Scott Ogata – Page 3 – Dharma As Water

Ch03-ep0639

Posted on January 7, 2025January 7, 2025 by Scott Ogata

Episode 639 – Trapped by Nihilism and Eternalism

>> “The view of nihilism is insisting that the end of life is eternal and that there is no rebirth. Thus there is no fear of cause and effect. The view of eternalism is insisting that one can abide permanently in this and future lives and that there will never be an end. These are heretical and extreme views.”

>> “Vicious beasts and poisonous creatures were hiding and scurrying inside holes and dens, and the pisaca demons was living inside as well. Because their blessings were meager, they were hard-pressed by the fire.”

>> “They cruelly harmed and killed each other, drinking blood and eating flesh. The jackal and his ilk had already died. All the large vicious beasts contended for food to eat. The stinking smoke permeated all four directions.”

>> They cruelly harmed and killed each other, drinking blood and eating flesh: Sentient beings’ acute and chronic afflictions cause them to each cling to different things, resulting in mutual struggles and disputes. Thus they cruelly harm and kill each other.

>> When these views arise in the practice of the path, one cannot give rise to flawless Samadhi and wisdom. Attachment to meditation is likened to creatures who drink blood and eat flesh.

“The view of nihilism is insisting
that the end of life is eternal
and that there is no rebirth.
Thus there is no fear of cause and effect.
The view of eternalism is insisting
that one can abide permanently
in this and future lives
and that there will never be an end.
These are heretical and extreme views.”

Nihilism means that one insists on and is stubbornly attached to the thought that, “As long as it makes me happy, I can do whatever I want. Is there really such a thing as a future life? I refuse to believe in future lives. I will enjoy this life as much as possible and do whatever I want. I’m not afraid of facing any consequences or what may happen in future lives.” This is the view of nihilism; these people do not believe in the law of karma.

People with the view of eternalism are similar. They insist that, “Even if I do not properly engage in spiritual practice in this life, it does not matter because I will be born human again in my next life. I will have another chance next life.” People with this view believe that humans will always retain human form and that cows, sheep, dogs and pigs will always be reborn as cows, sheep, dogs and pigs. They are attached to this perspective of permanence. They firmly hold on to this perspective, so they cannot be guided onto the right course. This is eternalism. Nihilism and eternalism are the two extremes of deviant views.

We should believe in the karmic law of cause and effect. We cannot practice assuming that everything is everlasting and unceasing or that everything will end and cease forever. Neither of those views is correct. They are the extreme views of heretical teachings.

Practitioners of other religious teachings may feel it is not good to desire material things, so they hope to be able to eliminate their desires for material things, sensual pleasures etc. This is why they practice to reach the form realm. In the form realm there are 16 heavens. In these 16 heavens there are still psychological and spiritual desires. There are religious teachings that say [the form realm] is still not a pure state and that to cultivate a higher state of purity, people must practice to reach the formless realm,

where there is no physical substance, nor afflictions from discursive thoughts. But when they cultivate this meditative state and have reached that pinnacle, they still have traces of desire. What kind of desire? A kind of presumptuous desire for that unimaginable state of neither thought nor absence of thought. Thus, the arrogance inside of them is something they are still unable to entirely eliminate.

They still have afflictions from being self-centered and arrogant. Sometimes, with the meditative states that these heretical practitioners are cultivating, once they deviate, they may end up like people we often hear about, acting as if they were possessed. Those practices can be hazardous, so we normal people should not try them.

I remember when I was still quite young, before I became a monastic, there was a family in my hometown who kept a strict vegetarian diet. It turned out their practice was slightly deviant. The head of that family was the leader of a religious sect. One day, he suddenly jumped out of a window on an upper floor. Not surprisingly, he died from the impact. His family said, “He was engaged in spiritual practice and said that he saw a ladder to heaven. He heard someone call to him, ‘Come here! The ladder is right in front of you.’ Then he said, ‘I’m going to heaven The ladder to heaven is right here.'” Then he stepped out of the window. It was as if he was possessed.

Later it became known that he constantly saw and heard things. He had [imaginary] conversations in languages that no one understood. Nevertheless, many people believed his teachings, so they made him the leader of this sect. This is what we mean by possession. This is very frightening.

As Buddhist practitioners, we are learning the true path. What is the true path? Living a practical life. How do we choose a course in life? We need one that takes us in the correct direction. We need a path, a road that we can walk, one that teaches us kind and reasonable ways to interact with people and matters. When our interactions with others are harmonious, and we can deal with matters harmoniously, we are in complete harmony with the principles.

The Buddha put His heart into teaching us. The principles that He taught us were about more than how to be good people. Because we may not have understood them clearly or because we may lack a sense of vigilance, the Buddha used all kinds of analogies to help us understand and accept the teachings so that we can put them into practice. This is what the Buddha taught humans.

As we study the Lotus Sutra, we can see how meticulous the editors were. With the important teachings, aside from using prose sections to help us to understand, out of fear that we might be inattentive and miss out on these spiritual principles, the editors repeated them. There is much repetition in the sutras; this includes the many analogies for people, matters and objects that refer to animals, ghosts and spirits. The Buddha, in His compassion, used various things that exist in the Three Realms as analogies to teach us. So, as we learn the Dharma, we must be patient, meticulous and mindful and carefully contemplate our daily living. Do these animals’ ways of living resemble the mindset we have when we give rise to discursive thoughts? We must constantly remind ourselves to be vigilant of this.

The previous sutra passage states,

“Vicious beasts and poisonous creatures were hiding and scurrying inside holes and dens, and the pisaca demons was living inside as well. Because their blessings were meager, they were hard-pressed by the fire.”

This passage tells us about vicious beasts and poisonous creatures that hide and scurry inside holes and dens; they are everywhere. These tangible things can be turned into delusions inside our minds; we endlessly conceal ignorance and delusions inside our minds. “The pisaca demons” were living inside as well. In our minds, when doubts arise, they cause trouble and so on because we do not have deep faith in the karmic law of cause and effect and do not have the roots of goodness for accepting the Right Dharma. These kinds of vicious beasts and poisonous creatures fill our minds. These afflictions, doubts and delusions naturally lead us to create much karma because they drive our actions.

The following sutra passage states,

“They cruelly harmed and killed each other, drinking blood and eating flesh. The jackal and his ilk had already died. All the large vicious beasts contended for food to eat. The stinking smoke permeated all four directions.”

Theses analogies of vicious beasts and poisonous creatures are still referring to things in our minds. These will incite us to hurt one another.

During the Buddha’s lifetime, there was a time when. He was engaged in spiritual practice at the abode in City of the House of Kings. There was a group of very diligent bhiksus there. This is just like Tzu Chi volunteers now, who are diligently listening to the Dharma. After listening, they discuss those teachings with one another. That is the same as how, during the Buddha’s lifetime, this group of diligent bhiksus earnestly learned from one another.

In the Buddha’s Sangha, there was also “the band of six bhiksus.” This group of bhiksus was not very diligent. They were unwilling to be diligent, to listen, to abide by the Dharma or to follow the rules. This small number of bhiksus watched as everyone else advanced diligently. In their hearts they felt, “If you want us to do that, we won’t be able to, but if everyone else is advancing diligently, we will fall far behind the others.” So, this group of bhiksus said, “Let us think of a way to keep the others from advancing so diligently.”

To achieve this, [they spread rumors]. They said things like, “I can see that you are advancing very diligently and that you treat the others so well, but such-and-such bhiksu is saying all sorts of things about you. I cannot stand by and allow this to continue, so I wanted to tell you what is happening.” The bhiksu they spoke to began to wonder, “How can this be? Why would he slander me like this? This makes me very upset.”

Then the “the band of six bhiksus” would go to the other diligent bhiksu and say, “Have you heard? Such-and-such bhiksu is very prejudiced against you. I have heard him criticize you behind your back. When I heard this I felt outrage on your behalf, so I hurriedly came to tell you this.” When that bhiksu heard this, he too was very angry. In this way, a sense of discord spread through the Sangha. When the bhiksus encountered each other, they stopped greeting one another and stopped talking to one another. It was as if they had become strangers. When the entire Sangha began to behave like this, the atmosphere of spiritual refinement disappeared.

When a group of elders returned from a trip away, they saw what had happened to the Sangha which had once been very diligent. How did this come to be? In trying to understand the situation, they realized that someone had sown discord, so the elders counseled all of the monastics, “You can speak directly to the other person and ask them why they are angry with you.”

So, one of the bhiksus went and asked, “What is it that I have done wrong, so that now when you see me, it is as if we are strangers? What is the reason for this?” The other bhiksu then replied, “I also want to know why it is that you treat me so poorly. You are constantly criticizing me after I have always treated you so well. What have I done to you that makes you criticize me all the time?” The first bhiksu asked, “Who told you that?” The second replied, “Bhiksu such-and-such, one of the band of six bhiksus told me so.” Thus they realized that all of this trouble had been stirred up by these six bhiksus. When the elder learned about this, he called the diligent bhiksus over and said, “See, this is because you have not clearly understood the principles. Your afflictions and ignorance are still giving rise to delusions and doubts. Since you have this mindset, a problem in your mind that you cannot resolve, you must quickly consult the Buddha.”

The Buddha turned to the band of six bhiksus and asked, “Why were you slandering people in this Sangha by spreading false and negative things?” The band of six bhiksus admitted that. “We are unable to advance diligently, so we will never be as good as the others. In order to prevent the others bhiksus from advancing so diligently, we spread these rumors among them.” The Buddha said, “This is also a teaching. Causing discord with gossip is a severe mistake. It is a transgression.”

The Buddha then gave an analogy, saying, “In the past there was a tiger, a lion, and a jackal.” As for the tiger and the lion, the tiger’s name was Good Fang, and the lion’s name was Good Gnawer. These two were very close. When it was time to look for food, they often would go out together. Meanwhile, the jackal followed behind them, so when looking for prey, there was already nothing left for him to eat. He thought, “If only I could separate them, if I could split up the tiger and the lion so that each would seek food on their own, then perhaps I would have a better chance.”

Thus the jackal went to the tiger and said, “I can see that you are very brave and powerful, but the lion said that he looks down on you!” When the tiger heard this he was very angry. Then [the jackal] went to the lion and said, “I see that you have a magnificent appearance, but the tiger thinks that you are a very filthy creature, so he looks down on you.” When the lion heard this, he too was quite angry. When they saw each other, the tiger wondered, “Does he really think that? Though I am quite angry, the lion also seems to be avoiding me. I wonder what is going on? I am angry, and he has distanced himself from me. There must be a reason for this.”

So, one day he approached the lion and asked him, “Why have you recently become so distant from me?” The lion then replied, “Because you said that I was unclean, I did not want to come close to you. Who told you this? The jackal. Really? It was also the jackal who told me that you looked down on me! This is a problem created by the jackal.” You see, what happened to these animals can also happens to humans, even spiritual practitioners in the Sangha.

Look at society today. We can see that the same is happening now. People who lack understanding will blindly act on what they hear. They react rashly and end up opposing each other. Think about it; just what is the purpose of doing this? It disrupts their minds, wastes their time and harms their body. How does this actually benefit them in the end? True happiness in life lies in each of us fulfilling our responsibilities. By being earnest and diligent, we can give of ourselves to benefit the world. This is truly a principle of life.

As we discuss this part of the sutra and look at society today, don’t we see people who “cruelly harm and kill each other”? It is as if they were “drinking blood and eating flesh.” Some people cause others to fight and harm one another so that afterwards they can take what they want, can seize whatever is left. After the other animals have attacked and killed each other, the one who incited it will get what meat is left. Isn’t this the same principle? This is what some animals are like. Aren’t some humans just the same? “Sentient beings’ acute and chronic afflictions cause them to each cling to different things.”

They cruelly harmed and killed each other, drinking blood and eating flesh: Sentient beings’ acute and chronic afflictions cause them to each cling to different things, resulting in mutual struggles and disputes. Thus they cruelly harm and kill each other.

There are five acute afflictions and five chronic afflictions. Everyone remembers these, right? The greed, anger and ignorance in our minds, along with our external behavior and methods of spiritual cultivation, when combined together, lead us to create so much negative karma!

Indeed, when each of us takes action, we each have different objectives. You have your objective and I have mine. Our objectives are different, so when we come together we fight and try to take advantage of each other. Some take advantage of this ignorance to incite people to fight each other. Such are the origins of people’s conflicts with each other. This is frightening! A world like this is lamentable and frightening because of the harm that humans cause each other.

So, “when these views arise in the practice of the path” means that as we engage in spiritual cultivation, we may form various different perspectives.

When these views arise in the practice of the path, one cannot give rise to flawless Samadhi and wisdom. Attachment to meditation is likened to creatures who drink blood and eat flesh.

A spiritual practice center needs people’s minds to be peaceful and stable. Society as a whole has an even greater need for its citizens’ minds to be settled. If we are walking the path together but develop [deviant] perspectives, we will be unable to give rise to flawless Samadhi and wisdom. Because there are afflictions in our minds, there are Leaks, so how can the precepts, Samadhi and wisdom remain in our minds? That would not be possible.

“Attachment to meditation….” There are some spiritual practitioners who crave the meditative state. If we single-mindedly crave a higher state, a state of neither thought nor absence of thought, then our minds will be filled with afflictions. How can our minds be completely devoid of desire or devoid of form? That is not possible. How can we ever reach the formless realm? Therefore, in learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must engage in spiritual practice practically. We must have both feet on the ground, then place one foot in front of the other. As we step forward we must lift our back foot and move in the correct direction. This is the most steady way to practice. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch03-ep0638

Posted on January 7, 2025January 7, 2025 by Scott Ogata

Wisdom at Dawn

Chapter 3

Episode 638 – Defeat the Five Views and Turn to the Right Path

>> “Ordinary people have afflictions and turbid minds. With the combined attack of the Five Views, they do not seek the right path. They do not know how to escape, and so they abide constantly in the Three Realms. Thus, the fire in the desire realm is a metaphor for their willingness to suffer cyclic existence.”

>> “With ghosts and spirits crying out loud in raised voices, eagles, vultures and all kinds of birds, kumbhanda and the like, the obstacles all around were terrifying. They could not escape by themselves.”

>> “Vicious beasts and poisonous creatures were hiding and scurrying inside holes and dens, and the pisaca demons were living inside as well. Because their blessings were meager, they were hard-pressed by the fire.”

>> The vicious beasts and poisonous creatures were hiding inside holes and dens: This refers to the process of accumulation. All good and evil phenomena can gather, and with the process of accumulation, this is called hiding. They go into hiding by concealing themselves inside holes or dens. Thus it says they were hiding inside holes and dens.

>> The pisaca demons were living inside as well: The pisaca demons feed on people’s vitality and also suck the vitality of the five grains. Many heretical practitioners renounce the desire realm and through the practice of meditation seek to enter the form and formless realms.

>> Their blessings in this life are meager. Without roots of goodness from previous lives, they experience much suffering and little joy. Because their blessings are meager, they are unable to engage in spiritual practice surrounded by goodness, so they are said to be hard-pressed by the fire.

>> They were hiding inside holes and dens: Though not in the raging fire, they are still vexed by the heat. This is an analogy for the four Dhyana heavens. Though beyond the crude evil of the desire realm, they still [seek] joy, delight and so on, and have subtle sufferings of cravings, thus they are pressed by the fire.

“Ordinary people have afflictions
and turbid minds.
With the combined attack of the Five Views,
they do not seek the right path.
They do not know how to escape,
and so they abide constantly in the Three Realms.
Thus, the fire in the desire realm is a metaphor
for their willingness to suffer cyclic existence.”

Alas, because sentient beings have afflictions, they give rise to turbidity in their minds. When our minds have even the slightest trace of contamination, with one thought arising, afflictions begin to grow and expand, which results in truly unbearable suffering. The five chronic afflictions are greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt. These all fill our minds with afflictions. In addition to these, there are five kinds of acute afflictions, the view of self, extreme view, deviant views, stubborn views and views of deviant precepts. Indeed, when these views affect our thinking, our minds become filled with afflictions, but it is when we physically act on them that these afflictions will have consequences.

When both chronic and acute afflictions, these two sets of five, come together, they combine forces to attack. Once our minds give rise to afflictions, they will incite us to take physical action. Whether in daily living or spiritual practice, whether we are lay practitioners or monastics, these afflictions are always in our unenlightened [minds]. If we want to engage in spiritual practice, we must be very vigilant of them.

If we do not ordinarily learn the Buddha’s teachings, how will we know what the five acute afflictions and the five chronic afflictions are? We will not recognize them. It is because we are learning from the Buddha that we understand what they are. After we have understood, we must earnestly safeguard our minds. “All things are created only by the mind.” Once the mind becomes turbid, afflictions arise. Since we are engaging in spiritual practice, we must let go of everything to develop our pure and selfless capacity to seek the Great Dharma. This comes from our minds. To seek the Great Dharma, we must put the Bodhisattva-path into practice; we must aspire to purify our minds and cultivate the Great Dharma by going among people to put it into practice. If we can achieve all of this, we can purify these five kinds of afflictions and help many sentient beings.

There is a French organization called. Doctors of the World, or Medicins du Monde (MdM). They came to us at the end of 1992 and said that people in Ethiopia were in danger of losing their lives. There was a major crisis. From the material provided in their reports, we learned that Ethiopia had been at war with Somalia for a very long time. These two countries had been in a state of war for many years, so the people suffered from poverty and hardship. Moreover, they had experienced a lengthy drought. So, the Ethiopians suffered from many disasters. MdM hoped that we could work with them to help the Ethiopians.

We could not bear for the Ethiopians to face this tremendous suffering, so we decided to first send people to join MdM in assessing the situation. From the assessment reports, we saw truly unbearable suffering, so we decided to work with them. From January 1993 to January 1996, over a period of three years, we built two medical centers for them. At the same time, we built 15 medical stations and trained 300 medical staff. Over a period of three years, we educated them on sanitation and built 14 water stations in 10 villages because they had no water.

I often say that. Ethiopia made a deep impression on me. This was one of the most difficult international disaster relief projects we have worked on. The process was very arduous. What especially struck me was the extent of their suffering. Every time I talk about Ethiopia, what surfaces in my mind is how difficult their living conditions were, particularly in the area of medicine. They had no means of getting illnesses treated. Such was the situation of those who needed care. We built medical stations for them, and over a period of three years, the French doctors and our doctors took turns going there to treat patients.

One doctor in particular made a deep impression on me. Dr. Lin Jianxi was one of the neurologists in our Internal Medicine Department. At that time, we had just finished constructing one of the medical centers. Immediately after he arrived, someone came in carrying a woman who was in the midst of a difficult labor. She kept bleeding. What equipment could he use to deliver the baby? Moreover, as he was a doctor of Internal Medicine, would he know what to do? He still managed to deliver her baby.

In another case, someone whose foot was cut off was brought to that medical station. What could Dr. Lin do about it? He found a way to reattach the foot. Then he elevated the leg with a stick of bamboo. The bamboo was connected to a rope, which was tied to a basket with some rocks. The other end of the rope was tied to this person’s leg. He rigged this contraption. This picture was deeply imprinted in my head.

What made an even deeper impression on me was [the difficulty of] their water situation. Some women lived over 10km away [from water]. They carried buckets on their heads every day. They would leave their homes early in the morning to collect water from a water hole. The water they scooped up was standing water, which was very filthy. The water would collect in a low-lying area. There, dogs would drink water, and people would scoop water from there, too. When their buckets were 80 percent full, they put them on their heads and went home.

According to what local people told us, a woman would spend an entire day collecting this one bucket of water. By the time they arrived there, it would be noon. They would leave in the morning to arrive at noon. By the time they got back home with the water, it was already dark. They did all of this for one bucket of water. Most people there lived in this way.

I also saw images of a man lying on his stomach next to the water hole, drinking water directly [from the water hole]. Because he braced himself on the ground with his hands, when he stood up, his hands were dirty. So, he spit the water from his mouth to wash them, and that water ended up back in that pool of standing water, so the water was very filthy. The sight of this was very frightening.

I still remember how, at that time many years ago, I said, “My greatest fear is that, if I close my eyes, I may reopen them and find myself in Ethiopia.” In the past, this was something I often said. Clearly the tremendous suffering in those images made a deep impression on me.

But in those three years, as we trained the locals in Ethiopia, we saw people’s lives gradually stabilize and the quality of life improve. Our water stations used plastic pipes to divert water all the way down from water sources high up in the mountains. We saw that now when they collected water, it was just like pouring water from a tap. They were truly very happy.

In Ethiopia, didn’t sentient beings’ sufferings arise from the turbidity of afflictions? The turbidity of afflictions gave rise to the people’s great suffering, with natural disasters added on top. This is the “combined attack of the Five Views.” The afflictions in people’s minds led their bodies to take action, causing widespread chaos so that the population could not sustain their livelihood. This is “the combined attack of the Five Views,” which makes people “not seek the right path.”

As Buddhist practitioners, we must put our hearts into earnestly transforming ourselves and taking the Dharma to heart. The world cannot wait; people’s minds need to be purified. We must promptly share the Dharma we understand with everyone and seize this moment to help guide everyone’s mind onto the right course, onto the Bodhi-path. We must do this right away.

To learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must fulfill our basic responsibilities. Our responsibility is to learn the Buddha-Dharma, and with the Dharma, swiftly dedicate our merits to all beings. This means we must seek the Dharma to transform ourselves and then quickly dedicate ourselves to transforming others. Then we will truly fulfill our basic duties of learning and practicing [the Dharma].

What does it mean to dedicate our merits? It means to absorb the Dharma and then apply it. This is our fundamental duty. This is how we truly dedicate merits and engage in spiritual practice. But we “do not know how to escape.” We do not understand how we can transcend the afflictions in our minds. We “do not know how to escape, so [we] abide constantly in the Three Realms.” So, in our practice, we must first purify our minds. We must give of ourselves for others so that there can be peace in the world and harmony in society. These are things we are able to do right now.

We must not be like that, willing to stay [trapped] within cyclic existence. The fire in the desire realm is scorching us. The afflictions of the Three Realms have been described with many analogies. The sufferings in the human realm alone cannot be described in full. Indeed, worldly matters cause much suffering, so we must seize the moment and fulfill our fundamental duties toward the world.

The previous sutra passage states,

“With ghosts and spirits crying out loud in raised voices, eagles, vultures and all kinds of birds, kumbhanda and the like, the obstacles all around were terrifying. They could not escape by themselves.”

These are all analogies for how, in our minds, our many afflictions are leading us all over the place. Terrified, we cannot manage to escape; thus our minds cannot settle down. Because of these many afflictions, “the obstacles all around are terrifying. [We] cannot escape by [ourselves].” Just thinking about this is exhausting.

Next it states,

“Vicious beasts and poisonous creatures were hiding and scurrying inside holes and dens, and the pisaca demons were living inside as well. Because their blessings were meager, they were hard-pressed by the fire.”

Everyone knows about “vicious beasts and poisonous creatures.” They are “hiding and scurrying inside holes and dens.” This represents being stored up. “Hiding” refers to accumulating and aggregating; it means so much has already been stored up. Good and evil phenomena have gathered here. In the Three Realms, there are both good and evil phenomena. The Buddha came to “open and reveal,” to analyze the different states of mind we have, the different kinds of evil deeds we commit and the kinds of good deeds we should cultivate. So, we must do all good deeds and refrain from all evils.

“Scurrying” refers to fleeing in secret. These creatures may hide in one place or scurry and keep moving around. This is just like how afflictions are stored in our minds. They may be concealed in our minds, but they may still escape and find their way out. So, to “hide and scurry” also means to run away. This is like what happens with creatures that live in “holes and dens.” This is called “hiding inside holes and dens.”

The vicious beasts and poisonous creatures were hiding inside holes and dens: This refers to the process of accumulation. All good and evil phenomena can gather, and with the process of accumulation, this is called hiding. They go into hiding by concealing themselves inside holes or dens. Thus it says they were hiding inside holes and dens.

In addition to this, “The pisaca demons were living inside as well. Pisaca” is a type of demon which feeds on people’s blood and vitality. “Why does this person seem to be in low spirits? It looks as if he is in a daze.” That is because he has this kind of affliction. If people’s minds were free of afflictions, they would not be so listless and in low spirits. They even “suck the vitality of the five grains.” Farmers work hard to cultivate rice. If the crop is suddenly infested with disease or insects, the stalks of rice will wither as if their vitality had been sucked out by the pisaca. When the weather is abnormal and temperatures are extreme, the rice stalks suffer.

This also happens because the karma created by sentient beings has caused an imbalance in the weather. People continue to use external means of suppressing the problem, by using pesticides and so on. These means are even more harmful to the crops. These kinds of problems also represent the afflictions in our minds.

“Many heretical practitioners renounce the desire realm and through the practice of meditation seek to enter the form and formless realms.” Some heretical teachings explain that the desire realm is exhausting, and we will indeed transmigrate. They believe this, so they engage in spiritual practice. They want to cultivate themselves, but they are attached to deviant teachings. So, they say they want to enter. Samadhi in the form and formless realms. Thus, they may easily go astray. Sometimes they slander the Right Dharma, disturb people’s spirits and so on. The pisaca demons are described as doing the same. They disturb people’s spirits so that their spiritual cultivation takes them to a state where they seem to be possessed. This is what happens to them.

The pisaca demons were living inside as well: The pisaca demons feed on people’s vitality and also suck the vitality of the five grains. Many heretical practitioners renounce the desire realm and through the practice of meditation seek to enter the form and formless realms.

“Because their blessings were meager, they were hard-pressed by the fire.” Right now, this world’s “blessings are meager.” We are not creating many blessings, particularly as we are “without roots of goodness from previous lives.” In our previous lives, we did not cultivate roots of goodness, so we experience much suffering and little joy. This is because our blessings are meager. If we are rich in blessings and give without any expectations, we will never use up our spiritual wealth. Some people say, “I am willing to do this,” but they are attached to how much they give. They compare and calculate, so their virtues and blessings are meager. “They are unable to engage in spiritual practice surrounded by goodness.” People like these are “hard-pressed by the fire.”

Their blessings in this life are meager. Without roots of goodness from previous lives, they experience much suffering and little joy. Because their blessings are meager, they are unable to engage in spiritual practice surrounded by goodness, so they are said to be hard-pressed by the fire.

As we live within the Three Realms, many afflictions are still hidden in our minds. Hence, “They were hiding and scurrying inside holes and dens.” Although the fire is not raging, it is hidden inside and burning slowly. Afflictions are stewing in our own minds. We still have these fiery afflictions.

[So, we strive to reach] the four Dhyana heavens, which are free of the crude evils of the desire realm. In the desire realm there are obvious evils, but though they want to practice, these heretical practitioners are only seeking that kind of joy. So, they still have these desires and cravings, and they still feel traces of suffering. This is [what they] practice.

They say they work to reach the four Dhyana heavens, which are in the form realm. Within the four Dhyana heavens, there are still traces of cravings and desires, like seeking Samadhi. In the formless realm, in the state of neither thought nor absence of thought, they are still subtly pressed by a slow fire. Although these are not as obvious as [the afflictions] in the desire realm, there are still subtle desires and cravings.

They were hiding inside holes and dens: Though not in the raging fire, they are still vexed by the heat. This is an analogy for the four Dhyana heavens. Though beyond the crude evil of the desire realm, they still [seek] joy, delight and so on, and have subtle sufferings of cravings, thus they are pressed by the fire.

In summary, as we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must be mindful. We are down to the subtlest afflictions. But if subtle afflictions are not eliminated, the obvious afflictions will arise again. A single spark can start a prairie fire. As long as we have a trace of afflictions in our minds, it may expand into severe and obvious afflictions, like the situation in Ethiopia we just spoke of. We have since been involved in many international [relief missions]. Tzu Chi volunteers promptly manifest their ability to relieve many sentient beings from hardship. There is so much suffering in this world! Therefore, we must be cautious and make use of the Dharma to settle people’s minds so their society and their lives can be peaceful. All this depends on whether each of us is willing to always be mindful.

Ch03-ep0637

Posted on January 7, 2025January 7, 2025 by Scott Ogata

Wisdom at Dawn

Chapter 3

Episode 637 – Deluded Karma Begets Future Existences

>> “Ignorance and deluded karma beget future existences. All phenomena are subject to constant change and thus are impermanent. With delusional thinking, we create karma and deny the law of cause and effect. Such a mindset of ignorance gives rise to thoughts that never abide.”

>> “The ridgepole, beams, rafters and pillars quaked and splintered with explosive sounds. Smashed and splintered, they collapsed, and the walls came tumbling down.”

>> “With ghosts and spirits crying out loud in raised voices, eagles, vultures and all kinds of birds, kumbhandas and the like, the obstacles all around were terrifying. They could not escape by themselves.”

>> This means they do not know that the intrinsic nature of all phenomena is empty, that it abides permanently and is never destroyed. Instead, they give rise to nihilistic views and mistakenly hold that after the body dies there is no rebirth. This is known as nihilism.

>> [With] kumbhandas and the like, the obstacles all around were terrifying. They could not escape by themselves: Such sentient beings have afflictions and impure minds. With the combined attack of the Five Views, they do not seek the practice of the right path.

>> Not knowing the way to escape, they abide constantly in the Three Realms. They willingly suffer cyclic existence; thus it says there are obstacles all around. These earthly matters explained above are an analogy for fires igniting in the desire realm.

“Ignorance and deluded karma
beget future existences.
All phenomena are subject to constant change
and thus are impermanent.
With delusional thinking, we create karma
and deny the law of cause and effect.
Such a mindset of ignorance gives rise to
thoughts that never abide.”

That is right, ignorance. All sentient beings are ignorant. Though we continuously listen to the Dharma, there are still so many external phenomena that cause thoughts to arise and stir in our minds. Then, without our control, our body and mind take action. With our mouths we say things we should not say. With our body we do things we should not do. This is because there is still ignorance in our minds. Ignorance means that we have not taken the Dharma to heart, which is why our minds give rise to delusions and lead us to create karma. When delusions arise and we create karma,

that begets “future existences.” For certain, as are the causes and conditions, so are the effects and retributions. Thus, “future existences” arise as the result of ignorance and deluded karma. So, we endlessly experience the cycle of karmic retribution and are in a state of confusion. Ignorance keeps begetting more ignorance. Through successive lifetimes, suffering has constantly followed us like a shadow. Wherever we go, our shadow follows us.

So, “All phenomena are subject to constant change and thus are impermanent.” We still do not understand the aggregate of action, though we talk about it every day. The Five Aggregates start with the aggregate of form. All the many kinds of things we see are deteriorating without our awareness.

While I am sitting here, because there is an osmanthus flower right here, the fragrance of the flower wafts over me. Yesterday the flower appeared very fresh. When I see the flower today, although it has not been touched, it has already begun to turn yellow. This is an expression of the aggregate of action. This flower is in front of me. From its fragrance, we can identify it as an osmanthus flower. But it will not stay the same forever. From yesterday to today it has already undergone infinitesimal changes.

This is what happens to all phenomena. This principle is something we cannot see. What we cannot see are these principles of life. These principles give this flower the potential to give off this very fragrant smell. This is also a phenomenon. This kind of phenomenon also cannot be seen. However, it exists within this space and time, in the space of this vast universe. This vast universe encompasses all phenomena, but all things with “form” that come into being through the workings of these principles are subject to constant change.

The aggregate of action also contains [the aggregate of] “feeling.” Form leads to feelings, the things we sense and feel. When I smell the refreshing scent of this flower, I feel very happy. When I see that everyone is mindful and diligent, I feel a sense of great ease and peace. At this moment, this is how I feel. But how will I feel in the future? I have no idea.

Feelings arise in us the moment we come in contact with something. After we develop these feelings, our minds begin to churn; we want it and we cannot get it, so we feel very afflicted and uneasy. When afflictions remain in our hearts, we give rise to thoughts and turn them over in our minds. We always keep them on our minds; this is called “perception.” Not getting what we want causes great suffering. With the aggregate of perception, as we connect with various conditions and absorb them into our minds, they cause us to become afflicted, to become lost and deluded and to create karma. So, we start taking action.

In this way, all phenomena are subject to the aggregate of action. With the aggregate of action, or with form, feeling and perception, all things are “thus impermanent”; they will never stay the same. However, we endlessly engage in “delusional thinking [and] create karma.” Delusional thinking leads our imagination to run wild. These delusional thoughts cause us to take action, thus creating karma. Have we taken these principles to heart? “With delusional thinking, we create karma and deny the law of cause and effect.” A momentary thought arises, “I’m attached to this; I really want to have it.” So, we constantly focus on our limited self and forget the law of karma. Thus we cannot experience the True Dharma of the greater self.

“Such a mindset of ignorance gives rise to thoughts that never abide.” Because of our confusion and delusion, we ordinary people have three major problems, greed, anger and ignorance. The source of all of this is ignorance. Ignorance is not understanding principles. Thus, with ignorance, we cannot understand principles, and discursive thoughts arise in our minds. We have greed and desires, and when we cannot satisfy our greed, we become angry. Therefore, our greed and anger arise because of ignorance.

When the Buddha gave teachings, He often taught according to life’s circumstances. Once He told a story from many lifetimes ago. There was a kingdom called Varanasi. There, a group of monkeys lived in the wild. In the wilderness, there was a large tree. Underneath this large tree was a very large well with water in it. At dusk, when the sky slowly became dark, the monkey king was sitting on the branches. When he looked down, he saw the moon in the well, so he quickly told the troop of monkeys, “Everyone, please be attentive. The moon in the sky has died and fallen to the bottom of the well. The moon is at the bottom of the well, so we must quickly leave this place in order to escape the long, dark night.”

All the monkeys asked, “What do we do?” They were all very nervous. “We must leave quickly! How do we leave?” The monkey king said, “I will hold on to this branch, and you will climb down my body and hold on to my tail. Then the next one will climb down and so on.” There were many monkeys, so starting from a high branch, they hung off of each other. The branch could not support all their weight, so the tree branch broke off, and the troop of monkeys all fell down. Where did they fall? They all fell to the bottom of the well.

When the Buddha reached this point of the story, He told the bhiksus, “Bhiksus, you should know; the monkey king of that time is now Devadatta. That troop of monkeys are now the monastics following Devadatta and causing disruptions within the Sangha. Some of them are the ‘evil-natured bhiksus.’ Although they are monastics within the Sangha, they are not focused on being in this community, so they are disturbing this Sangha by not upholding the Dharma I have taught.”

This is following a deviant path. They act on whatever they hear; without discerning whether it is true or false, they just take action. This is the karma that ordinary people create due to their delusion. This will certainly beget “future existences.” The kind of actions we take will determine the kind of the results that come to fruition. This is a law of nature. These kinds of “thoughts that never abide,” these afflicted, ignorant thoughts, are constantly arising one after another, so our minds are constantly trapped in ignorance. Sentient beings’ delusions are unbearable suffering!

So, the previous sutra text states,

“The ridgepole, beams, rafters and pillars quaked and splintered with explosive sounds. Smashed and splintered, they collapsed, and the walls came tumbling down.”

Isn’t this house just like the world? This house has already been deteriorating, and its walls have begun to crumble. The mountains, rivers and the land do this too. The karmic forces created by sentient beings have already caused the Three Realms [to decay]. When the Three Realms are mentioned, we should think about the afflictions inside our minds and our desires. In the desire, form and formless realms, our imaginations run wild, giving rise to many afflictions, and all the karma we create comes together.

So, the following sutra text further states,

“With ghosts and spirits crying out loud in raised voices, eagles, vultures and all kinds of birds, kumbhandas and the like, the obstacles all around were terrifying. They could not escape by themselves.”

“Ghosts and spirits” refer to our mental afflictions. Our mental afflictions will make us say improper things, things that disturb people, or express matters that are improper.

This happens when we do not understand that the intrinsic nature of all things is empty.

All phenomena are empty and still in their nature. The ultimate nature of all phenomena is without form, sound or taste. In this world there are countless kinds of different things, yet they all have their own qualities, ways of life and potential. In this world and this universe, there are phenomena of all forms and appearances and beings born and living in every way.

So, when we talk about a seed, at its core, isn’t there a cause that is contained within that seed? The principles of that cause cannot be seen. The seed is tangible, but the cause is invisible. When the seed is planted in the earth and comes in contact with water, air etc., it will follow these principles to manifest its potential. Thus, the seed is inherently empty. When it is separated from these conditions, when it is alone, there is really nothing for us to see. It quietly sits there, and we cannot see its potential to sprout. So, the intrinsic nature of all phenomena is empty. It is permanent and indestructible. It will always be the same.

However, with our unenlightened preconceptions and afflictions, we “instead give rise to nihilistic views.” Nihilism is a deviant view. When things encounter suitable conditions, their potential will be manifested. So, if we manifest these deviant views, our deviant views and understanding will lead us to break the proper rules of the Dharma. Instead, we will give rise to nihilistic views and “mistakenly hold that after the body dies there is no rebirth.” We will think that after dying in this lifetime, we will never come back again. There are also those who believe in eternalism, that since they are human in this life, even if they do not practice in this lifetime, they can [be human] and practice in the next. This is eternalism. Some people think death is the end, so while they are still around, they do whatever they want and deny the law of karma.

Both eternalism and nihilism are incorrect views. The truth is that all things’ intrinsic nature is empty and still, permanent and indestructible.

This means they do not know that the intrinsic nature of all phenomena is empty, that it abides permanently and is never destroyed. Instead, they give rise to nihilistic views and mistakenly hold that after the body dies there is no rebirth. This is known as nihilism.

We cannot take anything but our karma into our next life. Noble and unenlightened beings are in different states. Noble beings can eliminate all kinds of afflictions. When they come back to this world, they are free of afflictions and will not be contaminated by them. They only bring compassion for sentient beings, as they come to save and transform them. Yet, whenever we unenlightened beings encounter [a challenge], afflictions will fill our minds, and ignorance will arise again. For all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the True Dharma always abides in their minds. Our unenlightened minds fluctuate, so we continue transmigrating in the Six Realms.

For people who believe in “nihilism,” they continue to believe they are correct in their thinking, that, “When this life ends, it is ended forever,” and there is no future existence and no rebirth. This is what they insist is true. They think this is obvious, so they “cry out loud in raised voices.”

Eagles and vultures symbolize chronic afflictions, and kumbhandas stand for acute afflictions. Some people think it is very obvious that when people die, they die and never come back. This is very obvious to them. So, they keep proclaiming this idea loudly. They stubbornly insist their beliefs are correct, that what other people say is incorrect and that only what they say is correct. Thus they are “crying out loud in raised voices.”

Eagles and vultures are the chronic afflictions that are crying loudly wherever they are. The kumbhandas symbolize the acute afflictions. “Eagles, vultures and all kinds of birds” are all analogies. One kind of [analogy] is to what can be seen, and another kind is to what cannot be seen. What can be seen are birds, what cannot are the kumbhanda demons. Whether they are visible or invisible, they are all crying out loud; people remain stubbornly attached to their erroneous teachings. So, “[With] kumbhandas and the like, the obstacles all around were terrifying. They could not escape by themselves.”

[With] kumbhandas and the like, the obstacles all around were terrifying. They could not escape by themselves: Such sentient beings have afflictions and impure minds. With the combined attack of the Five Views, they do not seek the practice of the right path.

In this place, we may be very terrified. We keep calling out, but we do not clearly understand the principles, so we end up leading people down the wrong path. Whether tangible or intangible, these things [represent] afflictions in our minds. In “the combined attack of the Five Views,” the Five Views are the view of self, extreme views, deviant views, stubborn views and the view of deviant precepts. These are the five acute afflictions.

So, what are the five chronic afflictions? Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt. These five afflictions are in our minds. When our body comes in contact with our surroundings, the afflictions in our mind will stir in response, and we will create all kinds of karma that will yield karmic effects; the causes we create will lead to certain effects. This is all because of afflictions and ignorance. This “combined attack of the Five Views” is when the “view of self” and so on converge with “greed” and the rest. Together they are called the Ten Afflictions, which are the five chronic afflictions and the five acute afflictions combined. The five afflictions from both sides come together and attack [our minds] so we do not seek the practice of the right path. Then we will not earnestly practice the right path.

“Not knowing the way to escape,” we “abide constantly in the Three Realms” and “willingly suffer cyclic existence.” This is how we are; we are willing to remain in the Three Realms. In the Three Realms, due to the afflictions and ignorance in our minds, we willingly create karma and continue transmigrating. Thus there are “obstacles all around.” Wherever we go there seem to be obstructions. In every direction we look, there do not seem to any be roads we can take. Thus there are “obstacles all around.” These are hindrances.

Not knowing the way to escape, they abide constantly in the Three Realms. They willingly suffer cyclic existence; thus it says there are obstacles all around. These earthly matters explained above are an analogy for fires igniting in the desire realm.

All the things described above are analogies for fires igniting in the desire realm. This is expressing that we ordinary people have already created so much karma that this era is already filled with the Five Turbidities. Since it is filled with impurities, people’s minds are afflicted and ignorant, and our morality and ethics have already slowly deteriorated. As a result, at this time, a fire has arisen in the Three Realms; everyone’s mind is raging like a burning fire. Right now, it is as if smoke fills the air and no one can find their direction. This is what things are like right now.

So, we Buddhist practitioners must be mindful and remember how to engage in spiritual practice. There is only one course of spiritual cultivation, to eliminate ignorance, delusion and karma and to more clearly understand karmic causes and conditions, how they beget “future existences.” Whatever we do, we bring that karma with us. This is something we should be careful about. We must remember that “all phenomena are subject to constant change and thus impermanent.” We should understand this very clearly and not create karma out of delusion or deny the law of cause and effect. We must examine our own minds; do we have this mindset of ignorance? Do we have these “thoughts that never abide?” This is why we must always be mindful.

Ch03-ep0636

Posted on January 7, 2025January 7, 2025 by Scott Ogata

Wisdom at Dawn

Chapter 3

Episode 636 – The Three Realms Are Impermanent

>> “The celestial realm is subject to formation, existence, decay and disappearance. All material things are impermanent and changing. The workings of the mind are empty and illusory, always arising, abiding, changing and ceasing. In this world of noble and unenlightened beings, the mind creates both disasters and blessings.”

>> “In this abode, a fire suddenly broke out. In an instant, it spread to all four sides and the flames raged fiercely.”

>> “The ridgepole, beams, rafters and pillars quaked and splintered with explosive sounds. Smashed and splintered, they collapsed, and the walls came tumbling down.”

>> The fire ignites, snaps and pops, and blasts like firecrackers; thus it says, “quaked and splintered with explosive sounds.” Their grievous moans are called explosive sounds. Their roots are destroyed; this is called quaked and splintered.

>> Smashed and splintered, [the supports] collapsed. This is the four elements dispersing. The walls came crumbling down. This is mountains crumbling, the earth rupturing, trees splintering, cliffs disintegrating and mountains and rivers being upended. This analogy is of the house of the Three Realms and the quarters of the Five Aggregates being smashed, broken and ruined. The phenomenon of the fire burning unbearably is telling us not to have cravings. The analogy of flames destroying a house overall represents the Three Realms’ appearance of impermanence and decay.

>> This shows that the multitude of afflictions is not only confined to the desire realm. They extend to even the form and formless realms, which should be renounced as well. This is analogous to the burning house and shows the compassionate heart of the Tathagata.

>> “All phenomena are like dreams, like dew, bubbles, or shadows. The mind is intrinsically tranquil, it has always had the nature of emptiness. With the deluded view of existence, one sees flourishing and decay. The arising of passion causes bonds of suffering. In this dream, one acts and faces consequences. What is the harm or benefit? Awaken to the truth and understand the principles of the cycle of phenomena.”

>> “Naked, black and gaunt, they have long abided there. They would make loud and awful noises while crying out for food. Then there were many ghosts with throats like needles.”

>> “Then there were many ghosts with heads like oxen. They might eat human flesh, or they might eat dogs as well. Their hair was matted and unkempt and they were destructive and treacherous. Driven by hunger and thirst, they screamed and ran wildly.”

>> “The ghostly guards of hell have heads shaped like oxen or heads shaped like horses.” As the Surangama Sutra states, “Spirits of the deceased see an iron-walled city, fiery snakes and fiery dogs, tigers, wolves and lions.”

>> The ox-head jailers are known as the wardens of the king of hell. With human hands and an ox’s hooves and head, they have the strength to move mountains. They are an analogy for the afflictions of extreme views, which begin with inflated view of self. An ox head has two horns, so this is an analogy for the Two Extreme Views.

>> They might eat human flesh, or they might eat dogs as well: They do not know positive causes and effects, nor can they distinguish negative causes and effects, so they cling blindly to nihilism or eternalism. This is like eating human flesh, and is an analogy for damaging the paths of goodness to the heaven and human realms. Eating dogs is likened to practicing evil deeds.

>> When practitioners are practicing Samadhi and unwholesome thoughts suddenly arise, they discriminate between the self and phenomena. They wonder if the self ceased in the past, which allows the self of the present to exist. With this train of thought, they speculate through the Three Periods of Time.

“All phenomena are like dreams,
like dew, bubbles, or shadows.
The mind is intrinsically tranquil,
it has always had the nature of emptiness.
With the deluded view of existence,
one sees flourishing and decay.
The arising of passion causes bonds of suffering.
In this dream, one acts and faces consequences.
What is the harm or benefit?
Awaken to the truth and understand
the principles of the cycle of phenomena.”

Life is truly filled with unbearable suffering, because in this illusory world, we are not mindful of how everything is illusory, so we end up following illusory phenomena through this cycle. So, “All phenomena are like dreams, like dew, bubbles or shadows.” Phenomena are like dreams that we have, like dew, bubbles or shadows. In fact, they are all empty! The dream we had last night no longer exists when we wake up in the morning.

Not only is life like a dream, it is also like dew. Look at the leaves and the grass. See how they have dew on them. Where did the dew come from? the moisture of the earth comes together and condenses into water. There is water on the grass but it did not come from rain or people watering it, so it is called “dew.” In fact, it is water. There is water on the grass but it will likewise drip off and then disappear.

Bubbles are also made up of water. If we strike or stir up the water, “bubbles” form. There may also be foam, which is also water. Bubbles are also made up of water. In fact, many things are in essence “water,” but every appearance has a different name. Water is a real thing. If we humans do not have water, we cannot live. Nothing in this world, including trees and grass, can grow without water. So, water is a true phenomenon, and it can be found everywhere. Everything our eyes can see contains water.

Does iron or steel contain water? Without water, they cannot become iron or steel. Steel is mined from the mountains. Does the soil contain water? Of course, the soil contains water. Everything on the planet, mountains, rivers, etc., comes from the union of the four elements. After being shaped by natural processes, fire is fire, water is water, earth is earth and air is air. Yet, they all contain traces of each other. The various elements have always been there. From various objects, certain things can be separated and extracted. So, [this potential] was there from the beginning. Then we humans use various methods to draw out and combine specific elements to turn them into something with a different name. So, all phenomena have an essence that is true. This is just like how we humans all intrinsically have the nature of True Suchness. Yet, that intrinsic nature that was once pure has been covered over by various defilements, so we have formed different habitual tendencies.

We form these different habitual tendencies because, having been enticed by worldly things, we become [covered by] so much ignorance, so many desires and afflictions. This is a natural cycle, but because of our attachments, we must take this natural cycle, the True Dharma, and apply it to our illusory and dream-like lives. Thus, “All phenomena are like dreams, like dew, bubbles or shadows.” Ultimately, when we analyze everything, we see that in fact everything is a [temporary] convergence, once the parts disperse, nothing is left.

This is like our minds. “The mind is intrinsically tranquil.” Everyone’s mind has always had the nature of True Suchness and “has always had the nature of emptiness.” This is not the first time that I am telling you that everything around us is empty in nature and that our nature of True Suchness was originally tranquil and still. In that tranquility and stillness, there is absolutely nothing. But because we are deluded, we have “the deluded view of existence.” Because of this delusion, we think that these things are truly ours. Thus, we become attached to them. So, “[We] see flourishing and decay.”

Look at the cycle of the four seasons. In autumn, the leaves begin to change color. When we enter wintertime, all the leaves are gone. Then spring arrives, and plants begin to bud again. This is something we humans can observe in this world, in this life. In fact, this [cycle] is a law of nature but we get attached to certain things. Modern people have made many technological advancements. In the past, when we grew vegetables, the season we were in determined the kind of vegetables we planted. Now we grow them with artificial methods, so we can eat the same vegetables all year around. By demonstrating our cleverness, we are disrupting the cycle of the seasons. So, we are deluded, not clever. Clever people are in a state of delusion. So, “With the deluded view of existence,” we bring things into “existence” and thus we “see flourishing and decay.” So, life in this world has become more and more removed from the natural world.

“The arising of passion causes bonds of suffering.” The passions of ordinary people are delusions. Our passions arise from a deluded state, and we do many deluded things in that state. Thus we become entangled in much suffering. This is like dreaming. “In this dream, one acts and faces consequences. What is the benefit or harm?” When we are dreaming, even if we dream that we have achieved much, upon awakening, it is all empty! So, “What is the benefit or harm?” The same thing applies to this life.

Therefore, we must awaken. “Awaken to the truth and understand the principles of the cycles of phenomena.” We must awaken quickly. After awakening to the true principles, naturally the laws of nature of this world will be very clear to us. We cannot let the “Five Skandhas,” form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness, influence our lives without us being aware of them. If we let the days pass without doing anything, then every day our lives are being shortened, while our karma continually increases. We must be vigilant to quickly eliminate our delusions and ignorance and quickly guard against doing the wrong things.

These past few days we have been talking about how all things in the world, birds and beasts and everything else, can all be [related] back to our minds. In our minds, they are afflictions and ignorance. This how the minds of sentient beings are. So, the minds of sentient beings are like intangible evil ghosts.

“Naked, black and gaunt, they have long abided there. They would make loud and awful noises while crying out for food. Then there were many ghosts with throats like needles.”

We have talked about this before. Some people lack a sense of shame. As humans we must behave like proper humans. We must wear clothes, show courtesy to one another and be neat. That is what we consider human, someone with a sense of shame [and propriety]. As spiritual practitioners, we must follow the rules of spiritual practice so that we will not deviate from the path. Yet, we ordinary people are confused, so we increasingly lose our sense of shame. This happens because in our lives, we have developed these habitual tendencies over time and also carry them through the past, present and future. Thus, it is said, “They have long abided there.”

“They would make loud and awful noises.” Though what we say is incorrect, we keep talking, thinking that the way we practice is correct. So, we keep teaching others and keep talking about how wonderful the Dharma is. We keep sharing loudly with others, but we have not taken the Dharma to heart. So, we are like ghosts “with throats like needles.” They can only make loud noises; they cannot take the Dharma to heart. They are just like hungry ghosts. Their stomachs are big, yet their throats are as thin as needles. They cannot take in the Dharma, but they still continue to yell. This image is a metaphor. We must humbly seek teachings and open up our hearts to be more encompassing so we can earnestly take good teachings to heart.

The next passage states,

“Then there were many ghosts with heads like oxen. They might eat human flesh, or they might eat dogs as well. Their hair was matted and unkempt and they were destructive and treacherous. Driven by hunger and thirst, they screamed and ran wildly.”

This passage describes many ghosts “with heads like oxen.” This is also a kind of metaphor. Is there really a hell? When it comes to hell, some people say, “I can’t see it.” If you cannot see it, that does not matter; we can describe it for you.

“The ghostly guards of hell have heads shaped like oxen or heads shaped like horses.” As the Surangama Sutra states, “Spirits of the deceased see an iron-walled city, fiery snakes and fiery dogs, tigers, wolves and lions.”

This is saying that when we die, our spirit can see the great ring of iron mountains. The Earth Treasury Sutra contains this description. These layers of iron had to be forged one by one, so this is called the great ring of iron mountains. Inside the great ring of iron mountains, there were snakes that seemed to be made of fire. Their entire body was covered in fire, and they also spit out fire. The dogs were the same. There were even tigers, wolves, lions and more. All the fierce animals manifested in hell, completely covered in flames.

Moreover, some of the guards in hell had the forms of ghosts. Some had heads shaped like oxen or horses. The ox-head jailers are also known as “the wardens of the king of hell.” Ox-head wardens serve the king of hell. In the sutras that we recite, they mention ox-head wardens of the king of hell. These jailers are “wardens of the king of hell.” They have the head of oxen, the hands of humans and the hooves of oxen. They are very powerful and are analogies for “afflictions of extreme views.”

The ox-head jailers are known as the wardens of the king of hell. With human hands and an ox’s hooves and head, they have the strength to move mountains. They are an analogy for the afflictions of extreme views, which begin with inflated view of self. An ox head has two horns, so this is an analogy for the Two Extreme Views.

These “afflictions of extreme views” can be found in most people. The Buddha-Dharma is the Middle Way. We must walk toward the Middle Way. If we follow the truth, we will not go wrong. Yet, some end up going astray. So, this is an analogy for “afflictions of extreme views,” which are improper views. With improper views, we will stray from the path.

That is “an inflated view of self”; this all begins with a “view of self,” So, the ox-head warden is very tall and large. He has a very large body and great strength, and two horns like an ox. This ox-head warden has horns. These two horns are an analogy for the two extreme views; people end up staying either to the left or right. This will cause many problems.

Next, “They might eat human flesh or they might eat dogs as well.” They may eat human flesh or other kinds of flesh. Basically, they eat all kinds of animals. “They do not know positive causes and effects.” They do not recognize positive and negative causes and effects. They do not know that creating positive causes will yield positive effects. They just do not understand this concept. Furthermore, they cannot distinguish them from negative causes and effects. They do not understand that by committing evils, they will face negative karmic retributions. They do not even want to try to understand this. They do not recognize the law of karma and and cannot distinguish between good and evil; they just keep creating karma. They blindly cling to the “view of nihilism” or the “view of eternalism.”

They just do what makes them happy in the moment. “I want to do it, and I am powerful enough. I am able to take possession of everything.” This is as if they are eating others’ flesh. It is an analogy for “damaging the paths of goodness to the heaven and human realms.” With negative thinking, negative views and negative thoughts, we will deny the law of karma, which damages the paths of goodness. As for “eating dogs,” that is an analogy for “practicing evil deeds.”

They might eat human flesh, or they might eat dogs as well: They do not know positive causes and effects, nor can they distinguish negative causes and effects, so they cling blindly to nihilism or eternalism. This is like eating human flesh, and is an analogy for damaging the paths of goodness to the heaven and human realms. Eating dogs is likened to practicing evil deeds.

Some people do not advance in their practice of good and moral principles. When we depart from moral principles, everything we do will be wrong.

This is also saying that “when a practitioner is practicing Samadhi,” in our mind, “unwholesome thoughts [may] suddenly arise.” We are spiritual practitioners. Obviously when we engage in spiritual practice, we must cultivate the paths of goodness. But as we engage in spiritual practice, we might have strayed from the Dharma. So, our actions have gone astray as well. When unwholesome thoughts suddenly arise, we may go astray and thus “discriminate between the self and phenomena.”

When practitioners are practicing Samadhi and unwholesome thoughts suddenly arise, they discriminate between the self and phenomena. They wonder if the self ceased in the past, which allows the self of the present to exist. With this train of thought, they speculate through the Three Periods of Time.

Actually, there is a relationship between “self” and “phenomena.” With a “greater self,” we are one with all phenomena. Yet, some people “discriminate between the self and phenomena.” They have separated them.

“They wonder if the self ceased in the past, which allows the self of the present to exist.” Some people do not admit they have a past “self,” thus they are denying the law of karma. “With this train of thought,” this line of thinking, they just debate eternalism and nihilism. They are just constantly debating whether there was a self in the past or no self in the past. Either it did not exist in the past but exists now or perhaps this self existed in the past and also exists in the present. We may be our self of the past, or we may be the self of the present. Because everything is unclear, they “speculate through the Three Periods of Time.”

People with this deviant thinking and view are only focused on the Three Periods, the past, present and future. They become stuck in this thinking. Many people ask, “What was I in my past?” There are places people go to ask, “What did I do in the past? What will happen to me in the future? I want to ask this person about my causes and effects in the Three Periods of Time.” Is this the right thing to do? We do not need to know what happened in the past. However, we must believe that since Beginningless Time, we have been influenced by our habitual tendencies. We planted the karmic causes which created our current conditions, so we must seize this present moment.

We must make an effort to be mindful in our daily living. All phenomena are dreams. Actually, all phenomena are one with the true principles in all of us. We must not depart from truth to live in a dream or get caught up in the outside world.

Our minds were originally empty and tranquil. But for as long as we have been in this world, we always want to take and possess. In the end, isn’t this all empty? So, “With the deluded view of existence, one sees flourishing and decay.” You will see that this is very lush, and that is very dried up. Flourishing and wilting is part of the cycle of the four seasons. Yet, now people are turning the world upside down. Because we have the unenlightened minds of ordinary people, with our unenlightened cleverness, we cause much suffering for this world. “In this dream, one acts and faces consequences. What is the harm or benefit?” We should “awaken to the truth and understand the principles of the cycle of phenomena.” Only in this way will we clearly understand. Everyone must mindfully realize this. We must not deviate in the slightest, otherwise we will go very far off course. So, we must always be mindful.