All beginning teaching of Buddha is to reform and save ourselves.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

To reform ourselves so as to save ourselves is difficult, let alone to reform others people and to save them. All the beginning teaching of Buddha is to reform and save ourselves. Only to do so, we are capable to reform human beings and save them.  

Why we want to reform and save ourselves? Do you know? In the world, there is more than a half of human beings who do not have such concept and conscious, let alone to ask the question. They are suffering from the oppression of life and worry about the livelihood day and night. Such events have made their mental seriously disorder. However, even though this, they still don't have a thought to reform and save themselves.

What surprises me is that the mental doctor in hospital and the counselor in university also could not burden their own psychological stress and then suicide. Why they can’t solve their own mental problem? That is because that they don't understand the fundamental problem of birth and death and its methods of resolving in the teachings of Buddha.  It is only when we can realize our fundamental problem of birth and death and its methods of resolving in the teachings of Buddha, it is possible for us to release us from our own mental problem. No matter what kind of religions and ideologies that you believe, and what kind of research or work that you are doing, it is possible for you to realize it from the teachings of Buddha, if you will.  

The best helpfulness is to give those who ask for help the true wisdom.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

There are many ways to help people. But, do you have found that some people are zealous to help other people, however, it makes the zealous persons being tangled in the helped peoples’ problem. And then, such problem would birth new problem to the zealous persons. In other word, it is not only the problem of being helped people. It has become the problems of both of them.

 

In my practical experience, I have found that some people who ask for the help from outside are because they are lack of wisdom to deal with their personal mental problem. In other word, when they ask for people from outside to do things and help them, that is not the master problem. What the master problem is their disorder in mental activity. They are tangling and stocking in their negative emotion and thinking. And that affect their relationship with their family and the methods to handle things. They also have felt about their mental problem and attend the mind course. What have shocked me is that such course almost is no helpful for them. Their disorder in mental activity has still been there. Why? Because such course does not touch the core of the true wisdom.

 

So, if we are zealous to help people, we should not be blind. It is better for us to use our brain and wisdom so as to avoid that we fall into the tangled problem and trouble. The best helpfulness is to give those who ask for help the true wisdom. The second helpfulness is to give them knowledge. When they have wisdom and knowledge, they would be strong in heart and independent in life, and finally could find the way, including knowledge and specialty, to improve their problem, including the poverty.    

 

If we understand such method and have such ability to help people, we would not despise the un-learner.

An Enlightened Story — How To Realize The Zen Of Buddhism Easily

 

The Chinese original author: unknown

Translator-editor: Tao Qing Hsu (A Buddhist at home;Taiwan; Since AD 1971-- )

There is a little learner who always doesn’t realize the meaning of Zen. One day, there is an empty cup on the table before a Zen-master. The Zen-master asks his little learner to pour the tea into the cup for him. The little learner obeys the order and pours the tea.

 

Then, the cup is full of tea and the little learner stops pouring the tea. The Zen-master orders the little learner to keep pouring the tea. The little learner thus hesitates and says to the Zen-master, ”Master, the cup is full of tea. Should I keep pouring the tea? ”   

 

The Zen-master says to him, “There are two choices for you. One is to keep pouring the tea. The other is to empty the cup and keep pouring the tea.”  

 

Suddenly, the little learner seems to realize the meaning of emptiness. Think about it, if our hearts are filled with things, how can we be able to fill in new things? Only by emptying our hearts can we fill in new things, for example, new ideas.

Chapter 34: Being in the middle gains the Dao

(Chapter 34) 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 34: Being in the middle gains the Dao         

A Sramaṇa recited the Scripture of The Legacy of The Teachings Said by The Buddha Kasyapa at night. His voice was showed sad and tight. He felt remorseful and would like to retreat. The Buddha asked him and said,” What was your career when you were at home? He answered and said,” I like to play the stringed instrument.” The Buddha said,” What would happen when the string is loose?” He answered and said, ”Do not sound anymore.” The Buddha said,” What would happen when the string is tight? He answered and said,” The sound breaks and stops.“ The Buddha said,” What would happen if the string is in the middle between the loose and the tight?” He answered and said.” All sounds ring melodiously.” The Buddha said,” A Sramaṇa learning the Dao is as like these. If the heart is adjusted in a proper way, the Dao can be gained. If being irritable in the Dao, being irritable is the tired body. If being tired in the body, any nuisance would be occurred from any thought instantly. If any nuisance is occurred from any thought, the practicing would be retreated. Since the practicing is retreated, the sin would be added certainly. Once being clear, pure, peaceful and happy, the Dao won’t be lost.”

 

“A Sramaṇa recited the Scripture of The Legacy of The Teachings Said by The Buddha Kasyapa at night. His voice was showed sad and tight. He felt remorseful and would like to retreat.”

Buddha Kasyapa is the Buddha Shakyamuni’s teacher. In the time of Buddha Shakyamuni, there is no one who could become Buddha without the guidance of a teacher who has proved the Dao, realized the truth, achieved the Buddhahood, and become Buddha. Buddha Shakyamuni accepted the guiding and teaching of Buddha Kasyapa so as to be Buddha. When each Buddha would enter into the Nirvana and pass away, it would leave the final teachings to its disciples as wisdom property to enlighten its disciples. Such wisdom property can be named as the property of wisdom, the property of teaching, or the legacy of wisdom or the legacy of teaching.

At night, a Buddhist monk recited the Scripture of The Legacy of The Teachings Said by The Buddha Kasyapa. The voice of the Buddhist monk was showed sad and tight, which means his mood is in heavy and unhappily. In learning Buddhism, he felt repentant and would like to retreat, which may be the general feeling and situation for everyone who would experience such event in learning Buddhism.

 

Whatever we are Buddhist monk or not, we have to accept the strictly teaching of Buddha and actually practice it in daily life, if we have decided to learn Buddhism and have vowed to become Buddha. It is not only coming from the demanding by self, but also coming from the care and teaching by all Buddha and Bodhisattva. For the beginners, they have not yet understood the true meaning of Dao and cannot handle the good way to realize it. Meanwhile, their heart and mood in learning Buddhism have not yet been in stability.

 

In other word, their situation in learning Buddhism and practicing the Dao are as wood floating up and down in the river. That is, there are no firm will and belief in their heart. In such circumstance, once there are any frustrations in their mind, they would be regretful to join in the line in learning Buddha and shrink from learning Buddhism. Therefore, it is not only to hear, think, and practice the Buddhism, but also have to know how to use the good and proper way. The mostly importance is to have the firm will and belief to learn Buddha. In this chapter, the Buddha teach us how to use the good and proper way to learn Buddha, so that we can learn Buddha in the easily and happily way. Whatever we are learning, such way is good and proper to us to learn everything.   

 

The Buddha asked him and said,” What was your career when you were at home? He answered and said,” I like to play the stringed instrument.” The Buddha said,” What would happen when the string is loose?” He answered and said, ”Do not sound anymore.”

According to everyone’s intelligence, ability, or condition, a good teacher would give the learner good and proper teaching. There are a lot of stories in Buddhism which talked about how the Buddha or the Zen-Master teaches the different learner to enlighten their wisdom. You would find the stories in the articles in this blog.   

 

For this story, when the Buddhist monk had not yet left his family, his worldly profession was a player of stringed instrument. The Buddha taught him how to adjust his step to balance his life in learning Buddhism according to his worldly job. The Buddha asked him what would happen when the string is loose. The Buddhist monk answered that there was no longer sounding.

 

When the string is loose, it is as if we are not diligent in learning the Dao or anything. When we are lazy to learn anything, anything could not be gained by us and any achievement could not be reached, which is as if no sound anymore. 

 

The Buddha said,” What would happen when the string is tight? He answered and said,” The sound breaks and stops.“

When the string is tight, it is as if we are too anxiety and nervous in hard-working in learning the Dao or anything, and it thus makes us unable to digest and absorb the teaching of Buddha, which is as if the sound breaks and stops.

 

The Buddha said,” What would happen if the string is in the middle between the loose and the tight?” He answered and said.” All sounds ring melodiously.” The Buddha said,” A Sramaṇa learning the Dao is as like these.”

When the string is adjusted in the middle between the loose and the tight, it means that the tuning of the string is just right and it is as if we are in the correct situation and use the proper way in learning the Dao or anything. The Dao or anything can be gained by us in a proper way which is as if all sounds ring melodiously, and it is so perfect.

 

A Buddhist monk learning the Dao is as like these. No matter we are Buddhist monk or not, when we learn the Dao, we should keep our life in the status of non-slow and non-urgent. The Buddha also taught us that we should keep our mood in the status of non-sad and non-happy, and of non-joy and non-angry, which is to keep our mood in the status of peace and stability. In such status, our physical and mental will be in the health, and our thinking and judgment will be more correct.

 

Emotional fluctuations will not only affect our physical and mental health, but also affect our thinking and judgment. When people’s personality is in the status of the impatience, undisciplined or idleness, their physical and mental health are mostly not in the good situation, and their thinking and judgment are usually not in the good way. Therefore, it is better for us to keep our mind and step in life in a middle way.

 

If the heart is adjusted in a proper way, the Dao can be gained. If being irritable in the Dao, being irritable is the tired body. If being tired in the body, any nuisance would be occurred from any thought instantly.

 

“If the heart is adjusted in a proper way, the Dao can be gained.” which means that a Buddhist monk should keep mindful in the middle-Dao, and often keep the thought in the mindfulness, which means not stubbornly obsessing about the right of the Dao or the left of the Dao. No matter stubbornly obsessing about the emptiness or the existence, or stubbornly obsessing about the past, the present or the future, or stubbornly obsessing about the Theravada or the Mahayana, it is a status of partial opinion. If we are in the partial opinion, it is impossible for us to gain the Dao. Gaining the Dao means to realize the truth and to make the truth done in our daily life. Whatever we are Buddhist monk or not, to realize the truth is not the patent belonging to the Buddhist monk. Buddhist monk is just a kind of form and body. Whatever our appearance, body, gender or race is, everyone can realize the truth by self, according to the teaching of Buddha. 

 

“If being irritable in the Dao, being irritable is the tired body.” which means that, if we are irritable and impatient in learning the Dao, we will feel tired in the body. When we feel tired in the body, we easily appear the emotion of irritable and impatient in the process of Dao-learning. That is, the irritable and the impatience itself is the tired body.

 

For the beginners in learning the Dao, they have to follow the guidance of the Master, and to obey the precepts, and to do a lot of homework, such as reciting the scripture, repenting the wrongdoing by worshiping before the Buddha statue, and meditating. Meanwhile, they have to live in a disciplined way. And there are distributive work belonged to them for running the life of group in the temple. Such training is very strict in the monastery and is the basic to learn the Dao, because it is the basic method to train the mind and thought in the correct direction, meanwhile, to keep the body in a healthy way.     

 

If the beginners cannot endure the strict and simple life in the group, or they are urgent to reach the goal what they have set, they will feel irritable and impatient in the mental. Meanwhile, they will feel tired in the body.

 

“If being tired in the body, any nuisance would be occurred from any thought instantly.” which means that, if we are tired in the body, we are easily to have any negative thought and behavior accordingly, and to complaint everything, which can become any trouble and annoyance and thus to hinder the self-learning and break any self-achievement. Any nuisance is coming from the self-thought. Therefore, if we want to eliminate any nuisance, we have to train our thought in the positive way so as to keep our thought correct and positive. Any concept or event is coming from the emptiness. Similarly, any nuisance is also coming from the emptiness.

 

Therefore, we can find that we can keep our thought in the emptiness and we can decide what kind of concept or event to be occurred from our thought. Then, we might have some self-questions. Why we let any nuisance to be occurred from our thought? Why we let any nuisance to disturb our life? Why we let any nuisance to restrict our ability of creation? As a smart guy, we definitely decide not to let it happened. Such power of wisdom and of control is in the self. It is one of the reasons to keep learning the Dao for us. All the function of Buddha-law is to train our thought so as to keep it in a correct and positive situation, and thus to make us not to occur any nuisance. Then, we can do anything in a correct and positive way based on the emptiness.    

 

If any nuisance is occurred from any thought, the practicing would be retreated. Since the practicing is retreated, the sin would be added certainly. Once being clear, pure, peaceful and happy, the Dao won’t be lost.”

“If any nuisance is occurred from any thought, the practicing would be retreated.” which means that, any nuisance occurred from our thought would occupy our mind and thus become obstacle in our thought, behavior and action in daily life, we would give up the practicing in Dao accordingly. As we have mentioned above, when any nuisance is coming from our thought, our mind cannot be in the status of clearness and peace, and our thinking and judgment may be incorrect. Such event would be happened not only in learning the Dao, but also in learning anything. It is suitable for everyone to know such event, whatever what you are learning.

 

“Since the practicing is retreated, the sin would be added certainly.” which means that, if we give up the practicing in Dao, we would go astray, and our thought and behavior is deviating from the path of integrity. Any wrongdoing or sin would be added certainly and accordingly. In other words, the evil karma is increasing.

 

“Once being clear, pure, peaceful and happy, the Dao won’t be lost.” which means that, if we keep our heart in the status of clear, pure, peaceful and happy, we can gain the Dao. That is, the heart in such status itself is the Dao. It is so clear and simple. However, few people can prove it. Human beings in the embryo are in the status of clear and simple. However, they are born with desire in the world. Their heart is gradually polluted by the outside environment and conditions, and any weird and distorted concept and dogma are planted in their mind, which makes their heart no longer clear and simple. Any temptation and vice habits promote them to keep going the wrong way and doing the wrong.     

 

Even though any nuisance is coming from the self-thought, it is still demanding the catalyst coming from the outside conditions to trigger it to happen. The outside conditions are the changing of appearance of anything, which is fugacious and is like phantom. However, people regard it as reality and stubbornly obsess about it. The fact is that, there is nothing there. All is combined with causes and conditions so as to happen. When people could not clearly see the fact, any nuisance would be happened from the self-thought and mind. If people could not understand this truth, the more hard-working in learning Buddhism would be fake and vain.

 

Therefore, in fact, any nuisance is not existed originally and is appeared from the link of causes and conditions. However, for the beginners, they do not understand it and do a lot of hard-working to learn Buddhism, and thus to make self so tired, and to generate a lot of nuisance by self. There is a saying, “There is no event between heaven and earth originally, which people worry about it by themselves.”

 

This chapter is to teach the beginners and those who study the Buddhism diligently without balance in life, and to encourage them. In a word, for them, there is a lot of nuisance in their mind. But, how we eliminate any nuisance, if we are those persons? As the mentioned above, no matter what we are learning, it is important for us to keep the physical and mental in a status of balance, as if the string of stringed instrument, to keep it not too tight and not too loose, and to let it keep in a proper way is the best.

 

That is, we do the work when we need doing the work. We rest when we need to rest. We study anything when we need it. When we are learning the Dao, we are neither impatient nor idle, neither nervous nor disorderly. And our steps are neither urgent nor slow. We assure that our will and step are in the firm and stability. Then, our wisdom would be naturally and gradually enlightened. And we can achieve our goal and gain the Dao finally.

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 25: The fire of desires burns the body.

(Chapter 25) 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 25: The fire of desires burns the body.  

The Buddha said,” For the people, the love and desire are such as holding a burning torch to walk against the wind, and which absolutely has the trouble of burning your hands.” 

Humans are born by love and desire. The humans being produced by the artificial reproduction is also derived from the parents' love and desire. Love and desire is the root of human nature. Mostly, love and desire is related to the eroticism.

But, I hope that you know that love and desire is not just concerning about eroticism, because love and desire can be connected with the money, authority, social status, social reputation, social control and luxury life such as to have good cars, gorgeous clothes, delicious eating and luxurious living.

When we insight such root of human nature and what have been done, we can understand anyone’s motivation. Even though they use any upside-down and twisted reasons to fool the masses, it is impossible to fool us.  

The source of love and desire is mostly coming from the personal selfishness. It is very rare to come from the selfless love and desire. Selfishness and selflessness are coming from the same heart of one person. If this heart is enlightened, it can be selfless to face the all sentient beings. However, if this heart is unable to be enlightened, it becomes negative and selfish and what have been done is just want to take the advantage from the world.

Whether the heart of one person is selfish or not, it is not concerning about what and how a person has educated, but it is concerning about whether its heart is enlightened or not. Unfortunately, those who have the more education will have the more love and desire to grasp the resource of the world, and will not share the resource to all mankind, that is because their heart is not enlightened.

In the history of China, the corrupt officials always have the good background of education and the appointment through national examination. They collect a lot of gold, money and valuables. They also have many wives. They grasp the resource of the country and do not will to share it to the civilians.

Whenever the new emperor took office, he began to sweep away the corrupt officials of the previous emperor. The outcome of the corrupt officials is not only to go into jail or to be executed, but all property is also confiscated by the state. And this situation has been repeated again and again, China has not learned the lessons and reforms from history. Those who want to be official are because of their selfish love and desire so as they can collect the more gold, money and valuables for themselves and their families. Such situation is not just existed in China, but also existed in many countries in the world.

Such officials don’t have the selfless mind to share the resource of the country for the civilians and don’t have the kind mind to take care of them, let alone that they can respect them. Violence from the government to the civilians often occurs in this situation.

Unfortunately, selfish love and desire are not just exists in the officials, but also exists in the families. Many families have their own family business and property. Those who have the more selfish love and desire for the family business and property would have the intention to occupy the resource of the family. Disputes between brothers to fight for property often occur in such situation. Mental and physical violence also occur in this situation. Injuries and deaths can also occur.

Selfish love and desire is more coming from the eroticism. Why those people want to occupy the resource or to collect the money, gold and valuables? We can find that it is because they want to raise more wives or women who they love and desire, and their children. Moreover, it is also because they have obsessed with the authority, reputation and the luxury life.

Many people fall into this life situation and don't think there is anything wrong with this. They are even proud of this value. Unfortunately, they do not know what the moral wealth is. Wealth obtained in an immoral way is not real wealth. It will eventually turn into smoke and gone. However, the crime and mistake are recorded and will not be disappeared.

For people, eroticism is like walking with a burning torch against the wind, and there must be the worry of burning your hands. In eroticism, it is more concerning about the erotic desire and money. If the desire for the erotic and money is not contented, emotional disputes occur. People will lose their minds. Mental and physical violence also occur in this situation. Injuries and deaths cannot be avoided.

Therefore, we must be careful about any personal selfish love, desire and eroticism. The most important is to be cautious about the selfish love, desire and eroticism of the self so as to avoid any harm or any crime or mistake.

Of course, what we want to review is not others, but ourselves. Avoiding us as a slave to ourselves’ selfish love and desire can prevent us from becoming a slave to others’ selfish love and desire. It is very important. When we thoroughly understand this, our heart can therefore truly be enlightened and realize the truth, and transform selfish love and desire into selfless love and desire. Only in this way can we really benefit the world. We thus naturally can make merits and virtues, and gain moral wealth from it.

Chapter 12 ﹝18﹞: According to conditions to reform people so as to save them is difficult. (Upddated)

(Chapter 12 ﹝18﹞ ) 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 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 ﹝18﹞: According to conditions to reform people so as to save them is difficult. 

According to conditions to reform people so as to save them is difficult. It is the eighteenth difficulty in the twenty difficulties said by Buddha Shakyamuni in this Chapter.

All the beginning teaching of Buddha is to reform and to save ourselves.  

To reform ourselves so as to save ourselves is difficult, let alone to reform others people and save them. All the beginning teaching of Buddha is to reform and to save ourselves. Only to do so, we are capable to reform human beings and save them.   

Why we want to reform and save ourselves? Do you know? In the world, there is more than a half of human beings who do not have such concept and conscious, let alone to ask the question. They are suffering from the oppression of life and worry about the livelihood day and night. Such events have made their mental seriously disorder. However, even though this, they still don't have a thought to reform and save themselves.

What surprises me is that the mental doctor in hospital and the counselor in university also could not burden their own psychological stress and then suicide. Why they can’t solve their own mental problem?

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

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. 

  

"Board " means "save" in Buddhism. 

Let us image that there is a large river. The people live in the left shore are in the sufferings of birth, aging, disease and death. There are also a lot of people who fall into the river and struggling in the river and are also suffering the same. Meanwhile, the people live in the right shore have already liberated from the said sufferings.

There is a ship of wisdom on the river. The people on the ship of wisdom invite the people on the left shore to board the ship and take them into the right shore. In the river, they also put the rope and lifebuoy down to the people struggling in the river and help them board on the ship and also take them into the right shore. In Buddhism, such taking the ferry, such helping process, is called to reform and save others people. If we take the ferry by our own will and arrive the right shore, which is called self-reforming and self-saving. Such is the concept of imagining, describing and metaphor. It lets us easy to understand one of the meanings of Buddhism.

When we have completely reformed and saved ourselves, we then have the strength to reform and save others people.

How to reform and save ourselves? It depends on our own strength of wisdom, the Buddha-nature. That is what the Buddha Shakyamuni wanted to enlighten us and to teach us to know it. When we have completely reformed and saved ourselves, we then have the strength to reform and save others people. How to reform and save others people? It depends on our own strength of compassion and wisdom. In the methods of application, there are four methods said by Buddha Shakyamuni. That is as follows:

Give;

Express by love;

Benefiting action;

Work by together.

The above is called four assimilating-methods or four reforming-methods. To reform and save others people is not easy, because most of the human beings have the stubborn nature and the strong arrogance. When we have not yet been enlightened, we might be one of them and have no such self-awareness.

To practice the four assimilating-methods needs to follow the opportunity and conditions which are changed in the situation and environment, and also needs to follow the change of personal situation and the change of fate of the persons who are in the suffering. It is unable to force them, if we want to reform and save others people by the four reforming-methods. Furthermore, the four assimilating-methods should be based on our four immeasurable inner hearts of mercy, compassion, joy and abandon. 

 

All the teachings of the Buddha have one key point, which is to save all sentient beings and help them become Buddhas.

There is a very important principle that we should know. That is, to cope with the all changing under the unchanging, the Buddha-nature. When we practice the four assimilating-methods, we have to clearly aware our Buddha-nature, and not to be tied and turned by the outer situations or conditions. In other word, we are the master to hold the whole situation.

Some people think that the Buddhist are looked foolish and are easy to bully, or they mistakenly think that the Buddhist might be joyfully to help them. And they then ask the Buddhist to do a lot of things for them, including the things that they do not want to do, or the things that they even don’t use their mind to think how to do, because they think that the Buddhist might not reject their asking. Once facing such situation, we should use our wisdom and aware our Buddha-nature to think how to properly reject their unreasonable asking and how to help them actually.

All of the Buddha’s teaching has one key point that is to enlighten all sentient beings and help them achieve the Buddhahood. In other word, the Buddha’s teaching gives a direction for the sentient beings to learn wisdom so to resolve their own problem. Under the principle, the human beings should be independent to deal with their own problem with their own wisdom, not to dependent others people to resolve their own problem. This is what we should know when we practice the four assimilating-methods to reform and save people.

Let us introduce the four assimilating-methods shortly. That is as follows:

The first assimilating-methods -- Give

There are three kinds of giving. The first is to give the material things for human beings, such as foods, medical, clothes, shoes, houses, cars, money and so on. Such material things could maintain the basic livelihoods of human beings. Of course, it can be extend to give the technical of agriculture or medical, or to give our own time and strength to help people, such as to build a house or a bridge unconditionally. Only basic livelihoods are content, it is possible for them further to learn wisdom and to learn Buddha. Secondly, if people are fond of fortune, we could give them the material things so as to lead them into the wisdom of Buddhism. 

The second is to give human beings the Buddha-law (dharma), such as Buddha’s teaching. If people are fond of listening to the reasons and of thinking, we could give them the Buddha-law so as to lead them achieve the wisdom of Buddha. Furthermore, if we are capable to teach human beings the Buddhism and to teach Buddhism correctly, such merit-virtue is incredible and immeasurable, and is commend and appreciated by the beings of heaven and earth. Why? Because by Buddha’s teaching, it could enlighten the human beings, lead them in the path of light of wisdom, liberate human beings from the suffering in life and death, and finally help them achieve the Buddhahood.   

The third is to give human beings the fearlessness. That is, to help human beings avoid or get rid of any fear, such as in the classic drama, the hero saves the beauty when she is in danger. That is, the hero gives the beauty the fearlessness, and helps the beauty get rid of the frightened. If people are in danger or fear a lot in heart, or are timid, we could give them the fearlessness through the express by kindness so as to help them get rid of the fear.   

In Buddhism, the representative of the fearlessness-giver is Pusa world-sounds-perceiving, Avalokiteśvara. If you have not yet read the previous articles about Pusa world-sounds-perceiving and are interested in Avalokiteśvara, I recommend you to read the following articles: Pusa World-Sounds-Perceiving in Universally Door Chapter or The god of wisdom and benevolence to liberate human beings from suffering. It is one of the translated Buddhist-scripture and its explanation, which is done by me. 

The Second assimilating-methods -- Express by love

If we want to lead the people into the wisdom of Buddhism, we better to express by love, not by rough words. Express by love means to show a feeling, opinion or fact by compassion and kindness. Such express shows our care, is more acceptable by the people and would promote the harmony in the relationship in a group or of each other. When we express by love, don’t ignore the body language. Some body language would warm our heart, such as smile, embrace each other, gently pat the shoulder or gently wave your hand and say hello.

When people feel frustrated in career or feel sad when facing the death of a loved one, we properly express by love which would encourage them and let them feel comfort.

The third assimilating-methods -- Benefiting action

“Benefiting action” is meant to offer help or advantage for the acting of others or benefit the action of others, when we try to help people and lead them into the wisdom of the Buddha. For example, when a young man is goodness and is interested in learning Buddha but he doesn’t have a good career to earn money for maintaining his life, we could support him or offer him a good job so as to let him have a stable life and the capital to learn Buddha. Such act by benefiting is not only to support and benefit him to achieve the Buddhahood but also to support and benefit the all sentient beings to be good, including ourselves, because it is a good cycling of kindness. One day, when this young man has completely been enlightened and the wisdom of his Buddha-nature is also inspired, he would be capable to enlighten and support others and would also benefit the acting of others.

Secondly, giving the sentient beings the convenience or help is also the benefiting action, to benefit the acting of others.   

The fourth assimilating-methods -- Work by together

Work by together means that we go on the path as partner and by accompanying with each other so as toward the same goal and we do something together so as to attain the same purpose. What is the goal or the purpose? It is to reform and save ourselves so as to influence others through wisdom and mercy. By cooperating in the action or work, it is easy for us to know and communicate with each other. 

For the different people, we would offer the different Buddha-law so as to help them into the wisdom of Buddha-nature. There is a lot of convenient Buddha-law which could be applied to help people liberating from the suffering. The four assimilating-methods are one of them, and these are the good assistance.

So, the four assimilating-methods not only could be applied in Buddhism, but also could be applied in different realms, such as the non-profit organization, the group of the social or the international well-beings.

To profoundly learning Buddha, the four assimilating-methods should be practiced well by us. Through the four reforming-methods, it is not only to reform and save ourselves, but also to reform and save others.  

Chapter 12 ﹝1﹞: Giving something to others is difficult when people are in poor

(Chapter 12 ﹝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 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 ﹝1﹞: Giving something to others is difficult when people are in poor

Poverty in mental is the real poverty.

”Giving something to others is difficult when people are in poor.” In general speaking, what we have known about the poor is meant to the shortage in material matters in its life. That is also the meaning of the poor in this sentence.

But, we have little known about “poverty” in mental realm. If people are not poor in material matters, but “poor” in mental realm, they would be not willing to give what they have owned to others. I think that such persons are really the poor. Why? According to my observation from the history and the society, such persons would experience the material realm from good to bad; that is from rich to poor. In Buddhism, stinginess or mean in money in material or in mental realm is the bad reason for our current life and our future life, because it would really result in the poverty in material.

On the contrary, if people are poor in material matters, but are not “poor” in mental realm, it is possible for them to give something to others. I think that they are really the richer. Why? According to my observation, such persons would experience the material realm from bad to good; that is from poor to rich. In Buddhism, generousness in material or in mental realm is the good reason for our current life and our future life. And it would thus result in the wealth in material.

Therefore, those who are both “poor” in material matters and in mental realm, and those who are not poor in material matters, but “poor” in mental realm, are really the poor. That is what I define about the poor in here.     

In material and in mental, to be the recipient is not as good as to be the giver.

The recipient here is mean to those persons who are the poverty in material or in mental, and are happy to receive money or anything from others. Why to be the recipient is not as good as to be the giver? If you have choices, which one would you hope to be? Think about it.

Some people like to be the recipient and might think what they have from others is reasonable, even though they are not poor in the material life. In psychology, we found that the personality of such person is cline to have the ready-made and comfortable life, but not the upright and hard working life relying on self. If we profoundly observe them, we could find that they are not abounding in the mental life or even un-contented in the material life, and it is thus easy to make them have the anxiety and depression.

Only when we are rich in the mental and material life, and healthy in mental, it could be possible for us to be a generous giver. According to the research and my personal observation, the generous givers are more positive at ease in their life, and it thus makes them have a longevity life.    

Three kinds of giving in Buddhism

As we have mentioned in chapter 10, there are three kinds of giving in Buddhism. That is as follows:

A.     Giving money or belongings to others. Money or belongings could also be replaced by food, clothes, medicine, or to be the volunteer and so on.

B.     Giving Buddha-law to others. Buddha-law contains all of the law which is good for people, including the worldly and unworldly creation. In a word, it means giving the wisdom to others in any ways.

C.    Giving fearlessness to others, which includes helping people get rid of fear with our courage, saving them from the dangerous situation, and consoling them with soft words so to let them abandon the fear. Who is the fearlessness-giver (Who gives people the fearlessness)? Which you can make a reference in this article: A Brief Talk about Pusa World-Sounds-Perceiving in Universally Door Chapter

If people are the poor as defined, it is really hard for them to give any one of the three kinds of giving. On the contrary, if people are not the poor as defined, it would be more willing to give any one of the three kinds of giving to others unconditionally.

Once people are “poor” in mental realm, it would be possible to cause them to be the really poor person in material matters. There is the reason and the consequence for it as we have mentioned above. In a word, it is because of shortage of the virtue and wisdom.

The Profoundly Meaning of Giving

So, how to change the situation of poverty in present life and in the future life? The Key is to give something to others unconditionally. The said principle is easy to know, however, it is hard to do, especially, when we are in the stingy mind.

Someone might disagree to this idea. Most people think that to resolve the problem of personal poverty is to work and to earn money. However, we have ever heard that being busier in work would lead to be poorer. Why?

Giving something to others is the basic teaching in Buddhism and is also the basic learning. It is the first method in six kinds of salvation about how to self-saving and how to save others people to liberate from the suffering. I tell you why.

First, giving something to others unconditionally and with no-expecting and no-demanding, it could eliminate our selfish mind and the arrogant-ego. The selfishness is the imprisoned mind. It would cause the suffering in mind and any affliction in life. However, most people have no such self perceiving. When we have taken the first step as said giving, it could decrease our selfish mind and arrogant-ego little by little, and it is also meant to release our imprisoned mind.

Secondly, giving something to others unconditionally could eliminate our heart of desire and greedy. Selfish people desire more in heart and are greedy in anything. Generally, they demand more from others. However, they would not give something to others unconditionally. Once their desire and greedy are not contented, it would cause them to have the emotion of wrath and hatred in heart.

In this situation, they would bring the disaster and affliction to themselves and others. For example, as we know, the war could bring the more death and more poverty, the reason of war is because of the desire, greedy heart, selfish mind and arrogant-ego that the person who owns any power to start the war. Do you have ever heard who gain a lot of fortune because of the war? Only a few people, right? And sometimes, most of them are scolded by the public. That is because of the selfishness of people to cause the poverty of most people.

In the history, most of those who start the war are death in suicide in the end, due to that they could not bear the pain in life. Or they have been killed by those persons who are more selfish or have the more desire. All such persons are lack of wisdom.

Therefore, once we have taken the first step as said giving, it would also mean to remove our desire and greedy heart, and also mean to prevent any disaster and affliction. A good thought and a good deed would affect the world peace and bring the wealth of a society and a country.

Third, it could increase our wisdom. When we have removed our selfish mind, desire and greedy heart, our wisdom would be thus arisen at the same time. Once our wisdom is arisen, wealth and bliss are waiting there for us. Why? I tell you a secret. There is a saying, ”God help those who help themselves.” To increase our wisdom is to help ourselves. That is why God would help us. As we have mentioned in chapter 10, such wealth and bliss are never ended. That is also why I have said that giving something to others would let us have the wealth. The name “God” could be also replaced by “Buddha” or “Bodhisattva”.

A true story about being lack of wisdom to lead to the poverty

When we have the wisdom, we could thus avoid any cause to lead to the poverty. I tell you a true story in our society about being lack of wisdom to lead to the poverty.

As we know, a judge is paid very well in the work. There is a judge who has a lot of lust for women. Therefore, he has four wives and eight children, which is having two children with each wife. His children do not work and still depend on the economic support from their father, even his children have grown up. That is because his children are used to the ready-made and comfortable life and the huge living expense is offered by his father- the judge. His four wives also rely on the husband's financial support in huge living expense.

We question why he has so much money to raise his family-the four wives and eight children? For supporting so many family members in economic, the salary of the said judge is not enough to pay the living expenses. Then, he begins to do the dirty thing, taking bribes. And he does the corruption from his work.

Do you know? When he seems to be responsible to his wives and is a good father to his children, he really is not responsible to his job, the public and the country.

Finally, he is in jail, lost his work and his salary. Meanwhile, he has to give back his illegal gains to the government. In other word, he is from the rich to the poverty. That is because he is lack of wisdom. When a person is lack of wisdom, it is impossible for him to save himself to liberate from the suffering. That is, the shortage of wisdom would push him in the sea of suffering.

Giving is the first method in six kinds of salvation in Buddhism.

So, when we have the wisdom, we would have the ability to save us liberate from the suffering little by little. Once we have totally liberated from the suffering, we would have the ability to liberate others from the suffering. That is why giving something to others is the first method in six kinds of salvation in Buddhism. It is the one of the basis to go into the path of Buddha.  

Giving something to others also means to offer something to others. As we know, the problem about the unequal in poverty and wealth in the world is always existed. The 80% wealth of the world is owned by the 20% population of the world. In other word, more than half population in the world is in the poverty. In my opinions, that is because most people are lack of wisdom, let alone to be ignorant.

A lot of ideology is fooling people. But, it is valued as the knowledge in the academic. Only the human are improved in wisdom and remove the ignorance, the real equal wealth could be possible to be achieved.

To eliminate the poverty is not so difficult. The easy way is mentioned above. However, for the people who are suffering the poverty, how many of them would be willing to give something to others? Let alone to mention that they have the chance to read this article.

Giving something to others is more blessed than accepting something from others. Which one would you like to be? If we wish we are the person who has the ability to give something to others, we would then be more blessed and richer in life.

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.