眾生無邊誓願度
煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成

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Dharma Teachings

09 Aug 2018    Thursday     2nd Teach Total 783

Is the Klesha of Hatred a Form of Beginningless Avidya or Avidya with a Beginning?

The vexation of anger—is it beginningless ignorance or ignorance with a beginning? If it is beginningless ignorance, then it has existed since time immemorial, residing within the Tathāgatagarbha, and belongs to the afflictions of manas (the seventh consciousness). After consciousness (the sixth consciousness) arises, manas directly influences and instigates it, causing consciousness to also possess the mental factor of the vexation of anger. If the vexation of anger belongs to ignorance with a beginning, meaning it arises only in the middle stage of life, then at what point does the vexation of anger begin? For what reason does the vexation of anger arise, and what is its origin? Whether examined through Buddhist scriptures or real-world observation, no evidence can be found to prove that this vexation of anger has a point of origin. Since it has no beginning, it is beginningless. Being beginningless, it corresponds to manas and not to consciousness. Consciousness acquires the mental factor of the vexation of anger only later, through the influence and instigation of manas. Every person is also born with the innate ability to experience anger, requiring no teaching or postnatal learning. Thus, manas has possessed the mental factor of the vexation of anger since beginningless kalpas.

——Master Sheng-Ru's Teachings
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