One of the Ten Titles about Buddha—World-Understanding

Author: Tao Qing Hsu

  

The definition and explanation of World-Understanding

 

World-Understanding is one of the Ten Titles about Buddha. The Sanskrit is lokavid. It means that the Buddha understands the world. What the world means. In the Scripture of the Ten Titles Said by Buddha, the world means the desire realm, the color realm, and the colorless realm. And the hells, the hungry ghosts and the brutes, etc., that sort of things. Each had its own form aggregate, feeling aggregate, thought aggregate, action aggregate and consciousness aggregate. And the root of the eyes, the root of the ears, the root of the nose, the root of the tongue, the root of the body, and the root of the mind. And all the laws of that six consciousness and of that realms of thereon depending and so on. It was called the world. Truly enlightenment and truly knowing was called World-Understanding.

 

The definition and explanation of the world by the Buddha involve not only what we know in general knowledge but also beyond what we know in the dictionary. In a word, the world as defined and explained means the law-realm. Meanwhile, the world also involves the visible realm and the invisible realm. The law-realm includes the six roots, the six conscious and the six aggregates. The six conscious are appeared according to the six roots. The six aggregates are appeared according to the six roots and conscious. That is the root, conscious and aggregate.    

 

The definition and explanation of the law in Buddhism is wider than what we know in general knowledge.

 

As we have explained in another articles, the definition and explanation of the law in Buddhism is wider than what we know in general knowledge. The definition and explanation of the law in Buddhism are inclined to the changes according to the individual root, conscious and aggregate and therefore to generate the changes in phenomena and thinking and awareness of Buddhist principles. All of these are included in world. The legislation, order and rules and the changes of universe, earth, ecology, society, international relations and human events, etc., are included in the definition and explanation of the law in Buddhism. However, the changes of the outer world are regarded as the changes in phenomena and as the impermanent.

 

The meaning of the law-realm and the world in Buddhism

 

In Buddhism, the law-realm and the world are more inclined to the individual function, behavior, activity, thinking, feeling, experience, and blessed-repaid or bad-retribution or bad-retribution. Therefore, when a person does the good and virtue thing with honesty heart, it will form a blessed-repaid for this person. Such process and blessed-repaid form the individual law-realm and the good world is belonged to this person. It is called the individual good-karma. If a group did the good and virtue thing with integrity heart, it would form a blessed-repaid for this group. It is called the good-karma-altogether or the good common-karma.

 

However, if a person did the evil and lack-of-virtue thing, it will form the bad-retribution for this person. Such process and bad-retribution form the individual law-realm and the evil world is belonged to this person. It is called the individual bad-karma. If a group did the evil and lack-of-virtue things, it would form the bad-retribution for this group and the evil world would be belonged to them at the same time. It is called the bad-karma-altogether or the bad common-karma.   

 

All laws are formed by the heart.

 

Therefore, in Buddhism, it thinks that what kind of law-realm and world is depended on the individually concept, thinking, behavior, attitude, belief, etc. That is formed by the individually six roots, conscious and aggregates. In one of the Buddhist Scripture, the Buddha said, “All laws are formed by the heart. (All laws are created by the mind.) ” The Buddha also said, “The heart is the working painter who can paint all worlds.” The heart here means the personal idea, thinking, behavior, mindset, etc. All laws here mean the created law-realm and world by the individual. To extend it, we can understand that all laws also can mean the created law-realm and world by a group. That is, all laws are created by all hearts. All law-realms and worlds are created by all hearts.

 

Each one paints its world and all of each individually painted world is intertwined to form another world. Such worlds are further intertwined to form some sort of worlds. And all of them then become the great thousand worlds. All living beings stubbornly obsess on (or attach themselves to or have any addict to) any kind of worlds and they therefore suffer or feel happy and then any worries and affliction are occurred. The five turbid worlds are thus formed. That is, these kinds of worlds are full of five poisons--the greed, hatred, stupid infatuation (obsession, attachment or addiction), arrogance, suspicious. These five turbid worlds are what the worlds we exist and live at present. This is the desire realm—one of the Three Realms and the Six Paths. The Buddha Shakyamuni appeared in these five turbid worlds in order to teaching, reforming and enlightening all living beings.

 

All laws are as an illusion. All laws are emptiness.

 

In the profoundly teaching in Buddhism, the Buddha said, “All laws are as an illusion. All laws are emptiness.” Regarding these kinds of concepts, you can refer to the following articles written by me as linked and follows:  

 

Let heart in peace, no fear and affliction any more (Updated on 2019/07/11)

Chapter 20: Reasoning I am originally emptiness

A Brief Talk About Cause And Result

Chapter 39: There is no difference in the teaching.

Chapter 42: Recognize the worldliness as illusion

 

Therefore, the causes of all sufferings derive from the individual. That is, all sufferings are created and made by the individual. If we want to relieve or eliminate our sufferings, we have to find the causes and then to change or eliminate the causes. The Buddha said, “The greedy and desire are the root of suffering.” That is, the greedy and desire of the individual and all human beings cause the individual sufferings and the sufferings of all human beings.  

 

The greedy and desire derive from the individual six roots, conscious and aggregates. Regarding the related concept and the way how to resolve it, we have talked a lot in the Buddhist Scripture -- A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha.   

 

When we deeply realize the Buddhism, we know that all suffering is as an illusion and the essence of all suffering is the emptiness. All suffering is one part of all laws. Law-realm and the world are created by the self or the group. To know this sort of concept will help us to review our life, the meaning of life, our relationship with family members or friends or others persons, and our world.  

 

One of the Three Realms -- The Desire Realm

 

The Buddha said. What the world means. It was called the desire realm, the color realm, and the colorless realm. And the hells, the hungry ghosts and the brutes, etc., that sort of things. The desire realm involves the hells, the hungry ghosts and the brutes, the human beings, the Asuras and the heaven beings. It calls the Six Paths or Six Towards-Going in Desire Realms. All of these beings live together and have the desire for material, food, sex and pleasures. These desires also involve the selfish love and greedy. The desires included the pleasure and sex of the combination of desires for color, sound, smell, taste, touch and mind, and for fortune, food, power and famous.

 

The Asuras are also one of the heaven beings and they are full of hatred more than others and always fight to the other heaven beings. The heaven beings in Desire Realm also have the desire and lifespan. Their desire is less than others and their bliss is more. There are Bodhisattvas or gods who are one of heaven beings and are living in the Desire Realm.

 

Most of human beings think the desires and the related things make their life meaningful and happy. However, the desires actually cause them deeply worry and suffering, even to do the evil things to harm the self and others. These sorts of mortal always reincarnate in the Six Paths and suffer in there, unless they cultivate their mind and are enlightened in the bright heart and seeing the self-Buddha-nature.

 

How to be the heavenly beings in the desire heaven (kāma-dhātu-deva; deva)

 

When the living beings in desire realm have ever done the more virtuous things with the clean thought and have done the less evil, they have the chance to be reborn in the desire heavens as heaven beings and enjoy the bliss. No matter what your races, your languages, and your beliefs are, you are the living beings in the desire realm. In desire realm, there are six desire heavens. A lot of human beings who cultivate the mind, or do the virtuous things with clean mind, or practice the Buddha-law and have the certain grades will be reborn in one of the six heavens. The so-called heaven is more like the realm or the state or a place in the different dimensions. Then, we might have one question. How many there are living beings in the six paths or in the six heavens. The Buddha said it is the immeasurable and uncountable.

 

The lifespan of heavenly beings in the desire heaven  

 

According to the record said by the Buddha or the Buddhist, the lifespan of heavenly beings is very long. There are five hundred years or thousand years or more than thousand years in their lifespan. The one day of heavenly beings is the five hundred years of the world of human beings. When their lifespan is ended, they will be reborn in the world of human beings or of the hells which is depending on their vows or their karmas which have not yet repaid.

 

The form and state of heavenly beings in desire realm

 

The body of the heavenly beings is very tall and large. The proportion what they look at us is like we look at ants. The proportion of us is as small as ants in their eyes. There are a lot of heavenly beings who have achieved the fruition of Pusa (Bodhisattva). That is, they are not only liberate themselves from the suffering but also are capable to liberate others beings from the suffering. However, they have not yet completely achieved the Buddhahood. They still have some worries and habit, and they vows to keep the practicing in learning Buddha, and are willing to be reborn in the world of human beings in their next life in order to achieve the ambition in helping all beings to liberate the life-death suffering.   

 

The grade of the individual virtue decides the individual’s suffering and blessing.  

 

The human beings may do the good and do the evil at the same time or in the different time. When they do the evil more than the good with the filthy mind, they will be reborn in the hells, hungry ghost, brute realm to be punished, to be retributive and to suffer in their next life. When they do the good more than the evil with the clean mind, they will have a chance to be the humans or the heavenly humans in their next life to enjoy the good life, which is depending on their virtuous grades. If their virtuous grades are lower, they still have to suffer and may have the shortage of blessings. Meanwhile, they have to repay the living beings and the world by labors or financial resources or lives. That is suffering more than blessing.

 

If they do a lot of virtuous things with clean mind and their virtuous grades are higher, they will be humans or heavenly beings to enjoy their good life and the reward-blessed in their next life. That is blessing more than suffering. That is the causality and the law of cause and effect in Buddhism. Then, you might have one question who can judge the virtuous grades of human beings. The answer which you can find in the Buddhist Scripture of The Merits of the Original Vows of the Tathagata-Pharmacist Glazelight. It mentions that there is always the spirits (gods) of recordation who follows us every day and every moment to record what we have done.

 

There is a Chinese saying, “Don't bully others in the dark room.” It means that don't deliberately bully others because you think no one knows. That is, even if no one knows, don't bully a kind and honest person. There is also a Chinese saying, ”The principles of heaven are manifest and clear, and there are gods three feet above the head.” It is really such wise words of advice.  

 

The three evil paths-- the hells, the hungry ghosts and the brutes-- are realm of the lowest level. The three good paths -- the human beings, the Asuras, the heavenly beings -- are the higher level than the three evil paths. The desire realm of heavenly beings is the lowest dimension compared to the other two levels of heaven - the color realm and the colorless realm.

 

The heavenly beings in the desire realm, including the beings in the hungry ghosts, can communicate with humans in the way of minded conscious and no-material-sound language

 

The heavenly beings in the desire realm, including the beings in the hungry ghosts, can communicate with humans in the way of minded conscious and no-material-sound language. Some of them also have the individually duty to manage the things of all living beings, including the things of human beings and heavenly beings. There must be something required you to do that they will find you and communicate with you. They did not find you and communicate with you. It doesn't mean that they don't exist.

 

As we know, the cats are always afraid of humans. They do not find and communicate with humans initiatively unless they need foods. Therefore, we cannot deny their existence in the world. It is the similar thing. What the difference is that their form and sound, and that the cats can been seen by us, however, the heavenly beings cannot be seen in our naked eyes.

 

Furthermore, the heavenly beings in the desire realm, including the beings in the hungry ghosts, they can protect good persons, including their relatives in the world. As we know, when we establish the good relationship with dogs, they will guard and protect us. When we don’t establish any relationship with them, they don’t be around us. And we cannot thus deny their existence. It is the similar reason to view the relationship with the heavenly beings. In the historical China and in the modern Taiwan, we believe the existence of the soul of the ancestor and relatives, and they will have the ability to protect and help us. We always want to establish the good relationship with them. That is why there is the custom of worshiping the dead. Some people think this is superstition or blind belief, and despise it and deny it. However, as long as we have in-depth understanding and experience, we will find that this is not superstition or blind belief. 

 

Therefore, in the historical China and in the modern Taiwan, if we have read a lot of the articles, novels and dramas, and we have watched a lot of videos,  and it mentioned that the heavenly beings (gods or a soul or a ghost) communicate with humans( help good persons or punish evil persons), we will understand that it is not any strange thing that the heavenly beings in the desire realm can communicate with humans in the way of minded conscious and no-material-sound language. 

 

The form and state of heavenly beings in the Color Realm

 

The selfish love and greedy mostly derive from the sexual desire and the desire for food and material, and that make humans do the evil. When humans leave such things and do the self-cultivation and the virtuous things, they will go to the color realm in their next life. The color realm is above the desire realm. There must be light so as to show the color. There are the clean and wondrous bodies and device world in the color realm. The heaven beings of the color realm have no sexual desire, but are bind by the subtle color-law. There is no difference between men and women. That is, they are all great men. Their clothes are able to be appeared naturally. Meanwhile, they use the light as food and language. The virtuous level of living beings in color realm transcends that in desire realm. They are the form of phantom and appear by the light. Although they don't have the material and physical body like humans, they still can communicate with humans in the way of minded conscious and no-material-sound language.

 

There are four sorts of Zen-Heaven in the Color Realm.

 

The First Zen-Heaven: When human beings have leaved the suffering of desire realm and have deeply practiced the meditation, the steady and the clean in mind of the Zen, and thus generate the joy and happiness, they are reborn and keep these states as practice in the first Zen-heaven to be the heavenly beings in the Color Realm.

 

The Second Zen-Heaven: When the humans have the practicing basis of the first Zen-heaven as mentioned, there is no longer the seeking and the expecting in their mind. The joy and happiness arise from the steady and concentration in mind. They are reborn and keep these states as practice in the second Zen-Heaven to be the heavenly beings in the Color Realm. The Light-Sound Heaven is belonged to this heaven. The Buddha said that the origin of human beings derive from the Light-Sound Heaven. 

 

The Third Zen-Heaven: When the humans have the practicing basis of the first and the second Zen-heaven, they are free from the joyful greed as mentioned previously. Their mind is thus delighted, peaceful and tranquil. The extraordinary and wonderful cheerfulness is thus generated. They are reborn and keep these states as practice in the third Zen-Heaven to be the heavenly beings in the Color Realm.   

 

The Fourth Zen-Heaven: When the humans have the practicing basis of the first, the second and the third Zen-heaven, they are free from the joyfulness and cheerfulness as afore mentioned. They achieve the state of clean and equality in mind. Meanwhile, they keep the minded of abandonment and relinquishment and accept the clean and honesty thought. They are reborn and keep these states as practice in the fourth Zen-Heaven to be the heavenly beings in the Color Realm. 

 

The state of heavenly beings in the Colorless Realm

 

Modern scientific research shows that only 4%-5% of the universe contains matter. Such matter may be seen by light. Therefore, we can image and speculate that it might be the Desire Realm and the Color Realm. The remaining 94%-95% is Dark matter and Dark Energy. Dark Matter and Dark Energy are found and researched a lot in modern science. We can image and speculate that there may be no light in the Colorless Realm. That is why it is colorless. And there may be a lot of Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Colorless Realm.

 

The living beings in colorless realm are deeply practiced the meditation and stability of Zen in their past lives. However, their wisdom and achievement have not yet attained to the Buddhahood. They have leaved the bind of color body and have no material form and no desire. They are formless. Only their conscious minds live in four immeasurable and vast realms of space. Their lifespan is extremely long, even eighty thousand eons. A single thought always resides in one of the four realms of consciousness. The four realms of consciousness are as follows:

 

1.     The emptiness-boundless place.

2.     The consciousness-boundless place.

3.     The to-have-nothing place.

4.     The non-thinking-and-non-non-thinking place.

 

Regarding the living beings in the non-thinking-and-non-non-thinking place, they have leaved the desire, the seeking, the expectation, and the duality, that is non-thinking, however, they still have the subtle thinking to perceive. That is the non-non-thinking.

 

The virtuous level of the living beings in colorless realm transcends that in color realm and desire realm. However, when they have ended their long-term enjoyed bliss, they still have to rebirth in the three evil paths – the hells, the hungry ghosts, and the brutes, so as to repay their evil karma which has not yet been repaid.

 

The living beings have to leave the desire realm so as they can enter the color realm. And they have to leave the color realm so as they can enter the colorless realm. Those who are able to leave and enter the three realms freely are the liberated living beings. However, they have not yet beyond the world of the three realms, and have not yet really achieved the Nirvana, and have not yet completely freed from all suffering and troubles like Buddhas. A Buddha is not only able to leave and enter the three realms freely but also able to enter the Nirvana.

 

The living beings in the three realms have not yet transcends the life-death reincarnation.

 

The Three Realms and Six Paths are the Buddhist view of life and death and of reincarnation. We might also have one question. How many sentient beings are there in the three realms? The Buddha said it is immeasurable and uncountable. The humans usually regard the heaven beings as gods or angels and think that gods own the supernatural power and are omniscient and omnipotent. The living beings in the three realms have not yet transcends the life-death reincarnation. When we profoundly recognize what the state is in the three realms, we know that some of the living beings in the three realms might have the supernatural or wondrous power. However, they don’t have the power of omniscient and omnipotent. We can speculate that the only god in monotheism is just one of the sentient beings in the three realms.

 

The Buddhism is plural, and there are many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with different functions and properties.

 

The connotation of Buddha’s teaching is diversified and not a single rigid thought. A deep understanding of its essence can activate our thinking and hearts. However, it takes time to learn and grow on our own. The Buddhism is plural, and there are many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with different functions and properties. They exist and live in the different worlds of the three realms as mentioned. In Buddhism, it thinks that gods are one of the living beings in the three realms, especially, in the desire realm and color realm. Some of them are regarded as Bodhisattvas. That is, they are able to help human beings leave worries and suffering, and to help them dwell in peace and bliss. The Buddha thinks that such living beings have Buddha nature. The Buddha does not deny their existence.

 

With only a superficial understanding of Buddhism, it is easy for the ignorant or scheming people to make use the worship to one god and thus to manipulate human beings.

 

However, we have to know that any religious dogmas are easy to be distorted, faked and misused by humans who have any unjust ambition in order to occupy others’ lands or to rule and govern peoples. There is always the control and manipulation and antagonistic hatred. It not only fools people but also promotes cunning and unjust clever behavior. All this restricts human beings’ free development and ability of diverse creativity. With only a superficial understanding of Buddhism, it is easy for the ignorant or scheming people to make use the worship to one god and thus to manipulate human beings to oppose, suppress and exclude others who reject the worship to their one god. The manipulator may deify the self to manipulate others so as to satisfy his selfish desires. Ignorant people can easily be manipulated to the loss of property and life and liberty. Meanwhile, we have to know that the belief of one god and its single rigid thought restrict the diverse development of culture and the social progress.

 

In the name of religion and god (or Fo, or Buddha, or Pusa, or Bodhisattva), some people called on the ignorant masses, manipulated them into worshiping god (or Fo, or Buddha, or Pusa, or Bodhisattva), restrained believers with twisted doctrines, and then encouraged the masses to engage in revolution, and then seized land and made the self to become a king, hoping to overthrow the regime and governed people at that time. That is why some of the ancient emperors in the historical China would suppress or eliminate religious beliefs, including the Buddhism.

 

The deep influence of Buddhism

 

Fortunately, there are also good-wise emperors in the historical Chinese who deeply understand the plural connotations of Buddhism and practice it by self and then sponsor the translation of Buddhism from Sanskrit into Chinese, support and promote Buddhism with sincere heart. For example, Wu Zetian, the only certified female emperor in ancient China of Tang Dynasty of history, was such a wise emperor.

 

That is why the abundant culture of Buddhism is able to be accepted, learned and practiced by the civilians, and is also spread widely in the country and the outside countries. That is also why many literary works in ancient China have rich connotations of Buddha’s teaching. That is also one of the reasons why the various ethnic groups have been able to integrate with each other and live in harmony since the ancient China. This is all because of the deep influence of Buddhism.

 

Therefore, I deeply believe that the various nations would integrate with each other and live in harmony, and the world would be better and more peaceful, when the Buddha’s teaching is widely spread in the world.

 

The living beings in the desire realm are the relatively low-level beings.

 

From above explanation, we know that those who fight to each other with deliberately upside down the normal logic and righteous, and with any distorted dogmas, hostile concepts, the frauds, the lies, the allures and the weapons, in order to oppose others, or thus to make the hatred, or to exclude or to revenge to others, are all relatively low-level humans. They not only do that by self in order to fool and suppress people but also encourage others to do that so as to be the means to achieve their evil goal. That is because they have more desire for material, power, famous, selfish-interest, and sex, etc.

 

Why the human beings in the desire realm have more suffering than happiness.

 

In psychology, Machiavellianism is one of the characteristics of the dark triad personality along with narcissism and psychopathy. The antisocial personality is included in them. Their desires and five-poison mindset are stronger than the ordinary people. And the means what they use are usually unjust and dishonest. No matter in the past, the present and the future, they always appear and exist in everywhere and in our life, even we might be one of them.

 

Unfortunately, these sorts of humans usually become the autocratic dictator or the cruel king to rule, govern and bully the huge and kindhearted national people, even to threaten, disturb, interfere, harass and invade the other countries and their peoples. Not only do they deliberately lower the moral and IQ levels of human beings and restrict human beings' free creative abilities, but they also lead humans to the three evil paths – the hells, the hungry ghosts and the brutes. There are lack of the moralities and ethics, the wisdom and the empathy, and the compassion. That is why the human beings in the desire realm have more suffering than happiness.

 

In a word, the living beings in the Three Realms and the Six Paths have not yet escape the reincarnation of life and death, especially, the living beings in the desire realm-- the most low-level beings. Their spiritual consciousness or their soul has been circulating in the Three Realms and Six Paths according to what they have done and thought – to disappear here and to birth there or to birth here and to disappear there. The Three Realms include the living beings living in the different dimensions, solar systems, galaxies, and the unknown and unfound areas. According to the Buddhist Scripture, the three realms described by Buddha Shakyamuni are very huge, which are immeasurable and boundless. The earth what we live is only one of them and is very small compared to them.   

 

From the perspective of worldly law, the Buddha says that there are the five-turbid worlds in the earth what we live.

 

From the perspective of worldly law, the Buddha says that there are the five-turbid worlds in the earth what we live. In the Buddhist Scripture of Amitabha (Amitabha Sutra), the Buddha said that the world is filled with five types of impurities. The five turbidities refer to:

1. Turbidity of fate, in which human beings commit a lot of bad karmas and thus result in a very short life span; as people's hearts become more and more vicious and their morals become weaker and weaker, the life span decreases by one year every hundred years. The lifespan is from 84,000 years in ancient times to a hundred years old at present times.

2. Turbidity of worries (and troubles), in which all living beings pursue the five desires and six objects, causing greed, anger, ignorance, arrogant, suspicious and other troubles to aggravate the body and mind. And thus they are filled with the worries (and troubles) of greed, hatred, and ignorance (stupid infatuation, obsession and addiction), arrogant and suspicious.

3. Turbidity of calamity, in which all living beings are in danger from generation to generation with the disasters of constant hunger, disease and epidemics, weapon and war.

4. Turbidity of living beings, in which living beings are lack of good roots (lack of virtues and merits, and thus the blessings are gradually declined and the sufferings are gradually increased) , and they do not believe in cause and effect, and do not observe precepts ;

5. Turbidity of views, in which the incorrect views, evil idea, mistaken belief and evil speaking are rampant. That is, the fallacy and false notion are spreading like wild fire.

 

From the psychological perspective, how we look at the causes of world chaos and personal troubles.

 

The Buddha talked about all kinds of negative and bad mental states in sentient beings -- such as jealous, selfishness, lovely fighting, lying, violence, cunning smart, fooling others, etc. -- all of which are rooted in the five poisonous minds. Modern psychological research has classified all of them into various types of personality in detail. It includes the Dark Triad personalities of Machiavellians, narcissists and psychopaths. The antisocial personality is included in them. The definition and related information for these dark personalities could be found in the Internet.

 

All these personalities and mentalities have some common characteristics. They are either good at manipulating others, or good at emotionally blackmailing, or shirking responsibility, or doing things that benefit themselves at the expense of others, or they like to take advantage of others, or they have no guilt for what they have done, or they have no sense of morality.

 

Secondly, they don’t look like bad people at all, and even they are friendly people and the elites in the society and the seemed successful and wealthy persons in life and career. Thirdly, they are good at giving small favors and getting the other party to let down their guard, and then make the other party pay a greater cost and bear a greater price. In a word, what they diligently make themselves and their lovely family members live well and happily are established on the basis of skillfully letting others bear any cost and pay any price.   

 

These kinds of technique of dark personalities exist in international relations or relationships between people. However, the victims usually to then discover that these people have these dark personalities and mentalities after the victims have been with them for a while or for a long time or the victims feel victimized or feel pains or feel something wrong.

 

Recognizing and understanding these various types of personalities and various psychological states not only helps the self to free oneself from the troubles and pains of life, but also helps all sentient beings to free themselves from troubles and pains. Ordinary people may have various professions, knowledge and skills, but they do not understand various dark personalities and negative mental states. When they use their own dark personalities and negative mental states to harm others and thus cause others pain, and cause chaos, turmoil and unrest in society and the country, they themselves have no sense of guilt and shame and have no self-reflection.

 

If the victims do not understand these dark personalities and negative mental states and any unjust means what they use, they often do not understand why their life is so unsatisfactory, miserable and full of troubles and pain. Therefore, if those victims thus drink alcohol, take drugs, mutilate the self or hatred others, have low self-esteem and the fearing, or even get involved in political disputes or wars and be dragged down, that is their own stupidity.

 

If they understand it, they would be able to improve the self and the world with the good knowledge and wisdom and to make the self and the world to be more happiness and peacefulness.

 

If you are tolerant to evil people, you are cruel to the vast number of innocent and good people; if you are kind and righteous to evil people, you are ruthless and unjust to the vast number of innocent and good people.

 

There are many the antisocial personality and the dark triad personalities of Machiavellians, narcissists and psychopaths in the world. They are generally existed in the area of politics, religions, workplaces, and our life. They seemly appear normal and are seemly harmless to the society and country. But, in fact, this is not the case.

 

Some of them use religious consciousness or political dogma to control all living beings, or to occupy the country and land, and then manipulate the humans to be in the opposition and hatred for personal gain by sacrificing the lives, freedom, human rights and interests of most people; some of them manipulate others, bully others or harm others in the workplace and in life; some of them connive evildoers to do any evil (the evil things done by the antisocial personality and the dark triad personalities of Machiavellians, narcissists and psychopaths).

 

To connive at various sorts of evil things are actually cruelty to most innocent and good sentient beings. Such evil causes, bad karma, and bad consequences always strengthen the evil ones and make them more capable of boldly harming all sentient beings. This situation will cause another kind of disaster and misfortune to all sentient beings. It may even cause trouble to other countries, deplete the national power or possibly destroy the country. It either sacrifices the lives of innocent and weak people, or lets many innocent and weak people bear any cost and pay any price of the turbid and restless world made by the evil consequences of evildoers. It is thus formed the unjust and turbid world. 

 

Most innocent and good people are not alert or defensive towards the antisocial personality and the dark triad personalities as mentioned.

 

Cunning smart and unjust wise are one of the characteristic of the antisocial personality and the dark triad personalities as mentioned. They are good at using cunning smart and unjust wise to obtain the self-interest, to take the advantage, or to harm or sacrifice humans or damage the interest of the innocent and good people. Some of these sorts of people are highly educated or have graduated from prestigious schools, and some of them own the good career in their life. They may have good looking, special insight of professional knowledge, and may be the leader in some area, such as in the public or in the religion. Meanwhile, some of them may be our boss, colleagues, relatives or friends, and usually live in our daily life. However, in their face or body, there is not written "I am an evil guy."  Many people feel alert after connecting with them and being harmed and bearing the heavy cost. Unfortunately, most of people are not alert or defensive towards the antisocial personality and the dark triad personalities as mentioned.

 

Those who are in the high positions and leader the public, if they have the good and just wisdom, empathy and compassion, would know how to do, so as to prevent those people with the dark triad personalities as said from doing things that harm all sentient beings.

 

In the past and modern times, information was closed and most people had no knowledge, concepts or ideas about the dangers of the antisocial personality and the dark triad personalities as said. Many innocent people, thousand and thousand people, are bullied or sacrificed by such people in the history. People with noble personality and high wisdom, as well as those with good knowledge and cultivation, disdain to engage in cunning things and in damaging others to benefit the self. Their intelligence will allow them to skillfully avoid these types of people. 

 

However, most people do not have this kind of insight and wisdom, especially the women and children. Therefore, those who have the opportunity to be in high positions to leader the public, are integrity and have good intentions, for their own sake and for the welfare of all sentient beings, must deeply understand the antisocial personality and the dark triad personalities. And It must be particularly vigilant towards them, guard against them, and at the same time, use the good and just wisdom, empathy and compassion to protect the sentient beings by preventing those with dark personalities from doing things that harm all sentient beings.

 

Cunning-smart antisocial personality and the dark triad personalities as mentioned are good at obtaining the selfish interests by various plausible reasons and letting the innocent and good people to bear any cost and pay any price.  

 

That is because we have to know, when we have the opportunity to be in high positions and leader and manage the public, we have the responsibility to protect most of the innocent people and to deter the development and grow of any five-poisonous-mind persons. The antisocial personality and the dark triad personalities always own one of the five poisonous minds—the greedy, hatred, stupid infatuation (obsession or addiction), arrogance, and suspicious. And they tend to seek the selfish interests by any plausible or cosmetic reasons so as to hide their selfishness and by sacrificing (at the expense of) the innocent and good people and letting the innocent people to pay or bear any cost so as to benefit the self or firm their power or take side with the reap-without-sowing persons.

 

Do you know the innocent and good people might pay and bear what kinds of cost? It is as follows:

 

1.          Bearing the cost of any risks, such as health risks, the risks of loss of life, the risks of loss of happiness, the risks of losing loved ones, the risks of losing jobs, or the war risks, etc.

2.          Bearing the cost of consumption of the physical, mental, health, time, life and property for bearing any risks.

3.          Bear the cost and paying the price of losing parents because of the war or of others selfish and unjust means, that is lack of the protection and shade from the earnings made by parents and being took care by parents. It also means that the children may lose the chance to enter the good school, may not own the good education, and may lose the good opportunity to purse their good future.    

4.          Paying the price of losing children because of the war or of others selfish and unjust means, that is lack of the protection and assistant from the earnings made by children and being took care by children. Especially in the Asian society, the aging parents significantly depend on their children so as to live well. If the aging parents without the help of their children, they usually live badly.

5.          Bearing the costs of consumption of the physical, mental, time, property and life due to the constrained by concerning about any risks, such as war risks or religious opposing, hatred ideology or political authoritarian ideology, etc.

6.          Bearing the cost of the various opportunities, that is because of various ideologies imposed by dark triad personalities and any damages to affect the free development of individuals and the progress of social civilization and thus losing any good opportunities.

7.          Bearing the various costs and paying any prices of scheming people “raising tigers to make trouble”.

8.          Bearing the various costs and paying any prices of selfish people helping evildoers.

9.          Bearing any costs and paying any prices of those people with dark triad personalities who cause social and national problems, chaos and unrest.

10.      Bearing any cost of economic losses, due to the economic is destructed by dark triad personalities;

11.      Bearing any cost and paying any price of maintaining social and national security, due to the social and national security are destructed by dark triad personalities.

12.      Bearing any cost and paying the price of consumption of time, spirit, health and property because of the harassment, interference, and infringement of people with dark triad personalities.

13.      Bearing the caused various costs that the flow of refugees who are caused by the war launched by those with dark triad personalities and escaped to the other lands and brought trouble to the original local residents.

14.      The harm caused by above mentioned will also be borne by innocent people of the third party continually.

 

 

Above is what I can consider and experience. There may be the other innocent and good people who are bearing any cost that I cannot consider and experience.  

 

When we carefully perceive and research those persons who have the five poisonous minds or have the antisocial personality or have the dark triad personalities as mentioned, we will find that they are the trouble-makers and they bring the unfortunate, trouble or disaster to all sentient beings. In fact, they also bring the suffering to themselves.

 

Clarifying the difference between the personal issues of people with the five poisonous minds and our own personal issues can help us use wisdom to escape from the harm caused by people with the five poisonous minds.

 

If we are the good and just wise persons, what we should resolve are the problems caused by the antisocial personality and the dark three personalities as mentioned and the problems of these persons, and we should avoid the innocent and good people being get involved in any disputes caused by these dark personalities or being "kidnapped" by the illusory morality or the dreamy ideology made by them, so as to avoid the most of the innocent persons being within the framework of controversy. And it is also should be avoid the huge masses of the public to be “emotionally blackmailed” by these dark personalities. Meanwhile, it is also should avoid the life and property of the civilians to be threatened and damaged by these dark personalities.

 

Zero-sum Game is usually used in the politics or the societies. One party's gain is the other party's loss, and the sum is zero. Although the dark personalities might not necessarily know the Zero-sum Game, they are good at playing the similar game, and good at shifting the blame for the problem to an innocent third party and making him bear various costs and prices. If you are the innocent third party, how do you resolve the troubles? The psychologist Adler said: "Because you have shouldered other people's problems without authorization, you will feel pain." Therefore, you only need to live for your own problems, and there is no need to bear other people's problems. By understanding the separation of issues and returning other people's issues to each other, we lighten the burden and avoid unnecessary pain.

 

The moral education of some religions, including the Buddhism, often teaches the public to make sacrifices and sacrifices for all sentient beings. To a certain extent, this is good moral education. However, many times it becomes a method for selfish and scheming people -- with five poisonous minds -- to brainwash and oppress the public. And it becomes a way to serve and sacrifice for the selfish and scheming persons. In other word, they want the innocent people to bear any cost and pay any price, including the life, time, spirit, health, property, freedom and opportunity.

 

In Taiwan, some Buddhist Master teaches their disciples that if some evil person hit your left face, you let the right face to be hit, too. It is to highlight the personal cultivation of a Buddhist monk or nun and to focus on the spirit of the tolerance, not fighting and not hatred to each other and not revenging so as to keep the harmonious relationship. Meanwhile, it is to highlight the causality and the Buddhist monk and nun does not make the evil cause and effect by accepting the teaching of Buddha. It is the good teaching and worth for us as the reference.

 

However, I think it is not necessarily suitable for the masses in the public society and the public issue. If we connived at the evil persons, we became the accomplice and make the evil persons to grow their evil to bully the innocent and good masses. Then, we ourselves become the ones who create bad karma. But, do not connive at the evil persons. It is not to use the hatred and revenge to deal with those who have the dark triad personalities.

 

How to deal with those people with the dark triad personalities and the five-poisonous-minds, please refer to How to Deal With the People Who Are Stupid and Obsessed With Something. According to psychological research, those people with dark triad personalities have zero sense of morality. In other words, moral persuasion usually has zero effect on them. Then, maybe they will laugh at you in turn, because you are not as cunning smart and capable as they are. However, if you know what kind of ignorance they own, you may find the ways to deal with them.

 

The suffering in life not only comes from the five poisonous minds of the self, but also comes from the harm caused by the five poisonous minds of others.

 

Sometimes, our life is miserable and unsatisfactory, not because we face too many enemies, but because there are too many cunning or scheming or selfish people around us, such as antisocial personality and dark triad personalities and the five poisonous minds. They are not necessarily our enemies but they may be our family members, husband, wife, relatives, colleagues, friends, etc. They always appear in our eyes and are always around us. They may also love their family members, considerate them and want to benefit them and let them live well. They thus want to do something for the self and their family members, but, to use the unjust means and sacrifice others to achieve their goal. However, they may be stupid but hard-working. They may be doing stupid things diligently, doing things that harm others and do not benefit the self. Often what they think is smart and self-interested behavior is actually quite stupid in the eyes of people with good character and wisdom. However, these people with good character and wisdom usually do not directly criticize or teach those people -- who own the dark triad personalities and the five poisonous minds -- in front of them.

 

Regarding the five poisonous minds of the self to harm the self, it has been discussed a lot in the Buddhist Scripture -- A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha. You can refer to the related articles in this blog.  

 

To perceive where there are the five poisonous minds of the self and others, it would help us to learn Buddhism, how to help others with good wisdom and clean compassion, and so as to change our life and the world to be better.

 

There are always five poisonous minds and antisocial personalities and dark triad personalities in the various races and in the world. What they do may not make you agree, and may even be cruel, violent and criminal and make people so angry that they want to eliminate them and let them disappear in the world. If we observe from history or modern society, those with these kinds of personalities or the five-poisonous-mind persons are always existed and never disappeared. We may disagree with what they do and the political or religious ideologies they adhere to, or any doctrine or ideology they adhere to, but there is no need for us to waste our energy or time hating them or attacking their personality or any such persons. We must clarify people and things and recognize what the difference between them is.

 

From the perspective of Buddhism, the nature of all living beings is emptiness, within there is no good or evil. At the same time, there is also good or evil. This depends on their personal cause and effect, showing good or evil thoughts, or doing good or evil. That is, whether the wisdom and compassion arise, or whether the five poisonous thoughts arise or not, this is what the difference is. When a person's five poisonous minds arise, the wisdom and compassion of the self are then covered. When a person's wisdom and compassion arise, the five poisonous minds of the individual are able to be disappeared. This is what we must understand in the process of learning Buddhism. To perceive the self and others would help us to learn Buddhism, how to help others with good wisdom and compassion, and thus to change our self and life, and so as to make the self and the world better.

 

The Buddhist law of cause and effect and of the purity and equality is similar to the Zero-sum game.

 

Many people use the way of playing chess, and the way of winning and losing on the chessboard, to look at the world situation, manage international relations, or look at your own career and life, and the relationship between people. If you use winning and losing to satisfy your competitive mentality and think you are smart and proud, then you will have blind spots.

 

The blind spot is to put all the costs of winning and losing on others or letting innocent people bear them directly. And many people don’t have this kind of perception and reflection and do not have the recognition that they should have the responsibility to shoulder any costs. They only see winning and losing, but do not see the consumption of economic costs, spiritual consumption, time consumption, healthy consumption, life consumption, property consumption and opportunity cost consumption of all living beings. Consumption is cost. In other word, those who only care about winning and losing, and the selfish interest, and do not care about the suffering of all living beings, do not have the empathy, compassion and the good wise.

 

The Buddhist law of cause and effect and of the purity and equality is similar to the Zero-sum game, but it is not totally the same. From the laws of cause and effect and purity and equality in Buddhism, we know that if you take advantage of others or let others bear any costs and prices and any loss, including the life, just only to allow yourself to survive well, you will have to pay it back one day and might be double and double to pay it back. That is the reverse Zero-sum game.

 

How much a person's happiness is depends on his personal virtue and cultivation. If you do not have the enough happiness and blessing created by your few virtue but take advantage of others to gain more happiness and interest for yourself, this is greed and evil. This account will be recorded by the spirit (god) who records it. Maybe In this life and possibly in the next life, you must use your labor, spirit, financial resources and life to return the favor and interest back to the objects that you took advantage of. Therefore, when we deeply practice Buddhism and understand the laws of cause and effect in Buddhism, we will not dare to harm and take advantage of others.

 

From the perspective of the law of beyond the world, the Buddha saw the Three Realms and Six Paths as the Buddha's pure land.

 

From the perspective of the law of beyond the world, the Buddha saw the Three Realms and Six Paths as the Buddha's pure land. Any evil desire and any thus caused evil are the evil cause and effect. The nature of evil in the world is also empty. The Buddha's heart was pure, so he saw the Three Realms and Six Paths also pure. The Buddha saw all living beings that no matter how evil they are, no matter how evil they do, their nature is pure and untainted. Even if these evil-doers were reborn in the three evil realms and suffer, the Buddha saw them as pure. When they have suffered the retribution of many lives, they will naturally do their best to be good, doing good deeds, cultivating the self, practicing Buddhism, and using their life or property to repay all sentient beings in life after life. Furthermore, they will be generous and give all what they own, including the knowledge, wisdom and fearlessness, to all sentient beings so as to make them peace and happiness. This is the law of cause and effect and the theory of karma and causality in the Buddha's teachings.

 

Your heart creates your world.

 

The Buddha used all kinds of methods of convenient wisdom and compassion to teach sentient beings, and even used the convenient methods to control evil with evil. Unfortunately, there are always living beings (including the five poisonous minds, the antisocial personality and Machievillians, narcissists, and psychopathic people) who ignore or despise the Buddha's teachings. The Buddha did not mind, did not worry and did not care about these things.

 

No matter sentient beings dwell in good causes, good conditions, and good results, or dwell in bad causes, bad conditions, and bad results, and no matter how the karma and results of all living beings turn around in life after life, all living beings will one day become Buddhas. But for those who do evil, when this day comes, he will go through many tribulations in many lives to repay for the evil deeds he did and the harm he caused to all living beings.

 

This is also the view and perceiving of purity and equality in the Buddha's teachings. It is also the law of purity and equality in Buddhism. Therefore, the concept of emptiness, it is not that there is nothing in it. The karma and consequences of good and evil do exist in the mind and consciousness of those who do good or evil. This is how their hearts drew their own world. That is why the Buddha said, "The heart is the working painter who can paint all worlds." The heart includes the mind, the thought, the conscious, behavior, and action.

 

The Buddha's world transcends the Three Realms and Six Paths, but it also contains the Three Realms and Six Paths.

 

The Buddha's world transcends the Three Realms and Six Paths, but it also contains the Three Realms and Six Paths. How do we recognize and realize it? Let us imagine there is a large circle which contains a small circle. The big circle represent the Buddha's world—the empty and boundless body, and the small circle represent the world of sentient beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths.

 

In the Nirvana Sutra (the Buddhist Scripture of Nirvana), the Buddha mentioned that the Buddha nature of all living beings is neither inside nor outside. Living beings are within the Three Realms and Six Paths. Their Buddha-nature has not yet been enlightened completely and has existed there. Taking the sentient beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths as the main body, the enlightened Buddha’s Buddha-nature and the Buddha’s world is vast and boundless and beyond the range what they live in the Three Realms and Six Paths.

 

For them, the Buddha’s world seems outside what they live in the Three Realms and Six Paths. That is not inside what they live. But, the worlds of the living beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths are indeed contained in the world of Buddha. These seemed two Buddha-natures are combined to be one. Exactly, they are one.

 

However, as for the sentient beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths, it seems that the enlightened Buddha-nature of the Buddha is not in their bodies, so it is non-internal. However, the un-enlightened Buddha-nature of sentient beings in the Three realms and Six paths--that is, the polluted physical and mental consciousness with the five poisons--does not leave the vast and boundless body of the Buddha's Buddha-nature--that is, the pure, empty and boundless body (Dharmakaya) and without the five-poison body, so it is non-external.

 

No matter the fetus or the cell is good or bad, it is in the mother’s body. They are one. No matter all living beings do good or bad, they are in the empty, vast and boundless body of the Buddha. They are one.

Another example is to imagine that the fetus or the cell is in the mother's body. The vast, emptiness-silence and boundless body of Buddha-nature (Dharmakaya) is liken to the mother's body, all living beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths are liken to the fetus or the cell in this mother’s body. The mother’s body of the vast, emptiness-silence and boundless body of Buddha-nature (Dharmakaya) is not internal to the fetus or the cell, but it is not external to the fetus or the cell because the fetus or the cell itself is in the mother's body.

Therefore, we can further speculate and imagine, those living beings with the mind and body consciousness of the five poisonous minds, including those with the antisocial personalities and the dark triad personalities, are liken to the cancer cells in the mother’s body, they are destructive and harmful to other cells, but the cancer cells themselves do not think it is an abnormal cell, and it does not think that it is destructive or harmful to other cells. It thinks that everything is just the development of its own instinct. Furthermore, no matter the fetus bad or abnormal is, it is still in the vast mother’s body. Whatever how bad the fetus or cancer cell is and even someone wants to eliminate it, their neither-good-nor-evil self-nature is still in the vast and boundless mother’s body and to be one with the mother's self-nature.

So does it have Buddha nature? It has Buddha nature, but it has not been recognized and realized by the self yet. That is why the Buddha saw all sentient beings like his children or like one part of himself. Therefore, the Buddha said that I, Buddha, and all living beings are one, not two. That is to say, I am the Buddha and all living beings, or in other words, all living beings are the Buddha and me. We are one. The word I and Me are meant to the subject and the individual who learns Buddha. That is also why the Buddha saw all living beings are the future Buddha.

And when we realize this concept, what all living beings we see will be different and we see all living beings are the future Buddha and the self. When we stand at this high point of view, we will realize why a Buddha saw the sentient beings doing the evil, he cried and shed tears. It is as if a good mother who did her best to teach her children to be a good child, however, the child did not listen to its mother’s teaching and advice, and continually did the evil to harm others. And then this mother felt sad for this and cried and shed tears. In fact, it’s a Buddha of the self-nature who cried and shed tears. Then we know that the Buddha is also multi-faceted and has a sentient part to him.  

 

That is why when we deeply recognize and realize the Buddhism, we understand that there is neither duality opposition nor hatred to others, and neither despising nor revenging to all sentient beings in the vast, emptiness-silence, and boundless world of Buddha nature. It is the good wisdom, empathy and compassion to all sentient beings and to treat them as the self and as a Buddha.

 

Cultivating oneself to become a Buddha is the most important theme, purpose and motive. But, its process can not violate the national laws which are regulated by the public in the just and democratic way.

 

In Buddhism, it does not have the concept of being a slave of God or gods, nor does it have the concept of consecration to God or gods. It also does not have the concept that it is the honor to be a servant to God or gods. Cultivating oneself to become a Buddha is the most important theme, purpose and motive. Giving is one of the Six Ways of cultivating oneself. The object of giving is all sentient beings, including gods. What the Buddha saw gods are one of all sentient beings. The Buddha also teaches Buddhism for gods.

 

The giving includes giving the integrity, wisdom, empathy, compassion, and fearlessness, etc. The methods are able to be very convenient and flexibility and immeasurable and boundless. That is, there is no restraint and limit. But, it cannot violate the worldly law regulated by the public and according to the public benefits.

 

In other words, the autonomy of any disciple who practices and learns Buddhism is free, whether in willingness, vow, ambition, mentality, spirit, thought, heart, mind, consciousness or body. However, each group that practices Buddhism has its own needs and regulation. Observance of norms and precepts is necessary for the harmony and smooth functioning of the group. However, if there is any threat, intimidation, harassment, interference or violation of personal freedom, it violates national laws and can be reported.

 

On the way of practice, if you encounter a practice group that violates national laws or is not in line with Buddha's teachings, you must find a way to leave to avoid harm to your body and mind and loss of life and property.

 

The trauma caused by religious beliefs has always existed. Some people have weak hearts or feel confused about life and have some problems, so they are brought into religious groups by friends. From the beginning, they happily share life and belief, and finally evolve into being manipulated by religious people and thus causing loss and damage to their spirit, time, life and property. Mental exhaustion and trauma are thus appeared.

 

On the way of practice, if you encounter a practice group that violates national laws or is not in line with Buddha's teachings, you must find a way to leave to avoid harm to your body and mind and loss of life and property. Female friends, in particular, must be especially careful. The teachings, thoughts and moral patterns and heights of Buddhism are beyond the laws of the world. However, this does not mean that people who practice Buddhism can be arrogant and not abide by the laws of the world. This is what we must understand. As long as the laws of the world conform to moral ethics, are agreed upon by the public, and are in line with the public benefits of the country and society, we still have to abide by such national and social norms.

 

Why do I reminder you these things? I find that some people who are enthusiastically practice and spread the Buddhism. However, they are shortage of the knowledge of the worldly law. When they make the mistakes and violate the worldly law, even to violate the teaching of Buddha, they don’t think they do anything wrong. Unfortunately, any harm and trauma to others had been caused. If you have ever experience the harm and trauma as said, I hope you do not lose the faith about Buddhism. What the wrong is caused by humans, not by the teaching of Buddha. I hope you can distinguish what the difference between them is. 

 

For example, Taiwan is currently a place where information networks are quite popular, and the style of school education is also moving toward allowing students to have the ability to think, debate, speculate and create freely. This kind of education is very well and free from any political and religious authoritarian and ideological frameworks. However, schools Incidents of a small number of teachers taking advantage of their power to sexually abuse students still occur. So, in Buddhist groups, when we learn Buddhism, especially these young and innocent learners, we need to be particularly alert to similar incidents.

 

Conclusion

 

Before we realize emptiness, our understanding and learning of Buddhism is still full of religious consciousness and dogma. For us, it is still a kind of consciousness bind, which does not allow us to completely achieve liberation of the mind. There is no complete freedom either. During this process, self-doubt and unnecessary worries may arise. When you go through this process and you can learn widely through practical practice, you will have the opportunity to see your true self-nature.

From the explanation for the law of the world and of beyond the world, I hope you understand the Buddhism and the world and yourself more. Regarding many problems in our life and in the world, if we are in the high stance of Buddhism and Buddha, we may find the way to resolve it. I hope this article would help you liberate your suffering and make your life and the world better. And I wish we can go on the way of Buddha and Bodhisattva together and become a Buddha – World-Understanding, jointly.