One of the Ten Titles about Buddha—Man-Tamer

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing)

The meaning of Man-Tamer represents the Buddha who taught the living beings the knowledge and wisdom of Buddhism  and reform the living beings to be good.

  

The word Man-Tamer is translated by me from the Chinese Buddhist Scripture. I will explain it and why I use this word Man-Tamer. In the history of India, men were usually working and frequently and socially interacting with each other  in the society.  For obtaining and striving for the power and resources for the self and the family, any evil mind and behavior arose which is like the situation of today in the world. Furthermore, in the beginning, there were only the men leaving the family to practice the truth of life and therefore to become monks.  The Buddha Shakyamuni taught the men the knowledge and wisdom of Buddhism  and reform the men to be good persons. That is why I use the word Man-Tamer as the translation to represent one of the ten titles about Buddha.  

Therefore, to extend and expand the meaning of Man-Tamer, it can represent the Buddha who taught the living beings the knowledge and wisdom of Buddhism  and reform the living beings to be good.

Why is it called Man-Tamer?

In the Buddhist Scripture--The Scripture of the Ten Titles Said by Buddha,, the Buddha explained what the Man-Tamer  meant:

Why is it called Man-Tamer? The Buddha said. Buddha was a great man. And it could harmonize and rule the two sorts of good and evil things. The evil one made the three karmas of not good arise. And doing all the evil thus depraved oneself into the hells, hungry ghosts and brutes therefore gained the evil retribution. A good person practiced all good deeds in body, mouth and mind. Obtain blessings fruition from human and heaven. All good and evil were done by the mind. The Buddha used the law of nirvana of the good of the first meaning. It demonstrated the harmonizing and ruling to make beings leave the contaminated and filth and thus gained the supreme silent and eliminated Nirvana. Therefore, it was called Man-Tamer.

The story and meaning of the Man-Tamer.

In another Buddhist Scripture – Miscellaneous Agama Sutra, there was a paragraph which referred to  the story and meaning of the Man-Tamer. I translated it from Chinese into English as follows: 

 

This is what I heard:

At one time, the Buddha lived in the Kalanda Bamboo Garden in the city of Rajagaha.

At that time, a horse-training master named Zhishi came to the Buddha's place. He bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, stood back and sat down, faced and said to the Buddha, "World Honored One! I see that the world is very mean and low, like a flock of sheep. World Honored One, I am the only one who can train horses." If an evil horse is running wild, I will use the convenient way to make it easy for it to show signs of disease. I will tame it in the convenient way according to its signs of disease."

The Buddha asked the village-leader of horse-trainer: "How many methods  of convenience do you use to tame the horses?"

The horse master said to the Buddha: "There are three ways to tame an evil horse. What are the three? One is gentle, the second is vulgar, and the third is gentle and vulgar."

The Buddha told the village-leader: "You have used the three methods of convenience to tame the horse, but if you still cannot tame it, what should you do?

The horse-training master said to the Buddha: "Anyone who cannot be tamed should be killed. Why? Don't let it  humiliate me." The horse-training master said to the Buddha: "The World Honored One is the supreme Man-Tamer. How many methods of convenience can you use to tame the man ?"

The Buddha told the village-leader: "I also use three methods of convenience to tame the man. What are the three? One is always gentle, the second is always vulgar, and the third is gentle and vulgar."

The Buddha told the village-leader : "What so-called always gentleness is as the following said: 'This is the good deeds of the body and this is the reward of the good deeds of the body; this is the good deeds of the mouth and mind and this is the reward of the good deeds of the mouth and mind. Such is called the heaven, is called the human, is called the transformation-birth of good-going, and is called the nirvana. This is the gentleness.” 

"What so-called vulgarness is as the following said: "This is the evil deeds of the body and this is the retribution of the evil deeds of the body; this is the evil deeds of the mouth and mind and this is the retribution of the evil deeds of the mouth and mind. Such is called the hell, such is called the animal, such is called the hungry ghost, such is called the evil-going, and such is called falling into the evil-going. It is called the Tathagata’s vulgar teachings.”

"What so-called gentleness and vulgarness means that the Tathagata sometimes talks about the good deeds of the body, sometimes the reward of the good deeds of the body, sometimes the good deeds of the mouth and mind, sometimes the reward of good deeds of the mouth and mind; sometimes the bad deeds of the body, sometimes the retribution of bad deeds of the body, and sometimes the bad deeds of the mouth and mind, and sometimes the retribution of bad deeds of the mouth and mind. Such is called the heaven, such is called the human, such is called the good-going and such is called the nirvana. Such is called the hell,  such is called the animal and  the hungry ghost, such is called the evil-going, such is called falling into the evil-going. Such is called  the Tathagata’s teaching of gentleness and vulgarness”

The horse-training master said to the Buddha: "World Honored One! If you use the three methods of convenience to tame sentient beings, and some of them are not tamed, what should you do?"

The Buddha told the village-leader: "I should also kill them. Why? Don't let them humiliate me."

The horse-training master said to the Buddha: "If you kill a living being, it will be considered impure in the law of World Honored One. In the law of World Honored One, there is no killing of living beings. Now, it talked about the killing. What is the meaning of killing?"

The Buddha told the village-leader: "So! So! In the Law of Tathagata, killing is impure. And in the Law of Tathagata, there is no killing. However, in the Law of Tathagata, those who are not tamed by the three teachings will no longer be spoken, taught, or admonished. Village-leader! What does it mean?  In the Law of Tathagata, if Tathagata no longer speaks to, teaches, or admonishes these people, isn't that death?"

The horse-training master said to the Buddha: "Indeed, World Honored One! Tathagata no longer speaks to them, and never teaches or admonishes them. This is really death. World Honored One, for this reason, I will abstain from all evil and unwholesome deeds from now on."

The Buddha told the village-leader : "Good, as what you said!"

At that time, after hearing what the Buddha said, the master of the horse-training - Zhishi - was delighted, followed and complied with the joy, and left with all due respects by bowing his head at the Buddha's feet.

There are four sufferings in human beings. That is the sufferings of birth, aging, disease and death.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

  

Buddha Shakyamuni had mentioned that there are four sufferings in human beings. That is the sufferings of birth, aging, disease and death. In other words, human beings are fall into the cycling of birth and death in the Six Paths and are suffering within the cycle.

 

The Six Paths is classified as followings:

The Path of Bodhisattva

The Path of Ashura

The Path of Human beings

The Path of hungry Ghost

The Path of animal

The Path of hell

 

So, we are in the Path of human beings. And whatever who you are, how rich and how smart you are, we couldn't deny that we have to experience the sufferings of birth, aging, disease and death, not to mention those persons who are poor or sick. A wise doctor has said what is packed in the coffin is dead people, not elder people. To suffer the death is not the patent of the elder people. It is possible for humans of all ages to suffer a disease or death, including the infant. 

 

The generalized meaning of the suffering of birth includes the suffering of life. In the opinion of Buddha Shakyamuni, human beings make a lot of sins because of the surviving and the suffering of life, and also because of no-wisdom. For surviving, the human beings has no-wisdom and generate the heart of greedy, hatred and stupid infatuation, and thus to incur a lot of harm and disaster to oneself and others. That is suffering, too. 

The “ghost” of ego-arrogance is always in the body and most of people could not self-perceive that they might bully others because of their ego-arrogance.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

In the world, most people is proud of their intelligent, abundant or professional knowledge which make their career smooth, make a lot of money, so they feel good in their life and have strong self-confidence. However, how many of them have found the “ghost” of ego-arrogance in their body and how many of them could self-perceive that they might bully others because of the ego-arrogance? 

 

We might have ever read an article about the unbalance of power. Such unbalanced power might be existed in family, school, company, group, society, or the country. No matter the unbalanced power exist in any places, where is exited the ego-arrogance. Do we have ever self-perceived that the ego-arrogance is harmful to us, to our family, and our society, even to our country? No, few people have such perception. The conscious of most people are concealed by the self-advantage from the self and the others.

 

Most people are following the outside success and obsessed with personal worldly achievement. So the heart is always flowing and tries to take hold in the competition with others. In the process, we have never thought that such mind and behavior would increase the ego-arrogance and make us have disease, such as depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, insomnia, cardiovascular diseases, even to cancer.    

Chapter 27: Without attachment gains the Dao.

(Chapter 27) 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 27: Without attachment gains the Dao.

The Buddha said,” Those who put the Dao into the practice are such as the wood floats on the water, flows along the river, doesn't touch the two side of the river, doesn't be taken away by people, would not be covered by ghosts and gods, would not be stopped by turbulence and nor being corrupt, I guarantee that this wood is decided to enter the sea. People who learn the Dao are not confused by the emotion and desire, are not disturbed by many viciousness, and refine the progress and practice the no-doing, I guarantee such person to gain the Dao certainly.

The meaning of Dao

“Dao” is transliterated from Chinese character, which original meaning is the road, the way and the path. Then, the meaning is extended to be the truth of our internal and external world, or any teaching or theory of truth. In Buddhism, it means the truth of our internal and external world, which means emptiness and stillness. In such state, there is no-doing, no-thinking, no-cause, no-condition, no-wishes, no-desire, no-demanding, no-suffering, no-happiness, no-greed, no-hatred, no-obsession, no-obtaining, no-losing, no-fame, no-power, no-generating, no-eliminating, no-phenomenon and no-fear. Such state and such truth is not created or found by anyone, but is understood and experienced by the individual's enlightening. The emptiness does not need to be created. When any cause and condition is not existed, the emptiness has been naturally existed there. That is, such state and such truth is not created by God or by Buddha, but is realized by the individual's understanding and inspiring. No matter who you are, no matter your race is, no matter where you are, no matter what your faith is, such truth is there, and which can be seen, understood and realized by you. That is what the Buddha hopes us to know. 

  

When the Buddha explained what the Dao is, which have the deep and the shallow meaning respectively. That is because everyone’s character and its understanding level are different. Therefore, we should know that we should not be bind by the single explanation about the Dao.

In the history of world and China, there are a lot of teachings and theories which talk about the Dao. But, I have to tell you that there is a lot of artificial ideology containing the individual worldly intention. Some of them are even the distorted and reversed opinions and values. Unfortunately, it is to be regarded as the truth and be taken to repress the human beings. We also can find that there are a lot of evil ideologies and theories purposely bewitching and fanning humans, and such evils are the causes to make the binary opposition of humans and to make the world not peaceful at all. Such Dao is not the Dao of Buddhism. When we really understand the Buddha’s teaching about the Dao, we can absolutely get rid of any evil and stupid ideologies and theories.

In Buddhism, the meaning of Dao is very broad and unlimited. When we have one concept about Dao said by Buddha, such concept might be destroyed by Buddha in the next time when we are taught by Buddha. Why? That is because any concept about Dao will make us insist in and addict in it and thus to make us be bind and restricted. Our mind will thus become un-free. Even we strongly insist in the right thing and the good will as we think, the Buddha will advise us to let it go. Then, some people might have strongly question and disagree with it. They said, if we do not strongly insist in the right thing and the good will, do you want us to insist in the mean thing and the evil will? Of course, not. Whether it is the right thing or the mean thing, and whether it is the good will or the evil will, we should not addict in it. That is because any right thing or mean thing, and any good will or evil will, will be easy to be explained and propagated with distorted and reversed way by the evil person. Meanwhile, it is also easy to be operated by humans who are scheming and have selfish intentions to reach their selfish purpose.

Even though we have such concept of not to addict in any right and wrong, it does not mean that we do not need to distinguish the good and evil. And it also does not mean that we do anything without principle of virtue. It is still necessary for us to understand and distinguish the good and evil. Not to addict in right and wrong does not affect us to understand and distinguish the good and evil and it is also not to affect us to do anything with virtue. We have to know it.

Walk in the middle of the road--middle way

When we do not addict in any good things and any evil things, we can thus neutrally review anything. It is the open-minded and the objective attitude. It is as if we walk on the road. We neither keep to the left nor to the right. We just walk in the middle of the road. It is called the middle-way or the middle-Dao. When we walk in the middle way, we get rid of any fight, opposition, and argument between the right and left. Meanwhile, we can avoid any purposely operation from any evil and selfish intention.

For example, some people operate the racism or the nationalism so as to stir the hatred emotion of humans and the opposition to each other so as to achieve their selfish purpose. If we thus dance and sing with them, we are really stupid.

The nature of human beings is the emptiness and stillness. It is all the same for all human beings. No matter what your race and nation is, and no matter what your color of skin or eyes is, such truth cannot be changed and it is the everlasting. What can be changed is the appearance of humans, their language and ideology, and which are impermanent. When we know it, we understand that it is nonsense to operate any racism or nationalism. In the eyes of Buddha, all human beings are equal. Do you know all human beings to be equal in where? All human beings are equal in the self-nature of emptiness and stillness. It is the peaceful mind. Any despising and opposition to the human beings is operated by and is coming from the ignorant of humans. The consciousness that manipulates human hatred is the ignorance of the ignorant. It is tragic that many humans are died and hurt in such ignorance. 

Listening, Thinking, and Practicing

How do we put the Dao into the practice? The first, we hear what the Dao is from Buddha’s teaching. After having the concept about the Dao in Buddhism, we think about the connotation of Dao, and what the meaning is for us. We even can question it whether such Dao is the reasonable or not, or whether it is good for us or not, and why we want to accept and practice it. The last, when we think such Dao is correct and will not bring us into the wrong direction in life and we can accept it, but it has not yet being put into realizing, we thus put it into the practice in our life so as to prove whether it is the truth or not, and how it will be realized by us in life. Therefore, there are such three procedures which are respectively hearing, thinking and practicing the Dao. Meanwhile, there are also another three methods which are respectively to keep the precepts, to practice the meditation, and to inspire our wisdom, which are the focus points in practicing the Dao. All these procedures and methods are for the purpose to make us peaceful and stable in mind and to generate our wisdom in life. 

When we have such concept and experience as said above, it is not enough for us to practice the Dao. It has to keep long-lasting and perceiving the self inner and outer world so as to review self thought, motive and action whether it is sincere and pure or not. What has mentioned above is just the basic effort. All the methods are flexible and can be applied in convenient way.

All the Dharma, the Buddha-law, is the method to prove the truth by self.

What the Buddha’s teaching is to advise us the truth and how to prove it. All the Dharma, the Buddha-law, is the method to prove the truth by self. The first cause, the first thought, the first decision and any incurred effect is dependent on the individual, not by others person. The Buddha never said that if you don't follow my teaching, what kind of evil and consequence you will get. The Buddha never uses such logic and tone to threaten and control humans. In other word, the Buddha never uses the authority to threaten and control humans. In fact, all Buddha’s teaching is on the basic point of equality, empathy, and compassion. There is no unequal authority relationship between the Buddha and sentient beings. The Buddha just wants us to know what kind of truth he can prove, such truth also can be proved by all sentient beings. In other word, he wants us to know that he can prove the Dao and become the Buddha. Such things can also be done by all sentient beings. Meanwhile, he teaches us how to prove it. That is all Buddha-law.

Each thought is one cause.

There are a lot of different ways to practice the Dao according to the individual’s level of understanding the Dao. For instance, to recite any name of any Buddha or Bodhisattva at each moment and at each day is the basic way to practice the Dao for the beginner. But, do you know why the beginner has to do that?

Recently, the researcher of Queen’s university has the answer that everyone has 6,200 thoughts flashed through self mind each day. Excluding the time of deep sleep, countless thoughts flash through our minds all the time. Even in our dream, there are thoughts, too. Are all thoughts the good things to benefit the self and others? No. In fact, the most thoughts of the most people are bad things to harm the self and others. One thought after another is constantly changing like flowing water. These thoughts are inseparable from greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance and doubts.

The Buddha said that each thought is one cause. When a thought is implemented in the real life, it will combine the conditions and chances coming from outside around us, and then become the consequence. Mostly, we think that the good thought will result in the good consequence. But, the actual status may not be so. That is because that any condition and any chance coming from outside are the variable and unpredictable, which is difficult to be controlled by us. Furthermore, each thought of each person are colliding or mingling to each other, not to mention that countless thoughts of countless persons are colliding or mingling to each other at each moment.

As we have mentioned above, most of the thoughts are not necessarily to be good, most of them even to be evil. However, the evil persons do not think that their thoughts are evil. They even think that they are good persons and their thoughts will help humans. When our one thought is caught in the torrent of evil thoughts, we may not be able to be autonomous, and we will run away with this torrent of evil, towards the result of evil. That is to explain that each thought of everyone is easy to be affected by any thought coming from outside.

In addition, if we do not have the self-perceiving, self-reviewing, self-controlling, and self-cultivation, the evil thoughts inside of us are usually coming out easily and make us to do any evil things. We even do not know it is wrong and it will lead us into the evil consequence. For instance, many people do the wrong thing in the 1^st and 2^nd world war and it is not only to make them to suffer this evil bitterness, but also to make others to suffer the evil bitterness. It is all coming from the first evil thought. That's really a catastrophe for humans.

Once to dwell on one thought, it means a person is restricted by this thought. 

Most of our thoughts are flashed in mind secondly, which even to be the fantasy. Only few thoughts can be implemented by us in life. Some people even use their odd thoughts to torture themselves or to torture others. They even do not know it is the wrong thing.

In sum up, whatever humans’ thoughts are good or evil, most people will do anything through dwelling on their thoughts. Once to dwell on one thought, it means a person is restricted by this thought. Anyway, it forms the invisible closed and hindered situation and environment to us.    

The Buddha understands the reasons said above. He teaches us a convenient method to recite a name of Buddha or Bodhisattva. It can have a sound out of our mouth or keep a sound inside our mind. Usually, we keep a sound inside our mind so as not to disturb others. Therefore, when we practice this method to keep sound inside of mind, no one knows we are practicing it. This method is like to beat the mouse popped up on the game console with a mallet. When a thought is coming out from our mind, we recite a name of Buddha or Bodhisattva to inhibit any thought. That is also to use a positive thought to inhibit any negative thought so as to keep our thought in the right way.

No matter what we are doing, we practice it again and again, at each time, at each day. For instance, when we are walking, talking about gossip or sitting on the bus, we can use the time to practice it well. However, when we are reading or working, we focus on our business. At this moment, we temporally do not practice it. So, such practice is very flexible.

Can we use another thought that we can accept to inhibit our negative thought?

Then, we may have one question. Can we use another thought that we can accept to inhibit our negative thought? For example, can we recite the sentence “I love our country“ to instead of reciting a name of Buddha? We know that there are a lot of slogans such as patriotic slogans in the world. I have to say there is some kind of difference between them.

When I am a beginner and recite a name of Buddha, I have no such question. I even do not know the reasons as said above. One day, I met my professor who taught German Literature. We talked about reciting a name of Buddha. Then, he suddenly offered the similar question as said above. For a beginner, I only had vague concepts about it in that time. But now, it is different.

The Buddha or Bodhisattva is also beings with spirit. In Buddhism, its title is called Buddha or Bodhisattva which is also called “Fo” or “Pusa” in Chinese. But, in the outside of Buddhism, they may have the different title. For example, god or angel is also some kind of beings with spirit. Most of them may not have the concrete form and material appearance as human beings. But, they still have mind and conscious. They can communicate with us by mind to mind. Furthermore, they have “eyes” and “ears” to “see” and “hear” what we do and what we talk about. Each Buddha and each Bodhisattva has its own name. Their name is named according to their special merit, virtue or function. 

When we recite their name and title, it is as if we summon them. They can feel it. It is the telepathy. When each beings can be given the title “Buddha” or ”Bodhisattva” which is also called “Fo” or “Pusa” in Chinese, it means that it had ever to make wishes and vows to liberate itself and all beings from suffering, and it had practiced the Buddha’s teaching, proved the Dao and liberated itself from the suffering. At the same time, it is realizing its wishes and vows to save sentient beings and help them to liberate themselves from suffering with any convenient methods.

When we are reciting their name and title, we not only can suppress our evil thought, but also can feel their care, assistance and kindness. Only through keeping reciting the name and title for a long time, we can feel and understand it by such single-minded practicing. Meanwhile, we can realize it in life. We can gradually experience and realize what is no-thinking by such way. When we complete such practice, realize the no-thinking and always keep the positive thought, we can then let the said method go and use it freely. Any slogan or patriotic slogan are not beings, and do not have spirit. Its function and effect could not be like as said above.

To recite the name of the Bodhisattva, it is best to have the verbal inheritance and teaching face-to-face from a teacher who has completed the practice as mentioned. Under his guidance, we can better use this method and feel the energy and compassion of the Buddha. Or, you can follow this blog and read the introduction of any Buddhist Scripture and the said Buddha or Bodhisattva, to understand their background, good wishes, grand vows, great merit, unlimited virtue and benefiting function. If it is acceptable for you, you can practice it by self. If you have any question, you can leave message.

It is the best, convenient and basic method to practice and experience the procedure from the thought into without thought. We have a lot of thoughts each day and we never stop and rest to think and experience what it is in the status of without thought. In the process, we can feel our conscious and thoughts from strong to weak, from many into few, and gradually to be disappeared. Once we can stably experience such status of without thought, we can experience, realize and extend any status of none, such as no-doing. Furthermore, we can alert and perceive our any thought whether it is good or not good. Then, we may have further question, what is its meaning for us? What can it bring us any benefit?

Any thought may be what our problem is, if such thought is negative and not good at all.

Our any thought is stirred and affected by any changing situation from our external and internal world. And we further do anything according to such thought and affection. Meanwhile, there will be companied with self worries and troubles at the same time when we have any thought. Therefore, any thought may be what our problem is, if such thought is negative and not good at all. If we want to eradicate such problem, to control and train our mind to be stable and good is the best way. Keeping in the status of no-thinking does not mean that we really do not have any mind. We can generate any positive and good thought on this basis in any time, so as to benefit the self and others. That is because that we have controlled and trained our mind not to be affected by any situation from internal and external world. Meanwhile, we can thus independently and freely think about anything. That is the positive meaning for this method.

So, when we are touching the status of no-thinking, it does not mean that we have to dwell on it or addict in it forever. Some ignorant persons does not understand what the profoundly meaning of no-thinking and no-doing is, they therefore arbitrarily think that those people will be decadent persons. Even some ignorant Buddhist monk or nun, they want to practice the no-thought and no-doing, they then dwell on or addict in no-thought and no-doing, to become a vegan, and recite the name of the Bodhisattva so as to escape the worldly worries and troubles until they died. They even do not care what happened in the world and do not read the worldly news. In fact, they become the self-closed minded persons. However, they think that they are putting the Dao said by Buddha into the practice and hope to rebirth in the pure land of Buddha.

When I am young, I can not understand why they do so. Now I have some kind of understanding for that. It is the effect from the result of dictatorships and wars in the past. In many authoritarian regimes, there is no freedom of speech. Many monks and nuns use this way of keeping away from the world to protect themselves, while retaining Buddhism. Therefore, the public mistakenly believe that Buddhism is a decadent religion. That is also why the Buddhism can not spread broadly and be understood and accepted by the masses.  

Whatever stubbornly addicting in with thought or in without thought, it may be paranoid.

In the past, there is also a lot of argument about the Buddhist concepts of with doing or without doing, existence or without existence, with phenomenon or without phenomenon, and so on. Therefore, whatever stubbornly addicting in with thought or in without thought, it may be paranoid. So, the Buddha offered the concept of middle way. That is to say not to stubbornly addict in any side of with anything or without anything. So, what we are doing or thinking will be more free, flexible and creatable. 

For example, for the beginner, the Buddha will tell you that there is the good and evil, and advise you to do the good thing, not to do the evil thing, and tell you that to do good thing will be blessed by Buddha, and to do evil thing will be punished by the gods. It is not a bad thing for the beginner, and he happily accepts such Buddha's education and practices it in daily life. When the Buddha has found that this learner addicts in doing the good thing for a long time, the Buddha will advise him one day that there is no good and no evil. This learner is shocked immediately. How could it be possible for this learner to accept the concept that there is no good and no evil? If he can not accept it, it means that his learning will be stopped and without the progress and any surmounting from the current learning phase.

This learner thinks about what the Buddha has taught and why the Buddha has said that. Because he has the good virtue and believes in what the Buddha has taught, finally he seems to be enlightened something in his mind. Then, he gradually abandons his addiction about doing the good thing and let his mind dwell on the concept of no good and no evil. His mind and body are gradually free. But, he gradually addicts in the no-doing and begin to question the meaning of life. One day, the Buddha tells him that there is no such concept of no good and no evil. This learner is seriously shocked again. Owing to this learner has gradually been the profoundly practitioner, he deeply believes in what the Buddha has taught and profoundly thinks about the meaning as taught.  According to his good virtue and good wisdom, he is inspired not to addict in the no-doing. Then, he finally understands what the Buddha has taught. That is we should neither addict in doing the good thing nor addict in doing nothing. We should do anything and think anything by the Middle-Way. That is also means that we should not stubbornly addict in any concept whatever it is. Why?

There is no concept in the status of emptiness and stillness. All concepts are formed by cause, condition and consequence or event and phenomenon. Eradicating anything, where we can find the concept? Even the concept of good or evil, emptiness and stillness, we should let it go and not addict in them.  

The Buddha said,” Those who put the Dao into the practice are such as the wood floats on the water, flows along the river, doesn't touch the two side of the river, doesn't be taken away by people, would not be covered by ghosts and gods, would not be stopped by turbulence and nor being corrupt, I guarantee that this wood is decided to enter the sea.”

“Doesn't touch the two side of the river” The wood flows in the middle of the river without touching the two banks, which is the middle way we mentioned above and which means not to addict in any side of the binary opposition, such as right and wrong, good and evil, with and without, existence and no-existence, and so on.

“Doesn't be taken away by people” means not to be threatened, kidnapped, restricted and affected by the words and actions of people who are not justice or have the un-pure intention.

“Would not be covered by ghosts and gods” The cover here means hinder. Some ghosts and gods are not good beings. They would harm humans and hinder humans to be good persons. They even can use humans to do evil things or to revenge. Some people are un-luckily. Once whose minds are controlled by the ghosts and gods, and if there is no positive thought and attitude, it is easy to be used by ghosts and gods to do evil things, and these people cannot extricate themselves from such bad fate. Therefore, to stably keep positive thought and attitude in life is very important for us.

“Would not be stopped by turbulence” It means we will not stop learning Buddha or Buddhism when we meet the chaos or frustration in life. When a wood floating on the river and meet the turbulence, it will spin around or stay at the same place and can not progress forward. It is as if we learn Buddha and put the Dao into the practice, we should not spin around or stay at the same phase, when we meet trouble or frustration in life. We should go forward so that we can enter the large view and the broaden wisdom.

“Nor being corrupt”, the Chinese saying,” Decayed wood cannot be carved”. Being corrupt means a person’s lazy and careless makes its talent cannot be created and achieved. Not being corrupt means we should be sincerely and diligent when practicing the Dao, should cherish self, respect self and make self mindful.

“I guarantee that this wood is decided to enter the sea.” Sea means the free, large, widen and grand wisdom. Meanwhile, there are a lot of things and treasures in the sea. It is also means it can be freely generated a lot of things and treasures from the wisdom. If those persons practice the Dao as the said, they absolutely gain the free and grand wisdom. It also means that they can gain a lot of things and treasures from the wisdom. 

The Buddha said,“People who learn the Dao are not confused by the emotion and desire, are not disturbed by many viciousness, and refine the progress and practice the no-doing, I guarantee such person to gain the Dao certainly.”

“Not confused by the emotion and desire”, any emotion and desire will stir and affect our peaceful mind to be chaos, make us confused and hesitate, and could not clearly see the fact. It would make us do the wrong decision and wrong thing, and thus to hurt self and others in mentally and in physically. Many worries, difficulties and troubles are coming from indulging our personal emotion and selfish desire. Therefore, to control the self emotion and desire so as to avoid any troubles in life is very important. How to control the self emotion and desire which we have mentioned a lot in the content of 42 chapters said by Buddha. There is a lot of Buddha’s education is to teach us how to control our emotion and desire.

“Not disturbed by many viciousness” means we should keep our thought steady in the right, justice and positive way so as not to be affected by many viciousness from external world. Viciousness means evil intention and evil things. There are many temptations in this world. These temptations can interfere with our body and mind and make us involuntarily. These temptations may even be traps set by others to frame us or use us. Some temptations are the structure of a joint crime. All of them come from various evil intentions. Other people's mind is unpredictable. We should be careful when we practice the Dao. And do not make self involve in any temptations.

“Refine the progress and practice the no-doing”, “Refine the progress” means we diligently practice the Dao and make us progress. “Practice the no-doing” means when we understand and experience the profoundly meaning of no-doing, we do any positive things to benefit self and others on the basis of no-doing.

“I guarantee such person to gain the Dao certainly”, if we practice the Dao according to what as mentioned above, the Buddha would guarantee us to gain the Dao certainly. This is the supreme and best blessing from Buddha for us.

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 1: Go out the family and prove the Dao-fruit

(Chapter 1) 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 1: Go out the family and prove the Dao-fruit

The Buddha said, “Those who farewell their family members, go out the family, recognize the heart, reach the root of inside, understand the law of no-doing, are called Sramana. Those who always go the 250 Precepts, are in the cleanness and purification while going and stopping, and do the practice of the Four-Noble-Truths Dao, become Arhats. Arhats are able to fly and change, have the lives of great eons, can dwell and move in the heaven and earth. The next is Anāgāmi. At the moment of death, their spirits ascend above the nineteenth heaven, where they prove the Arhats. The next is Sakridāgāmi, who gains the Arhat at once, after ascending to the heaven one time and return to the earth one time. The next is Srotāpanna, who proves Arhat, after seven deaths and seven being born. Cutting off the love and desire is like broken limbs which are unable to be used again.”

Sramana, Arhat, Anāgāmi, Sakridāgāmi and Srotāpanna are all Sanskrit. They are separately meant to the different degree related to practicing the Dao. Such names are all differentiated and given by people. To think of the different degree of the Doctor, Master and Bachelor, which names are also differentiated and given by people. I hope that such example would make you more understand that.

“Go out the family” which means that a man leaves his family to become a Buddhist monk. There are two kinds of going out of family. One is that the form of Buddhist monk seems to go out the family, but, his heart is still in the family. The other is that the form of Buddhist non-monk lives in the family, however, his heart is really going out the family, such is the true and going out the family. That is, no matter what the form is, that one’s heart has gone out from the family is truly going out the family.

Then, we might have questions. Why one’s heart wants to go out the family? Is there any meaning for? In the chapter twenty-three of this scripture, it is mentioned one of the reasons. The concept of this scripture is also suitable for women. That one’s heart goes out the family means to leave away the constraint, troubles and affliction occurred from the family, not to leave away the family members. The deep further meaning is to transform such constraint, troubles and affliction into wisdom to make us and others have a better life. 

In the ancient and modern time, when people would go out the family to become a monk or nun, they should have the permission from their parents first. That is for respecting the parents and thanking them to raise us. In the past time of China, it also must have the permission from the government and have to be registered in the government, which reason is to avoid the criminal person to evade the punishment from the law by the way of going out the family.  

“Recognize the heart, reach the root of inside, understand the law of no-doing” which means to recognize that there is no heart and no mind; all is occurred from our heart and mind. When we have the heart and mind, all is then occurred. When we remove our heart and mind, all is then eliminated. “All” means the phenomenon, situation, matter, object and things from our outside and inside. Some people who have heard the concept of no heart, no mind, and no conscious, are terrified, and unhappy to scold the Buddhism. Because in their thought and concept, how could it be possible that there is no heart, no mind and no conscious? They can’t understand it.

One day, Huike who was the second founder of Zen in China told the first founder Dharma,” Master, I feel that my heart doesn't be in peace. Please help me have my heart in peace.”

The first founder Dharma replied to him,” Give me your heart. I help you have the heart in peace.”

Huike thought for a while and then replied to the founder Dharma,” Master, I can’t find my heart.”

Then, the founder Dharma replied to him,” I have already helped you have your heart in peace.”

The root of inside is Emptiness. To reach the root of inside means to reach the Emptiness. The wondrous nature of inside is Emptiness. If we have such concept, we will understand the meaning of no-doing.

Most people who have heard the concept of no-doing in Buddhism are also terrified and unhappy, because they have a lot of negative thought and misunderstanding about it. Eventually, in some situation, no-doing is better than doing, do you have ever thought about that? No-doing is a state that is concern about the no-heart and Emptiness. In this state and moment, our physical and mental body will be in the state of peace, silence and health. That is Nirvana. The goal of practicing the Dao is Nirvana. It is not a short feeling. It should be a stable and continual state, which is the grand meditation. In such state, it will be the fundament, from which we can do and think in any positive ways so as to help and benefit us and others.

All of practicing the Dao aims to the state of Nirvana. There is a lot of different ways to practice the Dao. To recite or chant the name of Fo or Pusa, or to read the scripture of Buddhism, or to think of the meaning of the teaching of Buddha, and to seat to meditate, all of them are one of the ways. (Fo is Buddha; Pusa is Budhisattva. ) This part is to help and benefit ourselves. When our heart is clean, pure and peaceful, we thus have the strength to help and benefit others, which is the more deep learning.

“Recognize the heart, reach the root of inside, understand the law of no-doing” is the higher degree in practicing the Dao. The man who is in such state is called Sramana. Before aforesaid state, he might have ever done the following things.

“Those who always go the 250 Precepts, are in the state of cleanness and purification while going and stopping, and do the practice of the Four-Noble-Truths Dao, become Arhats.” It means that Buddhist monks have to obey the 250 Precepts. And no matter what they are going the good thing to benefit themselves and others, or stopping the evil things not to hurt themselves or others, they should be in the state of cleanness and purification in heart and mind.

We are not Buddhist monk, so we don’t have to obey the 250 Precepts. But, it inspires us. When we are doing the good things and are not doing the evil things, we should also keep the cleanness and purification in heart and mind. It means that we should remove the greedy, hatred, stupidity and infatuation, from heart and mind, because those things would defile our heart and mind, and let us have the negative thought. If those of them are removed, we will be in the brightness, have the peaceful mind, and the positive thought, to benefit us and others.      

“Do the practice of the Four-Noble-Truths Dao.” It means that putting the Dao of the four noble truths into the practice is one of the conditions to become Arhat. The four-noble truths are Suffering, Aggregating, Eliminating, and Dao, which are the causes and conditions to attain the Buddhahood. The Suffering is the cause. The Aggregating and Eliminating are the conditions. The Dao is the condition and result. “Dao” is transliterated from Chinese word. Its original meaning is path. And its meaning is extended to be practicing the truth.  

The first cause and condition to go into the path of Buddha is to perceive the suffering of our inside, such as any pain caused from our body, or any pressure caused from our life, or any mental illness caused from our greedy, hatred, stupidity and infatuation.

The second cause and condition to go into the path of Buddha is to perceive and find that the suffering of our inside is aggregated continually. Most people do not have such perceiving. Any suffering is easy to be forgotten by people. Once any suffering is remembered by them, what they have thought is that they are the persecuted person, all of their inside suffering is caused by others. So they want to revenge in order to eliminate their suffering. Such thought is violating the path of Buddha.

When we perceive and find the suffering of our inside is aggregated continually, we follow the path of Buddha to eliminate the suffering of our inside. It means that going into the path of Buddha is one way to eliminate our suffering of inside. Then, we might have questions, what is the path of Buddha? The definition of the path of Buddha is wide and endless. The point is in this Scripture. Secondly, the most point is in The Scripture of The Supreme-Wisdom Heart which you can find and read in my blog. It is difficult for the public to understand The Scripture of The Supreme-Wisdom Heart. In a word, the fundament of the path of Buddha is self-perceiving, self-control, self-liberating and self-discipline.

So, when we “walk” on the path of Buddha, it means that we put the truth or the Buddha-law taught by Buddha into the practice. We give it a name as “Dao” (or “Tao”).

“Arhats are able to fly and change, have the lives of great eons, can dwell and move in the heaven and earth.” It means the liberation and freedom about the personal life and action. It also means that the Arhat can decide its own length of life and can decide where to live, or where to be born, the heaven or the earth. Secondly, no matter where the Arhat goes or lives, the invisible guardians are always beside the Arhat to protect it, because the spirits and the ghosts in the heaven and earth would be moved by the virtue of Arhat and would vows to become the guardians to protect the Arhat. The Arhats include males and females. In some Scripture, the Bodhisatta is also called as Arhat, which owns immeasurable bliss due to the virtue of Arhat.

It is really beyond our knowledge and experience. But, it does not mean that such Arhat does not exist, because we cannot prove that such Arhat exists, and we also cannot prove that such Arhat does not exist. It is more like the personal transcendental-experience. When we become Arhat or when we meet Arhat, it is very personal transcendental-experience.

When one person has the aforesaid practicing experience, we give it a name as “Arhat”. “Arhat” is Sanskrit.  

“The next is Anāgāmi. At the moment of death, their spirits ascend above the nineteenth heaven, where they prove the Arhats.” It means that one person is at the moment of death, its spirit dwell in or above the nineteenth heaven and in where it proves the fruit of Arhat. Then, it is given a name as “Anāgāmi”, which is Sanskrit.

There are thirty-three heavens which are mentioned in Buddhism. They are more like the different dimensional-spaces, according to our understanding in the modern time.

“The next is Sakridāgāmi, who gains the Arhat at once, after ascending to the heaven one time and return to the earth one time.” It means that such person practices the Buddha-law and respectively reincarnates in heaven and earth one time. And then, it gains the fruit of Arhat. We give such person a name as” Sakridāgāmi”, which is Sanskrit.  

“The next is Srotāpanna, who proves Arhat, after seven deaths and seven being born.” It means that such person practices the Buddha-law and has to experience the reincarnation for seven times in heaven and earth. And then, it gains the fruit of Arhat. Such person is given a name as “Srotāpanna”, which is Sanskrit.

In Buddhism, there is such concept that there are immeasurable reincarnations for a spirit of one person, such as a spirit in a wheel, where includes the Six Paths, which are three belonging to good paths and three are belonging to evil paths. The three good paths are the paths of Bodhisattva, Ashura, and Human. The three evil paths are the paths of Ghost, Animal and Hell. That the spirit reincarnates in the Six Paths by turns is just like a wheel whirling continually, and never leaves the whirling wheel. Only when the spirit goes into the path of Buddha, there is the chance to leave the whirling wheel.   

    

“Cutting off the love and desire is like broken limbs which are unable to be used again.” The definition of the love and desire in here is narrower, which means that people romantically like someone or are sexually attracted. The love and desire would affect persons’ emotion and thought. Some people use their love and desire to control others. However, some people are thus controlled in mind. No matter which one, their heart and mind are not liberated and not free. Once their love and desire are not content, the irrational thought and behavior are thus occurred. No matter how they are, their heart and mind might be hurt. However, someone enjoys in such situation. The Buddha regards such persons as stupidity and infatuation, and such persons are thus in the state of no-brightness.

That cutting off the love and desire is like broken limbs means that one person should have the determination to practice the Dao. Do not let the love and desire become the obstacle in practicing the Dao.

But, the aforesaid is one of the Buddha-teachings. There is the deep and another Buddha-teaching. That is, it is not necessary to cut off the love and desire. Why? There are no love and desire fundamentally, when we completely comprehend the no-self and self-emptiness. Our love and desire are occurred and attracted from the outside situation. If we understand the Emptiness of outside and inside, where to find the love and desire to be cut off? But, such concept is hard to be understood by the Arhat, not to mention the ordinary people. It might be possible to be understood, when we make the deep meditation. If we do not have such wisdom, we are better to cut off the love and desire, when we have the determination to practice the Dao. In such situation, the love and desire is not real, because they are illusion. But, the ordinary people regard them as real.  

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.