Chapter 12 ﹝9﹞: When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people is difficult

(Chapter 12 ﹝9﹞ ) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha

Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) : Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )

Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)

Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu 

Chapter 12: List the difficulties and exhort to practice   

The Buddha said,” There are twenty difficulties for people. Giving something to others is difficult when people are in poor. Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility. It is hard to the people when they must die because their lives have to be abandoned. Being able to see the scripture of Buddha is difficult. Being born in the time of Buddha is difficult. Enduring the erotic and desire is difficult. Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult. No resentment when being humiliated is difficult. When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people is difficult. When contact with things and no heart  is difficult. Learning widely and researching extensively are difficult. Removing the ego-arrogance is difficult. Not to despise the un-learner is difficult. Practicing the equality in heart is difficult. Not saying its right or wrong is difficult. Meeting the good-knowledge person is difficult. Seeing the Nature and learning the Dao are difficult. According to conditions to reform people so as to save them is difficult. Seeing the circumstance and unmoved in heart are difficult. Good at understanding the convenience is difficult.

Chapter 12 ﹝9﹞: When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people is difficult. (when people have the authority, it is difficult for them not to draw near to ordinary people.)

When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people is difficult (when people have the authority, it is difficult for them not to draw near to ordinary people). It is the ninth difficulty in the twenty difficulties said by Buddha Shakyamuni in this Chapter.

It also means that it is hard for the person not to draw near to ordinary people when having the authority. I use the words “ draw near to” which is translated according to the Chinese word. It is also means “to come closer” or “to approach”.

The whole meaning is that it is hard for the persons when they own the power and not to bully the ordinary people. The original article in Chinese is some kind of difficult to understand.

When people own the authority, the mind of arrogance is easy to be generated. And it might want to demonstrate their power or to gain their personal advantages and profit so to bully others. Even today, such situation is still existed in some places.

What we have often heard is that the evil bullying persons plunder the civic fortune, encroach the good farm, robbery the women or children, or enslave the others. Such evil bullying person is not someone else. They are the persons who have the authority in army or in politic, especially in the time of war or of darkness in politic.

Even in the time of democracy, there are also existed the bullying thing in company or in the politic party, or any group, or in some big family in some countries. The bullying persons are the boss, or the supervisor, or the elder male.

The official career and the authority are the temporary. It is not permanent. Even our body is not permanent. We’ll lose those things some day. The Buddha have said that all of the phenomenon would have four stages. That is forming, dwelling, destructing and emptying; and all mental and physical situations would have four stages. That is generating, dwelling, changing, eliminating.

So, we could find the connecting. Forming corresponds to generating. Dwelling means dwelling on something. Or something is dwelled on. Destructing corresponds to changing. The emptying corresponds to eliminating.

Those who bully others with arrogance are in the stage of formed and dwelled authority. Usually, their retribution is in the stage of destructed and emptied authority. If we have such sense, we would not dare to bully others. And it is not hard for us when having the authority and thus not to draw near to ordinary people.

Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or religion. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and path, and it is extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.

Chapter 12 ﹝8﹞: No resentment when being humiliated is difficult.

(Chapter 12 ﹝8﹞ ) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha

Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) : Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )

Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)

Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu 

Chapter 12: List the difficulties and exhort to practice 

The Buddha said,” There are twenty difficulties for people. Giving something to others is difficult when people are in poor. Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility. It is hard to the people when they must die because their lives have to be abandoned. Being able to see the scripture of Buddha is difficult. Being born in the time of Buddha is difficult. Enduring the erotic and desire is difficult. Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult. No resentment when being humiliated is difficult. When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people  is difficult. When contact with things and no heart  is difficult. Learning widely and researching extensively are difficult. Removing the ego-arrogance is difficult. Not to despise the un-learner is difficult. Practicing the equality in heart is difficult. Not saying its right or wrong is difficult. Meeting the good-knowledge person is difficult. Seeing the Nature and learning the Dao are difficult. According to conditions to reform people so as to save them is difficult. Seeing the circumstance and unmoved in heart are difficult. Good at understanding the convenience is difficult.

Chapter 12 ﹝8﹞: No resentment when being humiliated is difficult.

No resentment when being humiliated is difficult. It is the eighth difficulty in the twenty difficulties said by Buddha Shakyamuni in this Chapter.

When we are insult and injury, it is easy to have the feeling of resentment, and then to arise the hatred to the people. That is because we have the strong self-ego and self-esteem, and we strongly attach to the self-ego in our inside. Secondly, we attach to and follow to the sound, words, meanings performed by the people, and to what happened in the situation of our outside. 

In other words, we are roving for our inside self-ego, and are turned around by those sound, words, meanings and situation. That is, we are tangled with these things. Then, our heart would be like turbid water. How would it be possible for us to be clear and peaceful in this moment? That is why no resentment when being humiliated is difficult.

The Buddha Shakyamuni had taught us that all things are illusion, because all of that is combined with causes and conditions. They are changing at each moment. It is impermanent. Because it is impermanent, we should not attach to it, and not to follow it.  

Furthermore, the self-ego should be abandoned. In the situation of nothings, nothing could be harmed. That is why we have learned from the chapter 8:

The Buddha said,” The vicious person harms the virtuous person, such as spitting the saliva toward the sky, the saliva doesn’t reach the sky, but falls to oneself; to scatter the dust in inversing wind, the dust doesn’t reach the other place, but being brought back to oneself. The virtue doesn’t be destroyed. The disaster absolutely ruins oneself.”

So, when we are nothing in our inside and outside, what would be insulted or harmed? How could it be possible to insult or harm the nothing? When we realize this, we have known that everyone also has nothing in their inside and outside. No matter we humiliate others, or other people to humiliate us, we know that it is all illusion. Therefore, a wise person would not insult or harm others.

All is illusion. And the illusion is hold by most people who regard all illusion as real. Meanwhile, they attach to the illusion and therefore arise any feelings, such as anger, annoyance, or dislike.

Having understood above, a wise person would not allow themselves to be controlled by any illusion, or any impermanent things. For them, without resentment when they are humiliated is not difficult.

In the Buddhist Scripture of Wondrous-Law & Lotus, the Buddha Shakyamuni had told a story about Bodhisattva Often-No-Despising (In Sanskrit, it is called as Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta). There is a Bodhisattva. He is called as Often-No-Despising. By what the causes and conditions this Bodhisattva is called as Often-No-Despising?

There is a Bhikkhu. When he sees the Bhikkhu, Bhikkhuni, Buddhist in male, and Buddhist in female, he bows and praises to them. And he says,” I deeply respect all of you. I am not daring to despise you. Why? Because all of you go into the path of Bodhisattva, you would absolutely be a Buddha. ”

Meanwhile, this Bhikkhu doesn’t specially read and chant the Buddhist Scripture, but bows, even to have seen the four congregates in the far, he goes forward again to bow and praise to them, and says, ” I am not daring to despise you. All of you would absolutely be a Buddha.”

In the four congregates, some of them arise the heart of resentment and of impure, and rebuke him from their vicious mouth,” Where this unwise Bhikkhu comes from? He says that he would not despise us, and grants us to absolutely be a Buddha. We don’t need to have such false guaranteeing.”

Like this, it has been many years, the Bhikkhu is often rebuked and no resentment is occurred. He often says the words: ” You would absolutely be a Buddha.”

When he has said the words, people might use the stick or the tile to hit him or to throw those toward him. He avoids those things, goes far away, and still loudly says, ”I am not daring to despise you. You would absolutely be a Buddha.”

Due to that he often says these words, the arrogance-increasing Bhikkhu, Bhikkhuni, Buddhist in male, and Buddhist in female, call him as Often-no-despising.

When the Bhikkhu meets the ending of his life, he has heard the sound of Buddha Awesome-Sound-King in the emptiness of universe, who speaks of the Scripture of Wondrous Law & Lotus. The Bhikkhu accepts and practices it after hearing, and then he obtains the clear and pure in his Six-Roots of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind.

This story tells us how to be a Bodhisattva. First, we must not despise others, because they would absolutely be a Buddha someday. Secondly, we have to be humble, because everyone has the Buddha-nature and they would be a Buddha someday. Third, we should have no resentment when we are rebuked or humiliated.

Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or religion. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and path, and it is extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.

Chapter 12 ﹝7﹞: Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult

(Chapter 12 ﹝7﹞ ) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha

Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) : Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )

Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)

Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu 

Chapter 12: List the difficulties and exhort to practice   

The Buddha said,” There are twenty difficulties for people. Giving something to others is difficult when people are in poor. Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility. It is hard to the people when they must die because their lives have to be abandoned. Being able to see the scripture of Buddha is difficult. Being born in the time of Buddha is difficult. Enduring the erotic and desire is difficult. Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult. No resentment when being humiliated is difficult. When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people  is difficult. When contact with things and no heart  is difficult. Learning widely and researching extensively are difficult. Removing the ego-arrogance is difficult. Not to despise the un-learner is difficult. Practicing the equality in heart is difficult. Not saying its right or wrong is difficult. Meeting the good-knowledge person is difficult. Seeing the Nature and learning the Dao are difficult. According to conditions to reform people so as to save them is difficult. Seeing the circumstance and unmoved in heart are difficult. Good at understanding the convenience is difficult.

Chapter 12 ﹝7﹞: Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult

Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult. It is the seventh difficulty in the twenty difficulties said by Buddha Shakyamuni in this Chapter.

When we have seen the self-interest, it is hard to us not to pursue it, because we are always be told that the chance has been coming, never give it up, just pursue it bravely. We are so encouraged a lot. It is so positive. Isn’t it?

Buddha Shakyamuni seems so annoying and why he always wants to sing a different song to us?

The nature of greedy is one of the human nature. It is the root and cause of our affliction and problem. How to avoid any affliction and problem? Just give up the greedy mind. It is easy to know, however, it is hard to do.

When we have seen the high prize of the lottery, it is hard to us not to buy one, even though the chance of winning is very low. When we spend a lot of money to buy the lottery, or to enjoy the gambling, we have a big dream, a great hope in our own; it makes us happy. Once we lose the money again and again, we become poor and are in trouble; it makes us annoy and anger.

When we have seen the chance to assume the public office of high-paying, it is hard to us not to take it, even though we might be young and do not have good experience, and might be envied and rebuked by the public. 

There is a Chinese saying, ”When people are in the highest position, they cannot sustain the chill.” It means that people always desire to be in the highest position of higher status and greater power, because there is a lot of self-interest to gain; however, once they are in the highest position, all envy and attack might be coming to them, it is like the chill to let people feel lonely. Secondly, it is also means that people might fall down badly from the highest position, because the bad affect and damage coming from the dark and dirty of the officialdom. All this would bring the annoyance, affliction and problem to us.      

In the history, there are wise persons to give up the position of king or any higher office and to learn the wisdom in practice after accepting the teaching of Buddha.

There are also a lot of persons to learn the wisdom in practice after accepting the teaching of Buddha, even though they do not give up the position of king or any higher office. The most important is to control our own desires and to learn the wisdom in practice. In fact, it is not related to any position in career. It also not related to whether to buy the lottery or not.  

If we have understood about controlling our desire, and about giving up the greedy in heart, it is not difficult when seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it. 

Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or religion. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and path, and it is extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.

Chapter 12 ﹝6﹞: To endure the erotic and desire is difficult.

(Chapter 12 ﹝6﹞ ) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha 

Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) : Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )

Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)

Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu 

Chapter 12: List the difficulties and exhort to practice   

The Buddha said,” There are twenty difficulties for people. Giving something to others is difficult when people are in poor. Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility. It is hard to the people when they must die because their lives have to be abandoned. Being able to see the scripture of Buddha is difficult. Being born in the time of Buddha is difficult. Enduring the erotic and desire is difficult. Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult. No resentment when being humiliated is difficult. When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people  is difficult. When contact with things and no heart  is difficult. Learning widely and researching extensively are difficult. Removing the ego-arrogance is difficult. Not to despise the un-learner is difficult. Practicing the equality in heart is difficult. Not saying its right or wrong is difficult. Meeting the good-knowledge person is difficult. Seeing the Nature and learning the Dao are difficult. According to conditions to reform people so as to save them is difficult. Seeing the circumstance and unmoved in heart are difficult. Good at understanding the convenience is difficult.

Chapter 12 ﹝6﹞: To endure the erotic and desire is difficult.

To endure the erotic and desire is difficult. This is the sixth difficulty said by Buddha Shakyamuni in this Chapter. To endure the erotic and desire means that one is not controlled or bound by the erotic and desire, whatever the erotic and desire are caused by self or others.  

I translate this sentence in the narrow meaning. However, I would explain it in the wide meaning. This sentence is said to the Buddhist Monks. But, it is also suitable for the general people. The erotic means the sexual desire and pleasure or any causing or related to the sexual feelings. The desire means a strong feeling to want something.

Some people are in the positive opinion about the erotic and desire, and think it is good for physical and mental health. I couldn’t deny it. For the people who are not monk or nun, properly lust is good for the life. However, unfortunately, most people are indulging in the personal erotic, lust and desire, and might think of those things as the necessary in life.

The erotic and desire would lead us to walk into the deepness of the sin and the evil.

But, do you know that some of the wise persons, such as Buddha Shakyamuni, think that the erotic and desire would lead us to walk into the deepness of the sin and the evil. 

The erotic and desire might drew us into the sin and the evil, to cause the damage to others or to harm ourselves. However, we might have no such self-perceiving or self-reflection. Such persons are included not only the ordinary people, but also the powerful persons.

We can observe that the erotic and desire are generally existed in the mind of the most people and are one of the human nature. Because the erotic and desire are one of the human nature, both of them are also the weak of the human nature. That is why the evil people would use them to control the masses and most individuals are willing to be utilized because of the erotic and desire. 

People might bully or control others based on their own erotic and desire, and also might take advantage of other peoples erotic and desire to achieve their evil goals.

People might bully or control others based on their own erotic and desire, and also might take advantage of other peoples erotic and desire to achieve their evil goals. No matter the person is the subject to damage others or is the object to be exploited or deprived, when they strongly attach to the personal erotic and desire, to endure the erotic and desire is difficult for them. It is also difficult for men to reject the erotic and any desire for power, fame, status, wealth, success or family. We can find that the erotic and desire is really the root of disaster in the world.

For the girls and women, the personal erotic and desire would push them to seek for the content on the material matters, such as beauty, fashion, a comfortable car and house, a rich husband and comfortable life. If they strongly attach to such things, it is difficult for them to endure the erotic and desire. 

Once those people did not content on their above attachment, even though they have owned a lot, their huge anger and dissatisfaction are therefore arisen. Such huge resentment might cause a lot of disaster for the public. Mostly, we only view the phenomenon of problem or any disaster, but we do not know the root and the cause is coming from their erotic and desires.   

We might ask ourselves the first question whether we are bounded or limited by our own erotic and desire or not, or ask ourselves the second question whether we are bounded or limited by other peoples erotic and desire or not. 

Understanding above would help us to observe the people in the world and also to reflect ourselves. We might ask ourselves the first question whether we are bounded or limited by our own erotic and desire or not, or ask ourselves the second question whether we are bounded or limited by other peoples erotic and desire or not. 

When we think about above two questions everyday and every year, we could feel and view more clearly about many questions, and therefore resolve any problems, including those problems of ourselves and others. That is because the erotic and desire are the root and the cause of any afflictions and problems, which are including any public afflictions and problems caused by and brought by some of the political figures, the religious figures or the businessmen of consortium. Such public afflictions and problems might continue for more than one hundred years.

We might have found that some history persons are proud of resolving the public afflictions and country problems. However, if we have viewed deeply, we could find that they have made the more public afflictions and country problems. Why? Some “social elites” satisfy about their own right and profit. However, such satisfying is coming from depriving the right and the profit from the vulnerable populations. It might be happened in the family, the society, and the country.

So, we could have found that the power of everyone’s erotic and desire are pulling to each other. Even though the vulnerable populations might be the majority, they might be the loser in such pulling.  

The erotic and such arising desire is no ending, which could cause the disaster.

Let us return to the personal affliction and problem. The erotic and such arising desire is no ending, which could cause the disaster. No matter we are the social elites or the vulnerable population, if everyone could endure the erotic and desire, the person, the family, the society and the country would be more peaceful.

But, the basic resolve is to cut off the rope linked to our own erotic and desire and the rope linked to the others erotic and desire. Then we would therefore have the truly freedom.

Of course, I explain it from the negative point of view. But, if we have known the negative affect of the erotic and desire, we might know how to abandon the erotic and desire, how to use them in the positive direction, and therefore how to help ourselves and others.

Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or religion. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and path, and it is extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.