The Function of Soul

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

In a brief, every one has the soul and the body. Even though the soul is shapeless, it still has the conscious, feeling, thinking, and memory. It also could “speak” and “communicate” to others with mind. It is the “sound” with no sound. In other words, it is the speaking and communication from the heart or mind to the other heart or mind. It is existed in the shapeless and in the no substance, and it is hard to be verified by science instrument. For the most people, it might be experienced when we are dreaming in sleeping. It is very clear and could be remembered. However, it is different from the theory of Freud.

 

As we have mentioned in the Chapter 12﹝2﹞ : Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility, the body is formed by the four elements, that is, the land, the water, the fire, and the wind. The body has the form and the substance which could be seen and touched. If we want to vocalize from our body, we have to depend on the medium in the air, so that our voice could be transmitted to others and be heard by others.

 

Now we have the basic concept for the soul and the body. Following concept would be hard to be understood, because it is beyond our experience of the general knowledge and common sense.  

 

The soul is eternal. It can not be eliminated. There is no arising and no destroying for the soul. In other word, there is no birth and no death for the soul. The soul is like the software. What we have learned, what we have thought, and what we have done, would be recorded in there. The seed of virtue or of evil would be planted in there, which means that the thought of virtue or of evil would be recorded in there. It would affect our current life and our future or next life.

Our Body is not permanent.

 

On the contrary, the body is not eternal. It could be eliminated. The body could be arisen and then be destroyed. In other word, there is the birth and death for the body. Our cells are metabolized and replaced at any time. Our decaying organs can be transplanted or replaced through surgery.

 

Sometimes, we describe our body as a car or a piece of clothing, which could be replaced. Once our body is dead, our soul would leave the dead body, and dwell in the next new-born body, which is like that we change a new car or a piece of new clothing. That is reborn or reincarnating.

 

The eighth consciousness is soul.

 

The Buddha Sakyamuni had mentioned eight kinds of consciousness. Our soul is equal to the eighth consciousness. The soul is some kind of quality. Some scientist has said that the soul has weight.

 

To know and understand above, it could help us understand the concept that life is equal to death, and death is equal to life. And, it could help us not attach to or depend on our body, but our soul. We have known that our soul is not dead, and what has dead is just our body. To have such concept would help us accept and face the fact that our body might die at any time. Meanwhile, we could let our soul be at peace, and let us increase our wisdom, to nourish our life of wisdom.

Under the circumstance, it is no difficult for us, when we must die because our lives have to be abandoned. So, what has being abandoned is the body, not our soul. Our lives of wisdom are still very live, abundant and extend. 

Life and Death Are One.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

To understand above would increase our wisdom. Then, we might have one question. When people must die because of their lives being abandoned, how to let it not be difficult for them?

 

As we know, we are afraid of dying, especially, when we are told that we have serious disease, such as cancer. Some of people are unwilling to die, when they have known that they have cancer and might have to die in less than half year from knowing the cancer. Unfortunately, they finally have to die; even they have spent a lot of money to cure their disease. Under the circumstance, it is hard to them, when they must die because their lives have to be abandoned.

 

A lot of people could not accept and face their disease and death with peaceful mind. So, they feel angry, despair, and depressed. They are suffering the life and death, and struggling in there. Finally, once they could not stand or bear the suffering or pain any more, they choose to suicide or euthanasia. 

 

However, if they have the concept that life is equal to death, and death is equal to life, the realm of their heart would be different. The meaning that life is equal to death is also meant to that life and death are one. Such concept is hard to be understood.

Evil karma would counterattack to oneself in the future.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

A lot of people for keeping their life, they had to but being instigated by the blind ideology of patriotism or the other, and thus to kill others. A lot of evil karma has thus been done. They do not know that such evil karma would counterattack to oneself in the future. In other word, if one person kills others with the mind of hatred, one day it would be killed by the hatred mind of other person in the future or in the next life.

 

That is why the Buddha has said,” What has been done in the past life is the consequence of the current life; what has been done in the present life is the consequence of the afterlife.”

 

“It is hard to the people when they must die because their lives have to be abandoned.” That is one of the weaknesses of human nature. The self-righteous person would use it to control human beings. People’s livelihood is concerned about the life and death. However, do you have found that the Buddha Sakyamuni did not take part in or play in the rule of game of any worldly system created by human, let alone the ideology of patriotism. Why? Think about it.

Patriotism creates barriers and binary oppositions and thus limits the thinking and creation of human beings.

 Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

I remember that when I was a little girl, we were instilled the ideology of patriotism at the elementary school, and at any time we were preparing for fighting with the enemy since we are in the martial law. Even the thought of Buddhism, it would be regarded as the violation of the ideology of patriotism. Why?

 

As I have mentioned, there is no enemy in the nature of Emptiness. In the body of Emptiness, there is no object, things, binary opposition, even any ideology. To have the ideology of patriotism is meant to be loyal to the country, and which is regarded as the right thought. However, in fact, the ideology of patriotism is to increase the hatred to the enemy. What so called "the enemy" which is always means that the person who disagrees with our ideology. So, the ideology of patriotism is hidden the binary opposition.

 

Such as ideology of binary opposition would make people narrow their mind and limit their thought and creation. In the history, I have found that a lot of people were instigated by the ideology of patriotism or the other, and were thus killed in the war. A lot of soldiers were illiteracy, and they might have force and courage, but were lack of brain. They were easy to be fooled by any ideology. If we go into the path of Buddha, the war is impossible to be existed, and people could not die innocently.

 

Secondly, the ideology of patriotism is to draw a line in our heart, to differentiate any persons and any things, which would increase the conflict and argument from person to person, and would increase the fighting from country to country. So, if human beings own the intelligence and wisdom enough, the ideology of patriotism or nationalism should be removed. All people in the world are equal to each other. It is better to destroy the intangible line of one country and the other country.

There is no exclusivity in the teaching of Buddha.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

  

In the teaching of Buddha, once a disciple could not learn the Buddha well because his personality is very arrogant and he could not get along well with the public in the group, the most serious education is to disregard him in silence in the group, until he could have perceived his faults by reflecting himself. The Buddha would not drive him out, unless the arrogant disciple leaves the group automatically.

 

However, most of the Buddhist monk or nun, or the Buddha-learner has not yet been enlightened. They are not the Buddha. On the contrary, they are ordinary persons. Therefore, in their group, there might be existed the exclusivity and to exclude the disobedient person.  

 

In the right teaching of Buddha, people accept the Buddhism by their free will. Even they leave the group or never accept the teaching of Buddha again, there are not existed any punishment or any exclusivity in the society or in the career. Why?

 

Only in the unequal status, in the unequal authority, and in the un-contented mind, there is thus existed the punishment from the self-arrogant mind. In addition, in the hatred mind, and in the greedy mind, there is also thus existed the exclusivity from the un-awakened mind.

 

Furthermore, the Buddha is in the nature of Emptiness. All sentient beings are the unenlightened one, and are the future Buddha. Their nature is also the Emptiness. In other word, in the heart of Buddha, all sentient beings are equal to the Buddha. All in one is the Emptiness. So, how could it be existed any punishment or any exclusivity in the Emptiness? Such as in the Universe, who could be excluded? Every one is part of the universe.

 

So, we could find the difference. In the heart of Buddha, there is not existed any line to differentiate any person or any thing. However, in the heart of un-enlightened person, there is existed the line to differentiate any person or any thing.

 

If we could understand the above completely, we could find that a lot of ideology is fooling people, including the threat and inducement from the evil intention of others. Secondly, we could see through the intention of others which is hided in their greedy and hatred mind.

All teachings of the Buddha have one key point, which is to save all sentient beings and help them become Buddhas.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

There is a very important principle that we should know. That is, to cope with the all changing under the unchanging, the Buddha-nature. When we practice the four assimilating-methods, we have to clearly aware our Buddha-nature, and not to be tied and turned by the outer situations or conditions. In other word, we are the master to hold the whole situation.

 

Some people think that the Buddhist are looked foolish and are easy to bully, or they mistakenly think that the Buddhist might be joyfully to help them. And they then ask the Buddhist to do a lot of things for them, including the things that they do not want to do, or the things that they even don’t use their mind to think how to do, because they think that the Buddhist might not reject their asking. Once facing such situation, we should use our wisdom and aware our Buddha-nature to think how to properly reject their unreasonable asking and how to help them actually.

 

All of the Buddha’s teaching has one key point that is to enlighten all sentient beings and help them achieve the Buddhahood. In other word, the Buddha’s teaching gives a direction for the sentient beings to learn wisdom so to resolve their own problem. Under the principle, the human beings should be independent to deal with their own problem with their own wisdom, not to dependent others people to resolve their own problem. This is what we should know when we practice the four assimilating-methods to reform and save people.

 

Let us introduce the four assimilating-methods shortly. That is as follows:

 

The first assimilating-methods -- Give

 

There are three kinds of giving. The first is to give the material things for human beings, such as foods, medical, clothes, shoes, houses, cars, money and so on. Such material things could maintain the basic livelihoods of human beings. Of course, it can be extend to give the technical of agriculture or medical, or to give our own time and strength to help people, such as to build a house or a bridge unconditionally. Only basic livelihoods are content, it is possible for them further to learn wisdom and to learn Buddha. Secondly, if people are fond of fortune, we could give them the material things so as to lead them into the wisdom of Buddhism. 

 

The second is to give human beings the Buddha-law (dharma), such as Buddha’s teaching. If people are fond of listening to the reasons and of thinking, we could give them the Buddha-law so as to lead them achieve the wisdom of Buddha. Furthermore, if we are capable to teach human beings the Buddhism and to teach Buddhism correctly, such merit-virtue is incredible and immeasurable, and is commend and appreciated by the beings of heaven and earth. Why? Because by Buddha’s teaching, it could enlighten the human beings, lead them in the path of light of wisdom, liberate human beings from the suffering in life and death, and finally help them achieve the Buddhahood.   

 

The third is to give human beings the fearlessness. That is, to help human beings avoid or get rid of any fear, such as in the classic drama, the hero saves the beauty when she is in danger. That is, the hero gives the beauty the fearlessness, and helps the beauty get rid of the frightened. If people are in danger or fear a lot in heart, or are timid, we could give them the fearlessness through the express by kindness so as to help them get rid of the fear.   

 

In Buddhism, the representative of the fearlessness-giver is Pusa world-sounds-perceiving, Avalokiteśvara. If you have not yet read the previous articles about Pusa world-sounds-perceiving and are interested in Avalokiteśvara, I recommend you to read the following articles: Pusa World-Sounds-Perceiving in Universally Door Chapter or The god of wisdom and benevolence to liberate human beings from suffering. It is one of the translated Buddhist-scripture and its explanation, which is done by me. 

 

The Second assimilating-methods -- Express by love

 

If we want to lead the people into the wisdom of Buddhism, we better to express by love, not by rough words. Express by love means to show a feeling, opinion or fact by compassion and kindness. Such express shows our care, is more acceptable by the people and would promote the harmony in the relationship in a group or of each other. When we express by love, don’t ignore the body language. Some body language would warm our heart, such as smile, embrace each other, gently pat the shoulder or gently wave your hand and say hello.

 

When people feel frustrated in career or feel sad when facing the death of a loved one, we properly express by love which would encourage them and let them feel comfort.

 

The third assimilating-methods -- Benefiting action

 

“Benefiting action” is meant to offer help or advantage for the acting of others or benefit the action of others, when we try to help people and lead them into the wisdom of the Buddha. For example, when a young man is goodness and is interested in learning Buddha but he doesn’t have a good career to earn money for maintaining his life, we could support him or offer him a good job so as to let him have a stable life and the capital to learn Buddha. Such act by benefiting is not only to support and benefit him to achieve the Buddhahood but also to support and benefit the all sentient beings to be good, including ourselves, because it is a good cycling of kindness. One day, when this young man has completely been enlightened and the wisdom of his Buddha-nature is also inspired, he would be capable to enlighten and support others and would also benefit the acting of others.

 

Secondly, giving the sentient beings the convenience or help is also the benefiting action, to benefit the acting of others.   

 

The fourth assimilating-methods -- Work by together

 

Work by together means that we go on the path as partner and by accompanying with each other so as toward the same goal and we do something together so as to attain the same purpose. What is the goal or the purpose? It is to reform and save ourselves so as to influence others through wisdom and mercy. By cooperating in the action or work, it is easy for us to know and communicate with each other. 

 

For the different people, we would offer the different Buddha-law so as to help them into the wisdom of Buddha-nature. There is a lot of convenient Buddha-law which could be applied to help people liberating from the suffering. The four assimilating-methods are one of them, and these are the good assistance.

 

So, the four assimilating-methods not only could be applied in Buddhism, but also could be applied in different realms, such as the non-profit organization, the group of the social or the international well-beings.

 

To profoundly learning Buddha, the four assimilating-methods should be practiced well by us. Through the four reforming-methods, it is not only to reform and save ourselves, but also to reform and save others.  

When we have completely reformed and saved ourselves, we then have the strength to reform and save others people.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

How to reform and save ourselves? It depends on our own strength of wisdom, the Buddha-nature. That is what the Buddha Shakyamuni wanted to enlighten us and to teach us to know it. When we have completely reformed and saved ourselves, we then have the strength to reform and save others people. How to reform and save others people? It depends on our own strength of compassion and wisdom. In the methods of application, there are four methods said by Buddha Shakyamuni. That is as follows:

 

Give;

Express by love;

Benefiting action;

Work by together.

 

The above is called four assimilating-methods or four reforming-methods. To reform and save others people is not easy, because most of the human beings have the stubborn nature and the strong arrogance. When we have not yet been enlightened, we might be one of them and have no such self-awareness.

 

To practice the four assimilating-methods needs to follow the opportunity and conditions which are changed in the situation and environment, and also needs to follow the change of personal situation and the change of fate of the persons who are in the suffering. It is unable to force them, if we want to reform and save others people by the four reforming-methods. Furthermore, the four assimilating-methods should be based on our four immeasurable inner hearts of mercy, compassion, joy and abandon. 

"Board " means "save" in Buddhism.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

  

Let us image that there is a large river. The people live in the left shore are in the sufferings of birth, aging, disease and death. There are also a lot of people who fall into the river and struggling in the river and are also suffering the same. Meanwhile, the people live in the right shore have already liberated from the said sufferings.

 

There is a ship of wisdom on the river. The people on the ship of wisdom invite the people on the left shore to board the ship and take them into the right shore. In the river, they also put the rope and lifebuoy down to the people struggling in the river and help them board on the ship and also take them into the right shore. 

In Buddhism, such taking the ferry, such helping process, is called to reform and save others people. If we take the ferry by our own will and arrive the right shore, which is called self-reforming and self-saving. Such is the concept of imagining, describing and metaphor. It lets us easy to understand one of the meanings of Buddhism.

There are four sufferings in human beings. That is the sufferings of birth, aging, disease and death.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

  

Buddha Shakyamuni had mentioned that there are four sufferings in human beings. That is the sufferings of birth, aging, disease and death. In other words, human beings are fall into the cycling of birth and death in the Six Paths and are suffering within the cycle.

 

The Six Paths is classified as followings:

The Path of Bodhisattva

The Path of Ashura

The Path of Human beings

The Path of hungry Ghost

The Path of animal

The Path of hell

 

So, we are in the Path of human beings. And whatever who you are, how rich and how smart you are, we couldn't deny that we have to experience the sufferings of birth, aging, disease and death, not to mention those persons who are poor or sick. A wise doctor has said what is packed in the coffin is dead people, not elder people. To suffer the death is not the patent of the elder people. It is possible for humans of all ages to suffer a disease or death, including the infant. 

 

The generalized meaning of the suffering of birth includes the suffering of life. In the opinion of Buddha Shakyamuni, human beings make a lot of sins because of the surviving and the suffering of life, and also because of no-wisdom. For surviving, the human beings has no-wisdom and generate the heart of greedy, hatred and stupid infatuation, and thus to incur a lot of harm and disaster to oneself and others. That is suffering, too. 

All beginning teaching of Buddha is to reform and save ourselves.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

To reform ourselves so as to save ourselves is difficult, let alone to reform others people and to save them. All the beginning teaching of Buddha is to reform and save ourselves. Only to do so, we are capable to reform human beings and save them.  

Why we want to reform and save ourselves? Do you know? In the world, there is more than a half of human beings who do not have such concept and conscious, let alone to ask the question. They are suffering from the oppression of life and worry about the livelihood day and night. Such events have made their mental seriously disorder. However, even though this, they still don't have a thought to reform and save themselves.

What surprises me is that the mental doctor in hospital and the counselor in university also could not burden their own psychological stress and then suicide. Why they can’t solve their own mental problem? That is because that they don't understand the fundamental problem of birth and death and its methods of resolving in the teachings of Buddha.  It is only when we can realize our fundamental problem of birth and death and its methods of resolving in the teachings of Buddha, it is possible for us to release us from our own mental problem. No matter what kind of religions and ideologies that you believe, and what kind of research or work that you are doing, it is possible for you to realize it from the teachings of Buddha, if you will.  

The profound Buddha's teaching is beyond our general thinking.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

There are the Bodhisattvas who show the wide eyes, appear the anger, hold the magical tool in hand, and ride on the strange animal,  so as to deal with, punish or discipline those people who are full of hatred and rage. Such picture of or image of Bodhisattvas and the magical tool in hand is some kind of the meaning of symbol. With the evolution of the times, the picture of or the image of Bodhisattvas and the magical tool are following the modern image and the modern technology and change. In our times, The appearance of  Bodhisattvas in reality and the illusion of image of Bodhisattvas in our dream may be the similar. Therefore, we should have such knowledge and flexibility in learning Buddha. 

 

There are also the Bodhisattvas who show the greedy smile, appear the greedy heart, and take the treasures or gold or money through wisdom from the true greedy people, so as to deal with those people who are in the mind of greed, meanwhile, to save them and let them leave the suffering. That is to help them avoid the harm brought by the greed of themselves and others. 

 

There are also Bodhisattvas who show the foolish smile, appear the obsession minded, fall in love with infatuated people, so as to save those people who are in the state of obsession, and to liberate them from suffering. That is to help them avoid the harm brought by the infatuated minded of themselves and others. 

 

There are also Bodhisattvas who show the attitude of arrogant and appear the indifferent expression, so as to deal with those people who own the arrogant minded. The purpose is to save them to leave the restrain and difficulty brought by their own arrogant minded.

 

Eventually, there are no such negative minded as said for all of  Bodhisattvas, because they have always dwelled on the self-nature and the Emptiness-nature. They are like the angel to protect and teach the persons who are willing to believe Buddha's teaching, or they have the good cause and condition with the Buddha's teaching in the present life or in their past life. All Bodhisattvas would not appear without cause and condition. If you don't have any cause and condition as said, they don't appear in your life. We respect these Bodhisattvas as Protector-in-Buddhism. 

 

To sum up, if we are the stupid, stubborn or arrogant person who cannot accept the persuade or the advice from the other person's normal and reasonable thinking, however, we still have a little good cause and condition in learning Buddha, the Bodhisattvas would appear any kind of attitude, thought and state to help us to deal with what negative heart and state we own.  That is why if we show the evil thought and behavior, the said Bodhisattvas would appear the equivalent thought and behavior. That is like a mirror to reflect our thought and behavior and let us see it. 

 

How Bodhisattvas appear in our life?

 

They would appear in our environment what we are living, studying or working. Those what we may meet might be our family members, classmates, teachers, friends, colleagues, directors, strangers, or any persons who are in various industries. They might make us feel uncomfortable, anxious, angry or sad. In a word, these appeared images and the ensuing phenomenon could help us to correct or adjust our thought, behavior, and attitude which are not proper and not corresponding to the universal value. In general and in Buddhism, the universal value is corresponding to the good and free will of humans, to the mercy, empathy, content, honesty and open-minded of humans, and to the mutual aid with the equality of humans. The more profound meaning is to correspond to the no-self, no-selfishness, no-desire and no-demanding of  humans.  

 

Except for this, all various images of Bodhisattvas would appear with drama in our dreams, which are ever-changing and not what we can imagine. However, we still can feel and reason it in our dream or after our wakening. All various images of Bodhisattvas are not like what we have seen in the drawing or in the statue. However, they are like our family members and so on as mentioned above.  

 

The character "Bodhisattvas" is the appearance of name, which is the phenomenon of arising and eliminating with causes and conditions. For example, as I have told in the blog, we call "Bodhisattvas" as "Pusa" or "Busa" in the Chinese transliteration. The various images of Bodhisattvas are also the phenomenon of arising and eliminating with causes and conditions. There are not the fixed and rigid images which are regarded as Bodhisattvas. All pictures or statue or images made by humans are some kind of representative or symbol to show the exist, virtue and function of Bodhisattvas. In fact, the essence of Bodhisattvas is the Emptiness-nature, and is no form and no image. On this basis, it is able to appear various forms and images of Bodhisattvas, including the animals, such as the legendary dragons, or elephant, or big worms, even that we can reason there would be the images of alien as Bodhisattvas. 

The Buddha and Bodhisattvas don't care whether you believe the Buddha's teaching or not, because the law of cause and effect (or result, consequence, outcome) is the universal value.

Some people don't understand why the Buddhist worship the image  of Buddha or Bodhisattva in the drawing or the statue. They deny, reject and sneer such behavior. According to our normal intelligence,  of course, we are not to stupidly obsess with the image in the drawing or with the statue. The image of the drawing or statue is some kind of representative or symbol. In fact, the Buddha or Bodhissattva exist in everywhere of the Emptiness.       

 

The Buddha said that he cannot save those people who don't have the cause and condition with Buddha and those people who don't have good causes and conditions in their present or past life. The Buddha and Bodhisattvas don't care whether you believe the Buddha's teaching or not, because the law of cause and effect (or result, consequence, outcome) is the universal value. What we have done absolutely repay in our present or future life. Good deeds are rewarded with good deeds, and evil deeds are rewarded with evil deeds. All evil is self-inflicted. All goodness creates auspiciousness by itself. It is doesn't matter what kind of religions or ideologies we believe. When we deeply realize the Buddhism, we can understand this truth. 

It is better for us to listen more from various kind of the teachings of  Buddha, and should be careful and alert any fraud from the fake teachers in Buddhism.

 

Furthermore, I cannot deny there are existed a lot of fraud by the mean of religions. The profound Buddha's teaching is some kind of danger for the beginner who learn Buddhism. That is why I have to remind you that if we are the beginner in learning Buddhism, it is better for us to listen more from various kind of the teachings of  Buddha, and should be careful and alert any fraud from the fake teachers in Buddhism. When we learn Buddhism, it is better for us to use our common sense and normal logical thinking to judge whether the teachers are honest and  moral persons or not.  

The secondly, we have to think and judge whether what they have taught is corresponding to the true meaning of Buddha, to the social order and good customs or  is their own subjective consciousness and ideology. It is to avoid us to be washed brain by the mean persons. When we have the correct thinking and judgement, we can choose who can be our teachers and we are willing to follow them to learn Buddha.