Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Pure Mind, Clear Wisdom (心淨智明)
We must take good care of our minds and not allow ignorance to defile them. By safeguarding the mind, it remains pure and free of external contaminants.
We have previously discussed how some people will purposely defile the chastity of others. If we look after ourselves, we will not be defiled by external phenomena, sexual temptations or the Five Desires. If we can be content by having fewer desires, then we will not be defiled by external conditions.
In the emergency room one day, I saw an individual with no shirt and tattoos all over his body. He was constantly cursing, and I could tell that he was drunk. From afar, you could not see where he was hurt, but he had a small wound on his head that was not severe. However, he was cursing very loudly. Seeing him made me wonder why people purposely inflict pain upon themselves by putting tattoos on the clean bodies that they received from their parents. Why would he cover himself in tattoos which might cause others to fear him?
Since he was drunk, he was no longer rational. He was injured, so he should have lain down and let the doctors treat him. But he was wandering around and cursing everyone. “My head’s injured, no one is sewing it up.” Upon asking, I was told that his x-rays were just taken, and they were being processed. He was not brought in sitting in a wheelchair, or lying on a sick bed, it was simply the effects of alcohol that caused him to lose control. He must have wanted to get those tattoos for some reason.
The tattooing process is painful. With his body covered in tattoos, he may feel fierce and powerful. But he may end up damaging his own character and causing fear in others when they see him. Someone who is liked, respected and loved on sight is someone with true character. Yet, this person’s appearance may make others quickly distance themselves from him out of fear. If something happens to him, everyone will be very cautious and not dare to interact with him. No one knew why he was injured and since he continued to curse, no one dared to approach him. Moreover, it was not a severe wound, just a slight cut.
So, we should always maintain clear wisdom by purifying the mind. We should not harm ourselves or act in a way that will cause others to fear us. Moreover, we should not drink or do things that cause ourselves harm.
We should maintain a pure mind and clear wisdom. If we can do so, that purity of mind manifests in our appearance. When we are kind at heart and understanding, we are courteous with others. We appear amicable and charismatic. Our appearance is determined by our mind.
So, we must safeguard our pure mindsets from defilements and not commit any offenses. We should abide by our moral integrity, so we do not break any minor or major precepts.
Constantly safeguard your pure mindset from defilements and abide by moral integrity. Then you will not break any precepts.
There are both minor and major offenses. If we merely have an evil thought, but do not act, we do not break any of the precepts. Yet, our minds are still obscured by afflictions. As another example, offenses such as robbery or theft have varying degrees of severity. A minor offense is stealing something of little value, or unintentionally taking something from a friend’s house. A practitioner went to his friend’s house to borrow some salt. Since his friend was not home, he opened the salt container and took a spoonful.
Later, he forgot about it and did not say to his friend, “While you went out, I borrowed a little bit of salt.” He did not tell his friend that he took some salt because he himself had forgotten. So, he never said anything. When this practitioner sat down to meditate, he had visions of salt everywhere. The salt covered the ground and piled up like a mountain. What was happening? He had never experienced such a state before.
He continued to ponder this phenomenon, and reflect on himself. “What precept did I break that is causing me to see so much salt?” After contemplating quietly, he realized that he had borrowed a small spoonful of salt from is friend without telling him or returning it to him. If something belongs to someone, and we take it without letting them know, without their permission, this is violating the precepts. So, he bought a cartful of salt to return to his friend. This was because, in his meditation, he saw salt piled up high as a mountain.
This is still considered stealing Taking something without permission is stealing. So, because he stole a spoonful of salt, he had to return a cartful of it. When his friend saw the cartful of salt, he was puzzled. The practitioner explained what happened.
His friend said, “We know each other so well. You could have just let me know. It’s fine even if you didn’t tell me.”
The practitioner answered, “Since I didn’t tell you. I violated the precept of not stealing. As a practitioner, this precept is rooted in my consciousness. When I forgot about it, a seed was embedded in my Eighth Consciousness. When I quieted my mind, the state manifested. So, I must quickly return it.”
“You need not return so much, just a spoonful.”
“No, from the visions I saw, I owe you this much. Therefore, I need to return this quantity.”
According to this story, if we violate a precept, even if we feel it is insignificant, and we fail to disclose it, it is stored in our Eighth Consciousness. There is already so much in there. This is a warning to practitioners. Before we engage in spiritual practice, we may not be aware of these seeds [of offenses]. But now that we are practicing, if we commit even the slightest theft, it will manifest itself in our consciousness. It is like a white cloth stained by a drop of ink. Although it is a small drop, the cloth is still contaminated. So, one must quickly wash the while cloth. If you wash it promptly, it will be clean again. This is what the Buddha taught.
Do you still remember the story about a farmer stealing a lotus from someone else’s pond? He pulled up the whole plant, all the flowers, roots and stems and walked off. A practitioner saw him dig up the plant. The practitioner felt that, even though the pond was full of lotuses, this farmer’s actions were inappropriate. He approached the pond to enjoy the lotus flowers. A precept-guarding spirit appeared and said to him, “As a practicing Bhiksu, how can you have this thought of greed and steal lotus flowers?”
He replied, “I did not steal them, it was the farmer who just left.”
“Why are you reprimanding me instead of the real culprit?”
The precept-guarding spirit said, “You are a practitioner who upholds precepts, you must not have these greedy thoughts.”
“I am not greedy at all！”
“You covet the beauty of the lotus flowers. You linger and will not leave. Time is precious, but you spend it enjoying lotus flowers. Desires have arisen in your mind. You have greed for these flowers. Your eyes are greedy for the sight, the form of these lotuses. Your nose is greedy for the smell of theses lotuses. So, as you see and smell the flowers, you are experiencing greed and desire. You have violated the precepts.”
Upon hearing this, the Bhiksu thought, “Yes, as a practitioner, I should seize every moment to practice, to still my mind. I should not waste time sitting here and enjoying lotus flowers. I am mistaken, my eyes and nose have become captivated by this external state. I have committed theft, as these objects do not belong to me.”
Then he asked the guardian spirit, “But why didn’t you admonish that farmer?”
He answered, “That farmer is like a filthy cloth with many stains and defilements. He is already tainted. However, you are like a white cloth that has not been dirtied. So, you must not have any blemishes and must clean this contamination at once.”
“How can I clean it?”
“By repenting; repentance brings purity.” The Buddha told the Bhiksus this story.
Everyone, we must take care of our minds. With purity of mind, our wisdom is unobstructed. Then our appearance naturally becomes dignified. Practitioners who are kind and friendly will inspire others to respect them for their character. So, the responsibility of lay and monastic practitioners is to safeguard the mind. We should maintain purity of mind and not be defiled or violate others. We must not break any precepts, minor or serious. Everyone, please safe guard your minds, and please be mindful. Maintaining purity in this defiled world is also a unique experience. Every person’s life is a Sutra for us to study, so we should always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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