Chapter 21: The fame makes us lost our root.

(Chapter 21) 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 21: The fame makes us lost our root.

The Buddha said,” People follow their emotion and desire in order to seek the fame; when the fame is obvious, the body is already dead. Be greedy for the worldly permanent fame, but not to learn the Dao, it wastes the energy and toils the body, such as burning incense, even though people smell the scent, the ash of incense has not yet dying. The fire to endanger the body is behind.”       

There are always two sides in one thing. Fame is too.

There are always two sides in one thing. Fame is too. Which side been seen by you will decide your future destiny. What most people have seen is the advantage from fame, which may bring them a lot of chance to have the top career, abundant personal connections, many fortunes, admired by people, holding the more power, and more influence to others. It is really quite attractive to most people.

In showbiz or political environment, or the communication circle of businessmen, people always have to pursue the fame so as to have the advantage as said above. If people can use their fame and its advantages to do the good things for the sentient beings, it doesn't be a bad thing. They usually have the good bliss. But, it doesn’t mean that they have good wisdom. Unfortunately, they still have a lot of upset in mind and do not have a thought to look for a method from Dao to relieve their upset. 

There is always existed the danger behind the famous fame.

They lost their intelligent mind in the illusory glory, and feel painful in the emotion and situation of obtaining and loss. Those who have the good looking or the beautiful education have the more chance in their young age compared to the general people to be the star in the showbiz or political environment. Unfortunately, the bright stars always fall someday.

Thanks to they are too young to resist any tempt from their career environment, some of them unfortunately make crime and go into the jail. Some of them are even to be dead owing to be murdered by other people's greedy, hatred and jealous. Some are lack of the profoundly experience in life, and can not feel any deep meaning of life. Even though they have the famous fame and the fortune accordingly, they make suicide in feeling no life meaning and goal. 

 

There is always existed the danger behind the famous fame. If we are wise enough, we will know that and look for the good way to avoid any danger behind the fame. How to do that? The answer is in this chapter. When we own the fame, it is better for us to learn Dao and put it into the practice at the same time. 

To learn Dao and put it into the practice is an invisible protection net which can protect our root, natural wisdom, and the safe of our life and fortune.

To learn Dao and put it into the practice will accumulate our merit and virtue which is really able to increase our bliss and wealth. The bliss and wealth is paid in return not only in our present life, but also in our next life. Only doing so and make the fame to be a good thing for helping the sentient beings, it would not waste our energy and toil our body. Meanwhile, it would also not make us lost our root. 

To learn Dao and put it into the practice is an invisible protection net which can protect our root, natural wisdom, and the safe of our life and fortune. How to learn Dao and put it into the practice is taught in this 42 chapters said by Buddha. The Buddha-law and Dharma is very large and deep as sea, the scripture of 42 chapters said by Buddha is only one of them.

What I said above is according to the modern thoughts and the flourish development of diverse media. However, what I will say below is according to the root of human beings.

Fame is emptiness.

Fame is actually to be formed through the reasons and conditions. If you have ever read any articles in this blog, you may have already the concept about the emptiness. Anything is formed through the reasons and conditions. Fame is too. When we dismantle any reasons and conditions, we find that the fame is actually the emptiness. In fact, fame is as bubble, which is looked beautiful, however, may be disappeared anytime. Understanding that, we know that fame is actually impermanent.

We better to be wise not to stubbornly persist in any fame and its advantages.

When we have such concept as said above, we know that we better to be wise not to stubbornly persist in any fame and its advantages. When we are lucky to have a good fame and its advantages, we use them to do the good things for the sentient beings. When the fame has left us, we let it go and let it be. Don’t be sad for the loss of fame, because there is nothing to be lost. In such situation, our heart would be at ease.

The fame may incur any danger to us.

As a person to practice the Dao as taught by Buddha, we should control our emotion and desire not to seek the fame. As Buddha said, the fame is such as the incense which is smelled well. However, the ash of incense has not yet dying. The fire is still there. The fame is as the fire which may danger our body at any time, which means that the fame may incur any danger to us.

To learn the Dao as taught by Buddha is more important than seeking the fame.  

In the concept of Buddha, to seek fame and not to learn the Dao is not wise, because it would waste our energy and toil our body. To learn the Dao can renovate our energy and repair our body, which could make us to be a healthy person in physic and mental body. To learn the Dao is the root of life. However, seeking the fame is not. In a word, to learn the Dao as taught by Buddha is more important than seeking the fame.  

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.