As we practise Buddhism and cultivate our minds, we must keep in our minds that cultivation is akin to treading on thin ice. It is a fitting description, as the path of cultivation is difficult, and we must remain vigilant throughout. Novice Buddhist practitioners are led astray easily, and all the efforts of veteran practitioners can amount to nought with just the slightest negligence. This isn’t just a reminder for new practitioners, but for all Buddhists. It is through constant self-reflection that we can triumph over the various demons that lurk within and around us, in order to achieve our goals in practising Buddhism.
Only our minds can perceive barriers, obstacles and temptations. It is our minds that draw inferences and conclusions, and it is also our minds that determine the course of action in response. Therefore, innumerable dharmas stem from the mind.
Practising Buddhism is about cultivating the mind. Changing our behaviour complements this process, and is relatively easy compared with cultivating the mind. Within their capacity, every person can perform tasks such as reciting Buddhist scriptures, doing good deeds, accumulating merits and virtues, practising generosity, correcting behaviour and so on, albeit to varying extents. Although the foundation of changing our behaviour is determined by our varying states of mind, overall it has fewer risks. Cultivation of the mind is constantly beset with risk.
What is the objective of cultivating the mind? In truth, we are cultivating our knowledge and our understanding, and that is what we base our choice of path on. It includes our knowledge and our understanding of the universe, the law of cause and effect, the heavenly principles, the various spiritual realms, suffering in Hell, the rules governing the survival of the primeval community of our shared life, the fact that there is nothing in this world we can bring with us upon death except for the karma we have created, and so on. Moreover, it is very important to have knowledge and understanding of the Buddhist practice (Dharma door) that you are following. Collectively, this is the makeup of our knowledge and understanding of the foundations of Buddhism.
The greater the knowledge and understanding we have about truths, the closer we get to these truths themselves. With a clearer mind, there will be fewer detours to make in life, and our state of mind will broaden at the same time.
The more we understand these principles, and the more we are able to purify our minds, the more we will realise how trivial worldly afflictions are and how fame and wealth in this world are relatively short-lived. With greater understanding of the law of cause and effect and the heavenly principles, the more we appreciate the need to cultivate a benevolent mind. Evil thoughts only breed negative karma and give rise to negative karmic affinities, not to mention the time required to eliminate them. The greater our understanding of the suffering endured in Hell, the more we are deterred from committing bad deeds. After all, what goes around, comes around. And the more we understand karma, the more steadfast our faith becomes in practising Buddhism. This is because we are aware that Buddhism can liberate us from suffering, and enable us to attain happiness in the end. The greater the accuracy of our understanding of a Buddhist practice, the more effective our cultivation will be – and the less likely we will then be to deviate. The deeper our understanding of the underlying principles of how our primeval community survive, the more we can give rise to compassion – for every soul originates from the same spiritual source.
The hindrances and obstacles that appear while we cultivate our minds stem from our attachments. And only when our minds are pure can these attachments be overcome. What are these “attachments”? They stem from the failure to establish a comprehensive and proper understanding of the truth of life in this universe. When a person’s knowledge and understanding is unable to provide an answer to their problem, or explain their current predicament, they will still seek a solution based on their existing conception. Ultimately, this will result in either “awakening”, or in an “attachment”.
In our everyday secular life, we often give rise to afflictions when we have been treated unfairly. For example, when at work, we may have done more than our share but our abilities have gone unrecognised, with the result that we are not promoted. Or when at home, we might have contributed a lot for the benefit of our children and other family members, but we still are not appreciated. Some people might think to themselves, “I want to practise Buddhism and cultivate my mind, but all of the worldly afflictions are interfering with my “inner tranquillity”. How can I be free of these afflictions and practise Buddhism? Does Pure Land not exist in this world?” If you work at a hospital, you’ll see suffering wherever you go, and doctors and nurses are already accustomed to that. This, however, can cause negligence that ultimately results in tragedy. In turn, this may cause them to withdraw or seek seclusion. Examples such as these are limitless. Even amongst fellow practitioners, and due to variations in their levels of insight, there will be differences regarding how matters are perceived and the approaches that are taken in managing interpersonal relationships. As a result, these practitioners are frequently misunderstood, criticised, or even defamed. Cases such as these are extremely common in our lives. Such injustices, be they subjective or objective, are manifestations of obstacles that hinder our cultivation of the mind in the secular world. A mentality such as this then becomes deeply rooted inside our minds and can seem to be indelible. Every day we question ourselves, ingraining in our minds the sense that our perceived reality is absolutely correct and that there can be no other explanation. As a result, we become “attached” to our misconceptions, which in turn hamper the progress of our understanding. As we go about cultivating our minds, the attachments mature and becomes an inner demon.
Under those circumstances, if we practise and apply our understanding and knowledge of the Buddha-dharma, we will come to realise that such worries and injustices are insignificant. For instance, you may believe that your manager is incapable, and that he was promoted to general manager simply due to many years of diligent service to the company, while your competence was not given the recognition it deserved – or so you think. You must face the fact that your lack of recognition in the workplace, or your failure in job searches, had nothing to do with others. You are trapped by your own karmic obstacles, like a thoroughbred horse that isn’t appreciated. To attain a life free of complications, first and foremost you need to eliminate your karmic obstacles. Remember, irrespective of the manager’s abilities, the fact of the matter is that he has a bright future and is benefitting from the help of various benefactors. He may have practised kindness by taking care of a lonely elder in his previous lifetime, for example. With knowledge such as this, you will understand the doctrine of cause and effect naturally, and in so doing seize the day, eliminate karmic obstacles and perform virtuous deeds. You can only end your state of bewilderment by recognising this point.
In the past, Buddhist practitioners had to rigorously study Buddhist literature and scriptures, and obtain affirmations from other Buddhist practitioners, before they were able to verify the accuracy of their knowledge and understanding of the Buddha-dharma. Can you imagine the hardship they had to endure? With the advancements in information technology, it is now easy to search for the information we seek. However, the overwhelming amount of information that is so easily acquired also poses tremendous challenges for us in our discernment and decision-making process. What this demonstrates is that the process of learning and understanding Buddhist teachings has never been easy.
Why is it that when the mind is pure we are able to overcome our attachments? A pure mind doesn’t mean not thinking of anything. Rather, it means attaining a transcendental spiritual state that is detached from the dissensions of the secular world. Only by doing this can we prevent our minds from becoming defiled, drawn into the issue and, ultimately, deluded. With a pure mind, we are able to see beyond the various forms of the world. This is a prerequisite for us to realise the truth of the Buddha-dharma.
Therefore, regardless of the progress of your future cultivation, anyone who wishes to learn about Buddhism should start by acquiring this basic knowledge. The Buddha-dharma should be treated as a discipline that imparts knowledge about fundamental principles. We can use these principles, much like mathematical formulas, to solve practical problems. Under the Master’s guidance, learn to draw inferences from the principles, apply the Buddha-dharma in your everyday lives, see through afflictions, and rise above the fickleness of the world. Gradually, you will be able to cope with the ups and downs of life with serenity. Once you have gained an understanding of a particular level of the Buddha-dharma, there will be higher levels to pursue. This is because the Buddha-dharma, and its principles, are boundless.
发表于 2020-8-16 21:58:40
