Since
the body does not have me, it is like illusion. It is also like a bubble
floating in the void. Since it is like illusion, what happened about us and what we have seen is not
necessarily to be true, and we thus do not have to tangle in those things by
wasting time and energy.
To deduce that our body is empty and the
body is like an illusion, this means letting go of our attachment to the
appearance and body of ourselves and others, not denying the existence of us
and all sentient beings, nor do we despise ourselves and all sentient beings.
This is what we need to understand. The main purpose of this reasoning as
mentioned has two main functions:
1. Avoid mistakes caused by clinging to the
appearance and body of yourself and others.
2. Release all attachments to self and
others to be free from all pain that can arise in the heart.
All sins or evil karma come from stubbornly persisting
me in the body.
The
above logical advises us not to stubbornly persist me in the body, because that
the origin of all problems, conflicts, arguments, worries, troubles or
sufferings are caused by stubbornly stick to have me. The body here has the
broaden meaning to include the mind. So, the above logical also advises us to
realize the life of without me.
When
we stubbornly insist me in the body, it not only increases the self-arrogance,
but also makes us easily generate the self-bias. In such me, we are easily to
generate the unsatisfied and complaining mind for what happened around us. Even
a little things will makes us easily to be angry.
Furthermore,
when we are in such me, we will infatuate the authority, military, violence,
dictatorship and the tyranny, especially when we are males. It is really the
disaster not only for the public in a country but also for the world. We have
many such experiences from the history.
We
are also easily greedy for fortune, women or anything, such as drug, wine and
gambling, when we stubbornly insist me in the body. When we want to have such
things, we will do anything unscrupulously. So, we also can find that all sins
come from stubbornly insisting me in the body.
Who am I? Reasoning
I am originally emptiness.
In
the ancient time, the medical knowledge about human body is not as detailed as
present. The Buddha summarized the human body as four-large parts, which is
called and described as earth, water, fire and wind. According to the modern
medical knowledge, which four-large parts could be described as follow:
Land
means any solid substance, such as cell, nails, skin, teeth, hair, blood
vessel, organs and bones.
Water
means those can fluid like water, such as urine, saliva, mucus tissue, urinary
system and the blood system.
Fire
means body temperature itself, or those can affect the body's temperature.
Wind
means the respiratory system.
A surgeon
said that a human still can live even if the body is installed by an artificial
heart. And even its liver function, anal function or renal function is replaced
by the artificial liver, anal or renal, or its other organ is transplanted, the
human is thus still maintained to live. We also can use blood transfusion, artificial
respirator, gastrointestinal or nasogastric tube to keep maintaining a human’s
life.
According
to the modern medical technology, any object in human’s body can be updated and
replaced by another object, and the human still can be alive. So, there is a
question: who am I on earth?
That is observing the four-large parts in a human body, to think
of the impermanence of it. If the four-large parts as said are dismantled, it
is no longer a human body. Then, who am I?
Secondly, the four-large parts are impermanent and always are
changing and changing. Today’s I is no longer still to be the yesterday’s I,
because the cells in the body are dead a lot and rebirth a lot. Tomorrow’s I
is no longer still to be the today’s I, because there may be the positive
experience and new growth in mind. Then, who am I?
So,
we know that the human body is formed by these four-large factors. The four-large
factors are also formed by many smaller factors. If we take away those factors
one by one, there is no human body, let alone to have me. Then, we realize that
the essence of I is void.
How to realize the life of without
me?
To have the above concept as basis, we further understand that it
doesn’t have I in the body of emptiness, which truth is not only existed in our
body, but also in others body. When both sides are in the opposition to each
other, it is because both of them are stubbornly insisting "I" in their own
body. Hence, we suddenly realize that it doesn't need to oppose to each other,
if we eliminate the factor of "I" from each other. Therefore, such concepts form
our mind and attitude of without me, and make us have the more empathy to others,
and not oppose them any more.
The mind and attitude of without me make us easily get along with
others, include our family members, friends or classmates, and make us easily
integrate into the crowd. Furthermore, the mind and attitude of without me is
the superior advantage for us to be the politician or leader in a country. Only
under such idea, we can be selfless to treat the public and can respect them.
The mind and attitude of without me is the supreme wisdom. It
doesn’t mean that we do not need any principle. The mind and attitude of
without me in Buddhism, any principle is only to regulate the self for
obtaining the supreme wisdom in order to be enlightened, not to regulate
others. However, when people persist to me in the body and are selfish, they
set up any principles and use them to regulate and repress others rights in order
to maintain their own interests.
The mind and attitude of without me is also the open-minded chest
to make us tolerate anything, and make us integrate into the large nature
environment. It is also make us realize the oneness between the outer situation
or nature environment and us, no matter the outer situation is made by human or
by nature. It makes us no binary opposition with anything and any person. So,
we can feel that our heart like the large sea or the universe can contain the
all.
The human body is changing, and
will be old and eliminated someday. But the soul is forever young.
When I was about 30 years-old, I did not understand what the
Buddha said that the soul is neither born nor dying. I am 50 years-old now. My
hair is from black to white for many years. But, I even do not feel that I am
old.
One day I see a video in which there is a 97 years-old woman and
she is a Youtuber, who writes poems, then stands on stage, and sings it loudly
with a group of young persons. After the performing, she is in a wheelchair and
said, ” I feel I am still young in mind, but my body is really not good.” I am
so impressed about what she said. I almost have the same feeling. Then, I
suddenly understand what the Buddha said, “The soul is neither born nor dying”.
That is also why the soul is never old, and we always think that we are young,
even the physiological age of our body is 97 years old.
Anyway, the human body is changing and will be old and eliminated
someday, but the soul is forever young. So, it is not wise to spend a lot of
money for decorating our body or to make many mistakes for the enjoyment of our
body or to be unsatisfied or to be angry about others attitude or opinions because
of insisting "I" in the body stubbornly. That is because all of those things
will bring us and others a lot of troubles.
Even though the human body and I is illusion, it doesn’t mean that we do
not need to value our body. On the contrary, we need to cherish our body to do
the valuable and meaningful things to self and the others.
Secondly, my essence is emptiness, and my
body is illusory, which does not make us lose our confidence. My essence is
emptiness, and my body is illusory, it does not cause us to lack confidence in
ourselves, nor does it make us so feeling inferior to oneself and therefore
living a lowly life without self-respect. These are two different things. Some
ignorant practitioners of Buddhism may despise themselves and live a way of without
self-respect. Some evil people would use the concept of Buddha’s teaching such as
the said in this chapter to humiliate the practitioner of Buddhism. If we are
wise in learning the Buddha, we will know how to deal with such situation. Ordinary
people do not understand the Buddha-law (Dharma), have not yet practiced the
Buddha-law (Dharma) deeply, cannot distinguish the difference, and misapply the
teachings of the Buddha. They thus hurt themselves and injure others.
Strong self-confidence and stubborn
attachment are two different states of mind. Most people often mistakenly
regard stubborn attachment as firm self-confidence. However, if we practice the
Buddha-law (Dharma) deeply, we will understand that when someone mistakenly regards
stubborn attachment as firm self-confidence, which would produce self-arrogance
and closed-mindedness, thus hurting others and hurting themselves, and finally
leading themselves to the abyss of pain in life and death, because they do not
understand the wisdom what the Buddha said in this chapter.
When we reason that the essence from
ourselves to other bodies is empty and the bodies of others are illusory, it
does not make us despise others, nor does it make us deny the meaning of their
existence. As a person who deeply practices Buddhism, we must recognize all
living beings which are future Buddhas. In other words, we are all on the basis
of emptiness and equality, and there is no difference between us. We are all on
the same level. When we have such knowledge and wisdom, we will never dare to
despise others. Therefore, when we have the correct knowledge and wisdom from
learning the Buddha, we will truly liberate from the suffering in life.
However, if we don’t understand the knowledge and wisdom taught by Buddha, not
only are we unable to free ourselves from the pain of life from the Buddha-law
(Dharma), but we may misuse the Buddha-law (Dharma) to harm ourselves and
others. That is why the profound Buddha-law and the Buddha’s teaching are not
easy to encounter and know.
May we all can liberate from the suffering
of life through the wisdom of the Buddha-law taught by Buddha, and together
walk in the path of Bodhi to achieve Buddhahood.
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