Chapter 16: Abandon the love and gain the Dao (added explanation)

(Chapter 16) 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 16: Abandon the love and gain the Dao (added explanation) 

The Buddha said,” People hold the love and desire, and cannot see the Dao. It is such as the clear water is stirred by hand; the public reach and approach this water together; there is no one who can see its own image. People interlace the love with desire. The turbidity is thrived in heart. That is why they cannot see the Dao. All of you Sramanas should abandon the love and desire. The filth of love and desire ending, the Dao could be seen. “

 

There is no-condition and no-demanding in the grand love. That is, there is no-desire in the grand love. However, the most people don’t have such grand character. Generally, the love in their mind means yearning for and controlling something in order to get some kind of selfish purpose. In this situation, many people have the behavior of the extortion with some kind of emotion to their relative friends or their family members in the name of love. This kind of love contains the selfish desire. In the research of psychology, there can be extended various negative characters on the basis of this kind of love and desire as mentioned, for example, the manipulative personality.

 

Dao is transliterated from Chinese. The Dao means the path, the way or any system of education or theory. Here, we can give the Dao the various explanations and teachings according to the different intelligence of humans and to the different classes of learning Buddha. Generally, there are two kinds of Dao in Buddhism. One is the Dao of Bodhisattva and the other is the Dao of Buddha. What is the difference between them is according to the different extent of realization and practicing about Buddhism. The Dao explained by Buddha in the Chapter 2 also means the clear and pure heart, which is the basis realization and practicing for entering to the Dao of Bodhisattva. And, the Dao of Bodhisattva is the basis realization and practicing for entering to the Dao of Buddha.

 

No matter what the Dao is, the basis of the Dao in Buddhism is the clear and pure mind. The basis of the clear and pure mind is under the no-condition, no-desire and no-demanding to others when one person faces any person and anything and doing anything. Secondly, the clear and pure mind is also to realize and practice the true equality in the mind when facing any situation. This kind of ideas is more difficult for ordinary people to understand and practice. However, if we have the will to understand and practice it, it may not be difficult for us.

 

"There is no good or bad under any circumstance. The good or bad under any circumstance is in our mind." This is the famous sentence said by Zen master in the Tang Dynasty of China (A.D. 618-907). If you could understand and practice this sentence, you would be free and easy when you face any situation. Why? The environment itself is objective. However, our thought itself is subjective. That is why poor people complain a lot to their situation and cannot change their fate, and thus feel suffering. Learning Buddha can change our subjective and negative thought and thus change our fate. Regarding how to understand and practice the true equality in the mind, we will explain it in the following chapters.

 

The Buddha said,” People hold the love and desire, and cannot see the Dao.” That is, when people are in the selfish love and desire, they cannot understand and practice the clear and pure in the mind. The Buddha explained in a metaphorical way why people cannot see the Tao. “It is such as the clear water is stirred by hand; the public reach and approach this water together; there is no one who can see its own image.” The clear water is as our clear and pure heart. In the clear water, the sand is in the bottom. When the clear water is stirred by hand, a lot of float sand makes it become turbid. Meanwhile, the whirlpool of the water also makes the water no longer clear. A generated thought of selfish love and desire is as the hand to stir the clear water. A lot of float sand and the whirlpool of the water are like the complicated situation in the outside and inside. “The public reach and approach this water together; there is no one who can see its own image.” The public means the self and the others persons. “Approach this water together” means both of them are involved in this situation caused by the selfish love and desire. “There is no one who can see their own image”. It means no one can see their clear and pure heart.  The clear and pure heart is the true self.  

 

The Buddha said, “People interlace the love with desire. The turbidity is thrived in heart. That is why they cannot see the Dao.” It means those people who contact each other with the mind of the love and desire. It makes them appear any unreasonable conditions, harsh demanding and fantasy expectation to each other from their mind. Under the circumstance, there is the selfish and self-interested purpose, and there is no treatment of equality to each other. It means the turbidity is thrived in heart. That is also means those people have mean and scheming minds. These dirty things with greed would make them blind their heart-eye and make them cannot see their clear and pure heart. That is why they cannot see the Dao.

                                                                                           

The Buddha said, “All of you Sramanas should abandon the love and desire. The filth of love and desire ending, the Dao could be seen.“ Therefore, the Buddha advised their disciples, the Sramanas, the Buddhist monk, to abandon this kind of love and desire. Those dirty things with greed are the filth of love and desire. Once this filth of love and desire is ended, the clear and pure heart can be seen. This is to remove the filth of love and desire and the brightness of heart is appeared. Even though we are not Buddhist monk, the Buddha’s teaching as mentioned is also very helpful for our life. It can increase our wisdom and help our mood to be steady and help our life to be good.

 

When we deeply understand and practice the Buddha’s teaching as mentioned above, we come back to observe the situation of the world, we can find that a lot of crime and war, and any dirty things are caused by the selfish love and desire. That is, the selfish love and desire is the root of evil. In the past thirty years, there is the good economic and democratic development in Taiwan. Some of the girls from the poor country come to Taiwan in order to look for the better life for themselves and their family. However, they use the wrong way. What they use is the filth of love and desire as mentioned. When Taiwanese men are confused and trapped by the lie of love from these women, the belongings of Taiwanese men are gradually gone and transferred to the name of these women. Then, the Taiwanese men die. Finally, the families of these Taiwanese men have found something wrong and then sue these women--the deceiver of love. In the end, the truth is revealed.

 

According to the research in England, the average intelligence of men is about 103. This is the normal intelligence. However, once these men are fall in love, their intelligence will decrease. According to my personal observation, men not only decrease their IQ when they are in love, but even decrease their IQ after getting married, but when they have an affair after marriage, their IQ drops even lower. Decreasing intelligence means their moral principle, thinking ability and judgment are not as good as the men who have the normal intelligence. According to the research, the men who have the lower intelligence will have the more rates to have an affair after marriage, comparing with the men who have the higher intelligence. Usually, the men who have the lower intelligence harm the family members more than those who have the higher intelligence.  

 

When we deeply observe the problem of a family and we are wise, we can find that the root of the problem of a family is the dispute of their love and desire. This dispute of love and desire is full of the filth as mentioned above. It is full of greedy and dark thought in their mind. Therefore, it is meaningless to judge who is right and who is wrong. If we are wise, it is better for us to pull ourselves away this situation of turbidity. If you are a party to this kind of dispute, when you see the teachings of the Buddha, you should have wisdom on how to deal with it. In chapter 23, it is mentioned that the wife is more than a prison. The root of the problem is the love and desire which come from the husband and wife. This problem makes the family become an invisible jail to bind the mind of husband and wife.

 

The love and desire as said above is not only about affairs of the erotic and family, but also about the dispute and the affairs in politics, enterprises, and organizations. It is also about the relationship of friends. When we insight the problem caused by love and desire, we would have the better thinking and judgment to face any problem, and then to deal with it.   

 

No matter we are Sramana or not, the Buddha’s teaching gives us a good teaching and inspires ourselves wisdom. This is the invisible fortune which cannot be measured. There is the doing and there is the no-doing. To abandon the love and desire as mentioned is the doing and no-doing. Not to have the mean and scheming minds is also the doing and no-doing. How to do and how not to do, there is a choice in our mind, if we are wise. 

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 35: Once the filth is cleaned, the brightness is existed.

(Chapter 35) 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 35: Once the filth is cleaned, the brightness is existed.

The Buddha said,” As if a person forges iron to remove the dross, and then to be the utensil, the utensil is thus refined and good, the person who learns the Dao removes the filth in heart, his practicing is clean and pure accordingly.“ 

 

The Dao means the Dao in Buddhism. Learning the Dao in Buddhism is as if a person forges iron to remove the dross. Iron ore is burned by fire with high temperature and then the dross is emerged and removed. The left iron is more pure, and is continuously beaten by hammers with thousand times. A utensil of steel is hence completed.

 

Such utensil is refined and good and it is so perfect and can be used well, as if a person who learns the Dao makes himself to be a useful person, and to shoulder the inheritance of Dharma (Buddha-law), so as to make sentient beings liberate from their suffering, and hence to make them reach the blessed place which is established by themselves with their self-effort. Such blessed place is not elsewhere, but in their heart. In other word, at this moment, where they live, the place is the blessed place. That is because their pure heart is in there.

 

What is learning the Dao in Buddhism? In a word, to truly see the Buddha-nature by self and to be able to freely apply it is the process and goal for learning the Dao in Buddhism.

 

A person learning the Dao is as if the process of forging iron to become steel and to become the useful utensil. This person has to experience the strict life training so as to remove his evil thought, and to wear off his bad habit. The strict training in life is as if the iron ore is burned by raging fire in the stove with high temperature. It means that the training in life is very strict, hard and even suffering. Only experiencing such process, the pure mind and the determined belief can be made.  

 

Whatever the place is, where we live is as if a stove with fire to burn the iron ore and then to hammer it with thousand times, which can train our mind and character, when we learn the Dao. Through contacting people and any events, our evil thought and behavior would be gradually removed in the daily life. The strict training in life is not to isolate oneself in the crowd, and then to close oneself, but to place oneself in the crowd so as to train the self-mind to be open, integrity, honest, upright and pure, and to train the self-heart to be soft and compassionate, so as to train the self-will in learning the Dao to be firm.

 

The person who learns the Dao removes the filth in heart, his practicing is clean and pure accordingly.“

 

The filth is as if the dross as mentioned above, when it is removed, our heart becomes more pure and can tolerate any attacking from outside, such as humiliating, any negative thought or evil action. Such process is as if iron ore without dross can stand the beaten by hammers with thousand times.

 

What is the filth in heart? That is, to someone or to anything or to any events or to any circumstances or to any relationships, a person has the mind of the greed, hatred, resentment, stupid infatuation, arrogance, suspicion, jealousy, flattering, cunning, lie, brutality, despising, selfishness, or the insidious. In a word, it is the mind of the greed, hatred and the stupid infatuation. All of these are the negative states and emotions and able to drive the person to do anything to harm the self and others. That is why we define these states and emotions as the filth in heart. Our original heart is as if the white cloth, it is so white, bright and clean. There are no negative states and emotions in there. When it is stained by many black spots, we think that it is polluted to be black. This concept is that the heart with filth is the polluted heart.  

 

When we are embryos, our heart is very clean and bright, which is in the state of emptiness, and is no thinking. However, when we are born to the world and are infant, our mind are beginning to be stimulated and influenced continuously by the outside environment, which stimulate our various thinking and make us generate any different emotion. If we are lack of the correct guiding and self-perceiving, we are easy to generate any negative thought, emotion and behavior, even the evil or the distorted thinking and action to harm self and others. In such process of growing and living, we say that our heart is polluted and full of filth.

 

In such circumstance, when we treat people and deal with anything, we will no longer use our original sincere heart, but any polluted heart. When we use our polluted heart to treat people or deal with anything, we even do not know that we maybe harm others, or ruin anything, or break any good event, or even to harm the self in the end. Why? Our original heart without filth is as if the clean and bright mirror, which can make us view self clearly, and is also as if the clear eyes, which can make us see the truth distinctly. In such circumstance, we can keep our mind clear and make us calm down to do anything right. However, our heart with filth is as if the mirror with the thick dust, which cannot make us view self, and is also as if the blinded eyes, which cannot make us see any truth. In such circumstance, how can we assure that we cannot do anything wrong?

 

As if we want to remove the filth on the white T-shirt by washing it, we want to remove the filth in our heart, when we learn the Dao. When we remove the filth in heart, our thought become clear, our mind become pure, and our behavior become correct, our practicing in the Dao is clean and pure accordingly.

 

What is the benefit for us? We then understand that each one’s original heart is the same, which is clean, clear, pure and bright. Whatever the self or others, the heart is gradually affected and polluted by the environment. Therefore, the heart becomes dirty and dark. No matter our heart is bright or dark, it is the same heart. What the difference is whether our heart is polluted or not. When we understand the nature of the heart, we thus can tolerate any another heart which is outside of us and is without any wisdom and bright. At the same time, when we remove the filth in our heart by self and we can further guide another polluted hearts outside of us to be clean and pure. This is one of the processes to learn the Dao in Buddhism.   

 

There is a saying, “It does not need to go far away in order to pursue the mountain of spirit, because it is in your heart.” Mr. Dharma said, ”I originally pursue the heart, not the Buddha, because I completely know that there is nothing in the emptiness of the three realms. If you want to pursue the Buddha, but you only need to pursue the heart, because the heart itself is the Buddha.”

 

The mountain of spirit is the heart, in which there is nothing, because the heart itself is in the state of stillness and emptiness. Under the circumstance, all is generated deriving from it, including the heart of precept, stability and wisdom, and the heart of the greed, hatred, and the stupid infatuation. That is, the emptiness contains the all existence. The still heart contains the all. Such heart is no boundary.

 

In a word, the heart with darkness and filth is the un-inspired heart and the un-enlightened Buddha. The heart with brightness and wisdom and without filth is the inspired heart and the enlightened Buddha. Whatever the heart is, the Buddha-nature is in the heart. That is why a Bodhisattva said to the masses, “All of you are the Buddha in the future.” One day, when your heart is inspired and you see the truth, you are the Buddha.

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 26: The heaven demon disturbs the Buddha.

(Chapter 26) 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 26: The heaven demon disturbs the Buddha.    

The heaven god devotes the jade girl to the Buddha so as to spoil the will of the Buddha. The Buddha said,” Leather bag with much filth inside, you come here for what? Go! I don’t use it. The heaven god is more respectful for the Buddha and thus inquires the meaning of Dao. The Buddha explains it to him, who immediately attains the fruit of Srotāpanna.  

The heaven god here means the heaven demon. The heaven demon here is transformed by the heaven god in order to examine the heart and mind of Buddha.   The heaven demon has the evil will to deliberately spoil the virtuous will of anyone. Meanwhile, he has the magical power to appear and change any forms and appearances of anything to deceive, threaten or bully anyone so as to achieve his evil goal. At the same time, he can use his magical power to kidnap the will of humans so as to control the kidnapped humans to do evil things. They are beings in heaven and also have a lot of children and grandchildren.

When Buddha Shakyamuni meditated in sitting and proved the fruit of Dao under the Bodhi tree, the heaven god wanted to examine whether Buddha Shakyamuni proved the fruit of Dao or not. The Dao here also means the absolutely truth, the nature of emptiness, the empty stillness, the no-thinking and the no-doing.  

Therefore, the heaven god transformed his children to be the sexy and beautiful girls so as to lure Buddha. Jade girls here mean the sexy and beautiful girls. They danced and sang songs so as to attract the Buddha. When Buddha Shakyamuni had seen them, he said, “You are leather bag with much filth inside. You come here for what? Get out of here. I don’t need these dirty leather bags.”  

The Buddha had practiced the perception and thinking of the white bones, which is a method to break the obsession with anyone. We have introduced it in the article of the Chapter 24.

In the eyes of Buddha, what he had seen is not the appearance of the sexy and beautiful girls, but their filth inside their body. If our body has been X-rayed, we know that our intestines are full of feces. Our bladder also accumulates a lot of urine. If we have basic medical knowledge, we know that the cells in our body are dying and metabolizing at any time. In fact, our body accumulates the waste of many dead cells. Secondly, our body has full of toxins and a little cancer cells. Meanwhile, there are many different bacterial and viruses in our bodies, which will cause us to be sick and aging. When the knowledge of humans was not opened, they also thought that a woman's menstruation was dirty. So, inside of our body, it might not be clean, but "filthy".

Our whole skin in our body is like the leather bag which has much “filth” inside. To have such concept is a convenient method, which would help us to eliminate the obsession with anyone. However, in fact, we don’t need to insist that inside of human body is filthy, because the human body has its own natural situation. But, we know that it finally will lead to the aging, disability and eliminated. Even how sexy and beautiful girls, who can not avoid such natural changing.

The heart and mind of Buddha Shakyamuni was very stable. He was neither lured nor affected by the girls and the heaven god. The heaven god was thus more respectful for the Buddha Shakyamuni. And he was humble to inquire the meaning of Dao from Buddha. The Buddha explained it to him, just like the chapter 2 said by Buddha. The heaven god immediately attained the fruit of Srotāpanna, which means the wisdom of the heaven god has been enlightened and he has proved the wisdom in the level of Srotāpanna. Srotāpanna is the transliteration of Sanskrit. The level and wisdom of Srotāpanna can save itself from the suffering of life and death. But, it cannot save others from the suffering of life and death.

This chapter explains that the heart and mind of the Buddha is stable, and cannot be affected by any outside situation. He will not be tied by the inner or outer erotic desire. It also explains that the Buddha not only can be the teacher of human beings, but also can be the teacher of the heavenly beings.

It is also the target of reference for the person who learns Buddha for self proving the fruit of Dao. When one person is enlightened and proving the fruit of Dao, the heaven god will come to examine and test this person. The way will be according to the personal conditions and which will be different for every one. When this person is passing the examination, the heaven god will confirm it and congratulate this person. So, whether one person proves the fruit of Dao or not, it might deceive the masses. However, it cannot deceive itself and the heaven god. That is what we have to 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.

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 15: Ask about the force and brightness

(Chapter 15) 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 15: Ask about the force and brightness   

A Sramana asked the Buddha: ” Who has the more force? And what is the most brightness?” The Buddha replied to him:” Those who tolerate the humiliation have the more force. That is because of no malice, and having the peace and health in heart. The tolerant person without malice would be absolutely respected by people. The dirt of heart is removed and ended. The clean without filth is the most brightness. From no sky and land till today, where all exists in the ten directions, there is not thing which can not be seen, or can not be known, or can not be heard by us. Gaining all wisdom could be called the brightness.  

To close self and live alone could not practice the tolerance for the humiliation nor prove the stillness in heart.

In Buddha’s teaching, Sramana means the Buddhist monk who follows the path of Buddha and to be his disciple. In the time of Buddha Sakyamuni, there were more than 500 Buddhist monks to follow Buddha Sakyamuni in daily life. In fact, Buddha Sakyamuni is not alone.

In the history and in the modern time, some of the Buddhist monk or nun chooses to retreat from the sentient beings. And they live alone and close self in a small house, to read and chant the Buddhist scripture and to sit in meditating every day. Meanwhile, they also need people to send meals for them every day.

They think that this way is ascetic practice, one of the practices of the Buddha’s teaching. The continue time may be from one year to three years. When they finish such retreat and close, and in the moment when they go out from the small house, they are joyfully welcomed by his disciples to be called master or saint. Then, they may be proud of this experience, because they think that the general people are unable to do that.

Of course, it is one of the 84000 methods for learning Buddha. And it may be suitable for some persons to practice the teaching of Buddha. I do not have the opinion for it. But, what the problem is? Think about it.

Even the Siddhartha (the worldly name of the Buddha Sakyamuni), when he acted the ascetic practice, he didn’t leave his fellows or live alone. Meanwhile, he didn’t ask anyone to send meals for him. What the teaching of Buddha about stillness, silence or tolerance is in heart, not in the form or any appearance.      

To close oneself in the small house and to retreat from the sentient beings could not truly make us prove the truth of emptiness, nothingness, stillness, or tolerance. Only the ignorant public might think that this way to close oneself in the small house and to retreat from the sentient beings could prove the truth of emptiness, nothingness, stillness, or tolerance. Therefore, to learn Buddha, be sure that we are not an ignorant one.

In Taiwan, there ever been a Buddhist nun to accept land and house offered by her disciple. And then, she lived alone in this house on the mountain. She thought that to retreat from the public would keep her pure, clean and stillness in heart. And that was to practice the teaching of Buddha. Unfortunately, she was kidnapped, threatened and killed, because the evil person was greedy and wanted her land and house. And no one could help her. Even the Bodhisattva couldn't do anything for her.

So, the state of no phenomenon and thus to keep clean and peace in heart is not coming from closing oneself and to retreat from the public. Why? If there were no human beings or no phenomenon, how, where, to whom and what could we practice the tolerance?

Cherish our Buddha-nature to be a tolerant person.

Let’s return to the topic. A Sramana asked the Buddha: ” Who has the more force? And what is the most brightness? ” The force here doesn’t mean the violence, but means the good influence and powerful.

The Buddha replied to him:” Those who tolerate the humiliation have the more force. That is because of no malice, and having the peace and health in heart.”

Do you have ever experienced the humiliation? Or do you have ever a thought that wants to humiliate others? To observe such behaviors of human beings needs some concept of psychology and the Buddha’s teaching. If you have ever read the chapter 6, 7 and 8 in this blog, you have some basic concept from the Buddha’s teaching.

Why people stand any humiliation would have the more force? That is because such persons have no malice, and have the peace in heart, and have the mental health. But, do you know why people want to humiliate others?

As we have observed in psychology, those who are more likely to humiliate others are with low self-esteem and low self-confidence. People who are less healthy in psychology are more likely to humiliate others with malicious intentions. In general, they have the more jealous to others performance. In other word, they have felt that they have less force to others. They thus have to show their power by humiliating others so as to achieve the control of situation. Through such behavior, it would let them feel that their personal power is promoted.  

As we have meditated and perceived from outside and inside in Buddha’s teaching, those who are more likely to humiliate others are basically because of their personal five poisons, that is the greedy, hatred or resentment, stupid-obsession, arrogance and suspicion.

Such behavior of humiliating others might be performed in greedy for fortune in life and for power in career, or in stupid-obsession in sexual desire or love, or because of the arrogance or suspicion to others, and thus occurring the hatred or resentment. Therefore, they attack others by humiliating others so as to achieve the control of situation and their selfish purpose.

Furthermore, all phenomenon or situation is caused by some reasons and conditions. Dismantling any reasons and conditions one by one, we would find that the nature of all phenomenon or situation is emptiness, nothingness and stillness. Then, what is the reason and condition for the humiliation? As what has been mentioned above.

When we realize that the nature of the phenomenon of the humiliation is emptiness, nothingness and stillness, what else can we tolerate? The truth is that there is no humiliation and tolerance. And we don’t need to tolerate, let alone to have the mind of the hatred or resentment, because the humiliation is only an illusion and which could be disappeared anytime. That is why we don’t need to be tangled in the situation of humiliation. This is the profound meaning in Buddha’s teaching. But, it is difficult to be understood and realized by the general people.

In the eyes of Buddha, those who humiliate others are piteous and lamentable, because they have lost their most precious Buddha-nature. Completely understanding this, we realize that we should cherish our own Buddha-nature, have the compassion and empathy for all sentient beings, keep our own esteem and confidence, have no malice and have no hatred or resentment, thus to tolerate those lost behaviors. It also makes us establish a positive foundation for our psychological health. And therefore, it could make us keep peaceful in heart. The true force is thus formed naturally and gradually in the silence and invisible.

“The tolerant person without malice would be absolutely respected by people.” The tolerant person without malice has the open-mindedness and the kindness. Such qualities could be felt by the human beings, even the spirit or god. That is why such tolerant person would be respected.

Any thought is the dirt of heart.

“The dirt of heart is removed and ended. The clean without filth is the most brightness.” What is the dirt of heart? In general speaking and teaching, any evil thoughts, evil mind, evil motivation and evil action which harm or kill the sentient beings and self are recognized as the dirt of heart.

But, how to define what is the evil? Do you have ever found that some people purposely twist the meaning of the human right, democracy, belief, justice, freedom, bliss, public welfare or equality? They deceive the public with a distorted theory or concept and what surprise us is that there are a lot of persons who believe it and support it, and even are willing to be slaver for it. And they don't think that they are evil persons to do the evil things. On the contrary, they think they are the good person and the incarnation of justice, and do the right thing.

If there were 10 persons who follow the distorted theory or concept and think that such theory or concept is justice and they do the right thing, the remaining person might thus question self, I am wrong? So, it is possible to be debated, argued or distorted for any definition or explanation for the evil or good. Therefore, we should be wise to get rid of it and to find the truth. And be sure that we would not be kidnapped by any distorted theory or concept, no matter how it seems reasonable.

There was a great Zen master Hui Neng, the sixth founder of Zen in Chinese Tang Dynasty. He had ever said, ”don't think of goodness and of evilness.” In the profound Buddha's teaching, there is no goodness and no evilness in the emptiness-nature. Furthermore, the concept of good or evil is an opposite concept and which is easier to be manipulated by human beings with any reasons and conditions. In a word, it is better for us to jump off the frame of good and evil.

Therefore, in sum up, any thought is the dirt of heart, no matter any thought is defined as goodness or evilness. That is because any thought is easier to be affected or be distorted by the inner or outer conditions, and thus it is possible to be distorted and become the evil thought. In the same way, evil thoughts can also be packaged and twisted into good deeds. But, the people propagate that it is the justice and equality. Furthermore, people are more likely to insist in the goodness and evilness blindly, but not to think about it logically. That is why such truth that any thought is the dirt of heart is not easy to be understood by the general people.

Any thought is easier to be mistakenly understood and misuse in life, if people are lack of the capability and wisdom to understand it. So, the first founder of Zen in Chinese Tang Dynasty, Zen-master Dharma, had ever said,” When the thought is generated, the sin is happened at the same time.”

Five poisons in mind make human beings have no light (no bright).

Therefore, in the general Buddha’s teaching, five poisons are easier to be mentioned. What are the five poisons? They are the greedy, hatred and resentment, stupid-obsession, arrogant, and suspicion. These five poisons are the psychological state and could be observed and perceived by human beings, even though they are not defined and have been covered by taking advantage of any seemed-clever methods.

But, the general people are lack of the capability and wisdom to perceive their own five poisons, let alone to perceive others. That is why they follow their inner five poisons and do any harmful things, to poison and harm themselves and others. Therefore, these five poisons, and any thought or any doing caused by these five poisons, are regarded as the dirt of heart. They are like the thick dust could cover the light of heart. That is why the Buddha Sakyamuni said that those who own the five poisons are no light (no bright).

Pure heart makes human body self-illumination.

According to the research of science, the human body can shine itself at least the seven colors of light. But, the color of light in everyone is different and it could not be seen by the naked-eyes of human beings. I speculate that the Buddha Sakyamuni could see the color of light in everyone, when he was in sitting-meditation. In Buddhist Scripture, when the Buddha Sakyamuni was ready to speak of the Buddha-law, that the Buddha Sakyamuni shine itself from his mouth is often mentioned.

For the Buddha Sakyamuni, the dirt of his heart was already removed and ended, his body could naturally shine the light by itself and it is as bright as the sunshine. That is why he said, ”The dirt of heart is removed and ended, the clean without filth is the most brightness.” He had proved it by self. If we could remove and end the dirt of our heart, that is, there are no five poisons and no such harmful action or such evil thought, we then also could prove that the clean without filth in heart is the most brightness.

In fact, our body is the pure light. Mostly, the light is the light of white, yellow, or orange. Only few people are the light of purple. To appear such light means that their heart is in the pure goodness, and has the less five poisons, or even has no five poisons.

The Origin of the World

In the Buddha’s teaching, the Sramana is also curious about how the world is formed, and asks the Buddha such question. The Buddha said that a thought which is full of desires and love is no light, and once it is birth, the world is formed at the same time. (Love here means craving.)

So, it is not what we thought how the outer material world is formed or is created by whom. On the contrary, the Buddha wants to let us know that our inner and outer world is formed and created by our original thought which is existed before our infant body being born, even before the formed of embryo. In other word, that is some kind of fate which is decided by our thought. Such world and fate is not belonged to someone else, but is belonged to self. 

What our outer or inner world is heaven or hell, or what it is, is really depending on our mind and heart, not depending on any god or any someone else. Furthermore, once any of our thought is eliminated, our outer or inner world is ended at the same time. It is also means that an evil world is ended at the same time, once a thought with five poisons is eliminated.

In the concept of Buddha, the world, including the universe, is an illusion, no matter what it is. The origin of world is coming from a thought. Once a thought is birth, a world (illusion) is born simultaneously. Once a thought is eliminated, a world (illusion) is ended at the same time.

Then, how does the material world is formed? The Buddha said that it is formed from the no beginning and no ending. That is, it is formed from no thought and nothingness. That is why the Buddha said, "from no sky and land till today." And, the universe or the world itself has no concept what it wants to be. Furthermore, it is not created by special one.

In the process, all material worlds are formed from reasons and conditions. In fact, it is chaos and no rule. What is formed is by random and what is disappeared is also by random. In other word, no one could control the universe or the material world, let alone to conquer it. For example, climate change and earthquake are mostly out of control by human beings. In the modern technology, we might predict it. But, we could not control it not to happen.

So, in Buddhism, there is no such concept of end of the world (end of the material world). Secondly, the Buddha said that the human beings have experienced countless generations. It is counted according to the human life. In the countless ancient time, the life of human beings could be 1000 years. In that time, the hearts of human beings are very pure and goodness. Meanwhile, there is also Buddha. But, it is not Buddha Sakyamuni. In our generation, the life of human beings could be only 100 years. That is because the hearts of the most human beings are less pure and thus to have more evil thought and evil action, and which cause human beings reducing their lifespan.  

The Origin of Human Beings

The Buddha Sakyamuni had ever said that the human beings on earth are originally coming from the light and sound heaven. Their body is transparent and luminous, is very light and almost has no weight. Meanwhile, they can fly from the light and sound heaven to the earth, and fly to come back to their home. Wow! They do not need UFO.

Some of them are greedy to eat the sweet and delicious food grew on earth and thus make their body too weight to fly back home. Thereafter, they begin to have the sexual desire and to develop the male organ and female organ in their body. They then become the first ancestor of the human beings.

Even today, I speculate that the human beings of light and sound heaven still continually communicate with us by light and sound in mind. That is the communication with mind to mind. But, only few people on earth who are pure in heart could perceive and accept the message from them. Once such pure people died on the earth, their original soul would come back home of the light and sound heaven, and no matter what this heaven is called.

So, whatever its appearance is or what it is called, we might have one question. Could it be possible that the God or any god is one member of the human beings of light and sound heaven?   

Spirit-Openness of Wisdom-Nature

“From no sky and land till today, where all exists in the ten directions, there is not thing which can not be seen, or can not be known, or can not be heard. Gaining all wisdom could be called the brightness.”

Each word above is known by us. However, the whole meaning of the paragraph is beyond our knowledge and experience. Even though it is beyond our understanding, it doesn’t mean that such knowledge, experience, ability and wisdom don’t exist. Why? That is because it is actually practiced and proved by Buddha Sakyamuni and be transmitted and taught to us by him.

In the history of India and China, including Tibet, there are only few Buddhist monks or nuns who own such practical experience and ability being recorded in the book. In the transliteration of Chinese, such practical experience and ability is called “Shentong”. Its meaning is translated as spirit-openness by me. Some people translate its meaning as magical power. In some Buddhist Scripture, I translate its meaning as wonderful and spiritual power.

The spirit here means self-spirit and others spirit. But, mostly, it means the self-spirit. To broaden the meaning of openness also includes the meaning as follows: through, connect, communicate, go, see, hear, know, perceive, freely or no obstacle and no worries. Connecting such meanings, it is classified as six kinds of spirit-openness.

According to my knowledge, I translate them from Chinese into English as follows:

Spirit-openness of feet

Spirit-openness of understanding others mind

Spirit-openness of heaven-ears

Spirit-openness of heaven-eyes

Spirit-openness of perceiving fate

Spirit-openness of leak-ended  (The word Leak-Ended means that the leak has ended. don't worry; There are no worries in the mind and thus owning the opening spirit naturally.)

Spirit-openness also has the meaning that the self-spirit opens to the other spirit and thus could connect and communicate with the other spirit in mind, and the self-spirit also could perceive the self and others fate. Furthermore, spirit-openness also means that the self-spirit could see what others spirits have done, could hear what they have talked, and perceive what they have thought. Meanwhile, the self-spirit could freely go anywhere, when we are in sitting-meditation or sleep.

In the state of Buddha, he or her has proved the ability of spirit-openness of leak-ended  (There are no worries in the mind and thus owning the opening spirit naturally.). It means that in the state of Buddha, he or her has proved no worries in heart. "Leak" here is described as "worries" or "annoyance". When the leak is ended, that is when any annoyance is finished or eliminated, the personal wondrous spiritual power is naturally appeared. Only the Buddha who has this ability. 

Such ability and function is based on the openness of the self-spirit. That also means that there is no obstacle in the self-spirit and it can do, go, see, hear and perceive anything freely. Mostly, such self-spirit as said is in the living body, but not excludes the dead person. For the dead person, what died is the body, not the self-spirit. No matter the body is living or dead, the self-spirit has its own conscious.

So, even the dead person, their self-spirit could also connect and communicate with us in some special and required situation. For the general people, they connect with each other through making a dream. But, for some persons who learn Buddha well, it is possible for them to communicate with each other directly, except through the dream.

For the public, such concept and ability of spirit-openness is difficult for them to understand, let alone to apply it in the daily life. For them, they even do not know that they have such ability in self. As the mentioned above, the human beings in light and sound heaven has such natural ability and could use it freely.

In the early ancient time of Chine, there are a lot of records that the governing and law system and culture are transmitted and taught by the human beings in heaven. It is that the human beings in that time, especially, the king or the leader with virtue, could connect and communicate with the human beings in heaven directly, and are helped by them. Even today, they still continually help us in many ways. But, the general people do not know how the human beings in heaven to do that.

Then, we might have one question. Why the self-spirit has such ability and could do that? In a word, all teaching of Buddha is able to inspire us such ability. In the present, there are two key points to let us inspired such ability. One is in the article Let heart in peace, no fear and affliction any more (Updated on 2019/07/11). The other is in this chapter. In sum up, to keep our heart peace, pure and clean, no malice and thus no obstacle in heart is the basis to inspire us to appear such ability. And thus to gain the all wisdom is the brightness.

So, we might have another question. Does AI artificial intelligence have such ability? Could it really control or destroy the human beings? Do you think that AI artificial intelligence could control or destroy the emptiness, nothingness or stillness?

Spirit-openness (Shentong) is always regarded as some kind of magical or wonderful power by the general people. Some ignorant people deceive the public that they have such magical power to generate the medicine to heal the disease, or they can use their magical power to change people’s fate from bad to good. Unfortunately, a lot of ignorant people are willing to be deceived and believe it is true.

If we learn Buddha well and profoundly understand the teaching of Buddha, we would know that spirit-openness is the natural power and wisdom owned by everyone. The most people are unable to appear and to use such natural power. That is because their natural wisdom has not been inspired.

In fact, the most highlight point of the Buddha’s teaching is to inspire our natural wisdom. The remaining is the methods how to put it into the practice in daily life. So, how to enlighten such natural power of us? The knowledge and methods are included in the Buddhist Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha. But, it is not enough, because we have to put such knowledge and methods into the practice and to turn it into our wisdom in life. 

In sum up, it is the wisdom and compassion, and put the wisdom and compassion into the practice in our daily life. On the basis, our natural power, spirit-openness (Shentong), would be naturally appeared and we would know how to use it rightly with our wisdom. Once our natural wisdom is truly inspired, we would absolutely not dare to deceive the public.

Furthermore, relying on ignorant people’s blind magical power is not as good as relying on our own spirit-openness, if we understand the reason and principle as above. Unfortunately, such self-ability of the most people has been lost due to our education from the government or from the generation to the generation in the family and in the society.

In Taiwan and in America, some famous institutions proceed with the research of spirit-openness (Shentong) by spending huge expenses, and some of the expenses are sponsored by the government. They then publish papers or books. I have no opinion for it. But, do you think that the Buddha Sakyamuni spend huge expenses to know and gain the spirit-openness (Shentong)?

In the history, do you have ever found that some people claim self to be the agent of any god or of any spirit which has the magical power? And then, they apply such will to control other people’s mind, will or action. Even to demonstrate themselves as god. They said if people do not believe it, people have to go to hell, and are allowed to be killed. Such thought is really to fool the public. Theocracy is an unequal thought. In fact, it is a closed thought and could not bring the real peace. Then, we know that they are really lack of the wisdom and compassion.

Only when we are in the open-mindedness, and thus to cultivate our wisdom and compassion, we would know what is the real peace and equality, and what is to know all things in the ten directions. The ten directions include the space and time (the past and the future). Then, it is possible for us to gain the all wisdom.

Join in the light and be together with the dust

There is a Chinese sentence,” Join in the light and be together with the dust.( Join in other light and be together with other dust.)” The light means those who have proved the peace, pure and clean in heart, and are no malice and no obstacle in heart, meanwhile they have gained the natural wisdom, the all wisdom. According to the teaching of Buddha, such state and such person is called the brightness. On the contrary, the dust means those who have not yet inspired in wisdom. Their heart is closed and has more five poisons to cause many annoyance and trouble for self and others. Such state and such person is no light (no brightness) and thus is formed the obstacle in heart.   

The whole sentence means that we should join in the goodness of the Bodhisattva or Buddha, once we have proved the Dao. Secondly, it also means that we should not despise or exclude those who have not yet been enlightened in wisdom when we learn Buddha and go on the path of Bodhisattva or Buddha. Because all sentient beings have the Buddha-nature, and we are no difference in this nature, even though we have proved the Dao. In a word, it let us remove the self-arrogance and to be together with all sentient beings with humble.

Let’s return to the question of the reality. We might have one question. What the said above could make us rich?

If we have the ability to know all things and have the wisdom to deal with all trouble, do you think that we would be still a poor person? In other word, intangible fortune is the basis of the tangible fortune. That is the intangible fortune could create the tangible fortune. To understand the above reason and principle and to know how to practice and apply it in our daily life, we would never be a poor person. That is why the Buddha said that Buddha-nature is like a priceless and treasure orb which is in our inner mind and could realize and become the true fortune in reality. So, cherish it well, ok?

P.S. "No light" means "no bright". It also means that a person's mindset is full of greed, hatred and foolish obsession.

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.