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 12: List the
difficulties and exhort to practice
The Buddha said,” There are
twenty difficulties for people. Giving something to others is difficult when
people are in poor. Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge
wealth and are the nobility. It is hard to the people when they must die
because their lives have to be abandoned. Being able to see the scripture
of Buddha is difficult. Being born in the time of Buddha is difficult. Enduring
the erotic and desire is difficult. Seeing the self-interest and not to
pursue it is difficult. No resentment when being humiliated is
difficult. When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people is difficult. When contact with things and no heart is difficult. Learning
widely and researching extensively are difficult. Removing the
ego-arrogance is difficult. Not
to despise the un-learner is difficult. Practicing the equality in heart is difficult. Not saying
its right or wrong is difficult. Meeting the good-knowledge person is difficult.
Seeing the Nature and learning the Dao are difficult. According to conditions to reform people so as to save them is difficult. Seeing the circumstance and unmoved in heart
are difficult. Good at understanding the convenience is difficult.
Chapter 12 ﹝14﹞ : Practicing the equality in heart is difficult.
Practicing the
equality in heart is difficult. It is the fourteenth difficulty in the twenty
difficulties said by Buddha Shakyamuni in this Chapter.
Each one is equal to becoming Buddha someday in future.
It is really
difficult for human beings to put the equality into the practice in heart. The
inequality has existed since the ancient time. Unfortunately, most of the
authority purposely rationalizes the inequality, and most of the ignorant civic
have been washed the brain and accept the inequality. Even today, the
inequality is still existed in everywhere, including the family, the society
and the country.
Buddha Shakyamuni
is the people before 2500 years ago. The background of his culture is deeply
affected by the India. As we know, there is the caste system in India since
ancient time. The caste system is an unfair social system. Even today, it is
still existed in the society of India. Buddha Shakyamuni had perceived the
inequality of caste system in his time.
In that time, the
disciples question whether the slaver, the poor, the woman, and the criminal
could become Buddha or not, Buddha Shakyamuni explains and teaches the
disciples that all living beings have Buddha-nature. They and any one can
become Buddha after completely bearing the retribution of their evil karma in
future, present and past accumulated lives. In other word, each one is equal to
becoming Buddha someday in future. But, regarding the process, the experience,
the time, whether is the blessing or the retribution, which is depending on the
personal’s causes and conditions. Such situation and phenomenon is some kind of
changing and it would confuse us and let us have the feeling of inequality and
injustice.
Buddha Shakyamuni
offers the concept of equality. Such equality is basing on the Buddha-nature.
And it is not concerned about what your appearance is, what your color of eyes
and skin is, what your gender is, what you have done, where you are born, and
what your belief is.
It also not cares
about what your race is, what your education is, what your social status is and
what your wealth is. That is why the concept of equality in Buddhism is the
true equality.
The equality and justice of Confucian thought is not the true equality and justice. In fact, it is only some kind of equality and justice under some kind of conditions.
In the culture of
ancient China, it emphasizes on Confucius thought. Confucius is the people in 2500 years ago. Confucian thought affect the government of
history Chinese dynasties. It also affects the government of Korea, Japan,
Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand in history. In the history, the authority of male
likes to use Confucian thought to stress its legitimacy in governing. However,
the concept of equality and justice is standing on the angle of thought of
male, not female.
Confucian thought
is really despising female. Unfortunately, even today, there is the authority
of male who are positive to promote the Confucian thought and regard the
Confucian thought as a representative of Chinese culture. As a woman, in my
opinion, I do not think it is an honorable thing. The women of the history are
pressed and bullied because of the Confucian thought. Unfortunately, it is
still affecting the eastern woman in the modern time.
In other word, the
equality and justice of Confucian thought is not the true equality and justice.
In fact, it is only some kind of equality and justice under some kind of
conditions. That is, it must be correspond to the concept or thought of male,
and thus there is the equality and justice. Do you have found such concept or
thought is existed everywhere on earth?
For those who are vested interests, they do not have such feeling of the injustice and inequality.
The concept of
freedom, equality and human right is occurred in 17 century. The definition of
the concept of freedom, equality and human right is more progressive and
open-minded in modern time. And it is amended following the change of time.
However, it is still the limited freedom, equality and human right under some
kind of conditions. Most of women are still despised or bullied in the family,
society and workplace, even to be ignored by the government.
For the young man and the elder, they also have more feeling about that they are despised or ignored in the society. The problems of the elder being abused and children being abused, or the women being abused are mostly happened in the closed-minded family or the society, or the country.
For those who are vested interests, they do not have such feeling of the injustice and inequality. Only for those who are deprived of human power, right and interests, they would strongly have the feeling of the injustice and inequality.
Evil karma would not repay to others people, but would repay to his own “life”, his “life” in the hell or in the future.
No matter a man did any evil things, all of his outer power, wealth, women and authority could not be with him when he has died. What would be with him after his dying is his evil karma, which is action and behavior what he has done the evil. Such evil karma would be recorded in his conscious of spirit, as if being recorded on the software of his own, which is with his spirit.
Such evil karma would not repay to others people, but would repay to his own “life”, his “life” in the hell or in the future. What is the life in the hell? Do you ever have a nightmare? The nightmare is so real and would make us scared, appeared cold sweat, even to feel seriously pain. The life in the hell is like a nightmare which tortures the evil person every moment.
Some people deny the outer Spirit, deny any god or God. They think that there is no Spirit in the world. So they dare to do the evil things because they think that it is impossible to have any Spirit to punish them. But, how could it be possible for them to deny their own spirit? All the punishment or retribution is coming from their own spirit. Unfortunately, they do not have such concept and knowledge.
Most of the good persons could not fight for their right, because their brains are washed to be ignorant by ridiculous ideology.
The tangible and
invisible class system is still existed in the family, workplace, society and
country. Under the circumstance, how could it be possible for the people to
feel the freedom and equality in heart?
In the history and
in the modern time, some evil persons occupy the political resource. They steal
the financial of country and bully the good person. Even though this, they
still live well, have longevity and have many wealth. Most of the good persons
could not fight for their right, because their brains are washed to be ignorant
by ridiculous ideology. They are even to be died by ridiculous reasons. In
other word, the inequality has still been there.
Even
though the outer situation and phenomenon might make us feel unhappy and
unbalanced in heart, the concept of Buddha’s teaching offers us another choice
to let our heart in peace and to feel balanced and equal.
The inequality and equality are existed in the body of Emptiness at the same time.
The
concept of Buddha’s teaching tells us that the equality is in the body of
Emptiness. All of the inequality is occurred by the inner and outer causes and
conditions. Such causes and conditions might be very complicated, or might be
very simple, which is depending on how we look at it. Once the causes and
conditions are returning to be disappeared, or to be nothing, or to be void,
the inequality would not be existed. That is, all things return to the
Emptiness. Nothing is existed, including the inequality. Then, that is the true
equality.
The
inequality and equality are existed in the body of Emptiness at the same time.
The inequality is the change of situation and phenomenon, which is impermanent.
The equality in the body of Emptiness is true permanent, because it is not the
change of combining or disappearing of any causes and conditions. It is
difficult for the ordinary people to put such concept of equality into practice,
because most of them are stubborn in the inner complicated thought and are entangling
in the outer complicated conditions, situation and phenomenon.
If we
understand the above mentioned, and thoroughly get rid of the stubborn in inner
thought, and of the entangling in the outer conditions, ridiculous ideology,
situation and phenomenon, it is not difficult for us in our heart to put the
true equality into practice.
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.
