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.