Miscellaneous Discussions on Buddhism (Part One)

Chapter Twelve: The Practice (3)

30. Bodhisattvas never separate from sentient beings. As long as they resolve and vow to attain Buddhahood without entering the nirvana without remainder, they will be with sentient beings life after life. Bodhisattvas are classified into different levels. First, bodhisattvas who have not severed the view of self cannot leave sentient beings even if they wish to do so. Bound by the three fetters, they cannot avoid the three evil paths and thus remain inseparable from beings in the three evil paths. When they return to the human or heavenly realms, they remain inseparable from beings there. Bodhisattvas from the stage after severing the view of self and the three fetters up to the stage before the first ground (bhūmi) are together with sentient beings wherever they go and cannot separate from them. Bodhisattvas above the first ground, having made the ten inexhaustible vows, are constrained by the power of their vows and cannot enter the nirvana without remainder. Therefore, they must still be with sentient beings.

The key is for bodhisattvas at each level to discern what kind of sentient beings it is best to associate with. This issue must be grasped correctly. If a bodhisattva makes a vow, they must consider clearly what kind of vow is suitable for themselves to avoid future regret.

The primary and foremost task for every bodhisattva is to sever the three fetters, and this must be genuinely accomplished, leaving no residual knots. Only then can they speak of liberating sentient beings, relatively and according to conditions, selecting sentient beings who are karmically connected with them.

One may vow to liberate sentient beings in the Saha world, to liberate sentient beings on Earth, vowing not to leave Earth or the Saha world. Yet, if one’s three fetters are not severed, upon the end of life, one will follow the binding force of the fetters to the three evil paths. Clearly, one vowed to liberate sentient beings, but one cannot even liberate oneself and requires other bodhisattvas to liberate them. How then can one speak of liberating sentient beings?

Whether studying Buddhism, performing good deeds, making vows, or doing anything else, all actions require considerable wisdom. One cannot act impulsively based on mere fervor, doing whatever comes to mind without considering the consequences.

31. The Ten Inexhaustible Vows of Bodhisattvas

When all Buddhas descend into the world to universally liberate sentient beings, they demonstrate the eight phases of attaining the Way. This content must be firmly remembered: descent from the Tushita Heaven, entering the womb, dwelling in the womb, birth, leaving home, attaining the Way, turning the Dharma wheel, and entering nirvana. Therefore, Buddhas are necessarily monastics, belonging to the Sangha; they are not laypeople. In the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Buddha instructed bodhisattvas to make ten inexhaustible vows. One of these vows is that bodhisattvas must possess vast spiritual powers; this is an essential requirement. Without spiritual powers, not only can one not achieve one’s own realization, but one also cannot liberate sentient beings. However, it is best to cultivate spiritual powers after entering the grounds (bhūmis). Cultivating them after enlightenment is also very difficult; cultivating them before these stages is not encouraged.

If a bodhisattva’s mental capacity is too small, they cannot make such vast vows, and even if they make them, they cannot fulfill them. The magnitude of one’s mental capacity determines the magnitude of one’s bodhisattva work. For each of us sentient beings, there is only one thing to do in future lives: liberate oneself and liberate others. Life after life, this is the only matter, the only Buddha-work. There is no pursuit of any worldly concerns within the three realms. Therefore, we must now train ourselves to have minds that minimally cling to worldly appearances, not to pursue personal worldly benefits, not to compete with others for the sake of worldly survival interests—including wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep; form, sound, smell, taste, and touch; including family, relatives, and dependents—everything, everything. Mentally, relinquish as much as possible. Then the mind becomes empty, pure, and vast, vast to the extent of the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha-nature), and one reaches the ultimate.

Only when the realm of sentient beings is exhausted will my vow be exhausted. Can the realm of sentient beings be exhausted? When will it be exhausted? I recall that in the Buddhist scriptures, someone asked the Buddha whether the realm of sentient beings can be exhausted, whether sentient beings can be completely liberated. The Buddha seemed not to answer. It is not that the Buddha did not know or could not answer, but that the number of sentient beings is truly boundless, beyond count. The task for each bodhisattva is extremely heavy; even after becoming a Buddha, one must forever be busy with the work of liberating sentient beings. Sentient beings in the ten directions are immeasurable and boundless. Worlds without Buddhas, without bodhisattvas, without the Buddha Dharma are simply too numerous. Sentient beings in those worlds suffer greatly, waiting for us bodhisattvas to resolve to liberate them.

When we are capable of liberating sentient beings in the future, everything must be considered for the sake of sentient beings. Do not compete for personal private gain. If bodhisattvas fight fiercely over issues of their respective dependents or matters of reputation and status, what will happen to those sentient beings? Where have the great bodhicitta vows made in the past gone? We should strive to make great vows now to avoid forgetting the bodhicitta in future lives, to do everything for the sake of accomplishing our own path and accomplishing sentient beings, not for worldly benefits.

If the good roots and merits of sentient beings are not mature, they cannot encounter the Buddha Dharma. We should all strive to plant good roots for sentient beings as much as possible, enabling their good roots to mature early. If the good roots of sentient beings are immature and they lack merit, even if a Buddha is right in front of them, it is useless. If the realm of sentient beings were exhausted, if there were no more sentient beings, what use would there be for Buddha lands? The Buddha established countless Buddha lands precisely for liberating sentient beings. Without sentient beings, would the Buddha still retain a form and dwell in the world? Then the form would no longer be retained; Buddha lands would also be useless. Therefore, looking at the future scenario, what is there for us to compete over now? All dharmas are empty; it is enough to use them temporarily; there is no need to cling.

32. Being a Qualified Disciple of the Buddha

In school, a qualified student must be an all-around excellent student, excelling morally, intellectually, and physically. In Buddhism, a good disciple of the Buddha should be a Buddhist disciple who fully develops precepts, concentration, and wisdom, perfectly endowed with the six paramitas (perfections), a practitioner who perfectly combines ability and mental disposition. People who possess both virtue and talent are exceptionally rare talents. If someone has only a certain ability but their mental disposition is unwholesome and untamed, such a person cannot be entrusted with important responsibilities. If someone’s mental disposition is good but their ability is insufficient, they can still be used with effort and can be nurtured. If both ability and mental disposition are lacking, they absolutely cannot be used.

Mental disposition manifests in selflessness. Before severing the view of self, some people have a heavy sense of self, while others have a light sense of self. Those with a slight sense of self naturally find it easier to sever the view of self and realize the fruits of the path than those with a heavy sense of self. Those who always want to control others are people with a heavy sense of self. Those unwilling to be managed, unwilling to obey leadership, are also people with a heavy sense of self; their mental disposition is unyielding, all due to the mischief of the self. People with a slight sense of self are more casual, more easygoing, holding an indifferent attitude toward certain people and matters, not overly concerned about their own position or power. In a group, the most problematic individuals are usually those with a heavy sense of self. Without a strong leader, such a group will descend into chaos.

A Buddhist group certainly has Dharma protectors (Dharmapalas) supporting it. The Dharma protectors know the mental disposition of each person perfectly well—what their mental disposition is, what their intentions are, what role they can play. Therefore, what role a person should assume in the group is managed by the Dharma protectors. Some people have strong selfish motives and will have a destructive effect on the group; the Dharma protectors will find ways to remove or isolate them.

33. The entire world is constantly arising, ceasing, and changing, ultimately becoming empty and nothingness. How much more so our small physical bodies, which cannot exist independently, change even faster, and cannot endure long. We cling so fiercely to ourselves and everything around us every day; it is truly unnecessary.

Sooner or later, everyone will disappear and perish. While life exists, focus on the great matter of life and death; do not haggle over trivial matters of little importance. Matters like eating, drinking, defecating are unimportant; matters like fame, reputation, and gain are unimportant; whether life is prosperous or smooth is unimportant. What is important is what happens after death, what happens in the next life. Once life ends, all experiences of this life become like passing clouds and smoke, meaningless. All intense disputes, conflicts between self and others, rights and wrongs, vanish like smoke and disperse like clouds, becoming insignificant. It is better to spend more time focusing on what one can take to future lives, to accumulate provisions for future lives for oneself. Do not waste mental energy on what cannot be taken along.

When you feel that life is smooth and carefree, your family is harmonious and happy, your career is successful, your reputation and power are growing, and you feel satisfied as a result—this is when greed and attachment succeed, and it is also when you become lost. If the direction of pursuit is wrong, you lose your center of gravity. When one day all this disappears, you will feel pain, a sense of loss, dejection, and disappointment. It is better to pursue the path during your prime years, to attain everything without seeking it, to attain everything yet possess nothing, to have inner liberation and ease without a sense of liberation or ease—this is ultimate bliss.

34. The vastness of the world, the vastness of Buddha lands, the vastness of the universe—consciousness cannot fathom it. At best, we are like ants. What is there in the world of ants? What is there in the life of ants worth pursuing, worth disputing, worth feeling proud about? What in the ant kingdom is worth fighting over? What is there in the five-aggregate body of each ant worth clinging to and coveting?

Yet, the Buddha, seeing the community of ants, truly observes how deeply they cling to their five-aggregate bodies. Even after the appearance of seven Buddhas, the ants remain in ant bodies. This precisely reflects the foolish nature of ants, the manifestation of their clinging nature. What difference is there between us and ants? Countless Buddhas have appeared, yet we remain beings of the six paths, still so foolish and clinging, still burdened by such deep ignorance. Are we not ashamed? Do we not reproach ourselves? Do we not even have the two wholesome mental factors of shame (hiri) and fear of wrongdoing (ottappa)?

Wisdom surpasses everything; liberation is more important than anything else. No matter how much hardship one endures to attain it, it is worthwhile. Otherwise, one remains forever foolish and pitiful like an ant, still thinking oneself so grand!

Many people have studied Buddhism for so long, yet they are still interested in mountains and rivers, traveling everywhere, greedily loving the scenery before their eyes, not knowing to cherish precious time for practice. They do not realize how far an ant-like self can travel. No matter how capable a group of ants is at walking, day and night without rest, they can hardly cross a desert, let alone leave a country. Even if we travel by airplane, we can hardly leave the airspace of Earth. It is better to open one’s own mind, broaden one’s horizons, embrace the entire great chiliocosm, explore the infinite mysteries of the universe, make oneself omniscient and omnipotent, become a true sage and a capable one like the Buddha, possessing boundless mental capacity, wisdom, virtue, and ability.

Studying Buddhism and practicing cultivation ultimately lead to realizing that all dharmas are empty, even emptiness itself is empty. The five aggregates are empty; the eighteen elements (dhatus) are empty; the self is empty; all dharmas are empty; the Buddha Dharma is empty; becoming a Buddha is empty; the Buddha is empty. When the mind empties all dharmas, all appearances, and even the notion of emptiness itself vanishes—just as described in the Avalokiteshvara’s method of perfect penetration through the faculty of hearing—when both the emptiness that can be emptied and the act of emptying are exhausted, and even the dharma of emptiness does not remain, then one arrives home. Therefore, from now on, one should train oneself to see the emptiness of oneself, to see the emptiness of everything related or unrelated to oneself—people, matters, and phenomena. It is just extremely difficult to accomplish.

Ordinary sentient beings tend to develop greed and attachment in favorable circumstances. In adverse circumstances, they are prone to reflect; too many adverse circumstances can give rise to anger, and a few individuals may abandon themselves. A normal practice environment should have both favorable and adverse circumstances, with adverse circumstances being somewhat more frequent. The benefit of this is, on the one hand, to eliminate karmic obstacles, and on the other hand, to maintain mental alertness, making it less likely to be deluded by favorable circumstances. Only then can the resolve for the path be firm, enabling one to gradually see the emptiness of both adverse and favorable circumstances and swiftly remove clinging.

35. Before a carp leaps through the Dragon Gate, transforming its body and bones to become a dragon spirit, how long must it accumulate momentum, how much energy and great merit must it gather, how much force must it possess to make a sudden leap, instantly transforming its body and bones?

Many people have not accumulated much strength, have not paid much price, yet they rush to leap. As a result, they do not leap through the Dragon Gate, nor do they become members of the dragon clan; they remain the same carp. Some even get bruised and battered, destroying their bodies and forms, without gaining a single dragon scale. They refuse to relinquish any desire yet vainly imagine transforming into a sage in the blink of an eye. This is the greatest greed of modern people.

Many are unwilling to truly renounce their form and leave home, unable to let go of worldly greed. They find excuses, saying that leaving home means leaving the home of afflictions, that it does not depend on wearing monastic robes or shaving one’s head, that leaving home mentally is true renunciation. This excuse is found too grandly, completely covering up their psychological inability to let go of worldly greed, yet still desiring the identity of a renunciant—this is indeed great greed.

36. Practitioners Should Accustom Themselves to Introspection

Thoughts themselves are functions of the discriminating mind, mental factors (caitasika). Discovering thoughts means the discriminating mind discovers mental factors; this is introspection. Intelligent people should all be accustomed to introspection, though they may not consciously realize this is introspection. Those accustomed to introspection have self-control; they can examine themselves, supervise themselves, manage themselves, and grow themselves. Everything is automatic and conscious, requiring no one to watch over or supervise them. Such people are suited to be leaders; at the very least, they do not need to be led.

Those who study Buddhism and practice cultivation should be people with awareness; they should introspect themselves constantly, reflect inwardly, examine themselves three times daily. Only then can they gradually correct faults and renew themselves, subduing afflictions. If one is not accustomed to introspection, one will not discover the aspects of one’s physical, verbal, and mental actions that are not in accordance with the Dharma. Then one cannot correct oneself, change oneself, or elevate oneself. In this case, one should be clear whether thoughts of Buddha or miscellaneous thoughts predominate in one’s mind. Introspection requires no effort; the key lies in habit. Cultivate a good habit, and it will proceed naturally and logically.

37. Among the six paramitas of a bodhisattva, one is the perfection of patience (ksanti). What is the purpose of cultivating patience? Some say it is to subdue mental thoughts; some say it is to subdue anger; some say it is to break through appearances; some say it is to accumulate merit, eliminate karma, and tame the self; some say it is to detach from appearances and let the mind abide nowhere; some say it is to accord with sentient beings; some say it is to nurture compassion; some say it is to guide and elicit prajna wisdom; some say it is to endure insults from others and cultivate selfless practice; some say it is to eradicate the four marks (of self, being, life, and soul).

All these statements are correct; they should be combined to give a comprehensive view.

38. When each person practices to a critical moment, hindering conditions will appear. This is precisely the result of effective practice. If one continues to practice, the hindering conditions will fade away. When practice is not effective, hindering conditions generally do not appear. Therefore, when encountering setbacks, do not doubt yourself; press forward courageously.

The sequence of practice is first broad learning, then specialized focus. If one only pursues broad learning, it merely accumulates intellectual knowledge, unrelated to liberation. When it is time to engage in Chan (Zen) meditation and actual realization, one should set aside all sutra books and concentrate solely on Chan meditation. At this stage, if one focuses on reading sutra books again, it will obstruct the path. In the past, Chan patriarchs, seeing disciples engaged in meditation reading sutra books, would stop and reprimand them. Nowadays, no one dares to say anything to disciples; they dare not prevent others from extensive learning and wide knowledge, fearing criticism from the master. Some people practice into their seventies or eighties, yet their minds are still focused on extensive learning and wide knowledge. I dare not say anything either; one’s own life and death are one’s own responsibility. The greatest characteristic of modern people is that they love knowledge and learning but do not love liberation.

39. To make the thought of the Buddha Dharma the primary thought in one’s mind, one must, of course, prioritize the Buddha Dharma, not other worldly people, affairs, or things. All thoughts, or the vast majority of thoughts, should be placed on the Buddha Dharma, trying as much as possible to disregard everything else. Place oneself very lowly; regard one’s own five-aggregate body as nothing, utterly worthless, without a single skill. Among people, let others feel that one is a bit foolish; leave no other impression. Do not outwardly boast or show off about how capable you are—having literary and artistic cultivation, being skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; being good at singing and dancing; having elegant writing; being skilled in editing and graphic design; excelling at poetry and prose; skilled in scheming for power; being an influential person; being handsome and talented; being second to none, etc., etc. Cast all these aside; forget who you are. All day long, apart from the Buddha Dharma, just be muddle along, be a living dead person, content merely to be alive, loving nothing in the world. Then thoughts will all be of the Buddha Dharma; the primary thought will be clear. Then one absolutely need not worry about not realizing the Way. When worldly thoughts are beaten to death, you are permitted the life of the Dharma body beyond the world.

Ordinary people cannot achieve this. The Buddha Dharma means departing from and turning one’s back on the mundane; what can be done? To enjoy the mundane while also having realization in the Buddha Dharma—to have both fish and bear’s paw—is impossible. One must first transcend the world before re-entering it.

40. Studying Buddhism and practicing cultivation means learning the formless Dharma. The mind should gradually detach from the form-based worldly dharmas. When the mind departs from the mundane and from forms, it can gradually become pure and non-active (wuwei), corresponding to the non-active Dharma beyond the world. If one still cares about and follows even the most ordinary worldly festival, tightly binding the mind to the mundane without becoming somewhat detached, how can one attain liberation? Practitioners ultimately must transcend the mundane and depart from convention. Therefore, we cannot be too attached to worldly dharmas, deeply mired in the worldly realm without knowing how to extricate ourselves, acting contrary to the path. When will we be able to embark on the great path of liberation?

41. When we contemplate issues, our train of thought should be opened as much as possible; do not rigidly adhere to fixed patterns. Repeatedly contemplate and verify your own views. After verifying from the positive direction, verify again from the opposite direction. Only after verifying flawlessly from every aspect can one tentatively trust oneself, though it still may not be correct. Because great wisdom is connected to meritorious roots from past lives—that is, to become a great sage who stands apart, one must possess innate wisdom; it does not arise suddenly without cause in some lifetime. Those with innate bone and innate wisdom eyes do not worship authority, do not worship fame, are not bound by printed words, and will certainly leap out of these framed boundaries, standing out prominently.

Only by avoiding the worship of authority can the mind be opened. Once the mind is opened, the field of vision will also broaden accordingly; what one sees becomes vast, not confined by known, established theories. Only then can one’s contemplative wisdom be unique, profound, sharp, and vast, enabling one to touch and realize reality, to discover the inherent truth.

Wisdom follows the capacity of the mind. As vast as the mind is, so vast is the wisdom. Only when the mind is as empty as the Tathagatagarbha can wisdom increasingly approach the Tathagatagarbha, and the time for attaining Buddhahood will be within reach.

42. Reciting the Buddha’s name and prostrating to the Buddha serve two purposes: first, to cultivate blessings; second, to cultivate concentration. The body prostrating to the Buddha subdues arrogance; this is meritorious. In cultivating concentration, do not focus on quantity; focus on quality. Quality means the mind abides in one object, without scattering or disorder. Therefore, recite slowly, with the mind reciting, the mind listening, the mind thinking, the mind remembering. Prostrate slowly, the body moving gently, the mind concentrated—either paying attention to the body’s movements or thinking of the Buddha, remembering the Buddha, body and mind as one. The breath is even and gentle, seemingly present yet absent; mental thoughts become unified, each thought unforgettable. Over time, success will naturally be achieved, and one will gain the ability to investigate the critical phrase (huatou) and investigate the Tathagata within one’s own mind.

Each month, examine the extent of your practice of the six paramitas. How much have you cultivated the perfection of giving (dana)? How much greed and stinginess have you relinquished? Has the mind clinging to one’s own wealth and possessions loosened? Have you become more magnanimous toward others? How is your precept (sila) observance? Do you feel the precepts are a burden, barely observing them? Or do you observe them consciously without feeling burdened? Or is there no need to observe precepts because there is no mind to violate them at all? The latter indicates the mind has already been subdued, no longer clinging to external objects, having returned to the inner world.

Regarding the perfection of patience, can you endure all people, affairs, and things? Do you avoid disputes? Is your mind indifferent? Do you feel indifferent toward people, affairs, and things that do not accord with your wishes? Especially regarding the Dharma, can you accept and patiently abide with profound Dharma you do not understand? Can you gradually ponder its meaning?

Regarding diligence (virya), examine whether worldly dharmas in your mind are gradually decreasing. Are you increasingly yearning for and practicing the Buddha Dharma? In giving, precept observance, cultivating concentration, and cultivating wisdom, are you very active and diligent?

Regarding cultivating concentration, examine whether your mind has settled down. Has mental wandering and scattering decreased? When contemplating a principle, can you sustain it for a long time? Regarding the Dharma you are practicing, do you have decisive faith, remembering it thought after thought?

Regarding cultivating wisdom (prajna), examine whether you understand all the content one should practice to attain Buddhahood. Do you understand each step? Do you understand the content of realizing the mind and seeing the nature (enlightenment)? Do you understand the principle of liberation? Do you increasingly understand the principle of Suchness (Tathata)? Do you increasingly understand the characteristics of the Tathagatagarbha? And so on.

43. Cultivating concentration is also a daily essential practice for us. Cultivating concentration enables us to have healthy bodies, joyful spirits, unified body and mind, reduces the mental faculty (manas) from wandering, prevents energy from scattering outward, concentrates the mind, and enhances concentration power. Then wisdom can be developed. When energy scatters outward, it is like a large plank placed on the ground; pressing down hard, it only leaves a shallow impression on the ground. If energy is concentrated, it is like an awl piercing a single point; the tip penetrates deeply into the ground. Our mind-consciousness is the same: the more concentrated it is, the deeper and more thorough the contemplation of profound Dharma principles can be, thus leading to correct conclusions and developing the potential of wisdom.

Cultivating concentration includes two types. The first is stillness concentration: body, speech, and mind are all still; gather body and mind; keep the mouth closed without speaking; the mind does not think randomly; energy flows throughout the body, removing bodily obstructions; the body feels light, energy clear; spirit calm, mind settled; energy abundant; body strong and healthy. The second is concentration in activity: body and mind are active and moving most of the time each day. One should make good use of this time and not indulge oneself, allowing the mind-consciousness to wander incessantly, wasting precious time. During activity, not only should one do the necessary tasks at hand well, but the mind should also dwell on right mindfulness. So-called right mindfulness means reciting the Buddha, reciting the Dharma, reciting the Sangha, reciting the precepts, reciting sutras, reciting mantras, investigating a principle, investigating a critical phrase (huatou), investigating a gong’an (koan), etc. Initially, start with reciting the Buddha’s name: mind reciting Buddha, mind thinking of Buddha, mind remembering Buddha. Walking, standing, sitting, lying down—thought after thought integrated with Buddha, concentration power fully developed—then switch to investigation. Therefore, set a daily practice for yourself: sit in meditation cultivating concentration for more than one hour; during sitting, contemplate for more than one hour. For the rest of the time, recite the Buddha’s name or mantras entirely, transforming the mind-consciousness, not dwelling on external dharmas.