Chapter 111 – 120

THE SORROWLESS FLOWERS
Thiện Phúc

VOLUME I

111. Evil Friends
112. Blessedness
113. Virtues
114. Rejoice Over Other’s Positive Deeds
115. Other Powers
116. Not Being Unclear about Cause and Effect Not Falling Subject to Cause and Effect
117. Bodhisattva Fears of Causes, Ordinary People Fear of Results
118. The Raft of the Four Noble Truths
119. Four Immeasurable Minds
120. What Do We Renounce?

111. Evil Friends

Coarse people are always overwhelmed by anger and lacking loving-kindness that they cannot appreciate the difference between wholesome and unwholesome activities. They do not know the benefit or appropriateness of paying respect to persons worthy of respect, nor of learning about the Dharma, nor of actually cultivating. They may be hot-tempered, easily victimized by by anger and aversion. Their lives may be filled with rough and distasteful activities. What is the use of making friends with such people? On the contrary, good people have a deep considerateness and loving care for other beings. The warmth and love of their hearts is manifested in actions and speech. Refined people like these carry out their relationships with other people in sweet speech, beneficial action, and sharing a common aim. They always vow to give whatever they can give to benefit other people.

In the Dharmapada Sutra, the Buddha Taught: “If a traveler does not meet a companion who is better or at least equal, let him firmly pursue his solitary career, rather than being in fellowship with the foolish (Dharmapada 61). Those who advise, teach or dissuade one from evil-doing, will be beloved and admired by the good, but they will be hated by the bad (Dharmapada 77). Do not associate or make friends with evil friends; do not associate with mean men. Associate with good friends; associate with noble men (Dharmapada 78). He who companies with fools grieves for a long time. To be with the foolish is ever painful as with an enemy. To associate with the wise is ever happy like meeting with kinsfolk (Dharmapada 207).”

112. Blessedness

Practices of blessing are various practices in cultivation for a Buddhist such as practicing charity, distributing free sutras, building temples and stupas, keeping vegeterian diet and precepts, etc. However, the mind is not able to focus on a single individual practice and it is difficult to achieve one-pointedness of mind. Thus, it is difficult to be reborn in the Pure Land. Sincere Buddhists should always remember that we must create our own blessings. If we cultivate blessings, we will obtain blessings; if we cultivate wisdom, we will obtain wisdom. However, to cultivate both blessings and wisdom is even better. Blessings come from ourselves. If we perform good deeds, we will have blessings. On the contrary, if we commit evil deeds, we will not have blessings. Buddhists should make demands on ourselves, not to make demands on others and seek outside appearances. Ancient Virtues taught: “Calamities and blessings are not fixed; we bring them upon ourselves,” or “Sickness enters through the mouth; calamities come out of the mouth”. We are beset with callamities on all sides, careless talking may very well be the cause. We may momentarily enjoy all kinds of good tasty foods such as steak, chicken, and seafood, but in the long run, these foods may cause us a lot of deadly diseases because nowadays animal flesh contains a lot of poisons from their chemical foods that help make them grow faster to be ready for selling in the market. However, Zen practitioners should always remember that in Zen, a deed is considered to be totally pure when it is done without any thought of reward, whether worldly or divine. It is called ‘deed of no merit’. For no merit is sought, it is a deed of immeasurable merit, of infinite merit. For a deed to be great, it is not necessary that it be grandiose. What is important is the motive behind the deed and not the magnitude of the deed itself. If the motive is pure, then the deed is pure; if the motive is impure, then, no matter how big the deed is, it is still impure. Perhaps this is why, when Emperor Liang Wu-Ti asked Bodhidharma how much merit he had acquired for promoting Buddhism in large-scale way, and Bodhidharma replied ‘No merit at all’.

“Punya” is the result of the voluntary performance of virtuous actions, also means field of merit, or field of happiness. Merit, karmic merit gained through giving alms, performing worship and religious services, reciting sutras, praying, and so on, which is said to assure a better life in the future. Accumulating merit is a major factor in the spiritual effort of a Buddhist layperson. Mahayana Buddhism teaches that accumulated merit should serve the enlightenmen of all beings by being transferred to others. The commitment to transfer a part of one’s accumulated merit to others is a significant aspect of the Bodhisattva vow. Perfection in this is achieved in the eighth stage of a Bodhisattva’development. However, in Theravada countries, making merit is a central focus of the religious lives of laypeople, who are generally thought to be incapable of attaining the higher levels of meditative practice or Nirvana. In early Buddhism, it appears that it was assumed that merit is non-transferable, but in Mahayana the doctrine of “transference of merit” became widespread, and is said to be one of the key virtues of a Bodhisattva, who willingly gives away the karmic benefits of his or her good works for the benefit of others. All good deeds, or the blessing arising from good deeds. The karmic result of unselfish action either mental or physical. The blessing wealth, intelligence of human beings and celestial realms; therefore, they are temporary and subject to birth and death. Various practices for a Buddhist such as practicing charity, distributing free sutras, building temples and stupas, keeping vegeterian diet and precepts, etc. However, the mind is not able to focus on a single individual practice and it is difficult to achieve one-pointedness of mind. Thus, it is difficult to be reborn in the Pure Land.

In Buddhism, the term “field of blessing” is used just as a field where crops can be grown. People who grow offerings to those who deserve them will harvest blessing results accordingly. Sincere Buddhists should always cultivate the Field of Blessing by offerings to Buddha, His Dharma, and the Sangha. The field of blessedness or the field for cultivation of happiness, meritorious or other deeds, i.e. any sphere of kindness, charity, or virtue. Someone who is worthy of offerings. Just as a field can yield crops, so people will obtain blessed karmic results if they make offerings to one who deserves them. According to Buddhism, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats and all sentient beings, whether friends or foes, are fields of merits for the cultivator because they provide him with an opportunity to cultivate merits and virtues. Filial piety toward one’s parents and support them, serve and respect one’s teachers and the elderly, maintain a compassionate heart, abstain from doing harm, and keep the ten commandments. One of the four fields for cultivating happiness (blessing). The Buddha taught: “Children should pay special attention to their parents. As parents age, it is inevitable that their bodies will gradually weaken and deteriorate in a variety of ways, making them increasingly susceptible to physical illnesses that can affect every organ in their system. This is natural and there is no escape. Even though, children have no forceful obligation to care for their aged and sick parents, and aged parents have to depend on their children’s goodwill. Zen practitioners should take good care of their parents piously, and practitioners should always remember that there is no better institution to care for the aged parents other than the family itself.” Beside the filial piety toward one’s parents and support them, Zen practitioners should take refuge in the Triratna, and should always serve and respect teachers and the elderly, maintain a compassionate heart, abstain from doing harm, and keep the ten commandments.

113. Virtues

Virtue is practicing what is good like decreasing greed, anger and ignorance. Virtue is to improve oneself, which will help transcend birth and death and lead to Buddhahood. In the Samyutta Nikaya Sutta, the Buddha mentioned about eleven virtues that would conduce towards the well-being of women both in this world and in the next. Merit is the good quality in us which ensures future benefits to us, material of spiritual. It is not difficult to perceive that to desire merit, to hoard, store, and accumulate merit, does, however meritorious it may be, imply a considerable degree of self-seeking. It has always been the tactics of the Buddhists to weaken the possessive instincts of the spiritually less-endowed members of the community by withdrawing them from such objects as wealth and family, and directing them instead towards one aim and object, i.e. the acquisition of merit. But that, of course, is good enough only on a fairly low spiritual level. At higher stages one will have to turn also against this form of possessiveness, one will have to be willing to give up one’s store of merit for the sake of the happiness of others. The Mahayana drew this conclusion and expected its followers to endow other beings with their own merit, or, as the Scriptures put it, ‘to turn over, or dedicate, their merit to the enlightenment of all beings.’ “Through the merit derived from all our good deeds We wish to appease the suffering of all creatures, to be the medicine, the physician, and the nurse of the sick as long as there is sickness. Through rains of food and drink We wish to extinguish the fire of hunger and thirst. We wish to be an exhaustible treasure to the poor, a servant who furnishes them with all they lack. Our life, and all our re-birth, all our possessions, all the merit that We have acquired or will acquire, all that We abandon without hope of any gain for ourselves in order that the salvation of all beings might be promoted.” According to Buddhism, “Virtue” is fundamental (the root), while “Wealth” is incidental. Virtuous conduct is the foundation of a person, while wealth is only an insignificant thing. Virtuous conduct begins in small places. Sincere Buddhists should not think a good deed is too small and fail to do it, then idly sit still waiting around for a big good deed. As a matter of fact, there is no such small or big good deed. A mountain is an accumulation of specks of dust. Although each speck is tiny, many specks piled up can form a big mountain. Similarly, virtuous deeds may be small, yet when many are accumulated, they will form a mountain of virtue. In addition, virtue will help transcend birth and death and lead to Buddhahood.

In the Lotus Sutra, chapter 19, the Buddha taught about the merit of the eye as follows: “That a good son or good daughter, with the natural pure eyes received at birth from his or her parents (it means that they already brought with them from previous lives the merit of the eyes), will see whatever exists within and without the three thousand-great-thousandfold world, mountains, forests, rivers, and seas, down to the Avici hell and up to the Summit of Existence, and also see all the living beings in it, as well as see and know in detail all their karma-cause and rebirth states of retribution. Even though they have not yet attained divine vision of heavenly beings, they are still capable of discerning the real state of all things, they can receive the power to do so while living in the Saha world because they have pure eyes unclouded with mental illusion. To put it more plainly, they can do so because their minds become so pure that they are devoid of selfishness, so that they view things unswayed by prejudice or subjectivity. They can see things correctly as they truly are, because they always maintain calm minds and are not swayed by impulse. Remember a thing is not reflected as it is in water boiling over a fire. A thing is not mirrored as it is on the surface of water hidden by plants. A thing is not reflected as it is on the surface of water running in waves stirred up the wind.” The Buddha teaches us very clearly that we cannot view the real state of things until we are free from the mental illusion caused by selfishness and passion.

Regarding the Merit of the Ear, the Buddha teaches that any good son or good daughter who has improved in the five practices of the preacher will be able to hear all words and sounds with his natural ears. A person who has attained a serene mind through cultivation in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings can grasp the subtle shifting of things through their sounds. With a serene ear, one can grasp distinctly the movements of nature just by hearing the sounds of crackling fire, of murmuring water, and of whistling wind. When such a person hears the sounds of nature, he can enjoy them as much as if he were listening to beautiful music. However, the most important thing for you to remember in cultivation for the merit of the ear is that a person can listen without being under their control and he will hear without harm to his organ of hearing. It is to say even if he hears the sounds of beautiful music he is not attached to them. He may be fond of music for a short time, but he has no permanent attachment to it, nor is lulled into forgetting other important matters. An ordinary person hears the sounds of worry, of suffering, and of grief on one side and the sounds of dispute and quarrels on the other, he will be thrown into confusion, but a sincere and devout practitioner of the Buddha’s teachings will not be overwhelmed; he will dwell calmly amid the noise and will be able to hear these sounds with serenity.

According to the Kayagatasati-Sutta in the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, cultivation of mindfulness of the body means when walking, a person understands that he is walking; when standing, he understands that he is standing; when sitting, he understands that he is sitting; when lying, he understands that he is lying. He understands accordingly however his body is disposed. As he abides thus diligent, ardent, and resolute, his memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned. That is how a person develops mindfulness of the body. One becomes a conqueror of discontent and delight, and discontent does not conquer oneself; one abides overcoming discontent whenever it arises. One becomes a conqueror of fear and dread, and fear and dread do not conquer oneself; one abides overcoming fear and dread whenever they arise. One bears cold and heat, hunger and thirst, and contact with gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, the sun, and creeping things; one endures ill-spoken, unwelcome words and arisen bodily feelings that are painful, racking, sharp, piercing, disagreeable, distressing, and menacing to life. One obtains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhanas that constitute the higher mind and provide a pleasant abiding here and now. One wields the various kinds of supernormal power: having been one, he becomes many; having been many, he becomes one; he appears and vanishes; he goes unhindered through a wall, through an enclosure, through a mountain as though through space; he dives in and out of the earth as though it were water; he walks on water without sinking as though it were earth; seated cross-legged, he travels in space like a bird; with his hand he touches and strokes the moon and sun so powerful and mighty; he wields bodily mastery even as far as the Brahma-world. One understands the minds of other beings, of other persons, having encompassed them with one’s own mind. He understands the mind of other beings, of other persons, having encompassed them with his own mind. He understands a mind affected by lust as affected by lust and a mind unaffected by lust; he understands a mind affected by hate as affected by hate and a mind unaffected by hate as unaffected by hate; he understands a mind affected by delusion as affected by delusion and a mind unaffected by delusion as unaffected by delusion; he understands a contracted mind as contracted and a distracted mind as distracted mind; he understands an exalted mind as exalted and an unexalted mind as unexalted; he understands a surpased mind as surpassed and an unsurpassed as unsurpassed; he understands a concentrated mind as concentrated and an unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated; he understands a liberated mind as liberated and an unliberated mind as unliberated. One recollects one’s manifold past lives, that is, one birth, two births…, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many aeons of world-contraction, many aeons of world-expansion, many aeons of world-contraction and expansion. “There I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my nutriment, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-term; and passing away from there, I reapppeared elsewhere; and there too I was so named, of such an appearance, such was my nutriment, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-term; and passing away from there, I reappeared here. Thus with their aspects and particulars one recollects one’s manifold past lives. With the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human. One sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and one understands how beings pass on according to their actions. By realizing for oneself with direct knowledge, one here and now enters upon and abides in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints.

King Liang-Wu-Ti asked Bodhidharma: “All my life I have built temples, given sanction to the Sangha, practiced giving, and arranged vegetarian feasts. What merit and virtue have I gained?” Bodhidharma said, “There was actually no merit and virtue.” Zen practitioners should always remember that whatever is in the stream of births and deaths. Even conditioned merits and virtues lead to rebirth within samsara. We have been swimming in the stream of outflows for so many aeons, now if we wish to get out of it, we have no choice but swimming against that stream. To be without outflows is like a bottle that does not leak. For human beings, people without outflows means they are devoided of all bad habits and faults. They are not greedy for wealth, sex, fame, or profit. However, sincere Buddhists should not misunderstand the differences between “greed” and “necesities”. Remember, eating, drinking, sleeping, and resting, etc will become outflows only if we overindulge in them. Sincere Buddhists should only eat, drink, sleep, and rest moderately so that we can maintain our health for cultivation, that’s enough. On the other hand, when we eat, we eat too much, or we try to select only delicious dishes for our meal, then we will have an outflow.

In the Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra, the Sixth Patriarch emphasized that all acts from king Liang-Wu-Ti actually had no merit and virtue. Emperor Wu of Liang’s mind was wrong; he did not know the right Dharma. Building temples and giving sanction to the Sangha, practicing giving and arranging vegetarian feasts is called ‘seeking blessings.’ Do not mistake blessings for merit and virtue. Merit and virtue are in the Dharma body, not in the cultivation of blessings.” The Master further said, “Seeing your own nature is merit, and equanimity is virtue. To be unobstructed in every thought, constantly seeing the true, real, wonderful function of your original nature is called merit and virtue. Inner humility is merit and the outer practice of reverence is virtue. Your self-nature establishing the ten thousand dharmas is merit and the mind-substance separate from thought is virtue. Not being separate from the self-nature is merit, and the correct use of the undefiled self-nature is virtue. If you seek the merit and virtue of the Dharma body, simply act according to these principles, for this is true merit and virtue. Those who cultivate merit in their thoughts, do not slight others but always respect them. Those who slight others and do not cut off the ‘me and mine’ are without merit. The vain and unreal self-nature is without virtue, because of the ‘me and mine,’ because of the greatness of the ‘self,’ and because of the constant slighting of others. Good Knowing Advisors, continuity of thought is merit; the mind practicing equality and directness is virtue. Self-cultivation of one’s nature is merit and self-cultivation of the body is virtue. Good Knowing Advisors, merit and virtue should be seen within one’s own nature, not sought through giving and making offerings. That is the difference between blessings and merit and virtue. Emperor Wu did not know the true principle. Our Patriarch was not in error.”

Zen practitioners should always remember that merit is what one establishes by benefitting others, while virtue is what one practices to improve oneself such as decreasing greed, anger and ignorance. Both merit and virtue should be cultivated side by side. These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. However, there is a crucial difference. Merits are the blessings (wealth, intelligence, etc) of the human and celestial realms; therefore, they are temporary and subject to birth and death. Virtue, on the other hand, transcend birth and death and lead to Buddhahood. The same action of giving charity can lead to either Merit or Virtue. If you give charity with the mind to obtain mundane rewards, you will get Merit; however, if you give charity with the mind to decrease greed, you will obtain virtue. Merit is what one established by benefitting others, while virtue is what one practices to improve oneself such as decreasing greed, anger, and ignorance. Both merit and virtue should be cultivated side by side. These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. However, there is a crucial difference. Merits are the blessings (wealth, intelligence, etc) of the human and celestial realms; therefore, they are temporary and subject to birth and death. Virtue, on the other hand, transcend birth and death and lead to Buddhahood. The same action of giving charity with the mind to obtain mundane rewards, you will get merit; however, if you give charity with the mind to decrease greed and stingy, you will obtain virtue. Merit is obtained from doing the Buddha work, while virtue gained from one’s own practice and cultivation. If a person can sit stillness for the briefest time, he creates merit and virtue which will never disappear. Someone may say, ‘I will not create any more external merit and virtue; I am going to have only inner merit and virtue.’ It is totally wrong to think that way. A sincere Buddhist should cultivate both kinds of merit and virtue. When your merit and virtue are perfected and your blessings and wisdom are complete, you will be known as the ‘Doubly-Perfected Honored One.’ Any Buddhist would want to amass merit and virtue, but not be attached to the process. People who cultivate the Way should act as if nothing is being done. We should sweep away all dharmas, should go beyond all attachment to views. A sincere Buddhist should not say, “I have this particular spiritual skill,” or “I have some cultivation.” It is wrong to say “I have such and such a state,” or “I have such and such psychic power.” Even if we have such attainment, it is still unreal and not to be believed. Do not be taken in. Faith in strange and miraculous abilities and psychic powers will keep us from realizing genuine proper concentration. We should realize that proper concentration does not come from outside, but is born instead from within our own nature. We achieve proper concentration by introspection and reflection, by seeking within ourselves. According to the Buddha, the practice of generosity, morality, patience, and energy will result in the accumulation of merit, manifested in the form dimension; while the practice of energy, meditation and wisdom will result in the accumulation of knowledge, manifested in the truth dimension (formless).

In the Dharmapada Sutra, the Buddha taught: “The scent of flowers does not blow against the wind, nor does the fragrance of sandalwood and jasmine, but the fragrance of the virtuous blows against the wind; the virtuous man pervades every direction (Dharmapada 54). Of little account is the fragrance of sandal-wood, lotus, jasmine; above all these kinds of fragrance, the fragrance of virtue is by far the best (Dharmapada 55). Of little account is the fragrance of sandal; the fragrance of the virtuous rises up to the gods as the highest (Dharmapada 56). Mara never finds the path of those who are virtuous, careful in living and freed by right knowledge (Dharmapada 57).”

114. Rejoice Over Other’s Positive Deeds

The word “Rejoice” means appreciation of something. Rejoicing without the slightest thought of jealousy or competitiveness. Without these negative thoughts, we must rejoice over positive deeds performed even by people we consider enemies. We have two objects of rejoicing: Rejoicing over others’ root virtues and rejoicing over our own. When rejoicing over our own virtue, we can rejoice over virtue done in our past lives that we can measure through inferential valid cognition and rejoice over our root virtue of this present life that we can measure by means of direct valid cognition. It is not difficult to apply inferential valid cognition to rejoice over our past lives. The fact that we have not only taken rebirth in this present human form but have inherited favorable conditions necessary for Dharma practices confirm that we must have practiced generosity, patience, and the other perfections in our past lives. So we should rejoice. Rejoice over our virtues of this present life means to think over virtuous deeds we personally have performed. For example, recitation of the holy scriptures, contemplation of their meanings, listening to the teachings of Dharma or any act of generosity and so forth. Then rejoicing at these without arrogance because if we feel proud, our root virtues will lessen instead of increasing. Rejoicing over others’ virtues means rejoicing over the virtue of others without prjudice. One’s act of rejoicing must not be contaminated by negative thoughts like jealousy. Regardless of what our relationship with the other person is, we should acknowledge sincerely their virtuous deeds and rejoice. This is the most effective mental technique to build a huge accumulation of merits. Rejoice at others’ merits and virtues means from the time of our initial resolve for all wisdom, we should diligently cultivate accumulation of blessings without regard for their bodies and lives, cultivate all the difficult ascetic practices and perfect the gates of various paramitas, enter Bodhisattva grounds of wisdom and accomplish the unsurpassed Bodhi of all Buddhas. We should completely follow along with and rejoice in all of their good roots (big as well as small merits.

115. Other Powers

The power of others means the power or strength of another, that of a Buddha or Bodhisattva, especially Amitabha, obtained through faith in Mahayana salvation. According to Masters Chih-I and T’ien-Ju in the Pure Land Buddhism, this is one of the two kinds of power for ordinary people. With regard to other-power, if anyone believes in the power of Amitabha Buddha’s compassionate vow to rescue sentient beings and then develops the Bodhi-Mind, cultivates the Buddha Remembrance (Recitation) Samadhi, grows weary of his temporal, impure body in the Triple Realm, practices charity, upholds the precepts and performs other meritorious deeds, dedicating all the merits and virtues to rebirth in the Western Pure Land, his aspirations and the Buddha’s response will be in accord. Relying thus on the Buddha’s power, he will immediately achieve rebirth.

In Zen practice, we do not often hear the words ‘grace’ or ‘other power’. Meditation and Contemplation remind us to practice meditation and contemplation so that we can attain moment-to-moment awareness in every minute at the present time, and this is one of the possible ways to attain liberation in this very life. Therefore, ‘Own Power’ is always emphasized in Zen. Own Power means one’s own power, merit, intelligence, discrimination. The attempt to attain enlightenment through one’s own efforts rather than by relying upon the compassion of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. According to Masters Chih-I and T’ien-Ju in the Pure Land Buddhism, this is one of the two kinds of power for ordinary people. As far as self-power is concerned, while the ordinary beings of this world, totally bound by their attachments and afflictions, may have some level of cultivation, in reality, they still cannot be reborn in the Pure Land nor deserve to reside there. The Peace and Bliss Collections states: “Those who first develop the Bodhi Mind, starting from the level of completely fettered ordinary people ignorant of the Three Treasures and the Law of cause and Effect, should base themselves initially on faith. Next, when they have embarked upon the Bodhi path, the precepts should serve as their foundation. If these ordinary people accept the Bodhisattva precepts and continue to uphold them unfailingly and without interruption for three kalpas, they will reach the First Abode of Bodhisattvahood. If they pursue their cultivation in this manner through the Ten Paramitas as well as countless vows and practices, one after another without interruption, at the end of ten thousand kalpas they will reach the Sixth Abode of Bodhisattvahood. Should they continue still further, they will reach the Seventh Abode or Non-Retrogression. They will then have entered the stage of the ‘Seed of Buddhahood,’ i.e., they are assured of eventual Buddhahood. However, even then, they still cannot achieve rebirth in the Pure Land.

In our cultivation, we nourish certain qualities that support and propel us foward in emancipation. These are ten qualities that Pali Language calls ‘Parami’ or Vietnamese-Chinese calls ‘Ba La Mật’. These are giving, morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolve, loving-kindness, and equanimity. According to the Sanskrit language, Paramita means crossing-over. Ten Paramitas mean the six things that ferry one beyond the sea of mortality to nirvana. Ten stages of spiritual perfection followed by the Bodhisattva in his progress to Buddhahood. The ten virtues of perfection are not only characteristic of Mahayana Buddhism in many ways, they also contain virtues commonly held up as cardinal by all religious systems. They consist of the practice and highest possible development. Thus, practicing the ten paramitas will lead the practitioner to cross over from the shore of the unenlightened to the dock of enlightenment. Believe or not believe in theory of Buddhism is totally up to you; however, our emancipation never depends on external things and situations. Although all Paramitas have the great influence in our cultivation, and this influence seems like the sense of grace or other power, Paramitas do not come from some being outside ourlseves, rather, they come from our own gradually accumulated purity in many lives. Zen practitioners should always remember that it is our inner development, not any external agent, brings us wholesome results and grace. Thus, Zen practitioners should always develop and strengthen all paramitas within ourselves, and surely peaceful fruits are waiting for us without any exception! Zen practitioners should always remember that once paramitas have been developed through our cultivation, and they have been developing over lifetimes, we will surely experience and emergence of the ‘Essence of Dharma’, and the road to emancipation is not far away anymore. There are six chief paramitas mentioned in many Mahayana sutras such as the Lalitavistara Sutra, the Mahavastu Sutra, the Astasahasrika Prajna-paramita Sutra, the Karunapundarika Sutra, the Avadana-Sataka Sutra, the Mahayana-sutra-lankara, the Dharma-Sangraha Sutra, the Samadhi-Raja Sutra, the Bodhisattva-Bhumika Sutra. They are Dana-paramita (giving-paramita or generosity or charity), Sila-paramita (holding Precepts Paramita or morality or discipline), Kshanti-paramita (patience paramita or forebearance), Virya-paramita (vigor paramita or enegy or exertion, Dhyana-paramita (meditation paramita or contemplation), Prajna-paramita (wisdom paramita or prajna wisdom), Pranidana-paramita (vow paramita or vow for Bodhicitta, Bala-paramita (power paramita or strength or manifestations of the ten powers), Upaya-paramita (expedient paramita or right methods or means, Jnana-paramita (knowledge paramita or knowledge of the true definition of all dharmas).

116. Not Being Unclear about Cause and Effect Not Falling Subject to Cause and Effect

According to Buddhism, deluded people casually make mistakes for not knowing the seriousness of cause and effect. They even deny the law of cause and effect. On the contrary, Zen practitioners should have a clear understanding of the law of cause and effect, so they dare not make mistakes in cause and effect. They always consider carefully before doing any thing. The Sage cultivate in order to understand the process of cause and effect. Ordinary people continue to create causes and undergo effects. From no offenses they intentionally commit offenses. Once they have committed offenses, they refuse to acknowledge them as offenses, insisting that they have done nothing wrong. They have no shame nor repentance for their offenses. Not being unclear about cause and effect, not falling subject to cause and effect. Patriarch Pai-Chang-Huai-Hai, an awakened Zen Practitioner, was on a throne speaking the dharma. After the dharma session ended, everyone departed except for an elderly man with white hair and beard. Seeing this, Patriarch Pai-Chang asked why, so the elderly man recounted the following story: Dear Patriarch, originally, in the past, I was a Buddhist Monk cultivating in this mountain. At that time, I was on the throne teaching the dharma and a young student studying the Buddha Dharma asked me: “For those who cultivate Mahayana Buddhism, do they remain a part of the Law of Cause-and-Effect?” I replied: “Outside of the law of cause-and-effect.” Because my answer was unclear in that way, the Dharma listener misinterpreted it as “There is no cause-and-effect.” Although I was a Dharma Master who taught the Mahayana Dharma Sutra teachings, yet I answered in such an ambiguous manner, causing the listener to misinterpret my answer; therefore, I was not able to achieve any spiritual fulfillment. In contrast, I was condemned to be a paranormal fox and I have lived in this mountain for the past 500 reincarnations. Today I asked the Great Master to have compassion to help me change that mistake, and help me escape this suffering existence of being an animal. Pai-Chang said to the old man: “If that is the case, at this time, you should use the same words of that student and ask me.” The old man knelt down, put his palms together and asked respectfully: “For those who cultivate Mahayana Buddhism, do they remain as part of the Law of Cause-and-Effect?” The Patriarch replied: “Do not doubt the law of cause-and-effect.” Meaning those who cultivate Mahayana Buddhism should never doubt the law of cause-and-effect. They must know the theory of cause-and-effect is inherent clear and inseparable like a shadow is to a body. As soon as the Patriarch finished, the elderly man was awakened suddenly. He prostrated respectfully and said: “I have been condemned as a fox for over 500 reincarnations, but, today, relying on just one line of your teaching, I will be able to find liberation. I will now abandon my body as a fox in my den at the base of the mountain, behind this temple, I ask the Great Master to please make funeral arrangements on my behalf. The next day, Pai-Chang ordered the ringing of bells to gather the community of monks in order to give a funeral service to a monk who had just passed away. This came as a great surprise to the Bhikshus in the temple because they had not noticed any monk in the temple who was gravely ill or had died recently. Pai-Chang then led the great following to the cave behind the temple and used his rod to poke into the cave. After a while, they were able to recover a body of a fox with white fur who had died recently. He had everyone chant a sutra for the liberation of the spirit for a period of time before lighting a fire to cremate the body. The ashes were collected and buried. Sincere Buddhists should always remember ‘with a false saying contrary to the proper dharma, with a blind teaching without a clear meaning,’ that former monk was condemned to be an animal for 500 reincarnations, let alone teaching of wrong teaching or wrong views that is not appropriate to the time and level to guide and teach Buddhists, and in the process of harming, delaying and impeding sentient beings’ cultivated path toward achieving enlightenment. According to the story of Pai-Chang and the Fox, “not to fall to the karmic retribution” is a moral deed, and “not to obscure or without ambiguity the law of cause and effect” is an intellectual attitude. “Not to fall to the karmic retribution” makes one stand altogether outside the realm of causation, which is the world of particulars and where we have our being. In the case of “Without ambiguity in the law of cause and effect,” what happens is the shifting of our mental attitude towards a world above cause and effect. An because of this shifting the whole outlook of life assumes a new tone which may be called spiritual “not to obscure.” Through the story of Pai-Chang and The Fox, we see that the question of “Not falling to karmic retribution and without ambiguity in the law of cause and effect” is a big issue, not only for Buddhists of all schools, but also for philosophers and religiously minded people. In other words, it is the question of freedom of the will, it is the question of transcending karma, it is the question of logic and spirit , of science and religion, of nature and super-nature, of moral discipline and faith. Indeed, it is the most fundamental of all religious questions. If “not falling to karmic retribution,” then this will jeopardizes the whole plan of the universe, for “cause and effect” or the law of causation that binds existence together, and without the reality of moral responsibility the very basis of society is pulled down. Buddhists should be careful with the meaning of “bất muội.” Although it is the literal meaning of “not to be obscured,” here the sense is rather “not to negate,” or “not to ignore,” or “not to obliterate.”

117. Bodhisattva Fears of Causes, Ordinary People Fear of Results

Karma-reward; the retribution of karma (good or evil). However, according to the Hua-Yen sect, the body of karmaic retribution, especially that assumed by a bodhisattva to accord with the conditions of those he seeks to save. The pain or pleasure resulting in this life from the practices or causes and retributions of a previous life. Therefore, ancient virtues said: “If we wish to know what our lives were like in the past, just look at the retributions we are experiencing currently in this life. If we wish to know what retributions will happen to us in the future, just look and examine the actions we have created or are creating in this life.” If we understand clearly this theory, then in our daily activities, sincere Buddhists are able to avoid unwholesome deeds and practice wholesome deeds. The retribution received in the next or further incarnation for the deeds done in this life. Wholesome and unwholesome karma are created in this life, but sometimes the karma will pass through the second, third life, or even longer before one is able to reap the meritorious retributions or endure the evil consequences. Whether these future retributions are earlier or later is not absolute, but it is absolutely unavoidable. If there is action, whether it is good or evil, there will be consequences sooner or later. Ancient sages taught: “The heaven’s net may be thin, but even a hair will not fall through,” and “supposing hundreds of thousands of lives have passed, but the karma created still remains; when destinies, circumstances come to fruition, the appropriate retributions will not be denied.” There are some noticeable situations which Buddhists should clearly understand to prevent any misunderstanding about the law of cause and effect: Those who commit evil in this life, yet continue to prosper; it is because they have only began to commit transgressions in this life. However, in the former lives, they have already formed wholesome merits, make offerings and charitable donations. The evil deeds of this life which have just been planted, have not had the proper time to form unwholesome consequences; while the wholesome deeds in the former lives planted long ago, have had the time to come to fruition in the present life. There are also other circumstances, where people practice good deeds, yet they continue to suffer, experience setbacks, misfortunes, etc. that is because they have just learned to practice wholesome conducts in the present life. Otherwise, in the former lives, they have created many unwholesome deeds. The wholesome deeds in this life have just been planted, have not had the proper time to grow into wholesome fruition. However, the wholesome and wicked deeds in the former lives which had been planted long long ago, have had the proper time to come to fruition in the present life. This is one of the three consequences associated with the causes for a child to be born into a certain family. Transgressions or wholesome deeds we perform in this life, we will not receive good or bad results in the next life; however, good or bad results can appear in the third, fourth or thousandth lifetime, or until untold eons in the future. It is not only ordinary people cannot escape cause and effect, even the Bodhisattvas cannot avoid them. However, Bodhisattvas are enlightening beings who have far-ranging vision. They know bad causes will surely end up in bad results. Thus, Bodhisattvas are afraid of bad consequences in the future, not only they avoid planting evil-causes or evil karma in the present, but they also diligently cultivate to gradually diminish their karmic obstructions; at the same time to accumulate their virtues and merits, and ultimately to attain Buddhahood. However, sentient beings complete constantly to gather evil-causes; therefore, they must suffer evil effect. When ending the effect of their actions, they are not remorseful or willing to repent. Not only do they blame Heaven and other people, but they continue to create more evil karma in opposition and retaliation. Therefore, enemies and vengeance will continue to exist forever in this vicious cycle. Zen practitioners should always remember that by planting more good causes, we will surely reap good consequences in the future. In the contrary, if we only see the present, and engage in immoral practices by not planting good roots and accumulating merits and virtues, we will surely bear bad consequences, without any exception.

118. The Raft of the Four Noble Truths

A person who is cultivating mindfulness is similar to a man who is escaping from a group of bandits come to a vast stretch of water that is in his way. He knows that this side of the shore is dangerous and the other side is safe. However, there is no boat going to the other shore, nor is there any bridge for crossing over. So he quickly gathers wood, branches and leaves to make a raft, and with the help of the raft, he crosses over safely to the other shore. The Noble Eightfold Path taught by the Buddha is like the raft. It would take us from the suffering of this shore to the other shore of no suffering. In Mahayana Buddhism, the teaching is likened a raft; when the goal, the other shore, is reached, then the raft is left behind. The form of teaching is not final dogma but an expedient method. According to the Discourse on the Water Snake’s Parable, the Buddha taught: “My teaching is like a raft for crossing over, not for carrying.” In Buddhism, dharma refers to all the methods of cultivation taught by the Buddha which lead to ultimate enlightenment. They are means that lead to an end, not an end themselves. The Buddha’s teaching is likened a raft for going the other shore. All of us depend on the raft of Dharma to cross the river of birth and death. We strive with our hands, feet, and wisdom to reach the other shore. When the goal, the other shore, is reached, then the raft is left behind. The form of teaching is not final dogma but an expedient method. According to the Discourse on the Water Snake’s Parable, the Buddha taught: “My teaching is like a raft for crossing over, not for carrying.” Also according to the Middle Length Saying, the Buddha taught: “The dharma that I teach is like a raft. Even Dharma should be relinquished, how much the more that which is not Dharma? The Raft of Dharma is for crossing over, not for retaining.”

In a famous passage in the Majjhima Nikaya of the Pali Canon, the Buddha likens his teaching to a raft. Suppose, he says, a traveler sees a great expanse of water. The shore he stands on is dangerous and frightening, while the opposite shore offers safety, peace and tranquility. There is neither a bridge to cross nor a ferry to carry him over, so he built a raft. Once on the other shore, what should he do? Drag the raft that had been useful to him and turn it into an impediment, or let go of it now that he is safely across the water? The raft, the Buddha observes, is for crossing with, not clinging to, and the same is true of his teaching. It is neither an intellectual endeavor nor a creed, but merely something to be brought into being and cultivated. The Buddha’s teaching is most succinctly expressed in the Four Noble Truths, one of the most universally accepted formulations of Buddhism. These Truths proclaim “duhkha” and its cessation, and reflect the content of the Buddha’s enlightenment. According to tradition, he expounded them in his first sermon delivered to his five former companions at the deer park near Sarnath. This sermon is called the “Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma,” and constitutes one of the most basic teaching of Buddhism. The first Noble Truth is the Truth of Duhkha. The Buddha said that everything is “duhkha”: birth, ageing, sickness, death, parting, unfulfilled desires, decay, the state of all phenomena constantly changing, any experience, whether pleasurable or painful, is “duhkha.” Duhkha is the condition of universal impermanence which affects everything. Even the “I” or “Self” has no enduring quality, because in reality it is merely an error arising from false conceptualization. This doctrine of “no-self” is one of three characteristics of all conditioned existence, together with “duhkha” and impermanence. The second Noble Truth, the Truth of the Origin of “duhkha,” explains that “duhkha” arises from craving (literally ‘thirst’; Pali, trishna): craving for sensual pleasure, for having more or for having less, for existence or for self-annihilation. Such craving or greed is part of a cycle that is described as a twelve-linked chain of Dependent Origination: it arises from feeling, which in turn arises from sense-contact, which arises from the six senses, which arise from mind and form, which arise from consciousness, which arises from formations, which arise from ignorance, which arises from suffering, which arises from birth, which arises from becoming, which arises from grasping, which arises from craving, and thus round and round again. One of the most celebrated principles of Buddhism, Dependent Origination underlies Karma, causality, change and free will, and the way in which all conditioned phenomena exist. It is usually described as beginning with ignorance or confusion. The third Truth is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Duhkha. This Truth asserts that there is an end to “duhkha”: supreme and final liberation is the “blowing out” of the fires of greed, hatred and delusion, that occurs when the cause of “duhkha” is removed. When Dependent Origination is fully understood and its consequences drawn out, when the chain is broken and the craving that leads to endless births and deaths is abandoned, complete and final cessation of “duhkha” is achieved. The Buddha called the third Noble Truth “the Cessation.” This is not identical to nirvana. Nirvana is not an effect produced by a cause: if it were, it would arise dependently, and if it arose dependently, it would not be able to offer a means of escape from the clutches of karma and rebirth. The fourth Noble Truth, the Truth of the Eightfold Noble Path, identifies the factors leading to the cessation of “duhkha”. These eight factors affirm the three essential elements of Buddhist spiritual training, moral conduct, concentration and wisdom. The Four Noble Truths are commonly explained by use of medical allegory. In the First Noble Truth the human condition is diagnosed as being “duhkha.” The Second Noble Truth cites craving as the cause of this malady.. The Third Noble Truth make a prognosis about the condition, proclaiming that recovery is possible. Finally, the Fourth Noble Truth, the Eightfold Noble Path to the Cessation of “duhkha,” is the medicine prescribed to restore the patient’s health. It is also customary to associate some sort of activity with each of the four Truths. The first Truth is to be “fully comprehended.” The second needs to be eradicated : it requires thirst to be quenched. The third Truth is to be realized, to be made into reality. And the fourth is to be cultivated, “to be brought into being,” that is, to be kept and followed. The entire Buddhist Dharma can be seen as an elaboration of the Four Noble Truths.

119. Four Immeasurable Minds

In fact, there are a lot of small virtues that Zen practitioners need to prepare before and during practicing meditation. Zen practitioners should cultivate to a point that they would be happy with other’s success and sympathy with other’s miseries. They would keep themselves modest when achieving success. However, the Buddha pointed out four immeasurable minds. These four immeasurable minds are not only benefit immeasurable living beings, bringing immeasurable blessings to them, and producing immeasurable highly spiritual attainments in a world, in one life, but also spreads all over immeasurable worlds, in immeasurable future lives, shaping up immeasurable Buddha. The four immeasurables or infinite Buddha-states of mind (Four Immeasurable Minds—The four virtues of infinite greatness). The four kinds of boundless mind, or four divine abodes. These states are called illimitables because they are to be radiated towards all living beings without limit or obstruction. They are also called brahmaviharas or divine abodes, or sublime states, because they are the mental dwellings of the brahma divinities in the Brahma-world.

It was the spirit of love and compassion taught by the Buddha that touched the heart of King Asoka, the great Buddhist Emperor of India in the third century B.C. Before he became a Buddhist he was a warlike monarch like his father, King Bimbisara, and his grandfather, King Candragupta. Wishing to extend his territories he invaded and conquered Kalinga. In this war thousands were slain, while many more were wounded and taken captive. Later, however, when he followed the Buddha’s creed of compassion he realized the folly of killing. He felt very sad when he thought of the great slaughter, and gave up warfare. He is the only military monarch on record who after victory gave up conquest by war and inaugurated conquest by righteousness. As his Rock Edict XIII says, ‘he sheathed the sword never to unsheath it, and wish no harm to living beings.’ The spread of the Buddha’s creed of compassion throughout the Eastern world was largely due to the enterprise and tireless efforts of Asoka the Great. The Buddha-law made Asia mild and non-aggressive. However, modern civilization is pressing hard on Asian lands. It is known that with the rise and development of the so-called civilization, man’s culture deteriorates and he changes for the worse. With the match of modern science very many changes have taken place, and all these changes and improvements, being material and external, tend to make modern man more and more worldly minded and sensuous with the result that he neglects the qualities of the mind, and becomes self-interested and heartless. The waves of materialism seem to influence mankind and affect their way of thinking and living. People are so bound by their senses, they live so exclusively in the material world that they fail to contact the good within. Only the love and compassion taught by the Buddha can establish complete mental harmony and well-being.

Zen practitioners should always observe these four immeasurable minds, for they are four excellent virtues conducive to noble living. They banish selfishness and disharmony and promote altruism with other beings, unity in the family, and good brotherhood in communities. In meditation practice, they are four minds of deliverance, for through them we can recognize the good of others. Therefore, the four immeasurable minds can also be considered as excellent subjects of meditation, through them practitioners can develop more sublime states. By cultivating these noble virtues, practitioners can maintain a calm and pure mind. The Zen method of self-analysis, self-reflection, and self-discovery should never be taken to imply that we are to shut ourselves off from communion with our fellow men. To follow the way of Zen is not to become isolated in a cage or cell, but to become free and open in our relations with our fellow beings. The search for self-realization always has its counterpart the development of a new way of relating to others, a way imbued with compassion, love and sympathy with all that live.

Kindness, benevolence, one of the principal Buddhist virtues. Maitri is a benevolence toward all beings that is free from attachment. Maitri can be devloped gradually through meditation, first toward persons who are close to us, then to others, and at last to those who are indifferent and ill-disposed to us, for the mind of loving-kindness is the wish for the welfare and happiness of all beings. In the Dhammapada Sutta, the Buddha taught: “Hatred does not cease by hatred, hatred ceases only by love.” In fact, compassion and loving-kindness are the utmost importance for human beings, for despite our strivings towards self-sufficiency, it remains a fact that people need one another. No man is an island at all. An island can exist alone in the sea, but a man cannot live alone. We need each other, and we must come to regard one another as friends and helpers whom we can look toward for mutual support. All men, as the doctrine of rebirth implies, are really brothers to each other, literally members of the big family, for in the repeated round of rebirth there is not one man or woman who has not at some time in the past been our father or mother, our sister or brother. Therefore we must learn to love each other, to respect each other, to protect each other, and to give to the other what we would have for ourselves. To practice Zen is to train ourself to eliminate hatred, anger, and selfishness and to develop loving-kindness toward all. We have our physical bodies and our own lives, but still we can live in harmony with each other and help each other to the best of our ability. In Buddhism, loving kindness is the greatest love toward all sentient beings. Immeasurable loving kindness is the greatest love dedicated to all sentient beings, together with the desire to bring them joy and happiness. Zen practitioners should be on permanent guard against the so-called ‘carnal love disguised as loving-kindness’, it is only one of the human joys. Human joy is totally impermanent; it is governed by misery, that is, when our passions such as greed, anger, and ignorance are satisfied, we feel pleased; but when they are not satisfied, we feel sad. To have a permanent joy, we must first sever all sufferings. Loving kindness generally goes together with pity whose role is to help the subjects sever his sufferings, while the role of loving kindness is to save sentient beings from sufferings and to bring them joy. However, loving-kindness is not an inborn characterictic. If we really want to develop our loving-kindness, we have to devote more time to practice. Sitting in meditation alone cannot bring us the so-called “loving-kindness.” In order to achieve the loving-kindness, we must put loving-kindness in actions in our daily life. In our daily activities, we must develop empathy and closeness to others by reflecting on their sufferings. For example, when we know someone suffering, we should try our best to console them by kind words or to help them with our worldly possessions if needed. To respond to immeasurable human sufferings, we should have immeasurable loving kindness. To accomplish the heart of immeasurable loving kindness, Zen practitioners have developed their immeasurable loving kindness by using all means to save mankind. They act so according to two factors, specific case and specific time. Specific case, like the physician who gives a prescription according to the specific disease, the Bodhisattva shows us how to put an end to our sufferings. Specific time means the teachings must always be relevant to the era, period and situation of the sufferers and their needs. The Contemplation of the Mind Sutra teaches that we must avoid four opportune cases: What we say is not at the right place, what we say is not in the right time, what we say is not relevant to the spiritual level of the subject, and what we say is not the right Buddhist Dharma. Meditation on the “Loving-kindness” is cultivating to attain a mind that bestows joy or happiness. Immeasurable Love, a mind of great kindness, or infinite loving-kindness. Boundless kindness (tenderness), or bestowing of joy or happiness. Here, a Zen practitioner, with a heart filled with loving-kindness. Thus he stays, spreading the thought of loving-kindness above, below, and across, everywhere, always with a heart filled with loving-kindness, abundant, magnified, unbounded, without hatred or ill-will. The loving-kindness is also the wish for the welfare and happiness of all living beings. It helps to eliminate ill-will. The powers of Loving-kindness is the Temporal Happiness and the Energy for Meditation Practices. Love has the power of bestowing temporal happiness upon us in this lifetime. Without love, people in this world will encounter a lot of problems (anger, hatred, jealousy, envy, arrogance, etc). A Buddhist should develop love for all sentient beings and to cherish others more than oneself. Love should be given equally to everyone including relatives or strangers, friends or foes, given without any conditions, without self-interests or attachment.

Immeasurable Compassion means sympathy, or pity (compassion) for another in distress and desire to help him or to deliver others from suffering out of pity. The compassion is selfless, non-egoistic and based on the principle of universal equality. ‘Karuna’ means pity or compassion. In Pali and Sanskrit, ‘Karuna’ is defined as ‘the quality which makes the heart of the good man tremble and quiver at the distress of others.’ The quality that rouses tender feelings in the good man at the sight of others’ suffering. Cruelty, violence is the direct enemy of ‘karuna’. Though the latter may appear in the guise of a friend, it is not true ‘karuna’, but falsely sympathy; such sympathy is deceitful and one must try to distinguish true from false compassion. The compassionate man who refrains from harming and oppressing others and endeavors to relieve them of their distress, gives the gift of security to one and all, making no distinction whatsoever. To be kind does not mean to be passive. “Karuna” in Buddhism means compassionate, and compassionate does not mean to allow others to walk all over you, to allow yourself to be destroyed. We must be kind to everybody, but we have to protect ourselves and protect others. If we need to lock someone up because he is dangerous, then we have to do that. But we have to do it with compassion. Our motivation is to prevent that person from continuing his course of destruction and from feeding his anger. For Zen practitioners, Compassion can help refraining from pride and selfishness. Immeasurable Compassion, a mind of great pity, or infinite compassion. Boundless pity, to save from suffering. Here a Zen practitioner, with a heart filled with compassion. Thus he stays, spreading the thought of compassion, above, below, across, everywhere, always with a heart filled with compassion, abundant, magnified, unbounded, without hatred or ill-will. Compassion also makes the heart quiver when other are subject to suffering. It is the wish to remove the suffering of others, and it is opposed to cruelty. Once we have fully developed compassion, our mind will be full with altruistic thoughts, and we automatically pledge to devote ourselves to freeing others from the the suffering. In addition, compassion also enables us to refrain from pride and selfishness. Compassion means wishing others be freed from problems and pain that they have undergone or are undergoing. Compassion is different from pity and other conscending attitudes. Compassion recognizes ourselves and others as equal in terms of wanting happiness and wanting to be free from misery, and enables us to help them with as much ease as we now help ourselves. “Active Compassion,” one of the most important and the outstanding quality of all buddhas and bodhisattvas; it is also the motivation behind their pursuit of awakening. Compassion extends itself without distinction to all sentient beings. “Karuna” refers to an attitude of active concern for the sufferings of other sentient bengs. Practitioners must cultivate or increase compassion via wisdom (prajna). In Theravada, it is one of the four “immeasurables.” It involves developing a feeling of sympathy for countless sentient beings. According to the Mahayana Buddhism, compassion itself is insuffient, and it is said to be inferior to the “great compassion” of Bodhisattvas, which extends to all sentient beings, and this must be accompanied by wisdom to approach enlightenment. Thus, practitioners must train both “karuna” and “prajna,” with each balancing and enhancing the other. Karuna or compassion is one of the most important entrances to the great enlightenment; for with it, we do not kill or harm living beings.

Compassion means wishing others be freed from problems and pain that they have undergone or are undergoing. Compassion is different from pity and other conscending attitudes. Compassion recognizes ourselves and others as equal in terms of wanting happiness and wanting to be free from misery, and enables us to help them with as much ease as we now help ourselves. Immeasurable Compassion, a mind of great pity, or infinite compassion. Here a monk, with a heart filled with compassion. Thus he stays, spreading the thought of compassion, above, below, across, everywhere, always with a heart filled with compassion, abundant, magnified, unbounded, without hatred or ill-will. Compassion also makes the heart quiver when other are subject to suffering. It is the wish to remove the suffering of others, and it is opposed to cruelty. Bodhisattvas’ compassion is inconceivable. Bodhisattvas are enlightenment-beings, Buddhas-to-be, however, they vow to continue stay in this world for a long period of time. Why? For the good of others, because they want to become capable of pulling others out of this great flood of sufferings and afflictions. But what personal benefit do they find in the benefit of others? To Bodhisattvas, the benefit of others is their own benefit, because they desire it that way. However, in saying so, who could believe that? It is true that some people devoid of pity and think only of themselves, find it hard to believe in the altruism of the Bodhisattvas. But compassionate people do so easily. Do we not see that certain people, confirmed in the absence of pity, find pleasure in the suffering of others, even when it is not useful to them? And we must admit that the Bodhisattvas, confirmed in pity, find pleasure in doing good to others without any egoistic preoccupation. Do we not see that certain, ignorant of the true nature of the conditioned Dharmas which constitute their so-called “Self”, attach themselves to these dharmas, as a result, they suffer pains and afflictions because of this attachment. While we must admit that the Bodhisattvas, detach themselves from the conditioned Dharmas, no longer consider these Dharmas as “I” or “Mine”, growing in pitying solicitude for others, and are ready to suffer pains for this solitude? Compassion is surely not a flabby state of mind. It is a strong enduring thing. When a person is in distress, it is truly compassionate man’s heart that trembles. This, however, is not sadness; it is this quacking of the heart that spurs him to action and incites him to rescue the distressed. And this needs strength of mind, much tolerance and equanimity. So, it is totally wrong to come to a hurry conclusion that compassion to be an expression of feebleness, because it has the quality of tenderness. The Buddhist conception of “Karuna” has no compromising limitations. All beings include even the tiniest creature that crawls at our feet. The Buddhist view of life is such that no living being is considered as outside the circle of “Metta and Karuna” which make no distinction between man, animal and insect, or between man and man, as, high and low, rich and poor, strong and weak, wise and unwise, dark and fair, Brahmin and Candala, and so forth; for “Metta and Karuna” are boundless and no sooner do we try to keep men apart on the false basis mentioned above, than the feeling of separateness creeps in and these boundless qualities become limited which is contrary to the teaching of the Buddha. We must be careful not to confuse compassion with morbid manifestations of sadness, with feelings of mental pain and with sentimentality. At the loss of a dear one, man weeps, but that is not compassion. If we analyze such feelings carefully we will conclude that they are outward manifestations of our inner thoughts of self affection. Why do we feel sad? Because our loved one has passed away. He who was our kin is now no more. We feel that we have lost the happiness and all else that we derived from him and so we are sad. Do we not see that all these feelings revolve round the ‘I’ and ‘Mine’? Whether we like it or not, self interest was responsible for it all. Can we call this ‘karuna’, pity or compassion? Why do we not feel equally sad when others who are not our kin pass away before our eyes? Because we were not familiar with them, they were not ours, we have not lost anything and are not denied the pleasures and comforts we already enjoy.

According to Most Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh in “Anger,” understanding and compassion are very powerful sources of energy. They are the opposite of stupidity and passivity. If you think that compassion is passive, weak, or cowardly, then you don’t know what real understanding or compassion is. If you think that compassionate people do not resist and challenge injustice, you are wrong. They are warriors, heroes, and heroines who have gained many victories. When you act with compassion, with non-violence, when you act on the basis of non-duality, you have to be very strong. You no longer act out of anger, you do not punish or blame. Compassion grows constantly inside of you, and you can succeed in your fight against injustice. Being compassion doesn’t mean suffering unnecessarily or losing your common sense. Suppose you are leading a group of people doing walking meditation, moving slowly and beautifully. The walking meditation generates a lot of energy; it embraces everyone with calm, solidity, and peace. But suddenly it begins to rain. Would you continue to walk slowly, letting yourself and everyone else get soaked? That’s not intelligent. If you are a good leader of the walking meditation, you will break into a jogging meditation. You still maintain the joy of the walking meditation. You can laugh and smile, and thus you prove that the practice is not stupid. You can also be mindful while running and avoid getting soaked. We have to practice in an intelligent way. Meditation is not a stupid act. Meditation is not just blindly following whatever the person next to you does. To meditate you have to be skillful and make good use of your intelligence. Zen practitioners should always remember that human beings are not our enemy. Our enemy is not the other person. Our enemy is the violence, ignorance, and injustice in us and in the other person. When we are armed with compassion and understanding, we fight not against other people, but against the tendency to invade, to dominate, and to exploit. We don’t want to kill others, but we will not let them dominate and exploit us or other people. We have to protect ourselves. We are not stupid. We are very intelligent, and we have insight. Being compassionate does not mean allowing other people to do violence to themselves or to us. Being compassionate means being intelligent. Non-violent action that springs from love can only be intelligent action. When we talk about compassion, altruism and about others’ well-being, we should not misunderstand that this means totally rejecting our own self-interest. Compassion and altruism is a result of a very strong state of mind, so strong that that person is capable of challenging the self-cherishing that loves only the self generation after generation. Compassion and altruism or working for the sake of others is one of the most important entrances to the great enlightenment; for with it, we do not blame others.

Immeasurable Joy, a mind of great joy, or infinite joy. Boundless joy (gladness), on seeing others rescued from suffering. Here a cultivator, with a heart filled with sympathetic joy. Thus he stays, spreading the thought of sympathetic joy above, below, across, everywhere, always with a heart filled with sympathetic joy, abundant, magnified, unbounded, without hatred or ill-will. Appreciative joy is the quality of rejoicing at the success and prosperity of others. It is the congratulatory attitude, and helps to eliminate envy and discontent over the succes of others. Immeasurable inner joy also means to rejoyce in all good, to rejoice in the welfare of others, or to do that which one enjoys, or to follow one’s inclination. This is the fifth of the ten conducts and vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Rejoice at others’ merits and virtues means from the time of our initial resolve for all wisdom, we should diligently cultivate accumulation of blessings without regard for their bodies and lives, cultivate all the difficult ascetic practices and perfect the gates of various paramitas, enter bodhisattva grounds of wisdom and accomplish the unsurpassed Bodhi of all Buddhas. We should completely follow along with and rejoice in all of their good roots (big as well as small merits). Through meditation and study of the vicissitudes of life, practitioners can cultivate this sublime virtue of appreciating others’ happiness, welfare and progress. As a matter of fact, when we can rejoice with the joy of others, our minds get purified, serene and noble.

One of the chief Buddhist virtues, that of renunciation, leading to a state of indifference without pleasure or pain, or independence of both. It is defined as the mind in equilibrium, i.e. above the distinction of things or persons, of self or others; indifferent, having abandoned the world and all things, and having no affections or desirs. Upeksa is one of the seven Bodhyangas. The Buddha taught: “If one wishes to penetrate into the profound realm of liberation of the Maha-Bodhisattvas, Buddhists must first be able to let go of all of the five desires of ordinary people.” According to the Vimalakirti Sutra, when Manjusri Bodhisattva called on to enquire after Upasaka Vimalakirti’s health, Manjusri asked Vimalakirti about “Upeksa”. Manjusri asked Vimalakirit: “What should be relinquish (upeksa) of a Bodhisattva?” Vimalakirti replied: “In his work of salvation, a Bodhisattva should expect nothing (i.e. no gratitude or reward) in return.” Detachment is the attitude of those who give up, forget, do not attach any importance for what they have done for the benefit of others. In general, we feel proud, self-aggrandized when we do something to help other people. Quarrels, conflicts, or clashes between men or groups of men are due to passions such as greed or anger whose source can be appraised as self-attachment or dharma-attachment. The Buddha taught that if there is someone who misjudges us, we must feel pity for him; we must forgive him in order to have peace in our mind. The Bodhisattvas have totally liberated themselves from both self-attachment and dharma-attachment. When people enjoy material or spiritual pleasures, the Bodhisattvas also rejoice, from their sense of compassion, pity, and inner joy. They always consider human beings as their benefactors who have created the opportunities for them to practice the Four Immeasurable Minds on their way to Enlightenment. In terms of the Immeasurable Detachment, the Bodhisattvas consider all men equal, the clever as the stupid, themselves as others, they do everything as they have done nothing, say everything as they have said nothing, attain all spiritual levels as they have attained nothing. Immeasurable Equanimity, a mind of great detachment, or infinite equanimity. Limitless indifference, such as rising above all emotions, or giving up all things. Here a practitioner, with a heart filled with equanimity. Thus he stays, spreading the thought of equanimity above, below, across, everywhere, always with a heart filled with equanimity, abundant, magnified, unbounded, without hatred or ill-will. Equanimity is also considered as a divine abode. It is the state of mind that regards others with impartiality, free from attachment and aversion. An impartial attitude is its chief characteristic, and it is opposed to favouritism and resentment. Mind of Equanimity helps Zen practitioners to put aside two extremes of attachment and resentment. Through the mind of equnimity, Zen practitioners always follow the Middole Path, neither attached to the pleasant nor repelled by hte unpleasant. Also through the mind of equanimity, Zen practitioners’ mind can remain balanced without any temper, depression or anxiety. Equanimity plays a tremendous role for both in practice and in everyday life. Generally we get either swept away by pleasant and enticing objects, or worked up into a great state of agitation when confronted by unpleasant, undesirable objects. These hindrances are common among ordinary people. When we lack the ability to stay balanced and unfaltering, we are easily swept into extremes of craving or aversion. According to Zen Master U. Pandita in “In This Very Life”, there are five ways to develop Equanimity: Balanced emotion toward all living beings. The first and foremost is to have an equanimity attitude toward all living beings. These are your loved ones, including animals. We can have a lot of attachment and desire associated with people we love, and also with our pets. To prepare the ground for equnimity to arise, we should try to cultivate an attitude of nonattachment and equnimity toward the people and animals we love. As worldly people, it may be necessary to have a certain amount of attachment in relationships, but excessive attachments is destructive to us as well as to loved ones. Balanced emotion toward inanimate things. To prepare the ground for equnimity to arise, we should also try to adopt an attitude of balance toward inanimate things, such as property, clothing. All of them will decay and perish because everything in this world must be subject to the law of impermanence. Avoiding people who are so attached to people and things. These people have a deep possessiveness, clinging to what they think belongs to them, both people and things. Some people find it is difficult to see another person enjoying or using their property. Choosing friends who do not have many attachments or possessions. Inclining the mind toward the state of equnimity. When the mind is focusing in the development of equnimity, it will not have time to wander off to thoughts of worldly business any more.

120. What Do We Renounce?

Renunciation in Buddhism means to renounce the worldly world. Basically, renunciation is the recognition that all existence is permeated by suffering. When you realize this, it leads to what we might call a turning point. That is to say, the realization that all of common life is permeated by suffering causes us to look for something more or something different, something which is absent of sufferings and afflictions. For the Buddha, after realizing all nature of life and human suffering in life; all living beings kill one another to survive, and that is a great source of suffering, Crown Prince Siddhattha stopped enjoying worldly pleasures. Furthermore, he himself saw an old man, a sick man, and a corpse, that led him to ponder why it was. he also felt unsettled by these sights. Clearly, he himself was not immune to these conditions, but was subject to the inevitable succession of old age, sickness and death. Thus He thought of leaving the world in search of truth and peace. In the silence of that moonlit and breezy night (it was the full-moon day of July) such thoughts as these arose in him “Youth, the prime of life ends in old age and man’s senses fail him at a time when they are most deeded. The health is weakened when diseases suddenly creeps in. Finally death comes, sudden perhaps and unexpected, and puts an end to this brief span of life. Surely there must be an escape from this unsatisfactoriness, from aging and death.” Then, at the age of twenty-nine, in the flower of youthful manhood, on the day Princess Yasodara had given birth to Rahula, Prince Siddhartha Gotama, discarding and disdaining the enchantment of the royal life, scorning and spurning joys that most young people yearn for, the prince renounced wife and child, and a crown that held the promise of power and glory. He cut off his long locks of hair with his sword, doffed his royal robes, and putting on a hermit’s robe retreated into forest solitude to seek solution to those problems of life that so deeply stirred his mind. He became a penniless wandering ascetic to struggle for enlightenment. First He sought guidance from two famous sages at the time, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta, hoping that they, being famous masters of meditation, would teach him all they know, leading him to the heigths of concentrative thought. He practiced concentration and reached the highest meditative attainments, but was not satisfied with anything less than a Supreme Enlightenment. These teachers’ range of knowledge and experience, however, was insufficient to grant him what he so earnestly sought. Though both sages asked him to stay to teach their followers, he declined and left. He continued to practice many penances and underwent much suffering. He practiced many forms of severe austerity. However, he got no hope after six years of torturing his body so much that it was reduced to almost a skeleton. He changed his method as his penances proved useless. He gave up extremes and adopted the Middle Path and became a Buddha at the age of 35. It is extremely important to remember that renunciation in Buddhism is never caused by despair in the ordinary course of life. As for the Buddha, he enjoyed the greatest possible happiness and privilege known in his day; however, he recognized the suffering inherent in sentient existence, and realized that, no matter how much we may indulge ourselves in pleasures of the sense, eventually we must face the realities of old age, sickness, and death. In short, renunciation in Buddhism means to renounce the worldly pleasures (which will eventually cause sufferings and afflictions) to seek the truth of life which is absent of greed, anger and ignorance, so that we can obtain a life of eternal happiness.