(Chapter 41) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha
Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) :
Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )
Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)
Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu
Chapter 41: The honest heart leaves the desire.
The Buddha said,” Those who practice the Dao are such as a cattle
loads heavy objects. When it walks in the deep mud, it is too tired to dare to
look around; when it is out of the mud, it is then able to be rest. The Sramana
should perceive that the emotion and desire are more than the mud. With the honest
heart to think of the Dao, it could avoid the suffering.”
What is practicing the Dao?
What is
practicing the Dao? In a word, it is to practice our thought to be pure and
clean, and to practice our heart to be genuine, peaceful and steady. Meanwhile,
it is to keep our mind to be in the state of silence and equality on the basic
of emptiness. On this basis and without any expectation, our natural wisdom
will be inspired and functioned, which would help us resolve any problem what
we have met in our life, and would make us relieve our suffering of life and
death. Meanwhile, it pushes our fate to be smooth. This is the good causality. It
is the basic purpose of Buddhism. Others are the methods with the different way
so as to achieve the aforesaid purpose.
If a learner
doesn’t know the basic purpose of Buddhism and this learner always sticks in
the methods and any expression, vocabulary, words and phrases in Buddhism, it
would be difficult for this learner to see the Buddha-nature. Meanwhile, it
would add a lot of obstacles for this person to achieve the basic purpose as
aforesaid. In this situation, learning Buddhism would be a thing of hardship
for this learner. Why? Generally, such person would stuck in the individual
idea and use the self-righteous thoughts to deal with anything. Then, such situation
would make this person trapped in the problem what this person had made. This
is so-called the individual worries and burdens and the reincarnation of life
and death in the current life. This is also the bad causality and is one of the
sources of suffering in life and death.
Any method to help us liberate from suffering is like a ship which
boards us cross the river of suffering in life and death.
There are methods
to help us learn how to have a steady, easy, peaceful and wealthy life from
Buddhism. Any method to help us liberate from suffering is like a ship which
boards us cross the river of suffering in life and death. Do we still need the
ship at this moment, when we have reached the shore of wisdom? No. We do not
need the ship any more. It is also means that we can let the methods go, when
we achieve the purpose of life what we have learned from Buddhism. If we have
reached the shore of wisdom and have still carried the ship, it absolute
becomes the heavy burden for us in our life. That is why we have to let it go. Therefore,
we must be capable to understand and distinguish what is the purpose and what
are the methods, when we learn Buddha. Nirvana of stillness and emptiness is
not the state after our death. We can achieve the Nirvana in our current life
with our effort in learning Buddhism.
Many people don’t
understand Buddhism. That is because they only see the complicated and
difficult methods from teaching of Buddha, but don’t see the pure and clean
realm in self. Reading the Buddhist Scripture and thinking of the meaning what
the Buddha had said and what the Buddhist teacher has explained are the basic
methods to learn Buddha. This is to help us enter our pure and clean realm in
mind. When we can absorb the meaning what the Buddha had taught and the
interpretation what the Buddhist teacher has instructed, it is possible for us
to digest these things to become our own wisdom.
The basic
attitude to learn Buddha is also very important. What is the basic attitude to
learn Buddha? It is the true heart, the faithful and sincere heart, the upright
heart, the honest and frank heart. That is no pretending heart and no cunning
heart. When we use our own true heart to learn Buddha, we can thus really see
our own true heart and see the truthful self, which is pure and clean. What is
its meaningful? It makes us to live peacefully and fearlessly on the inspired
natural wisdom.
What is to use our own true heart?
First, in our
heart, there is no fantasy expectation for anything or for anyone, including
the Buddha, the human beings and the self, when we do anything or face any
person.
Second, there is
no negotiation with the Buddha, Bodhisattva, and the Buddhist teacher in order
to obtain any worldly advantage. That is we can't use the heart of exchange
interests or the heart with conditions to learn Buddha.
Third, don’t use
the unstable emotional mindset to learn Buddha. That is because the unstable
emotional mindset is arisen from the heart of gaining and losing.
Fourth, there is
no erotic feeling, lust, love or desire for anything or anyone in heart.
In a word, our
own true heart is also the mindfulness. That is our first pure thought remains
in the present, without the second distracting thoughts. That is what the
so-called where the thought arises at the moment, it is extinguished at the
moment. Meanwhile, each successive thought is kept pure and clean. That is
so-called each thought without evil.
Whether our thought
and heart is pure or not, all Buddha and Bodhisattvas can perceive it. When we
use our sincere heart to learn Buddha, all Buddha and Bodhisattvas are joyful
to help us to have a good life and to become the same with them. That is, whether
we can achieve the Buddhahood or not, it is not only dependent on our own
strength with sincere heart to learn Buddha, but also needed to dependent on the
merciful strength of all Buddha and Bodhisattvas.
One of the most important meanings of practicing the Dao is to
correct the worldly ideas mode and behaviors mode to be the upright and sincere
ideas and heart.
For the beginners
to learn Buddha, it is hard for them to use the true heart to learn Buddha.
That is because most people are seriously affected by the worldly environment
and ideas so as to form their worldly ideas and behaviors. One of the most
important meanings of practicing the Dao is to correct the worldly ideas mode
and behaviors mode to be the upright and sincere ideas and heart.
For example, the
technic of negotiation is the worldly ideas and worldly behavior. It is
regarded as the proper idea and behavior and what we should learn in our
worldly life, if we want to survive well in the domestic or international
society. However, if we use such technic and ideas to learn Buddha, it becomes
a serious obstacle for us. That is because the technic of negotiation with
conditions and bad intentions contains the scheming ideas. It is serious wrong
to use the scheming ideas to learn Buddha.
Don’t use the
worldly ideas or behavior to learn Buddha doesn’t mean to give it up in our worldly
life, because the both things are the different situations. Such as a knife, we
can choose not to use it, or we can choose to use it as a tool of medical
scalpel to save any lives. One thing can be used in many different ways. When
we use it in the righteous and positive way, there will be the righteous and
positive development. Whether to use it or not, or how to use it, that is what
we can made a decision. That is why I had said that we have to own thinking
logic when we learn Buddha.
To help others with the pure heart which is what the right
attitude in Buddhism.
For the
beginners, they accept the ideas of Buddha’s teaching that we will gain the
good repay when we do the good thing. Some of the beginners are happy to do
good things with what they think about the righteous way and always stay in
this stage, can’t accept any further profound teaching by Buddha or by Buddhist
teacher. That is because they cling to the good repay in the worldly life and
hope any blessings from Buddha, Bodhisattva or Buddhist teacher. Such people
are accounted for the majority of Buddhists. If they can’t improve selves in
learning Buddha, they will forever stay in such fantasy expectation and feel
good for themselves.
Such beginners for
learning Buddha are not from the true heart. That is because it exist
conditions and exchange interests in heart which are hidden under the surface
of charity. It doesn’t violate any law. It is just the mindset. However, their
mistakes deviate what we have mentioned above, if they want to learn Buddha. Of
course, we can't deny their good behavior, such as to rescue disasters and to help the disadvantaged relieve
poverty. What they have done about the good things are contributed to the
domestic and international society, and are well known by the society. Basically,
they also obey the teaching of Buddha. That is what encouraged by Buddha.
Buddha encouraged
all human beings to be good persons and to do good things without conditions
and without demanding for others to repay. For this point, it is not everyone who
can do it. Therefore, if we help others and have a mind of expecting others
repaying, it doesn’t be the pure heart. Whether the helped parties would repay
or not, it is decided by them. The helper can’t enforce them to repay with any
strong will or technic. To help others with the pure heart which is what the
right attitude in Buddhism.
Jump out of the frame of expecting others repay and cease the
scheming mindset, so that we can upgrade our level and truly let us learn
Buddha with unconditional and sincere heart.
For the worldly
world, any good behaviors are approved by the human beings. Basically, the
beginner as mentioned above doesn’t do any evil or illegal things. They are
good people. That is why it is also a good thing. However, if we want to
improve us so as to learn Buddha further, we have to jump out of the frame of
expecting others repay and cease the scheming mindset, so that we can upgrade
our level and truly let us learn Buddha with unconditional and sincere heart.
What I mean is not to give up doing any good things, but to stop any unreal
expectation for anyone's repaying. Only when we can do this, we will truly
enter the realm of learning Buddha. Therefore, it is very important to
establish a healthy mindset in learning Buddha.
Worries and burdens in life are like the mud and also like heavy
objects loaded by cattle.
The Buddha said,” Those who practice the Dao are such as a cattle
loads heavy objects.” However,
as human beings, the hardship of life, the personal endless desire and the
erotic feeling makes most people be turned and restricted by many stubborn and
ridiculous ideas from the outside environment, and thus fall into the evil
circulation of suffering in life and death. This situation makes us incur a lot
of complicating thoughts, even the scheming and evil thought, which makes us
suffer a lot of worries and burdens in life.
All of these awful situations are like the mud which makes us fall into
there and be trapped, and are also like the heavy objects which make us bear
the heavy burdens. That is why the most people have a lot of mental problems,
such as anxiety, panic and restlessness. If we want to get rid of all of these
terrible things, it seems not an easy thing for us. That is also why the Buddha
said,” Those who practice the Dao are such as a cattle loads heavy objects.”
Sramana, the
Buddhist monk, is only a form of appearance and of the personal vow. No matter
we are Sramana or not, when we have decided to get rid of such worries and
burdens, we have gotten into practicing the Dao. Practicing the Dao is not the
exclusive in Buddhism. In the ancient time of India and China, when there are
no such vocabulary and thing about Buddhism, there are the wise persons who
practice the Dao with their independent thinking. In the history of India and
China, when there are the records about practicing the Dao, there is such
culture. When we learn from any religion, it is better for us to know the history
and the logical of thinking. It would help us avoid any blind faith.
The Buddhism doesn’t teach you to resolve the surface problem of
any flow phenomena, but to understand and resolve the basic cause of any
problem what we met in our life.
No matter who we
are, there are a lot of worries and burdens in our heart. What the difference
is the details and events. That is because what the cause, condition and situation
in everyone is also different. In a word, everyone’s destiny is not the same. Therefore,
when we have decided to practice the Dao, what we may have experienced, what
the obstacle that we may need to remove, and whether it is difficult for us or
not, which are also different. Hence, practicing the Dao is the personal thing.
It is not necessary for us to generate the comparative mindset. All we need to do
is to remove obstacles from our mind or from our heart, not others.
All the Buddha’s
teaching is to inspire our natural wisdom and to liberate us from the suffering
in life and death. It is not necessary to stick in any changes of any
appearance what we have met and don’t tangle in any flow of any phenomena in
our environment. If we tangle in any flow of any phenomena, it would increase
our suffering. Only when we find the basic cause and analyze it with step by
step, we will find the good methods to resolve any problem in our life. Therefore,
the Buddhism doesn’t teach you to resolve the surface problem of any flow
phenomena, but to understand and resolve the basic cause of any problem what we
met in our life. That is what we have to know.
Those people who practice the Dao concentrate on the basic problem
in life and death, knowing the truthful selves and the enlightenment in
truthful wisdom.
The Buddha said,” When it walks in the deep mud, it is too tired
to dare to look around.” It means those
people, who use their upright and sincere heart to learn what the Buddha had
taught and to practice the Dao in reality life, are focus on how to eliminate
the suffering in life and death and how to remove the worries and burdens in
current life. They are like bulls bearing heavy loads, walking in the deep mud
and struggling to move forward so as to get rid of dilemma. Because of concentrating
on reaching the flat expansive grass—to achieve the purpose of relieving suffering
in life and death, bulls are too tired to dare to look around. That is those
people who practice the Dao don’t pay a lot of attention on and don’t cling to the
flow of the phenomena in their environment and don’t turned and affected by any
changing of anything, but concentrate on the basic problem in life and death,
knowing the truthful selves and the enlightenment in truthful wisdom.
When we have achieved the shore of liberation and wisdom, we can
be rest from practicing the Dao.
The Buddha said, ”When it is out of the mud, it is then able to be
rest.” It means that when we practice the Dao,
and we have completed the following things, so that we can be rest from the
practicing the Dao. That is as follows:
First, we have thoroughly
understood the principle of the causality.
Second, we have
completely repented the ego's faults which have been done by self in the past
and present life.
Third, we don’t
make any mistakes any more.
Fourth, we have
completely known the source of heart.
Fifth, we
have seen the self-nature and the truthful selves and have proved the fruit
of Dao by self finally, that is we have enlightened the natural wisdom by self.
Sixth, we have
let all the worries and burdens in life go and have liberated by self from the
suffering in life and death.
Seventh, we have
resolved the basic problem in life and death.
The deeper
meaning is that we have to keep practicing and to make it progress in
Six-Saving-Parami as mentioned in Buddha’s teaching, that is giving, keeping
the precepts, enduring the humiliation, diligence, meditation and wisdom. This
Six-Saving-Parami is like a ship which boards us from the shore of suffering to
the shore of liberation. When we have not yet reached the shore of liberation
and wisdom, that is when we have not yet become Buddha, we can’t be rest and
can’t put the Six-Saving-Parami down. When we become Buddha, we can freely
apply the Six-Saving-Parami by convenience ways based on the Buddha-nature to
save all sentient beings.
The emotion and desire are mutual affected.
The Buddha said, “The Sramana should perceive that the emotion and
desire are more than the mud.” This is
the honest and good advice for the Sramana from the Buddha. Even though we are
not Sramana, it is also a good advice for us and very helpful to our life.
The emotion and
desire are more than the mud. It means that the emotion and desire will bring
us more worries and burdens, and make us trapped in the dilemma so as to
increase our suffering in life and death. The emotion and desire are companied
with each other. Both of them will be mutual affected. The more desire will
increase the more unstable in emotion. Moved emotion leads to desire for
something or someone. When something or someone could not content our inner
desire, we will become emotional, such as anger, anxiety, or disappointment. Then,
our suffering is arisen.
The more desire
would leads to the serious emotional and mood disorder, such as anxiety for
money or other things. The serious emotional and mood disorder would affect not
only the self but also their family members in daily life. Finally, both of
them are suffering. Unfortunately, both of them don’t know why and just think
it is the personality and life habits. The persons who are in such situation
don’t necessarily know about their problem. That is because they also work and
have a marriage in a normal way and it seems to live a normal life from the
views of friends and relatives. If the person and the family members don’t have
any alert about this situation, they fall into the evil reincarnation of
suffering of life and death. And they don’t have an idea to get rid of this
suffering. That is also why we read a lot of news about the fighting of husband
and wife.
Indulging in the lust, the erotic feeling and desire too much is
very harmful for our health and life.
Some Buddhist
monk thinks that the emotion and desire are integrated as the lust or the
erotic feeling. That is because Sramana can't have wives and can’t have the
life of lust. Therefore, for Sramanas, to cut off the lust, the erotic feeling
and any desire is very important in learning Buddha. There are many chapters in
42 chapters said by Buddha which mentioned a lot about the meaning and importance
for cutting off the lust, the erotic feeling and desire. I also explain it a
lot.
If we are not
Sramana, the Buddhist monk or nun, we don’t need to self-restraint in the
normal sexual behavior. But, if we are wise, we have to know that indulging in the
lust, the erotic feeling and desire too much is very harmful for our health and
life. It is even harmful for our family members. We can observe this from our
surrounding and the news. Therefore, it is better for us to know how to refrain
us from indulging in the lust, the erotic feeling and desire. Do you know how
to do this? Being quiet and deeply thinking about the teaching of Buddha would
be helpful for us to avoid any lure from outer lust or any ignorant impulse
from our inner lust. When our mind is trained to be steady, our heart is ceased
which means that we can’t be turned and affected by any lust and desire. Only
we can do this, we can truly protect ourselves and our family members. Meanwhile,
we don't have any scheming mind with lust and desire to set traps to frame
others or to take advantage of others so as to harm others. When we have such
knowledge and training, we observe the behaviors of our friends and relatives,
and any events of news, we will understand what the resource of any problem is.
The others are only the flow and changing of different appearance and phenomena.
The lust, erotic
and desire is the prime of all suffering for the human beings. How to know it,
how to control it, and how to deal with it, is the very important subject in
learning Buddha. If we want to remove the problem of our suffering in life and
death, to handle this chief issue is the major thing of learning Buddha. Even
though you don’t have mind to learn Buddha, to know this issue is also very
helpful for your life.
The Buddha
explained a lot how to practice the Six-Saving-Parami. The Six-Saving-Parami is
the major ways to deal with the lust and desire. That is the Six-Saving-Parami
is the prime methods to eradicate the root of our suffering in life and death.
When we have read a lot of Buddhist Scripture, we will find this point.
The Six-Saving-Parami is the independent thinking and behavior
which we can count on by self to relieve our suffering in life and death.
The Buddha said, “With the honest heart to think of the Dao, it
could avoid the suffering.” That is,
we should use the honest heart to think of the Six-Saving-Parami and to
practice it. Therefore, it could make us avoid the suffering. In the many
aforesaid chapters, we have explained a lot about Six-Saving-Parami. It is
worth for us to think of it and practice it with our honest heart. Some people
without wisdom use the drug, alcohol, eating a lot of food or desire for
someone or something to relieve their suffering. It is an act of using improper
external forces. It is not a good idea and it would increase our suffering.
The Six-Saving-Parami
is the independent thinking and behavior which we can count on by self to
relieve our suffering in life and death. If we want to learn Buddha, it is what
we should know and what we should do. What the importance is to have the
upright and sincere heart, when we do anything. What is the upright and sincere
heart? It is to depart from the lust, the erotic feeling and the desire. No
matter we learn Buddha or not, to keep this in our heart would increase the
bliss and fortune in our life. That is because the life itself is the Dao. The
Dao doesn’t leave our life. If the Dao leave our life, it doesn’t have any
meaning for us to think of the Dao and practice the Dao. That is what we should
know.
Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated
from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or
religion. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated
from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and path, and it is
extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.
