If we do not wake up to our own birth and death, the being born muddled, we will also die muddled. What meaning is there to this kind of life?
Time flies, and the year has gone by before we know it; the next year is approaching. In the same way, people progress from birth to old age and death without being aware of it. Birth, old age, sickness, and death come in quick succession as we pass the years in muddled confusion. If we do not wake up to our own birth and death, then, having born muddled, we will also die muddled. What meaning is there to this kind of life? Take a look! In every country and family, every person is taking this well-worn path of muddled birth and death; we lead our muddled lives in total ignorance.
How does ignorance come about? One unenlightened thought produces the the three subtle attributes: the attribute of karma (业相), the attribute of manifestation (现相) and the attribute of turning(转相) . The three subtle attributes result in all the various differences in our lives. Each individual finds himself in various situations, and each has his own lot in life. Once we recognize what is going on, we should make a great resolve to reach enlightenment and seek wisdom and understanding. Since the Buddha has the greatest understanding and wisdom, he is called the Greatly Enlightened One. If we want to stop being muddled and attain understanding, we must first do our best to get rid of our bad habits and faults, for only then can our wisdom shine forth.
The lunar new year is coming, and i hope everyone will make a great resolve to seek enlightenment!
This day is already done, and our lives are that much less.
We are like a fish in an ever-shrinking pond. What joy is there in this?
Great assembly! We should be diligent and vigorous, as if our own lives were at stake. Only be mindful of impermanence, and be careful not to be lax.
- A talk given on Feb 10, 1983 at City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
By Master Hsuan Hua.
In Cultivation and Work, Don't Seek Rewards
If you do a good deed out of greed or competitiveness, the seed is impure, and the deed may actually turn out not to be a good deed.
Ultimately there is nothing happening in the world, but fools make trouble for themselves.
We may think we are doing a good deed, but in reality, it may not be a good deed. Why not? Because the seed is impure. If you do a good deed out of greed, you have planted an impure seed. To do a good deed with a competitive motive is also to plant an impure seed. What should you do, then? You should act as if nothing were being done. Not matter what we do, we should do it as our duty, and not seek for something outside of ourselves; we shouldn't seek to get anything out of it. In carrying out our daily activities, we should always act them as if nothing were being done. It is said,
Ultimately there is nothing at all; where can the dust alight?
If you recognize what you see, you can transcend the world; if you are confused by what you see, you will sink and drown.
When we live in this world, it is difficult for us to get rid of our deluded ideas. If we can get rid of them, we will "leave distorted dream-thinking behind" and realize the ultimate state of Nibbana. Emptiness is not emptiness, and form is not form: This is the scenery of our Native land, our inherent hometown. However, we have all turned our backs on enlightenment and have embraced defilement, so we do not recognize the scenery of our native land. Instead, we are totally deluded, and we rush madly from east to west in pursuit of fame and profit. When we finally succeed in obtaining fame and profit, death comes, and all we can do is enjoy the offerings made to the deceased! This just proves that: "Ultimately there is nothing happening in the world, but fools make trouble for themselves."
Understanding Truth Versus Seeking Fame and Profit
When the ancient pursued their studies, their goal was to understand the truth. Nowadays, people study for the sake of fame and profit.
The thing we do at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas are different from the ways of the world. For example, our elementary school, high school, and university are all tuition-free. Why do we have such a principle? It is because many schools nowadays no longer value education. They only care about making money; they have turned into "school-shops." When students are just learning how to be people, they should be taught not to befuddle their minds with desire for profit, nor to put great importance on money.
When the ancients studied, their goals was to understand the truth. Nowaday, people study for the sake of fame and profit; they want to gain a good reputation and reap abundant profits. Why? It's because they wer taught incorrectly in school. Consequently, the world is more confused each day. Day by day, the standards fall lower.
Now there are two kinds of monsters in the world. They are devouring all the people, but nobody has realized it yet. Someone is thinking, " I know what the two monsters are! They are the bombs and lasers that you are always talking about." Wrong. Those aren't bad enough to be considered monsters. The two monsters i'm talking about are the computer and television. The computer ("electronic brain" in Chinese) robs us of our wisdom. The television ("electronic vision" in chinese) blinds people's eyes. You say " I watch T.V everyday. How does that make my eyes blind?" When i say people are blind, i mean they don't recognize true principles anymore. The confused become more confused, and the blind lead the blind. Evil people who commit murder and arson and perpetrate crimes learn to do so by watching television. Unware of this, ordinary people still think that television and other novel inventions indicated how advanced our times are. Actually the harm of these products is unreckonable; they have fatally harmed people.
At the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, if we know a little bit of something, we want to practice that one bit. We are not opening a "school-shop'. Rather, we truly want to teach the children to be filial to their parents, to serve the country loyally, to be humble and to treat others with courtesy. We want them to understand what humaneness, righteousness, morality and virtue are. These are stupid ideas,but you won't find any better way to avert the disasters of the world. If we want to avert the disasters in the world, we must rely on loyalty, filiality, humaneness, righteousness, the Way, and Virtue. These concepts can revive people's dead hopes; they can subdue monsters and conquer demons. That is why our elementary school, high school, and university are tuition-free. Everyone should be especially clear on this point: We do not want to be like other places, where people do a sloppy, negligent job and only look for profit. There is another reason. When i was young, i did not receive much schooling, and i know i'm not as familiar as others with the common knowledge of today. However, i'm willing to introduce the ideas of humaneness, righteousness, the Way, and the virtue to young people, so that they will become productive citizens and pillars of society in the future.
A talk given on August 1982,
at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
A Snake Comes to Hear the Dharma
Now that the Buddhadharma has come to the west, a snake has also crossed the vast ocean and come to America to protect the Dharma.
[Editor’s Note: On the evening of Sunday, Jun 20, 1982, the fourfold assembly of disciples was holding a Dharma celebration at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, reciting in unison, “ Namo Amitabha Buddha.” As people were returning to the hall, they suddenly noticed a mottled green snake lying to the side of the front door. The snake was three or four feet long and very thin. Upon seeing it, some of the people in the assembly froze in fear, unable to take a step forward.
The monk who was the prefect at the time suggested that the snake be removed, but the Venerable Master smiled and said, “It’s not necessary. All living beings have the Buddha nature. This snake has come to draw near the Triple Jewel and listen to the Dharma, so it should not be driven away.”
Strangely enough, this was no ordinary snake. It stretched out on the ground, and although there was nearly a hundred people coming and going on all sides, it didn’t show the slightest sign of fear. Rather, it was tame and docile. The Venerable Master ascended to the Dharma-seat, and said, “Tell it to come in and listen to the Dharma.” The snake immediately responded by slithering into the hall from the front door without frightening anyone. Then it slithered from the left side of the hall to the right side side, as if circumambulating the Buddha once. Finally, it settled down in front of the Dharma-seat, as if kneeling before the Buddhas with quiet dignity in order to listen attentively to the Dharma. In response to the snake’s appearance, the Master spoke as follows:]
All living beings have the Buddha-nature and can become Buddhas. This is what the Buddha personally tells us but because we have discursive thoughts and attachments, we cannot certify to the Buddha’s wisdom and virtue. In view of the fact that all living beings, we should refrain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and taking intoxicants, and we should uphold the five precepts. If we kill living beings, it’s the same as killing the Buddhas of the ten directions. All living beings are manifestations of the Buddhas; however, since a single unenlightened thought produces the three subtle attributes ( the attribute of karma, the attribute manifestation, and the attribute of turning), the more we run, the farther off we stray, and so we sink and drown in the sea of suffering, losing sight of the truth forever. This is very simple principle, but unfortunately people have overlooked it.
Cultivators of the Way should contemplate in this way, “All living beings have been my parents in former lives, and they will become Buddhas in the future. Since they have been my past parents, I should find ways to be fillal to them, save them, and enable them to leave suffering, attain bliss, and end birth and death. Since they will become Buddhas in the future, I should honor and respect them just as I would the Buddha in the ten directions and three periods of time.” If we always keep this contemplation in mind, we will never be disrespectful, rude or mean to any living being.
There are many living beings, such as ghosts, spirits, immortals, and demons, which we cannot see with our physical eyes. We should also respect these invisible beings and not look down on them. All living beings should be regarded with equal compassion.
The snake that appeared as we entered the Buddha Hall today is also a living being. Since it appeared in the Body of a snake, everyone was apprehensive and failed to recognize it. Some were even scared out of their wits. However, the snake came to draw near the Triple Jewel, and to hear the Dharma and the Sutras. Why else would it be so docile, lying motionless by the door?
Although it appears to be a relatively small snake, it is able to transform in countless ways, it can disappear, shrink, expand, mount the clouds and ride the mists, and fly freely through space. We just aren’t aware of its powers. This snake can also cultivate and attain the Way. It belongs to the eightfold division of gods, dragons, and other Dharma-protecting spirits mentioned in the Buddhist Sutras, in particular the division of mahoragas (Great Pythons).
A contemplation on the background of this snake might reveal that it had been a high official in a small kingdom during the Zhou Dynasty. With a treacherous heart, this official plotted to usurp the throne. Hiding a poison-tipped dagger in his sleeve, he went to assassinate the King. However, not only did he fail to seize the throne, he also provoked the anger of the heavens and was blamed by the people. At the time of his death, he felt great wrath and consequently fell and became a snake, a giant python.
Two kinds of forces operate in the world: yin and yang, or good and evil. Good beings who constantly cultivate blessings and wisdom can become immortals, sages, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. Evil beings are also very powerful, yet they engage exclusively in devious intrigues, killing and hurting each other in vengeance, generating a great deal of hatred.
Open your eyes and look around. You’ll find the world is filled with poisonous snake and dragons. Although they aren’t visible to our ordinary eyes, they actually fill up the land. These poisonous snakes are the greed, anger, and stupidity in people’s minds, which have accumulated and taken shape, and cause illness everywhere. These poisonous snakes cause all the natural and man-made calamities, zombies, demons, ghosts, goblins, epidemics, and strange and incurable diseases in the world. Evil dragons and pestilential demons emit poisonous vapours which confuse people’s minds. There are also nightmare ghosts and wang liang ghosts, who steal people’s essence and energy, frightening them and causing them to go insane. Nowadays, ghosts, goblins, and demons cause mischief and cause people to develop schizophrenia, insanity, phobias, and other mental illness and incurable diseases.
Modern psychology and medical science have no understanding of the underlying causes, and so cannot treat the victims of such diseases in an ideal manner. The Buddhadharma alone provides the ultimate medicine, the special formula for resolving difficulties and averting disasters!
As for the snake, it was driven by hatred and cultivated energetically until it became a spirit. When it developed the ability to penetrate the heavens and earth, it took delight in troubling multitudes of people. There are many cases similar to this snake. We hope it will soon repent and will never harm people again.
By the Song Dynasty [960-1279 A.D.], the snake had turned into a venomous dragon that dwelt in a large river and stirred up violent storms which killed countless fishermen and ferry passengers and caused people to live in great fear and anxiety.
Fortunately, a sage, a monk of formidable Dharma powers, came to the rescue. Grasping his tin staff, the monk stood on the shore and called out loudly to the venomous dragon. Hearing his voice, the dragon flew into a rage and displayed its powers: It appeared in the body of a giant python, tens of thousands of feet long. Aided by the power of Vajra-samadhi, the Dharma Master was no daunted in the least. Employing the Dharmas of Hooking and Subduing, he battled with the dragon for three days and nights and finally subdued it.
After its evil powers were defeated, the venomous dragon had no choice but to surrender. The Dharma Master taught the dragon that everything is characterized by suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and lack of self; only karma follows is. He urged the dragon to be compassionate and to use its powers to benefit living beings instead of harming them. After hearing the Dharma, the dragon suddenly had an awakening and attained the pure Dharma eye. The Dharma Master transmitted the three refuges and five precepts to it, and told it cultivate the Dharma in a certain mountain cave and never trouble people again. The dragon gladly did as it was told.
[Editor’s Note: A Bhikshuni reports, “Several weeks ago, we saw this snake at Joyous Giving House (nun’s quarters), near the women’s Buddha Hall. Fearing that it was a rattlesnake, we put it in a can with a firm wooden lid, and planned to set it farther away in the woods, so that it wouldn’t bother the residents. Who would have thought that when we opened the can, the snake was gone! Logically, there was no way it could have escaped. No wonder it’s said to have spiritual powers!”]
I’ve known this snake for a long time. More than twenty years ago, it would come to Cixing (Flourishing Kindness) Monastery on Lanto Island in Hong Kong [a monastery founded by the Venerable Master] to listen to Sutra lectures. Although the snake never harmed anyone, people were scared because it was a snake. Once someone caught it in a metal can and took it into a forest several miles away to set free, but when the person opened the can, the snake was gone! Now that the Buddhadharma has come to the West, the snake has also crossed the ocean, undaunted by the distance, and come to America to protect the Dharma.”
Living beings who study Buddhism should believe deeply in cause and effect. If we don’t plant bad causes, we naturally won’t receive a bad retribution. If we plant good causes, we will certainly receive a good retribution in the future. The law of cause and effect is clear, and it never fails. If you kill someone’s father, that person will kill your brother in turn. You shouldn’t kill people just to gain benefits. Harming others merely harm yourself in the end. The heavens cherish life and do not want living beings to harm each other. Therefore, you should not go against the law of cause and effect. As it’s said,
Once you lose your footing, you will regret it forever.
Once You Lose your Human Body, You May not Regain it for Ten thousand Eons
Disbelieve anything else, but don’t disbelieve cause and effect. It is extremely dangerous to deny cause and effect.
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“ A Bodhisattva fears causes, not effects.” In his cultivation, he is very careful to create good causes. If he accidentally creates a bad cause, he bravely faces reality and accepts his retribution without every complaining. In contrast, “Living beings fear effects instead o causes.” They creates thoughtlessly and recklessly. When the time comes to face the retributions, they are frightened. They complain to the heavens and blame other people, saying, “Why do I get lousy treatment? Why is life so unfair?” It never occurs to them that if they hadn’t created such causes in the past, they would not be receiving such retributions now.
Today, since a member of the eightfold division of Dharma-protecting spirits appeared to speak the Dharma, I have briefly described its background in terms of causes and effects.
With one wrong move, the entire chess game is lost.
If you have a single bad thought, the resulting disasters will be difficult to avert. Fortunately, the snake has taken refuge with the Triple Jewel, and thus has the opportunity to eventually “understand the mind and see the nature.”
If you don’t believe this story, go ahead and try it out yourself. If you do believe in cause and effect, don’t harbour the slightest bit of doubt.
Mastering Oneself and not Being Mastered by Others
“Seeing through it” means understanding, and “Letting go of it” means being liberated. Only when you are liberated will you truly master yourself.
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In the world, there are changes every day; people, material objects, time, and the atmosphere all undergo change. Sometimes the weather is abnormal and it rains out of season. Such changes happen due to special conditions. For instances, the pressure built up from magma collecting underground results in a volcanic eruption. Too much water in the ocean causes tidal waves and disastrous floods. Abnormal changes in the climate and the seasons are omens of future events. Mental illness is a form of abnormality in people. When the climate is “mentally ill,” that’s not a good sign.
In this time when diseases and calamities are occurring everywhere, we must apply ourselves diligently to cultivate in order to transform violence and disasters into peace and auspiciousness. If we fail to cultivate seriously, we tend to become psychologically unbalanced when the climate is abnormal, and then there will be problems. Therefore, during a period of great change, Buddhists should be especially diligent in their cultivation, reciting the Buddha’s name more, or reciting more mantras or Sutras. We should do as many good deeds as possible, for great virtue can dispel offenses.
In this time when things are not the way they usually are, we must “adjust to conditions, but not change; not change, yet adjust to conditions.” Most importantly, we should not lose our tempers. As soon as our tempers flare, a change has occurred. If we want to put an end to birth and death while still within birth and death, we must put forth great effort. In putting forth this great effort, we try to be true and honest in all that we do. When we encounter unreasonable and frustrating situations, we should remain calm and not get angry. This is to “nurture the earth of our mind and nourish the heaven of our nature”. If we can be like this, we can make up for deficiencies of heaven and earth. That is to be a true cultivator, a student of Buddhism, and a seeker of Dharma. We must investigate deeply and understand, without becoming attached to anything. With no attachments, we are liberated. If we still have attachments, we have not attained liberation and self-mastery.
“Seeing through it” means understanding, and “letting go of it” means being liberated. Only when you are liberated can you truly be master of yourself. If you aren’t liberated, you cannot be master. If you aren’t master, someone else is. With someone else as the master, your false thoughts fly about wildly. That means “the noisy guest has seized the place of host,” and the host is no longer in charge. Pay attention to this! If the host is not in charge, everything is out of order.
“Letting go of it” means being liberated, graduating from the study of precepts, and graduating from the school of rules, afflictions, and ignorance. When you graduate and receive your diploma, you are liberated.
Only when you are liberated can you be master of yourself. If you are not your own master, then others are your master; the thieves come and plunder all the treasures in your home. Those “others” include ignorance, false thoughts, afflictions, heavenly demons, unbelievers, ghosts, goblins, and so forth. If you don’t guard your house, it will be invaded and taken over by others. Therefore, you must be attentive and careful; you must be master of yourself. But first of all, you must see through it all and truly understand.
I vow to dispel the three hindrances and all afflictions.
I vow to attain wisdom and true understanding
I vow to eradicate each and every hindrance caused by offenses,
And always walk the Bodhisattva Path, in life after life.
This is to be your own master.
To explain it at a deeper level, not being master of yourself means that the Buddha-nature is not manifest; instead, the demon king sits in the “hall” (of your mind), and the six thieves have taken over. Even if you want to return, you cannot. From morning to night, you fantasize about breaking the five precepts. Although you don’t actually do it, you think about breaking precepts all the time. If that’s not being stupid, what is it? That’s a case of not being the master yourself, because the thieves have taken over. Only when you are the master can you be in control. If you are not the master, you not in control, and you follow and get confused by states of mind. If you don’t follow along, you won’t be confused by mental states. Cultivation is nothing more than applying effort in our own bodies and minds, in our natures and lives, until we understand everything. Then we won’t do muddled things. What we know and what we do will be in total agreement.
u will make a good diarist....
Hmmm just 2 clarify that the above articles are from Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. Originally the talk is in chinese and was translated into english by his disciplines. It from his book.
Lately i have been lazy in practice.... May all of us wake up from muddled life soon and as soon as possible.
Amitabha _/\_
Nice series of articles to read :)
Originally posted by Isis:If we do not wake up to our own birth and death, the being born muddled, we will also die muddled. What meaning is there to this kind of life?
Time flies, and the year has gone by before we know it; the next year is approaching. In the same way, people progress from birth to old age and death without being aware of it. Birth, old age, sickness, and death come in quick succession as we pass the years in muddled confusion. If we do not wake up to our own birth and death, then, having born muddled, we will also die muddled. What meaning is there to this kind of life? Take a look! In every country and family, every person is taking this well-worn path of muddled birth and death; we lead our muddled lives in total ignorance.
How does ignorance come about? One unenlightened thought produces the the three subtle attributes: the attribute of karma (业相), the attribute of manifestation (现相) and the attribute of turning(转相) . The three subtle attributes result in all the various differences in our lives. Each individual finds himself in various situations, and each has his own lot in life. Once we recognize what is going on, we should make a great resolve to reach enlightenment and seek wisdom and understanding. Since the Buddha has the greatest understanding and wisdom, he is called the Greatly Enlightened One. If we want to stop being muddled and attain understanding, we must first do our best to get rid of our bad habits and faults, for only then can our wisdom shine forth.
The lunar new year is coming, and i hope everyone will make a great resolve to seek enlightenment!
This day is already done, and our lives are that much less.
We are like a fish in an ever-shrinking pond. What joy is there in this?
Great assembly! We should be diligent and vigorous, as if our own lives were at stake. Only be mindful of impermanence, and be careful not to be lax.
- A talk given on Feb 10, 1983 at City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
By Master Hsuan Hua.
Yeah, we used to chant the below verses during evening chanting （晚课）but in Chinese.
This day is already done, and our lives are that much less.
We are like a fish in an ever-shrinking pond. What joy is there in this?
Great assembly! We should be diligent and vigorous, as if our own lives were at stake. Only be mindful of impermanence, and be careful not to be lax.
是日以过, 命亦éš�å‡�, 如鱼少水, 斯有何ä¹�? 大众，当勤精进,如救头燃,ä½†å¿µæ— å¸¸,慎勿放逸。
Sometimes I find that the above verses do not mean much to me as I'm still not too old but each time I read the obituaries in newspapers I realise death can happen to anyone at any age. I like this verse the most "如鱼少水". So, be careful not to be lax.
The Secret to Cultivation: Be True, Sincere, and Constant
If you are not humble, gracious, and willing to admit your mistakes, you will encounter many obstacles.
We shoul not go around advertising our cultivation. If we sell our cultivation, we may become possessed by demons. Some cultivators are protected by Buddhas, while others are protected by Bodhisattvas, Arhats, gods, ghosts, spirits, or people. Some cultivators are protected by demons and ghosts. Such cultivators are protected by demons and ghosts; such beings draw near to cultivators who have deviant minds. When you embrace deviant views, you may encounter demonic states of arrogance and pride. If you are not humble, gracious, and willing to admit your mistakes, you will encounter many obstacles.
Today I want to tell you about the most honest kind of cultivation. There are three secrets to it:
1. Be true in everything you do; don't be hypocritical.
2. Always be extremely sincere and respectful; don't be lazy or neligent.
3. Be constant, persevering and steadfast.
In every move you make and every word you say, be true, sincere, and constant. If your mind is true, sincere and constant, you will certainly succeed at whatever you do.
A talk given on October 22, 1982
I heard Ajahn Brahm said, what is the meaning of life. He said meaning of life is not theory, but practical ie you need to meditate and observe and contemplate.