December 22, 2021

Chapter 16: Abandon the love and gain the Dao (added explanation)

(Chapter 16) 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 16: Abandon the love and gain the Dao (added explanation) 

The Buddha said,” People hold the love and desire, and cannot see the Dao. It is such as the clear water is stirred by hand; the public reach and approach this water together; there is no one who can see its own image. People interlace the love with desire. The turbidity is thrived in heart. That is why they cannot see the Dao. All of you Sramanas should abandon the love and desire. The filth of love and desire ending, the Dao could be seen. “

 

There is no-condition and no-demanding in the grand love. That is, there is no-desire in the grand love. However, the most people don’t have such grand character. Generally, the love in their mind means yearning for and controlling something in order to get some kind of selfish purpose. In this situation, many people have the behavior of the extortion with some kind of emotion to their relative friends or their family members in the name of love. This kind of love contains the selfish desire. In the research of psychology, there can be extended various negative characters on the basis of this kind of love and desire as mentioned, for example, the manipulative personality.

 

Dao is transliterated from Chinese. The Dao means the path, the way or any system of education or theory. Here, we can give the Dao the various explanations and teachings according to the different intelligence of humans and to the different classes of learning Buddha. Generally, there are two kinds of Dao in Buddhism. One is the Dao of Bodhisattva and the other is the Dao of Buddha. What is the difference between them is according to the different extent of realization and practicing about Buddhism. The Dao explained by Buddha in the Chapter 2 also means the clear and pure heart, which is the basis realization and practicing for entering to the Dao of Bodhisattva. And, the Dao of Bodhisattva is the basis realization and practicing for entering to the Dao of Buddha.

 

No matter what the Dao is, the basis of the Dao in Buddhism is the clear and pure mind. The basis of the clear and pure mind is under the no-condition, no-desire and no-demanding to others when one person faces any person and anything and doing anything. Secondly, the clear and pure mind is also to realize and practice the true equality in the mind when facing any situation. This kind of ideas is more difficult for ordinary people to understand and practice. However, if we have the will to understand and practice it, it may not be difficult for us.

 

"There is no good or bad under any circumstance. The good or bad under any circumstance is in our mind." This is the famous sentence said by Zen master in the Tang Dynasty of China (A.D. 618-907). If you could understand and practice this sentence, you would be free and easy when you face any situation. Why? The environment itself is objective. However, our thought itself is subjective. That is why poor people complain a lot to their situation and cannot change their fate, and thus feel suffering. Learning Buddha can change our subjective and negative thought and thus change our fate. Regarding how to understand and practice the true equality in the mind, we will explain it in the following chapters.

 

The Buddha said,” People hold the love and desire, and cannot see the Dao.” That is, when people are in the selfish love and desire, they cannot understand and practice the clear and pure in the mind. The Buddha explained in a metaphorical way why people cannot see the Tao. “It is such as the clear water is stirred by hand; the public reach and approach this water together; there is no one who can see its own image.” The clear water is as our clear and pure heart. In the clear water, the sand is in the bottom. When the clear water is stirred by hand, a lot of float sand makes it become turbid. Meanwhile, the whirlpool of the water also makes the water no longer clear. A generated thought of selfish love and desire is as the hand to stir the clear water. A lot of float sand and the whirlpool of the water are like the complicated situation in the outside and inside. “The public reach and approach this water together; there is no one who can see its own image.” The public means the self and the others persons. “Approach this water together” means both of them are involved in this situation caused by the selfish love and desire. “There is no one who can see their own image”. It means no one can see their clear and pure heart.  The clear and pure heart is the true self.  

 

The Buddha said, “People interlace the love with desire. The turbidity is thrived in heart. That is why they cannot see the Dao.” It means those people who contact each other with the mind of the love and desire. It makes them appear any unreasonable conditions, harsh demanding and fantasy expectation to each other from their mind. Under the circumstance, there is the selfish and self-interested purpose, and there is no treatment of equality to each other. It means the turbidity is thrived in heart. That is also means those people have mean and scheming minds. These dirty things with greed would make them blind their heart-eye and make them cannot see their clear and pure heart. That is why they cannot see the Dao.

                                                                                           

The Buddha said, “All of you Sramanas should abandon the love and desire. The filth of love and desire ending, the Dao could be seen.“ Therefore, the Buddha advised their disciples, the Sramanas, the Buddhist monk, to abandon this kind of love and desire. Those dirty things with greed are the filth of love and desire. Once this filth of love and desire is ended, the clear and pure heart can be seen. This is to remove the filth of love and desire and the brightness of heart is appeared. Even though we are not Buddhist monk, the Buddha’s teaching as mentioned is also very helpful for our life. It can increase our wisdom and help our mood to be steady and help our life to be good.

 

When we deeply understand and practice the Buddha’s teaching as mentioned above, we come back to observe the situation of the world, we can find that a lot of crime and war, and any dirty things are caused by the selfish love and desire. That is, the selfish love and desire is the root of evil. In the past thirty years, there is the good economic and democratic development in Taiwan. Some of the girls from the poor country come to Taiwan in order to look for the better life for themselves and their family. However, they use the wrong way. What they use is the filth of love and desire as mentioned. When Taiwanese men are confused and trapped by the lie of love from these women, the belongings of Taiwanese men are gradually gone and transferred to the name of these women. Then, the Taiwanese men die. Finally, the families of these Taiwanese men have found something wrong and then sue these women--the deceiver of love. In the end, the truth is revealed.

 

According to the research in England, the average intelligence of men is about 103. This is the normal intelligence. However, once these men are fall in love, their intelligence will decrease. According to my personal observation, men not only decrease their IQ when they are in love, but even decrease their IQ after getting married, but when they have an affair after marriage, their IQ drops even lower. Decreasing intelligence means their moral principle, thinking ability and judgment are not as good as the men who have the normal intelligence. According to the research, the men who have the lower intelligence will have the more rates to have an affair after marriage, comparing with the men who have the higher intelligence. Usually, the men who have the lower intelligence harm the family members more than those who have the higher intelligence.  

 

When we deeply observe the problem of a family and we are wise, we can find that the root of the problem of a family is the dispute of their love and desire. This dispute of love and desire is full of the filth as mentioned above. It is full of greedy and dark thought in their mind. Therefore, it is meaningless to judge who is right and who is wrong. If we are wise, it is better for us to pull ourselves away this situation of turbidity. If you are a party to this kind of dispute, when you see the teachings of the Buddha, you should have wisdom on how to deal with it. In chapter 23, it is mentioned that the wife is more than a prison. The root of the problem is the love and desire which come from the husband and wife. This problem makes the family become an invisible jail to bind the mind of husband and wife.

 

The love and desire as said above is not only about affairs of the erotic and family, but also about the dispute and the affairs in politics, enterprises, and organizations. It is also about the relationship of friends. When we insight the problem caused by love and desire, we would have the better thinking and judgment to face any problem, and then to deal with it.   

 

No matter we are Sramana or not, the Buddha’s teaching gives us a good teaching and inspires ourselves wisdom. This is the invisible fortune which cannot be measured. There is the doing and there is the no-doing. To abandon the love and desire as mentioned is the doing and no-doing. Not to have the mean and scheming minds is also the doing and no-doing. How to do and how not to do, there is a choice in our mind, if we are wise. 


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.


December 06, 2021

Chapter 42: Recognize the worldliness as illusion (updated on November 11, 2022)

(Chapter 42) 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 42: Recognize the worldliness as illusion

The Buddha said,” I view the position of a king and princes as that dust passes through a gap, gold-jade treasures as rubbles, white-delicate clothes as broken-old silk, large-thousand worlds as a myrobalan, Anuttana-pool water as applying foot oil, convenient gate as transforming the treasures gathering, the supreme-boarding as the gold-handkerchief in dream, the path of Buddha as the flowers in front of the eyes, the meditation as Sumeru pillar, the Nirvana as the day-night awakening, the reverse and positive as the six-dragons dance, the equality as one truth-land, the thriving and teaching as the four-seasons wood.  

 

The introduction and reminder

 

This chapter is that the Buddha talked to all disciples what are the views and attitude of the Buddha’s proving fruit. It could be the reference and has the key teaching for the people who have the senior training and have the profound practice in Buddhism and it is very helpful for them to step further to understand and practice the Buddhism. That is why it is the last chapter in the Sutra of 42 Chapters Said by Buddha. The 42th chapter is the last chapter which is not suitable for the ordinary people who are the beginner to learn Buddhism or who do not understand Buddhism. 

 

Therefore, if you read this chapter in the first time at random and you don’t have any basic concept of Buddhism, I hope you don’t mistakenly use the views and attitude of Buddha in your life. And please don’t slander or contempt Buddhism with your subjective mind. If you are interested in learning Buddhism, I hope you read the Sutra of 42 Chapters said by Buddha from the first chapter to the last chapter in this blog, because it mentions the meaning of Buddhism from shallow to deep, which would help you to establish the correct concept of Buddhism and the positive outlooks and attitude in life.

 

This chapter is to express what the Buddha’s views and attitude about the human’s worldly life, the realization of Tao, and the state of Buddha. That is to understand thoroughly about that all existences which are included any tangible and intangible, such as materials, phenomenon, affairs, feelings, thoughts, views, dogma, ideology and so on, are as illusion. That is because any existence is arisen from any cause and condition. Once any one of any cause or condition is eliminated, any existence is eliminated accordingly. It is like the beautiful bubbles which are appeared according to the cause and condition, and are disappeared with the eliminating of any cause and condition. Therefore, what the purpose of this chapter is to advise the humans, including the enlightened people, not to attach to all existence, which is included the existence of the Tao. This chapter echoes all previous chapters.

 

I hope you understand that not to cling to all existence doesn’t mean to deny all existence. Meanwhile, not to attach to all existence doesn’t mean not to obey the law regulated by the society and nation. “Not to cling to anything” and “to deny anything” are the different things. We can do anything with the mind of no-attachment.

 

There is the rigorous training in the character for the Buddha and there is the supreme wisdom about the Buddha’s views and attitude, which is not totally the same with the ordinary people. If the ordinary people think that they have conceitedly understood the Buddhism that all existences are as illusion, they then live with the opinionated mind or they deny all existences with the negative mind, it is possible for them to deny the positive meaning of life and any existence, and they then escape their responsibility of personal life and the others life. If they do not actually practice the Tao of Buddhism from the fundamental concept of Buddhism or they do not understand the Buddhism, they will mistakenly understand the Buddhism, and they might make crime and think that they are not guilty. This sin is what they have made by themself and they absolutely have to bear the accordingly retribution by themself, it cannot blame the Buddha. That is what I have to remind the reader in this chapter.

 

The Buddha’s perception of the world; to destroy the self-obsession (self-attachment)

 

The Buddha said,” I view the position of a king and princes as that dust passes through a gap, gold-jade treasures as rubbles, white-delicate clothes as broken-old silk.” The position of a king and princes, gold-jade treasures and white-delicate clothes represent as the power and wealth in the world. These things are diligently chased by the people. Many people lose their pure goodness because of cling to these things. And they think that to have the power and wealth are the symbol of the individual success. However, the Buddha has destroyed the self-obsession (self-attachment)  for anything in the world and has the different views about the power and wealth. The Buddha thinks that the power and wealth are like the illusion. It is not worth and is not wise to cling to anything of illusion. That is because these things are not everlasting. It is possible for them to be disappeared with the eliminated cause and condition at any time. The other affairs in the human world are the same reason.  

 

Not to attach to the power and the wealth of the worldly.

 

The Buddha views the position of a king and princes as that dust passes through a gap. The position of a king and princes represent the power and wealth. Do you have seen that the light beam generated by the sun shines when we open a small gap in the door and there is a lot of fine dust which floats in the light? When the dust has pass through the small gap, we might have not yet seen the dust pass in a gap clearly. When we close the door or the light of sun is disappeared, where can you find the dust in the light? This dust passes in a gap and is disappeared with the disappearance of the light at any time. That is "dust pass through a gap". Therefore, we know that this phenomenon is fleeting.  That is, the worldly power and wealth is fleeting.

 

The Buddha thinks that gold-jade treasures like rubbles. Many people think that gold, jade, jewelry, pearl and any rare goods are treasures. These things indicate the money and wealth. In order to obtain these things, many people are willing to sacrifice their time, energy and labor, even to damage their esteem and morality, and even to bully others. These people stubbornly attach to these things, even don’t care to make crime or don’t care about hurting the self and others. However, the Buddha thinks that these things are not valuable objects, and thinks that these things are worthless like rubbles. It is not worth to attach to these things. In the proving of the Buddha’s fruit, there is full of treasures in the world of Buddha, such as gold, silver, pearl, corals, amber and so on. The Buddha’s land is formed by gold. That is everywhere is full of gold which is like rubbles exist everywhere in the earth. 

 

All offers to the Buddha can be transformed from the intangible to be tangible and are existed in front of the Buddha.

 

Would you use the rubbles on the earth as the price transaction? People don’t do that. In the land of Buddha, they don’t use gold as the price transaction. That is because there is no such behavior of price or of item transaction in the land of Buddha. All offers to the Buddha can be transformed from the intangible to be tangible and are existed in front of the Buddha. That is what the most difference between the world of Buddha and of the ordinary people. In the views of Buddha, all existence is as illusion, because all existence is transformed from the emptiness. It is changeable. It can be generated and eliminated according to the causality at any time. Hence, clinging to all existence is meaningless. However, all existence can be used well in the different and flexible way to save the self and others to liberate from the suffering in life and death. That is the meaning of the convenient method in Buddhism. Therefore, the profound Buddhism neither denies nor deviates from all existence. Meanwhile, the profound Buddhism thinks that the sentient beings can become Buddha in the current life according to the actually practice the teaching of Buddha.

 

The inwardness of Buddhism is independent.

 

All offers to the Buddha are naturally transformed from no-thought, no-desire, no-demanding and no-attachment, and from no greed, no hatred, no-stupidity and no-infatuation, and from no-arrogance and no-jealousy. In a word, all offers to the Buddha are naturally transformed and generated from the pure mind of the self. The Buddha tells this truth to the sentient beings and teaches them with many convenient, flexible and various different methods from the shallow to the profound meaning. And the Buddha wants to let the sentient beings know that they can become Buddha someday. That is, once they are enlightened and become Buddha, all offers to them can be transformed and generated from their pure mind of the self. It is not from the mind of the scheming, the desire and the demanding. In the broad teaching of Buddha, many people could not hold and understand this key point. That is because they doubt about this concept and have no faith about the self to become Buddha someday. That is why they could not be enlightened and could not enter the realm of Buddha—the free and easy mind. Therefore, the inwardness of Buddhism is independent. That is not to depend on the outer existence, but depends on the self-awakening.

 

Of course, it is impossible that what we need can be generated without personal effort but only depending on the emptiness. Anything would not be happened without cause and condition. To obtain what the things are required in our life without effort but by depending on the outer existence is not as good as to obtain it by depending on the individual effort in learning the common sense, professional knowledge and morality. This good self-cause will lead to the good self-consequence. That is the meaning that all things generated from the self-emptiness.

 

The Buddha has got rid of any tangle or of any obstacle in bad cause and condition.

 

Learning Buddha is also learning the morality. Learning Buddha needs the personal effort and progress. That is to actually practice the teaching of Buddha in life. It is the state of the stable and everlasting when one person becomes Buddha. That is that the Buddha has got rid of any tangle or of any obstacle in cause and condition. The state of Buddha has combined with the emptiness as one, which contains all existence, which is called the body of Buddha-nature or the body of Law (Dharma). It is also called the supreme-wisdom and liberating body. It is like that all bacteria, cells, viruses and so on, whatever it is judged as good or bad, which is all in our physical body. Of course, our physical body would be destroyed someday. However, our body of Buddha-nature or our body of Law (Dharma) is neither generated nor eliminated. That is because there is no generation and elimination in the emptiness. That is also why it is everlasting and liberating. If we learning Buddha, we have to know that the emptiness is not generated by any cause or condition, but is proved by our realization and actually experience. It is not the fantasy by our imagination. Therefore, if we have become Buddha someday, we will be the state of Buddha forever. Once we become Buddha, it is impossible that we are not Buddha in our next time, or we return to be an un-awakening people.      

 

Not to attach to the appearance of anyone.     

 

The Buddha views the white-delicate clothes as broken-old silk. That is because that the Buddha has proved the heart of no-distinguishing. That is, there is no vain hope, no differentiating and no obsession in the heart of the Buddha. That also means it exists no worry in the view and thinking in the mind of Buddha. That is why the Buddha has a different view from the ordinary people.

 

The white-delicate clothes and broken-old silk represent as the appearance. The appearance includes the materials which are used or worn by humans, such as cars, house, furniture, necklace, ring, shoes and so on. Appearance affects personal views and feelings. It also forms the personal prejudices and stereotypes. Regarding everyone’s appearance, there are the heart of the vain hope, differentiating and obsession in the mind of the ordinary people. When they dress the white-delicate clothes, they feel good and superior more than others. And when they dress the broken-old clothes, they feel bad and self-abasement. When they see others who dress the expensive and decent clothes, they think that these people are noble, wealthy and superior more than others. When they see others who dress the broken-old clothes, they discriminate these people and think that these people are poor, ugly, mean and lowly more than others.

                                           

Laid aside the worldly views and prove the no-differentiating heart of no-thinking, no-gaining and no-viewing

 

Ordinary people judge the value, success or failure of themselves and others based on their secular views on valuable things. This forms a personal bias. They cling to this idea and entangle in the trouble it brings. That is, they are bound and entangled in the worries caused by the heart of vain hope, differentiating, and attachment in their own and other people's minds. This is one of the reasons for the suffering of the people.

 

The Buddha has completely laid aside the worldly views and has proved the no-differentiating heart of no-thinking, no-gaining and no-viewpoint. That is why the Buddha has got rid of the worldly worries and lives in the free and easy way.

 

That there is no vain-hope, no-differentiating and no-obsession heart is the individual sublimating attitude and state to the change of phenomenon. It doesn’t mean that we thus need to dress the broken-old clothes so that we can be more similar to the Buddha. It also doesn’t mean that we need to give up any valuable things. Many people mistakenly understand the profound meaning of Buddhism and think that the devout Buddhists need to eat the rough food and use the rough items. This is totally wrong. Actually, the Buddha always eats the delicious food and does not exclude to dress the gorgeous clothes. When the Buddha eats the delicious food and dresses the gorgeous, the Buddha doesn’t think that he is superior more than others. This is also the demonstration of that there is no vain-hope, no differentiating and no obsession in the mind. In a word, it is to eliminate the heart of differentiating the noble and humble.

  

 

There is no longer the attachment about the relative concept of large and of small.

 

The Buddha said,” I view large-thousand worlds as a myrobalan, Anuttana-pool water as applying foot oil.” Large-thousand worlds means the space of universe. Large-thousand means that the space of the universe is larger more than that human can image. A myrobalan is a very small fruit of plant in India. Its scientific name is Terminalia chebula. It can be used as the medicine and is generally used in India and China. The Buddha said,” I view large-thousand worlds as a myrobalan.” It means that the Buddha views the large as the small. That is, in the mind of Buddha, there is no differentiating about the large and small in any phenomenon. For example, the records, pictures and information of the history and news from the ancient time to the current time are a lot. These culture relics take up a lot of space. Humans have to build the large museum to store these cultural relics. But now, all of these cultural relics can be stored in a small chip. Now humans have entered into the metaverse. All space of universe can be stored in a small chip and humans can communicate with each other in the virtual space. Doesn’t it be like that the large-thousand worlds are as a myrobalan?

 

How can a mustard seed contain the Sumeru ?

 

In one of the Chinese Buddhist Scriptures, there are the famous sentences, “The Sumeru can contain a mustard seed; a mustard seed can contain the Sumeru.” “Sumeru” is in Sanskrit and means the wondrous and high mountains in India. A mustard seed is the very small seed.

 

In the Tang Dynasty of China (A.D.618-907), there was a prince who questioned about these sentences and asked a monk. The prince talked to the monk and said, “I can understand that the Sumeru can contain a mustard seed. But, how can a mustard seed can contain the Sumeru?”

 

The monk asked the prince, ”Do you have read a lot of poems and books?”

The prince replied to the monk, “Of course, I have read a lot of poems and books, and all of them are in my head.”   

The monk asked the prince, ”Are the poems and books that you have read larger or your head? ”

The prince replied to the monk, “Of course, the poems and books are larger.”

The monk talked to the prince, “Now these larger things are all in your head. Isn’t that a mustard seed contains the Sumeru?”

The prince talked to the monk, “I finally understand it. Thank you. ”

 

Our brain itself is the virtual space.

 

If you have paid attention to experience of our head, you would find that there is the virtual space in our brain and we can feel and observe the size of large and small, and the distance of near and far, and the height and low. It is also like that our head can contain the space of the universe. In this virtual space in our brain, we can see the ocean and mountain, the lane and the house. We also can walk, travel by tour bus, see the people and speak with each other in this virtual space. It is also like that a mustard seed contains the Sumeru. This experience also can be observed in our heart-mirror or in our third-eye, when we practice the profound meditation in sitting. It is not appeared by our imagination but appeared by the self-nature naturally. When we have deeply practiced the meditation in sitting, we can distinguish the difference between the emerging by our imagination and that by our self-nature. It needs the deep training of meditation. The ordinary people who don’t have the deep training about the meditation could not identify what the difference is. It is like the scene in our head, which is not appeared by our imagination, when we are dreaming. 

 

The Buddha had experienced the deep training of meditation and he had eliminated the heart of differentiating about the space of large and of small. That is, there is no longer the attachment about the relative concept of large and of small in the heart of Buddha. It doesn’t mean that the Buddha denies the actual existence of the space of large and of the small in the reality. "Viewing it as illusion and not cling to it" doesn’t mean "to deny its existence". Any similar concept can be used to generate logical analogy.

 

Everything in heaven and on earth is no different, which is all illusions.

 

The Buddha said,” I view Anuttana-pool water as applying foot oil.” Anuttana is in Sanskrit and means “supreme”. Anuttana-pool water is the water in heaven and means that it is supreme sacred water. Since it is the supreme sacred water, it is extremely precious, very sweet and worth for humans to adore it. However, the Buddha views Anuttana-pool water as applying foot oil. In the ancient India, most people are poor and are barefoot when walking. They apply the foot oil to protect their foot. The applying foot oil represents the least valuable item on earth.

 

Many people yearn for the rich and noble life in heaven. There is a lot of description about the beautiful life in heaven in any culture relics. For example, there are a lot of beautiful girls, delicious food, fine wine, palatial house, gold and jewelry. These beautiful visions encourage humans to do good deeds so that in the next life they can enjoy themselves in heaven. However, the Buddha thinks that the precious things in heaven are no different from the least valuable items on earth. That is, in the mind of Buddha, all existence in heaven is no different from that on earth. For all existence in heaven, the Buddha neither adores it nor attaches it. The Buddha has realized that all existence in heaven and on earth is no different, which are all illusions.  

 

The Buddha-law (Dharma) as illusion is arisen and eliminated with cause and condition.

 

The Buddha said,” I view convenient gate as transforming the treasures gathering, the supreme-boarding as the gold-handkerchief in dream, the path of Buddha as the flowers in front of the eyes, the meditation as Sumeru pillar.” These sentences expresses that the Buddha-law (Dharma) as illusion is arisen and eliminated because of the cause and condition and thus a realized person doesn’t need to cling to it. That is because the Buddha-law (Dharma) is appeared because of the worries of human beings and is disappeared with the eliminated worries of human beings. The Buddha-law (Dharma) can be created, changed, applied, invisible and disappeared at any time. It is not the everlasting things. If a realized person still attached to it, it vainly increased the worries and burden for the self. Convenient gate means the convenient methods of Buddha-law (Dharma). The Buddha views it as transforming the treasures gathering. The meaning of transforming the treasures gathering is similar to the meaning of the magic which can change out of treasures. It means to observe the different situations of the different sentient beings and using the different convenient methods of Buddha-law (Dharma) accordingly can make the different sentient beings realize the treasure of the self-nature. It is like the treasure of pearl which can transform a lot of treasures according to the self-wish. These treasures include the tangible and intangible wealth, such as the intangible wisdom, the tangible wealth, health, longevity and the real blessings. These things mean the treasures gathering.

 

The supreme-boarding means the supreme Buddha-Law (Dharma), which can liberate the sentient beings who have the supreme root of wisdom and are able to become Buddha in the current life. Meanwhile, these sentient beings can create the pure and the own Buddha-land by themselves in the current life. That is, these sentient beings can liberate the self from the suffering of life and death by supreme Buddha-Law of Supreme-boarding. The supreme Buddha-law (Dharma) is like a large ship which can make the self and all sentient beings board cross the river of suffering from the one shore of suffering to the other shore of liberation. The Buddha views the supreme-boarding as the gold-handkerchief in the dream. The gold-handkerchief in the dream means it seems very precious and useful, but it is not real and can be disappeared at any time, when we are awakened. That is, when we awaken and totally liberate from suffering, we don’t need to bear the ship of Buddha-law (Dharma) to keep walking forward. If we have reached the shore of liberation and still carry the ship of Buddha-law (Dharma) to keep walking, it add the burden in our heart and how could it be called the liberation? That is why we do not need to attach to the Buddha-Law of supreme-boarding, when we totally liberate from suffering of life and death. 

                                                                                       

The Buddha views the path of Buddha as the flowers in front of eyes. The path of Buddha means the path is walked and lived by those people who have proved the fruit of Buddha and become Buddha. The Dao (Tao) also means the path. Regarding the meaning, definition and function of Buddha, we have explained it a lot in the previous chapters. In the essence, there is no longer the heart to differentiate the superior or inferior in the mind of Buddha. The Buddha didn’t think that he is superior more than the others, when he walked and lived in the path of Buddha. He also didn’t have the mind of that he has proved and gain the fruit of Buddha or he has the superior wisdom more than the others. The Buddha has realized the true meaning that there is no wisdom and no gaining, and no seizing and no discarding in the still and pure mind. This state of mind is no different for everyone, no matter you have proved the fruit of Buddha or not. All the Buddha-law (Dharma) includes the path of Buddha, which is set up according to the worries, causes and conditions of humans, is as the flowers which are looked beautiful, but will wither and fall at next moment. After all, the path of Buddha is also as illusion which is not everlasting and doesn’t need to obsess to it, which means "the path of Buddha" is also the form of name created by humans. It also doesn’t need to cling to become Buddha, because when the cause and condition are realized, it is naturally achieved to become Buddha. To sum up, in the heart of Buddha, it thinks that the self, the Buddha and all sentient beings are one. All sentient beings can become Buddhas in the future.  

 

The Buddha views the meditation as Sumeru pillar. Sumeru pillar is something that doesn't exist. Meditation is also one of the Buddha-law (Dharma), which is also set up according to the worries of humans. The purpose is to deal with the worries of the self and the troubles brought by others. If there are no such worries, why do humans need to meditate?

 

Through the meditation, it can help us to generate the wisdom so as to resolve the problem what we have met in our daily life. In Buddhism, the function of the meditation is mentioned as above. However, if you escape the problem and responsibility in your life through the sitting-meditation, and think that don’t move the heart at the moment, and you don't think anything, and think that the longer of sitting-meditation is the better, and think these are the perfect training, this may not be the right way.

 

What is the meaning of the Nirvana?

 

The Buddha views the Nirvana as the day-night awakening, the reverse and positive as the six-dragons dance, the equality as one truth-land, the thriving and teaching as the four-seasons wood. What is the meaning of Nirvana? Nirvana is the term in Sanskrit in the ancient India. It means the silent and everlasting existence which exist neither the generated nor the eliminated, and neither the cause nor the condition. Many people understand the highest state of Buddhism which is to enter the Nirvana. And they also think that the state of Nirvana is equivalent to the death of perfect stillness. Actually, Entering the Nirvana is only one of the highest states of Buddhism. And the death of perfect stillness is one of the states of Nirvana. In the different Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha had mentioned many different meanings of Nirvana. In a word, Nirvana is the body of Buddha-law (Dharma), the supreme wisdom, the emptiness and the stillness, and the essence of the life and death. All the existence as illusion is generated according to causes and conditions of the worldly based on the essence of the emptiness and the stillness of the Nirvana.   

 

The Buddha views the Nirvana as the day-night awakening. No matter the day or night, the awakening or the sleeping, and the living or death, the intangible Nirvana is always be there. That is the emptiness and stillness. To perceiving this point at each moment is awakening for the Buddha. Relative to this, the sentient beings have not yet understood this point, are chasing the outer conditions with the inner desire, and are lost the self and have suffered in the illusion of the worldly. The Buddha thinks that these sentient beings have not yet been awakened. The Buddha thinks that there is the same in the essence between a Buddha and the sentient beings. What is the different is whether the sentient beings are awakened or not. When the sentient beings have been awakened, they become Buddha.    

 

Based on this point, the Buddha perceives that all existence is as illusion, including the sentient beings, and that the essence of all existence is the equality. That is why it doesn't need to cling to all existence to increase the individual worries and sufferings. 

 

The reverse and the positive phenomenon are formed from the intertwined of the six consciousness.

 

The Buddha views the reverse and the positive as if the six dragons dance. The six dragons mean the six roots of humans, which mean that the root's nature of the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body and the mind are stillness. However, when these six roots are influenced by the cause and condition from the outside and inside, they begin to function. If these six roots are affected by the evil cause and condition, the function of these six roots would make humans to do the evil things, which means the evil karma and is regarded as the reverse phenomenon. If these six roots are affected by the good cause and condition, the function of these six roots would make humans to do the good things, which means the good karma and is regarded as the positive phenomenon. No matter it is the evil karma or the good karma, it will affect the consequence of the humans’ current life or the next life.

 

In the sentient beings, there is the heart of the differentiating about the reverse and the positive, or the evil and the good. However, the Buddha has realized the stillness of these six roots and has trained the self to transform the function of and the consciousness of these six roots to be the positive wisdom to benefit the self and others. He also has fulfilled the heart of equality in mind. That is, there is no such heart to differentiate the reverse and the positive or the evil and the good. No matter it is the reverse or the positive phenomenon in the world, the Buddha views these things as illusion which is like six dragons to dance together. That is, the Buddha's mind and mood are peaceful and doesn't be affected by the phenomenon of the evil and the good.

 

The meaning of equality and one truth-land

 

The Buddha views the equality as one truth-land. In the ancient time, there are uneven lands in everywhere. There is one man who leads a group of volunteers to pave the way with soil every day. He works hard and complains nothing in mind. When he is working, he always wishes that he would make the land more even so that would let the sentient beings walk more comfortable. In the process of working, he thinks that the heart of inequality in everyone’s mind to treat others people is as the uneven land, that the humans have the heart of haughty or of inferiority in the deep mind to treat everything is also like the uneven land, and that the humans differentiate the good or bad, large and small, the superior or inferior, valuable or worthless, noble or humble, wealth or poor, with prejudice in their mind, to discriminate against others, is also like the uneven land. Therefore, he wishes that all sentient beings would no longer have the heart of differentiating, and would really realize the heart of the equality in mind as the even land, so that they can walk in their road of life more flatly and comfortable. Then, he keeps working to pave the way with soil every day. One day, he finally realizes that the essence of the land is even, which is as the essence of the heart is the equality. Why is the land uneven? That is because of the cause of outer force, such as the force of wind. Why is the heart inequality? That is because the heart is turned and affected by the cause and condition from the outside and inside, and thus to generate the impurities which are the mind to differentiate the good or bad with the prejudice, that is the heart of such opposition. We just need to wipe out such impurities, and our heart would be returned to the initial state of the equality and the pure without any bias.

 

The essence of the heart is the equality, which doesn't differentiate the grade of the humans and things. Because it doesn’t exist any differentiating, the essence of the heart won’t be turned and affected by any situation. That is, it doesn’t be joyful or sad because of something. This equality is the land of truth.

 

Regarding the further and profound Buddhism, there is no two which means one, and there is no fantasy which means the truth. One truth land means the realm of one truth, which is the one-truth Buddha-law realm. That is also the intangible body of Buddha-law (Dharma) and is also the Nirvana and the emptiness. It has neither the generated nor the eliminated. It is non-emptying and non-owning. It exists neither the gaining nor the losing. It keeps away from the name and from the phenomenon. It exist neither the inner nor the outer. It is no inside and no outside. It is the emptiness and stillness. It is the wondrous body which can be compatible everything, can combine everything to be together, and can assimilate all things.

 

When we don’t attach to any illusion, there are no burdens and no worries in the mind.

 

The Buddha views the thriving and teaching as the four-seasons wood. The thriving and teaching mean to promote Buddhism and help misguided or erring people to change and to become good persons by persuasion. The four-seasons wood means that a tree sprouts in spring, is leafy in summer, is fallen leaves in autumn, and leaves the dead branches in winter, which also means that the changing from the flourishing to the withering. That is, to promote Buddhism and teach all sentient beings, these things themselves will experience the changing of the generated and the eliminated. Therefore, it is also as illusion and doesn’t need to cling to it. That we don't cling to it doesn’t mean that we have to give it up. If we are a Buddha or a Bodhisattva, when we promote Buddhism, we do what we should do and what we can do. We do these things with our best as possible as we can. But, we do not need to increase a lot of pressure to ourselves.

 

After all, we cannot shoulder the other persons' life and their problem in their life. That is, we cannot shoulder their retribution resulted from their karma. We also cannot take the place of their life. What we can do is to company with them and help them improve their life. The Buddha doesn't shoulder the sin made by sentient beings. The Buddha has proved the supreme wisdom and has been beyond the Six Paths of Reincarnation. He views the sin made by sentient beings as illusion. As we have mentioned above, the Buddha views these reverse things as the six-dragons dance. Even it is as illusion, it doesn’t mean that the sin and its retribution doesn’t exist. Those people who have made these things have to shoulder the responsibility and the consequence by themselves, which is also viewed by Buddha as illusion. Now you will understand that the Buddha won’t carry the things of illusion to increase the burden by self. That is also why the Buddha has liberated from all suffering. It is because the Buddha has realized that the essence of all sentient beings is pure and still. The pure and still essence of all sentient beings is the truth. The illusion and the truth are as one. The heart of the shaking (the moving) and of the stillness are as one. No matter the good things or the evil things made by sentient beings, the Buddha views these things as illusion, which is generated from the same heart-- the pure and still heart initially. In this point, there is no different for all sentient beings, whatever what your color of eyes, hair and skin is, and whatever the language you speak.

 

The theory that there is no cause and no effect is based on the state of the pure and still heart which doesn’t be affected by the inner and outer situation, that is because it is still and no-doing at the moment. And there is also no argument because of no-phenomenon. However, once the pure and still heart is turned and affected by the inner and outer situation, and the function of the six consciousness has begun to generate accordingly. And there is thinking, differentiating, doing and argument so as that the individual cause and effect, and the repay or retribution is generated continuously at the same time. At this moment, the theory and the fact of what happened that there is the cause and effect are generated.

 

Before people become Buddha, they must have experienced the life of a Bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva has vowed to save all sentient beings. However, he has not yet profoundly realized what the teaching and saying as mentioned above. That is why some of the Bodhisattva have still shoulder the sin-karma of all sentient beings to walk in the path of Bodhisattva, teach and persuasive the sentient beings, even they die for the sentient beings, that is also why they still have a little worries, and have not yet beyond the Six Path of Reincarnation.

 

Concluding remarks

 

First, the profound Buddhism views all Buddha-law (Dharma) and all things as illusion. But, it doesn’t deny their existence and their function. Not to cling to the as-illusion doesn’t mean to give it up. That is because that the as-illusion can generate all positive applying and good function to benefit the self and others, when we have practiced and realized the profound Buddhism.

 

Second, the profound Buddhism is the philosophy to  listen, think and meditate in our life, and is the psychology about the practice of and realizing of moral by self, and is also the science which still cannot be understand and explained by humans. The worldly law regulated by the country and society should be still obeyed by us. These two things don’t conflict with each other. The profound Buddhism doesn’t deny the existence of the worldly law. If you only had known the profound Buddhism a little, and you had denied and despised the existence of the worldly law with the arrogant heart, it was your ignorant. Many senior learner and teacher don’t speak of the profound Buddhism. That is because they are worries about the ignorant people to despise the Buddhism and the worldly law.   

 

Third, the profound Buddhism doesn’t deny the existence of the self and the positive applying and good function of the self-existence. If you knew that the self is as illusion, and thus gave up yourself easily, it was your ignorant and lack of the wisdom by self.  

 

All Buddha-law and the worldly law are regarded as the convenient methods, and are existed as illusion, which can be applied by us with the different ways to teach and persuasive the humans. Based on the mercy and wisdom, and what we have understood the profound Buddhism, we can use these illusions well so as to benefit the self and the others. May we can deeply understand the profound Buddhism taught by Buddha. And may there are no longer the worries and suffering for the self, meanwhile, we can help others to leave the worries.

 

May you have the grand wisdom and benefited from the Sutra of 42 Chapters Said by Buddha. And may we become Buddha together someday and walk together on the path of Buddha.


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.


October 13, 2021

Chapter 41: The honest heart leaves the desire.

(Chapter 41) 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 41: The honest heart leaves the desire.               

The Buddha said,” Those who practice the Dao are such as a cattle loads heavy objects. When it walks in the deep mud, it is too tired to dare to look around; when it is out of the mud, it is then able to be rest. The Sramana should perceive that the emotion and desire are more than the mud. With the honest heart to think of the Dao, it could avoid the suffering.”      

 

 

What is practicing the Dao?

 

What is practicing the Dao? In a word, it is to practice our thought to be pure and clean, and to practice our heart to be genuine, peaceful and steady. Meanwhile, it is to keep our mind to be in the state of silence and equality on the basic of emptiness. On this basis and without any expectation, our natural wisdom will be inspired and functioned, which would help us resolve any problem what we have met in our life, and would make us relieve our suffering of life and death. Meanwhile, it pushes our fate to be smooth. This is the good causality. It is the basic purpose of Buddhism. Others are the methods with the different way so as to achieve the aforesaid purpose.

 

If a learner doesn’t know the basic purpose of Buddhism and this learner always sticks in the methods and any expression, vocabulary, words and phrases in Buddhism, it would be difficult for this learner to see the Buddha-nature. Meanwhile, it would add a lot of obstacles for this person to achieve the basic purpose as aforesaid. In this situation, learning Buddhism would be a thing of hardship for this learner. Why? Generally, such person would stuck in the individual idea and use the self-righteous thoughts to deal with anything. Then, such situation would make this person trapped in the problem what this person had made. This is so-called the individual worries and burdens and the reincarnation of life and death in the current life. This is also the bad causality and is one of the sources of suffering in life and death.

 

 

Any method to help us liberate from suffering is like a ship which boards us cross the river of suffering in life and death.

 

There are methods to help us learn how to have a steady, easy, peaceful and wealthy life from Buddhism. Any method to help us liberate from suffering is like a ship which boards us cross the river of suffering in life and death. Do we still need the ship at this moment, when we have reached the shore of wisdom? No. We do not need the ship any more. It is also means that we can let the methods go, when we achieve the purpose of life what we have learned from Buddhism. If we have reached the shore of wisdom and have still carried the ship, it absolute becomes the heavy burden for us in our life. That is why we have to let it go. Therefore, we must be capable to understand and distinguish what is the purpose and what are the methods, when we learn Buddha. Nirvana of stillness and emptiness is not the state after our death. We can achieve the Nirvana in our current life with our effort in learning Buddhism.

 

Many people don’t understand Buddhism. That is because they only see the complicated and difficult methods from teaching of Buddha, but don’t see the pure and clean realm in self. Reading the Buddhist Scripture and thinking of the meaning what the Buddha had said and what the Buddhist teacher has explained are the basic methods to learn Buddha. This is to help us enter our pure and clean realm in mind. When we can absorb the meaning what the Buddha had taught and the interpretation what the Buddhist teacher has instructed, it is possible for us to digest these things to become our own wisdom.

 

The basic attitude to learn Buddha is also very important. What is the basic attitude to learn Buddha? It is the true heart, the faithful and sincere heart, the upright heart, the honest and frank heart. That is no pretending heart and no cunning heart. When we use our own true heart to learn Buddha, we can thus really see our own true heart and see the truthful self, which is pure and clean. What is its meaningful? It makes us to live peacefully and fearlessly on the inspired natural wisdom.

 

What is to use our own true heart?

 

First, in our heart, there is no fantasy expectation for anything or for anyone, including the Buddha, the human beings and the self, when we do anything or face any person.

 

Second, there is no negotiation with the Buddha, Bodhisattva, and the Buddhist teacher in order to obtain any worldly advantage. That is we can't use the heart of exchange interests or the heart with conditions to learn Buddha.

 

Third, don’t use the unstable emotional mindset to learn Buddha. That is because the unstable emotional mindset is arisen from the heart of gaining and losing.

 

Fourth, there is no erotic feeling, lust, love or desire for anything or anyone in heart.

 

In a word, our own true heart is also the mindfulness. That is our first pure thought remains in the present, without the second distracting thoughts. That is what the so-called where the thought arises at the moment, it is extinguished at the moment. Meanwhile, each successive thought is kept pure and clean. That is so-called each thought without evil.

 

Whether our thought and heart is pure or not, all Buddha and Bodhisattvas can perceive it. When we use our sincere heart to learn Buddha, all Buddha and Bodhisattvas are joyful to help us to have a good life and to become the same with them. That is, whether we can achieve the Buddhahood or not, it is not only dependent on our own strength with sincere heart to learn Buddha, but also needed to dependent on the merciful strength of all Buddha and Bodhisattvas.  

 

One of the most important meanings of practicing the Dao is to correct the worldly ideas mode and behaviors mode to be the upright and sincere ideas and heart.

 

For the beginners to learn Buddha, it is hard for them to use the true heart to learn Buddha. That is because most people are seriously affected by the worldly environment and ideas so as to form their worldly ideas and behaviors. One of the most important meanings of practicing the Dao is to correct the worldly ideas mode and behaviors mode to be the upright and sincere ideas and heart.

 

For example, the technic of negotiation is the worldly ideas and worldly behavior. It is regarded as the proper idea and behavior and what we should learn in our worldly life, if we want to survive well in the domestic or international society. However, if we use such technic and ideas to learn Buddha, it becomes a serious obstacle for us. That is because the technic of negotiation with conditions and bad intentions contains the scheming ideas. It is serious wrong to use the scheming ideas to learn Buddha.

 

Don’t use the worldly ideas or behavior to learn Buddha doesn’t mean to give it up in our worldly life, because the both things are the different situations. Such as a knife, we can choose not to use it, or we can choose to use it as a tool of medical scalpel to save any lives. One thing can be used in many different ways. When we use it in the righteous and positive way, there will be the righteous and positive development. Whether to use it or not, or how to use it, that is what we can made a decision. That is why I had said that we have to own thinking logic when we learn Buddha.              

 

To help others with the pure heart which is what the right attitude in Buddhism.

 

For the beginners, they accept the ideas of Buddha’s teaching that we will gain the good repay when we do the good thing. Some of the beginners are happy to do good things with what they think about the righteous way and always stay in this stage, can’t accept any further profound teaching by Buddha or by Buddhist teacher. That is because they cling to the good repay in the worldly life and hope any blessings from Buddha, Bodhisattva or Buddhist teacher. Such people are accounted for the majority of Buddhists. If they can’t improve selves in learning Buddha, they will forever stay in such fantasy expectation and feel good for themselves.

 

Such beginners for learning Buddha are not from the true heart. That is because it exist conditions and exchange interests in heart which are hidden under the surface of charity. It doesn’t violate any law. It is just the mindset. However, their mistakes deviate what we have mentioned above, if they want to learn Buddha. Of course, we can't deny their good behavior, such as to rescue disasters and to help the disadvantaged relieve poverty. What they have done about the good things are contributed to the domestic and international society, and are well known by the society. Basically, they also obey the teaching of Buddha. That is what encouraged by Buddha.

 

Buddha encouraged all human beings to be good persons and to do good things without conditions and without demanding for others to repay. For this point, it is not everyone who can do it. Therefore, if we help others and have a mind of expecting others repaying, it doesn’t be the pure heart. Whether the helped parties would repay or not, it is decided by them. The helper can’t enforce them to repay with any strong will or technic. To help others with the pure heart which is what the right attitude in Buddhism.

 

Jump out of the frame of expecting others repay and cease the scheming mindset, so that we can upgrade our level and truly let us learn Buddha with unconditional and sincere heart.

 

For the worldly world, any good behaviors are approved by the human beings. Basically, the beginner as mentioned above doesn’t do any evil or illegal things. They are good people. That is why it is also a good thing. However, if we want to improve us so as to learn Buddha further, we have to jump out of the frame of expecting others repay and cease the scheming mindset, so that we can upgrade our level and truly let us learn Buddha with unconditional and sincere heart. What I mean is not to give up doing any good things, but to stop any unreal expectation for anyone's repaying. Only when we can do this, we will truly enter the realm of learning Buddha. Therefore, it is very important to establish a healthy mindset in learning Buddha.

 

Worries and burdens in life are like the mud and also like heavy objects loaded by cattle. 

 

The Buddha said,” Those who practice the Dao are such as a cattle loads heavy objects.” However, as human beings, the hardship of life, the personal endless desire and the erotic feeling makes most people be turned and restricted by many stubborn and ridiculous ideas from the outside environment, and thus fall into the evil circulation of suffering in life and death. This situation makes us incur a lot of complicating thoughts, even the scheming and evil thought, which makes us suffer a lot of worries and burdens in life.  All of these awful situations are like the mud which makes us fall into there and be trapped, and are also like the heavy objects which make us bear the heavy burdens. That is why the most people have a lot of mental problems, such as anxiety, panic and restlessness. If we want to get rid of all of these terrible things, it seems not an easy thing for us. That is also why the Buddha said,” Those who practice the Dao are such as a cattle loads heavy objects.”

 

Sramana, the Buddhist monk, is only a form of appearance and of the personal vow. No matter we are Sramana or not, when we have decided to get rid of such worries and burdens, we have gotten into practicing the Dao. Practicing the Dao is not the exclusive in Buddhism. In the ancient time of India and China, when there are no such vocabulary and thing about Buddhism, there are the wise persons who practice the Dao with their independent thinking. In the history of India and China, when there are the records about practicing the Dao, there is such culture. When we learn from any religion, it is better for us to know the history and the logical of thinking. It would help us avoid any blind faith.      

 

The Buddhism doesn’t teach you to resolve the surface problem of any flow phenomena, but to understand and resolve the basic cause of any problem what we met in our life.

 

No matter who we are, there are a lot of worries and burdens in our heart. What the difference is the details and events. That is because what the cause, condition and situation in everyone is also different. In a word, everyone’s destiny is not the same. Therefore, when we have decided to practice the Dao, what we may have experienced, what the obstacle that we may need to remove, and whether it is difficult for us or not, which are also different. Hence, practicing the Dao is the personal thing. It is not necessary for us to generate the comparative mindset. All we need to do is to remove obstacles from our mind or from our heart, not others.

 

All the Buddha’s teaching is to inspire our natural wisdom and to liberate us from the suffering in life and death. It is not necessary to stick in any changes of any appearance what we have met and don’t tangle in any flow of any phenomena in our environment. If we tangle in any flow of any phenomena, it would increase our suffering. Only when we find the basic cause and analyze it with step by step, we will find the good methods to resolve any problem in our life. Therefore, the Buddhism doesn’t teach you to resolve the surface problem of any flow phenomena, but to understand and resolve the basic cause of any problem what we met in our life. That is what we have to know.  

 

Those people who practice the Dao concentrate on the basic problem in life and death, knowing the truthful selves and the enlightenment in truthful wisdom.

 

The Buddha said,” When it walks in the deep mud, it is too tired to dare to look around.” It means those people, who use their upright and sincere heart to learn what the Buddha had taught and to practice the Dao in reality life, are focus on how to eliminate the suffering in life and death and how to remove the worries and burdens in current life. They are like bulls bearing heavy loads, walking in the deep mud and struggling to move forward so as to get rid of dilemma. Because of concentrating on reaching the flat expansive grass—to achieve the purpose of relieving suffering in life and death, bulls are too tired to dare to look around. That is those people who practice the Dao don’t pay a lot of attention on and don’t cling to the flow of the phenomena in their environment and don’t turned and affected by any changing of anything, but concentrate on the basic problem in life and death, knowing the truthful selves and the enlightenment in truthful wisdom.  

 

When we have achieved the shore of liberation and wisdom, we can be rest from practicing the Dao. 

 

The Buddha said, ”When it is out of the mud, it is then able to be rest.” It means that when we practice the Dao, and we have completed the following things, so that we can be rest from the practicing the Dao. That is as follows:

 

First, we have thoroughly understood the principle of the causality.

Second, we have completely repented the ego's faults which have been done by self in the past and present life.

Third, we don’t make any mistakes any more.

Fourth, we have completely known the source of heart.

Fifth, we have seen the self-nature and the truthful selves and have proved the fruit of Dao by self finally, that is we have enlightened the natural wisdom by self.

Sixth, we have let all the worries and burdens in life go and have liberated by self from the suffering in life and death.

Seventh, we have resolved the basic problem in life and death.

 

The deeper meaning is that we have to keep practicing and to make it progress in Six-Saving-Parami as mentioned in Buddha’s teaching, that is giving, keeping the precepts, enduring the humiliation, diligence, meditation and wisdom. This Six-Saving-Parami is like a ship which boards us from the shore of suffering to the shore of liberation. When we have not yet reached the shore of liberation and wisdom, that is when we have not yet become Buddha, we can’t be rest and can’t put the Six-Saving-Parami down. When we become Buddha, we can freely apply the Six-Saving-Parami by convenience ways based on the Buddha-nature to save all sentient beings.             

 

The emotion and desire are mutual affected.

 

The Buddha said, “The Sramana should perceive that the emotion and desire are more than the mud.” This is the honest and good advice for the Sramana from the Buddha. Even though we are not Sramana, it is also a good advice for us and very helpful to our life.

 

The emotion and desire are more than the mud. It means that the emotion and desire will bring us more worries and burdens, and make us trapped in the dilemma so as to increase our suffering in life and death. The emotion and desire are companied with each other. Both of them will be mutual affected. The more desire will increase the more unstable in emotion. Moved emotion leads to desire for something or someone. When something or someone could not content our inner desire, we will become emotional, such as anger, anxiety, or disappointment. Then, our suffering is arisen.  

 

The more desire would leads to the serious emotional and mood disorder, such as anxiety for money or other things. The serious emotional and mood disorder would affect not only the self but also their family members in daily life. Finally, both of them are suffering. Unfortunately, both of them don’t know why and just think it is the personality and life habits. The persons who are in such situation don’t necessarily know about their problem. That is because they also work and have a marriage in a normal way and it seems to live a normal life from the views of friends and relatives. If the person and the family members don’t have any alert about this situation, they fall into the evil reincarnation of suffering of life and death. And they don’t have an idea to get rid of this suffering. That is also why we read a lot of news about the fighting of husband and wife.  

  

Indulging in the lust, the erotic feeling and desire too much is very harmful for our health and life.

 

Some Buddhist monk thinks that the emotion and desire are integrated as the lust or the erotic feeling. That is because Sramana can't have wives and can’t have the life of lust. Therefore, for Sramanas, to cut off the lust, the erotic feeling and any desire is very important in learning Buddha. There are many chapters in 42 chapters said by Buddha which mentioned a lot about the meaning and importance for cutting off the lust, the erotic feeling and desire. I also explain it a lot.

 

If we are not Sramana, the Buddhist monk or nun, we don’t need to self-restraint in the normal sexual behavior. But, if we are wise, we have to know that indulging in the lust, the erotic feeling and desire too much is very harmful for our health and life. It is even harmful for our family members. We can observe this from our surrounding and the news. Therefore, it is better for us to know how to refrain us from indulging in the lust, the erotic feeling and desire. Do you know how to do this? Being quiet and deeply thinking about the teaching of Buddha would be helpful for us to avoid any lure from outer lust or any ignorant impulse from our inner lust. When our mind is trained to be steady, our heart is ceased which means that we can’t be turned and affected by any lust and desire. Only we can do this, we can truly protect ourselves and our family members. Meanwhile, we don't have any scheming mind with lust and desire to set traps to frame others or to take advantage of others so as to harm others. When we have such knowledge and training, we observe the behaviors of our friends and relatives, and any events of news, we will understand what the resource of any problem is. The others are only the flow and changing of different appearance and phenomena.       

 

The lust, erotic and desire is the prime of all suffering for the human beings. How to know it, how to control it, and how to deal with it, is the very important subject in learning Buddha. If we want to remove the problem of our suffering in life and death, to handle this chief issue is the major thing of learning Buddha. Even though you don’t have mind to learn Buddha, to know this issue is also very helpful for your life. 

 

The Buddha explained a lot how to practice the Six-Saving-Parami. The Six-Saving-Parami is the major ways to deal with the lust and desire. That is the Six-Saving-Parami is the prime methods to eradicate the root of our suffering in life and death. When we have read a lot of Buddhist Scripture, we will find this point.

 

The Six-Saving-Parami is the independent thinking and behavior which we can count on by self to relieve our suffering in life and death.

 

The Buddha said, “With the honest heart to think of the Dao, it could avoid the suffering.” That is, we should use the honest heart to think of the Six-Saving-Parami and to practice it. Therefore, it could make us avoid the suffering. In the many aforesaid chapters, we have explained a lot about Six-Saving-Parami. It is worth for us to think of it and practice it with our honest heart. Some people without wisdom use the drug, alcohol, eating a lot of food or desire for someone or something to relieve their suffering. It is an act of using improper external forces. It is not a good idea and it would increase our suffering.

 

The Six-Saving-Parami is the independent thinking and behavior which we can count on by self to relieve our suffering in life and death. If we want to learn Buddha, it is what we should know and what we should do. What the importance is to have the upright and sincere heart, when we do anything. What is the upright and sincere heart? It is to depart from the lust, the erotic feeling and the desire. No matter we learn Buddha or not, to keep this in our heart would increase the bliss and fortune in our life. That is because the life itself is the Dao. The Dao doesn’t leave our life. If the Dao leave our life, it doesn’t have any meaning for us to think of the Dao and practice the Dao. That is what we should know.


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.