Chapter 12 ﹝7﹞: Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult

(Chapter 12 ﹝7﹞ ) 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 ﹝7﹞: Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult

Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult. It is the seventh difficulty in the twenty difficulties said by Buddha Shakyamuni in this Chapter.

When we have seen the self-interest, it is hard to us not to pursue it, because we are always be told that the chance has been coming, never give it up, just pursue it bravely. We are so encouraged a lot. It is so positive. Isn’t it?

Buddha Shakyamuni seems so annoying and why he always wants to sing a different song to us?

The nature of greedy is one of the human nature. It is the root and cause of our affliction and problem. How to avoid any affliction and problem? Just give up the greedy mind. It is easy to know, however, it is hard to do.

When we have seen the high prize of the lottery, it is hard to us not to buy one, even though the chance of winning is very low. When we spend a lot of money to buy the lottery, or to enjoy the gambling, we have a big dream, a great hope in our own; it makes us happy. Once we lose the money again and again, we become poor and are in trouble; it makes us annoy and anger.

When we have seen the chance to assume the public office of high-paying, it is hard to us not to take it, even though we might be young and do not have good experience, and might be envied and rebuked by the public. 

There is a Chinese saying, ”When people are in the highest position, they cannot sustain the chill.” It means that people always desire to be in the highest position of higher status and greater power, because there is a lot of self-interest to gain; however, once they are in the highest position, all envy and attack might be coming to them, it is like the chill to let people feel lonely. Secondly, it is also means that people might fall down badly from the highest position, because the bad affect and damage coming from the dark and dirty of the officialdom. All this would bring the annoyance, affliction and problem to us.      

In the history, there are wise persons to give up the position of king or any higher office and to learn the wisdom in practice after accepting the teaching of Buddha.

There are also a lot of persons to learn the wisdom in practice after accepting the teaching of Buddha, even though they do not give up the position of king or any higher office. The most important is to control our own desires and to learn the wisdom in practice. In fact, it is not related to any position in career. It also not related to whether to buy the lottery or not.  

If we have understood about controlling our desire, and about giving up the greedy in heart, it is not difficult when seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it. 

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 9: Return to the root and understand the Dao

(Chapter 9) 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 9: Return to the root and understand the Dao 

The Buddha said,” Extensively hearing and liking the Dao, the Dao is certainly hard to be understood; obeying our own aspiration and keeping the Dao, such Dao is very grand.”

Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese character; its original meaning is path, road and way. Then, the meaning of Dao is extended more widely and its meaning has become more broadly with the change in time and space, such as talking, saying, method, law, doctrine, morality, skillfulness, capability, and the thought system of religion or education. The thought system of religion or education includes the aforesaid meanings.

In the history and in the time of war in China, the literati, the scholarship, intellectuals, and some of them in seclusion, they liked to study and talk about the Dao, and some of them would put what they have studied about the Dao into practice. Then, they concluded the concepts and created their own group, to teach their disciples. Such situation is also happened in ancient India, in the time of Buddha Siddhartha. In the modern time, especially in recently 300 year, there are also different concepts or dogmas being created.

A lot of concepts or dogmas are created from the ancient to the modern time. But, it doesn’t mean that the concepts itself are right or wrong. The problem is how it is applied properly by human and to benefit others. So, any concept or dogma is some kind of Dao. But, mostly, we think that Dao is lean to the positive concept which could benefit people and make people live a good life, including in the material and mental areas.

Any concept or doctrine itself has its own advantages and disadvantages. But, how do we delimit it? In any concept or doctrine, some advantage might be a disadvantage for others. And, some disadvantage being thought might be an advantage for others. That is, the advantage what you have thought or the doctrine is advantage to you might be the disadvantage to us.

There are more than one hundred theories, concepts, principles, dogmas or doctrine in ancient China, let alone in India, in European, or in other place. Those mentioned above are some kind of Dao. Even though a person who has the spirit of learning motivation and has learned a lot of knowledge, honestly, it is barely impossible for him to comprehend the all, let alone some concepts might be never heard or seen by people, such as this scripture. To have the knowledge of Dao is one thing; to put the knowledge of Dao into practice is another.

In the chapter 2, the Buddha had defined the Dao for their disciples. 

The Buddha said, “Those who go out of the family, become the Sramana, cut off the desire, remove the love, recognize the source of their own heart, reach the profound principle of the Buddha, realize the law of no-doing, have nothing being gained inside, have nothing being demanded outside, not to fasten the Dao in heart, nor to collect the karma, have no thoughts, have the no-doing, are non-practicing, are non-proving, not to experience the successive levels, but reach the own loftiest state of all, are called the Dao.”

Such Dao is also suitable for all people. But, it is hard to most people to understand, let alone to practice it. For most people, they think that such Dao is no useful for their life. But, if you could understand it deeply, you could find it is very useful for our life, even though we are not disciples of Buddha. If you are interested in the content of chapter 2 that I had explained, you can find here(Chapter 2)A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha.

“Extensively hearing and liking the Dao, the Dao is certainly hard to be understood. “ Here, the first Dao means a lot of doctrine. The second Dao means the Dao which is explained by Buddha. It also means that it would not help us specialize in the truth, if we extensively hear and like a lot of doctrine. But, I think that it would help us open our mind and increase our knowledge. And it also help us to judge and choice what kind of doctrine is suitable for us.

All the teachings of Buddha include the philosophy, psychology, ethics, medicine, sociology, economics, science, physics and politics. If we widely involved such knowledge, and we have the fundamental concept of Buddhism, we would find that. Of course, the Buddhism is not classified in those respectively academic. The Buddhism is not used for researching in any academic, but for researching to our inner heart and practicing it in our real life. Then, we would find that the truth is in our heart, not from any research of academic, and also not from any outside supreme Spirit. That is the truth that the Buddha wants us to know.       

When we are lack of knowledge and are thus ignorant, we are easy to be bounded by and attach to one doctrine, especially, those persons who are poor and are oppressed by the pressure of life. For them, the Dao explained by Buddha is almost useless.

In the history, unfortunately, there is always the people to use the doctrine what they think it is right, to use it as their faith, and use the military power or the other means to force others people to obey their doctrine. The more worse is that they constrain the other doctrine to be transmitted and oppress or kill the people who practice these doctrines.

From the history, we can find that the Buddhism in the beginning is accepted by those people who are more educated, own more knowledge, and are in the high status, such as the emperor, or the prime minister. Ordinary people barely have the chance to hear or read The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapter Said by Buddha, except for being a Buddhist monk or nun. Most people just know to pray the Buddha to bless them to have a good and peaceful life. But, they do not know, to have a good and peaceful life is based on what they do in compassion and wisdom, and in knowledge. That is why the Buddhism was ever regarded as blind faith. Fortunately, those noble persons protect the Buddhism.

So, the Buddha said,” Extensively hearing and liking the Dao, the Dao is certainly hard to be understood.” In a word, it means that we could understand the truth, only when we profoundly realize the Dao and put it into practice intently.

The Buddha said,” Obeying our own aspiration and keeping the Dao, such Dao is very grand.” Even though these words are said to disciples of Buddha, it is also good for us. We might be curious about what the aspiration for the disciples of Buddha is, and why Buddha had said that.  

In the deep contemplation under the Bodhi tree, The Buddha had perceived that there are three kinds of sentient beings about their root of wisdom. He had classified them as higher root, intermediate root and lower root in wisdom. Why is it called the root of wisdom? The root of wisdom could bear the fruits of Buddha. And he also had used the container as a metaphor to describe how the degree is that the sentient beings could accept the teaching of Buddha, and how the degree is that they could achieve the goal. He also had classified it as large container, middle container and small container.

If people are compared and described as the large container, it means such people could accept the deep doctrine said by Buddha. On the contrary, if people are compared and described as the small container, it means such people could not accept the deep doctrine, and could only accept the simplistic doctrine.

So, we connect the word ”root” and “container” to be “root-container”. We can explain it as that the container could storage the root; the large container could hold the large root; the small container could only hold the small root of wisdom. The Buddha then had classified sentient beings as large root-container, which means it has the large wisdom; middle root-container, which means that it has the intermediate wisdom; and small root-container, which means it only has the little wisdom.

No matter the wisdom is large or little, it is unrelated to the academic experience, social status, age, IQ, and illiteracy. So, it is very important to give up the prejudice and the restriction coming from any concept. 

Those who are in poor have no chance to accept the teaching of Buddha. do you know how many they are in the world? They are more than half of the world's population. So, if you have ever read The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha, you are really lucky and blissful. Why? First, you might be in the wealth so you can use the smartphone or computer to read this chapter. Second, you might be healthful so you have the energy to read this chapter. Third, you have time and brain to study this chapter. Be positive thinking is always good for life.   

Now, we return back to the question what the aspiration for the disciples of Buddha is. Do you know how many disciples there are? According to the records in the history, there are 2500 disciples to follow the Buddha. As we have mentioned above, the disciples of Buddha are classified as large root-container, middle root-container, and small root-container.

So, according to the difference of root-container, what the Buddha had taught to them is also different. There is a saying,” Teaching in accordance with the aptitude of student”. The teaching of Buddha is very enlightened, that is Q&A, and there is a lot of “why” or "by what the cause and condition is" coming from the inquiry of disciples. If you have ever read any scripture in Buddhism, you would find it.

Of course, according to the difference of the root-container, there is about the deep question or the shallow question, so their aspirations are different. Then, what is the difference of their aspirations?

Those who are small root-container could little understand what the Buddha had taught, but, at least, could be carefully not to make any mistakes, just ask for not go to the hell, and wish that after dying, it is better to have the chance to go to the heaven or the pure land created by Buddha Amitabha. In there, they still have the chance to accept the teaching of Buddha and to learn the Buddha.

Those who are middle root-container could not realize the real Dao said by Buddha, could be enlightened a bit, and put it into practice in life at times, but, not completely. They also obey the precepts and further do the good thing, to save sentient beings to liberate from suffering. They also could teach and explain what the Buddha had taught, but, just according to the words to explain the meaning, not from their real practice and also not from their personal enlightenment. Even though this, they have wished to become Buddha in future life and to go to the pure land created by Buddha after their dying.

Those who are large root-container could realize the real Dao said by Buddha, could be enlightened, and put it into practice in real life. They could teach and explain what the Buddha had taught based on their real practice and their personal enlightenment. What they taught is very alive, and not be bounded to the words. Furthermore, it is very possible for them to attain the Buddhahood, to become Buddha, in the present life. They would create the pure land in heart by themselves. Where to go after their dying? Just be there.    

These three kinds of persons have one common basis, that is, their minds have been inspired by Buddha and they thus have wished to attain the Buddhahood, to become Buddha, in the future. This is the first and very important aspiration which has been obeyed. On the basis, they could learn the Buddha and accept what the Buddha had taught, and thus to keep the Dao. Keeping the Dao to become Buddha is their final goal. Why it is very grand? The all Buddha-law is completely understood and achieved, and the all virtue is solemn, after becoming Buddha. That is why such Dao is very grand for them.

Then, we might have a question. What is the Buddha-law? In generally speaking, the Buddha-law includes the all, the positive thing and the negative thing, and whether it is positive or negative which are judged by the human subjective consciousness. But, in the concept of Buddha-law, the delimited things sometimes might be broken, because the fact might be not what we have seen and what we have thought.

Furthermore, if we can properly apply the Buddha-law with our wisdom in our life, it could make our life alive and live well. But, if we could not apply the Buddha-law properly, we might “die” in the Buddha-law, which means no elasticity and no creation in our life.   

So, we have understood that, whether such Dao is very grand or not, is not concerned about others, also not concerned about you and me, but concerned about the person who has wished to attain the Buddhahood, to become Buddha.

As mentioned before, Buddha is a substantive noun given by people. It means a state of Emptiness and Non-Emptiness, which include the peace, the wisdom, compassion, and the soul of kindness.

Chapter 8: Saliva and dust defile oneself

( Chapter 8 ) 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 8: Saliva and dust defile oneself 

The Buddha said,” The vicious person harms the virtuous person, such as spitting the saliva toward the sky, the saliva doesn’t reach the sky, but falls to oneself; to scatter the dust in inversing wind, the dust doesn’t reach the other place, but being brought back to oneself. The virtue doesn’t be destroyed. The disaster absolutely ruins oneself.”  

This chapter is echoing to the chapter 6 and the chapter 7. We could find that if someone wants to humiliate others on purpose, it might spit the saliva toward the counterpart’s face, or toward the ground with the mind of contempt. Mostly, such person is self-arrogant and opinioned. But now, if people want to humiliate others, they use words or pictures on the internet. Such network bullying, it can be classified as mental violence to others. In the history, there always is the real violence, if the evil will of bullying people could not be contented, they use violence to compel others to obey their evil will.     

There is a saying.” Good horse is always ridden by people; good person is always bullied.” Some of the ignorant people think that the Buddha-learner is looked foolishly, and think that the Buddha-learner could not use the violence to kill people or to revenge; so, the evil person unscrupulously bully the Buddha-learner. Usually, the Buddha-learners would refrain themselves, endure the violence, and pity those evil persons, because the Buddha-learners obey the teaching of Buddha and put the Ten Virtues into practice.  

There is a highlight concept in Buddhism. That is, any person has to bear its own consequence of any retribution to themselves due to what they have done the evil thing. So, they have to bear the disasters coming from the nature or from the other persons.

The Buddha-learner, including the Buddhist monk or nun, would not revenge to the evil person, because it is well known that the evil person naturally deserve its own retribution. From the chapter 6, 7 and this chapter, you could find such concept.

Without hatred and revenge, it is one of the practices in learning Buddha. To have the mind of hatred is no light. It would let us do the stupid thing. On the contrary, to abolish the mind of hatred is light. It would give us the wisdom.  

Those who could have the opportunity to read these words said by Buddha are lucky and blissful. Now you have the wisdom. And the wisdom is the immeasurable treasure.   

The Buddha said,” The vicious person harms the virtuous person, such as spitting the saliva toward the sky, the saliva doesn’t reach the sky, but falls to oneself; to scatter the dust in inversing wind, the dust doesn’t reach the other place, but being brought back to oneself. The virtue doesn’t be destroyed. The disaster absolutely ruins oneself.” In a word, it means that to harm others is to harm ourselves; to humiliate others is to humiliate ourselves; to bully others is to bully ourselves; to rebuke others is to rebuke ourselves. It is easy to understand it.   

Chapter 6: Endure the evil without hatred

(Chapter 6) 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 6: Endure the evil without hatred

The Buddha said,” When the evil person heard the good deeds and came to disturb you purposely, you should refrain by yourself and have no hatred and blame. He came to do the evils, yet do the evils by oneself to itself.”  

Spoiling people to do the good thing seems rarely being happened in our society in the modern time, because the information in internet is developed well and there are no conflicts of interest in those strangers. Mostly, we praise and support people who are doing the good thing.

However, when there are conflicts of interest in a group, such as a group of religion, those who are greedy for the fame, power and interest, that is, who have the more heart of selfishness, might purposely attack the person of good will, or spoil any good thing which will be done by the good person.

So, to understand the history of Buddhism and to image the situation in the time of Buddha Sakyamuni, we would realize why the Buddha Sakyamuni had said that. What he had said and taught is exactly what he had real experienced.

I tell a story about the history in a brief. The Buddha Sakyamuni had a cousin, whose name was Devadatta. He followed the Buddha Sakyamuni to be a Buddhist monk, a disciple of Buddha Sakyamuni. After the practice in Buddhism for many years, Devadatta had some achievements in the realm, and planed to replace the Buddha Sakyamuni to be a leader of the group. Then, he began to argue with the Buddha Sakyamuni. He always had the different opinions in the group. And finally, he brought some of the disciples to form another group.

Devadatta envied and hatred the Buddha Sakyamuni, and planed to harm him. There is one time, on the higher mountain, Devadatta and his disciples pushed a big stone, let the stone roll down the mountain, and would plan to kill the Buddha Sakyamuni, when the Buddha Sakyamuni walked on the road with his disciples and passed by there. Fortunately, only the feet of Buddha Sakyamuni is hurt.

Even though Devadatta planed to harm the Buddha Sakyamuni for many times, and went into the hell after his death of drowning, the Buddha Sakyamuni still granted Devadatta that he could attain the Buddhahood after his suffering in the hell through his many lives in many eons. Devadatta went into the hell, because he spoiled the harmony of the group of monk and would kill the Buddha.

From the aforesaid story, we know that Devadatta is the person who spoils the good thing which has done by the Buddha Sakyamuni. Does the Buddha Sakyamuni be angry with him? No. He doesn't. Does the Buddha Sakyamuni have the thought of revenge to Devadatta? No. He doesn't.

Remember the verse said by Buddha:

Even if through the hundred eons,

The evil karma does not be disappeared.

When the cause is met by the condition,

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

That is why the Buddha said,” He came to do the evils, yet do the evils by oneself to itself.”

The heart and mind of Buddha Sakyamuni is wide and unlimited. In the scripture of Buddhism, the Buddha Sakyamuni had said that he would save the Devadatta to liberate from the suffering and help him to attain the Buddhahood, when the retribution to Devadatta had been ended from the hell, and Devadatta was reborn to be human and the human of heaven.

We know that it is not worth for us to be angry, blame, or revenge to the person who has done the evil thing. If we do so, it is really waste our vigor. So, that is why we should refrain by ourselves when the evil person to spoil the good thing which has done by us.  

From the above mentioned, we realize the wisdom and compassion of Buddha Sakyamuni, and that is why it is worth for us to learn Buddha. The wisdom and compassion is really the immeasurable treasures.