There is no exclusivity in the teaching of Buddha.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

  

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

An Enlightened Story -- I Hope I Can Send The Full Moon In The Sky To Him.

The Chinese original author: unknown

Translator-editor: Tao Qing Hsu (A Buddhist at home; born and living in Taiwan; since AD 1971-- )

There was a Buddhist monk who was very poor and lived in a small temple on a mountain. At midnight one day, a thief sneaked into this temple, looked around in everywhere, and could not find any worth. Finally, he had to but stole the clothes of the Buddhist monk and thought to sell it for getting some money. When he prepared to go out, he ran into the Buddhist monk.

The Buddhist monk had seen his clothes in the hand of thief. The Buddhist monk knew that this person was a thief, and thought that he became a thief because of some hardship in life. So he did not scold him. On the contrary, he told the thief that he is willing to give the clothes to him, and told him that he did not steal his clothes because the clothes was given by the Buddhist monk.

The thief was very moved and felt shame. The Buddhist monk looked at the thief’s back to leave. Then, the Buddhist monk looked at the full moon and said,” I really hoped to give the bright-clean moon to him at the same time.”

After few months, the thief came to the temple and knelt in front of the Buddhist monk, to repent his fault, to ask for the forgiving by the Buddhist monk, and to ask for the Buddhist monk to recruit him as a disciple. The Buddhist monk had felt his sincerity and finally accepted his repent and agreed to accept him as his disciple.

Remark: A full moon is indicated a pure and clean heart, which is sincere and honesty,  is neither adulating mind nor scheming mind, and is not polluted by the greedy, hatred and the stupid obsession and the stupid infatuation, and any negative mentality. Therefore, a full moon is also symbolized the brightness of a heart. 

Chapter 30: Depart far away from the desire-fire

(Chapter 30) 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 30: Depart far away from the desire-fire      

The Buddha said,” Those who act the Dao are such as putting on the dried grass, must avoid it, when the fire comes. When the Daoist people see the desire, they must depart far away from it.”

  

The desire-fire is the fire of desire, which means that the desire is like the fire (the fire of worries, the fire of greed or hatred), which could destroy anything in life and cause any damage. Mostly, the fire gives us the negative impression, because it might hurt us, including our life. In this chapter, the fire is based on the negative concept to be used as analogy. It is not only necessary for us to leave it away, but also necessary for us to "cease or extinguish the fire", which means to remove the negative mentality and emotion, such as the inside desire, greed, or hatred. It also means to remove the harm caused by the desire,  greed or hatred.  

 

Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese Character. Dao originally means path, road or way. The meaning of Dao is extended to be any system of education, including any teaching in any religion. Therefore, the meaning of Dao is very broad. In Buddhism, the Buddha also uses the original meaning of the character “Dao” as the explaining or the defining. That is when the honesty disciples want to practice the truth in life, what the principle is they can put it into the practice in real life. In a word, Dao is some truth, principle and method to enlighten self from the meditation by self and the practicing the teaching of Buddha. In other words, the truth and all the enlightenment from the self and the Buddha is also the Dao.

What is the difference between Buddhism and Daoism in Chinese?

 

To know the truth in life is not enough. As a Buddhist monk or a general person who wants to study the Buddhism, it is necessary to put the truth into practice, which is called to act the Dao. I use the word "acting-Dao”, "practicing-Dao" and “Dao-practicer”. Therefore, please do not mistakenly understand the Dao to be the Daoism. In Chinese culture, there is some kind of different between Buddhism and Daoism (Taoism). What is the difference between them? In a word, the appearance, form, method and the way of practicing the Dao is different. 

Meanwhile, what the nouns to be used to introduce and explain the gods is different. However, the goal that the truth they want to practice and to enlighten self is the same. Thus, the Buddhism and the Daoism could accept each other and there is no conflict. Furthermore, the Buddhism and Daoism could accept the other righteous religion, such as Christianity and Catholicism. Do you know why? In the emptiness in mind as if in the universe and as if in the sky and earth, there is nothing which could not be included.  

 

From the above explanation, here the Daoist people mean those people who practice the Dao in Buddhism. I call them as Dao-practicer. You could also use “Dao-practicer” instead of “Daoist people”. In this chapter, I hope that you do not mistakenly understand that the Daoist people mean those people who learn Daoism.

For the Dao-practicer, there are two kind of the desire which have to be departed from.

 

For the Dao-practicer, there are two kind of the desire which have to be departed from. One is the desire of the erotic and the other is the desire of the greed. The Buddha talked about the erotic desire and the greedy desire for many times in The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha. There are a lot of chapters to remind the honesty Buddhist monk to be cautious for the erotic desire and the greedy desire. I also explain it a lot in those chapters. The erotic desire is also one of the greedy desires, if we deeply perceive it, we can find it.

 

The Buddha said that the greedy desire is the source of suffering. For the masses, they do not have such perceiving and thus do a lot of harmful thing for the self and others. They could not understand the dangerous of the greedy desire, unless they have experienced the greedy desire in life, tasted the bitter consequence and suffered it.  Or, they have accepted the teaching of Buddha and thus have been beginning to think and perceive why the greedy desire is the source of suffering. 

 

In the world, there are a lot of harmful cases caused by the greedy desire or the erotic desire every day. In the history, there are also a lot of cases as said. Many people are followed to and turned by their own greedy desire and the erotic desire and thus to do harmful thing to others people. They might just see the self-interests or just self-enjoy the happiness in the present. However, they do not see the consequence which would harm self and others. There are many such similarly events, which we can find in the tyrannical and brutal government, or in any society, even in the environment which surrounds us. 

 

The greedy and erotic desire is the cause, which would link the many and complicated conditions coming from the outer environment. Then, such cause and conditions would let the person to do any harmful thing by violating its personal good self-nature, to harm the self and others people.

A news reminds us not only have to be cautious for our own greedy and erotic desire, but also have to be cautious for other peoples’ greedy and erotic desire, so as to avoid any troubles.  

Recently, in Taiwan, there is social news which attracts my attention. A couple married less than three months since they have known each other in the Internet. The female is 45 years old and older than the male for 7 years old. The female don’t get along well with the male’s parents. So, they move out from the male’s parents’ home. One day, the female find that the name of beneficiaries of her husband’s insurance policies is her husband’s father, she asks her husband to change the name of beneficiaries to be her name. But, the man doesn’t do that. Then, the female’s mood begins to change and she starts to deliberately cause trouble to the man. She accuses the man for doing the domestic violence to her and also threatens the man that she wants to spill gasoline on him to start a fire as fighting back.

 

In another day, this couple goes back to the male’s parents’ home. The female begins to deliberately make trouble to her mother-in-law, to threaten her with knife, to slap her face and kick her foot, and to throw foods to everywhere on the floor from the refrigerator. When polices come, she even accuses her mother-in-law to hurt her. All such badly behaviors are secretly recorded by her husband and the film is sent to the male’s best friend.

 

Finally, in the male’s parent’s home, the female indeed spill gasoline on her husband to start a fire, which cause the male severe burn and being sent to the ICU. Meanwhile, the female’s face is severe burned and ruined. What happened as mentioned above is less than one year since they married. And the man dies in the end after one month. 

 

From this case, we know that, it is not only men who would engage in domestic violence. Women would also do it. This case also lets us know that the greedy desire from others people can hurt us and our family, no matter they is male or female. In this case, we find that this man doesn’t be cautious for his erotic desire and indulge in and confused by this female. Meanwhile, He also doesn’t be cautious for the greedy desire from this female. And thus it brings the seriously trouble to him and his parents. For this woman, she doesn’t be cautious for her own greedy desire and thus she engages in the domestic violence to her family-in-law by violate her good nature, and thus ruins her happy life and her future. Therefore, we understand that we not only have to be cautious for our own greedy and erotic desire, but also have to be cautious for others peoples’ greedy and erotic desire. No matter the greedy and erotic desire is coming from self or others people, it would be possible to become the invisible fire or the real fire to burn us. Thus, we also know that the greedy and erotic desire is the cause of any violence. That is also  why we have to depart from it. 

When we depart from the cause, that is the greedy and erotic desire, any consequences would not be happened, no matter the outer conditions are.  

When the dried grass meets the fire, it would be burned. The Dao-practicer is as the dried grass, it is better for him to depart from the greedy and erotic desire, because the greedy and erotic desire is as fire which could damage self, just as if the fire burns the dried grass.

 

Even though we might not be the Dao-practicer, however, when we have seen a lot of damaged consequences as said, which would remind us to be cautious for our own greedy desire or the erotic desire. Furthermore, we also have to be cautious for the greedy and erotic desire coming from others people. We now understand that such desire is like fire. If we are wise, it is better for us to depart from it. When we depart from the cause, that is the greedy and erotic desire, any consequences would not be happened, no matter the outer conditions are.  

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.

Chapter 5: Correct the vice into the good deed

(Chapter 5) 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 5: Correct the vice into the good deed

The Buddha said,” People have a lot of faults, yet don’t know to repent, suddenly let their heart rest, and the sins come to the body; such as the water return to the sea, being deep and wide gradually. If people have faults, resolve them by themselves and know the mistake, correct the vice and do the good, the sins would be vanished by themselves; such as illness cause the sweaty, being healed gradually.”

No matter whether the status is noble or low in the worldly eyes, people are not holy human. There must be fault in the life. In the chapter four, there are mentioned about ten evil deeds. That is faults. Any one of them is also one of the causes which could incur the bad result in the life. Such as stealing because of greedy heart, it could cause the result of poverty. Or such as killing with hatred, it could cause the result of serious disease or dying badly.

Fortunately, there always are the chances for us to repent our faults. However, not everyone can grasp this opportunity, because they do not perceive their own faults. What badly is that someone has made the mistake but they still think what they have done is right. In the history, we can find such persons a lot, who cause the tragic world, and finally, the end of their life is terrible.

The sins would cause the retributions. If people do not know to repent their faults, their sins come to the body such as the water return to the sea, being deep and wide gradually. It means that the sins and the retributions would become bigger and bigger.

There is a verse said by Buddha:

Even if through the hundred eons,

The evil karma does not be disappeared.

When the cause is met by the condition,

The person still has to bear its own retribution by oneself.

“If people have faults, resolve them by themselves and know the mistake, correct the vice and do the good, the sins would be vanished by themselves; such as illness cause the sweaty, being healed gradually.” It means to repent our faults and do the good things, then, the sins won’t come to our body and any retribution would not appear. It is like to have a cold. The cold would be healed gradually when we lie down on a bed, cover a bed quilt and let our body sweat. This also tells us that it is not difficult to resolve our faults and do the good thing.      

In the Buddhism, there is the basic classwork of learning Buddha for the just getting started, that is to repent our faults for what happened in our present life and in our past life. In the concept of the Buddhism, everyone must be responsible for and burden the result of what they have done. The evil karma is made by whom, which person should be responsible to eliminate its own evil karma by oneself, because the retribution caused by the evil karma would not happen to other person, but to the doer itself.

When we do the repent, we do not repent toward the agent of Buddha, such as Buddhist monk, but, we do our repent to Buddha directly. For the beginning learner or for the learner who could not understand the Buddha-nature for a long time, Buddha is someone else. So, when they have made the mistake again after the repent, they are panic to ask for the forgiving of Buddha, because they are afraid of the sins coming to their body.

But, for those who have understood and realized the Buddha-nature, Buddha is not someone else, but having been converged in their heart. That is two in one; the sentient beings are equal to Buddha. Those who are in this state are basically to have done the repent for their faults for a long time and rare to make the mistake again.

Any wise Buddhist monk or nun, or the enlightened Buddha-learner would not replace the Buddha to forgive anyone. They also have no right to replace Buddha to punish Buddhist because the disciples do not believe in what they have taught about the Buddhism, or because they think that the disciples betray the Buddha. Why? In Buddhism, the first, no argument is one of the Buddha-law. Secondly, any result of personal retribution is arisen from the cause made by oneself. Therefore, to let the personal retribution vanish only depends on the personal action, such as correcting the vice and doing the good.

Someone use the Buddha-law, such as the ten good virtues, to view others faults when people do not obey the ten good virtues. For example, when I began to learn Buddha, I sometimes heard someone to say that some Buddhist nuns had fought with each other in the temple, or that some of the Buddha-learner had done a lot of evil things, such as the negative news.

This is to misuse the Buddha-law. In fact, Buddha-law is to regulate oneself, not to regulate others. Whether to learn the virtue of Buddha or not is coming from the self-motivation, not from the force by others. So, whether to obey the ten good deeds is coming from the autonomy, not from the lure or threaten or violence.

A country might use the lure, threaten or violence to force people to obey its country-law. But, Buddha-law cannot be used like that. If Buddha-law is used like that, it would violate the country-law and also violate the Buddha-nature, the compassion and wisdom. Why? The country-law is directly to regulate the public, the people in the country. But, Buddha-law is used for the personal spiritual improvement, from the self-help to help others, from the self-benefit to benefit others, and from the self-realization to help others realize by themselves. Therefore, it is the very important judgment when we chose a community of learning Buddha.