From Buddhism and its concept of emptiness, we can understand the absurdity of the world and its negative impact.
Author: Tao Qing Hsu
Author's Note: The following text is quite long; readers are encouraged to read it in stages—take a break, then continue. Thank you.
Foreword
In 1987, Taiwan lifted martial law, followed by the lifting of bans on newspapers and political parties, the opening of freedom of speech, and the permission for Taiwanese to travel to and visit relatives in mainland China. In 1991, I had the opportunity to travel to mainland China with my mother, who was still alive at the time, on a tour group. We visited a temple dedicated to Bodhisattva Maitreya; the couplet on the temple gate read:
My large belly can hold all things, even those that are difficult to tolerate in the world.
Always keep a smile on my face, and laugh at the laughable people in the world.
As far as I can remember, this is roughly what the couplet looks like. This couplet describes the compassion and wisdom of Bodhisattva Maitreya. Maitreya is a name in Sanskrit. Maitreya means mercy, compassion, and benevolence. Seeing such a couplet for the first time in my life deeply moved me and resonated with me, and I have thus memorized it.
Whether in mainland China or Taiwan, people's livelihoods and morale have been in a state of hardship and suffering since the war. Enlightened individuals in Taiwan, these predecessors, have been working tirelessly to find a way for the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to escape this predicament and achieve a forward-looking, peaceful, and prosperous common development. They have also been exploring how to enlighten the people, realize popular sovereignty, and ensure the sustainable development of freedom and democracy.
At that time, I was young and lived in my simple hometown, naive and inexperienced. Thanks to the many predecessors, I was fortunate enough to board this ship that would create a new future, brave the wind and waves, and sail towards a happy future of reform and change.
With the opening up of freedom of speech, religious freedom has also flourished. Various religious beliefs and knowledge, as long as they do not involve moral offenses or violate laws, can be published, lectured on, and disseminated. This allows the general public to better understand the meaning of Buddhism. It was under the influence of this environment that I gained some understanding and inspiration for the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who saves people from suffering. (Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is Bodhisattva Guanyin, the Bodhisattva World-Sound-Perceiving. It is the Pusa World-Sound-Perceiving. It always perceives the sounds of living beings in suffering in the world, and saves them from suffering, when living beings call its name.)
At that time, the most well-known deity was Pusa World-Sound-Perceiving. This was because people's hearts were still largely closed off, and their inner suffering was immense. Pusa World-Sound-Perceiving was able to listen to the suffering of all beings and offer compassionate salvation. I was extremely fortunate to receive Pusa World-Sound-Perceiving's salvation in this environment. This is all thanks to the Buddhist masters of various sects who actively propagated the Buddha-Law(Dharma), and to the resident-scholar Buddhists who actively supported the Buddha, Dharma(Buddha-Law), and Sangha(the Buddhist monks and nuns). It was through their efforts that I, as a younger generation, was able to benefit and later gain a deeper understanding and study of Buddhism. (Resident-scholar Buddhists mean those who are not Buddhist monks and nuns, and learn and practice the knowledge and insight of Buddha in their life and work, and at home.)
My understanding of Bodhisattva Guanyin and Bodhisattva Maitreya partly comes from television series. I watched some of them. However, because I was a student at the time, I didn't watch every episode, so I was unaware of the aforementioned couplet about Bodhisattva Maitreya. It wasn't until I saw this couplet in a temple in mainland China.
I believe that to grasp the general meaning of this couplet, one must have some basic understanding of Buddhism. However, to truly understand its profound meaning, one must have a deep understanding of Buddhism. Otherwise, the general public might misunderstand that Bodhisattva Maitreya is belittling and mocking sentient beings, failing to appreciate Bodhisattva Maitreya's vast compassion and magnanimous heart.
Be cautious about the negative impact of online information and opinions provided by citizens from all over the world on all living beings.
On social media, international netizens create numerous inspiring and insightful videos covering a wide range of fields, which are quite helpful in increasing our intelligence and wisdom, enhancing our cognitive abilities, and broadening our horizons and minds. However, I believe that watching each video still requires us to possess critical thinking and independent thought skills, combined with our personal life experiences, to make informed judgments. This is because some video content may seem reasonable at first glance, but upon closer examination, we can discover problems. What are these problems? One of them is the speculative perspective offered from the viewpoint of a worker.
For example, I've recently watched quite a few short videos, and I'm very interested in psychology and related research and laws. Young people are using their knowledge and skills to create many videos, and I watch anything that piques my curiosity. Recently, I saw a Simplified Chinese video with content roughly as follows:
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A granary owner, in order to solve the problem of rats eating his grain, kept a white cat to catch the rats in the granary. The white cat worked very hard and eliminated all the rats in the granary. The granary owner then thought the white cat was no longer useful in the granary, so he ruthlessly drove it away.
After some time, the problem of rats eating the grain reappeared in the granary. So the granary owner got a black cat to help catch the rats. Every time the black cat caught a rat, it would run to the granary owner to show off its success, and the owner would happily reward it with delicious cat food. The black cat never caught all the rats, always releasing them back into their holes, so it always had an endless supply of rats to catch, run to its owner to show off its success, and get an endless supply of cat food.
The film's author then draws a conclusion, which can be summarized as follows: In the workplace, those who completely solve all problems are rendered useless and will soon be ruthlessly discarded or fired by their superiors. Conversely, those who know how to solve most problems and repeatedly leave unresolved are more likely to secure their positions and continue receiving their salaries without being abandoned or fired.
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The above post received at least hundreds to thousands of likes. However, do you agree with his viewpoint? Have you noticed any shortcomings in the above viewpoint? Do people with this way of thinking exist in international or domestic societies? I personally speculate that the existence of such people is unavoidable. I haven't encountered anyone with this kind of thinking in my life. However, I speculate that if someone has this idea, they will inevitably act on it in their actual life. This possibility absolutely exists. Then, can we speculate that some people deliberately leave problems unresolved in international affairs in order to profit from them?
In Taiwan, from childhood to adulthood, whether through school education, social work, interactions with various people, self-study, reading newspapers, magazines, and extracurricular materials, over fifty years have passed, and I have never encountered the aforementioned kind of information. Why? Because our family education, school education, and social education (including religious education) absolutely do not teach us this kind of viewpoint. This is because such a viewpoint is a typical example of opportunistic thinking. It completely contradicts Taiwan's educational philosophy.
Opportunistic thinking hinders innovation and progress for individuals and organizations.
I watched the videos expressing the aforementioned viewpoints twice on online social media at different times. The only difference was the characters involved; the conclusions and viewpoints remained the same. Secondly, there are similar videos with opportunistic viewpoints. These videos, produced using AI software, primarily aim to attract viewers and generate revenue. However, the influence of the viewpoints they offer should not be underestimated. If teenagers and young adults lack critical thinking and independent thought skills, and are not influenced by upright and virtuous values, and instead endorse these viewpoints, it will undoubtedly have a significantly negative impact on their future development and prospects. Furthermore, bosses, supervisors, or superiors with such subordinates will certainly be misled by them.
Have you ever considered whether people with this kind of opportunistic mindset, engaged in international or domestic politics, are deceiving people all over the world? Is this possible? I suspect it is.
The aforementioned speculative(opportunistic) mindset is a complacent, negative, and petty way of thinking. This kind of cognition, mindset, and approach to work will hinder innovation and progress in international and domestic politics, society, organizations, including religions, legal entities, companies, and so on.
Under a democratic and free system of public oversight, there will be no protection for speculators.
Under a democratic and free system of public oversight, and in a high-tech, free, and creative environment, such opportunists will not be tolerated. Taiwan's educated elites are driven by a strong sense of mission, always striving to solve problems. Even if they ultimately fail to achieve their goal, they will do their utmost. Even a cleaning lady will keep the public restrooms in libraries, subways, and high-speed rail stations spotless, fulfilling her mission. Visitors from around the world who have traveled to Taiwan will likely experience or notice this. Of course, opportunistic individuals do exist in Taiwanese society, but regardless of their position, they typically turn to crime and ultimately face legal consequences.
A good manager will not ruthlessly abandon the talent cultivated by the company or organization. If someone is talented and has devoted themselves to solving a problem, yet is heartlessly discarded by their manager, it reflects the manager's incompetence and lack of appreciation for talent. If a manager is unwise and deliberately suppresses or excludes those who have successfully solved problems, the astute employee/worker will take their achievements in solving the organization's problems and move on to other opportunities, seeking higher positions and salaries; or they may start their own business and create a new chapter in their lives. They will never allow themselves to remain stagnant, clinging to immediate gains, like a frog slowly being boiled in water, allowing themselves to perish in a predicament.
Because a democratic, free, and innovation-encouraging atmosphere and environment can provide people with very diverse and free choices in life and career. Therefore, in such an environment, people do not need to use speculative, negative, and extremely low-awareness thinking and attitudes to protect their survival interests in a company or organization.
However, I have found that in some authoritarian and dictatorial countries, due to the lack of democratic and free public oversight and an atmosphere and environment that encourages innovation, their citizens may resort to opportunistic, negative, and extremely low-awareness thinking and attitudes to protect their own interests in companies or organizations (including political organizations). As I mentioned earlier, this mentality and attitude cannot fully promote the progress and innovative development of knowledge, concepts, and ideas in companies or organizations, society, and the nation.
They engage in despotic and totalitarian governance by imitating religious and legal concepts.
Therefore, throughout history, the governance of autocratic and dictatorial states has mostly relied on imitating religious and legal concepts. For example, in the Bible, God's words to believers are filled with statements of God's authority and the believers' obedience. Some malicious individuals, posing as religious leaders, use such statements and concepts to manipulate believers and pursue their own selfish interests. Some states/parties, on the other hand, apply such statements and concepts to their discourse and slogans to their citizens, simply replacing the hierarchical terms of God and believers with "state/party" and "people" to manipulate the people. This is something we can discover if we pay close attention.
Or they might package the concept of law as acting in the best interests of the nation and its people. In reality, however, they fail to self-examine or reflect, refuse to improve, and instead demand that their citizens or the international community abide by the laws they have created. Isn't this absurd? In psychology, one of the most favored tactics of manipulators for self-interest is: "I'm doing this for your own good," or "I'm doing this for everyone's good." On the surface, they use various methods to cultivate goodwill and exchange benefits. Only after a long period of interaction do the manipulated realize, after comprehensive evaluation, that this is a highly unequal and disadvantageous transaction, and the time, energy, physical strength, resources, and costs consumed are incalculable. Broadly speaking, similar observations can be made. However, the citizens of the international community are short-sighted, only seeing immediate gains, and lack the vigilance I mentioned above. They are unaware that this harm accumulates silently and gradually.
By imitating and stealing high-tech technologies and engaging in unequal transactions and reciprocity, they cause harm to people all over the world.
In the era of the modern AI industrial revolution, the harm caused to people worldwide by this imitation and stealing of high-tech technologies and the practice of unequal transactions and reciprocity will likely far surpass that of the period surrounding World War II. The unequal reciprocity I'm referring to here also includes inequalities in spirit, psychology, and conscious energy—that is, the costs incurred in terms of spirit, psychology, and consciousness, even including the cost of time. These costs and inequalities, which are difficult to quantify, are currently rarely discussed sincerely. A serious discussion of this requires integrating knowledge from psychology, sociology, economics, law, and other related fields.
For example, from the perspective of Buddhism and its concept of emptiness, the word "struggle" itself is a literal word, and as such, it can be observed and used from a neutral perspective. In English, "fight, struggle, strive for" carries a positive connotation when used for self-reflection and self-development. Similarly, when the word "struggle" is used for self-examination and reflection, it is inward, a "struggle" between the good and evil thoughts within oneself, a positive and energetic force for cultivating a better self.
The external practice of "struggle" is a very obvious opposition, which is the external operation of the instigator's own inner five poisons.
However, some people regard the Chinese word "鬥爭(Dòuzhēng) battle/combat/struggle/fight/strive for/dispute/content" and its practice as a righteous act by individuals and groups against external forces. But if we have been nurtured by traditional Chinese cultural education rooted in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, we would generally avoid using the Chinese term "鬥爭(Dòuzhēng) battle/combat/struggle/fight/strive for/dispute/content" in our normal thinking and interactions with others. This is because the Chinese word "鬥爭(Dòuzhēng) battle/combat/struggle/fight/strive for/dispute/content" whether used as a verb or noun, clearly carries an aggressive connotation and does not imply harmonious coexistence.
Therefore, if we observe deeply, the term of "鬥爭(Dòuzhēng) battle/combat/struggle/fight/strive for/dispute/content" is clearly a binary opposition, an outward operation of the five poisons of the doing's own mind, the instigating of intention—simply put, creating karma—karma of body, speech, and mind. Karma can be good or bad. If we have this understanding, we will avoid using this kind of language in any written/external communication.
Those who engage in external "struggles" become debtors.
Therefore, there must always be a corresponding counterpart for "struggle" to occur. The question is, who is the target and object of this "struggle"? So, if we inexplicably become the target and object of this "struggle," if we are inexplicably oppressed, intimidated, or coerced, won't our mental, psychological, and conscious energy be depleted? Won't our time and opportunity costs be consumed? How should this be accounted for?
This may require legal experts, along with economists and actuaries, to help us accurately calculate the costs and recover the debts from the individuals and groups that initiated the external "struggle," thus offsetting our numerous losses. In other words, we have inexplicably become "creditors." This also has significance from a Buddhist perspective. Because, whether viewed from the perspective of present-life retribution or future-life consequences, the "debtor" must repay the "creditor."
The Buddhist saying goes, "Doing evil results in the retribution of evil, and doing good results in the retribution of good; it's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet." In Buddhism, if we simplify it, we can roughly divide the relationships between people into four types: repaying kindness, bestowing kindness, repaying debts, and collecting debts. If we delve deeper, we find that these complex relationships are intertwined, stemming from the good and bad karma accumulated in past and present lives. Karma means what people have done and thus accumulated the power of good and evil.
Can one use one's own thoughts to "struggle" against another's no-thoughts?
So, we might have a question: When we initiate an outward "struggle," can we truly "struggle" against the vastness of the universe? Can we truly "struggle" against the emptiness of our own nature? Can we truly "struggle" against the emptiness of the Dharma realm? Can we use our own form to "struggle" against the formless? Can we use our own thoughts to "struggle" against the non-thought of others? Can we use our own nature to "struggle" against the nature of others? Can we use our own emptiness to "struggle" against the emptiness of others? Once we understand this question, we can comprehend what the Buddha meant by "unnecessarily increasing afflictions and suffering. Thoughts follow one after another, and suffering is endless."
External struggles can also be disguised as a guise for global harmony and world peace to pursue selfish interests.
When someone engages in external struggles, it indicates an underlying mindset of opposition and confrontation, suggesting an inner turmoil. Under such circumstances, they loudly proclaim world peace. Anyone with basic Buddhist understanding, or simply being wise, will realize that those who engage in external struggles while advocating for world peace are clearly lying. Ironically, some are willing to pay the price and endorse this narrative. For example, researching the origins of Labor Day reveals that it was initially a group of people who used labor as a pretext and tool to exploit the concept of world peace in their external conflicts. This is inherently a form of intense opposition and confrontation; how can it possibly bring world peace? If a wise government understands this, it will know how to revise Labor Day to prevent it from becoming a tool for those with deep-seated and cunning schemes to manipulate labor as a pretext for external struggles.
Taiwanese people's progress in their pragmatic approach to dealing with employees.
In Taiwan, there used to be a Labor Research Institute which has now been renamed the Human Resources Research Institute in university. In other words, in the past, laborers, whose primary function was manual labor, were viewed by the government and company owners as worthless servants/slavers, even consumers, parasites dependent on their employers and companies. This held a considerable degree of contempt for laborers. Now, however, laborers are seen as resources that enhance company profits and value, possessing productivity, innovation, and R&D capabilities. They are an indispensable resource for a company with growth potential and sustainable development. Companies even implement employee stock ownership plans to retain top talent, recognizing employees as an integral part of the company as a whole. This reflects a significantly increased emphasis on laborers. This represents progress in the pragmatic approach that Taiwanese people take towards their employees.
In the face of war and the chaos of the world, the laws of the world are unable to restrain the perpetrators or deliver justice for the victims.
Information dissemination before and after World War II was not as convenient and widespread as it is today. Most citizens of the world at that time were largely uneducated, and even those who were educated were still bound by traditional ideas. Under such circumstances, citizens' independent critical thinking abilities were weak, or even nonexistent. Therefore, they were extremely susceptible to being swayed by seemingly progressive but actually flawed ideologies.
In my observation, people at that time were both too kind and too ignorant. To put it bluntly, they were people with low cognitive abilities. Besides being easily manipulated by cunning individuals, they were also severely bullied. At that time, what international or domestic laws could restrain and regulate those who committed evil? Or, to put it another way, could uphold justice for those who were bullied? Absolutely none. To put it bluntly, it was a group of people with low cognitive abilities bullying another group of people with low cognitive abilities.
Unfortunately, the world situation at that time was chaotic, and almost no law could restrain those who committed evil. When I was young, I couldn't understand the complex historical changes before and after World War II. Now that I am over fifty, looking back at that chaotic historical situation, coupled with my own Buddhist practice and interest in psychology, I can only regretfully say that the harm caused by the evil thoughts, malice, and evil deeds of those dark triangular personalities at that time is still being borne by the citizens of the international community today. In other words, we are still suffering from these shared historical karmic consequences.
The atmosphere of stupidity is affecting the whole world.
From a psychological perspective, in an environment characterized by speculative, negative, and extremely low cognitive thinking and attitudes, people of all levels—from those making and implementing political policies to ordinary citizens—may lack self-awareness and understanding. This is why we see and read some incredibly absurd articles, such as: "One person's success requires a group of fools."
To fool oneself and others. To take this as success and consider oneself clever.
Such articles reflect the level of understanding, environment, and atmosphere of a particular society or nation. If we understand this, we can deduce that this is how such a nation operates both domestically and internationally. What is this method? To fool themselves and others. They consider this success, and thus consider themselves clever. Regrettably and surprisingly, this method is accepted and paid for by most countries and their citizens internationally. In fact, these countries and their citizens are very supportive of this atmosphere of foolishness in trade, economics, and high technology. What they don't understand is that these countries with this atmosphere of foolishness are using various means, including trade and investment, international exchanges, and marriage alliances, to export this atmosphere of foolishness to their own countries.
Young people, housewives, and the agricultural and working class are mostly still in a state of low cognitive abilities/low awareness.
In other words, an atmosphere of ignorance is influencing the entire world, yet most countries and their citizens lack this self-awareness and vigilance. Whether in terms of time, mental energy, or physical strength, most of the agricultural and working class are focused on their labor. As long as their labor yields substantial rewards, they neither have the time nor the energy to deeply understand the causes and effects, how they operate, including political manipulation and lies. Young people, housewives, and the agricultural and working class are mostly still in a state of low cognitive abilities/low awareness, and are the most easily swayed by lies and ideology. I raise my hand to admit that I was also in a state of low cognitive abilities/low awareness when I was young; information flow wasn't as advanced back then as it is now, and I am currently still learning.
Speculators or those with low cognitive abilities/low awareness are a pathetic and pitiful group of people.
From a Buddhist perspective, speculators or those with low cognitive abilities/low awareness are a pitiful and pathetic group. Why? Even though most people in these countries and among their citizens who have misled or fooled others are materially quite well-off, they have significant limitations in their own intellectual development, knowledge, and wisdom. They possess a low level of awareness of this phenomenon but lack any self-awareness or reflection. In my personal observation, this group is, in some ways, not much different from the stray cats I feed. Why?
Animals are driven by survival instincts; they'll even act out a drama in their quest for food.
Animals are driven by survival instinct. To get a bite to eat and fill their bellies, they might even act out a performance for humans to obtain food. Then, they begin to occupy resources (the food provided by humans), unwilling to share with other unrelated members of their species to ensure the continuation of their lineage. This is meaningful for the mother cat and her offspring, but meaningless for other living beings.
The methods humans use to harm, exclude, suppress, and control others are extremely complex and even cruel.
If we extend this to the allocation of national resources or political lifelines, the allocation of corporate resources and the promotion of individuals, or the distribution of family wealth, isn't it all the same? It's just that human methods are far more complex. A mother cat might scold other cats and forbid them from eating, but she won't actually harm them. Humans are different. The methods that humans use to exclude, suppress, and control others are extremely complex, even cruel.
The kitten, only three months old, can already perform according to its mother's instructions.
Stray cats can perform the performance, and even kittens only three months old can follow their mother's instructions to act. What kind of act? Loud, piercing meows, constantly crying, "I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I'm so hungry! I'm hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!" The meows get louder and louder, and they even coordinate with their four little paws, stretching out their entire bodies, facing the wooden wall, frantically scratching at it. I listened and watched for three whole nights, my eardrums almost bursting, before I finally understood what the kittens meant. It's strange that I can understand their meaning. I only realized this through my own experience, and it truly amazed me; they have such intelligence.
A soul similar to a human's, confined to a cat-shaped body.
It truly felt like a human-like soul was confined to a cat's body. They communicated with humans only through feline actions and language. For me, it was a truly fascinating experience and a unique memory. The fact that they dared to meow so loudly and piercingly in front of me meant that the mother cat had already confirmed it was safe for them to do so. Because when I see stray cats, I always greet them with a short, high-pitched meow. Some stray cats will even respond with a meow, especially tabby cats. This is because they have long received friendly feeding and treatment from humans in the park.
Blindly supporting those with low cognitive abilities/low awareness who bully you only makes you a sucker.
Looking back at history, what I find most incomprehensible is why a large number of people, including the majority of the international community, are willing to use their hard-earned money to support a minority who vehemently suppress and control their lives, thoughts, and freedom of speech, even instilling hatred in them. We all know that freedom presupposes not harming others. This suppression and control, including the use of threats and intimidation to instill fear in others, violates freedom and can even be considered bullying—a form of psychological pressure and violence. Furthermore, by using methods to incite hatred within most people, one is essentially stirring up their inherent malice and the five poisons of the mind (greed, hatred, stupid infatuation, arrogance, suspicion). If we were wise, would we want to support someone whose heart is filled with malice and the five poisons, and who uses methods to incite others to have the same malice and the five poisons? And then allow this group to oppress us? If we are unwise and go to the trouble of supporting this group, we are truly being ripped off with our hard-earned money.
In history, those who are supported by the domestic and international citizens exploit, suppress, and control the freedoms and rights enjoyed by citizens of the international community.
In history, freedom includes inner freedom, which means the absence of fear. However, with the development of international social media, such methods of repression and control are now ubiquitous, capable of influencing the entire world without any international constraints. The freedoms that citizens of the international community should rightfully possess are being exploited by those who provide for them, leading to repression and control. Unfortunately, the majority of people in the international community lack this awareness and vigilance.
The low cognitive abilities/low-awareness person who is supported fools and bullies the person who supports him.
Looking back at history, what we cannot understand is why such a large group of people are willing to accept being fooled by others, engaging in self-abuse and self-limitation (referring to their psychological and mental exhaustion and repression, including spending time trying to please those who fool them), and then using their income and taxes to support those who fool them. This allows those who receive support to have more resources, accumulate capital, and intensify their efforts to abuse and restrict (referring to the psychological, mental, and physical exhaustion and suppression) those who labor hard, provide resources, and support them. And these people who support others are completely unaware and lack this understanding.
It is absurd to blindly support a group of people to oppress you.
Have you ever considered that those few who receive support (the term "few" is used to generalize using the principle of proportionality) are secretly pleased with their cunning and shrewdness, and don't believe they are acting wrongly? Did you know that in psychology, such people are considered to have low cognitive abilities? So, don't you think it's absurd to blindly support a group of people who oppress you? And isn't it even more absurd for a group of supported people to oppress those who support them? Have we ever considered that we might be one of those people? I regret to say that we cannot avoid the possibility that we may be among those who blindly provide support, directly or indirectly. This is because the interconnectedness of global economic and trade relations, international corporate mergers and investments, technology transfer, and even today's global internet connectivity, the development of social media and advertising, and AI technology all exacerbate this negative causal relationship. This phenomenon of materialism driven by self-interest, the cost of such exploitation, or rather, the cost of the mutual exploitation of material functions, and the negative consequences of its unequal reciprocity (referring to the inequality in individual rights, including the suppression and control of individual freedom of spirit and speech), are ultimately borne by all of humanity worldwide.
The relationship between the Buddha and all sentient beings is one of equality and mutual benefit.
In Buddhism, those who attain enlightenment and become Buddhas are entitled to receive offerings from humans and gods. Therefore, the Buddha is also known as "Worthy of Offerings." This is clearly stated and recorded in the Buddhist scriptures by Buddha Shakyamuni. While receiving offerings from humans and gods, the Buddha also accepts the Buddha's office, undertaking the responsibility of teaching and guiding sentient beings to realize the Buddha's knowledge (cognition), compassion, and wisdom. Therefore, we understand that the relationship between the Buddha and sentient beings is one of equality and mutual benefit. The premise of mutual benefit is equality. In Buddhism, equality is based on emptiness, on the unity of self, Buddha, and sentient beings within emptiness. Sentient beings refer to any sentient being born from the convergence of various causes and conditions. In the Buddha's understanding, all sentient beings are future Buddhas; essentially, their status is the same. The only difference lies in the time and degree at which sentient beings attain self-realization and achieve the wisdom and merits of Buddhahood, but their ultimate goal will be the same as that of the Buddha.
If people suppress and control others for their own selfish interests, they are essentially suppressing and controlling themselves.
Therefore, the Buddha did not establish an authoritarian regime to demand obedience and self-sacrifice from his followers. Nor did the Buddha suppress or control the freedom of all beings for personal gain, including their freedom of speech and interaction. Why? Because if the Buddha did so, he would essentially be sacrificing himself, suppressing and controlling his own freedom and rights. From a Buddhist perspective, by the same reasoning, we can understand that if beings did so, they would essentially be sacrificing themselves, suppressing and controlling themselves. This is the cause and effect of their own actions (what Buddhism calls karma), and they must bear the consequences and retribution; it's only a matter of time, and this time includes future lives (the Buddhist concept of reincarnation).
By choosing and deciding to suppress and exclude others, we also choose and decide how we ourselves will be suppressed and excluded.
From the Buddhist perspective of emptiness and the Buddhist view that self, Buddha, and sentient beings are one, when we choose to suppress and exclude others, we also choose to be suppressed and excluded by others. How so? Let me give you an example from my observations of raising stray female cats. The process is briefly as follows: A stray tortoiseshell cat (female) brought four kittens, only two or three months old, to stay with me. Among these four kittens, there were two similar-looking orange tabby kittens (one male and one female), a black male kitten, and a tabby female kitten. This female orange tabby kitten was very intelligent; at only five months old, it knew how to politely protest to other mature male or female cats, meowing to say, "This is our food, you can't eat it." The male orange tabby kitten, on the other hand, ate a lot, grew quickly, was quite strong, and was also very intelligent. It was hostile towards mature male cats; at only five months old, it knew how to directly and angrily punch them.
The female orange cat wanted to monopolize resources and ostracized her sister and daughter.
As the kittens grew up and left home, the clever female orange tabby kitten was left behind by its mother. I especially pampered this kitten, providing them with cat food, including canned tuna and meat broth, to ensure they had the nutrition to raise her kittens. The mother and this kitten then each gave birth. To my surprise, this female orange tabby seemed to have been spoiled by me. It started ostracizing its sister (also an orange tabby) and even its own daughter (also an orange tabby), refusing to share tuna with them. It would use feline body language and aggressive speech to scare them away, preventing them from eating.
Tortoiseshell mother cats are very loving towards their offspring and grandchildren.
This female orange tabby cat and her littermates, who grew up together, ate and played together, showing affection and never exhibiting any exclusionary behavior towards their siblings. Their mother, a tortoiseshell cat, was incredibly loving towards her offspring and grandchildren. I observed that she didn't show any exclusionary behavior towards them. Besides caring for her own later-born kittens, she also helped look after her grandchildren—the kittens of the female orange tabby I had spoiled. This tortoiseshell cat would even bring the granddaughter who had been excluded by the orange tabby to eat cat food together.
The female orange cat develops a sense of discrimination and possessiveness.
Seeing this mother orange cat's possessive attitude towards the tuna and her exclusionary behavior towards her sister and daughter, I felt this was unacceptable. Therefore, I decided to temporarily stop providing her with delicious canned tuna and any fresh meat (a temporary measure to suppress her), offering only basic dry food. Because during her upbringing, I had consistently introduced her to different cat foods, meats, and cat food, she knows what tastes best and has her own picky eating habits. She has developed a sense of discrimination and possessiveness, hence her exclusionary mentality and behavior. In Buddhist teachings, this is called karma, a thought and action that creates negative karma.
Your initial thought determines your karma and destiny.
What I want to illustrate with this example is that when the mother orange cat, in a single thought, chooses and decides to suppress and ostracize the other cat, it also chooses and decides how it will be suppressed and ostracized. However, it lacks this inner awareness. In other words, this single thought also determines its own cause and effect and destiny. To some extent, it may seem like I am suppressing it, but this cause and effect is precisely the result of the mother orange cat's own single thought and decision. Such cause and effect all begin with this single thought of the mother orange cat and continue to occur. Many complex phenomena in the world can perhaps be referenced and logically deduced based on this.
One characteristic of people with low cognitive abilities is that they blame others for everything they do, without reflecting on or examining their own actions.
Therefore, a characteristic of those with low cognitive abilities is that they blame others for everything they do, without reflecting on or examining their own actions. That initial thought, that very choice and decision they made, led to the subsequent cause and effect. They fail to engage in proper logical thinking and reasoning. The logic of those with low cognitive abilities is contradictory; it may seem logical, and they may speak eloquently and righteously, but with Buddhist contemplation of emptiness, we can discern these contradictions. We must be wise enough not to be swayed or influenced by their contradictory logic.
Clever stray mother cats know to seek refuge with humans.
When this tortoiseshell cat first came to live with me, she was being bullied and ostracized by other female cats in the neighborhood. She was clever and knew how to find a backer, deliberately luring her cat to my door. The loud arguing between the two cats caught my attention. I would open the door to mediate, first meowing to greet them. I would see the two cats facing each other, locked in a stalemate. The calico cat who was bullying the tortoiseshell cat, after a moment of surprise, realized that this tortoiseshell cat actually had a human as a backer. The calico cat instantly understood and stealthily retreated, then turned and ran away in a flash. The calico cat's reaction was really cartoonish and funny; I laughed inside myself.
The stray mother cat, who had experienced hunger, oppression, and exclusion, has love and empathy for her daughter and granddaughter.
Therefore, I speculate that this tortoiseshell mother cat may have also experienced suppression and exclusion from her mother or sisters, and suffered hunger and the hardships of being a stray. That's why she brought her four kittens to seek refuge with humans, hoping for food and sustenance for her family. Perhaps she can understand the feelings of suppression and exclusion, which is why she doesn't treat her daughters and granddaughters this way. However, her daughter, the orange tabby, has been pampered since she was a kitten. I often see this tortoiseshell mother cat personally bringing her two orange tabby kittens (one male and one female) to eat cat food. It's clear she favors these two kittens. This orange tabby, having never experienced suppression and exclusion from other mother cats, naturally cannot understand those feelings, which is why she so blindly acts in this way, suppressing and excluding her daughters and sisters.
In choosing and deciding to use others, we also choose and decide how we ourselves will be used.
In short, when we choose and decide to harm others, we also choose and decide how we ourselves will be harmed. When we choose and decide to exploit others, we also choose and decide how we ourselves will be exploited. Everything else is merely the intervening cause and effect, the karmic consequences, intricately interwoven, ever-changing, and varying in duration. Many family, social, domestic, or international conflicts can be analyzed, referenced, and reasoned about based on this.
The cause and effect of suicide stems from forcing others to die through various means in past lives.
As I have mentioned before, the cause and effect of suicide in this life may also stem from a past life where the perpetrator harbored an evil thought and forced another to die. Therefore, we can infer that if someone in this life uses various malicious means to force another to die, the cause and effect in their future life may be suicide. Many phenomena can be considered and deduced based on this.
Suicide rates are higher among people with low cognitive abilities.
I've observed many people and have some knowledge of physiognomy and fortune telling. Many who appear to live very comfortable lives, who are very assertive in their dealings with others, who feel superior because of their positions, income, or salaries, and who even use this sense of superiority to look down on others and dare to bully them, are actually filled with ignorance and suffering, experiencing extreme pain and frequently contemplating suicide. Some have openly admitted to suffering from depression and undergoing medication. I've found that many of these individuals have low cognitive abilities. The suicide rate is higher among those with low cognitive abilities.
Even when the male peacock doesn't display its tail feathers, it still strolls around leisurely.
That's all. Many of these ignorant individuals with low cognitive abilities are men. Do you know why? Because they mistake their personal image and the halo of external fame and fortune for their own value and meaning, just like a male peacock that needs to display its tail feathers to attract the attention of female peacocks and demonstrate its worth. But does a male peacock have no value or meaning if it doesn't display its feathers? I've seen male peacocks strolling around leisurely even when they don't display their feathers! Doesn't it need to live? Therefore, if we are wise enough, we know not to be swayed by the words and actions of these people with low cognitive abilities.
As a community with a shared future, those who commit evil must bear the consequences.
From a worldly perspective, we know that regardless of our location, nationality, race, gender, age, or belief, we are all part of a shared destiny. For example, when war breaks out, we are all affected by inflation and drastic fluctuations in oil prices. Since we are a community with a shared destiny, how can we maliciously find any excuse to harm, harass, suppress, or control the freedom of others, or exclude or restrict their social interactions in international settings, without bearing the consequences? From a Buddhist perspective, those who commit evil will inevitably bear the consequences. For further explanation of this viewpoint, please refer to Chapter 8 of the "Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters Spoken by the Buddha" and other chapters on this blog.
The conditioned dharma is to use the illusions of inner consciousness to pursue the illusions of external consciousness.
From a Buddhist perspective, all political consciousness, doctrines, and rhetoric are conditioned phenomena, subject to arising and ceasing. As the Buddha taught, "All phenomena are like illusions." This means that the phenomena of the world and the universe, the ever-changing phenomena of the Dharma realm, including the phenomena arising from our own inner consciousness and thoughts, are like illusions; they arise and cease. Since they are illusions, they are not real. Unreal phenomena are impermanent, subject to change.
Returning to the concept of emptiness of self-nature is the most practical and efficient way to untangle any inner entanglements and the constraints of any phenomena.
If our consciousness chases after these external illusions, it's like chasing after external illusions with the illusions of our own inner consciousness. The Buddha, out of compassion, didn't directly scold sentient beings for our foolishness (though he did scold us in many ways) or for our internal conflicts; he simply addressed the issue at hand, revealing the true nature of reality. Therefore, if we have this understanding, returning to the emptiness of reality is returning to a human-centered way of thinking. What is human-centeredness? It is the emptiness of inherent existence. This is the most practical and efficient way to untie any inner knots and the bonds of any phenomena.
Using Buddhism and its concept of emptiness to unravel the myriad phenomena of the Dharma realm.
Equality established by humans based on self-interest and the infringement of the freedom and rights of others is false equality, not true equality. This can be extrapolated to other similar situations. The cunning and opportunistic mentality arising from this is merely a mental construct; the actions performed are all illusory creations; any religious or political terminology manipulated is merely a literal representation. All of this can be deciphered by basing our understanding on Buddhism and its concept of emptiness. Why?
Use "emptiness" to dispel any incorrect religious or political ideologies, claims, and rhetoric.
The Heart Sutra states: "All phenomena are empty in nature." This means that all phenomena, regardless of whether their causes are good or bad, and regardless of whether their conditions are good or bad, are essentially empty in nature. All the myriad phenomena of the Dharma realm, formed by the intertwining of causes and conditions, arise from this emptiness. Therefore, when we return to the contemplation of emptiness, we can dispel the myriad phenomena of the Dharma realm and avoid being swayed and bound by the cunning and deceitful minds of others. Simply put, it is about using "emptiness" to dispel all phenomena. It is about using "emptiness" to dispel any incorrect religious or political ideologies, claims, and rhetoric. After dispelling these, we can re-examine our thoughts and establish correct viewpoints that conform to common sense and reason.
Misunderstandings of the Heart Sutra's phrase "all phenomena are empty of inherent existence" among those with low cognitive abilities.
Those with low cognitive abilities misunderstand the Heart Sutra's statement "all phenomena are empty of inherent existence," and interpret and act upon it in a self-righteous manner—that is, with limited and low cognitive understanding. They mistakenly believe that all their causal phenomena are empty of inherent existence, therefore, there is no such thing as retribution, punishment, or the three lower realms. Therefore, they dare to distort facts, fabricate anything, and deceive all citizens of the world; they dare to treat sentient beings maliciously, despise them, and inflict violence upon them; they dare to arbitrarily deprive citizens of their freedom and rights; they dare to arbitrarily deprive parents of their parental rights; they dare to occupy resources without sharing with others; they dare to disrupt the harmony of any nation or society; they dare to act cunningly and opportunistically; they dare to use knowledge that subverts the reasonable common sense of the kind-hearted public, then rationalize or emotionalize it in a seemingly plausible way to manipulate all citizens of the international community. They dare to assume a superior position to punish and sanction good and reasonable citizens of the world.
In other words, there is no evil they wouldn't dare to commit, all for the sake of gaining power, wealth, resources, and control over religious groups, society, the nation, and the international community. From a Buddhist perspective, Maitreya Bodhisattva is described as having "a large belly that can hold all those whom the world finds intolerable; a constantly smiling mouth that laughs at all those whom the world finds laughable." Why? Because ordinary people's thoughts, actions, and intentions are absurd and ignorant.
Those who commit evil due to low cognitive abilities open the door to the three evil paths themselves.
Unfortunately, the three evil realms are already registered, just waiting for these people to report. But it doesn't matter; they can come and go as they please. The three evil realms are merely illusions conjured by the creator's own mind. Without the three evil realms, there would be no entrance; the creator himself opened them, built the doors, and rolled in. No one has the right to create the three evil realms for them, nor the right to force or compel them to enter. Does anyone not believe this? Then think about the nightmares you've had. No one can force or compel us to have nightmares, right? Then we understand how absurd, ignorant, pathetic, and laughable all the creations of these people with low cognitive abilities are!
Those who commit evil due to low cognitive abilities use their thoughts to conjure up their own world.
The *Yuanjue Sutra* states, "All phenomena are like illusions." The *Avatamsaka Sutra* also says, "The mind is like a skilled painter, able to depict all worlds; the five aggregates arise from it, and there is nothing it does not create." The five aggregates refer to the afflictions accumulated through our sensory experiences of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. These afflictions all arise from the thought itself and accumulate. When the accumulation becomes too heavy, it transforms into mental and psychological pressure and distress. In other words, these low-awareness individuals, filled with the five poisons of the mind, conjure up a self-righteous fantasy world through their thoughts. Their hearts are actually filled with the afflictions of the five desires and the five poisons, yet they stubbornly cling to controlling this illusory external world painted by their minds. (The five desires refer to the desires arising through the five senses; also, the desires for wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep); (The five poisons are greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt—please refer to other articles on this blog for further explanation).
Using the analogy of a child blowing toy bubbles, one can understand the Buddhist concept of "all phenomena arise and cease due to causes and conditions; all phenomena are empty."
Just like a naive child, in a state of non-thought, a single thought arises (in Buddhism, this signifies "cause"), picks up a bubble-blowing toy (in Buddhism, this signifies "condition"), and blows many colorful bubbles (in Buddhism, this signifies "all phenomena arise from causes and conditions"), which float in the air. Then, the child puts down the toy and, with their tender hands (condition), frantically chases after the bubbles (in Buddhism, this process signifies "continuous thought, endless suffering (taking suffering for pleasure)"), trying to grab them and holding them tightly in their hands (in Buddhism, this signifies "clinging to appearances as existence" or "attachment to form"). When they finally let go, they are surprised to find that the bubbles are gone, everything is gone, only emptiness remains (in Buddhism, this process signifies "extinction," annihilation into emptiness).
The myriad phenomena of the Dharma realm, their processes of birth, dwelling, change, and extinction are all recorded in some knowable or unknown medium.
All phenomena arise from causes and conditions, and all phenomena cease due to causes and conditions. Although "all phenomena are empty," there is still "arising and ceasing due to causes and conditions" within emptiness. Where there is a cause, there is an effect; therefore, cause and effect are not empty. Just as in the vast universe, there are many stars, planets, and comets in motion. Although stars experience birth, existence, change, and demise (formation, existence, decay, and emptiness), they will ultimately perish and return to the void of the universe; it's only a matter of time. However, this does not mean they do not exist. Their processes of birth, existence, change, and demise are recorded in some known or unknown medium. There are tangible or intangible life forms, known or unknown to humankind, that record all these changes. These intangible life forms, we humans might call them celestial beings, gods, angels, prophets, God, or extraterrestrials.
All sentient beings possess an innate spirit.
The following passage appears in the *Medicine Buddha Sutra*:
However, all sentient beings have innate spirits who record all their deeds, whether good or bad, and present them to King Yama. At that time, the king questions the person, calculates their actions, and judges them according to their merit or demerit. If the sick person's relatives and acquaintances can help them take refuge in the World-Honored One, Medicine Buddha, and invite monks to recite this sutra, light seven-tiered lamps, and hang five-colored life-prolonging banners, then in some cases, the patient's consciousness may return, as clearly as in a dream. Whether after seven days, twenty-one days, thirty-five days, or forty-nine days, when the consciousness returns, it is as if waking from a dream, and the patient remembers the consequences of their good and bad deeds. Because they have personally witnessed the consequences of their actions, even in the face of death, they will not commit any evil deeds.
The above excerpt can be found in the full English-Chinese translation or vernacular version of the scripture on this blog. From this excerpt, personally revealed by Shakyamuni Buddha, we learn that each of us is born with a co-existing spirit, born alongside us, residing within our bodies. This spirit possesses spiritual awareness and invisible senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and consciousness), recording all our actions in this world, from birth to death—whether good or evil, sinful or blessed. All of this is recorded and presented to the god or spirit in the realm of Bardo, an invisible living being with esoteric mystical knowledge. In Buddhism, this kind of spirit is called the Bodhisattva of the Underworld.
The Demon King Yan has the power to judge and decide the fate of all sentient beings.
In this scripture, He is referred to as Yama, the King of Magic (one of the titles of Bodhisattvas). He is similar in role and function to a judge in the world, capable of calculating and evaluating a person's actions in the world, and then, through analysis and judgment, making a final evaluation, conclusion, and course of action for that person. These conclusions and methods of action are extremely diverse, far exceeding the reasoning, induction, and imagination of our limited human knowledge. The Buddhist concepts of the six realms of reincarnation and transcending the six realms of reincarnation can roughly summarize these diverse methods of action.
A high-tech process that transfers the soul and consciousness from one physical body to another.
In the first Avatar movie, there's a scene with twin brothers. The older brother, a scientist, has both legs intact but has passed away. To complete their research project, the research team enlists the help of the younger brother, who is wheelchair-bound and unable to walk from the lower body. The researchers use a technology where each brother lies in a machine, the lids are closed, and after a period of operation, the younger brother's soul is transferred into the older brother's deceased body. The older brother's body is resurrected; his legs can walk, move, run, and jump. However, within the older brother's body resides the younger brother's soul and consciousness. Everything the five senses see, hear, move, and feel is guided by the younger brother's soul and consciousness. Communication with the research team's control room also occurs through the younger brother's soul and consciousness. The younger brother is aware that his soul and consciousness reside within his older brother's body. This high-tech process of transferring the soul and consciousness from one physical body to another is very similar to the Buddhist concept that after a person's physical death, their soul and consciousness do not perish but are reborn into one of the six realms of existence according to their karma from previous lives. If fortunate, their soul and consciousness can be reborn into a human womb. If unfortunate, their soul and consciousness will be reborn into an animal womb, such as a stray cat.
Ancient Chinese fortune-telling is not without basis.
Therefore, we can infer that the ancient Chinese fortune-telling methods, such as the Eight Characters of Birth, Zi Wei Dou Shu, and Gui Gu Zi's divination, are not without basis. These methods all stem from our actions in past lives (what Buddhism calls good or bad karma from previous lives), which determine a portion of our present destiny (the sum of fixed karma from past and present lives accounts for approximately 60% to 75% of our present destiny). The remaining portion, determined by our thoughts, choices, decisions, and actions in this life, shapes our destiny in this life and the path of our next. This remaining 25% to 40% can alter the course of our personal destiny.
Using the analogy of playing cards, it explains the fate of human life.
If we use a poker analogy, it's like someone being born with a hand of cards, whether good or bad. A person who knows how to play (whose heart is set on righteousness and good deeds) will, regardless of the course of the game, still be able to play their hand well. However, a person who doesn't know how to play (whose heart is set on evil) will, regardless of the course of the game, ultimately turn a good or bad hand into a bad one.
The innate God and ourselves are neither one nor two.
This innate deity seems not to be ourselves, yet, it is also ourselves. As we mentioned earlier, "I (ourselves), Buddha, and sentient beings are one." From a Buddhist perspective, the innate deity is one of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In other words, the innate deity and ourselves are one, not two. To understand it more deeply, it is neither one nor two. Why neither one nor two? This seems contradictory and difficult to understand. How so? The innate deity has its own "eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and consciousness." What we see with our physical eyes, the innate deity's "eyes" also see simultaneously; what we hear, the innate deity's "ears" also hear simultaneously. However, its "eyes" and "ears" possess functions that humans do not have. It can see things that our physical eyes cannot see, and it can hear things that our physical ears cannot hear. Our mind and consciousness can think and feel, and it can simultaneously think and feel what we think and feel, but its thoughts and feelings transcend our human cognition. This is the function of its energy.
Our innate spirit can perceive the inner thoughts and actions of others, beyond our physical bodies.
In other words, He can also perceive the inner thoughts and actions of others beyond our physical bodies. However, He may not necessarily let us know. This is because it involves our own inner good and evil intentions, thoughts, logic, judgments, and how we deal with external people and things. The innate God will not interfere with this; He will only act as an observer and objective recorder. And the innate God possesses all these functions and roles of "sensory perception and consciousness," which are generally unknown to us.
The key factors enabling sentient beings to know the existence of innate divine energy and its functions.
So, if He wants us to know about the existence of His energy and its function, it depends on several key factors:
First: We are honest, upright, and kind people.
Second: In past lives or in this life, we have committed some wrongdoings of body, speech and mind, and in this life we sincerely worship and repent before the Buddha and Bodhisattvas.
Third: After we have the two conditions mentioned above, we are willing to sincerely and selflessly help or save others based on compassion and wisdom.
Fourth: The innate deity examines and evaluates a person. In addition to the three basic conditions mentioned above, whether He lets you know of His existence depends on His own examination of other conditions of this person, such as filial piety towards parents and elders, how to treat relatives, friends and strangers, how to treat all living beings, as well as one's mindset, level of cognition, health condition, lifespan and amount of blessings, etc.
Fifth, the determination of the innate God itself.
Of the five key factors mentioned above, some originate from ourselves, and others from the innate God. Both self-cause and other-cause factors must coexist; neither can be lacking.
We know of the existence of the Co-emergent Deity from Buddhist scriptures, but we only know its name and form, not its energy and function.
In other words, if sentient beings lack any of the aforementioned key factors, they will never know the existence and function of the innate deity's energy throughout their lives until death. Our knowledge of the innate deity's existence from Buddhist scriptures, articles, or media only refers to its name, not its energy and function—this is the difference. And whether we believe in its existence after knowing its name depends on the individual. Believing in its existence might lead us to be cautious in our words and actions, respecting ourselves and others. Not believing in its existence might lead us to act recklessly, belittle and bully others, and disrespect ourselves and others.
Whether our inner thoughts are good or evil, our innate God knows them all.
Therefore, do we know whether our inner thoughts, whether good or evil, are known to our innate spirit? Of course, it is. If someone is hypocritical, outwardly displaying a set of positive views and actions emphasizing morality, justice, fairness, and unity, while secretly harboring selfish and greedy thoughts and behaviors, does their innate spirit know this? Of course, it is. Outsiders may not know, but the person acting in this way is clearly aware of it, and their innate spirit is also clearly aware of it.
Seeing into the future or predicting the future cannot change what may happen; it is better to cultivate oneself and study Buddhism.
I saw on online social media that some netizens introduced several international individuals with remote viewing and the ability to foresee future events. The views were very high. While Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can know the future, they don't explicitly tell the public because they don't interfere with the karma of sentient beings. Instead, they guide and teach sentient beings through the Three Jewels—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—allowing them to understand the consequences of good and evil deeds and to improve their own negative karma through their own efforts. If we are willing to accept the advice and teachings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we have a chance to avoid disasters. Perhaps a major problem will be mitigated, or perhaps a minor problem will disappear altogether. In short, it helps to reduce the harm and losses we may suffer. This involves not only individual karma but also the collective karma (good and bad karma) of a single society, a nation, and even the entire world. Especially now, with the development of online social media and the almost international dissemination of information, many individuals' good or bad ideas and thoughts can quickly spread and influence within communities (both positive and negative energy).
In a psychologically safe environment, one can enhance their inner cognition and become unrestricted.
The foundation of open innovation lies in a psychologically safe environment, one where psychological freedom is unrestricted. This means that any inner feeling, any imaginative idea or creative thought, can be expressed and practiced in such an environment without deliberate suppression, exclusion, or even bullying. In other words, as long as we don't harm anyone, we can freely express our thoughts and opinions without fear. Furthermore, in such a free atmosphere, even if we receive criticism and guidance from others, we can maintain an open mind, consider it, and engage in introspection and reflection. In other words, under the influence of such a psychologically safe environment, our inner cognition can be broadened and expanded, increasing the scope of our personal understanding. What is cognition? According to online encyclopedia information, "cognition" refers to the psychological process by which an individual, through senses, experience, and thought, transforms received information into knowledge and then understands, judges, and applies it. It encompasses various information processing abilities of our brain, including attention, memory, language, reasoning, decision-making, and problem-solving.
Living and working with people of different cognitive levels leads to vastly different feelings of happiness and contentment.
Have you ever had this experience in life? Whether at home or at work, you feel particularly relaxed and happy when you're with family members or colleagues (including your boss) who are older (or younger) than you and have higher cognitive abilities; everything seems to go smoothly. However, you feel particularly difficult and distressed when you're with family members or colleagues who are older (or younger) than you and have lower cognitive abilities; nothing seems to go smoothly. Why is that?
Being around people with high cognitive abilities makes one feel particularly happy and at ease.
People with high cognitive abilities spend most of their lives focused on self-learning and growth. Because they are so focused, they are less likely to pay attention to what others are doing (and less likely to notice or fuss over trivial matters). Furthermore, their high level of awareness allows them to clearly understand their own limitations in knowledge and skills, thus giving others ample freedom and room to grow. Their broad knowledge and professional skills make them particularly methodical, efficient, and trustworthy in handling affairs and resolving problems. Being around and working with such intelligent people is truly pleasant and satisfying. If they are politicians, their overall political performance is excellent, and thanks to them, we also feel happier and more fulfilled in our lives.
People with low cognitive abilities have a particularly strong sense of self and overestimate their own capabilities.
People with low cognitive abilities, while possessing basic life and work skills, exhibit an exceptionally strong ego and overestimate their own capabilities. Their learning ability in various broad areas stagnates; they are unaware of their own knowledge and skill deficiencies, yet they are self-righteous in everything they do. This may stem from inferiority, pride, jealousy, or perhaps their belief that they are older and more knowledgeable, leading them to want to take care of us. However, in reality, they are using their limited cognitive abilities to try and influence our lives and work, creating interference, intervention, monitoring, and obstacles. They might even act as backstabbers, sabotaging us behind our backs.
Interacting with people who have low cognitive abilities is a very draining experience.
Encountering such situations is incredibly draining on our personal spirit, psychology, and emotions. Frankly, it drags down and consumes our lives. And what is our instinctive reaction? Of course, it's to try and distance ourselves from such people with low cognitive abilities. If you've had this experience, you can probably understand what I mean. Therefore, we can reason and imagine: if the person with low cognitive abilities is a political or religious figure, domestically or internationally, and wields significant influence in the international community, what negative impact would their low cognitive abilities have on citizens both domestically and internationally? What kind of painful and unhappy lives would they bring to the people? Therefore, the happiness of a nation's citizens should not only be measured by economic and financial factors, but also by their spiritual and psychological well-being. If a neighboring country has a large population with low cognitive abilities who frequently harasses and interferes with the people of that country or region, it is definitely not a pleasant experience for those people.
People with high levels of education or high IQ may also have low cognitive abilities.
According to psychological research, the level of cognitive ability is not strongly correlated with education level, IQ, gender, or age. People with high education or high IQ can still have low cognitive abilities. People of any gender and age can also have low cognitive abilities. Through observation, we can see that people with low cognitive abilities generally have normal IQs, but are often perceived as unintelligent. It can take more than a year to get to know and interact with people with low cognitive abilities. Unless we know how to deal with such people and are unaffected by their negative influence, it's possible that we ourselves are unintelligent, on par with those with low cognitive abilities, and unaware of their negative impact. Or perhaps we are unable to leave such people for various reasons. Low cognitive abilities exist in both democratic and authoritarian societies.
Even those with low cognitive abilities know how to leverage people's kindness and socially "do good deeds".
Those with low cognitive abilities also know how to exploit people's kindness, socially "doing good deeds." However, they do these "good deeds" "high-profile," deliberately letting certain people know, to achieve some selfish benefit. The various methods and means employed are to exert emotional pressure on specific targets, emotionally blackmailing or demanding favors. If we encounter such low-cognitive individuals and fall for their emotional blackmail or demands for favors, if we are aware of this, we will understand after one experience that we must quickly distance ourselves from such people. Why?
From a psychological perspective, the process involving such people and events, and the actions of these individuals with low cognitive abilities, make us feel extremely uncomfortable. Secondly, if we are intelligent enough, we understand that these individuals use such methods to achieve selfish goals. They consider themselves clever, but in our eyes, they are actually very foolish. However, we understand this in our hearts but will not say it to them openly. Furthermore, we understand that if they use such methods against us the first time to achieve their goals, they will do so again. This is why we must distance ourselves from such people as soon as possible. These seemingly socially adept individuals with low cognitive abilities exist not only in our daily lives but also in international social relations. Whether global citizens or members of the international community are aware of this is a question they themselves must confront.
Working or interacting with people who have low cognitive abilities can easily lead to a situation where we are busy but ineffective. Why?
To some extent, interacting with or working with people who have low cognitive abilities can easily lead to a situation where we are busy but ineffective. Why? Because they lack wisdom and compassion. For example, people with low cognitive abilities may also be foolishly diligent. They are diligent, but it is a kind of diligence that is not carefully considered and is inefficient. They think they are very diligent, yet they envy others who live leisurely lives and feel seriously angry about it. Even worse, they want to disrupt and interfere with the lives of others. Such people with low cognitive abilities could be our family members, friends, colleagues, or even domestic or international political figures or leaders.
People with low cognitive abilities believe they are intelligent, and therefore dare to engage in speculative and fraudulent activities.
Alternatively, individuals with low cognitive abilities may believe themselves to be intelligent, adept at navigating high-society circles, or skilled at building networks through investments, thus daring to engage in speculation and fraud, such as religious scams or investment scams. Many of these individuals are high-ranking managers with prestigious titles like bosses, chairmen, or general managers, or professionals and administrative staff such as doctors, lawyers, and accountants; some are even involved in politics at various levels. Engaging in political lies or fraud is also a form of deception. Given the existence of political corrupt officials, how could political fraudsters not exist in practice?
Domestic or international political fraud is the easiest to evade legal sanctions.
Domestic and international political fraud is most likely to evade legal sanctions. This is because political lies and fraud are often unregulated, and it is difficult to prove, define, and adjudicate how politics defrauds citizens. Global citizens are often unaware and lack awareness of this. Historically, there are virtually no actual judicial precedents to refer to. Why? Because political fraudsters themselves may be the dictators and ultimate enforcers of a nation's judicial system. Treason is treason, and theft of a nation is theft of a nation. Inciting the public to shout slogans goes unpunished by law.
The absence of a moral and ethical framework, a state of non-conflict, is actually quite absurd and ridiculous.
People are generally indifferent to theft or fraud in others' homes, even willing to cooperate with the thieves or fraudsters to make money. Why? Because the thieves or fraudsters already possess abundant resources that they can exploit. This state of being devoid of morality and antagonism is actually quite absurd and ridiculous. Bodhisattva Maitreya often laughs at these accomplices, whether they are thieves, fraudsters, or collaborators. It is a laugh of profound compassion and helplessness. Only those who deeply cultivate Buddhism can understand this. Why? Because those who deeply cultivate Buddhism do not harbor antagonism or hatred towards these ridiculous people; their hearts are filled with compassion. Compassion for their ignorance and delusion, for they are jeopardizing their own bright future in the next life. You might understand this a little from reading most of the articles on this blog.
Some individuals with low cognitive abilities also exhibit the Dark Triangle Personality Trait.
In my personal observation, individuals with low cognitive abilities often possess narcissistic personalities, or even exhibit the Dark Triad personality traits. These individuals are often historical religious or political leaders or figures, or founders or senior executives of contemporary corporations or organizations. From online information, the Dark Triad personality traits of individuals with low cognitive abilities are summarized as follows: The "Dark Triad" is a concept in personality psychology, referring to three personality traits characterized by malice, antisocial tendencies, and manipulation: high narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathology. In daily life, these traits often manifest as extreme egocentrism, ruthlessness, and unscrupulous behavior in achieving goals.
The three core characteristics of the Dark Triangle
Narcissism is characterized by extreme egocentrism, an exaggerated self-image, and a strong sense of superiority. Narcissists crave attention and praise, are extremely sensitive to criticism, and believe they deserve special privileges.
Machiavellianism is a pragmatic approach characterized by ruthlessness, cunning, and a lack of morality. Individuals with these traits are adept at manipulating and deceiving others, viewing interpersonal relationships as tools for personal gain, and harboring a deep skepticism towards human nature.
Psychopathy: Lack of empathy and guilt. Such individuals act impulsively and callously, and typically do not feel any guilt or remorse after harming others or engaging in antisocial behavior.
Commonalities of the Dark Triangular Personality
Guiding individuals with low cognitive abilities requires immense patience and tolerance.
Individuals with low cognitive abilities are often highly emotional; even a few words can trigger strong emotional fluctuations. Although they may exhibit narcissism or mood swings, if they possess inner kindness and the ability for self-reflection and self-examination, then with appropriate guidance from others, they can gradually improve their low cognitive abilities and move towards higher cognitive abilities.
However, this requires immense patience and tolerance from the facilitator, as well as a significant investment of time, energy, and physical strength. Unless the person with low cognitive function is a blood relative or someone we live with, and we want to prevent their low cognitive level from negatively impacting or interfering with our lives and studies, we will not spend time and energy helping such individuals improve their cognitive abilities.
Improving one's cognitive level is a life lesson.
Improving one's own cognitive level is a personal life lesson and a direction one should strive for; others have no obligation to help us. For example, if the content of my blog posts is beneficial to improving the cognitive level of others, then those people themselves must have the opportunity to encounter them and be willing to actively read, think about, and understand them for it to be truly helpful. Otherwise, even if I have the intention, I cannot help. With the advanced state of film, television, and media today, coupled with AI capabilities, creators produce many works that can enhance human cognition, which is quite helpful in expanding our understanding. However, this also requires us to be willing to actively learn, filter information, and think independently for it to have any effect on improving our cognitive level.
In Chapter Two of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha reveals that his appearance in the world is to help sentient beings "open, reveal, awaken, and enter into the Buddha's knowledge and vision." In short, it is to help sentient beings enhance their understanding of Buddhist practice. Whether or not one embarks on the path of Buddhist practice is a personal decision, requiring one to walk it step by step with their own two feet. No one has the obligation to carry another on the path of Buddhist practice.
The general public has very little understanding of the Dark Triangle personality traits.
Have we considered the potential negative impact and harm that these individuals with low awareness might have on international citizens if they were founders, leaders, or high-ranking figures in religious or political spheres with extreme authoritarian tendencies? How could they possibly consume and burden the time, energy, labor, property, and resources of international citizens? The general public has extremely low awareness of the Dark Triangle personality traits and is completely unaware of the potentially devastating harm that individuals with these traits could inflict on international citizens. Therefore, if we were highly aware of and vigilant about this harmful phenomenon, could we ignore it? Or, what can we do to help international citizens raise their awareness and vigilance regarding this issue?
Bodhisattvas fear the cause, while ordinary people fear the effect.
In Buddhism, it is said, "Bodhisattvas fear the cause, while ordinary people fear the effect." This means that those who have attained the Bodhisattva level are careful not to create any evil causes that could harm others. For example, actions stemming from evil thoughts (bullying, oppression, fighting, exclusion, etc.), lying out of greed, or retaliatory actions out of hatred, etc. This is because Bodhisattvas understand how the consequences of such evil thoughts will harm themselves.
Because ordinary people lack self-cultivation in morality and discipline, as well as the process of spiritual practice and enlightenment in Buddhism, those with low cognitive abilities do not understand how a single evil thought within them will affect their karmic consequences. However, those with slightly higher cognitive abilities at least see the karmic consequences of evildoers from various life experiences, history, or international and domestic political or social news, which makes them wary and deters them from committing evil.
Those with low cognitive abilities deliberately ignore the "cause of fear for bodhisattvas" and are unwilling to engage in self-reflection, examination, and correction.
Cunning and scheming, these manipulators exploit people's fear of karmic retribution to manipulate their own people, both domestically and internationally. However, they deliberately ignore the "Bodhisattva's fear of cause," refusing to engage in self-reflection, examination, and correction. I can only say that they are truly ordinary people who have surpassed the level of Bodhisattvas, not even comparable to God, directly surpassing God and Buddhas. From a psychological perspective, this group might be categorized as those with low cognitive abilities.
According to online information, "low cognition" in the modern context usually refers to a person's narrow perspective on understanding things, thinking about problems, or absorbing new knowledge. This does not simply refer to high or low IQ, but rather to a lack of logical reflection, an inability to empathize with others, a tendency to judge things based on intuition or emotions, and a tendency to refuse to accept new viewpoints due to personal biases.
Simply put, low cognition means having only a basic understanding of the causes, conditions, and consequences of all things, lacking normal logical reasoning abilities, and thus believing oneself to possess all knowledge. This leads to arrogance and blind self-confidence, a belief in one's superiority. Such individuals dare to subvert and challenge the normal thinking and logic of the general public, distorting, concealing, or evading the facts. This is similar to the Dark Triangle personality traits mentioned above.
All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are fully aware of the actions of those with low cognitive abilities.
This raises a question: Do God and Buddhas not know the actions of those cunning opportunists and those with low cognitive abilities who rely on petty cleverness? Like the innate deities we mentioned above. Do you think Buddhas and Bodhisattvas wouldn't know? Of course they do. Then we have another question: why don't Buddhas and Bodhisattvas act? We've briefly touched on this above. If you've read most of the articles on this blog, especially my explanation of the *Forty-Two Chapters spoken by Buddha*, you'll understand why Buddhas and Bodhisattvas know, and why they know but don't act. You'll also understand the profound meaning of the couplet about Bodhisattva Maitreya I mentioned above.
Only through the fires of demons can the true gold of all beings be forged into the Tathagata.
From another perspective, although on the surface it seems that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas ignore this cunning, manipulative, and petty group of people, in reality, they have been teaching, warning, and reminding them in various ways. Unfortunately, this group is arrogant and disdainful of others, completely ignoring all teachings, warnings, and reminders. But did you know that, to some extent, this group is also being "used" by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as a tool to enhance the compassion and wisdom of sentient beings? How so? We all know that only through intense fire can true gold be forged. By the same logic, only through the demonic path can the Buddha path be forged. Only through demonic fire can sentient beings be forged into the true gold of Buddhahood. Compassion requires a relative form to be shown, right? Similarly, wisdom also requires a relative form to be shown, right? If the forms of demons and inner demons do not exist, the incentive for sentient beings to attain Buddhahood cannot be stimulated, nor can the forms of compassion and wisdom be generated. That is, to use the demonic appearance of the lowly to inspire the compassion and wisdom of all beings with high cognition.
A kitchen knife has both sharp and blunt sides, and both sides can be used.
This cunning, manipulative, and shrewd group of people knows how to exploit others. Wouldn't the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas also "use" this group to refine the minds of sentient beings, awaken their intellect, and cultivate their compassion and wisdom? For example, a kitchen knife has both sharp and blunt sides, and both can be used. Furthermore, without external stimulation, how can one awaken the minds of sentient beings and thus practice compassion and wisdom? If this cunning, manipulative, and shrewd group understood what I was saying, they would realize that their toilful lives, even if they accumulate great wealth, are ultimately working for others, helping them to elevate themselves and cultivate compassion and wisdom through awakening their virtuous minds.
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas use negative images to help sentient beings succeed and achieve the wisdom and merit of the Tathagata.
This group of people, lacking cognitive ability and prone to scheming, will use others to their advantage, to advance their own careers, to gain power and wealth, and to achieve worldly fame. Wouldn't the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas also "use" these people to help sentient beings achieve their goals, to help them cultivate compassion and wisdom, and to attain the merits of Buddhahood? If these people understood this, they would realize who is truly wasting their lives and engaging in self-destructive behavior. The real tool is themselves. No matter how high their status or how great their power, in the eyes of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, they are truly nothing more than tools. This can be understood through deep reflection.
A single thought, whether good or evil, determines how one is exploited.
To delve deeper from the perspective of "I (myself), Buddha, and all sentient beings are one," it's said that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas "use" these people, but in reality, it is these people's very thoughts—the very thought of "how to use others"—that determine how they themselves are "used." Simply put, this cause and effect is determined by themselves. It is their single thought—whether good or evil—that determines the direction in which they are "used." Being actively and positively used by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is certainly one of all possible ways of being used. Other methods can be considered and inferred from this. I use the word "use" to make it easier for the reader to understand. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are in a state of non-thought and non-action; they do not have the thought of "wanting to use sentient beings." It is simply that whatever mental state sentient beings present, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas' Tathagata-mirror mind naturally gives rise to corresponding wisdom. We will understand this as we delve deeper into Buddhist practice.
The entire Saha world humans live in was designed by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as a place for humankind to learn about the Buddha's wisdom and improve their self-cultivation.
Because if we even have a single thought that treats all sentient beings as tools, that very thought determines that we ourselves are also tools. Furthermore, the entire Saha world humans live in was designed by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as a training ground for humanity to understand the Buddha's wisdom and improve their self-cultivation. If we ourselves lack this understanding, that is our own problem. Whether we are willing to cultivate ourselves and improve this self-awareness determines the direction of our destiny. This direction also includes our future lives. Look at stray cats in online videos or in parks, and then calmly think about whether we would want to become a stray cat in the future. Stray cats are typical animals living in the animal realm/path. This will be very helpful in understanding the animal realm among the three lower realms/evil paths in Buddhism.
If we have knowledge about raising cats, we know that we should give them a free and fearless living space.
Stray cats are often kept as pets and cared for by humans, living in luxurious villas and enjoying a more comfortable life than most people. Cat owners often jokingly refer to themselves as servants and their cats as masters. But did you know that when cats gaze at the fish swimming in the large aquariums of these mansions, they might actually have a fleeting thought: to jump into the aquarium and drown. Why? Because they lack freedom.
If we have a broad understanding of cat ownership, we'll know that when residents feel sorry for stray cats and want to adopt them, the cats simply don't want to be taken in. Cats are very independent animals. If we understand cat ownership, we'll know to give them a free and fearless living space.
When we support a group of people who bully us, we are also controlled by those who bully us.
Furthermore, if we have a Buddhist perspective, we know that we should be wise and not interfere with or burden the lives of cats. Cats are highly autonomous animals, and aren't humans also? Can we restrict or control stray cats' love for us humans? Of course not. Because cats are animals that don't fawn over humans and will even look at us with aloof eyes. So, can we restrict or control sentient beings' love for Buddhism? We cannot legally force the free will of humans to love Buddhism. We can offer suggestions or encouragement, but we cannot legislate or regulate to force it.
By the same token, if someone legislates or establishes rules to restrict or control how the public loves a particular person or group, we can clearly understand the extremely low level to which their cognition might be limited or controlled. When we support stray cats, we are constrained by them. The same psychological observation applies here: when we support a group of people with low cognitive abilities who bully us, we are also constrained (controlled and restrained) in various ways by these bullies.
I believe in the power of God. To me, God is one of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions.
When I was young, I was affected by a lot of negative energy and experienced many setbacks. Besides reading Buddhist scriptures, I often went to Christian bookstores to browse books and read the words of God, which gave me much comfort and encouragement. The word of God truly possesses very positive energy. Therefore, I believe in God's power. To me, God is one of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions.
If we read Buddhist scriptures extensively, we will understand that the number of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and sentient beings in the ten directions, as revealed by Buddha Shakyamuni, is countless and boundless—meaning immeasurable and immense. If we understand this, we will understand the immense energy and power of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the ten directions. Then, we will also understand how insignificant we ourselves are. From our modern perspective, some of these Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and sentient beings may be extraterrestrial beings, beings beyond the comprehension of our human understanding.
The Buddha taught that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions can instantly travel from other worlds/planets to the world/planet of Earth without needing any vehicle. This is incredible. I watched a documentary about extraterrestrials made by young people, who used scientific methods or combined them with Buddhist, Christian, or historical sites to explain it. Their innovative and creative perspectives were very interesting.
The way that the Christian God teaches believers has been exploited by cunning and clever individuals.
Now that I am over fifty and have a wider life experience, I have discovered that some people are using the way that the Christian God teaches believers and the concepts of Christian faith and obedience to God's authority, and are using evil intentions and methods to control the world and its citizens. For example, Christians seem to be taught that they must love God, that they must revere God. Because loving God is loving God's people. This is the concept that God and His people are one. The essence of these concepts is good; they are meant to broaden our human hearts, establish a concept of universal love, and practice universal love for all citizens of the world.
They use and replace the concept of "God" to legislate and establish rules that infringe upon the autonomous rights of all living beings.
However, the concept of love and devotion to God, whether in religious groups or political organizations, is easily exploited by cunning and scheming despots. They can replace the term "God" with whatever they desire, then incite the masses to love what they desire and the people in their group. Afterwards, what appears to be a practice of great love is actually the work of those in power, those despots, who are sacrificing and trampling on the rights of the masses for their own selfish interests. Under such circumstances, it is all too easy for a dictator to incite the masses to harbor hostility or hatred toward other ethnic groups or factions. This manifests as a stark dichotomy of love and hate—both in the mindset of individuals and their groups and in their outward attitudes—whereby this adversarial mentality escalates into open confrontation. This can be seen by observing and understanding history and the current world situation, both religiously and politically. From a Buddhist perspective, such thoughts and intentions harbored by the cunning individual are in themselves evil thoughts and causes; they set in motion adverse conditions that ultimately lead to evil consequences.
In Western and Middle Eastern history, there have been several instances of the merging of politics and religion, with wars waged in the name of religion. One such instance was a war waged in the name of Christianity. Therefore, we can infer that those despotic dictators of the past might have enacted laws and regulations requiring and coercing the masses to believe in and love God. Because believing in and loving God was tantamount to believing in and loving the regime they had established, thus consolidating their power. If the masses of any country violated this rule, they were considered to be breaking the law, and these rulers would use the "legitimacy of their legislation" to persecute and kill the people.
Therefore, we can speculate whether any political parties today are using similar concepts to merge party power with political authority, or to use and replace the concept of "God" in order to legislate and intimidate the masses, and then potentially launch violent attacks under any pretext. If we discover this phenomenon, what wise actions can citizens worldwide take to stop and improve it, thereby preventing these low-level authoritarian dictators from using similar concepts to harm the masses?
The establishment of laws in the world is based on upright and virtuous morality, and on this basis, establishes norms of equality, and mutual benefit.
If we are kind and upright, and have a basic understanding of law, we know that worldly laws are established based on honest and virtuous morality, building upon this foundation of equal, mutually beneficial, and altruistic norms. From a Buddhist perspective, this is the rule of the game in worldly law. It establishes equality, justice, and fairness in relation to those involved, their rights, and obligations. Even in relationships of superiors and inferiors, mutual benefit is predicated on equality. However, we know that many worldly laws violate these principles.
The rules established by those with low cognitive abilities are only self-serving, not altruistic.
Observing the laws of the world, we find that many are solely self-serving, lacking any altruistic element. This is especially true of male-dominated, authoritarian organizations. We know that gangs also establish rules. The essence of their rules is self-interest, devoid of any altruistic benefit. These rules not only govern those who join the gang, but also those who, if they deviate from their self-serving will, are subjectively deemed to have violated their rules by the gang leaders, who then employ all sorts of methods—threats, intimidation, punishment, abuse, and even elimination—to target them.
In other words, those who join gangs are driven solely by self-interest. Their personal understanding is limited to this, completely ignoring altruism and disregarding the harm done to others. They consider the disregard for the rights of others as a matter of course and a necessary means to achieve their goals. In psychology, this is considered low cognitive ability. Many of these individuals possess the Dark Triangle Personality Disorder. From a Buddhist perspective, such people possess the five poisons of the mind and act accordingly.
A person who tries to control others by instilling fear in them is himself controlled and bound by the fear within himself.
In my observation, people who experience fear often use instilling fear in others as a means of control. In other words, this person who seeks to control others through fear is themselves controlled and bound by their own inner fear, thus limiting their cognitive development and exhibiting a low level of cognitive thinking and behavior. This low cognitive state persists even among highly educated, intelligent, or high-ranking individuals, and is particularly pronounced in men. Unless this person, through a chance encounter, develops self-awareness and is willing to adjust, or is objectively guided by others to consciously correct their behavior, their life's outcome is usually unfavorable. We can observe this phenomenon in historical figures and social news stories.
The kindness and gratitude of the general public are easily exploited by cunning and scheming individuals.
What we must understand is that the cunning and scheming members of gangs know how to exploit people's loyalty, sense of justice, kindness, and gratitude as means to achieve their goals. This is something that is easily overlooked by the vast majority of ignorant and kind-hearted people. Why? People with low cognitive abilities, who are both ignorant and kind, are easily swayed by small favors or benefits from others, readily offering gratitude, repayment, and loyalty, even at the cost of their conscience. However, they fail to realize that they received these favors and benefits because those who offered them infringed upon, exploited, sacrificed, coerced, took advantage of, or bullied others.
Unhealthy shared karma will result in shared karmic retribution.
From a Buddhist perspective, these cunning and manipulative benefactors, along with their recipients, form a shared negative karma, a collective evil act. In worldly terms, they create their own unhealthy destiny, a community of shared fate. In layman's terms, they bring misfortune upon themselves. Ultimately, they will reap the consequences of their actions. For example, in a future life, this group might gather on an airplane at a certain time, which then malfunctions and crashes mid-flight. Those on board might perish together, or suffer varying degrees of injury or death. This is the result of shared karma. Other events can be deduced similarly. Similar news reports exist in news outlets around the world.
A cognitively limited psychological state is characterized by a single, rigid way of thinking, lacking diverse and flexible ways of thinking.
These actions, driven solely by self-interest and devoid of altruism, or presented as righteous acts promoting unity but ultimately self-serving, are often used to establish laws that mandate compliance. From a psychological perspective, those who advocate this mindset exhibit cognitive limitations. They possess a rigid, singular way of thinking, lacking versatility and flexibility, and also lacking in inclusiveness.
Laws enacted by individuals with low cognitive abilities are extremely harmful to both domestic and international societies.
From a Jungian psychological perspective, those who establish regulations that are solely self-serving and devoid of altruism actually reflect their inner shadow. For example, if a regulation advocates for mandatory unity by law, the legislator's own inner shadow suggests a potential for disunity. This means that their subconscious or past actions may have resulted in a failure to uphold or promote unity, or even instigate or divide organizational unity. Therefore, they regulate the need for others to unite and promote unity. This phenomenon also exists in groups and organizations composed of individuals. Such individuals or groups are extremely harmful to domestic or international society. However, very few ordinary people possess this awareness.
By enacting laws and regulations, one may seem to be regulating others with the high level of law, but in reality, it violates human rights to autonomy, conscience, morality, and free will.
In other words, while legislation and regulations may seem to regulate others through legal means, they actually violate human autonomy, conscience, morality, and free will. This is because unity and cooperation are essentially the same thing—behaviors perceived through a psychological state and choices stemming from individual free will. For example, a group of gang leaders might collectively establish regulations that subjectively govern everyone, whether they have joined or not, requiring them to abide by these rules, cooperate with the gang, promote its development, engage in activities that infringe upon the rights of others for personal gain, and ensure that everyone within the gang's territory is united, obeys the gang's authority, and forever loves the gang.
The subjects are these gang leaders and their organizations, and the objects are the people being regulated. When these regulations were established, the subjects did not discuss them with the objects, nor did they obtain their consent or signature. Whether the objects violated the regulations is determined subjectively by the subjects. And how to punish and enforce the law after the objects violated the regulations is also determined subjectively by the subjects. From a psychological perspective, such regulations actually violate the objects' autonomous conscience, morality, and free will. From a legal perspective, this violates the objects' autonomous rights and choices. This is a legal norm that completely violates objective equality.
If someone uses legislation to force us to love the people who bully us, that in itself is a form of bullying.
If our government or public opinion were to legislate to require and restrict people's love of Buddhism and mandate vegetarianism, and if not loving Buddhism and not being vegetarian were considered illegal, then people would be arrested, imprisoned, tried, and forced to undergo indoctrination to love Buddhism and adopt vegetarian dietary habits, we, if we are aware of this, would understand that this completely violates human free will. Love and passion are psychological states and also a form of free will. Forcing this state and will through legislation fundamentally violates normal human cognition, thought, and logic. If someone were to legislate in this way, we would clearly understand the level of their cognition, thought, and logic. If someone were to use legislation to force us to love those who bully us, such as gang leaders and their organizations, this in itself is a form of bullying. And those who bully others often lack this awareness, or even if they are aware, they do not acknowledge that they are bullying others.
The establishment of any regulation must be based on legislative legitimacy as the foundation for enforcement.
So, we have a question: if this set of regulations, which applies to all citizens worldwide, including you, the reader, then can you accept it? Furthermore, we have another question: what is the legal basis for the regulations established by these gang leaders and their organizations? If we have even a basic understanding of law, we know that any regulation must have legislative legitimacy as its foundation for enforcement. So, what is the legislative legitimacy of the regulations established by these gang leaders and their organizations? Why do they have the confidence and audacity to regulate citizens worldwide? Or was this authorized and agreed to by global citizens?
If global citizens recognize gangs as legitimate organizations, it will allow them to enforce the law and restrain global citizens.
Logically, unless global citizens themselves acknowledge the legitimacy of these gang leaders and their organizations, how can they possibly have a legal basis for legislation and law enforcement, to include global citizens in their regulations, and to make them the objects of enforcement and constraints? In other words, isn't it tantamount to global citizens recognizing these gang leaders and their organizations as legitimate, thus encouraging them to subjectively establish self-serving norms that harm others, and simultaneously including global citizens in these normative requirements as objects to be obeyed? To put it bluntly, it's gang organizations bullying global citizens, and this bullying is something global citizens themselves have brought upon themselves and have encouraged. If these are all facts, no matter how we look at it, we can see the absurdity and ridiculousness in the whole affair.
Objective, equal, and mutually beneficial legal norms.
If laws are enacted requiring others to unite and cooperate under the law, based on my personal understanding and basic knowledge of jurisprudence, this might exist between international governments, between private enterprises, or between organizations (individuals). In other words, the status and relationship between the subject and object of legislation are equal and reciprocal. The existence of laws arises from the mutual consent of both parties, with both parties signing the law without coercion. This is the objective, equal, and reciprocal legal norm, and it aligns with our normal cognition and logical thinking.
There are many people with low cognitive abilities within religious and political organizations.
Strangely, those cunning and scheming individuals manage to occupy high positions, control and intimidate others, and form cliques, recruiting those with extremely low cognitive abilities into their ranks. These are not a minority, but a considerable group, existing in every corner of the domestic and international community, in all walks of life, and even within religious and political organizations. They exert a significant negative influence and cause considerable disruption to society, the nation, and the world. From a psychological perspective, those with low cognitive abilities typically possess extremely high self-esteem, are self-righteous, lack empathy, habitually blame others, and are intolerant of personal criticism or challenges to their authority. However, at their core, they are deeply insecure.
If we are too upright and indomitable, we simply cannot understand why cunning and scheming people, those who commit evil, exist in the world. In my youth, I was also someone who saw good and evil extremely clearly. I couldn't understand why those who did evil and harmed others could still live in the world, and even live quite well, one could even say they were among the winners in life. After practicing Buddhism for a period of time and accumulating some life experience, my mindset became more flexible, and I no longer so strongly and simply dichotomize right and wrong in matters.
Gang members are loyal and devoted to their families.
I've noticed that gangsters, or those who have laundered their money and risen to high positions, especially men, share some common characteristics: some treat their parents exceptionally well, providing meticulous care for them in their later years; some are extremely loving towards their spouses or women, offering them a very comfortable life—the epitome of a good man in the eyes of women; some are very devoted to their children, providing them with excellent material comforts and educational resources, even sending them abroad to study at top universities and graduate schools. In the eyes of their relatives, these men are benevolent fathers and filial sons, devoted and loyal husbands, and even loving grandfathers. In the male-dominated world, they are practically paragons of virtue.
Individuals with low cognitive abilities are often accompanied by a group of other individuals with low cognitive abilities.
To the average person, these people have no blood relation or kinship with us, yet they may be exploiters, infringers, or those who intend to harm our rights and interests. However, to their relatives, they may be dutiful sons, responsible husbands, devoted fathers, and loyal brothers. Both these gangsters and their relatives believe they are acting ethically and familially, showing great affection and loyalty to their relatives; they are undoubtedly good people. Regardless of how they treat those outside their blood ties, regardless of their methods, and regardless of how cruel, greedy, or wicked these methods may appear to others, their perception remains that they are acting to protect their own interests and happiness. From a psychological perspective, birds of a feather flock together; those with low cognitive abilities often associate with others with low cognitive abilities. In other words, those with low cognitive abilities also exhibit a clustering phenomenon.
A large number of people with low cognitive abilities support a small number of people with low cognitive abilities in order to bully, exclude, suppress, and restrict others.
What we perceive as a low level of understanding is, in the eyes of gangsters and their families, the right path. Regrettably, both domestically and internationally, there are still those willing to cooperate with them for their own benefit. These individuals use their hard-earned money or taxes to support this group with low levels of understanding, only to suffer their bullying, exclusion, suppression, and restrictions. What percentage of these people labor and support others to bully, exclude, suppress, and restrict their own development? Billions. In other words, proportionally, those who are supported and thus able to bully, exclude, suppress, and restrict others are a minority, while those who labor and sweat to support others yet suffer bullying, exclusion, suppression, and restrictions are the majority. Do you think this is reasonable? Don't you find it absurd and ignorant?
When faced with the same bullying, exclusion, suppression, and restrictions, individuals with high cognitive abilities and those with low cognitive abilities exhibit vastly different psychological reactions and attitudes.
From a psychological perspective, individuals with high cognitive abilities who have experienced bullying, exclusion, suppression, or restriction in certain situations are able to be aware of this and engage in self-reflection and vigilance. They can understand, with empathy and a critical perspective, the psychological harm and serious negative impact that bullying, exclusion, suppression, and restriction bring to individuals and the general public, and thus be able to criticize, warn against, or reform such behavior.
However, if individuals with low cognitive abilities encounter similar situations—being bullied, ostracized, suppressed, and restricted—they will not consciously reflect or become vigilant. They will not empathize with the feelings and harm suffered by others, nor will they understand the negative impact on themselves and society. Instead, they may use bullying, ostracism, suppression, and restriction as means to achieve their own greedy and selfish ends. We cannot ignore this phenomenon, as these individuals with low cognitive abilities could be international political or religious leaders, or high-ranking executives in various departments or industries.
This behavior and phenomenon of those with low cognitive abilities was even more pronounced in times and places where most people had little education and information was not readily available. Even in today's world of advanced internet and artificial intelligence, we cannot ignore it. At this point, if we are practicing Buddhism, we know to return to the gentle and boundless compassion of Bodhisattva Maitreya, as described in that couplet:
A large belly can hold all things, even those that are difficult to tolerate in the world.
Always keep a smile on my/your face, and laugh at the laughable people in the world.
The emptiness in Buddhism is absolute emptiness, not relative emptiness. The essence of the Buddha-law realm(Dharma realm) and its nature is also absolute emptiness.
If we have some basic understanding of Buddhist emptiness, we know that the emptiness in Buddha’s teaching is absolute emptiness, not relative emptiness. That is, our inherent Buddha-nature is essentially a completely absolute emptiness, not a relative emptiness. Extending this to the understanding of the Buddha-law realm(Dharmadhatu), the essence of the Buddha-law realm(Dharmadhatu's nature) is also absolute emptiness. That is, the university, including the time and the space, is absolute emptiness.
The written form itself is a conditioned phenomenon. As a conditioned phenomenon, it is subject to generate(birth) and eliminate(death).
Based on this, we can understand the phenomena of the world, completely transcending worldly entanglements and the ever-changing nature of phenomena. We can then think from a different perspective. For example, we know that humanity originally only had spoken language, not written language. The written symbols of various countries around the world were gradually established as humanity developed. Therefore, from a Buddhist perspective, the various written symbols of the world are merely a phenomenon of writing, which Buddhism calls "written phenomena." Written phenomena themselves are conditioned phenomena. As conditioned phenomena, they are subject to arising and ceasing. Any written phenomenon arises and ceases according to causes and conditions. We have explained conditioned phenomena and phenomena of arising and ceasing in the above content.
Using written language to create unequal laws to regulate the masses, suppress their rights, and encourage the greed and authority of those in power.
In ancient and historical times, religious and political spheres were largely controlled by men. This was because they were educated and understood the nuances of writing and language. Therefore, they were able to combine religion and politics, using written language to create laws and regulate public behavior. Anyone with a basic understanding knows that these laws often suppressed women's rights while fostering male greed and authority. Thus, the use of written language to create unequal laws to regulate the public, suppress their rights, and fuel the greed and authority of those in power is unavoidable and continues to occur in contemporary international politics.
The legal basis for unequal laws comes from the lawmakers themselves, whose inner five poisons (greed, hatred/anger, stupid infatuation/ignorance, arrogance/pride, and suspicion/doubt) are at work.
So, we might wonder, where does the foundation of these laws lie? Then, as we trace them back to their source, we discover that they are merely the outward manifestations of the five poisons (greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt) within the inner workings of those who formulated the laws. In other words, they are the combined manifestations and changes of their inner mental states and external phenomena.
If we practice Buddhism, we will understand why we should be swayed by external circumstances filled with defilements. To put it simply, why should we unwisely be led astray/be swayed and bound by the laws established by ignorant/no-light beings and their defiled, poisonous minds? If we are led astray and bound by the laws established by these ignorant/no-light beings and their defiled, poisonous minds, wouldn't that make us appear foolish and ignorant?
How can we use wisdom to transform the external world, which is filled with the five poisons of the mind, into nothingness?
So, how do we use wisdom to transform the external phenomena of ignorant/no-light beings, which are filled with the five poisons of defilement, into emptiness?
First, purify the five poisons within our own hearts.
Whether or not we practice Buddhism, the most fundamental method remains purifying the five poisons (greed, hatred/anger, stupid infatuation/ignorance, arrogance/pride, and suspicion/doubt) within ourselves. Purification involves eliminating or reducing the arising and functioning of these five poisons. This is because external circumstances often originate from reflections of our inner state. Only when our inner state is purified, and the wisdom that arises in a state of pure concentration, do we possess sufficient energy and strength to cope with and deal with these external circumstances filled with the defilements of the five poisons. Otherwise, our own minds will be thrown into chaos, leading to wrong decisions and actions.
Second, use great wisdom to transform the five poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt into great greed, great hatred/anger, great infatuation/ignorance, great arrogance/pride, and great suspicion/doubt.
Building upon this foundation of mental purity, we then use great wisdom to transform the five poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt into great greed, great hatred/anger, great infatuation/ignorance, great arrogance/pride, and great suspicion/doubt, thereby generating the application of great wisdom, great vows, great power, and great skillful means. To deal with cunning and scheming individuals, those with low cognitive abilities, we must employ great wisdom, great power, and great skillful means. This ensures that we ourselves are not swayed or bound by the absurd external circumstances they create. Why?
The thought processes of cunning and scheming clever people are extremely tricky and twisted.
Because the logic of cunning and scheming individuals is extremely insidious and distorted, subverting and challenging our normal conscience, morality, and our personal free will and choices. Secondly, the methods they use are extremely cunning and malicious; they skillfully exploit the good and evil in human nature to nourish their own energy and resources, and then use this to bully others. They also skillfully utilize the methods established by our normal thinking, using this framework and their insidious and bizarre logic to control and oppress us.
Pray to Manjushri, the Bodhisattva who symbolizes wisdom, hoping that He can enlighten our wisdom.
In my youth, after I began practicing Buddhism, one day in a flash of insight, I suddenly realized how much I lacked wisdom. So I prayed to Bodhisattva Manjushri, the symbol of wisdom, hoping He could enlighten me. Even those of us familiar with Buddhism know very little about Bodhisattva Manjushri. Therefore, I tried to connect with Bodhisattva Manjushri by reciting his mantras and reading Buddhist scriptures related to him, hoping to understand the meaning behind his teachings.
The teachings revealed by Bodhisattva Manjushri completely overturn the understanding of ordinary Buddhist practitioners.
The teachings of Bodhisattva Manjushri completely overturn the understanding of ordinary Buddhist practitioners. His teachings are difficult for most people to comprehend, accept, and realize. Therefore, his teachings are little known in the world. For example, the following meanings, revealed by Bodhisattva Manjushri, represent great wisdom: great greed is non-greed, great hatred/anger is non/hatred/non-anger, great infatuation/ignorance is non-infatuation/non-ignorance, great arrogance/pride is non-arrogance/non-pride, and great suspicion/doubt is non-suspicion/no doubt. When we can understand, accept, and realize the teachings of Bodhisattva Manjushri, all resources we encounter through our senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind—regardless of human nature (good or evil), external circumstances (good or bad), the nobility or baseness of sentient beings, their wealth or poverty, can be readily used to liberate sentient beings.
Invoke Bodhisattva Manjushri and apply his wisdom.
Therefore, those cunning and scheming clever people are adept at using their unorthodox logic and methods to subvert the normal moral and ethical thinking and behavior of ordinary people. Only by invoking Bodhisattva Manjushri and applying his wisdom can we effectively overturn the unorthodox and sophistical logic and methods of those cunning and scheming clever people. How to overturn them? How to apply it? Fight “poisons” with “poisons”. Treat “poisons” with “poisons”. This "poison" is not the "poison" of drugs, but rather the "poison" of the heart.
Use the great five poisons to counteract those cunning little five poisons.
This means utilizing the aforementioned great greed, great hatred/anger, great infatuation/ignorance, great arrogance/pride, and great suspicion/doubt, and harnessing the energy of great wisdom to overcome and counteract the five poisons of cunning and scheming individuals. It's about using the great five poisons to counteract the cunning little five poisons. What is meant by "great" and "little/small"? In terms of material things, it refers to the application of the principle of proportional flexibility. In terms of mental capacity, "great" means vast and boundless, immeasurable, and equal to the entire universe. Therefore, the "nothingness" in Buddhism is not the "nothingness" we generally understand—the absence of everything.
In Buddhism, the profound meaning of "nothingness" is that it encompasses everything.
In Buddhism, the profound meaning of "nothingness" encompasses everything. "Nothingness" and "existence" are one, not two. All "existence" arises from "nothingness." "Nothingness" is "emptiness." The five poisons of greed, hatred/anger, stupid infatuation/ignorance, arrogance/pride, and suspicion/doubt naturally dissolve into nothingness within the vast emptiness of the universe. However, when necessary, they can be readily retrieved and conveniently used to guide sentient beings, especially those cunning and scheming individuals. Therefore, "greatness" is "nothingness." This is an understanding of the teachings of Bodhisattva Manjushri within the profound meaning of Buddhism.
By making good use of "selfless selfishness," we can ensure and prevent the rights and interests of ourselves and all living beings from being suppressed and trampled on by extremely selfish individuals.
This approach requires immense wisdom. To some extent, it's using our "extremely selfish five poisons" to counteract the cunning and calculating selfish five poisons of others. If readers understand the many articles on this blog, what I mean by "extreme selfishness" is itself "selfless selfishness." The convenient use of "selfless selfishness" can ensure and prevent our own rights and the rights of all beings from being suppressed and trampled upon by cunning and calculating clever people. Cunning and calculating clever people may also have the opportunity to read the articles on this blog, and then they may continue to use this to build their cunning and sophistical logic, continuing to challenge and subvert our logic as a means of controlling and oppressing us.
We must be wise enough to stay away from situations where we are set up by cunning schemes and tricks in a "struggle/conflict".
For "struggle against/conflict" to exist, there must be two opposing aspects. If we are wise enough, we understand that we shouldn't jump into the traps set by cunning and scheming individuals, using their sophistry and deceptive logic to create "struggles/conflict." We must be wise enough to stay away from such situations where we are manipulated and schemed, and not blindly become the target of their "struggle against/conflict." If we are wise, we understand that the five poisons of greed, hatred/anger, stupid infatuation/ignorance, arrogance/pride, and suspicion/doubt can "fight/stuggle against" each other. This is because these are two opposing aspects.
A wise person dares to argue with someone of integrity and honesty, but will absolutely avoid conflict with a petty, unscrupulous person. Why? People of integrity focus on the issue at hand, aiming to resolve the matter effectively rather than targeting the individual. In contrast, petty individuals are usually not interested in solving the problem itself, but rather in attacking the person. They are deeply bound by the "five poisons" of the mind. If we lack wisdom and engage in conflict with such people, we inevitably become entangled in their toxic negativity, thereby squandering our mental energy, physical strength, vitality, and resources to no avail.
If there is no form to oppose it, what is there to struggle against? Those people can only struggle against the air, staring blankly at the air.
However, how do the five poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt "struggle against" none of the five poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt—how can one person use "existence" to fight against "non-existence"? We briefly touched on this above. If there is no form to oppose, what is there to struggle? Only air, staring blankly at the air. For example, an elephant is the vast emptiness of the universe, and a tiny ant is a cunning and scheming being. How can a tiny ant struggle against an elephant?
Solving problems with wisdom is definitely not about using hostility and confrontation.
Two hands clap together to make a sound, but how can one hand clap? A hand must find another object to make a sound. So why should we be foolish enough to be the hand or object being clapped? This isn't about being cowardly or retreating. It's about having the wisdom to deal with things, to open our hearts, and to avoid getting entangled with or even trapped by a tiny ant. There's a very simple principle: if we don't use wisdom to deal with cunning and scheming people, and the traps and conflicts they create, we will be fought and defeated by them. Therefore, the way that we solve problems with wisdom is definitely not through hostility and confrontation.
A person who does not know how to cultivate themselves will often have their thoughts and gaze directed outward rather than introspecting.
From a psychological and physiological perspective, men, driven by male hormones, are prone to physiological and emotional excitement and anxiety. Without a proper outlet, they often need to find a target to argue with or fight, including brawls, to release their personal energy. Simultaneously, they need external stimulation to generate a sense of masculinity, bravery, and power. Therefore, a person who doesn't understand self-cultivation and self-restraint often focuses their thoughts and attention outward, rather than introspectively. They need external stimulation and satisfaction, needing such an external aura to shine upon them. If we can understand this phenomenon, then we should consider why we would be foolish enough to become the "stimulant" that satisfies others' masculinity and bravery, or the "excitement" that fuels their physiological and emotional excitement. This also relates to understanding and experiencing the Buddhist teachings of formness and formlessness.
Any written or legal expression is merely a representation and a textual form. One must be wise and avoid being swayed or constrained by the mindset of those with low cognitive abilities.
In other words, such men, regardless of their position or status, need to derive their inner physiological and psychological satisfaction, confidence, and pride from outward appearances. This is how they maintain a respectable and dignified presence within their circle of friends and family. In other words, this is meaningful to themselves and their circle, but not only is it meaningless to those with whom they have no deep connection, but it can even be a burden and drain them. That is to say, this is a phenomenon of extremely high self-esteem coupled with extremely low cognitive ability. And gangsters and individuals with the Dark Triad personality often fall into this category. Therefore, from a Buddhist perspective, any written or legal expression is merely a superficial appearance and a matter of words. If our consciousness is swayed and constrained in this regard, it is because we lack wisdom and have failed to see the root of human physiological and psychological issues. From the preceding discussion, we can perhaps see that engaging in any form of legal warfare is unwise. Why? Think about it.
Use compassion and wisdom to guide those who do not know how to cultivate themselves to shift their focus and objects of attention.
For such sentient beings, we need compassion and wisdom to guide them to shift their focus and attention. Let's say they are very old, suffering from chronic illnesses, and have a mother in her nineties. We should use wisdom to guide them back to themselves, focusing their attention on their own mental and physical health. At the same time, the mother is also old; as the saying goes, "The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease; the child desires to care for his parents, but they are no longer there." Filial piety must be timely. Even if the mother lives longer, how many more years will she have to spend with her children and grandchildren? Furthermore, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. If we excessively pamper our children and grandchildren, trying to pave their future and burden them with their lives, that is "love that is excessive can harm them." This kind of pampering deprives them of the ability and opportunity for self-growth, enough to ruin their lives. In this way, we guide them through persuasion, while also preventing our own lives from being dragged down and wasted. To put it bluntly, why should we be foolish enough to serve as targets for their guns and pens? Why not use our wits to steer them toward simply lying down and "jerking off" every day? Please forgive my blunt and vulgar language.
The following content is restricted; those under 18 should avoid viewing. I once saw a video of a retired Italian couple, both in their seventies and slightly overweight, wearing bikinis and swim trunks, lying on lounge chairs by the pool, resting and sunbathing with their eyes closed. Suddenly, the gentleman put his hand inside his swim trunks and started masturbating. The lady slightly turned her head, opened her eyes, looked forward for a moment, and then, as if to say, "Oh! I see." Then she continued to rest with her eyes closed. It was clear that this elderly couple had a great understanding and were very relaxed and natural with each other.
If we sincerely vow to cultivate ourselves and study Buddhism, we will have the opportunity to receive care and guidance from the big boss who specializes in dealing with gangsters.
A woman's life in this world can be quite comfortable if she has the protection of a triad boss. However, without such protection, her life will be very hard and arduous. If such a woman, suffering so much, sincerely vows to cultivate herself and study Buddhism, she may have the opportunity to receive the care and guidance of a powerful figure who can subdue triad bosses, thus escaping her life of toil and poverty and living a good life. Who is this powerful figure who can subdue triad bosses? It is none other than the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions.
There are two Bodhisattvas that completely overturn our general concept of Buddhist compassion and non-killing.
Among them, the most representative figures are the Bodhisattva Angry-eye(Gold-Tough angry-eye;"Furious Vajra" ; Wrathful Vajrapani) and Bodhisattva No-moving-but-lighting-king (Acala Vidyaraja; also known as Acalanatha or the Immovable King). Acala is the wrathful manifestation of Tathagata Great-Sun(Mahavairocana; embodying the aforementioned intense wrath; *hatred* signifies anger or rage). He is the foremost of the Five Great Wisdom Kings in Esoteric Buddhism.
He subdues demonic obstacles with his wrathful form (demonic obstacles include the many afflictions arising from the five poisons of the mind of evil people. These demonic manifestations appear outwardly, posing various obstacles to the originally pure and peaceful life and behavior of sentient beings. For example, sentient beings may be threatened, intimidated, harassed, monitored, etc.). His right hand holds a wisdom sword to cut off afflictions (including the afflictions of evil people); his left hand holds a lasso to bind karmic obstacles (including binding the karmic actions of evil people; this is to prevent any words or physical actions arising from the five poisons of the mind of evil people from posing obstacles and harming sentient beings). The function of these two bodhisattvas is to subdue and destroy evil people. In plain terms, these two bodhisattvas can kill people. Who do they kill? Evil people. This really subverts our general concept of Buddhist compassion and non-killing. Buddhist monks and lay practitioners who have taken vows must uphold the Ten Virtuous Deeds, one of which is not to kill.
The ways in which Bodhisattva Angry-eye(Vajrapani) and Bodhisattva No-moving-but-lighting-king(Acala) manifest in the world.
So, we might wonder, how do Bodhisattva Angry-eye(Vajrapani) and Bodhisattva No-moving-but-lighting-king(Acala) manifest in the world to subdue and destroy evildoers? I mentioned a scene from the Avatar movie above where Bodhisattva Angry-eye(Vajrapani)and Bodhisattva No-moving-but-lighting-king(Acala) appear, similar to the twins' manifestation through soul and consciousness, but not entirely. That is, Bodhisattva Angry-eye(Vajrapani) and Bodhisattva No-moving-but-lighting-king(Acala) manifest in the physical body of a human being through their soul and consciousness. They are one, not two (from the perspective of the physical eye), and also, neither one nor two (this phrase comes from the Buddha's teachings in Buddhist scriptures; it refers to the awareness and perception of self-reflection and to perceive the simultaneous existence of another soul-consciousness entity within one's own body). We can refer to the relevant content in the section on co-emergent deities above.
Unless we experience it firsthand, we can't understand why it's "neither one nor two," no matter how hard we try. Therefore, without this experience, we naturally deny the existence of this phenomenon. This is why some people are atheists. In Taoism, we have three souls and seven spirits within us; these souls and spirits are our inner spirit, and we all possess essence, energy, and spirit within us. This spirit is ourselves, our inner soul. Atheists probably even deny their own inner soul and spirit. There is an ancient Chinese saying: "Observe a person's demeanor." Indeed, every individual possesses a certain manifestation of essence, vital energy, and spirit. This is also why a person's appearance or aura can convey a sense of righteousness or malevolence.
Even if the souls and consciousness of Bodhisattva Angry-eye(Vajrapani) and Bodhisattva No-moving-but-lighting-king(Acala) were right before our eyes, or even within our bodies, we would not know it.
This is different from the possession or similar phenomena we commonly understand. Because the manifestation of the energy of Bodhisattva Angry-eye(Vajrapani) and Bodhisattva No-moving-but-lighting-king(Acala) doesn't present any issue of attachment for us humans. This is often beyond our comprehension. I briefly mentioned this in my explanation of the Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha, specifically regarding the Dharmakaya of the Buddhas. The statues or images of Bodhisattva Angry-eye(Vajrapani) and Bodhisattva No-moving-but-lighting-king(Acala) presented in Tantric Buddhism are merely appearances. Even if their souls and consciousness were right before our eyes, or even within our bodies, we wouldn't know, because what our physical eyes see is simply the state and behavior of an ordinary human being. Furthermore, if we have no understanding of the above, then when a thought or word occasionally flashes through our minds, we will assume it's just our own internal thought. But it could very well be the teachings, guidance, or warnings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Third, avoid developing the intention to exploit others.
Avoid developing a desire to exploit others, including those who are cunning, manipulative, or lack critical thinking skills, or those involved in organized crime. Never underestimate their intelligence and the immense impact of their negative energy. This is also to prevent ourselves from being exploited by them.
Fourth, refuse to support those cunning and scheming individuals with low cognitive abilities or gangsters.
At the same time, we must refuse to support those cunning and scheming individuals with low cognitive abilities or gangsters. This is to prevent them from rapidly accumulating resources and growing stronger to oppress those who support them.
Fifth, refuse to endorse any legitimacy of cunning, scheming individuals with low cognitive abilities, gangsters, or their organizations.
We urge global citizens to refuse to endorse any legitimacy of those cunning and manipulative individuals with low cognitive abilities, gangsters, or their organizations. This is to prevent these individuals, gangsters, or their organizations from using various cunning and manipulative means to undermine or suppress the rights of global citizens.
6. Understand the personality traits and behavioral manifestations of low cognition, and maintain appropriate social distance or stay away directly.
Understand the personality traits and behaviors of those with low cognitive abilities, and maintain appropriate social distance or avoid them altogether. We must be wise not to be swayed or bound by their cunning and manipulative logic. This is to avoid being manipulated, interfered with, harassed, intimidated, threatened, or monitored by them through various cunning methods. It also avoids the unnecessary depletion of our inner energy and resources, including time and money.
From a Jungian psychological perspective, external phenomena are projections of one's inner shadow.
From a psychological perspective, when individuals with low cognitive abilities, cunning and calculating individuals, or those with a dark triangular personality, use words like betrayal, subversion, and division in legislation, it carries a high degree of dark and negative psychological connotation. From a Jungian perspective, external events are projections of one's inner shadow. Therefore, it can be inferred that any individual or group that fears betrayal, subversion, or division is themselves someone who has acted in such a way, thus creating their own inner shadow. Consequently, rules and laws are enacted to restrict or deter others from engaging in such actions.
Evil intentions are the cause; no matter how the process changes, it will eventually lead to evil consequences; it's just a matter of time.
From a Buddhist perspective, these schemers are inherently imbued with the five poisons of the mind. In other words, those who employ these manipulative words with negative connotations are driven by an entirely malevolent thought. According to Buddhist cause and effect, malevolent thought is the cause; regardless of the process, it will ultimately lead to a negative consequence—it's only a matter of time. To change this negative outcome, one must relinquish the malevolent cause and cultivate a single, virtuous thought as a positive cause. For example, letting go of these negative thoughts and their shadows, and relinquishing attachment to external phenomena. Only then might the conditions for a positive outcome arise.
In emptiness, there are no words or concepts such as betrayal, subversion, division, unity, etc.
From the Buddhist perspective of emptiness, in emptiness, there are no such literal meanings as betrayal, subversion, division, unity, confrontation, or struggle. Only when a thought arises in the mind do corresponding literal meanings arise. Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of the Chinese Zen school, said: "The arising of thought is the arising of sin." Only when one clings to internal mental states and external phenomena does a corresponding literal meaning arise. By contemplating the Buddhist concept of emptiness, we can decipher the schemes and maneuvers employed using these literal meanings.
When a thought arises from the mind, all sorts of inner mental states begin to appear in that person.
This can be understood through careful contemplation. Why? When a thought arises from the mind, various mental states appear one after another. As a result of this continuous stream of thoughts, if the person lacks moral cultivation and discipline, the thoughts and mental states they generate will become uncontrollable, manifesting as external phenomena and karmic consequences arising from the five poisons of the mind. From the perspective of the Diamond Sutra, this is the conditioned manifestation of the five poisons of the mind. Although all conditioned phenomena of the five poisons of the mind are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, dew, and lightning, it does not mean they do not exist, nor does it mean they do not harm sentient beings. For example, sentient beings may be struck by lightning, awakened from nightmares, or frightened to death by illusions. And these are precisely the goals that those who harbor evil thoughts seek to achieve.
An individual or group that fears betrayal, subversion, or division will inevitably experience extreme insecurity.
Therefore, if we are wise enough, we will know how to deal with this phenomenon. A deeper psychological observation reveals that an individual or group that fears betrayal, subversion, or division inevitably harbors extreme insecurity. Why this extreme insecurity? Firstly, it stems from an inner guilty conscience; secondly, it reflects a lack of inner confidence. From a Buddhist perspective, such individuals or groups must have committed some wrongdoing, something immoral, or something that harms others. To put it bluntly, they harbored evil thoughts and committed evil deeds, and those involved are fully aware of their evil intentions and actions, yet they attempt to cover them up by blaming others. From my perspective as a practitioner of Buddhism, I can feel their most primal, upright, and kind souls weeping for the evil thoughts and deeds they have committed.
No matter how we betray, we are betraying ourselves.
Furthermore, understanding from the perspective of Buddha-nature and emptiness: I, Buddha, and all sentient beings are one, unified within Buddha-nature and emptiness. So, how do we betray emptiness? How do we subvert emptiness? How do we split emptiness? Using worldly terms, how do we betray the void of the universe? How do we subvert the void of the universe? How do we split the void of the universe? From this perspective, no matter how we betray, we are betraying ourselves. The rest can be deduced similarly. Therefore, we can understand that those who use words like "betrayal," "subversion," and "split" as legislation and rules to regulate and constrain others are, in fact, regulating and constraining themselves. And if other individuals or groups echo, depend on, or submit to such individuals or groups, then we can roughly infer their level of understanding.
From the perspective of Buddha-nature and emptiness, we can understand the absurd and ignorant thoughts and actions of the world. With a righteous and bright understanding in our hearts, we can avoid being influenced, restrained, intimidated, or manipulated by the absurd and ignorant claims, ideologies, rules, and laws of those with the five poisons.
Understanding the Buddhist concepts of Buddha-nature and emptiness requires time, reference to the teachings of masters from various schools of Buddhism throughout history, and extensive reading of Buddhist scriptures in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding.
Understanding the Buddhist concept of Buddha-nature and emptiness requires time, consulting the teachings of various schools of Buddhism throughout history, and extensive reading of Buddhist scriptures to achieve a comprehensive understanding. Why? Focusing on one particular path is suitable for beginners, but if one encounters a bottleneck and cannot break through, it's easy to become complacent, self-righteous, and develop arrogance. Consulting the teachings of different masters reveals their diverse experiences and insights into Buddhism, as well as their different expressions and methods. Furthermore, through extensive reading of Buddhist scriptures, one can understand the Buddha's teachings. With time and effort, one day, suddenly, enlightenment will occur. This will lead to realization and spiritual attainment.
Whether good or evil, both arise from the emptiness of the essential nature.
Enlightenment through the mind is the essence. The nature of this essence is emptiness. From this emptiness arise all kinds of thoughts, and these thoughts give rise to countless phenomena. "Countless" means infinitely numerous. Therefore, we understand that all phenomena, whether good or evil, arise from the emptiness of the essential nature. If we know how to apply these phenomena, we can readily use them to enlighten and liberate sentient beings, helping them to recognize their inherent Buddha-nature.
People with low cognitive abilities are influencing, interfering with, and harming the world in ways that demonstrate their extremely low cognitive abilities.
Using absurd and ignorant regulations and ideologies to intimidate and threaten sentient beings, or using specious rhetoric to entice or deceive them, all these actions are harmful to sentient beings. Those with low cognitive abilities are influencing, interfering with, and harming the world in their extremely limited understanding. Especially in this era of advanced artificial intelligence, if we humans lack moral cultivation and social responsibility, AI robots can easily become tools for those with low cognitive abilities and malicious intentions to commit evil, used to monitor or even harm humanity. Who is most vulnerable? Those with low cognitive abilities, those who are absurdly ignorant, those lacking sufficient understanding of correct and honest knowledge and wisdom, young people with limited life experience, and laborers who are indifferent to domestic and international affairs.
How to get along with people with low cognitive abilities?
The above explanation, from the perspective of Buddhism and its concept of emptiness, explores the absurdity of the world and its negative impacts. This leads to another question: how do we deal with those who lack cognitive ability? In other words, how do we tolerate them? Furthermore, suppose these individuals are leaders of authoritarian or dictatorial countries. As global citizens, how do we interact with and tolerate such leaders? As mentioned above, dealing with those who lack cognitive ability is extremely draining, both personally and mentally. Even those with low cognitive abilities, though not related to us by blood, are encountered by global citizens, directly or indirectly, through the dissemination of information via online social media, global trade, and economic and cultural exchanges. This summary of online information on how to deal with those with low cognitive abilities may be helpful for readers who encounter them in their work or practice. The summary is as follows:
When interacting with people who have lower cognitive abilities, the core principles are to lower expectations, control emotions, and stick to the facts. Don't try to change their values, and avoid using complex logic. Use concrete instructions instead of abstract concepts. Conserve your energy and avoid getting bogged down in pointless arguments.
Practical methods for getting along with people with low cognitive abilities
Discuss only matters, not ideas.
Limit communication to "what to do" and "how to do it," and avoid discussing right and wrong or values.
Use specific and clear language
They have difficulty understanding abstract principles or complex logic.
Maintain emotional stability
The other party may easily misinterpret objective advice as an attack or contempt.
When they are emotional, first soothe them by saying, "I know you are very angry right now," and then simply state the facts after they have calmed down.
Let go of the obsession with changing the other person.
Cognitive differences stem from innate experiences and learning abilities. Accepting the fact that "the other person simply cannot understand" and stopping trying to persuade them will save you a lot of energy.
Timely withdrawal and setting boundaries
If the conversation has become purely draining, end it decisively. Find an excuse to leave or change the subject to protect your own energy field.
Identification and Adaptation
People with low cognitive abilities typically have the following characteristics:
Lack of empathy: Unable to understand your feelings, only concerned with their own emotions.
They like to label others; when faced with problems, they tend to blame others and are unwilling to reflect on their own actions.
He doesn't understand logic: You try to reason with him, but he feels like you're targeting him.
Explaining Buddha-law/Buddha’s teachings and logical debates to people with low cognitive abilities is, to some extent, a drain on our internal resources.
In my personal observation, considering the world's total population of 8 billion, those with low cognitive abilities exceed 60% of the global population. This includes high-ranking leaders in authoritarian and dictatorial countries, business owners or senior executives in various industries worldwide, and even university professors in authoritarian and dictatorial countries. The number of ordinary people is countless. In our lives, we inevitably encounter at least one or two such individuals, who may be our relatives or colleagues. From a Buddhist perspective, guiding sentient beings requires any causes, connections and conditions, and those with low cognitive abilities lack this capacity, making it impossible to force them to be saved.
As the Buddha taught, He was not omnipotent; even He could not save those with whom He had no causes/connections/conditions/relationship. Why? Explaining Buddhist teachings and engaging in logical debate with those of low cognitive ability is, to some extent, a drain on their inner strength. This is why most of the world's population cannot understand Buddhism through rational logic and debate. They are only willing to use their blindly superstitious methods to understand Buddhism. Therefore, it's even less likely that they can sincerely believe in Buddhism. Thus, when interacting with those of low cognitive ability, as mentioned above: let go of the obsession with changing them, and appropriately detach yourself and set boundaries.
Summarize
There are vastly different perspectives—ranging from the pursuit of private interests by individuals or groups to viewpoints rooted in altruism, political science, journalism, law, macroeconomics, psychology, defense studies, or Buddhism—when examining changes in social, international, and political relations. Each perspective offers a unique and highly diverse viewpoint. This article offers a perspective based on Buddhist teachings and the author's own background; it is intended merely as a reference and does not claim to provide a comprehensive overview of the entire subject.
The Buddha taught: "I, the Buddha, and all sentient beings are one."The essence of this principle is equality and non-opposition.
From the perspective of Buddhism and the concept of emptiness, we come to understand the Buddha’s teaching that "I/the Self, the Buddha, and sentient beings are one." This unity exists within emptiness, where the three are equal—an equality grounded in the nature of emptiness inherent in the Buddha-nature and in the body/purity of the Buddha-law(Dharma-essence). The essence of this principle is that there is no opposition between them. However, we must clearly recognize that—physically, psychologically, and even materially—boundaries remain necessary in the interactions between individuals and between humans and other sentient beings. These boundaries serve to protect oneself while respecting the other, ensuring that we do not interfere with one another's karma or individual life lessons.
The cause and effect of good and evil within emptiness will not disappear without a reason.
When we help sentient beings escape poverty and despair, we are helping ourselves; this karmic cause and effect of good deeds will not disappear in emptiness. However, when we use cunning and trickery to oppress, control, and manipulate sentient beings for our own selfish gain, thereby harming them, we are harming ourselves; this karmic cause and effect of evil deeds will not disappear in emptiness. These concepts can be understood from the many articles in this blog, from my explanation of the zero-sum concept, or from the perspective of cosmological science, the law of conservation of energy, or the concepts of quantum mechanics.
Helping others escape poverty and hardship is based on the premise that they will have a sense of gratitude and a willingness to give back to society and the country in the future.
When we help and support others, it's because we believe that after they escape poverty or hardship, achieve financial independence, and are able to do so, they will reciprocate with the same kindness, helping society and the nation, creating a virtuous cycle. This means they can use their knowledge and skills to help society, the nation, and even the international community. The same understanding and reasoning apply to helping or supporting a religious or political organization or group—a legal entity composed of many individuals.
When the individuals or groups that have been helped grow stronger, they may oppress the individuals or groups that helped them.
However, if such individuals, religious organizations, political groups, or groups, both domestic and foreign, after achieving economic and social independence, or even after accumulating vast resources through long-term support and assistance, become arrogant and disdainful of others and all living beings, using unscrupulous means or cunning schemes to further oppress others, even bullying us, for their own selfish gain; or if, after we help them escape poverty and achieve prosperity, they show no gratitude but instead consider themselves wealthy and powerful, looking down on us and attempting to suppress or exclude us—then why should we continue to support, help, or assist them? If our kindness continues to be exploited and harmed in this way, wouldn't it only highlight our own ignorance and cowardice? Wouldn't we become accomplices to evil?
Legislation requires others to love it, which is a sign of both arrogance and inferiority complex.
If a religious or political organization legislates that others must obey its demands and regulations, but it doesn't need to respect others; or if it legislates that others cannot engage in separatist activities, it is actually using methods to divide other people's social groups; if it legislates that require others to love its organization, this is a manifestation of arrogance and inferiority complex. Once we think this through, we'll understand why we should support such arrogant and insecure individuals or organizations that bully us and the citizens of the world. If we support, help, or support such individuals, religious or political organizations, aren't we becoming accomplices to evil?
After our efforts, let go of the idea of helping those with low cognitive abilities, lest we embolden them and give them more resources to harm us.
If we help others integrate into the prevailing values of the world, such as respecting oneself, respecting the free will, choice, and opinion of others, and being friendly, honest, and upright, etc., and yet the other party not only has no intention of integrating into these high-level, positive values, but also wants to legislate and regulate to require the world to adopt their low-level lifestyles and behaviors based on their limited understanding of values.
If we are wise enough to have this kind of awareness, we know that we should let go of the idea of helping them, avoiding further expenditure of our labor, energy, and financial resources to support, assist, or provide for them, so as not to embolden them or bolster their resources, making them more capable of harming us. We cannot forcibly change the thoughts and behaviors of those with low cognitive abilities. This is because they believe that within their own understanding, everything they do is right, and they consider themselves to be living a good life.
After we have made our efforts, we can no longer forcibly intervene, nor can we bear the causal and life consequences of the suffering of those with low cognitive abilities.
Although we understand that their way of life will inevitably lead to suffering, they don't feel bitterness because they subjectively believe they are doing well. Other members of society connected to them may be living in misery due to oppression, but unfortunately, that is their shared karma and the cause of their suffering. We cannot forcibly intervene, nor can we bear the consequences of their suffering. Ultimately, each person must bear their own life's lessons.
Buddhism does not emphasize ethnic unity. Why?
If we have a deep understanding of Buddhism, such as the Buddha's teaching above, "I/the self, Buddha, and all sentient beings are one," we can understand why Buddhism does not advocate ethnic unity. Why? Since in the emptiness and equality of all things, I/the self, Buddha, and all sentient beings are one, there is no duality, and therefore no need for ethnic unity. If we think carefully, the so-called "ethnic unity" is essentially opposition, exclusion, and confrontation with other ethnic groups, and may even go further, to struggle and fight against those who do not agree with its ethnic unity. That is, inciting a mindset and behavior of antagonistic opposition and confrontation rooted in hatred. A single thought gives rise to evil. This is the karmic consequence of unwholesome causes and conditions. This situation often occurs when those with this mindset or who establish this concept, including groups and organizations, are built on inequality and disrespect between people, yet they seek to use "ethnic unity" to achieve their own selfish goals. This shows that this group lacks equality and respect for all sentient beings. In Buddhism, this does not align with the Buddha's teachings, such as the equality of all sentient beings. In the Buddhist concept of emptiness and equality, sentient beings are defined without distinction of race, skin color, religion, belief, or whether they are human or extraterrestrial. In other words, any sentient being arising from the convergence of various causes and conditions is called a sentient being. For example, cats and dogs in the animal kingdom are also sentient beings.
Regardless of whether they have intangible souls or consciousness, they can still communicate and interact with each other without any obstacles.
Sentient beings include those in the heavenly realm, animal realm, and ghost realm. A deeper and broader understanding is that all sentient beings possess a soul and consciousness; the difference lies only in whether they have a physical form. If they have no physical form, their individual souls and consciousnesses remain independent and distinct. If they have physical form, besides their independent souls and consciousnesses, their genes and chromosomes are also different, thus presenting differences in appearance and form. For example, humans, cats, and dogs. Why is it that "I/the self, Buddha, and sentient beings are one"? Because, with a deeper understanding of Buddhism, regardless of whether they have a physical soul or consciousness, they can still communicate and interact with each other without any obstacles. That is, it is an exchange of spiritual and mental consciousness. This is beyond our ordinary understanding and experience. I have briefly mentioned this above. If we do not respect each other's life and psychological boundaries, and if we do not maintain an appropriate distance in each other's lives and minds, it will cause serious interference and damage to each other's lives and mental well-being.
From a legal and rights perspective, respecting each other's personal and psychological boundaries is respecting the individual's right to autonomy and freedom.
From a legal and rights perspective, respecting each other's personal and psychological boundaries, and giving each other appropriate space in life and mind, is respecting the individual's right to autonomy and freedom. In the real physical world, this is protected by legal norms such as territorial sovereignty, homeland sovereignty, and individual sovereignty. For example, imagine if some invisible spirit or consciousness tried to "chat" with us for three to five days, or even every day—wouldn't we find it annoying? Of course we would. Similarly, if a country's warplanes or coast guard ships circled and interfered with our territory for three to five days, or even every day, wouldn't we find it annoying? Of course we would. These intangible spirits and consciousnesses that disrespect themselves and others will ultimately suffer the consequences. And karmic retribution usually comes particularly quickly.
Therefore, we understand that most people in the world lack the Buddhist concept of emptiness and the equality of self and all sentient beings. In their minds, they may be misled by manipulators into believing that "ethnic unity/national unity" is a righteous act, a correct path. Consequently, they may echo the manipulators, using the righteous slogans and actions of "ethnic unity/national unity" to attack and harm others. If we possess this understanding and are wise, we will know how to counter this selfish and harmful tactic.
People with low cognitive abilities are prone to isolation, and they also tend to isolate others.
According to psychological observations and research, elderly people living with family members are associated with "frailty" when they feel isolated within their families. Furthermore, the resulting feelings of loneliness, frailty, and depression are often more pronounced in these elderly individuals compared to those living alone without family. My personal observation suggests several possibilities. One is that the elderly person may be stubborn, difficult to communicate with, and exhibiting low cognitive abilities, thus leading to isolation by family members. Another possibility is that the family members living with the elderly person may themselves be exhibiting low cognitive abilities, lacking empathy for the elderly person's physical and mental well-being, and thus isolating them. In other words, elderly people with low cognitive abilities are more likely to be isolated by their families; conversely, family members with low cognitive abilities are more likely to isolate elderly people.
Bystanders can only practice the "unfeeling compassion" of Diamond Wisdom.
The psychological observations and research described above are also applicable to social and international relations. Let's assume that this elderly person or their family member with low cognitive abilities represents a nation or its leader with low cognitive abilities. An individual, leader, or organization with low cognitive abilities who is unwilling to reflect on themselves and improve to integrate into the universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and equality in modern international society will inevitably be isolated. Such leaders and organizations with low cognitive abilities will inevitably move towards isolating their citizens (national isolation). Whether as individuals or organizations, they will ultimately decline and perish, just like the elderly person with low cognitive abilities. This cause and effect stems from their own actions, not from external causes. Neither Buddhist nor psychological observations can forcibly change the state of those with low cognitive abilities. At this point, observers can only practice the "unfeeling compassion" of Diamond Wisdom(Gold-tough Wisdom). They can either wait for the leaders and organizations with low cognitive abilities to awaken, turn back, and grow, or allow them to remain isolated and self-destruct. At this point, it's only a matter of time.
The Dharma teachings transmitted by Master Longhua ( Bodhisattva Maitreya)
The master said: Uproot the evil people completely.
The disciple asked: How can we eradicate evil people completely?
The Master said: A hand that is merciless yet compassionate.
To measure whether an individual or a society or nation is happy and prosperous, we should focus on the abundance and peace of mind and spirit.
Furthermore, if we are treated with indifference, disregard, and isolation by those with low cognitive abilities in our social activities, it will inevitably accelerate the decline of our physical and mental health. Similarly, if we are treated with stubbornness, prejudice, indifference, disregard, and isolation by other countries in the international community, it will inevitably have a negative impact on our national strength and the physical and mental health of our citizens.
Therefore, if we hold this understanding, we will inevitably strive to create psychologically safe, positive, friendly, warm, equal, and mutually beneficial high-cognition interactive relationships, whether in our family relationships, social relationships, or even international relations, thereby enhancing the physical and mental health of every citizen. Similarly, positive and healthy interactions between nations will benefit the physical and mental health of both countries' citizens, contribute to their longevity, and help improve their individual cognitive abilities and intelligence. In other words, measuring the happiness and prosperity of individuals or societies and nations should not be limited to economic wealth, but should be based more on the psychological and spiritual well-being and peace of individuals and societies.
Living and interacting with people who have low cognitive abilities is extremely exhausting, both physically and mentally. Why?
Living and interacting with people with low cognitive abilities is extremely exhausting, both mentally and physically. Why? They use their limited knowledge, emotions, thoughts, and attitudes—based on their limited understanding—to believe they know more than you, and therefore try to control you, even believing they are doing you a favor. This often happens when older people treat younger people. So, why do younger generations dislike interacting with elders? I have this experience myself and a deep understanding of it. Therefore, I don't expect younger people to interact with me in a certain way. I don't want to control them. I have my own lifestyle and understanding, and young people have their own lifestyle and understanding. As long as they don't do anything self-harming or harmful to others, not interfering with each other is the best approach. It's about respecting each other's lifestyles and psychological boundaries and freedom. Long-term care is now promoting intergenerational living. Personally, whether I'm young or old, I don't like this model. Why? People with low cognitive abilities exist regardless of age, gender, or wealth. Encountering someone with low cognitive abilities is particularly mentally exhausting.
There is indeed a barrier between people with high cognitive abilities and those with low cognitive abilities, and they cannot be forcibly integrated into each other.
Similarly, having good or bad neighbors can impact our physical and mental health. Living in an environment with poor, low-cognition neighbors will inevitably increase our anxiety, severely affecting our physical and mental well-being, exacerbating psychological stress, leading to poor health, and even shortening our lifespan or causing death. Neighboring countries are also neighbors. Whether as individuals, neighbors, or neighboring countries, there will always be individuals with high or low cognition. In my personal understanding, there is indeed a barrier between those with high and low cognition, and it's impossible to force them to merge. Maintaining distance and mutual respect is a better approach.
A highly intelligent and capable politician possesses the compassion and wisdom taught by the Buddha.
A highly intelligent and capable politician possesses the compassion and wisdom taught by the Buddha. They will respond to stubborn, cunning, and intellectually challenged political opponents with the same compassion and wisdom as the Buddha, rather than resorting to head-on confrontations that only provoke further resistance and conflict. This is evident from the explanations above.
The invisible force can provide resources from the universe and Earth, and of course, it can also stop supplying or destroying them.
Resources in the universe and on Earth are not something you possess simply by monopolizing them. We can understand this by observing history. Take, for example, the stray female cats I feed. They hoard the cat food I provide, unwilling to share with other female or male cats. Yet, I can stop supplying them at any time, simply because they have this selfish desire to monopolize. In my personal observation and understanding, the resources in the universe and on Earth must be formed by some kind of invisible force—a force that can provide, and of course, can also stop or destroy them. I personally believe we should not underestimate this force. Throughout history, those who monopolize resources have often incurred the wrath of heaven and the resentment of people.
How can we improve a country's global visibility?
In this era of imminent widespread artificial intelligence and robotics, resource sharing between the universe and Earth represents a more rational and informed approach to life. Rather than engaging in military confrontations with those of lower intelligence, wasting endless resources and manpower, and only increasing public anxiety, it is far better to build a high-quality living and tourism environment, including safety and food security, to promote human well-being and well-being. This would allow us to invite like-minded international friends to visit and live in the country. A positive global image will inevitably be enhanced.
Distance yourself from those with low cognitive abilities, but do not confront them. Why?
National defense is certainly necessary, but if it's used for open military confrontation with those who lack awareness, I personally believe it's unwise. I think it's acceptable to distance ourselves from those with lower awareness, but confrontation is unnecessary. Why? Confrontation only wastes energy and resources; it's better to strive for self-improvement in all aspects, both spiritual and material, improving our qualities and abilities in every field. When those with lower awareness realize that others are better than them in every way, they will inevitably have to acknowledge it. Not only will they be convinced, but they will also treat you with exceptional respect. Their past arrogance and disdain will disappear.
Do not underestimate the thoughts and determination of those with low cognitive abilities.
Upon close observation, one finds that certain individuals with low cognitive abilities believe they are entitled to all resources; even if they or their forebears acquired them through unscrupulous means, they view these assets as rightfully theirs. They regard any benefits or favors received from others as things they are owed. In other words, they lack a clear concept of rights and obligations—both their own and those of others. They feel no guilt or shame when taking advantage of others, nor do they harbor any sense of gratitude for all beings or desire to reciprocate for gifts received from all beings. We should not underestimate the mindset and determination of such individuals. Whether within a family or a workplace, they are often a primary source of interpersonal conflict; on a broader scale—in domestic politics, international relations, and global affairs—they frequently lie at the root of political strife and international disputes/discord/conflict.
The thinking, logic, and behavioral attitudes of these individuals often diverge sharply from the norms instilled by a standard upbringing—norms rooted in positive values like integrity and honesty. The depth of the scheming and strategizing they employ—devoid of such positive values—often surpasses our comprehension; it lies entirely outside the cognitive framework of the average person. Paradoxically, these individuals often thrive, enjoying great success and prosperity in the world. While victims may view them as villains or unscrupulous opportunists, their sycophants and supporters hail them as shrewd operators with impressive capabilities. In short, it is not that they lack intelligence; rather, they channel that intelligence into calculating how to exploit others, usurp or steal the rights and assets of others, and maximize their own entitlements, interests, and wealth. If a family, organization, society, nation, or even the international community becomes rife with such individuals, it stifles progress in research, innovation, and artistic or cultural creation—and may even lead to a regression in both individual and collective intelligence. Why is this the case? To some extent, in such an environment, engaging in self-deception and the deception of others—along with acting dishonestly and without integrity—becomes a necessary survival skill.
If individuals, organizations, or nations support or validate such people of limited awareness/low cognitive abilities—legitimizing the resources they have seized or monopolized—they become accomplices. Why? Because within families or workplaces, this emboldens these individuals, giving them the confidence and resources to bully others. In domestic or international politics, it empowers them to cloak their actions in the legitimacy of law enforcement, using legislation and regulations to fight, oppose, and bully others in order to safeguard their ill-gotten gains. In short, these individuals are driven by a mindset that seeks to seize, encroach upon, and steal resources by any means necessary, yet they lack any concept of giving or contributing to others. Ultimately, such individuals are a root cause of misfortune and disaster across families, workplaces, society, and the arenas of domestic and international politics—and indeed, a source of personal misfortune and calamity for us as individuals. Regrettably, few of us—or citizens of the world—possess this level of insight, let alone know how to deal with or rectify this phenomenon.
The thought of Buddha's teaching holds that in a state of non-opposition, one should not allow the other party to dig deep into one's soft ground and invade one's home.
Understanding Buddhism and its concept of emptiness, and the Buddha's teaching that "I/the self, Buddha, and all sentient beings are one," allows us to understand that while opposing and confronting people and things we dislike may be one of many methods among many, it may not be the wisest approach. Understanding this Buddhist perspective, that a state of non-opposition does not mean allowing others to exploit our vulnerability or good will, encroach upon our territory, or trample on our rights, dignity, or free will. (Note:to dig deep into one's soft ground is a metaphor for subjecting those who are easily bullied and do not fight back to intensified exploitation, humiliation, or unreasonable demands.)
The thought of Buddha’s teaching, even in a state of non-opposition, does not lack self-boundaries and self-protection.
The thought of Buddha’s teaching, even in a state of non-opposition, is not without boundaries and self-protection. We should rely on universal moral values, justice, fairness, and harmony, and on legally grounded logic and principles to formulate regulations as a means of protecting ourselves and all sentient beings. This remains necessary. This differs from selfish individuals who use cunning and manipulative logic to embellish their words and formulate regulations that benefit themselves at the expense of others.
Individuals with low cognitive abilities often use clashes and conflicts to achieve their desired goals.
Wise compassion is not weakness, nor is it allowing oneself to be bullied, intimidated, or oppressed. Rather, it involves temporarily retreating to advance, drawing clear boundaries, or delaying tactics (for example, reducing or cutting off any support, assistance, or offerings, letting the other party know when to back down, and understanding their cunning thoughts, motives, and even cognition through interaction and communication, as a reference for considering coping strategies), or avoiding direct confrontation and conflict to prevent panic and exhaustion caused by our ignorance. Our compassion and kindness still require wise and skillful means. This is absolutely not about blindly being in a state of opposition and confrontation, feeling good about ourselves. If we have some knowledge of psychology, we will understand that those with low cognitive abilities skillfully use confrontation and conflict, even intense anger blaming others, to achieve their desired goals. This is a deliberately designed trap. We must have the wisdom to deal with it and not fall into such a trap. It's about handling things calmly, dealing with them, but handling them indifferently. This is to avoid falling into the trap. Why?
We must be wise enough to avoid falling into the traps or schemes devised by those with low cognitive abilities through cunning and deceit.
Those with low cognitive abilities are simply short-sighted; they want to win, dominate, and take advantage of others in every way. Their ability to consider or empathize with the rights, dignity, and free will of others is extremely low. They also possess very limited capacity for engaging in mutually beneficial, win-win endeavors, or for the motivations, ideas, and mindsets associated with compromising or living in harmony with others. However, their cunning, manipulative cleverness, sophistry, distorted logic, and bizarre ideologies are extremely high. Regarding the "elites" cultivated or endorsed by their organizations—or the individuals acting under the direction of such elites—we must exercise wisdom. We must be wise enough to avoid unknowingly falling into the traps or scripts designed by their cunning schemes, and to avoid becoming a part of the world they fantasize about, imagine, and envision.
So-called "elites" are often protected and favored by their parents and elders, and therefore cannot understand the suffering of others.
In my personal observation, so-called "elites" are often protected and favored by their parents and elders, thus unable to bear the hardships others face. This is because in their families or society, the labor, financial, emotional, and opportunity costs are borne by others, and the "elites" enjoy the ready-made results. If we observe more closely, we will find that the "elites" as defined in politics are actually opportunists. The majority of these "elites" are male, particularly in societies and families that favor males over females. "Elites" often despise the working class, siblings, parents, and elders who bear the various costs for them. When such "elites" exist in societies, businesses, companies, groups, religious or political organizations, they often bring serious disasters, damage, and setbacks to their families, clans, or the general public, rather than blessings.
So-called "elite education" is essentially an unequal form of education.
So-called "elite education" is inherently a form of biased, comparative, antagonistic, and exclusionary education; it also identifies with a "specific ideology/consciousness," and may even be an education "under the deliberate manipulation of ideology/consciousness." In essence, it is an unequal education. These "elites" may be enjoying the support of the general public, yet they turn around and bully that public. Ironically, these "elites" consider themselves superior and are arrogant, while their supporters, the ordinary people and laborers, consider themselves insignificant and inferior.
"Elites" are competitive rather than cooperative.
The "elites" cultivated in this way are filled with a competitive spirit rather than a cooperative one. Because of this competitive spirit, their hearts become narrow and selfish, and their inner thoughts are that only through struggle and defeating their opponents can they win. Such "elites" ultimately become souls with low cognitive abilities. However, it is regrettable that very few people in the world are aware of this, and even fewer "respect" these "elites" as "leaders" of society and the nation and are willing to cooperate with them.
Throughout human history, the healthy development of civilization and culture has essentially stemmed from cooperation outweighing competition. Why?
From a psychological perspective, competitive mentality and behavior can easily lead to severe anxiety for both parties, resulting in internal mental and energy depletion. This can cause biases and blind spots in thinking and judgment, leading to wrong decisions and a path of selfishness and self-isolation. Even if one ultimately wins the struggle, the endurance is difficult to maintain. We can observe and infer this from the brutal regimes and figures throughout history. Healthy competition is good. Malicious competition often harms others and ultimately results in self-harm.
A good working and cooperating relationship between the two parties can stimulate the release of dopamine, which can make us feel happy and relaxed. It can also make us more focused in terms of mind and energy, and enable us to have innovative ideas and implementation, thereby promoting the positive development of individuals, society and country.
"Taking advantage and then acting innocent" is a typical mindset and behavior of people with low cognitive abilities.
Individuals with low cognitive abilities cannot accept criticism. Criticism only makes them angrier, more defensive, more resistant to others, and more likely to harm, exclude, and oppress others. Similarly, confrontation and antagonism towards them will further encourage these defensive mindsets and behaviors, even malicious acts of revenge. Their negative and narrow-minded attitudes and behaviors often exceed the normal thinking and logic of ordinary people. In particular, the tendency to "take advantage and then complain" is a typical characteristic of individuals with low cognitive abilities. These are my personal experiences and observations from dealing with people with low cognitive abilities before I began practicing Buddhism.
To understand the thought of Buddha's teaching, one should avoid confrontation and refrain from harming those with lower cognitive abilities for personal gain.
Understanding Buddhism and its concept of emptiness, and the Buddha's teaching that "I/the self, Buddha, and all sentient beings are one," does not necessarily mean treating beings with low cognitive abilities as if they were our own, but rather that we should at least avoid creating a dualistic view and refrain from harming them for personal gain—that is, not intentionally or deliberately harming them. After all, we are still different individuals psychologically, physiologically, physically, and materially. Appropriate psychological boundaries and physical distance are still needed between people and between individuals, including respect for personal privacy.
In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha taught: "First, lure them with desire, then lead them into the Buddha's wisdom." "Desire" refers to the various forms and methods of craving, both material and spiritual. The key is to observe which aspect an individual focuses on. Finally, the Buddha guides all beings into the Buddha's wisdom. The Buddha's wisdom necessarily includes compassion for all beings. This compassion encompasses a lack of antagonism towards all beings and respects each other's boundaries in all aspects of life, both physical and psychological, without interfering with one another.
It is important to clearly understand the dangers of misunderstanding and misusing Buddhist concepts of emptiness.
Many Buddhist masters hesitate to expound on the concept of "I/the self, Buddha, and all sentient beings are one," not only because they may not understand this profound teaching of the Buddha, but also because they worry that sentient beings might misunderstand and misuse this concept. Indeed, those harboring evil intentions and greed can easily use their cunning and manipulative cleverness, along with their strange and distorted logic and language, to use the concept of "I/the self, Buddha, and all sentient beings are one" to harm others. Whether or not we practice Buddhism, we must clearly understand the harmfulness of this.
Each person's own karmic consequences, good and bad, cannot be borne or suffered by others on their behalf.
In Buddhism, individuals live within their own thoughts, intentions, causes, and consequences. Each person's individual karmic retribution, good or bad, cannot be borne or suffered by others. The same principle applies to religious or political organizations. We cannot expect a group of unrelated people to bear the karmic consequences, evil deeds, and sins caused by an evil, greedy, and hateful political organization. However, I regret to say that this practice of bearing the karmic consequences, evil deeds, and sins of an evil, greedy, and hateful political organization has occurred throughout Asian history and in modern times.
Many people suffer in life because they bear the consequences of others' karma.
Many people’s lives are filled with suffering because they are often forced to shoulder the karmic consequences of others. Such phenomena frequently occur in East Asian families where a preference for sons over daughters persists. A child favored or spoiled by parents and elders—and thus granted special support—often develops a limited perspective/low cognitive ability/low awareness; they take undue advantage of the situation while remaining oblivious to the cost. The negative karma and transgressions they incur are frequently foisted upon other family members (such as siblings or daughters), who are compelled by parents and elders to bear the burden. Indeed, much of the suffering in people's lives stems from this forced assumption of others' karma. Meanwhile, the aforementioned favored individuals often lack self-awareness, reflection, or gratitude regarding the suffering borne by others on their behalf; they may even view such sacrifices as their due. This illustrates the adage that "excessive love can lead to harm": such preferential treatment and spoiling actually damage the recipient, fostering selfishness and arrogance. They may come to believe they are superior to the siblings or others who are shouldering their karmic burdens—an arrogant mindset that often leads them toward an unhappy life. This is an observation based on my own personal experience. In other words, both the spoiled individual and the one bearing the karmic burden are suffering; they simply differ in the timing, nature, and process of that suffering.
Unknowingly or unintentionally, one becomes an accomplice in harming or exploiting others.
Western countries and societies may currently have limited awareness of this phenomenon, which is related to their strong commitment to gender equality. However, this also leads to a lack of understanding and vigilance regarding authoritarian political systems and such phenomena in Asian societies, unknowingly or unintentionally becoming accomplices in harming or exploiting others. This, to some extent, forms collective karma, and this karma may one day retaliate. As mentioned above, an individual or group A who supports, helps, or provides for others may ultimately be despised and oppressed by the individuals or groups B who received support, help, or provision. As for whether Western countries and societies bear the karmic consequences of Asian authoritarian regimes, I personally believe they do. However, I personally believe they are not aware of this. I personally believe that only when the bitter fruits of collective karma arise, and Western countries and societies experience this suffering, will they begin to become aware of it.
We should be careful whether the benefits we gain come from oppressing others.
We must be cautious. Do the benefits we see or receive, or seemingly mutually beneficial exchanges, come from oppressing others, or do they encourage the other party to oppress or bully others? If we only see immediate gains and succumb to the other party's pressure and absurd arguments, it reflects our own ignorance and low level of understanding. If we are attracted by the other party's enormous economic interests, we must understand that a fat wolf doesn't become strong for no reason; it's the result of someone feeding and providing for it, giving it more strength and resources to prey on other animals, even ourselves. So, we must ask ourselves, why would we become a facilitator of such actions? Is it due to our own mindlessness and ignorance, or have we been blinded by self-interest?
Both sides, in their struggle for interests, diminish their intelligence (become mentally retarded), and then use various means to harm each other.
I recently watched some short videos online, sourced from people who aren't young people in Taiwan. The main theme emphasized the idea of "the strong helping each other, the weak tearing each other apart." The intention was positive and benevolent, encouraging us to strive for mutual benefit and become highly intelligent individuals with strong cognitive abilities, rather than becoming low-intelligent individuals who harm each other in the pursuit of profit. This phenomenon of mutual harm among those with weaker cognitive abilities is prevalent in some political and social groups. It also reflects social phenomena in some populous countries. I regret to say that this phenomenon also exists in Taiwanese society, often seen in family inheritance disputes or companies with flawed systems or management. It's simply that both sides lower their intelligence (become intellectually disabled) or even lose their rationality in the struggle for profit, resorting to various means to harm each other. This has a basis in psychology and neuroscience. In Buddhism, it's because the five poisons of the mind are rampant, obscuring one's pure and bright mind.
The anxiety experienced by highly intelligent individuals when facing competition for interests may also lead to a decline in their cognitive abilities and intelligence.
The concept of "the strong helping each other, the weak tearing each other apart" also applies to international relations. If international political systems, driven by the struggle for interests, cause a decline in the cognitive and intellectual capacity of those in power or responsible for certain areas, they may resort to unscrupulous means, causing serious harm to each other. This harm can even extend to innocent third parties. Psychological observations and research suggest that even highly intelligent individuals experiencing anxiety when facing competition for interests may experience a decline in their cognitive and intellectual capacity, leading to flawed judgments and solutions.
When a man first initiates the fight, his internal hormones or adrenaline are extremely high.
Furthermore, engaging in various forms of struggle against others for the selfish interests of individuals and their groups is extremely energy-consuming for these self-serving individuals and groups. These men may initially be full of fighting spirit, their hormones and adrenaline levels surging. However, as we understand from Buddhist perspectives, everything undergoes a cycle of formation, existence, decay, and emptiness; birth, existence, change, and extinction. No matter how high the fighting spirit, how high the hormones and adrenaline levels, they can all decline from their peak, repeating this cycle repeatedly. Avoiding these negative phenomena depends on an individual's willingness to actively cultivate their character and improve their understanding.
If there are causes and conditions, then save them; if there are no causes and conditions, then do not save them.
From the above, we understand that changing those who commit evil with low awareness is extremely difficult. Regarding individuals and groups like them, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions understand that they will be saved if there are karmic connections, and not if there are none. Those without karmic connections should be treated like apples; let them rot on their own and reap the bitter fruit of their actions. We only need to prevent them from harming us further. This is an attitude and method of merciless compassion.
Cunning people are adept at using our thinking, logic, and ideas to imitate, distort, and alter them in order to control and oppress us.
When faced with cunning individuals and groups with low cognitive abilities, we must be wise enough to recognize that they skillfully manipulate, distort, and alter our thought processes and ideas to control and oppress us. In other words, they are adept at using the rules of the game we play to imitate, distort, and disguise them, transforming them into the scripts they desire, and using cunning and trickery to design the rules, situations, and worlds they want. If we are wise enough, we will understand not to fall into their lies and deceptive scripts, traps, rules, situations, and worlds.
Individuals with low cognitive abilities, those with a dark triangular personality, or gang members cannot be completely eliminated.
This can be achieved by using the Buddha's compassionate teachings and the contemplation of emptiness as a foundation to dismantle any situation, rules of the game, and the imagined world created by evil thoughts. If we cannot satisfy their greed, their desire for revenge is extremely strong, and their hatred is profound. Such people with low cognitive abilities are very difficult to deal with. These people with low cognitive abilities, or those with a dark triangular personality or gangsters, cannot be completely eradicated; they will exist in any generation, era, time, place, and country. This can be understood as long as we have some basic understanding of history, historical figures, and psychology.
Protect our own energy and resources, and avoid unnecessary waste.
Based on my personal observation and understanding, changing the mindset of such people is extremely difficult. The wisest approach is not to try to change them, but to conserve our own energy and resources—a more practical approach that avoids unnecessary waste. I want to emphasize that these people also have survival needs; all their actions are driven by these internal survival needs. Providing them with basic living space is still necessary. In other words, there's no need to corner them. As long as we prevent them from having the vast resources and ability to commit large-scale evil, they will still commit evil within their small circles—that's their karma and collective retribution.
Before we are born, we have already decided in one thought whether we want to be a bad person or a good person.
The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have taught that before we are reborn, we have already decided in one thought whether we want to be a wicked person or a virtuous person. In other words, before we are reborn, we decide in one thought whether we want to play the role of a wicked person or a virtuous person. Of course, there is no such absolute dichotomy. Humans always have both good and evil thoughts and actions. Good and evil coexist in this process; it is only in the end that we decide what kind of good or evil person we will become.
Without the stimulus of evil, there is no development of good.
The existence of evil, authoritarian forces, or gangs is a phenomenon arising from the opposition of good and evil; it is also a cause. It can stimulate and promote the positive development of human civilization. Because without the existence of evil, the value of good cannot be demonstrated. This, to some extent, promotes the development of domestic and international politics, society, economy, and law, even the development of psychology and religion, as well as literature, novels, drama, history, journalism, philosophy, and even defense technology and research and innovation. It also encourages people in the domestic and international community to pursue a harmonious, fair, just, and peaceful way of life. Because without the stimulation of evil, there is no development of good. Perhaps this is one of the benefits and contributions of these evil forces or gangs to the international community.
However, this price inevitably comes at the cost of many innocent people, including those whom evil forces or gangsters consider enemies and need to be eliminated. The fact that evil forces or gangsters develop various cunning schemes to harm the masses for their own benefit is precisely what spurs humanity to cherish virtues such as integrity, kindness, honesty, compassion, and wisdom. But whatever the future holds, we do not want ourselves or others to become those who are sacrificed, harmed, or oppressed, controlled, coerced, or manipulated by cunning and deceitful thinking and methods. Of course, the ideal future is one where, if humanity develops sufficient wisdom, even if evil forces cease to exist, the inherent goodness of humankind will still naturally manifest and function.
The existence of the duality of good and evil helps us understand emptiness, enabling us to practice a non-dualistic compassion and wisdom.
We must understand that those with low cognitive abilities are not without skills or merits. They may bully you, but they may also protect you. They may mistreat you, but they may also offer you benefits, depending on our perspective and how we interact with them. From a Buddhist perspective, evil forces and wicked people can be opportunities to cultivate compassion and wisdom, but the key lies in how we confront them. The struggle against evil, lies, cunning, cruelty, and vile acts, along with low cognitive logic, ideology, and behavioral attitudes, acts like a mirror, reflecting the evil and low intelligence within us.
However, this mirror also serves to inspire our shared, universal, and positive values, enabling us to learn and demonstrate integrity, kindness, honesty, harmony, compassion, and wisdom in our cognitive behaviors and attitudes. It allows us to possess compassion, empathy for the suffering of others, and the wisdom to remain uncorrupted by evil. Men with the physical and mental strength to engage in STEM or military industries may indeed reap substantial profits. However, if they lack humanistic concern and moral character, it will be a disaster for humanity. Furthermore, men who engage in religious or political activities driven by survival pressures may derive a sense of authority, but if they lack humanistic concern and a moral compass, it will also be a disaster for humanity.
Without the existence of these opposing concepts such as good and evil, we cannot deeply understand that "I/the self, Buddha, and all sentient beings are one," and thus cannot practice a non-dualistic compassion and wisdom. That is, only in a state of non-opposition, regardless of whether sentient beings are good or evil, can we practice compassion towards them. This wisdom of emptiness allows us to tolerate the existence of evil and to tolerate those who are intolerable in the world. Furthermore, it allows us to gracefully turn away, look upon all sentient beings with compassionate eyes, not to contend with those of low understanding, and to laugh at those who are laughable in the world.
Facing and dealing with the cunning and wicked aspects of character is, to some extent, a test for all sentient beings. In this process, our uprightness, integrity, kindness, and our qualities of respect for one another, mutual benefit, equality, and altruism are further highlighted. These good qualities and traits will be cherished and practiced more in all interactions within our domestic and international communities, businesses, families, schools, and other organizations.
Those with low cognitive abilities in the Dark Triangle Personality type are inherently driven by a desire to be the center of attention.
From a Buddhist and psychological perspective, individuals with low cognitive abilities exhibiting the Dark Triangle Personality Syndrome inherently crave attention and the spotlight, even if it involves extremely opportunistic, dark, and evil methods, without fear or hesitation. Our approach to such individuals is to completely ignore them, but not without wisdom and means. We must establish adequate psychological and physical defenses, making them clearly visible and concrete. We must assure them that we understand their motives and thoughts, and that our defenses are fully prepared. However, we will not intimidate them in the same way, nor will we resort to violence. Nevertheless, we must demonstrate that we are not without boundaries and limits.
We must respect others and respect the fact that their perceptions are different from ours.
Everyone's perception is different, and we cannot force others to share our perspectives. Sometimes, we must respect others and respect the fact that their perceptions differ from ours. This means respecting their way of life as they perceive it, but ensuring that their perceived lifestyle doesn't interfere with or negatively impact us. This is because everyone has a different worldview. We cannot force everyone to have the same worldview. This understanding allows us to tolerate the existence of evil forces, confining them to certain limits and providing them with specific living space.
Use the illusions of evil forces as an aid to cultivating the immeasurable mind.
Just like tigers, leopards, bears, and lions—animals that prey on humans—despite posing a threat to human life, we humans know to establish animal sanctuaries to protect these beings in the animal realm, giving them space to live and preventing their extinction. Similarly, wicked people with the five poisons of greed, hatred, stupid infatuation, arrogance and suspicion—these individuals with low cognitive abilities—also pose a great threat to human life. However, I believe they do not need to be exterminated. If we had this understanding, perhaps we would also know how to establish "sanctuaries" for them, especially in this era of rapidly developing artificial intelligence and robots. Because the existence of evil forces must have its reasons and meanings. As I mentioned above, we use the illusion of evil forces as a supporting condition for cultivating boundless compassion. Without the existence of the appearance of evil forces, how can we cultivate the mind of equality, humiliation-enduring, patience, equanimity, abandon, let-go, wisdom, and compassion? If we can observe with wisdom, evil will instead become a supporting condition for cultivating equality, humiliation-enduring, equanimity, patience, abandon, let-go, modest, amiability, and compassion.
People in this world, with their thoughts and actions, commit sins the moment a thought arises.
In my personal observation, worldly struggles are remarkably similar to a zero-sum game. From the Buddhist perspective of "I/the self, Buddha, and all sentient beings are one," fighting others is fighting oneself; any act that harms others or sentient beings is, in fact, harming oneself. In this world, the very thought that arises creates sin. Cause and effect are only a matter of time, and this karmic retribution extends to future lives. This is not about using any means necessary in this life to win a struggle. From the Buddhist perspective of emptiness, there is no winning or losing. This is similar to a zero-sum game. Worldly people play this worldly zero-sum game with their limited understanding, while Bodhisattvas play the zero-sum game of the Bodhisattva realm with their higher understanding. I have explained this in the following article; interested readers can refer to it: "The best way to avoid strangers (all beings) draining and dragging down our lives is to practice the following for all beings--- great love without relationship(without connection;without conditions), and great mercy in the same body of universal.(The Best Way to Avoid Strangers (Sentient Beings) Consuming and Dragging Down Our Lives—Unconditional Compassion and Universal Empathy.)"
The Buddhist lineage holders and translators throughout history (who translated Sanskrit into Chinese) were by no means ignorant or mediocre individuals.
If we possessed the understanding and qualities of Bodhisattvas, we would absolutely not dare to engage in the zero-sum game of struggle that reflects the low level of understanding among ordinary people. The fact that Buddhism has been able to endure for 2500 years is not due to mere abstract transmission. The Buddhist transmitters and translators throughout history (translating Sanskrit into Chinese), and even the royal families and nobles who supported Buddhism, were certainly not ignorant or mediocre individuals. Behind this lies the protection and teaching of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma protectors from all directions. Faced with such a history of Buddhism, if we ourselves do not understand humility and respect for all beings, it is our own ignorance, no-bright and delusion. This is not to deny the existence of Buddhism or to place ourselves above it, thus making ourselves great. If we possessed such knowledge and understanding, we would know how to act humbly before all beings and respect their free will and autonomous decisions.
Padmasambhava and Milarepa, the founders of Tantric Buddhism, were real historical figures.
Padmasambhava and Milarepa were real historical figures. Their teachings are extremely profound. Some later accounts of their spiritual practice and transmission are often dismissed as fabrications or fantastical tales. Most people, even those who are ignorant and unenlightened, lack the karmic connection and merit to receive their teachings. Even if we know their names, we may not grasp the profound meaning of their teachings. Very few people know of Padmasambhava and Milarepa.
I truly feel a chill for those who dare to bully and offend those who devoutly believe in and practice their teachings. I don't know how these bullies will be punished in the future; only their innate deities and the Yama King know. Whether you understand or not, it's beyond your control. It's related to our own karmic conditions and blessings, and whether we have a solid foundation in Buddhist practice.
In the mindset of the person inflicting harm, hurting others entails no cost or price to pay.
In other words, if we lack sufficient karmic merit and haven't diligently practiced Buddhism, we might disregard or even belittle the existence of Guru Padmasambhava and Milarepa, these two venerable masters of Tantra, and their teachings. Consequently, we might engage in acts that disrespect or even harm sentient beings. In the perpetrator's mind, harming others requires no cost. In their understanding, there is only the ruthless pursuit of gain, not the concept of sacrifice. Therefore, they dare to act recklessly. This is a very typical animalistic, bestial, and masculine way of thinking. The harmed, in turn, lack the knowledge and ability to apply any laws to punish the perpetrator or seek justice for their suffering. This is especially true for the uneducated, women, and children.
The costs and consequences Milarepa incurred for harming others.
If we've read the biography of Milarepa, we'll understand that Milarepa lost his father at a young age. He and his mother were bullied by their uncles and relatives, who maliciously seized all their property. Harboring deep resentment, Milarepa transformed from a victimized child into a perpetrator in adulthood; he unleashed black magic to exact revenge on those who had once harmed him, but tragically ended up killing innocent people as well. What cost and price did he ultimately pay? These costs and prices differ from what we, in our secular understanding today, might involve paying money or performing labor in the name of law.
Milarepa, feeling remorseful for harming others, requested that Marpa accept him as a disciple. Marpa accepted and began teaching Milarepa. After reading about Milarepa's period of asceticism and purification, we should be grateful that we live in modern times and don't have to endure such a life of hardship. It was truly inhuman. From a worldly perspective, it was an extreme drain on time, energy, and physical strength. To put it nicely, it's "Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one rise above the rest."; to put it bluntly, it was "utter torture," practically hellish asceticism.
In Buddhism, Dharma masters who uphold the lineage and teachings must be able to endure suffering. Only by enduring suffering can they bear the offerings of sentient beings. An enlightened Buddhist master's definition and understanding of offerings from sentient beings is not, as we commonly understand it, large sums of money and abundant material possessions. Finally, how did Milarepa die?
Milarepa ultimately received the teachings of his master Marpa and became the only lineage holder to attain spiritual realization. Some people, jealous of his spiritual achievements, bribed one of Milarepa's followers, instructing him to offer Milarepa a cup of poison. Milarepa knew the follower intended to kill him, but out of compassion, he understood it was the karmic consequence of his own actions. Therefore, he accepted the offer and drank it, and that is how he died.
However, to a lineage holder who has attained realization and spiritual enlightenment, this cup of poison offered is as sweet as a cup of water, and thus the offering is accepted with joy and equanimity. Therefore, we can understand how difficult it is to be a lineage master of Buddhism.
From a Buddhist perspective, whether it is matter, spirit, physics, or psychology, although they are illusory existences, this does not mean that they do not exist.
The absence of cats does not mean cats don't exist. Denying the existence of cats does not mean cats don't exist. Similarly, atheism does not mean God/gods/Buddha/Bodhisattva don't exist. Denying the existence of God/gods/Buddha/Bodhisattva does not mean God/gods/Buddha/Bodhisattva don't exist. The absence of morality and ethics does not mean morality and ethics don't exist. Denying the existence of morality and ethics does not mean morality and ethics don't exist. From a Buddhist perspective, cats, gods, and morality and ethics, whether material, spiritual, physical, or psychological, are illusory existences, but this doesn't mean they don't exist. Just like dreams, dreams are both real and illusory, seemingly real yet not real, seemingly real yet not nonexistent. We do experience dreams and can feel, remember, and recall them. We can even apply the changes in dreams, or the requests, guidance, or inspirations of people we know or don't know, to our lives.
We live for others or groups, working hard for most of our lives, and spoiling them.
In Taiwan, whether through religious education or lessons learned in junior high school textbooks, we are taught to live for others, to be considerate of others, and to understand the meaning and value of those who are capable and willing to do more in life and at work. We are kind and simple-minded, accepting this viewpoint, or perhaps we've been brainwashed. We've lived for others or groups, thinking of others and working hard for most of our lives, spoiling them and these groups(this also fosters a tendency toward low-level cognition.). These spoiled individuals or groups then turn around and bully us. Only then do we realize that from now on, we should live for ourselves. This is the awakening of our generation—now over fifty—after enduring deep grievances within families and a society that favored sons over daughters(after suffering countless injustices in patriarchal families and societies). If we regularly feed stray mother cats, watch them care for a litter of kittens, and then show them to us, we, especially women, will find peace from the complexities of human emotions and marriage. The national policy of favoring sons over daughters will also change as a result. This is because felines are primarily matrilineal, which provides us humans with different perspectives to consider the workings of the societies, nations, and international relations/politics we live in.
Taking good care of one’s own physical and mental health, and establishing a high-quality spiritual and material life, are actually the foremost priority in life.
A culture that favors males over females easily breeds men and women with low cognitive abilities, creating a vicious cycle. This causes harm not only within families but also inflicts serious damage on the nation, society, and the international community. Ask yourself: are people with such low cognitive abilities worth living for? Certainly not. It is far more meaningful to live well for oneself. This is not selfishness; it is a realization I reached after traversing most of my life—having dedicated myself to others since childhood and, in middle age, having cared for my elderly mother while navigating family conflicts. Regardless of age or status, prioritizing the well-being of one’s body, mind, and character—and building a high-quality spiritual and material life so as not to burden innocent people—is truly the most important task in life. This holds positive significance for oneself, family, colleagues, friends, the nation, society, and even the international community.
When I was young, I was naive. After entering society, seeing others' ideals and enthusiasm for helping others, I eagerly joined them as a follower, generously donating money and labor. I regret to say that I also suffered neglect, contempt, and bullying from those I supported. I also gave my all to my family, but I still suffered contempt and bullying. Why? Because I only thought of others, working hard and being busy for them, without thinking of myself. I made others' lives easy while I suffered. These people saw my poverty and despised me from the bottom of their hearts. Buddhism says this is a way of clearing away karmic obstacles.
When we have the intention to help others, we must be self-aware to see if we are encouraging their inner greed.
Therefore, when we have the intention to help others, we must be self-aware and observe whether we are encouraging their inner greed. When helping others, we must carefully observe whether they have the heart and ability to repay this kindness to society and all beings in a proper way. Treating all beings with compassion, without seeking or expecting gratitude in return, is a way for us to let go of attachments, free our own hearts, and avoid any resentment or hatred arising from others' lack of gratitude. This is our inner cultivation of virtue and also for our own mental health. However, we still need to use wisdom to observe whether beings have a grateful heart. If beings have a grateful heart, they can treat other beings kindly. If beings do not have a grateful heart, they may instead use our compassion, kindness, and assistance to strengthen themselves and bully us and other beings. Our compassion without wisdom will become an accomplice to evildoers. These concepts also apply to the international community/relations.
Those who create their own karma and karmic obstacles will inevitably suffer the consequences.
Buddhist emptiness is the absence of good and evil, karma and suffering. A single thought of good or evil, and its corresponding action, creates the cycle of cause and effect, leading to rebirth. One inevitably experiences the consequences of their own karma and karmic obstacles. With thought comes karma, and with karma comes suffering. Heavy karma may result in lighter suffering, and light karma may result in heavy suffering. No one can suffer on one's behalf. From a deeper Buddhist perspective, although all of this is like an illusion, it is not without experience for the one who creates the thought, nor is it without suffering. Just as when we wake from a dream, we may have a particularly vivid memory and feeling about the dream we just had. We may feel fear, we may shed tears; we can still perceive all kinds of emotions and reactions. As the Medicine Buddha Sutra teaches, when a person is seriously ill and near death, their family members devoutly light lamps and recite the Medicine Buddha mantra. In their coma, the patient can clearly recall and replay the good and evil deeds they have done in their life. When they are fortunate enough to awaken from their near-death coma, they dare not commit evil deeds again, and their mind is solely devoted to good.
Understanding the Buddha's teachings on emptiness provides us with different perspectives on life, as well as different ways of thinking and attitudes towards life.
In summary, understanding the Buddha’s teaching of emptiness provides us with different perspectives on life, as well as different approaches and attitudes towards living. Understanding that the Buddha's teaching of "I/the self, Buddha, and all sentient beings are one" is based on the principle of pure/clear, equality and emptiness. This offers us a perspective of thinking that is not in opposition to all sentient beings. On this basis, we cultivate compassion and wisdom, and in this peaceful state, we can consider alternative methods and attitudes for resolving conflicts. In this state, we can tolerate those who are intolerable, without harboring hatred or a desire for revenge, which contributes to our inner well-being. Not harming others allows us to make correct decisions and actions, enabling us to walk more steadily on the path of life. The fate of a nation can also be seen through this lens.
It is utterly absurd to use the name of any god, or even the name of atheism, to exert any control, suppression, or bullying over living beings.
Extending this line of thought, any attempt to control, suppress, or bully sentient beings in the name of any god, or even in the name of atheism, is utterly absurd. Understanding the absurdity of the world and its negative impact, we realize that absurd people and things have existed throughout history. With compassion and diamond-like wisdom, we observe these events with a smile. If we possess upright values, we should support and uphold honest, virtuous, and upright individuals and organizations, and never support cunning, scheming, and manipulative evildoers. If we support individuals or organizations that commit evil, we become accomplices to evil, sharing in their karmic burdens. For further discussion on the karmic consequences of evil deeds, readers can refer to the following article: The Buddha's Forty-Two Chapters Sutra.Chapter Thirty-Six: Victory After a Long and Struggling Process. May all beings understand the teachings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions regarding the Buddhist concept of emptiness, and realize for themselves the inconceivable function of their own emptiness.
Why does Buddhism not speak of national or ethnic greatness?
Buddhism does not advocate for the greatness of a nation or an ethnic group; why is that? The concept of "national greatness" implies its opposite—national insignificance—and the same logic applies to ethnicity. This mindset fosters an adversarial relationship, easily leading to psychological imbalance and triggering conflict between the two sides—specifically, a clash between arrogance and feelings of inferiority. While leaders may seek to project confidence by championing national greatness, they often—psychologically and in terms of breadth of spirit—fall into a state of arrogance and hubris born of competition and opposition. This narrows one's thinking and capacity of mind, thereby distorting judgments and decisions regarding events and world affairs, ultimately steering the situation toward conflict.
A deeper understanding of Buddhism reveals that all sentient beings possess the Buddha-nature and are Buddhas-to-be. Fundamentally—within the realm of pure, equal emptiness—all beings are absolutely equal; No one is superior, and no one is inferior. Grasping this, we dare not harbor arrogance or conceit, nor do we dare look down upon any sentient being. We dare not be arrogant toward any ethnic group, nor do we dare slight any people; for the citizens of every nation are sentient beings who possess the Buddha-nature and are future Buddhas.
When we hold this perspective, our approach to viewing and handling matters changes, as does the trajectory of the outcomes. Naturally, the course, process, and ultimate result of our own lives will also differ significantly. In short, this represents the distinction between unwholesome and wholesome causes and conditions, unwholesome and wholesome karma, and unwholesome and wholesome consequences.
Various forms of compelled identification, oppositional stances, and the like are invisible shackles that we humans impose upon ourselves and others.
Our choice between binary opposition and non-opposition leads to different perspectives in our thinking, debate, judgment, and decisions, as well as different behaviors and attitudes in our interactions with others. For example, astronauts on the moon, looking down at Earth from its perspective, saw that all races and species on Earth were one.
In other words, so-called forced national identity on Earth, or forced ethnic, political, religious, or cultural identities, are invisible shackles that we humans impose on ourselves and others. Not content with self-imposed constraints, we also use various means to bind others. These shackles are even imposed by cunning and manipulative individuals for their own selfish gain, used to manipulate the world. If we are wise enough, we will know how to break free from these shackles and avoid being manipulated by those with ulterior motives.
At the same time, we can stand at a higher level and think about problems and treat others with a more sophisticated attitude. Of course, the protection, management, and maintenance of national borders are necessary, just as important as the security and management of our own residences. However, we will not hate or be hostile to others, disagree with them, or manipulate them under any pretext simply because we live there. We will only take precautions against malicious aggressors, but we will not necessarily hate, be hostile to, or harm them.
Even if we dislike or reject someone, we can still choose not to oppose them.
The absence of conflict does not mean we must like or accept the other person. Because we still need to be clear about moral principles, interpersonal relationships, and psychological boundaries. Therefore, even if we dislike or reject someone, we can still choose not to be in conflict with them.
Having understood the above and grasped the Buddhist concept of cause and effect, if we have self-awareness, we will understand our own limitations in knowledge and wisdom. While we may not reach the level of experts, we can refer to their professional knowledge and experience to improve our own understanding and use it as a driving force for our personal progress. This is called "leveraging external resources." This is absolutely different from using others or using them as stepping stones for selfish personal gain.
Refraining from confrontation with others serves our own physical and mental well-being and paves the way for a smoother life journey.
Engaging in conflict—in any aspect of life—can easily drive us toward deep-seated scheming, hatred, and a desire for revenge; ultimately, this leads to a turbulent and unfortunate life path, potentially even dragging others down with us. Both Buddhism and psychology affirm that avoiding confrontation benefits our own well-being and fosters a smoother life trajectory. Moreover, this perspective offers a different angle for reflection and exploration in our professional fields and in how we conduct ourselves with others.
Refusing to adopt an adversarial stance does not equate to surrender or admitting defeat.
I have observed that some people view life solely through the narrow lens of a win-lose dichotomy. Even when dealing with people we dislike, or ideologies and viewpoints we do not endorse, we can choose to avoid contact or reject them and simply walk away; this does not mean we must engage in confrontation or hostility. There is a distinction between non-adversarial behavior and confrontation. Of course, if someone attempts to curtail or violate our personal freedom—or to traffic us to others—we must resist, as doing so is a fundamental instinct for self-preservation.
Regarding certain ideologies, there are indeed those who deliberately incite, control, and manipulate global citizens, pitting them against one another in conflict, hatred, and retaliation.
Therefore, we must exercise wise discernment: when we find ourselves in opposition or conflict with others, is it the result of incitement, control, or manipulation by scheming third parties or adversaries, or is it an act of instinctive self-preservation? Whether as individuals, social groups, or political organizations, we must clearly distinguish between these situations and understand them fully. From my own observations of the international landscape, there are indeed individuals who—driven by certain ideologies—deliberately incite, control, and manipulate people worldwide, fostering mutual antagonism, hatred, and retaliation. It is impossible to avoid the existence of such scheming individuals; they may even be found within our own families, religious communities, or workplaces. The crucial question is whether we possess the wisdom to avoid falling into this trap—either by becoming an accomplice or by being swept up and manipulated ourselves.
Why do individuals with "Dark Triad" personality traits/with low cognitive abilities easily manipulate ordinary people and ascend to positions of power?
Some possess a cunning and inscrutable nature, knowing how to exploit our integrity, kindness, and sense of justice to secure their own personal gain; in doing so, they oppress, exploit, and take advantage of us. Their devious tactics often transcend the understanding of the average person—such as skillfully leveraging ideological conflicts and antagonisms to profit from the resulting strife. Instigating conflict is one such method. This is precisely why individuals with Dark Triad traits/with low cognitive abilities find it easy to manipulate ordinary people and rise to the top.
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas—including God—also make use of our qualities of integrity, kindness, and righteousness.
Upon reflection, we come to realize that Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and God indeed utilize these virtues of ours; yet, unlike those who harbor ulterior motives, the ultimate benefit they seek to achieve is the welfare of all sentient beings. It is a form of benefit that serves both the self and others—for the self, the Buddha, and sentient beings are one. There is a balance in the distribution of this benefit. Such benefit is not necessarily measured in the material terms familiar to most people, as it also encompasses intangible forms of gain, such as wisdom.
Individuals with "Dark Triad" personalities or with low cognitive ability are well aware of our inclination to use our integrity, kindness, and sense of justice for the benefit of others; they exploit this very trait to manipulate people for their own selfish gain.
Ultimately, their actions serve only themselves rather than the greater good—or, at best, involve a gross imbalance where the benefit to themselves vastly outweighs any benefit to others. Without the capacity for independent critical thinking, ordinary people often fall prey to such manipulation without even realizing it.
Being made use of is not a bad thing; one must possess specific qualities and expertise to be considered useful.
There is a perspective that being utilized is not a negative; after all, one needs to have distinct qualities and specialized skills to be of use—if we lack these, others would have no desire to utilize us. This is simply the reality of the situation. The question, however, is: by whom do we *want* to be utilized? Or, conversely, how might we avoid being utilized by anyone—whether by people, gods, or Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? It is worth reflecting on this.
Individuals with "Dark Triad" personality traits or with low cognitive abilities also know how to engage in mutually beneficial exchanges.
Interpersonal interactions inevitably involve a degree of mutual utilization—essentially a relationship of reciprocal benefit—where the key distinction lies in the methods and extent of this utilization, and whether they align with principles of justice and fairness. A mutually beneficial relationship is, at its core, one of mutual assistance. Dark Triad or low cognitive individuals understand how to leverage this dynamic; however, their perception of justice and fairness differs from that of the average person. How does it differ? As previously mentioned, there are disparities regarding the proportionality of benefits exchanged, as well as their own idiosyncratic definitions of justice and fairness. To some extent, Dark Triad or low cognitive individuals believe they are smarter than the average person in this regard, allowing them to reap massive gains—a belief that fuels their arrogance. We must not underestimate this mindset and, in doing so, lose our sense of justice and integrity by blindly using our own financial resources and labor to laud or fund such individuals. Regrettably, however, there are indeed people who view these Dark Triad or low cognitive individuals as successful figures—whether on the international stage or within society—and are willing to collaborate with, endorse, or follow them.
In the minds of some, taking advantage of others is viewed as a sign of cleverness, a source of pride, and a mark of success in life.
To them, the concept of "taking advantage" does not exist; there is only what they perceive as their due benefit. Consequently, they do not regard such behavior as a transgression or a moral wrong. Their understanding of justice and fairness is defined entirely by what serves their interests and satisfies their deepest greed. They neither care about nor wish to understand the perspectives, losses, or definitions held by others. This is a hallmark trait of those with limited insight. We should not underestimate this specific mode of logic.
Such individuals may exist within our families, social circles, or workplaces; they might even be leaders of religious groups or political organizations. They possess diverse facets, traits, and areas of expertise, and are not necessarily criminals or gang members. To some extent, they appear to be successful figures in society or on the international stage—sometimes even holding advanced academic degrees—which explains why others are still willing to collaborate with, support, or follow them. From a Buddhist perspective, this explains how they generate shared karma through their collective actions. Ultimately—whether individually or collectively, in this life or the next—they will reap the karmic consequences of their deeds.
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas foresee the suffering and retribution that await these beings. This raises a question: why do they appear to lack compassion—seemingly so hard-hearted as to stand by and watch without intervening? There is only one answer: the "merciless hand of compassion." If the reader is familiar with the general themes of this blog, a moment of reflection may reveal the meaning behind this concept.
The meaning of severing one's bright future in the next life.
Therefore, we understand that if one launches a war to invade other countries for self-interest, or funds rebels in other countries to create division and internal strife, harming, interfering with, and dragging down many innocent citizens, such thoughts and actions are undoubtedly evil and will bring about negative consequences. Whether it is the individual who harbors evil intentions, the individual who provides funding, the individual who relies on them, or even an accomplice, the group they form creates shared karma and actions, which will lead to shared karmic retribution in future lives. Such negative consequences will inevitably be experienced together under certain conditions. This is tantamount to severing one's own bright future in future lives.
I personally believe that mutual exclusion and confrontation among religious or political organizations or entities is unwise.
From a psychological perspective, individuals with "Dark Triad" traits—or those with similar personalities and low cognitive complexity—tend to gain the upper hand in such arenas, whereas those who possess genuine empathy and a moral compass—and who are truly dedicated to serving and considering the public interest—often find themselves at a disadvantage. This disparity stems from differences in aggressiveness, ambition, empathy, and moral conduct.
Individuals with Dark Triad traits and similar personalities exhibit intense aggression and ambition; they view harming others not as a moral transgression, but merely as a means to an end. They do not feel they must pay a price for their actions, as they invariably shift the blame and consequences onto others. In short, they seek to reap the benefits without bearing the costs.
Those who lack psychological resilience but possess a strong sense of justice and morality face a high risk of severe harm and trauma when caught up in such cycles of exclusion and conflict. With the right awareness and wisdom, we can learn how to navigate interactions with these individuals. We can also use our judgment to protect those who—despite lacking psychological toughness—possess idealism, competence, and a genuine commitment to the public good and justice, and who are truly capable of serving the people. Similar observations and approaches can be applied within the realms of international relations and global politics.
Religious or political organizations lacking financial backing naturally fade from history.
Any religious or political organization—or political party—that emerges in history is destined to eventually vanish from it. The rise and fall of such organizations are driven simply by the waxing and waning of interests. Those without funding inevitably disappear. Understanding this principle allows one to use wisdom to avoid the mutual exclusion and confrontation that drain and burden oneself or one's own side. Rather than exhausting oneself in such conflicts, it is far better to conserve energy and cultivate one's own substance. This principle holds true on a larger scale as well, extending to nations and the international community.
Why do the "clueless"—those lacking social awareness—dare to clash, exclude, and confront others of the same ilk?
A deep psychological analysis reveals that those who dare to engage in direct confrontation and mutual exclusion with individuals possessing the "Dark Triad" personality traits are often themselves bearers of those same traits; this is a case of "birds of a feather flocking together." To put it bluntly—using the pejorative language of ordinary people—it is a matter of the "clueless" or those with low cognitive awareness clashing with others just like them. Why? From both Buddhist and psychological perspectives, those harboring the "Five Poisons" (greed, hatred, stupid infatuation/ignorance, arrogance, and suspicion/doubt) are the ones who dare to clash head-on with others who harbor the same poisons. A Buddhist practitioner or an ordinary citizen who has cultivated a pure, compassionate, and wise mind would, upon encountering someone driven by the Five Poisons, hasten to avoid them. This is by no means cowardice; rather, amidst the struggle for interests, the person who has cultivated a pure mind knows when to yield, thereby avoiding the shared karmic consequences of creating negative karmic ties with such individuals. In short, a wise person would never engage in direct confrontation or mutual exclusion with individuals possessing Dark Triad traits or those with similar low-awareness personalities. I have already touched upon the reasons for this in the preceding text.
The highest form of selfishness is selflessness. This can be deeply contemplated and understood through the concept that "I/the self, the Buddha, and all sentient beings are one."
The highest form of selfishness is selflessness. This can be deeply contemplated and understood through the concept that "I/the self, the Buddha, and all sentient beings are one." Only by deeply grasping this concept can we learn how to benefit both ourselves and others. At the same time, we will gain new perspectives and make adjustments regarding various worldly phenomena and our own psychological states, allowing us to approach decision-making with a broader range of considerations. One of the most noticeable changes is that we will diminish—or even eliminate—intense competitive or combative mindsets toward others, as well as feelings of hatred, jealousy, arrogance, and absolute self-interest. In this state, our hearts can truly give rise to gratitude and joy, humility and equanimity, and compassion and wisdom. It is only with a mindset rooted in the positive energy of gratitude and joy that we can effectively benefit both self and others. Benefiting the self is selfishness; benefiting others is selflessness. When benefiting self and others are harmonized as one—and when selfishness and selflessness merge—we embody wisdom in both thought and action. Why? Because the energy between self and others is balanced; there is no need to sacrifice one's own interests, nor is there a need to exploit the interests of others.
Cancer cells and viruses themselves also seek any possible resources for survival and opportunities for growth.
Viewing the situation through the lens of the principle that "I/the self, the Buddha, and all sentient beings are one" is akin to adopting a cosmic perspective. Imagine the entire universe as a single body—our own physical body. With a basic understanding of healthcare, we know that cancer cells and pathogenic viruses exist within us to varying degrees. If we learn not to oppose them but rather to coexist with them—while maintaining a healthy diet, proper sleep, and recreational exercise, and upholding a positive mindset that avoids unnecessary depletion of energy—we can boost our immunity and reduce both the scope and likelihood of these cells and viruses becoming active. In doing so, we can still live a healthy, long, and liberated life. We might draw an analogy: individuals with "Dark Triad" personality traits—or those with low cognitive abilities associated with such traits—are like the cancer cells or viruses within our bodies; they can potentially harm our physical and mental well-being. Yet, from a neutral, objective standpoint, cancer cells and viruses are themselves forms of organic life; from their own perspective, they do not view themselves as malignancies or pathogens, but simply as entities seeking resources for survival and opportunities to thrive. Similarly, from the Buddhist perspective, individuals exhibiting Dark Triad traits or associated low cognitive abilities are also among the multitude of sentient beings.
We must harness human wisdom to elevate global awareness, share resources, foster shared prosperity, and make the world a better place.
I do not rule out the possibility that individuals with "Dark Triad" traits—or those with low cognitive awareness and similar personality characteristics—will use artificial intelligence and robotics to monitor humanity, strip people of their free will and rights, and even subject the global population to bullying and oppression. This is a foreseeable future—indeed, it is already happening. If we act wisely, we will know how to use our intelligence to prevent such individuals from using AI and robotics to monitor, oppress, and strip humanity of its free will and rights. At the same time, by leveraging our collective wisdom to raise global awareness, we can foster a more enlightened and sensible humanity—one that coexists harmoniously, shares resources, achieves shared prosperity, and creates a better world.
Some individuals—whether due to innate traits or acquired conditioning—harbor tendencies toward antagonism, hostility, and hatred regarding others.
Some individuals—whether due to innate traits or acquired conditioning—harbor tendencies toward antagonism, hostility, and hatred regarding others. If we are wise, we recognize that such tendencies can exist in people of any gender, age, or race. Without conscious personal vigilance and self-cultivation, this state is difficult to alter. Such adversarial attitudes permeate these individuals' personal lives and workplaces, and even manifest within religious or political ideologies. These underlying impulses stem largely from a drive to safeguard one's own survival and resources—much like a cat’s instinct to act hostilely or even fight to protect its food from others. Lacking this awareness and understanding, we risk becoming ensnared and swayed by slogans, rhetoric, or behaviors rooted in antagonism and hostility. Consequently, our lives suffer serious consequences as we deplete our mental and physical strength, our vitality, our energy, and even our financial resources—with depletion inevitably entailing loss.
Engaging in legal warfare is not a wise course of action—but why?
Personally, while I believe that waging legal warfare against a competing or hostile individual, ethnic group, or nation is one possible approach, it is certainly not the wisest one. Why? Because legal warfare is, by nature, a method rooted in opposition and confrontation—a point illustrated by much of the content on this blog. Furthermore, if you were to ask an AI about this issue, it could immediately provide a highly professional legal analysis. Beyond that, if readers grasp the content and deeper meaning of this article, they may realize that engaging in legal warfare with individuals possessing "Dark Triad" traits—or those with similarly low levels of cognitive awareness—is simply asking for trouble, draining one's own energy, and inviting unnecessary suffering. It results in a futile waste of mental and physical energy, time, financial resources, and life itself. Based on my observations of Dark Triad individuals and certain people with low cognitive awareness, they lack a true understanding of the substance and concepts of the law. They are particularly deficient in their comprehension of justice, righteousness, and morality. This explains why they brazenly—and blindly—stop at nothing to infringe upon the rights of others, take unfair advantage, instigate conflict, hurl insults and disparagement, and even commit theft. Yet, there are moments when they possess clarity and rationality—moments when their innate "Buddha-nature" shines through. We can only navigate this by observing them with our own compassion and wisdom, and by finding appropriate, skillful means to respond.
From the Buddhist perspective on the cause and effect of karmic retribution—informed by the concept of reincarnation—one looks at a timeline spanning at least three lifetimes into the future.
There are those in the world—whether in the defense industry or the traditional and modern energy sectors—who welcome internal division, civil strife, or war between hostile nations. This is because only in states of hostility or conflict can the economic profits of the defense and traditional energy industries be vastly increased. This involves not only the profits of individuals and corporations but also those of national governments. The economic gains involved are indeed immense and highly tempting. Many people amassed great wealth during World War I and World War II through the manufacture and trade of defense-related goods and the energy transactions required for military operations. Whether they were the original profiteers and their descendants, or newcomers hoping to strike it rich, they all welcomed internal discord, civil war, or conflict between hostile nations. Even in the absence of actual war, they welcomed a prolonged state of hostile defense, as this signified increased economic profit in their sectors.
From a Buddhist perspective, this mindset clearly embodies the "Five Poisons": greed, hatred, stupid infatuation/ignorance, arrogance, and suspicion/doubt. It begins with a greedy, malicious thought that sows a bad cause; this intertwines with subsequent negative thoughts to create adverse conditions, ultimately resulting in collective bad karma and evil consequences. Such consequences inevitably bring retribution. When Buddhism views this cause-and-effect relationship, the concept of reincarnation extends the perspective to at least three future lifetimes—lifetimes characterized by extreme suffering and hardship. As I understand it, this is independent of whether the individual believes in Buddhism. In other words, even if a person does not practice Buddhism or follows another religion, harboring such a mindset of the Five Poisons will inevitably lead them toward the karmic retribution of evil deeds.
I wish to clarify that the defense and energy industries are, in themselves, neutral—neither good nor evil. However, the state of our inner thoughts determines the direction in which our future and destiny will unfold. There is nothing wrong with engaging in the defense and energy industries to protect and develop one's nation; after all, high-tech industries represent the trend of the times. Nor is there anything wrong with trading in defense weaponry, given that some nations lack the capacity to manufacture such advanced arms and must purchase them for national defense—especially considering the unpredictable threat posed by individuals with "Dark Triad" personalities or those of low cognitive awareness, who might emerge from anywhere at any time to cause harm. However, if one is driven by personal greed to incite or trigger hostility and war between other nations—or to deliberately provoke adversarial competition, conflict, or open warfare between another country and one's own—then the very intent behind such actions is malicious. No amount of high-sounding rhetoric used subsequently can conceal the underlying reality of that initial, greedy, and malevolent impulse.
Religious groups or political entities driven by selfishness will inevitably fade into oblivion over the course of history once their economic and financial support dries up.
Throughout history, any religious group or political entity that uses superficial benefits to lure the masses—while actually acting with authoritarian arrogance, bullying the public, and pursuing selfish interests—is destined to vanish naturally as its economic and financial backing fails. This is a matter of cause and effect; it is only a question of time. It is unwise for us to engage in prolonged opposition or confrontation with such groups, or to allow ourselves to be manipulated, provoked, and incited by scheming third parties into joining the fray. Doing so squanders our precious time, mental focus, physical energy, finances, and even our lives—not to mention the opportunity costs involved. Worse still, we not only deplete our own resources but also drag innocent people into this waste and ruin. Understanding this allows us to face and handle issues rationally, while preserving our own vitality, energy, and assets.
From a Buddhist perspective, the minds of all parties involved—whether the hypocritical religious groups or political entities, their adversaries who harbor hatred and hostility, or the scheming third-party manipulators—are rife with the "five poisons" (greed, hatred, stupid infatuation/ignorance, arrogance, and suspicion/doubt). From a psychological standpoint, these are groups saturated with negative energy. From a worldly perspective, their existence brings no blessing to humanity.
If we choose to avoid confrontation, how should we deal with those who aggressively seek to take advantage of others?
Based on the preceding analysis, suppose we opt against confrontation or conflict and instead choose to negotiate agreements or collaborate with individuals possessing "Dark Triad" traits (who cause actual harm to others), those with limited cognitive awareness, or even organized crime groups that operate with a veneer of social legitimacy. If we are wise, we realize that such agreements and collaborations will inevitably be unequal; what appears to be a mutually beneficial arrangement is, in reality, an unfair deal. Put bluntly, these individuals—whether they exhibit Dark Triad traits, lack cognitive awareness, or belong to legitimized criminal syndicates—are intent on aggressively exploiting others. So, given our decision to avoid confrontation, how should we respond to such people? Think about it; the explanation provided earlier offers ways to address this.
Collaborating and transacting with those who make a living by stealing high-tech patented technology creates a shared negative karma.
If an individual or organization sustains itself by stealing high-tech patented technology, and other individuals or enterprises choose to collaborate or trade with such parties—who lack both ethics and an understanding of patent law—the consequences amount to self-inflicted trouble and suffering. Why is this so? Consider it. As previously mentioned, such actions—to a certain extent—support and embolden the bully. If those who steal high-tech patents use these ill-gotten resources to expand their power and oppress others, then—think about it—do we not become accomplices if we fail to act? If we willingly collaborate and trade with such thieves, are we not forging a shared negative karma and moving together toward a harmful outcome?
Establishing a patent barrier is a means of protecting one's own rights and interests; it does not inherently involve antagonism or confrontation.
An understanding of patent law reveals that it is not about conflict or confrontation, but rather about safeguarding the rights of inventors and creators. In my view, this is the correct approach—whether considered from an ethical standpoint or in terms of protecting the rights of those who innovate. Patent law preserves the freedom of inventors and researchers to create and develop, as well as the space in which such activities take place. Creating a patent barrier serves to protect one's own interests and does not imply hostility or confrontation.
The theft of high-tech patents—appropriating the fruits of another's labor—raises ethical concerns and demonstrates a lack of respect for inventors and researchers and their rights. Moreover, such behavior stifles the very freedom required for research and innovation. From this, one can infer that the perpetrators tend to possess a limited level of understanding.
This reflects a deeply contradictory mindset and set of tactics—alternating between conflict and cooperation.
On one hand, certain political figures support and cultivate a rival nation across various sectors (such as technology and biotechnology), effectively turning it into a competitor; yet, on the other, they harbor intense hostility toward that same nation—a government legitimately recognized and endorsed by the international community. They simultaneously display extreme animosity and a keen desire for cooperation and trade, economically sustaining and empowering the rival until it generates excess capacity that floods foreign markets, while gaining the resources and capability to bully third-party nations. Subsequently, they encourage and groom third parties to join the fray, pitting them against the rival in opposition and confrontation. In short, they acknowledge the rival's legitimacy while simultaneously accusing it of violating laws or disrupting order, thereby stoking a sense of hostility and confrontation among the global public. This is a deeply contradictory approach—a mix of war and peace. Not content to play this game alone, they drag allies into it as well. This turmoil deeply unsettles the world, fostering resentment and antagonism among ordinary citizens—who may not fully grasp these political machinations—and causing them to waste their lives, time, energy, and financial resources in vain. Viewed through the lens of Buddhism, one must ask: how vast is the debt these political figures owe to the ordinary people? It is immense.
A situation arises—driven by greed—where adversaries and third parties are exploited.
If such a strategy is pursued merely to boost the economic profits of the defense and arms industries—stemming fundamentally from greed—then one must ask: can such actions be reconciled with one’s conscience or with the well-being of the vast multitude of sentient beings? Even if this "strategy of alternating between war and peace" were to maintain global stability, the underlying mindset and behavior of greed are, in reality, built upon the trampling of the peaceful minds and lives of sentient beings. If this is the case, then from the perspective of my own Buddhist practice, I do not consider this a wholesome deed. Since it is not a wholesome deed, the unfolding events will inevitably lead to unwholesome causes and consequences. Why? Because the process inherently involves the exploitation of adversaries and third parties, a situation born of greed. It follows, then, that the adversary being exploited would surely understand how to employ the very same tactics—would they not? Of course, they would.
Regardless of which side they are on, those who instigate such actions will ultimately find themselves in a situation where they have brought trouble and suffering upon themselves.
This leads to the formation of two hostile camps locked in mutual animosity and confrontation, thereby complicating the global situation. I absolutely do not believe that the instigators on either side can maintain inner peace and tranquility while engaging in such karma-generating behavior; nor do I believe they will escape the karmic consequences of their actions. This can be inferred from the fundamental logic of Buddhism. If you have read the articles on this blog in depth and gained a thorough understanding of the Buddhist logic of cause and effect, you too can foresee the consequences of such a global situation. Furthermore, if one reflects more deeply, it is evident that these instigators—on whichever side they stand—will ultimately bring trouble and suffering upon themselves, while simultaneously dragging countless other beings down with them.
If we are truly wise, we know how to apply that wisdom to work steadfastly for the well-being and benefit of all sentient beings.
Consequently, regardless of the faction involved, the most innocent victims are often the youth, the middle-aged, women, and those with limited awareness who lead arduous lives; before they have even developed the capacity for independent critical thought, they are inexplicably indoctrinated with hostile, politically charged ideologies. Furthermore, those who align themselves with the "wrong" side may find themselves barred from admission to public universities, as many of these institutions harbor specific political agendas used to screen applicants. It is virtually impossible for a government driven by a specific political ideology—funded by citizens' tax dollars—to avoid using its power for self-serving ends. For certain politicians, the goal of such screening is not to identify talent capable of serving the public good, but rather to recruit "tools" who will advance their own political agendas. While such actions might appear correct from a politician's perspective, from the standpoint of my own Buddhist practice, I do not view them as right. Therefore, true wisdom lies in acting with genuine concern for the welfare of all beings—working steadfastly for their benefit—rather than becoming ensnared and manipulated by a world order cunningly engineered out of greed.
A "double-dealing" agent could belong to Party A, Party B, or even a third party, Party C.
Looking at history across the globe—or drawing from relevant literature—we can observe or infer that the current world situation also harbors individuals who sow discord or employ similar tactics. In other words, there are those who, driven by greed for personal gain, deliberately—whether openly or covertly—incite serious conflict and hostility between Party A and Party B. I surmise that such an individual could be affiliated with Party A while maneuvering between A and B; or with Party B, moving between the two; or even with a third party, Party C, operating between A and B. It is also possible that agents from all three parties (A, B, and C) coexist and collaborate to stoke antagonism between A and B, while simultaneously inciting Parties D and E to join the fray of conflict and hostility. The logic follows that such an intertwining of malevolent causes and effects among multiple parties creates a vicious cycle—one that might not end for centuries or even millennia.
At this juncture, the only way to completely terminate the conflict and hostility born of the "Five Poisons" is for the hearts and minds of people across the globe—or indeed the entire universe—to cultivate benevolence, recognize the harm these poisons inflict upon themselves and others, and fully understand and practice the Buddha’s teachings (as elucidated in many articles on this blog). How many years will this take? 5.67 billion years—the time it will take for Bodhisattva Maitreya to descend from the Tushita Heaven to the human realm. During this vast span of 5.67 billion years, humanity will endure even more severe conflict and hostility, causing the human lifespan to plummet from the current 100 years to a mere 10 years or so. In other words, humanity may face horrific global violence and catastrophic destruction, resulting in a lifespan of only about a decade. In other words, by that time, it will be a significant feat for humans to survive long enough to bear children between the ages of 12 and 18; these survivors would likely be our descendants. We can perhaps infer this by looking at the high-tech weaponry—such as nuclear bombs—that humanity currently possesses.
At that stage, the human population will be very small. Most individuals around the age of ten will be relatively innocent and kind-hearted, finding it difficult to harbor greed or commit evil acts. Having learned from historical lessons about near-extinction, humanity will be able to reflect on the severe harm caused by the "Five Poisons" (greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt)—specifically the conflict, hostility, and antagonism they breed. Consequently, the majority of future humans will turn their hearts toward goodness and sincerely study the Buddha’s teachings, allowing the human lifespan to gradually increase from around ten years to 84,000 years. Such a lifespan is truly inconceivable, yet given our current high-tech capabilities, we can infer that this is a very real possibility for the future.
So, how many years must pass to bridge the gap between our current lifespan of roughly 100 years and that future span of 84,000 years? It will take approximately 5.64 billion years—the time when Bodhisattva Maitreya descends to the human world. The human world of that era will be akin to paradise; over eighty percent of the population will joyfully follow Bodhisattva Maitreya in Buddhist practice and self-cultivation, elevating their level of understanding. People will be kind, grateful, and friendly, possessing both culture and moral character. Information will be transparent and abundant, and lives will be prosperous and free from toil, as AI-driven robots handle the labor—a scenario we can anticipate given the imminent mass production and widespread adoption of high-tech robots and automation. Naturally, the severe hostility and antagonism caused by bizarre or sinister ideologies—as well as the petty sabotage, draining conflicts, and wasteful squandering of life, time, energy, and resources caused by unscrupulous individuals in families, workplaces, and the international community—will largely vanish without a trace. This is because the tactics used by individuals with "Dark Triad" traits—or those with similarly low cognitive abilities—to manipulate others are easily exposed, thereby narrowing the scope within which they can exert such influence.
Territorial disputes and conflicts not only consume one's own life but also seriously harm others and all living beings, creating more negative karma for oneself.
Since adopting a stray cat, I've learned some things about cats online. Cats are territorial animals, especially male cats. I've discovered that it's not just male cats that exhibit territorial behavior; male humans also display a strong sense of territory. This territorial behavior in male animals often leads to intense conflicts and fights between males. The difference lies in the level of human civilization; we can use reason, knowledge, and wisdom to resolve or mitigate disputes and conflicts. Even in current wars, territorial disputes still exist. From world wars to our own neighborhood disputes over land, both sides fight over what they own. If we study Buddhism properly, we will understand that such struggles and disputes not only consume our own lives, wasting time, money, and even life itself, but also severely harm others and all living beings, creating more negative karma and accumulating more debts to repay in future lives. That means being reborn as a cow or a horse for countless lifetimes—meaning endless suffering, unable even to cry, without even time to weep—it's that extreme suffering. That means there is no such thing as going to heaven to enjoy bliss; absolutely not.
From the Buddhist teachings of emptiness, we know that we, the Buddha, and all sentient beings are one, pure and equal within emptiness. If we still possess reason, compassion, and wisdom, we know to leave space for each other to live. Leaving space for others is leaving space for ourselves. If each side yields a step, each concedes an inch, we can have a shared public space. Conflict and disputes will naturally subside. A peaceful mind allows us to accumulate energy for self-improvement and learning, enhancing our self-awareness. From a practical perspective, this also provides more time and energy to accumulate wealth for our lives, including the intangible wealth of wisdom. Ultimately, relying on our own efforts in life is the most realistic approach.
In Taiwan, many family disputes stem from brothers fighting over ancestral land. For the heirs, this land is a gift from heaven, something they receive without effort. Some brothers want a larger share, leading to resentment. Why should they receive less land than others? This resentment can escalate into violence, even resulting in the death of a brother. Ultimately, they face legal consequences and imprisonment. Here is my simplified perspective: I believe that current international territorial disputes, or wars arising from them, are essentially no different from this brotherly inheritance dispute, or even from two stray cats meowing and fighting. Religious and territorial disputes, or any struggle for national identity, can be avoided if people, regardless of their faith or lack thereof, can understand Buddhism or refer to the Buddha's teachings. This would allow for more focused and harmonious coexistence.
Religion and politics are merely convenient methods for managing humanity and all living beings; they are inherently conditioned phenomena, subject to birth and death.
Understanding Buddhism and its teachings on emptiness reveals that religion and politics also arise from emptiness, from human beings—including celestial beings. In modern terms, celestial beings also include extraterrestrials. Celestial beings and extraterrestrials can communicate with humans through spiritual transmission. Whom they choose to communicate with is their own decision. Looking back at history, the development of human religion and politics has, to some extent, been inspired and taught by celestial beings. We can explore this further in ancient historical texts. Religion and politics are merely convenient methods for managing humanity and all beings; they are inherently conditioned phenomena, subject to birth and death. Understanding this allows us to use compassion and wisdom to imbue religion and politics with positive meaning, benefiting the world's citizens and all beings. Simultaneously, it prevents religion and politics from being exploited by dark, scheming individuals to fool the masses, establish authoritarianism, seize resources, oppress and control citizens, and pursue enormous private gain while impoverishing the people.
People with deep scheming and cunning minds may find it difficult to achieve enlightenment in Buddhist practice. Why?
I have come across online videos featuring Chinese-speaking individuals—aged roughly thirty to forty and identifying as psychology experts—who neither were born in nor reside in Taiwan. They did not grow up under the education system in Taiwan. They instruct the public on interpersonal relations, workplace maneuvering, and strategic thinking. In my view, their schemes and strategies are excessively calculated. While their intentions may be well-meaning and they are certainly intelligent, employing such tactics might indeed lead to a comfortable life in the worldly arena. Furthermore, individuals with such deep-seated strategic minds have the potential to ascend to high-ranking positions in any career. Yet, this does not guarantee immunity from pitfalls or prevent a catastrophic fall from the heights of success to the depths of failure.
However, such individuals may face significant challenges in achieving spiritual realization through Buddhist practice. Why is this so? Because their inner compassion and wisdom remain insufficiently cultivated. The strategies they employ rely on the activity of the six consciousnesses reacting and attaching to external phenomena—processes largely characterized by a distinct sense of opposition and duality—rather than stemming from the innate mind or the Tathagata’s compassion and wisdom, which perceive the oneness of all beings. This distinction is fundamental: it shapes how we resolve the difficulties and problems we face and dictates our approach to interpersonal interactions; ultimately, it steers the trajectory and outcome of both our present life and our future existences.
Achieving a state of compassion and wisdom of non-opposition for all beings is something currently attainable only by human beings who have engaged in profound spiritual practice.
When we become attached to appearances and our thoughts and consciousness shift, our reactions and vocabulary become richer and more flexible than the average person's. We appear intelligent, and some people with exceptional memories can also achieve this. Currently, AI (artificial intelligence) does this better than these individuals. I'm unsure whether these videos and content are inspired by AI or truly reflect their inner observations, thoughts, and experiences. I believe that compassion and wisdom without duality are currently only achievable by deeply spiritually cultivated humans. AI, bombarded with vast amounts of knowledge and data, cannot yet reach this level. This is precisely why we humans can—and must—engage with all sentient beings using wisdom and compassion free from divisiveness/opposition, while simultaneously keeping a close watch on the development of artificial intelligence and related robotics. We must prevent the vast multitude of sentient beings—as well as AI and robotics technologies—from being manipulated by individuals with "Dark Triad" personality traits or low cognitive capacity, who might exploit them as tools to harm the public for their own selfish gain.
Emptiness and existence coexist. This is a profound teaching of Buddhism.
The consciousness of the soul within every life is our inner essence and spirit. The essence of this soul consciousness is emptiness, which is the content of the Heart Sutra. In Taiwan, some senior Buddhist practitioners say that Buddhism is atheistic. I think this senior may have misunderstood Buddhism. Buddhism cannot be definitively declared to be atheistic. Because we cannot deny the existence of our inner essence and spirit, our inner Buddha-nature emptiness, and the wisdom and compassion arising from it, as well as the existence of the innate spirit. Because if we deny all of these, we would also completely deny the meaning of any life's existence. Although Buddhism speaks of emptiness, we cannot assert that emptiness is atheism. Because all essence and spirit arise from emptiness. This means that all emptiness and all existence coexist. This is the profound teaching of Buddhism.
May all beings truly understand the supreme wisdom.
May all beings truly understand the supreme compassion.
I am grateful to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions for their compassionate teachings and care.
I am grateful to all sentient beings in the ten directions for their compassionate support and guidance.
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