Table of Contents
Teachings of Master Man Sang: Sutra of the Eight
Realizations of Great Beings
Story From the Sutras: The Venerable Rahula – First in Esoteric Practices
Changing With Circumstances: Making a Real
Effort
Reader’s Corner: The Wisdom of Believing in Karma
By Dharma Master Yin Chi
Recently, some members of
the assembly asked me questions about karmic cause and effect. One person said
that generosity ought to have positive consequences. She gave often, yet her
work did not go smoothly, her human relationships were difficult, and she was
often sick and slow to heal. Why was that? Was it because of karma from
previous lifetimes? Should one do good in this life so as to enjoy positive
karma in a future one?
I
once heard a Dharma master tell a true story. There was a man who lived in
Shandong at the start of the last century. He excelled at making money – and at
cheating others. His outrageous actions made him notorious; even government
officials feared and disliked him.
But
as the saying goes, he who ventures often into the hills will encounter a tiger
sooner or later. The man was involved in an incident that nearly cost him his
life. He survived only after handing over almost all his ill-gotten gains. He
had to abandon his home and family, and fled alone to remote Guangdong.
Stung
by this brush with death, he decided to go into proper business with what
remained of his money. Opening a shipping company, he began a new life in an
unfamiliar place. He took pleasure in doing good and gave generously. People
called him a great benefactor.
One
day, as he was inspecting a ship, he was abruptly struck by a propeller and
killed, with his body ripped apart. People throughout Guangdong decried the
injustice that such an upright person should suffer such a terrible demise. A
great loss to society, they exclaimed.
Meanwhile,
far away in Shandong, locals had been lamenting year in and year out that such
an evil man was able to flee with his fortune and escape the law. The
northerners saw how he evaded legal sanction, despite his many bad deeds, while
the southerners perceived the wanton death of a man who did good and
accumulated merit.
That’s
how people are: They cannot see the truth and do not understand the workings of
cause and effect. Whether karmic fruits will ripen in a future lifetime depends
on whether the relevant conditions are present. The preceding story provides us
with some insights.
To
give, but constantly to expect rewards is like waiting to be paid regularly for
our work. If our compensation is delayed, we easily become disgruntled. By
doing good calculatingly, our minds are infiltrated by commercial or investment
considerations. We would think that one who does what is wholesome should enjoy
good fortune. Should a good deed be rewarded on a one-to-one basis? Or should
the reward be a hundredfold?
If
we do good with calculating minds, expecting returns, we often aren’t aware even
when the reward comes. We attribute our steady jobs to our own hard work, not
the workings of karma. A roof over our head is our entitlement and has nothing
to do with our actions. Recovering from an illness, we show no gratitude at
encountering a good doctor but only gripe that we should have contracted the
disease. If we think like that, how can we be satisfied?
We
should abandon our calculations and give unstintingly, forming positive karmic
connections with others. By doing so without attachments or expectations, we will
naturally enjoy positive karma and our affairs will go smoothly. Our minds are
at ease and we will benefit from good relationships. We will live happily.
It
is only normal for people to hope for good fortune if they have long practiced
generosity. But what is good fortune? Doing good and practicing generosity can
indeed change one’s fortunes, though other factors must be present. When we are
sick, for example, we must not only take medicine but follow our doctor’s
advice to alter our lifestyle.
If
we want good fortune, we must not only make material offerings but also adjust
our way of thinking. We should be grateful for our blessings and adopt a
positive attitude. We ought to accept things gladly and perform our tasks
proactively. We should form wholesome ties with others, for those who help
other people will always receive help from them. We will encounter benefactors
frequently and our affairs will go smoothly. Our karmic rewards will appear at
once.
Generosity
is not restricted to material giving. The
Dharma teaches the giving of both external and internal wealth, as well as of
teaching and freedom from fear. Monetary offerings are only the most
superficial form of external giving. Internal giving means the donation of
blood and bodily organs such as eyes or brain tissue.
At
the shallower level, the gift of teaching refers to worldly erudition,
technical skills, knowledge and helping other solve the problems of everyday
life. At a deeper level, it is to explain the Buddha’s teachings, dispel
people’s ignorance, instruct them on Dharma practice and purify their minds. Such
activities elevate the quality and direction of life. Bestowing freedom from
fear means to show concern for others, dispelling their anxieties. In addition,
a real practitioner of generosity should display a kind heart, speak
sympathetic words and do good deeds.
If
we have ill fortune, encountering many difficulties and obstacles, we lack
positive karmic ties with others. We need not attribute it all to karma from prior
lifetimes; indeed, there are causes from the present one. We need to reflect on
our attitude towards people and things, our relationships, and our approach to
work. Besides material offerings to improve our karmic relationships, we should
impart goodwill and smiles, caring, sincerity and humility.
In
fact, cause and effect are two sides of the same coin. As the saying goes,
“Busy people enjoy the most time, satisfied people are the wealthiest, and
grateful persons are the most fortunate. Those who ease others’ troubles are
the happiest people, and those with extensive good connections encounter the
fewest obstacles in life. The opposite is also true.”
Sutra of the Eight Realizations of
Great Beings
They instruct all beings with the Eight
Realizations, enabling them to abandon the five desires and turn their minds
towards the sacred path.
This passage summarizes the way to
deliver sentient beings. It advocates instructing and guiding them with the
teachings realized by Bodhisattvas and great beings, letting them know the
suffering associated with the cycle of rebirth. Ordinary beings should
understand that endless birth, death and rebirth arise from the five desires.
If we can leave behind these desires, the pain of life and death naturally ends.
As the Lotus Sutra says, “The root
cause of all suffering is greed and desire. By eliminating them, there will be
no more cause for suffering.”
Sentient beings revel in the five
desires and treasure them. The Buddha teaches us that the desires are like
honey on the blade of a knife. Driven by the five desires, we perform actions
(karma) that bring forth the suffering of the rebirth cycle. If beings realize
that continual rebirth means pain, they must terminate the cause of birth and
death. That’s why we are urged to “turn our minds towards the sacred path.”
There is true mind, deluded mind and
our mind (heart) of flesh. Where actually is the mind? The Buddha told us the
mind is neither internal, external nor somewhere in between. True mind has no
shape or form, but is everywhere. The disjointed thoughts we have all day long
– that is deluded mind. This false mind never stays still; it is like a
prancing monkey or a galloping horse. This makes our minds scattered and
unfocused, so the Buddha teaches us to discipline them. To do so is to
cultivate and rein in our deluded minds, ridding them of negative and
contaminated thoughts. It’s like wiping a smudge off our faces. We must
constantly observe where our minds are resting, whether our thoughts are
wholesome or unwholesome.
The Dharma teaches us that there are
11 wholesome focal points for our thoughts:
1) Faith: We should have faith in concrete things and true principles;
the virtue of the Three Gems of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha; and karmic cause and effect. “Faith is the mother
of virtue and the root of the correct way.” A strong faith in Buddhism gives
rise to all good things.
2) Diligence: To be concentrated and not diluted, to move forward and
not backwards – that is the meaning of diligence. We should diligently practice
all wholesome teachings and rid ourselves of all unwholesome ways.
3) Regret: We should regret that we have less knowledge than others.
Unless we strive to make up our deficiency, we would be letting ourselves down.
4) Shame: We hesitate to do unethical things or to harm others. If we
have a sense of shame, we will be able to correct our mistakes and turn them
into something positive.
5) Avoidance of greed: We strive to be neither greedy nor stingy. We
should avoid attachment to the five desires.
6) Avoidance of anger: We should not become irate or lose our tempers.
When we meet with adverse circumstances, we should bear them with compassion.
7) Avoidance of delusion: We try to use wisdom to distinguish between
good and evil, right and wrong. Through understanding, we can avoid mistakes.
All wholesome things arise from the three roots of avoiding greed, anger and
delusion.
8) Ease of mind: In this state, we are capable of eliminating such
weighty afflictions as greed, anger and delusion. We feel light-hearted and our
minds are at ease.
9) Avoidance of indiscipline: We do not indulge ourselves or behave
rashly. Grounding ourselves in the virtues of avoiding greed, anger and
delusion, we shun evil and cultivate good.
10) Practice of letting go: Practitioners should refrain from
attachment to themselves and to things. They nurture virtue by giving as they
practice.
11) Avoidance of harm: We strive to do no harm to the reputations,
lives and property of others. We should love and protect all beings with
compassion and forbearance.
There are also 26 afflicted focal
points for our thoughts. They consist of six basic afflictions – greed, anger
delusion, pride, doubt and unwholesome thoughts. Then there are the 12
auxiliary afflictions – indignation, hatred, inversion, vexation, jealousy,
stinginess, deceit, flattery, harm, arrogance, lack of regret and of shame.
They also include the eight great afflictions – confusion, inconsistency,
faithlessness, sloth, indulgence, incorrect thinking, lack of focus and
improper views.
The Dharma calls virtuous that which
benefits our own thoughts and deeds, as well as those of others. Only if
something is wholesome now and in the future can it be considered pure good, to
be learned by all Buddhists.
We need to rid ourselves of
unwholesome thoughts. We should ornament ourselves with virtue, the way ladies
apply makeup to beautify their faces. To purge our negative thoughts and
replace them with positive ones is called “cultivating the mind.” It allows
sentient beings to change their habit energy and rid themselves of the five
desires, after which they can study and practice the sacred path, filled with
wholesome thoughts. By following in the footsteps of saints, we can learn how
they turned from evil to good, upheld the precepts, practiced meditation,
developed wisdom and compassion, and resolved to return and save other beings.
(to be continued)
The Venerable Rahula:
First in
Esoteric Practices
Rahula, the Buddha’s son, took monastic
vows in his early teens to follow his father. Having grown up in the palace,
living a sheltered life, he did not know the meaning of following rules,
especially at his tender age. He was quite wayward in his first years as a
monastic. He liked to trick others by telling tall tales.
When ministers, elders and
householders came to call on the Buddha, they would ask where he was. Rahula knew the Buddha was at Bamboo Grove Monastery, but
would report that he was on Vulture Peak. As the visitors came running back, Rahula would laugh heartily. Because of his special status,
the other monks in the Sangha would be especially accommodating. This state of
affairs grew worse as time passed. When it reached the Buddha’s ears, he
decided to make a lesson of it.
One day, the Buddha instructed Rahula to fetch a bowl of water for him to wash his feet. When
he had finished the Buddha asked Rahula, “Is this
water drinkable?” “No,” Rahula replied hurriedly. Said
the Buddha, “Once the waster becomes dirty, it will lose its value and be
neglected. Similarly, if a person lies all the time, he will not be trusted any
more. Do you know that?”
Rahula,
who had never been reprimanded, realized his father knew what he had been up
to. He didn’t know how to respond. The Buddha told him to dispose of the water
and asked him again, “What kind of bowl is this?” Rahula
replied, “A bowl for washing feet.” The Buddha asked, “Can it be used to wash
rice and vegetables?” “No one would use it for that purpose.”
“Right,” said the Buddha. “If one’s
mind is impure and one’s words lack credibility, he would never be respected by
anyone. Unless you correct your mistaken words and behavior, you will be like
this bowl.”
When he finished speaking, the
Buddha kicked the bowl far away. “”I have kicked away the bowl,” he said to Rahula. “Do you think it’s a pity?” “Not really.” “Why
not?” “Because it’s only a rough-hewn bowl.” Said the Buddha: “Correct.
Likewise, someone who doesn’t like to learn makes himself inferior and
disappoints others. They will not cherish him.”
Pointing to the overturned bowl, the
Buddha asked Rahula, “Can the upended bowl hold
water?” “No.” Said the Buddha: “You are now like that bowl. Neither your
thoughts nor your words are pure. You lie repeatedly, mix up right and wrong
and reverse black and white. Like the bowl, you are not worthy of other
people’s affection.”
After this stern lecture, the Buddha
spoke an analogy to Rahula: “Once, a certain country
kept a large elephant. The animal was courageous and excelled in battle. Every
time the king launched a conscription campaign, he would dress the elephant in
armor, attached spears to its tusks, swords to its ears, curved blades to its
feet and metal arms to its tail. Though it carried so many weapons, the animal
would always hide its trunk whenever real fighting broke out. That’s because an
elephant’s trunk is very vulnerable; if it is cut, the animal will die. To
protect itself, the elephant had to keep its trunk safe.”
“Rahula,”
the Buddha continued, “you should be like that elephant. You should guard your
words and deeds carefully. If you continue to tell lies and play tricks, you
would be like an elephant with an injured trunk. Your life of wisdom will
expire. You will not be loved by others and you won’t find favor with the wise.
When you die, you will fall into the Three Wretched Realms and suffer!”
The Buddha’s severe but sincere
words hit their mark in Rahula’s heart. The younger
man became extremely ashamed of his own mistakes. He immediately expressed his
heartfelt contrition to the Buddha and resolved to mend his ways. From then on Rahula was a changed person. He abided strictly by the Sangha’s rules and never again spoke a frivolous word to
another. He never slacked off and constantly applied himself.
Rahula
practiced quietly and subtly, never showing off in front of others. Only the
Buddha knew. When his practice came to fruition, the Buddha commended him,
saying: “Among my disciples, Rahula knows and can
accomplish all the 3,000 forms of deportment and 80,000 refined practices. Bhikkhu
Rahula is the first in esoteric practices!”
Making a Real Effort
By Ru Zang
My daughter
recently told me that her work and life felt boring and flavorless, yet she
could not find a way to generate a sense of commitment. Consider her qualities
and character. To an extent, she is a fortunate person. Whether in her studies or
her work, she has been able to achieve an 80% grade without having to exert
herself much. A little extra effort and she would make 90%. If she really tried
hard, she would often be able to obtain a result she would be happy with.
My daughter
is well aware she would be rewarded if she put in the effort. But from an early
age, she has been satisfied with 80% or 90%. Her mother and I never put
pressure on her. Whether it was the choice of subjects in secondary school,
major at university or field of work, she made her own decisions freely and naturally.
Now she
works in a government department, where the room for self-expression isn’t great,
nor is her job particularly difficult, given her abilities. That’s where the
problem lies, however. She has not been able to derive a sense of fulfilment or achievement from her work. So I shared with
her my own experience.
When I was
young, I studied hard. But problems with my capabilities and study methods made
progress extremely difficult. It took me eight years to complete the six-year
curriculum of secondary school. Naturally I wasn’t able to attend university in
Hong Kong. Thankfully, I received the support of my parents and elder sister,
and was able to complete university in Taiwan.
Because my
qualification wasn’t recognized in Hong Kong, however, I had very little
bargaining power when it came to finding a job. I had few expectations, and
wanted only a position capable of providing a livelihood. I made no special
demands in my job and simply worked hard. Gradually, I developed an interest in
my work and gained a sense of fulfilment and
satisfaction from it.
Most
important, after coming into contact with Buddhism, I worked simultaneously at
my job and as a volunteer for more than 10 years. All year long l would labor
more than 10 hours a day, without holidays.
Amid the hectic schedule I felt nourished; I also believed I was making
progress, which spawned a sense of satisfaction. I experienced meaning in life
because I was making a real effort and a genuine commitment.
In sharing
all this with my daughter, I hoped she would understand that each person has
his or her specific circumstances and karma. The important thing is to be able
to do our best at every moment. If so, we will naturally be able to find ways
out of our difficulties and find satisfaction and achievement.
The key to success is always to put
out without calculation and to accept responsibility courageously. If we keep
our eyes not on our own interests, but on the benefit and welfare of others, we
will reap substantial rewards and happiness.
The Wisdom of
Believing in Karma
By Wing Ching
I hadn’t been to the movies for a
while, so I took a half-day off to watch one with my daughter. We saw a touching
Japanese film called Like Father, Like
Son. It told the story of two families of different backgrounds who
received the same notice from a hospital. It said that their six-year-old sons,
who were born on the same day, had been mistakenly switched by the hospital.
To retrieve their “blood” sons, the
two pairs of parents arranged in the following year for both families to interact
and travel together. Before long they were allowing each boy to “stay over”
with the other family once a month. Towards the end of the period, each child
was “returned” to his own blood clan.
The story was simple enough. With a
fine eye for detail, the director showed through everyday developments how the
affair affected each member of the two families. There were many poignant
moments in this reflection on the relationship between emotions arising from
adoptive child-raising and the attachment to blood ties. In the end, neither
son could bear to part with the family that raised him and continued to live
with it. From that point on, we can imagine, each family opens a fresh chapter,
undergoing transformation and change as life flows on.
“To know what the future will bring,
we need only look at our present actions.” All things are like that. Karmic
cause and effect is a natural law, and however hard we try, we cannot contravene
its workings. Attachment and insistence are futile. We need to have the wisdom
to believe in and readily accept karmic cause and effect. If we can create new
causes from consequences previously determined, we may well change our
fortunes.
That makes me think of Hong Kong
society today: cold, selfish, utilitarian, calculating, rude, vulgar and
ignoble behavior is on display everywhere. It’s as though all resentments are
gathered together, to be vented utterly – akin to using the punching bag in the
gym as a substitute for our mortal enemies and beating the daylights out of it.
We don’t realize that each punch merely deepens the underlying grievance. To
say such action relaxes us is just a kind of repression. If we cannot exercise
forbearance, how can we loosen the knot in our hearts?
Every day in crowded public
transport, we see pale faces, wooden without expression, or furrowed brows.
Heads lowered, people lose themselves in their “virtual worlds.” They are
oblivious of the elderly, weak or handicapped around them and rarely offer
their seats. On rare encounters with a friendly or relaxed face, or a pair of
closed eyes catching some rest, I rejoice.
Dog-eat-dog behavior is prevalent in
the world of business. Its representatives often employ unscrupulous tactics,
all in the name of “marketing strategy.” They exaggerate to entice consumers,
make false claims, provide low-quality goods when offering attractive prices,
or exploit legal loopholes. For their part, consumers often are greedy and
ignorant, extravagant, wasteful, vain or display a herd mentality. They suffer
from an attachment to “self” and “possessions.”
Moreover, public quarrels are
frequent, and cases of hurting or killing animals and abuse of domestic helpers
are coming to light all the time. Well-known public figures who urge people to
take accommodating perspectives are hounded by online groups … “Something must
be rotten before it develops worms.” How can we not fear for our city, when it
is shrouded by such sentiments?
Even so, Hong Kong is still our home. Can a community afford not to exercise compassion and accommodation while living together? “The compassionate have no enemies,” it is said, “and the wise have no vexations.” Also: “Just as all rivers converge into the sea, accommodation is greatness. A steep wall can hold a thousand blades; strength arises from an absence of desire.” Thus we encourage one another.
By Ven. Yin Chi
QUESTION: Since the Buddha is in our minds, why do we
still have to offer incense and make prostrations before him?
ANSWER: Religions often make use of
ritual to help adherents focus their minds and persons, as well as to pay
respects to sacred beings. It’s like children expressing filial feelings
towards their parents. Though such sentiments certainly arise in their hearts
and minds, they need to be made known verbally and through visits. We can’t say
so long as we have our parents in mind, we can ignore them; that would not be
right.
Offering
incense and venerating the Buddha are the same. Though the actions are rituals,
they allow practitioners to express their respect towards the Buddha. If we are
filial, we need to support our parents as well as make gifts or visit them on
special occasions. Those are ways for us to show our love and respect for them.
We cannot neglect such actions and simply say they are on our minds.
People who truly
have the Buddha in mind won’t forget to perform respectful acts regularly. It’s
not that the Buddha needs such venerations. As Buddhists we nurture our own
humility and respectfulness by honoring the Buddha. By doing so, we also dispel
bad karma and accumulate merit. Since the Buddha is on our minds, why would we
mind offering incense or performing venerations?
QUESTION: The Ksitigarbha Sutra says, “To those who defame and slander monastics,
we explain the karma whereby they would forever remain in the realm of animals.”
Yet the Dharma teaches reincarnation. Is there a contradiction between the two?
There is no
conflict. “Forever remain in the realm of animals” refers to a long period of
time; it doesn’t mean eternity. When the offender has repaid his karmic debt,
he naturally has the chance to leave the animal realm.
People often
say that those who “descend into the 18th level of hell will never
leave.” There are hell realms in Buddhism, but no such thing as a never-ending
stay there. It is a matter of the length of the sojourn. However long, it will
end when the relevant bad karma has been worked off. When that happens, the
being can leave the hell domains and the sufferings of the Wretched Realms, and
re-enter the cycle of rebirth.