Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Plow the Field in Your Mind (心田自耕)
Learning Buddhism is about developing good habits in our daily lives. Let us always speak good words to others so that they feel calm and peaceful. If we speak good words, we get along harmoniously with others. If we can speak more gently, our words can be like a spring breeze. Then when others hear us speak, they will be happy. This is like good seeds buried in the mind; they flourish at the coming of spring.
So, how do we inspire love in others? People inherently have the seeds of love, we just need to give them the right environment. If we can soothe their minds with gentle words, it brings spring to the seeds in their minds so they will sprout and flourish. We have to be a good farmer of the fields in our minds. This means we need to develop good habits while living among others. So, we should always learn good habits. If our habit is to speak gently, to speak good words, then the state of the world, of our relationships and of our minds will be like the spring. This is what we need to practice.
So, I always tell everyone, farmers of the mind must first take care of their own fields before taking care of others’. So when we learn Buddhism, we should always be mindful of how we cultivate our habitual tendencies.
The repentance text says, “We disciples, from Beginningless Time until now, through the karma of harsh words have committed transgressions in the Six Realms and Four Forms of Birth.”
We are always repenting karma of speech. Of the Ten Evils, four are related to speech, so we have to repent with deep sincerity. We need to always increase our vigilance. That is why I tell everyone to develop good habitual tendencies. Do not create karma every time you open your mouth. Through speech karma, we “commit transgressions in the Four Forms of Birth and Six Realms.”
If we do not cultivate our speech in this world, we will remain within the Four Forms of Birth. The Four Forms of Birth are womb-, egg-, moisture-, and transformation-born. Those are the Four Forms of Birth. We all know the Six Realms, Heaven, Asura, Human, Hell, Hungry Ghost and Animal. Those are the Six Realms.
Heavenly beings are already well-cultivated. They enjoy blessings in Heaven. Will those with blessings create karma of speech? Yes, more or less. With their blessings, they are born into Heaven, but they bring their worldly habits with them, so after they exhaust those blessing, they are reborn in the Four Forms of Birth and Six Realms.
Asuras are fairly similar. With heavenly blessings but no heavenly virtues, they will create karma of speech. So once they exhaust their blessings, they also cycle in the Four Births and Six Realms.
What about humans? We have even more opportunities to create karma. Since Beginningless Time, who knows how much speech karma we have created? Who knows how many families we have broken and split apart? That karma was all created with our mouths. This karma of speech can create many problems. Whether in a country, society or family, the mouth can create a lot of karma. We have committed many types of transgressions in all six Realms.
Even those born in Heaven will become Asuras because of those habits. They will still face retribution in the Six Realms.
Among the four karma of speech, harsh speech is the crudest. We have to be very aware of what we say. With harsh words, everything we say is crude, and as soon as we open our mouths we curse loudly at others. That is harsh speech. Harsh speech is the easiest to commit.
There are Asuras in Heaven, but there are more Asuras in the Human Realm, so they commit even more wrongdoings. Do those in Hell speak harsh words?
Probably. We just do not hear it. Some places on Earth are comparable Hell. There we see people with horrible tempers who abide in places like the Hell of Bodily Filth, the Hell of Iron Beds, and so on. They are very sick, but their mouths still work, and they cure at everyone they see. Such people exist.
What about in the Animal Realm? We cannot understand the speech of the Animal Realm. When birds chirp, we do not know if they are cursing or singing. We also do not know if dogs or cats are happy or angry when the bark and meow. We do not know.
There are also animals in the Human Realm. Those who are unethical behave like animals. These animals in the Human Realm are inhumane. Do they say evil words? Do they speak rudely?
Yes. There are more than a few people like this. Do ordinary people in the Human Realm speak harsh words? Probably. Although they have not done anything unethical, though they are still healthy and spirited, though they have not committed any misdeeds, they still speak harsh words.
They are nice people, so why do they abuse others verbally whenever they open their mouths?
Many behave this way due to habitual tendencies. They may say, “I’m not a bad person, I just speak poorly.” Although they do not have bad intentions, and others agree they are good people, are they still creating karma? Yes. They commit marry transgressions in the Six Realms; they still create karma.
An unintended word can fill others with depression and hatred that cannot be eliminated. Though we meant no ill will, the listener took it that way. We intangibly created bad affinities and hurt their feelings. Harsh words can truly create many transgressions, for which we will face retribution in the Four Forms of Birth and Six Realms.
So, let us increase our awareness of karmic cause and effect. Cultivate your mind in order to speak more gently and use kind words.
The text continues on to say, “We used crude language, spoke violently and harshly to people regardless of status, relationship or class. At the slightest adversity, we became ever more angry.”
This is even more troublesome. If they experience even a little disappointment, the anger in this kind of people’s hearts is intentionally expressed through crude language. The love to berate others. We just talked about people who mean no ill will, who just have bad habits when it comes to speaking. But some people hurt others intentionally. They intentionally curse and swear. There are saying [in Chinese] about loudly scolding or berating others. Many people are like that. They “use crude language, speak violently and harshly.” They are very unreasonable. The way they speak truly does not make sense. They continue to speak harshly even when they have no reason for it. So, people would say, “This person speaks so unreasonably. They drive people mad.” Many people are like this.
They verbally abuse others, “regardless of status, relationship, or class.” They do not differentiate. When they are angry, they do not care who you are. Whether you are a grandparent, parent, spouse or child, or someone of greater, equal, or lesser seniority, they will speak coarsely and violently to you. They do not care if you are noble or lowly, they will say whatever they want. They are happy when they vent; if they hold it in, they will feel terrible. They get angry easily, and then they take it out on others If they feel a bit wronged, they curse and beat people at home. These are terrible habits.
They treat everyone the same, whether they are close relations or strangers. If things do not go according to their wishes, they get angry, easily lose their tempers and yell at others. The habit of speaking harsh words is serious. It is a very negative habitual tendency.
This is more than a habit of speech. Actually, they get angry very easily. They want to possess what they desire, to take it as their own. If they cannot get it, they lose their tempers. With this kind of anger, at the slightest sign of adversity, the slightest bit of dissatisfaction, anger turns into hatred and begins to accumulate in their minds. Their anger and fury blind them, so they intentionally curse at others out of anger. They already have tremendous karma, and
with karma of speech, they create karma upon karma. If someone advises them, “Don’t get angry so easily, be understanding, do not twist their words,” not only can they not accept this advice, they berate those who offer it. Some people say, “Isn’t he more likely to listen to you? You are good friends, why don’t you advise him?”
“Not me！When he is angry, if I get close it’s like touching a typhoon.”
See, if someone loses their temper like this, whether or not they have a reason, no one wants to be friends with them. Acting like this is very unreasonable. This kind of person actually causes his own character to be belittled. Shouldn’t we be more self-aware? Although someone may think they are mean and that everyone fears them, this is not the mark of a successful person, but the lowest of the low. Others do not fear them, they simply do not care. They themselves are proud because they think they instill fear and are impressive. They do not know that no one cares. In this way they degrade themselves.
Everyone, do not use harsh words or speak coarsely. It is way of degrading oneself. Eventually no one will associate with him. If one is disliked by others, the life he leads will be undesirable. One will face retribution in the Three Destinies, life after life. When the retribution is over, he is reborn with negative relationships in the Human Realm.
So, we always have to be very careful. Besides speaking coarsely, “We may curse, insult, slander or disgrace others or act obscenely and vilely, causing others to harbor resentment for the rest of their lives.”
If we directly confront this kind of person, they will curse. They even tell off people who are not involved or destroy people’s character behind their backs. They may defile others pure reputation. “Action obscenely and vilely” is a type of behavior. It is more than just getting angry and cursing, they actually slander others, or ruin reputations with careless comments. This happens a lot.
Some “harbor resentment the rest of their lives.” If we humiliate a pure, innocent person openly, slander her reputation to her face or behind her back, or worse, defile her physically, she “harbors resentment the rest of her life.”
The text constantly mentions the karma we have created since Beginningless Time. The cycle of revenge began in some unknown lifetime and extends to the present. If someone makes us unhappy, we slander them. If we see them succeed, we want to destroy them. This all comes from hatred that is carried over from past lifetimes. Let us not do this. Seeking revenge is really taxing.
Let us cultivate our minds. Let us earnestly nurture good habitual tendencies. Then we learn to be peaceful and calm. All of our words will be kind and we will get along harmoniously with others. Speak softly and gently to refresh people’s minds with a spring breeze. Let us all make a good vow and be a good farmer of the fields of our minds. If we do not cultivate this land well, there will be weeds. How can we help others cultivate their fields?
We must constantly be attentive in our daily lives. Please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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