An Enlightened Story – The Sincere Reminder from the God of Lotus Pool (Part 1)

The source of this story: The Commentary of Great Wisdom Rescue / The Author: Bodhisattva Dragon-Tree (South Indian; 2nd century AD)

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

 

There is a Bhikkhu who moves and takes a walk complying with the practice of scripture along the poolside of lotus in the forest. He smells the aroma of lotus, feels joyful, and likes it very much. The lotus-pool spirit tells him,” Why you abandon the seat with clean Zen under the forest but steal the aroma of my lotus? All of the annoyance is arisen because of attaching the aroma.”

 

Then, the Bhikkhu sees a man who goes into the pool of lotus, picks a lot of lotuses, and leaves the pool of lotus after trampling and ruining it. The lotus-pool spirit keeps silence without talking.  

 

The Bhikkhu says to the spirit of lotus pool,” This person has spoiled your pool of lotus and takes your flowers. You do not say anything. I just walk along the poolside and you scold me that I steal your aroma.”

 

The lotus-pool spirit says,” A worldly evil person is often in the dirty droppings of sin. He is always without clean and without brain. I do not talk with him. You are a good person with the practice of Zen. However, you have broken your good behavior because of obsessing the aroma. That is why I scold you. Such as a black-dirty thing on a clean-white cloth, people would see it and try to clean it. An evil person is such as black ink sprinkled on black clothes, which cannot be seen by people, and who would care and ask about this person?”

The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters said by Buddha (Chapters 22~ 42；Total in 42 Chapters )

  

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.)

 

 

 

Chapter 22: Money and erotic incur the affliction
The Buddha said,” That money and erotic for people can not be abandoned are such as honey on the blade of one knife which is not enough to be the perfect of one meal; when a child licks them, it would cause the trouble of cutting tongue. ”  

 

 

 

Chapter 23: Wife is more than a prison

The Buddha said, ”People are tied by wife and house, which is more than a prison. There is a date of the release for the jail. There is no thought of departure from the wife. Emotion and love about the erotic, how would they scare to offer the services? Even though the worry about the mouth of tiger exists, the heart is willing to be conquered. Throwing self into the mud and drowning self, that is why those people are called ordinary people. Those who can see through such door are the out-of-dust Arhat.

 

 

 

Chapter 24: The erotic and desire hinder the Dao   

The Buddha said,” Love and desire is not more than erotic. The erotic as a desire is so large and there is no beyond it in the external. Fortunately, there is only such one. If there were the second one as the same, the people in the universal world would be incapable of acting the Dao.”   

 

 

 

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 hands.”  

 

 

 

Chapter 26: The heaven demon disturbs the Buddha.     

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

 

 

 

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.”

 

 

 

Chapter 28: A thought is as a horse, don’t indulge it.      

The Buddha said,” Don’t trust your thought. Your thought is un-trusty. Be cautious not to meet the erotic. Meeting the erotic would incur the disasters instantly. Having gained the Arhathood, you thus can trust your thought.     

 

 

 

Chapter 29: Right perception can resist the erotic.        

The Buddha said,” Be cautious not look at the women nor speak with them, if speaking with them, the heart and thought should be right: I am śramaṇa, being in the turbid world, should be as a lotus, not contaminated by the mud. Think those elderly as mother; those older than me as elder sister; those younger than me as younger sister and those children as daughter. Have the heart for saving and liberating them, and eliminate my own vicious thought. "  

”          

 

 

 

Chapter 30: Depart far away from the desire-fire       

The Buddha said,” Those who act the Dao are such as putting on the dried grass, must avoid it, when the fire comes. When the Daoist people see the desire, they must depart far away from it.”

 

 

 

Chapter 31: To silence in heart removes the desire.       

The Buddha said,” There is someone who is suffering from fornications and can't stop, and wants to cut off his penis by himself.” The Buddha told him, “If you cut off your penis, it would be better to cut off your heart. The heart is like Gong Cao. If Gong Cao stops, the followers will halt. If the evil heart could not stop, what are the benefits to cut off the penis?” The Buddha said the verse to him:” The desire is happened from your consciousness. Your consciousness is occurred from your thought. If the two hearts are silent separately, there is no the erotic nor the action.” The Buddha said,” This verse is spoken by the Buddha Kāśyapa.”        

 

 

 

Chapter 32: The ego-emptiness eliminates the fear. 

The Buddha said,” People follow the desire of love and thus to occur the worry and follow the worry so as to occur the fear. If they leave the desire of love, what would be worried and what would be feared?” 

 

 

 

Chapter 33: The wisdom-brightness destroys the demon.

The Buddha said,” Those who put the Dao into practice are as one person fights with the ten thousand persons. When he puts on the armor and goes out of the door, his will may be weak, he may retreat in the halfway, he may die because of fighting, or he may return because of gaining the win. The Sramaṇa who learns the Dao, should insist its heart to keep improving, and should be brave and elite, should not fear the front situation, and should destroy many demons, and thus gains the fruit of Dao.”        

 

 

 

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. But being clear, pure, peaceful and happy, the Dao won’t be lost.”   

 

 

 

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

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

 

 

 

Chapter 36: Floundering gains the victory.          

The Buddha said,” After people depart from the Evil Path, it is difficult for them to become the human beings. Since they have become the human beings, it is difficult for them to remove the female body but to be the male body. Since they have become the male body, it is difficult for them to completely have the Six Roots. Since they completely have the Six Roots, it is difficult for them to be born in the central part of a country. Since they have been born in the central part of a country, it is difficult for them to encounter the world of Buddha. Since they have encountered the world of Buddha, it is difficult for them to encounter the Dao. Since they have encountered the Dao, it is difficult for them to raise the confidence. Since they have raised the confidence, it is difficult for them to initiate the Bodhi-heart. Since they have initiated the Bodhi-heart, it is difficult for them to be no-practicing and no-proving.

 

 

 

Chapter 37: Thinking of the precepts approaches the Dao.          

The Buddha said,” The disciples of Buddha are thousands of miles away from me, those who keep my precepts in mind and think of them surely gain the fruit of Dao. Those who are around me, although they can see me often, if they do not obey my precepts, do not gain the Dao finally."

 

 

 

Chapter 38: Arising is to have the eliminating.  (Happening is eliminating. When there is happening, there is eliminating.  )         

The Buddha asked the Sramana,” How long is the span between the human life? ” The Sramana answered and said,” It is between several days.” The Buddha said,” You have not yet known the Dao.” Then, The Buddha asked another Sramana again: ” How long is the span between the human life?” The Sramana answered and said,” It is between meals.” The Buddha said,” You have not yet known the Dao.” Then, The Buddha asked another Sramana again: ” How long is the span between the human life?” The Sramana answered and said,” It is between breathing.” The Buddha said,” Good! You have known the Dao.” 

 

 

 

Chapter 39: There is no difference in the teaching.            

The Buddha said,” Those who learn the path of Buddha should believe and obey what the Buddha has spoken. Such as eating the honey, both of the middle and the side are sweet; my scripture is as the same.”

 

 

 

Chapter 40: Practicing the Dao into heart.             

The Buddha said,” The Sramana practices the Dao, who is not like the grinding cow; although the body practices the Dao, the Dao of heart doesn’t be practiced. If the Dao of heart is practiced, why should it be necessary to practice the Dao?” 

 

 

 

Chapter 41: The honest heart leaves the desire.               

The Buddha said,” Those who practice the Dao are such as a cattle loads heavy objects. When it walks in the deep mud, it is too tired to dare to look around; when it is out of the mud, it is then able to be rest. The Sramana should perceive that the emotion and desire are more than the mud. With the honest heart to think of the Dao, it could avoid the suffering.”      

 

 

 

Chapter 42: Recognize the worldliness as illusion

The Buddha said,” I view the position of a king and princes as that dust passes through a gap, gold-jade treasures as rubbles, white-delicate clothes as broken-old silk, large-thousand worlds as a myrobalan, Anuttana-pool water as applying foot oil, convenient gate as transforming the treasures gathering, the supreme-boarding as the gold-handkerchief in dream, the path of Buddha as the flowers in front of the eyes, the meditation as Sumeru pillar, the Nirvana as the day-night awakening, the reverse and positive as the six-dragons dance, the equality as one truth-land, the thriving and teaching as the four-seasons wood.    

Maybe you are interested.

The sutra of forty-two chapters said by Buddha in Chinese and English (Chapters 22~ 42；Total in 42 Chapters )

The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters said by Buddha (Chapters 1~ 21；Total in 42 Chapters )

 

The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters said by Buddha

(Chapters 1~ 21；Total in 42 Chapters )

 

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.)

 

 

Prologue

The World-Honored One, having attained Buddhahood, made such meditation, that leaving away from the desire, to be in the state of silence, are the best victory. Dwelling in the grand meditation, conquering all paths of demons, the Buddha whirled the Law-Wheel of the Four Noble Truths in the Deer-Wild Garden, and saved Ajñāta Kaundinya and so five persons who had thus proved the fruit of Dao. There were also various questions said by Bhikkhu who inquired the Buddha about the go-ahead and stopping. The teaching and admonition by the World-Honored One let them enlighten one by one. Putting palms of hands together, they respectfully promised to thus comply with the World-Honored One’s admonition.

  

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

The Buddha said, “Those who farewell their family members, go out of 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.”

 

Chapter 2: Cutting off the desire and no demanding

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.”

 

 

Chapter 3: Cut off the love and remove the greed

The Buddha said, “Those who shave their hair and beard to become the Sramana and accept the Dao-law should renounce worldly possessions, be content to beg for alms, and take only what is needed. Eat one meal before noon a day, pass the night beneath trees, and be cautious not to desire more, for love and desire are what makes people foolish and concealing.”

 

 

Chapter 4: Understand the goodness and evil at the same time

The Buddha said, “For sentient beings, there are ten things as goodness and ten things as evil. What are the ten things? Three pertain to the body, four to the mouth, and three to the mind. Killing, stealing, and evil sex pertain to the body. Two tongues, malicious speech, lie, and frivolous speech pertain to the mouth. Envy, hatred, and infatuation pertain to the mind. Such ten things are named as ten evil deeds when not following the holy path. If such evils are stopped, they are named as ten virtuous deeds.”

 

 

Chapter 5: Correct the vice into the good deed

The Buddha said,” People have a lot of faults, yet don’t know to repent, suddenly let their heart rest, and the sins come to the body; such as the water return to the sea, being deep and wide gradually. If people have faults, resolve them by themselves and know the mistake, correct the vice and do the good, the sins would be vanished by themselves; such as illness cause the sweaty, being healed gradually.”  

 

 

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.”  

 

 

Chapter 7: Evils back to the evildoers

The Buddha said,” Someone heard that I obey the Path and put the grand benevolence into practice so to scold the Buddha. The Buddha keeps silence, doesn’t respond to him, while the rebuke stopped, and asks: if you bring a gift to someone, who doesn’t accept it, does the gift return to you?” A disciple replies:” It would be returned.” The Buddha said,” Today you scold me, I do not accept it. You have disasters by yourself to let them return to you! Such as an echo responds to a sound, a shadow follows a shape, it is finally unable to be avoided and departed. Be cautious not to do the evils.”

 

 

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.”    

 

 

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.”

 

 

Chapter 10: Joyfully give and gain the bliss  

The Buddha said,” See people giving Dao and help them joyfully; the gained bliss is very grand.” A Sramana asked: “ Does such bliss be ended?” The Buddha said,” Such as a torch-fire that many thousand and many hundred of people separately come to take the fire with their torch, to cook food and remove the dark, this torch-fire is still the same. The bliss is also the same like this. “     

 

Chapter 11: Giving meals turns to victory  

The Buddha said,” Giving hundred evil persons meals is not as good as giving one good person a meal;

giving thousand good persons meals is not as good as giving a meal for one person who obeys the five precepts;

giving meals to ten thousand persons who obey the five precepts is not as good as giving one Srotāpanna a meal;

giving one million Srotāpanna meals is not as good as giving one Sakridāgāmi a meal;

giving ten million Sakridāgāmis meals is not as good as giving one Anāgāmi a meal;

giving one hundred million Anāgāmis meals is not as good as giving one Arhat a meal;

giving ten hundred million Arhats meals is not as good as giving one Pratyeka-buddha a meal;

giving ten thousand million Pratyeka-buddha meals is not as good as giving one Three-World Buddha a meal;

giving one thousand trillion Three-World Buddhas meals is not as good as giving a meal to a person who is in the state of no thought, no dwelling, no practicing, and no proving.”         

  

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 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. To endure 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 the 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 of outside and unmoved in heart is difficult. Good at understanding the convenience is difficult.

  

Chapter 13: Ask about the Dao and destiny     

A Sramana asked the Buddha: ”By what cause and condition could we know our destiny and understand it to reach the Dao?” The Buddha replied,” Purifying our own heart and obeying our own aspiration could understand and reach the Dao, such as grinding the mirror, the dirt is removed and the shine is kept; cutting off the desire and no demanding, we would surely gain the destiny.   

  

Chapter 14: Ask about the goodness and grandest    

A Sramana asked the Buddha: ” What is the goodness? What is the grandest?” The Buddha replied,” Putting the Dao into the practice and obeying the truth is the goodness. Combining the aspiration and Dao is the grandest.”

Chapter 15: Ask about the force and brightness   

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

 

 

Chapter 16: Abandon the love and gain the Dao

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

  

Chapter 17: The brightness comes and the darkness disappears

The Buddha said,” Those who see the Dao are as holding a torch into a dark room, where the dark is vanished immediately, yet only the brightness exists. Learning Dao and seeing truth, no-light is vanished immediately, yet the light always exists.”      

 

 

Chapter 18: The root of thoughts is equal to the Emptiness. 

The Buddha said,” My law (Buddha-Law; Dharma) is about thinking of the no-thought thought, acting the no-doing action, talking about the no-talking talk, and putting the no-practice into the practice. Those who understand what as said are approach it. Those who feel confused about what as said are far from it. The Dao of words and talks is cut off. It can not be bound by things. The difference of millimeter or centimeter would cause the mistake in a moment. 

 

Chapter 19: perceive the fake and real at the same time

The Buddha said,” Observe the sky and land, have a thought of the impermanence; observe the world, have a thought of the impermanence; perceiving the spiritual awakening is the Bodhi. Those who have such knowledge gain the Dao quickly.”          

 

Chapter 20: reasoning I am originally emptiness

The Buddha said,” We should think of that there are four-big parts in our body, which part separately owns its name, and all of which have no I. Since it does not have me, it is like illusion.”  

Chapter 21: The fame makes us lost our root.

The Buddha said,” People follow their emotion and desire in order to seek the fame; when the fame is obvious, the body is already dead. Be greedy for the worldly permanent fame, but not to learn the Dao, it wastes the energy and toils the body, such as burning incense, even though people smell the scent, the ash of incense has not yet dying. The fire to endanger the body is behind.”     

Maybe you are interested.

The sutra of forty-two chapters said by Buddha in Chinese and English (Chapters 1~ 21；Total in 42 Chapters )                   

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

(Chapter 16) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha 

Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) : 

Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )

Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)

Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

                                                                                           

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or religion. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and path, and it is extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.