Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Eliminating Delusional and False Thoughts (斷除虛妄幻想)
Date: October. 09, 2013
Are there discursive thoughts in our minds? Are our minds focused? I often ask myself this too. The purpose of a lifetime of spiritual practice is to cultivate a mind that can focus and concentrate. If our minds are focused and concentrated, matters and objects in the world become clear. But, we ordinary people have wild and unruly minds. In a short period of time, our minds can turn and veer wildly off course. Who knows how far it has wandered off already? This is what we ordinary people are like.
So, the Sutra of Infinite Meanings [reminds us] to be vigilant. A spiritual practitioner must “forever eliminate delusional thinking, perceiving and recalling. He is never again influenced by the 4 Elements, 5 Skandhas, 18 Realms, or 12 Entrances.”
We must be vigilant and take this passage to heart. Are there dream-like delusions in our minds? Life is like a dream. We have no control over it. Are there discursive, false thoughts in our minds? If so, we need to eliminate them quickly because we are Buddhist practitioners. This is the most fundamental part of learning the Buddha’s Way. We must rid the mind of delusional, unreal and false thinking. Otherwise, we live every day as if dreaming and are influenced by whatever phenomena that arise. We must be very vigilant [to avoid] living this way. This means that we should permanently eliminate these dreams and illusions.
Didn’t the Diamond Sutra say that all things are like dreams, illusions, bubbles and shadows? Once we have thoroughly seen and understood life, what is there to take issue over? Since life is just like a dream, why are we so serious about what happens in this dream? Life is truly illusory; what part of it is actually real? In our daily living, [we need] clothing, food, housing and transportation. We are born with a naked body; we do not bring a stitch with us. After we pass away and our bodies are exhumed years later there are only bare bones left. So, what is real? We brought nothing with us when we came, and we take nothing with us when we leave. This is like an illusion! Life is a mixture of truths and illusions; the world is full of unreal and false things. Why do we give rise to afflictions for the sake of people, matters or objects? Those who see clearly recognize that these things are unreal and illusory. However, as humans, we are always thinking, perceiving and recalling. “Thinking” refers to false thoughts. Yesterday’s issues remain in the fields of our mind meaning they are stored in the mind and brain. What happens when we are “perceiving”? “Perceiving” is when the phenomena before us are stored in our minds and create false thoughts.
The phenomena before us are stored in our minds and create false thoughts.As I have said in the past, we have discussed the seventh consciousness, the field of our mind that is “thinking”.The sixth consciousness “perceives”.[There is also “recalling”].We recall things because we are still attached to things that happened in the past, such as kindnesses, resentment, enmity and hate.We take them in from our external phenomena.In the seventh consciousness, the field of the mind is continuously cultivated.Therefore, hatred and enmity deepen.These things we have thought are then stored in our minds, in the eighth consciousness.Over the course of an entire lifetime, dreams and illusions lead us to think, perceive and recall things, and we keep all those thoughts in our minds.Moreover, ordinary beings are not even washing, but are instead continuously reproducing these.
So, a Buddha has practiced and attained a state that completely eliminates delusional thinking, perceiving and recalling.Thus, we praise the Buddha for forever eliminating these delusional thinking and thoughts in this world.He is not attached to any phenomena.Though he lived a human existence, He was not attached to any phenomena.
Wanting and seeking are called thinking.Grasping memories is called perceiving.Retrieving memories is called recalling.
Now, let us discuss why “wanting and seeking are called thinking”.This is our thinking.Because of the appearances before us, our minds react to external forms and choose to want and pursue certain things.“I want this object.”“I want this person.”We become very attached, so we feel we must get what we want.This takes a lot of mental effort to think about.We vow to achieve certain goals.
Bad things, as I have said earlier, [leads to] “unwholesome seeking of more”.This is the “thinking” of ordinary people.They wish to seek more by any means.They wish to seek more at all costs.This is “thinking”.“Perceiving” is taking external appearances into our minds.“Recalling” is how we ordinary people constantly chase memories.“You and I made this agreement at some point, how can you betray me now?”This is a way of chasing memories.
In the past, we wanted so many things.All these things weigh on our minds, and this is called “recalling”.This is what ordinary people are like.We need to engage in spiritual practice to eliminate this kind of illusive and false thinking.Only then can we make great aspirations and vows [to benefit] humankind.So, we must first get rid of our illusive and false thinking.
Afterwards our thinking will be correct.So, although the Buddha went among the people, and lived in their state, His state of mind was completely freed.So, this is the difference in mental states between saints and ordinary people.“The Tathagata attained universal, perfect enlightenment and is not attached to any phenomena.”The Tathagata clearly understands interpersonal conflicts.These things do not exist at all in the mental state of a Buddha.His mind is completely clear and will not be affected by interpersonal conflicts or hindered by anything at all.Absolutely not.He has completely eliminated them.So, “He is never again influenced by the 4 Elements, 5 Sakandhas, 18 Realms, or 12 Entrances.”
This tells us that in the mental state of the Buddha, since delusional thinking, perceiving and recalling have been eliminated, they will no longer enter His mind.They will no longer trouble Him.
He is never again influenced by the 4 Elements, 5 Skandhas, 18 Realms, or 12 Entrances.Elements refer to earth, water, fire and air. Skandhas refer to the Five Aggregates. Realms refer to the 18 Realms. Entrances refer to the 12 Entrances.
“Elements” refer to the four elements: earth, water, fire and air. The universe is made up of earth, water, fire and air. Look at how imbalance of the four elements has caused so many tremendous disasters in this world. This comes from the collective karma created by the minds of all sentient beings. Actually, in the Buddha's mental state, He has only compassion for all beings, He does not feel alarmed or frightened. The human body's experiences of birth, aging, illness and death are all inseparable from the four elements. Whatever solid thing we can touch, be it bones or muscles, is considered a part of the earth element.
Similarly, for this body to exist, it need water. All the moisture in us, seat, tears, etc., are part of the water element. All the moisture in us, sweat, tears, etc., are part of the water element. When we breathe, that is the air [element]. So, if one of the elements, earth, water, fire or air is out of balance, the body will develop an illness. The Buddha has transcended the four elements of the universe and of the body. He has escaped them. So, “He is never again influenced by the 4 Elements, 5 Skandhas, 18 Realms, or 12 Entrances” and can come and go in samsara with ease. “Skandhas” refer to the Five Skandhas, which we also call the Five Aggregates: form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness. Our daily living is also inseparable from the Five Aggregates. Everything we use in the world, as long as it has form, we can see it and touch it. Whether it is useful or not, it has a “form”. Not only is form all around us, we also refer to our body as our form-body. So, because we have this physical body, we naturally develop feelings about external form-objects.
So, there is form and feeling. Feelings can be the happiness we feel when we pay respect to the Buddha. Every phrase in the sutras teaches us that if we have any false thoughts, we need to quickly gain focus again. These are feelings and perceptions. We must turn away from these discursive thoughts. When we encounter setbacks in our environment, or when things happen against our wishes, afflictions arise. After form, feeling, perception, comes the aggregate of action. These feelings, whether they come from the mind or the body, over time, from the environment, etc., they undergo the aggregate of action. I have talked to you all about the aggregate of action, about how conditions change over time. Our lives are also growing shorter over time. There are actions, very subtle actions.
This is also how celestial bodies in the solar system, the planets and the sun, revolve around each other. They revolve and rotate, not stopping for one moment. They move so subtly; we are completely unaware. These are the Five Aggregates. So, these are the aggregates. “Realms” refer to the 18 Realms. We all know the 18 Realms. Our Six Roots [interact with] external conditions and [give rise to] our internal feelings. So, three times six makes eighteen. These are the 18 Realms. Then we talked about “entrances”. These 12 Entrances are the same Six Roots and Six Dusts [as the Realms]. They are inseparable from our daily living.
Everything in our daily living is related to earth, water, fire and air and the Five Aggregates, 18 Realms and 12 Entrances. We are constantly in contact with and are inseparable from them.These are all teaching[ we must learn]. Our entire lives pass in this way as we are unaware of our unenlightened and false thoughts. As we engage in spiritual practice, we must constantly be vigilant. In our current conditions, if we constantly remind ourselves, then we know “all things are illusory and empty in nature.” Actually, what is there to take issue over? What are we so attached to?
So, “all things are illusory and empty in nature. The four elements are empty. There is no permanent self in the Five Skandhas.”
Since this is the case, if we look at how we think and how our bodies function, everything in our bodies and in our thinking are just labels and functions, so we will not be attached to them. Once we have a physical body, it will naturally [experience］external phenomena. These external phenomena may lead to correct or deviated thinking. This is something we need to work on as part of our spiritual cultivation. To reach the state of the Buddha is to “never again [be] influenced by the 4 Elements, a Skandhas. 18 Realms, or 12 Entrances.” The Buddha does not allow these things to invade His mind. He only focuses on saving others so He is absolutely unaffected by illusive and false thinking. Also, elements, Skandhas, realms and entrances will not cause Him to become afflicted. So, we need to learn focus.We need to learn to learn to concentrate our minds. This is how the Sutra of infinite Meanings constantly reminds and teaches us. This was the Buddha’s original intent.
This passage in the Lotus Sutra states, “Before that Buddha became a monastic, eight princes were born to Him. Seeing the Great Stage become a monastic, they also followed Him to.”
As we have explained before, “the Great Sage” is “the epithet of the one most honorable and unsurpassed in Buddha-virtues.” We refer to the Buddha as the Great sage because. He is the Great Enlightened One of the Universe and was revered by everyone. We know that these eight princes saw their father become a monastic and a Buddha, and admiration arose in the minds.So, they engages in spiritual practice like Him. The eight princes “followed Him to cultivate purifying practices.” Purifying practices is also called Braham-conduct. We must remain pure in our spiritual practice, especially to eliminate lustful desires.
In our world, lust creates much suffering in families, and unrest in society is also due to this desire in the mind. For our spiritual cultivation to be pure, we must eliminate lustful behavior. Those cultivation purifying practices, after they pass away, may be reborn in Brahman Heaven. This was the belief in ancient India. So, we must know that, even those who become monastics and cultivate Brahmanism must abstain from desires. This is even more so the case in Buddhism. So, we must make an effort to control our desires.
Right now, the population of the world is very large. The earth is becoming increasingly more damaged. Think that it isn’t a moment of collective karma, of the Three Great Disasters and Three Small Calamities, that the Buddha described? So, we need to be mindful right now and work on purifying bodies and minds. We need to make a great effort to ensure that our thoughts do not go astray or disrupt our steps in this journey so everyone, please always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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