Lecturer: Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Realize Great Love with Compassion(慈悲實踐大愛)
I always say, “With each passing day, we draw closer to death.” So, we must always be diligent. It is very important to be diligent in cultivating our minds. If we realize Great Love with great compassion, we transcend afflictions with great wisdom. Compassion is Great Love. Great Love is unselfish. We must let go of our selfish attachments so that we can open up our hearts. What is the scope of Great Love? Our heart is so open it can encompass the universe. There are no limits. Practicing this in our daily living can be very subtle. We need to cultivate compassion in our hearts. Be compassionate in everything you do. With compassion we are naturally courteous, and naturally grateful in all things. When we are grateful for all things, this is called Great Love. This is compassion.
Let go of selfish attachments to open your heart wide. Realize Great Love with great compassion. Transcend afflictions with great wisdom.
As we said before, we must take good care of our minds. Besides being diligent and never being lax, it is most important to cultivate the mind. If there are still afflictions and ignorance in our minds, of if we have negative thoughts, even if there are only a few of them, they are evil seeds. They are like a small fire in the Bodhi-forest. The fire, under conditions like fierce winds, will flare up and give rise to transgressions. The fire will grow with the wind’s assistance. When this ember ignites, the Forest of Merit and Virtue will be burned down.
When our hearts are cruel, we are extremely afflicted. We cause strong evil winds to fan the flames of transgressions. If this fire constantly blazes without stopping, the slight goodness of our Threefold Karma will be burned away completely. When kindness is exhausted we become lcchantika.
So, why are we being diligent every day? If we are very clear on our goals, we can control our ignorance. So, we always encourage each other with Jing Si Aphorisms. We start by being nice to people and always saying thanks. Respect everything. Remember to have love in your minds. Some people say, “We don’t have to do that among ourselves. We already have close affinities with each other.” As we have said, the closer we are to someone, the closer our affinities. Do we want to create positive affinities or negative affinities?
Shouldn’t we do the same with each other?
If we do not create good affinities, that affects this life and future lifetimes.
These close affinities are truly never-ending.
So, toward those closest to us, we still need to discipline ourselves and be courteous.
We need to always discipline our minds and maintain proper etiquette.
We express courtesy through gratitude.
When we deal with others we express our mutual respect and love.
This is the spirit and practice of courtesy.
If we can do this, a tiny flame of ignorance will not be fanned to stir up the seeds o four bad habits or our ignorant afflictions.
This is what we work on as we learn Buddhism.
We have with much effort controlled the karma of our body, speech and mind, but of our habitual tendencies are revived, the “slight goodness of our Threefold Karma” will still be burned down.
That is a pity.
Then, every day we would be Icchantika.
What is Icchantika?
It is destroying the seeds of Buddhahood.
What creates obstacles to spiritual cultivation and Buddha-seeds?
First, not believing in cause and effect, not believing in karmic retribution, and not beings close to benevolent friends.
These hinder our diligent progress.
If we do not have beliefs, our faith is not firm.
We often talk about faith, vows and practice.
A few days ago I shared that we need to establish faith, vows and practice.
Faith is the source of the way, mother of merits.
With faith, we can cultivate our roots of goodness.
So, with our faith, we must not let doubts arise about the path we have chosen.
We chose to learn Buddhism, to practice the Budhisattva-path.
Since we do so, we need to be always raise our awareness.
The Buddha is the Enlightened One.
If we ordinary people are lacking in self-awareness, how can we attain enlightenment and realizations?
Through constant reminders.
Since we established this faith, we must not be deluded by external things.
So, we must establish our faith.
After that, we need to remain firm.
Do not doubt Right Dharma.
That will not work.
We must believe in cause and effect, believe in karmic retribution.
With causes come effects, so naturally there is karmic retribution.
We must have these correct beliefs.
Then, we need to be close to benevolent friends.
Not only that, we need to be a benevolent friend to others.
We need to always be unsummoned teachers.
If someone’s speech, actions or perspective seem off, even if they did not ask us, as long as we see it, as an objective bystander, we need to go to them and say, “Do you want to reconsider you perspective and your recent behavior?”
“From where I stand, it looks like.”
Tzu Chi volunteers have all vowed to be unsummoned teachers.
Some people also say, “I want to be an unsummoned servant.”
Servants are like slaves.
As others toil, let us help them.
Look at our Tzu Chi volunteers, they are unsummoned teachers and servants.
They are willing to do things for others solely out of love.
In their compassion, their heart goes out to the poor and suffering.
Isn’t that the heart of a Bodhisattva?
Isn’t this the compassion and love that the Buddha taught us?
This is what we need to learn We need to believe in cause and effect, and in karmic retribution. Also, we need to be close to benevolent friends With a group of benevolent friends, we can arrange to do good deeds together.
We need to be grateful for this, grateful that we share the same mission. So, do not become lcchantika. lcchantika is very simple. If we doubt cause and effect, or are not close to benevolent friends, we destroy the seeds of Buddhahood.
We can free ourselves of being lcchantika. Last time, I told everyone that there is a good form of lcchantika. How can there be a good kind of lcchandtika? These people have established faith and vows, believe in cause and effect, karmic retribution.
So, they know that sentient beings endure much pain and suffering Earth Treasury Bodhisattva, for example, vowed to not become a Buddha until Hell was entirely empty. This will take a long time, because when will Hell finally be empty?
This is goodness. Love rooted in goodness is tremendous. How can we help transform all sentient beings? If we cannot transform all those in Hell, we definitely cannot do it in the Human Realm. Some people ask, “Master, where do you vow to go after this lifetime?”
“I will come back” “Why come back?” “Didn’t you say the Human Realm is full of pain?” Yes. That is precisely why I am coming back. So, Tzu Chi volunteers often say, Leave quickly, and come back quickly. The little Bodhisattvas that return will be very cute.
Everyone believes that. Because up to now, even though science is very advanced, we have not discovered another planet with life. So, we only come and go in the Human Realm. That where is the Pure Land? In our minds. Where is the Buddha’s world?
In our minds. Do not seek the Buddha on Spirit Peak far away. Spirit Peak is in your mind. Everyone has a pagoda on their own. Spirit Peak, so practice in that pagoda. How far away from us is the Buddha? Right now. He is right in front of us.
Next to us, in front of us, and behind us are all people with resolve, with the Buddha in their minds. So, let us be close to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Truly, in our daily living we open ourselves to Great Love and are not selfish.
If we are selfish, we cannot practice Great Love. So, we realize Great Love with great compassion. We need great wisdom to transcend afflictions. Take Morita in Tijuana, Mexico, for example. It is a desert, and people there are poor.
Many people temporarily live there to wait for their chance to cross the border to the U.S.. But life in Morita, Tijuana is terrible. There is a lot of lawlessness. Many people do not register as residents. They lack water and electricity
It is barren like a desert. Even though the country provides education, where children can go to school for free, they cannot receive education without registering as residents.
Fortunately there is a 【Tzu Chi】seed. At the borders of Mexico there is a dedicated Bodhisattva named Hsieh K‘un-jung. She is our commissioner. When she discovered this
Neighborhood. She asked Tzu Chi USA,in California,to provid them with assistamce.
So Tzu Chi Volunteers began going there. Sarting in 1994,we went there often. In 1995,
We built a school for them. So,the kids began attending school. Then the area started to
Flourish. The parents knew if the kids were not educated,subsequent generations would
be without education and thus without hope. So,now that these kids can be educated at
the school,the parents are very happy. Tzu Chi Volunteers also protected them with love.
Like here,they had Class Mothers who often took care of them,thaught them the rules
of life,and so on.Gradually,the government began to value this school.Many people even
moved to Morita,Tijuana and settled there so the children could attend Tzu Chi Elementary
School. When the government began valuing this neighborhood,they provided water and
electricity.Roughly 70-80% have water and electricity now.People kept moving in and turned this poor area into a small city. principal Volunteers began spreading the seeds of
love in that poorest of places .They guided them to help others as well.They even gathered
some mothers and provided vocational training.By training them to make clothing,if their
kids wanted to attend school they could made clothes instead of buy them.They could also
sell them cheaply.So,everyone‘s lives were changing. At the same time we invited these
mothers to be Class Mothers,to help manage the school. So in this school we united the
strength of teachers,the principal and parents. Even people living in poverty can use their
local resources to help others. At the beginning 0f 2007,we set up volunteer training,and
many were certified on December 30. Certified as what?As volunteers.They are not commissioners yet,just volunteers.The vice principal was particulary supportive.She visited
our school here and saw the children from South Africa.That year the South Africa children
came along with their principal.Afterwards,she became very dedicated to Tzu Chi. She was
a local. So,now we have a local seed. What makes me happiest is that government really
values this place.They already built a middle school.Once a place that lacked education,a
place of poverty,it has became a small city.Their education is complete. There is a Tzu Chi
Elementary and a public middle school. We also built up a group of over 40 volunteers.
Thisis love.
Let us realize Great Love with great compassion and transcend affliction with great
Wisdom,overcome them.
Although the world is vast,if there are more people with love,one seed of love can lead to
An infinit number, infinit seeds also arise from one.
That is the teaching of Sutra of infinit Meaning.
So,let us all be clear about our thoughts. One type of Icchantika will destroy seeds of
Buddhahood. Another type develops Great Love.Everyone must join in.
Do not just keep hoping to go to the Pure Land.
Do not scared of the saha-world.
Do not be afraid,just keep going.
If everyone becomes a Buddha,we will become a Buddha.
If everyone is blessed,we will be blessed.
So,remain in the saha- world and make vows.
Realize Great Love with great compassion.
Transcend afflictions with great wisdom.
Everyone ,when speaking , please always be mindful.