Table of
Contents
Teachings of Master Man Sang: Sutra of the Eight
Realizations of Great Beings
Story From the Sutras: Dispelling Resentment With
Compassion
Dharma Transmitter: Master Mengcan
on Subduing Our Minds
Changing With Circumstances: Open Minds and
Spacious Paths
By Dharma Master Yin Chi
One day, a Buddhist was heading
towards a monastery when he encountered a friend he hadn’t seen in many years.
As they exchanged pleasantries, he was startled to see the pallor of his
friend’s face. The person had been handsome in the past, so the Buddhist
couldn’t help asking in detail why, in just a few years, he had taken on such a
dark, even ugly, appearance.
As the friend was a well-known
artist, the Buddhist asked him what he had been doing lately. The friend
replied he had in recent years been drawing raksasa (flesh-eating demons) and
beings in hell. As the two men walked and talked, the artist even joked that
because he constantly visualized the horrific appearance of the demons in order
to portray them, he sometimes saw himself seeming to take on their looks when
he peered in the mirror.
The Buddhist had the answer to why
his friend’s face had changed. He told the artist that his constant imagining
of demonic faces had altered his own appearance. The friend felt at a loss.
The pair arrived at the temple and
paid their respects to the Buddha. Upon lifting his head, the artist looked
upon the resplendent image of the Buddha. Suddenly he thought, “When I draw
demons, I resemble them. If I were to paint Buddha images, would I take on the
Buddha’s splendid features?” He decided to paint the Buddha thenceforth.
Several months later, the Buddhist
called on his friend. The latter’s former deathly appearance was no more. When
he asked the reason, the artist replied that he had a realization during their
last meeting. Now he was no longer sketching demons, but drawing the sacred
images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Day and night, he imagined their benevolent
countenances and felt his own personality changing.
The Avatamsaka Sutra says, “The mind is like a painter; it can create
all things.” Our thoughts have a great impact on our minds and bodies. It is
said that those who associate with what is red, themselves turn red, while
those who link up with the black, turn black. If we regularly focus our
thoughts on the compassionate benevolence of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we
would be in resonance with them and take on their characteristics of
tranquility, peace and ease of mind.
The Dharma tells us to reflect upon
ourselves constantly. We are encouraged to observe our own thoughts regularly.
If they are full of compassion, harmony and accommodation, they would accord
with those of the benevolent and the wise. So long as there is wisdom and
compassion in our minds, we will be able to transcend our difficulties and turn
them into opportunities.
Wise people have the ability to
“face hardships without complaint.” This does not mean just bearing
difficulties for the sake of survival and subjecting ourselves to the will of
evil forces. It refers to an ability to face, absorb and resolve difficult
circumstances by making use of wisdom. It also means to accept, manage and
overcome hardships calmly.
Life is full of unfair and adverse
situations. If we keep the Buddha in our minds and recall his wisdom, our
attitudes and behavior will naturally accord with those of the Buddha. We
should make use of the Dharma in our daily lives, in both positive and negative
circumstances. If we face them objectively and constructively, we would be
better able to resolve difficulties. We should not adopt an attitude of
shirking responsibility, or complain constantly. If we face adverse situations
with a negative attitude, we only add to our suffering and vexations.
In fact, our biggest enemy is our
own mind. As the mind is like a painter, a single thought can mean the
difference between the way to Buddhahood and the road to damnation. Whether we
can sketch a wholesome future for ourselves depends entirely on our own minds.
To learn and practice the Dharma is to know ourselves, to rectify our behavior
and to transform our character. It is to draw for ourselves a fulfilling life,
and to sketch wisdom and paint a rainbow on the path to
enlightenment.
Sutra of the Eight
Realizations of
Great Beings
THE EIGHTH REALIZATION: To know that the inferno of life and death brings endless
anguish and affliction. We must develop the Mahayana mind to deliver all
beings. We are willing to bear untold suffering on their behalf, so they might
experience ultimate joy.
Though we do not know the past or
the future and cannot recall the pain of continued rebirth, we can understand
life’s sufferings. A proverb says that most events in life run counter to our
wishes. Young people, who are strong and healthy, do not know the pangs of
illness. It is a blessing not to be sick, of course, but as we grow old the
afflictions will come. Our vision dims, our hearing diminishes, our teeth ache
– the suffering seems endless. When death comes, it is as though we are being
dismembered; the disintegration of our four elemental constituents is
agonizing. Such are the unavoidable sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and
death.
Apart from physical pain, no one –
rich or poor – is spared mental misery. Emotionally we suffer from grief, worry
and anger. Within our families, we have the pain of love and departure; among
relatives we are plagued by disharmony. Our society is afflicted by bitterness
and resentment, while the world is troubled by warfare and pillage. Nature
throws up disasters, floods and fires, all of which affirms that we undergo
countless afflictions in this world.
The Buddhist scriptures often say
that life is full of suffering. Why? Because in this life we encounter all
varieties of sorrow and pain. Since suffering arises from the process of life
and death, it will cease if we can extricate ourselves from the cycle. Even so,
we must understand where suffering comes from. We mustn’t be bitter towards our
parents for giving us a life fraught with difficulties, or resent heaven and
earth for a lack of compassion.
Buddhism teaches that we create
whatever suffering and blessings we experience. There is no need to blame
heaven or other people. Our sufferings stem from our afflictions and the karma
we create (through our actions). Only by knowing suffering will we seek ways to
free ourselves from it. If we have never experienced distress, we wouldn’t seek
to change our ways for the better. For example, only someone who is sick will
see a doctor. Similarly only people who know that life is full of suffering
will practice so as to uplift themselves.
Now we will speak about the inferno
of life and death bringing endless anguish and affliction. Since they are aware
that the cycle of rebirth is painful, great beings such as Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas teach people certain methods to free themselves from suffering.
The eight methods described in the Sutra of the Eight Realizations of Great
Beings are effective antidotes for suffering.
The first seven realizations are
ways to awaken ourselves to liberation from pain. But those already awakened
must not only free themselves from suffering, but also teach sentient beings to
do so. When we see that many sentient beings remain unawakened
and mired in karma causing the suffering of the rebirth cycle, we resolve to
cultivate the Mahayana mind to help all beings. We should work to free not only
ourselves from suffering, but all others as well.
What is to generate the Mahayana
mind? Simply put, it is to act with great resolve. We need to free ourselves
from suffering as well as to guide others to do so. To develop the Mahayana
(great vehicle) mind – “vehicle” is a simile. There are big, medium-sized and
small vehicles, which can carry people and goods to various destinations. A
small vehicle can only transport ourselves and perhaps three to five other
people. A middle-sized vehicle, such as a mini-bus, can carry a dozen or so
passengers. A great vehicle, like MTR trains or other forms of mass transport,
can move lots of people.
Using “vehicles” to represent the
Dharma, there are the great, medium and little vehicles. The Lotus Sutra uses
the parable of the three carts – goat carts, deer carts and ox carts. In the
time of the Buddha, the three types of animals were used to pull carts. The
goat, deer and ox carts respectively symbolize the great, medium and small
vehicles. The little vehicle is the way of the Sravaka, the medium one is the
path of the Pratyekabuddha and the great vehicle is the way of the Bodhisattva,
which centers on benefitting both self and others as well as the Six Paramitas.
We should develop the Mahayana mind
and learn the Mahayana way. While freeing ourselves from the cycle of rebirth,
we should deliver all sentient beings. We must work with great resolve to
awaken ourselves as well as others. We should be aware that the cycle of
rebirth is full of suffering and help others to realize the same. If we are
concerned only about our own freedom from life and death, that is the Hinayana (little vehicle) mind. It is like riding a bicycle,
which can only carry ourselves. The Mahayana mind is like the MTR or a train;
it can transport many. If we generate the Mahayana mind, we would be able to
help save countless sentient beings.
(to be continued)
Dispelling
Resentment With Compassion
The Buddha
often taught his disciples that they should respect and accommodate one another
while practicing harmoniously and diligently. However, the Sangha’s
size meant that different opinions were sure to arise.
One day two monks became embroiled
in a dispute and badmouthed each other. After the failure of numerous attempts
at mediation, the matter was brought before the Buddha. He looked at the two
red-faced disputants and gazed around at the assembly. Then he told this story:
There was once a raksasa
(flesh-eating demon) who was dark, short and extremely ugly. One day, he
arrived in Tusita Heaven and sat on the throne of Indra,
king of the realm. The celestial beings of Tusita who saw the raksasa’s bold act were outraged; they took turns in
berating the demon.
Yet the intruder’s appearance became
more appealing as the scolding continued, and his height gradually increased.
When the celestial beings saw his transformation, they became angrier still.
The raksasa continued to grow taller and more
attractive.
There was nothing the celestials
could do. So they went off to see Indra and report
the incident to him. After hearing their account, Indra
thought, “This raksasa is indeed a wondrous devil.”
He went up to the demon, pressed his palms together respectfully and announced
himself three times. “Benevolent one,” he said. “ I am Indra,
king of Tusita Heaven.” Because of the respect and modesty shown by Indra, the raksasa became
arrogant. His body reverted to its former short and ugly form and eventually he
disappeared.
Indra
thereupon sat on his throne and told all the celestial beings, “Henceforth, do
not allow anger to arise in your hearts. If someone approaches with malicious
intent, don’t spread fuel on the flames. If others do ill to you do not respond
in kind, but react with compassion. We should strive to be close to those
without anger or malice, for they are sacred beings. An irate person is blinded
by his anger. If we are able to control our emotions when anger arises, it is
like taming a wild horse with reins. This is called meritorious means.”
At this point, the Buddha stopped.
He said earnestly to the assembled monks, “Indra
occupies the loft position of a celestial monarch and is able to enjoy
extraordinary pleasures. Yet he is able to restrain his anger and often praises
those who can do so. You are monastics sworn to learning the Dharma, so you
should do the same. Bhikkus, you should learn in this
manner!”
To fight anger with rage is like
splashing hot water on what is already boiling, or pouring fuel onto flames. It
will never work. Only the water of compassion can douse the flames of anger.
A Paper Note
He was an underprivileged child.
Born into a poor family, he lost his father when he was three. His mother
washed clothes for a living. That’s why he knew he would have to work harder
than others.
At the age of 18, he gained
admission to university with his high grades. His mother sold her own blood to
scrape together enough to pay his fees. He pretended not to know, for fear of
hurting his mother’s feelings.
He too, without her knowledge, sold
blood. He hauled rocks around, cutting his skin. And he became hoarse from
hawking newspapers. All this was to lighten his mother’s burden.
During his second year at
university, he went home for the winter vacation. He saw his mother washing the
clothes of others in the freezing cold. The skin of her hands were cracked from
the effort.
“It isn’t easy to find other work,”
his mother said. “With this washing I make a dollar for every item of clothing.
These are the clothes of wealthy people, who are afraid the washing machine may
spoil their garments.”
One day the mother received her
payment and said happily, “Son, I have earned 200 dollars.” She opened her
purse – which contained a single hundred-dollar note.
She was alarmed: “I must have
dropped a hundred-dollar note.” Without another word, she ran off anxiously.
Outside it was dark, windy and
snowing. The woman retraced her steps in a bid to retrieve the money. It was
plain that the hundred dollars was too important to her.
The money represented a month’s
living expenses – as well as her son’s food costs for the same period.
The mother went out, and her son
followed. As it was very dark, she switched on a torchlight, searching as she
walked. His tears began to fall.
The money was his mother’s reward
for washing a hundred pieces of clothing!
He searched in the courtyard and
found nothing. He looked around the road outside; nothing again. Even if the
money were there, it could have been picked up by someone else.
Three times the mother went back and
forth in the piercing wind. Her son said, with pain in his heart, “Mom, don’t
look any more. Let’s resume in the morning.”
But his mother stubbornly continued.
In the darkness the torchlight’s beams seemed to stab at his heart.
So he took a 100-dollar note from
the living expenses that his mother gave him and put it in the yard. He
believed it was a good way to end his mother’s misery.
Sure enough, he soon heard his
mother shouting delightedly, “Son, I’ve found the money!”
He ran outside to share his mother’s
joy. Then they returned indoors in high spirits.
The mother said, “Let’s pretend we
didn’t find the money. Here, you take it. You should eat more; you look
skinny.”
A few years later, the son graduated
from university and found a good job. He brought his mother into the city,
where she no longer needed to wash clothes.
He never spent that hundred-dollar
note and kept it with him all the time. It was the money he and his mother had
searched for half the night. It represented warmth, and a freedom from anxiety.
A few years later he casually
mentioned the matter, saying to his mother with a smile, “Mom, it was I who put
that note there.” He was stunned when his mother replied, “I know.” Amazed, he
asked, “How did you know?” Responded his mother, “I made annotations on all the
money I earned, writing on the notes ‘1, 2, 3’ and so on. There was no mark on
that hundred-dollar note. Besides, I found it in the courtyard. I knew you had
put it there, fearing I would get upset. I thought, ‘Since the boy cares so
much for me, I cannot go on searching. The note is already lost … why shouldn’t
I put my son’s mind at ease?’” He went up and embraced his mother, eyes
moistening.
The minds of mother and son are
linked; each wanted to give the other the greatest warmth possible. Yes, they
were poor, but love’s presence made them the richest people in the world. The
search for that hundred-dollar note was a testimonial to the profound affection
between mother and son.
From the internet
Master Mengcan
on Subduing Our Minds
“Subduing” has many implications.
One is to subdue our stubborn mind, to make it soft and accommodating. It is
not enough just to talk about the matter; we must practice it until we achieve
correspondence. We should sit in meditation, adjusting our minds, bodies and
breaths until they are at one. That is called “yoga.” To reach such a state, we
must first subdue our minds.
One is example is when we have stray
thoughts when reciting a sutra. Once we sit and recite, two situations often
occur: either we nod off, or we lose track of where we are. When this happens
we need to chastise ourselves. How do we do so?
Start again from the beginning! See if you can concentrate the second
time around. If you can’t, start over once more; this way you will be able to
focus.
To recite character by character is
no easy task. When I say recite character by character, that’s what you should
do. To read and recite the Mahayana sutras is to practice the Dharma. By doing
so we can achieve wisdom and concentration.
Can we really attain a state of
concentration through recitation? Yes! We recite until be become like a mirror,
reflecting the text of the sutra. Time passes quickly and seems short. But such
situations are rare. Why? Very few people can reach a state of concentration
while reciting.
Is the Avatamsaka Sutra easy to
recite? There are practitioners who can do it in less than an hour; this to
achieve a state of concentration. There are many levels of skill involved.
While reciting a sutra we use the same text as others, but some people recite
out loud, some silently and others by moving their lips. The last method involves
continuous recitation that can only be heard by the reciter,
not anyone nearby.
While reciting or practicing, some
who undertake contemplation attain correspondence while others fall asleep.
Verbal contemplation means that the eyes observe the nose and the nose
contemplates the mind, all the time not losing track of the words. Can you do
this?
Subduing our minds requires work. It
is implied when we constantly venerate the Buddha, undertake repentance and
recite the sutras. Reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha is not easy. Try it.
You will achieve singled-minded concentration if your every recitation arises
from your mind and is not separate from it. Can your
every recitation come from your mind and return to it? You say
Amitabha-recitation is easy? It’s not easy at all to attain such a state. It
requires work and practice.
In the course of genuine practice –
of whatever school – we need to experience personally and to adjust whatever we
are practicing. It is like playing a zither. If the sound isn’t right, we
adjust it. Our playing must be neither too intense or too slack in order to
produce beautiful sounds. If we are too intense, the strings will break. If we
are overly slack, we won’t be able to make any sounds at all.
Both you and others recite Amitabha
Buddha’s name. But the situation is different here. Reciting with the assembly
to the beat of the wooden fish – that is different. As long as you join in, you
can only say you are planting meritorious seeds; real practice is not
accomplished collectively like this.
After all, this is the Mofa age (of decline in Dharma practice). So we do some
recitation and merely plant positive seeds. In terms of real practice, that
will not do at all. There are even some people who stray while reciting along
with the assembly. They hear the others recite, but they cannot follow. That’s
because they don’t regularly participate in the sessions of out-loud
recitation. Therefore we say it’s not easy to subdue our minds.
- Excerpted from the Concentrated
Mind Forum
Open Minds and
Spacious Paths
By Ru Zang
As I was passing through a
shopping mall, I heard sounds of a dispute and crying nearby. People gathered
around to look. My curiosity got the better of me and I went over as well.
A young couple was trying their best
to calm down their angry, wailing child. They failed and had to give way. After
tidying up the youngster’s appearance, they sheepishly followed her into a toy
shop. They were embarrassed by their own submission to the child, as well as
the public attention it attracted. Even more vexing was the thought that they
would face more such situations in future.
When a young child has a physical or
psychological need, he can only express it by crying. Adults then decide
whether to accept or reject his demand after an assessment based on their
experience. Whether their needs are properly or excessively catered to, or
whether they are spurned, has great impact on youngsters’ psychological
development. As they experience appropriate acceptance or rejection, they learn
to establish a fitting code of behavior. Then they leave home for school and
society, where they meet a broad variety of people. This type of education is
based on proper human relationships and the transmission of experience. More
important, the individual grows from the gradual experience he or she
accumulates through success and failure.
There is a glut of information in
today’s society. A person has easy access to knowledge, which is no longer
limited to the transmission of traditional education and experience. It is not
necessary that instruction be provided by a human teacher, using a step-by-step
approach. It is like taking vitamins, which are inherently good for health. But
which type someone should actually take varies from individual to individual.
Naturally the best approach is for a doctor to make prescriptions, as that
would achieve optimal results.
By making use of information
technology, children may think they are more knowledgeable than their parents or
grandparents. They can regularly challenge the teaching or judgment of their
elders. Lacking a foundation for knowledge and life experience, they are unable
to assimilate the information they receive – which becomes rigid dogma. They do
not know when to push ahead or when to draw back. Their beliefs become
fundamental truths. Everything revolves around themselves, and fighting to
maximize their personal interests becomes a matter of course. As their egos
expand excessively, notions of seniors and juniors are lost. The importance of
compromise is forgotten and respect and accommodation disappear. This has
become the mood of the times, pervading our society.
When the former colonial government
realized that Hong Kong’s return to China was a fact, it hurriedly parceled out
its authority and pushed democratization. Its intention was to transform Hong
Kong’s political landscape all at one go. Though publicized as an effort to
plant the seeds of democracy, the real objective was only too clear. Hong Kong
people, used to accepting whatever they were given, suddenly found themselves
the masters of their own house. They lost no time demanding all the rights and
privileges they felt were due to them.
After reunification, the government
was like inexperienced parents who had no idea how to educate their children.
It lost its bearings. The public became like badly behaved children. When their
bullying tactics worked, they developed a taste for them. Encouraged by the
media, they believed that only through such methods could they gain respect and
safeguard their rights and privileges. Our society became polarized and
confrontational; accommodation and harmony fell by the waysaide.
All things have their causes, as the
Dharma teaches. The situation in Hong Kong is the result of our collective
karma. Are we faced with peril – or opportunity? It depends on one’s point of
view. Even so, we have to carry on, whatever our perspective. In fact, people
with different viewpoints are travelling on the same road. Is it a spacious path,
or a restricted one?
The key lies in our minds. If our
minds are accommodating, the road will be broad. Only by allowing others to
walk comfortably will we be able to do so ourselves. The important thing is not
to become bitter. Everything is the result of cause and effect, or karma.
Success and failure, gain and loss are all seeds that we plant together. We
cannot ask only for results and ignore their consequences. Each achievement is
never the final result. In fact, there are no failures as we travel, only
experience and the foundations for the next phase of success.
We should stick firmly to our proper
roles and accept karma. If we can create positive karma and are willing to open
new paths for others with respectful, open and accommodating minds, we would
surely be able to forge a broad, inclusive road.
By
Ven. Yin Chi
QUESTION: I
have a study at home. I’m thinking of putting a sacred image on the bay window.
Is that appropriate? Would the Bodhisattva feel uneasy?
ANSWER: Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are
at ease everywhere, without exception. Only we ordinary beings are vexed by
insecurity. Since I do not know the layout of your study, I am unable to tell
you the best location for a Buddha image. Actually, the most important thing as
you honor a sacred image is to have a sincere and respectful attitude. Thus you
should chose a location you consider the highest-quality and the purest to
place the image. So long as you feel the spot is respectable and comfortable,
and makes you respectful and pleased, it is a suitable location.
QUESTION:
I want to read the Ksitigarbha Sutra. But each time I do so, I have many
dreams, some of them nightmares. So I’m afraid to read it any more. Is this
situation normal? Does the sutra invoke lots of dreams?
ANSWER: Dreaming varies with the
individual, and frequent dreams are not necessarily related to the Ksitigarbha
Sutra. But if one has more nightmares after reading the sutra, that can be
considered normal. The reason may be the abundance of references in the text to
the hell realm.
So it’s possible that “what we think
in the daytime, we dream of at night.” But if you persist with your reading or
recitation, the nightmares will surely disappear after you’ve become familiar
with the text. That’s because the sutra mentions the many benefits of reading
it, one of which is “having peaceful, happy dreams.”
If you are still apprehensive and
dare not read the Ksitigarbha Sutra, there are others you can use. They include
the Bhaisajyaguru Sutra and the Chapter on the
Universal Gateway. The best, most suitable text for you is whichever one makes
you at ease, focused and happy.