a cow. We have said before that this is low-level karma; it is not an extremely evil path. Being an animal laboring to repay others is still not as bad as the Hell or Hungry Ghost Realms.
Perhaps, as we mentioned previously, those who committed the five offenses of killing breaking the harmony of the Sangha or disrupting morality, or any of the other ten Evils or Five Offenses, were born in Hell or as a hungry ghost, before later being reborn as an animal. The Animal Realm is close to the Human Realm, so it is low-level karma to be reborn there. Although they must plow and toil to repay debts, some animals are still cherished by humans. It is like when Shan-Lai (the cat) came inside, Dy-Yang told me, “Shan-Lai came to say she is taking the day off.”
Someone was taking her to the doctor. Do you all know about Shan-Lai? This cat was almost 20 years old, which in cat years is almost 100. We all really cared for her. When we knew she was ill, we took her to Taipei to be treated. Later she needed to go back for a check-up. Think about it, wasn’t she a very blessed animal?
But no matter how blessed she was, in human years she was 20 years old, which in cat years is 100. Life is short, especially for animals. And if they suffer, they cannot express it. Very few animals have good lives. Some dogs live on the street, abandoned by their owners, with mange all over them, starving and driven off wherever they go. Animals suffer much disrespect. They are abandoned by people, and racked by pain and disease. There is much suffering in all Six Realms.
Will living as animal extinguish this karma? Not yet. Some people’s retribution is still not finished. In addition to repaying debts through labor, as animals, they are also eaten by people. Their flesh and bones are eaten. Does this repay their debts? No. “If they are born human, they live as slaves.” This is also retribution. Their labor as a horse or cow was not enough, so though reborn human, they are born as slaves.
These days many people are born in countries with extreme poverty. The world today is closely connected. Some people leave their country to seek work elsewhere as laborers or domestic help. In order to make a living, they leave home and work for others. This is also “living as a slave.”
“Their clothing is insufficient.” Their clothes do not cover their bodies, or are tattered and torn. Maybe they picked them out of the garbage. There are many places like this in the world, especially where the recent climate changes have caused many types of disasters to occur every day. People lose their homes and everything they own. Many people do not even have clothes or food. They depend on humanitarian groups.
But some, fearing that help will not reach them or that is will be insufficient, turn to rebellion or robbery. This creates a vicious cycle. Because of the violence and instability, many charities do not dare to enter some countries. It is a vicious cycle, and people do not understand the principles. Thus, some international relief organizations give their material aid to the government. But the government hoards the supplies, and victims of disaster and poverty cannot get help.
So we need to go there directly and give aid with our own two hands. But if the country is not stable, people’s hearts become hardened and they do not follow the path. So, how can I be at ease? Many countries suffer disasters and poverty, but we cannot find a good method to help, to calm their minds, to comfort them, or to give material relief. It sometimes seems there really is no way.
Every day when I think of this, my heart feels very conflicted. I do not know what to do? Thus, the text says, “In the miseries of poverty, they lose morality.” “They lose morality” means some who are already suffering from poverty still do not follow the rules, and this becomes extremely dangerous for everyone. This is what I was just talking about. Although there are many people suffering, how can we help them if they have completely lost basic human ethics? Which path or principles can we apply. Which path or principles can we apply to pacify their minds? There seems to be no way.
This kind of people, as explained in the Sutra, have lived in the Animal Realm and suffered there, but their karma is still not exhausted. The karma of being born an animal is finished, so they are now human, but their karma of suffering is still there, so now they still suffer as humans. They are born in the poorest countries, and in places where there are frequent disasters. Their suffering is quite severe. It could be called a “living hell.” There are many such places.
I remember Tzu Chi went to Ethiopia many years ago to provide relief. We also wanted to learn about their culture and lifestyle. One volunteer said, “Everyone was very hungry and wanted to find a place to eat. There was a place on the road selling food, so we went in. What did they have to eat there? Some roasted bread covered in flies.” Although they were hungry, they did not eat. This was the state of life there.
Although there was food sold, once our volunteers saw it, they could not eat it. They just endured being hungry, and continued on their journey until they reached the village. People at the village were preparing a celebration. What were they celebrating? A marriage. The groom was 12 years old, the bride was 11. We felt this was incomprehensible. Why were these children married so young? They said that this was their custom.
Now, looking back, since their life expectancy was so low, averaging around 30 years or so, it made sense that they married young.
There was a similar news story about child brides, also in Ethiopia. At that time, a reporter saw a pregnant mother. He asked, “How old are you?”
She replied, “12.”
“Is this your first child?”
“No, my second.”
Six months earlier she had her first, And then she was pregnant again. It was like her womb was never empty. Such a young child was already having children. Did she even have a childhood?
I think of the children raised here in Taiwan, we see that 11-, 12-, 14-, 15- year olds are still children. They are so fortunate. Their parents treat them as treasures. A number of years ago, the government there received some international criticism, saying child labor and child marriage are not appropriate.
So the government decreed that young adolescents could not be forced to marry, and children should not get pregnant. But did this kind of law have any effect on the local people? No, children are still getting pregnant. If they have a premature or difficult birth, there is a good chance they will die. Since they are so young, many die during childbirth. Isn’t this kind of life pitiable?
This kind of retribution, according to the Sutras, comes from unexhausted karma of being born as an animal or in Hell, so there is still retribution when born as a human. Isn’t this suffering? Although being born human is rare, being born blessed is rarer still, to be born and raised in a life where you have opportunities to take joy in the path in a civilized society is even rarer. All of us are already blessed to be in this kind of environment, so we really need to plant our own field of blessings and reap the karmic rewards. We should plant more blessings, create more good affinities. Please broaden your vision a bit. Look at the whole world; even our human realm is riddled with so many difficulties. In this kind of environment, we need to recognize and cherish our blessings. Everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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