Scott Ogata – Page 38 – Dharma As Water

Ch03-ep0632

Posted on January 7, 2025 by Scott Ogata

Episode 632 – The Ten Afflictions Drive Our Transmigration

>> “The Ten Afflictions, greed and the others, drive and control the mind and spirit, causing transmigration in the Three Realms and giving rise to craving and the five desires. With anger, rage and impatience we hatefully go against what is proper. With delusion and ignorance we mistakenly give rise to deviant views.”

>> The Ten Afflictions: Also called the ten fundamental afflictions 1. Greed: cravings of the five desires 2. Anger: rage and impatience 3. Ignorance: foolishness and lack of clarity 4. Arrogance: pride and self-importance 5. Doubt: suspicion and jealousy.

>> 6. View of Self: attachment to the body of the Five Aggregates 7. Extreme Views: attachment to the two views of eternalism and nihilism 8. Deviant Views: slander and denial of the law of cause and effect; the ruin of all good things 9. Stubborn Views: taking what is not the effect as the effect 10. View of Deviant Precepts: attachment to incorrect precepts.

>> The Ten Afflictions is another name for the Ten Agents. Delusions about principles are the “acute afflictions.” Delusions about matters are the “chronic afflictions.”

“The Ten Afflictions, greed and the others,
drive and control the mind and spirit,
causing transmigration in the Three Realms
and giving rise to craving and the five desires.
With anger, rage and impatience
we hatefully go against what is proper.
With delusion and ignorance
we mistakenly give rise to deviant views.”

A single thought, a right thought, can lead us toward the great Bodhi-path. A single deviant thought can lead us to the hungry ghost or animal realm, where we live in suffering. So, when we learn the Buddha-Dharma, we need to follow Right Dharma. In the previous few days, I have been explaining the analogies of birds and beasts, goblins and monsters, yaksas and so on. They each have their own way of living. Only we humans have incorporated all these ways of living in our minds. If we humans practice diligently in this world, we can become Bodhisattvas and attain Buddhahood. However, this world is also very hazardous. Once we give rise to confusion or ignorance, those thoughts can lead us to fall into the hell, hungry ghost or animal realm. This all depends on the karma we create in this world.

[We create karma] because of the Ten Afflictions, which drive and control our mind and spirit. Where do they drive us to go? Through transmigration in the Three Realms, the desire realm, form realm and formless realm. These three realms reflect three states of mind; they exist in our minds. So, these Three Realms begin with having cravings and the five desires. Then we give rise to greed, anger and impatience. With greed, anger and ignorance, we compete with and take from each other, mutually take issue with one another. People live like this because thoughts of greed arise in them. Then they fight for things, and when they cannot get them they feel impatient, become enraged and depart from the path of proper conduct.

Look at the world right now; there are so many manmade calamities. This is indeed worrisome. Many tiny effects compound and in the end trigger a heavy windstorm.

Just look at the Syrian refugees. Recently our volunteers from. Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) went to the Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. In Jordan alone, there are already more than 600,000 refugees. Yesterday (in 2014), this group of TIMA volunteers returned from Jordan. They gave us a detailed briefing with pictures and explanations. As Dr. Ye recalled his experience in Jordan, he choked up in tears. There were several times that he could not speak. This is because he could not bear their suffering. Even though he was physically back in Taiwan, his heart was still in Jordan. This shows his compassion.

Indeed, just from looking at the pictures, we already felt very sad, to say nothing of the people who actually went there. So many refugees are living in the tent areas, under very crude conditions, in very cold temperatures. During the summer, when the sun shines brightly, it can feel as hot as a furnace. When it is cold, it can be as cold as an icy hell.

See, this is how disturbances in a society can negatively impact the lives of so many people, break up their families and destroy their homes. This has affected countless people, and it all arose from [people who], “with anger, rage and impatience, hatefully go against what is proper.” These few words describe foolish and ignorant people who “mistakenly give rise to deviant views.” They did not have an upright mind and did not practice according to Right Dharma, so they gave rise to craving and the five desires in the Three Realms, committing actions that led to the loss of their humanity and the destruction of many people’s homes and lives.

Therefore, when a thought arises in our minds, what we end up doing can be truly earth-shattering. These actions are inseparable from “the Ten Afflictions, greed and the others, [which] drive and control the mind and spirit.” What exactly are the Ten Afflictions? These refer to ten fundamental afflictions.

The Ten Afflictions: Also called the ten fundamental afflictions 1. Greed: cravings of the five desires 2. Anger: rage and impatience 3. Ignorance: foolishness and lack of clarity 4. Arrogance: pride and self-importance 5. Doubt: suspicion and jealousy.

Of the ten fundamental afflictions,

the first is the “cravings of the five desires.” Greed is the origin of all transgressions, the root of all afflictions. These all arise from greed.

The second [affliction] is “anger.” Because of anger, we have rage and impatience. Once it is let loose, anger cannot be controlled, and we will continue to commit wrongdoings and do evil things until the very end. People with anger are described as asuras. Unclear about matters or principles, they just keep losing their temper. On a small scale this damages their relationships; on a large scale this disrupts entire societies. On an even bigger scale, this destroys nations, causing death and the destruction of families. All this starts with “anger.”

The third [affliction] is ignorance. Once we are in a state of ignorance, we will not understand the principles. This is foolishness and lack of clarity. Are we going in the right direction or not? We do not know which road is the one we really want to take, so we keep getting lost. We are like the foolish and ignorant children in the burning house of the Three Realms. They thought it was fun to play with fire because they did not know what was good or bad for them. This is an example of ignorance, which is also lack of clarity.

The next [affliction] is arrogance. We often say that arrogance is pride. Pride gives rise to arrogance, to the seven kinds of arrogance and eight kinds of pride. These many kinds of arrogance lead to severe afflictions.

The fifth [affliction] is doubt. When people want to approach us, we may be suspicious. “How will this person treat me? Will they benefit me or cause me harm?” Because our suspicions create imaginary fears, our minds will always be filled with darkness, and we will have trouble seeing the light around us. So, when dealing with people, we are filled with doubts and suspicions.

At the beginning of March [2014], [there was an incident] at Kunming Railway Station. A group of masked people entered the train station and attacked civilians for no reason. Many people died on the scene, and over 100 people were injured. People were not only injured, but very scared. People were physically harmed, and their minds were also full of fear. Their family members were especially worried. Therefore, the hospital asked for volunteers to provide comfort to the survivors. They selected three groups of volunteers. One was college students majoring in social work. They hoped that these young people would be able to provide social services in the future, so they let them go among the survivors to learn to provide emotional support and comfort. The second group asked to work with survivors was psychotherapists. Lastly, the hospital also hoped that Tzu Chi volunteers could be involved.

Tzu Chi Bodhisattvas willingly accepted their invitation and began to exercise the most sincere love and feelings of great empathy to keep the survivors company. They took care of each family’s mental wellbeing and the mental wellbeing of each survivor.

Among the survivors was an elderly grandmother. She was among those attacked. The attackers slashed at her throat, and her larynx was ruptured; this was a very serious injury. She was sent to First People’s Hospital and stayed in the Intensive Care Unit until her throat had healed until very recently, when her throat had healed enough for her to be in a regular hospital ward. This elderly woman was very scared. Whenever she saw people, she felt terrified and would not allow people to go near her. This was how fearful she was. The relatives of this elderly woman came to Tzu Chi volunteers for help. “Can you help my mother? Can you help comfort my mother so that she will not be so afraid?”

Tzu Chi volunteers began to show her their genuine love and gentleness so that she felt safe with the volunteers. She let them get closer, allowed them to hold her hand, caress her forehead and so on. Eventually, the elderly woman smiled. In their time with her, Tzu Chi volunteers also gave her something useful. They gave her a decorative charm that said “peace” like the ones we pass out during. Chinese New Year. They also gave her red envelope from our Year-end Blessing Ceremony. At that moment, the head of one of the departments happened to visit her as part of his rounds. When he saw the grandma at peace with a smile on her face, he felt that Tzu Chi volunteers made a very big difference in those ten-plus days.

Of course, the Tzu Chi volunteers worked with many people over the course of every day at the hospital. This is just one story.

Some people are suspicious when they meet others because they have suffered tragedies like this. This grandmother was about to get on a train or perhaps get off a train, we do not know, but suddenly, these masked people [attacked] and her throat was nearly severed. Her larynx was cut open; it was very terrifying. It is not surprising that after almost dying, she became very fearful at the sight of people. However, she was approached by Living Bodhisattvas so she can now find peace in both body and mind.

If she had continued to be plagued by doubt and suspicion, even if she recovered physically and went home, the shadow [of trauma] would follow her for the rest of her life, and she would be suspicious of everyone. That would be very troublesome. Fortunately, she had this affinity [with Tzu Chi]. How could she get rid of her suspicions? With the help of Living Bodhisattvas. How can we eliminate our greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt? Only by walking the right path, following right understanding and right views.

6. View of Self: attachment to the body of the Five Aggregates 7. Extreme Views: attachment to the two views of eternalism and nihilism 8. Deviant Views: slander and denial of the law of cause and effect; the ruin of all good things 9. Stubborn Views: taking what is not the effect as the effect 10. View of Deviant Precepts: attachment to incorrect precepts.

The sixth [affliction] is “view of self.” Our sense of “self” comes from having this body. We often say that the greatest liability in life is having this body; all the karma we create comes from the actions of this body. Greed by itself only exists in the mind. Ignorance also only exists in the mind. The greed, anger and ignorance in our minds can only manifest through the actions of this body. So, by having this body, we get “attached to the body of the Five Aggregates.”

Does everyone know the Five Aggregates? Form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness. These are the Five Aggregates. We are clearly living in a state of impermanence, going through birth, aging, illness and death, day after day, second after second. With the aggregate of action, we are in a state of constant change, but we do not understand this, so we constantly cling to our form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness. “I saw this thing and I love it. I want to do this, so I must fight for it to happen” and so on. We think that we will always be the same. We do not understand birth, aging, illness and death. We do not understand formation, existence, decay and disappearance. We also do not understand arising, abiding, changing and ceasing. Because we do not understand these principles, we develop “the view of self. As long as it makes me happy, why not do it?” People who think this way have the “view of self.”

Those with “extreme views” do not follow the right course and deliberately go astray on a deviant path. They are “attached to the two views of eternalism and nihilism.” For the last two days we have talked about eternalism and nihilism. People who believe in eternalism do not recognize the impermanence of life. People who believe in nihilism believe that after this one lifetime, there are no subsequent ones. They do not believe in the law of karma so they act recklessly, fearing nothing, not worried about consequences. This comes from believing in nihilism.

The eighth [affliction] is “deviant views,” the slander and denial of the law of karma. Not only do they not believe in it, they also slander the law of cause and effect. If people want to do something good, they will prevent them from doing it by saying it is wrong to do those kinds of things. All these actions are caused by “deviant views.” Deviant views cause us to go astray and make one mistake after another. Unable to take joy in others’ goodness, we instead prevent others from doing good.

The ninth [affliction] is “stubborn views.” When people abandon reasonable principles, it is truly quite sad.

The tenth is “view of deviant precepts,” which refers to deviant spiritual practices. A few days ago, we talked about how people go astray in their spiritual cultivation and engage in practices using fire, or practice by living as a cow, dog, etc. They believe that [to eliminate] the karma they created in the past, in this lifetime they must take on all kinds of physical suffering and endure them all; this is what they consider as spiritual practice. So, they burn themselves with fire or live in very filthy conditions, living like cows and dogs and eating what cows and dogs eat. They believe this is spiritual practice.

So, people’s various afflictions can be summarized as these Ten Afflictions, which are the fundamental afflictions.

The Ten Afflictions is another name for the Ten Agents. Delusions about principles are the “acute afflictions.” Delusions about matters are the “chronic afflictions.”

Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt are the five chronic afflictions. When we see objects, thoughts arise in our mind. Once our mind gives rise to these thoughts, even after the matter has passed, thoughts about it continue to arise. These are called “the five chronic afflictions.” The view of self, extreme views, etc. are the five acute afflictions. They all lead the body to take action. When we think about doing something, we immediately act on it. With this physical body we very quickly move and take action, causing all kinds of tragedies. If we have thoughts without taking action, those [afflictions] are considered “chronic.” If we have these states of mind and then take action, when these come together, [disasters] will immediately result. Such afflictions and ignorance will lead us to create delusions and karma.

Recently, I have been telling everyone to develop a deep understanding of “delusions. Delusions” are the formerly mentioned greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt. “Karma” is what the view of self, extreme views, etc. drive us to do, such that we create karma. We have this body, so we create karma. For so many days, you have listened to the teachings about birds and beasts, goblins and monsters and so on. I hope they can help you all quickly understand more clearly the Ten Afflictions. I spent a long time in explaining them so that everybody can more easily understand them.

Actually, there is more to say on this. There are so many people in this world, so there are countless afflictions. Therefore, we must constantly listen to teachings. Although some say, “I have already heard them,” still, after expounding the teachings in prose, the Buddha repeated them in verses to help everybody gain a better understanding. The sutras constantly repeat themselves, to help everybody heighten their vigilance. So, we must constantly contemplate carefully and always be mindful.

Ch03-ep0631

Posted on January 7, 2025 by Scott Ogata

Wisdom at Dawn

Chapter 3

Episode 631 – Good and Evil Are Created by the Mind

>> “The Three Realms are created only by the mind. The orientation of our minds follows good and evil karma. Good karma leads to heaven and human realms; evil karma to realms of yaksas and hungry ghosts who practice violence and evil. With a thought, we speedily move in that direction. Hungry ghosts are always oriented towards places of starvation and defilement.”

>> “There were also many ghosts with heads like an ox’s. They might eat human flesh, or they might eat dogs as well.”

>> “Their hair was matted and unkempt, and they were destructive and treacherous. Oppressed by hunger and thirst, they screamed and ran wildly.”

>> Their hair is matted and unkempt, and they are destructive and treacherous: Some cling to eternalism, while others cling to nihilism. They do not know clearly right from left, and turn back and forth in circles. Like those with matted and unkempt hair, those who follow extreme and heretical views have an appearance that is ferocious and evil.

>> Oppressed by hunger and thirst, they screamed and ran wildly: They hold extreme views and heretical views, but they are strongly attached to those views and have no nourishment of virtue. They lack the water of Dharma-nature to draw on. This is analogous to being oppressed by hunger and thirst.

>> Learn and practice careful contemplation, and do not by any means be biased. Those who are destructive and treacherous are without the virtues of learning the precepts and being in Samadhi; they are lacking the practice of the right path. This is like being oppressed by hunger and thirst.

>> They claim to know when they do not. Each expresses his or her own views and pronounces and promotes evil doctrines, as if crying out. They follow evil practices and transmigrate endlessly without rest. This is like being driven to scream and run wildly.

“The Three Realms are created only by the mind.
The orientation of our minds
follows good and evil karma.
Good karma leads to heaven and human realms;
evil karma to realms of yaksas and hungry ghosts
who practice violence and evil.
With a thought,
we speedily move in that direction.
Hungry ghosts are always oriented towards
places of starvation and defilement.”

Recently we have been saying that. “The Three Realms are created only by the mind.” Our mind encompasses the formless, form and desire realms. We have to examine our mind to learn about and experience these states. Outside of the mind, there are no phenomena; all phenomena are created by the mind. The Three Realms are also states of mind.

In the formless realm, there are afflictions that arise from the delusion of ignorance. In the form realm, there are relationships and material things between people, so afflictions arise from our plotting and fighting. In the desire realm, when we interact with our surroundings, our greed and our desire for pleasure give rise to confusion and delusion, which lead to suffering from afflictions.

In summary, whether desires give rise to forms, or whether forms lead to formless afflictions, “The Three Realms are created only by the mind.” These are all states of mind. So, if the orientation of our mind changes along with our good and evil karma, then as our desires grow greater, our afflictions and cravings to possess things will likewise grow. The more they grow, the more intense this fighting will be. So, we follow our good and evil karma to constantly change our orientation; this all happens in our minds.

When in a state of confusion and delusion, if the karmic causes and conditions are there, we sometimes have the good affinities in the midst of that confused state to hear a sentence, experience a situation or encounter an environment that guides us and helps awaken us from our confusion and afflictions. We will understand the mistakes we have made, return to our [pure nature] and start all over. In this way, once a thought of goodness arises, we will [do good deeds] and create blessings. This likewise depends on our minds. So, our mind changes in orientation, following the good and evil karma we create. In that unenlightened state, “[Karma can be] good, evil or indeterminate.”

Do we have a mind of goodness? Or do we have a mind of evil? Among good and evil karma, good karma leads to the heaven and human realms. To create good karma, we uphold the Five Precepts. To go a step beyond upholding the Five Precepts, we need to practice the Ten Good Deeds.

You all know the Five Precepts. They are no killing, no stealing no sexual misconduct, no lying and so on. As for the Ten Good Deeds, three are of the body, four are of speech and three are of the mind. [The three of] the body are no killing, no stealing and no sexual misconduct. The four of speech are no lying, no harsh speech, no gossip and no flattery. The three of the mind are to have no greed, no anger and no ignorance. By practicing the Ten Good Deeds, we will be reborn in the heaven realm. So, abiding by the Five Precepts ensures that we will reborn as humans and abiding by the Ten Good Deeds leads us to heaven. This is where good karma leads.

What about evil karma? If we are oriented toward evil, we will enter the realms of yaksas and hungry ghosts. Doing evil leads us to the Three Evil Destinies, the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. Evil karma is also created only by the mind.

The mind changes very quickly; “speedily” means at a fast rate. The orientation of our mind can change very quickly, in the space of a thought. This is our habitual tendency as ordinary people.

People often ask, “Are you doing that right? I believe it is right.” The immediate response is, “I believe it is right.” Then someone else says, “If you do it that way, such-and-such will be the result, so please think this through.” Even after thinking, a stubborn person, someone who feels self-important, will be too stubborn to admit it, even though he knows he is wrong. It is obvious, after analyzing the situation, that this is the wrong way to do it, and he will likely not succeed. But since he said he was going to do it this way, he clings to his delusions and does not awaken.

People like this constantly reinforce their habits. They know they are wrong but refuse to change; they continue to stubbornly go down that road. Being attached to that kind of mindset is truly frightening.

If we are stubborn and repeat our mistakes, if we obviously know we are wrong but deliberately keep going in the wrong direction, we are in an inflexible state, much like how “hungry ghosts are always oriented towards [places of] starvation.” The Dharma is right there, but they are unwilling to accept it. Because they refuse to accept it, their hearts will always remain empty. If they never take the Dharma to heart, they will never feel steady and grounded, just like hungry ghosts. Without the nourishment of the Dharma, their wisdom-life will be very weak.

This is life; some people are forever willing to remain in this world of severe turbidity. Moreover, they are unwilling to accept the Dharma in order to nourish their wisdom-life. So, they are willing to remain in this turbidity, this unclean place. This is what we see in life. So, in learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must truly always be mindful. All conditions exist in our minds. We must orient our minds in the right direction. For example, right now, we are all diligently practicing. In the morning people gather together to listen to my morning Dharma lecture.

Every morning, people wake up around 3 am, leave their house after 4 am and arrive at their spiritual practice center to listen to the teachings a little after 5 am. Right now it is winter; it is very cold, and sometimes it is raining. But people are undeterred by the wind and rain. After engaging in this diligent practice, everyone says they are full of Dharma-joy.

I sometimes ask them, “Isn’t it hard to get up so early in the morning?” They answer, “Only at the beginning. But now I feel a sense of fulfillment. To wake up early, I go to bed early. After I started waking up early, I felt that after listening to the Dharma and hearing everyone share their realizations, I am filled with Dharma-joy. Then, when I go to work and start my work day, I feel like somehow I have plenty of time to do things, and I am very happy. I do not get tired at all during the work day. Whenever I encounter an issue, I can resolve it very harmoniously. Whenever there is a problem, I can solve it quickly.” This is what people who come to the Abode, both from Taiwan and abroad, have said to me. Some people also earnestly take notes. I see how earnestly they write; every word in their notes is written neatly.

If they truly take the Dharma to heart this way, they can apply it in their daily living. By taking every drop of Dharma-water to heart, they have nourished their wisdom-life and have completely eliminated their afflictions. This is the proper method for listening to the Dharma and learning the Buddha’s teachings.

So, we have already discussed a lot about the previous passages. Birds and beasts, hungry ghosts, yaksas, goblins, and monsters have different kinds of habitual tendencies resulting from the karma they bring. In fact, all these different lifestyles put together are nothing other than the human mind. When we talk about things in Three Realms, our minds are actually in these three states, the desire, form and formless realms. This is how we torment ourselves. In this state of ignorance, it is as if we are being cooked and roasted in a pan.

These many objects of every shape and color, or these ghosts and spirits that are intangible and formless and make us terrified, are all descriptions of our mind.

So, the previous passage states,

“There were also many ghosts with heads like an ox’s. They might eat human flesh, or they might eat dogs as well.”

If everyone understands what I said earlier, the meaning of this passage will be clear to them. The next sutra passage states,

“Their hair was matted and unkempt, and they were destructive and treacherous. Oppressed by hunger and thirst, they screamed and ran wildly.”

“Their hair was matted and unkempt.” Everybody understands that this describes hair that is disheveled, that has not been cared for at all. In the past, if people let down their hair, it meant their minds were not disciplined. That was the reasoning. It says, “They were destructive and treacherous.” If someone does not take care of their appearance, it means their mind is also in disarray. When their mind is in disarray, that is reflected in their appearance. “They are destructive and treacherous” is how this is explained.

Their hair is matted and unkempt, and they are destructive and treacherous: Some cling to eternalism, while others cling to nihilism. They do not know clearly right from left, and turn back and forth in circles. Like those with matted and unkempt hair, those who follow extreme and heretical views have an appearance that is ferocious and evil.

“Some cling to eternalism, while others cling to nihilism.” When our minds become scattered, some spiritual practitioners may cling to “eternalism” while others may cling to “nihilism.” Since we are engaging in spiritual practice, we know about the karmic law of cause and effect. So, we should not further create negative karmic connections. We should create good connections. We should not commit wrongdoings, but should benefit everyone. We believe in the karmic law of cause and effect, but some people deny it. Since they do not believe in the law of karma, they believe that once this life ends, there is nothing after that. [Their attitude is] “If I have liquor today, I will get drunk today.” They try to indulge in this life to the fullest and do not care about the future.

But those who cling to eternalism say, “I am human this lifetime, so I will be human in future lifetimes. If I do not properly engage in spiritual practice in this lifetime, I can do it in the next.” Although they believe in future lifetimes, they do not comprehend the law of cause and effect or realize they have to pay their karmic debts. If they cause a lot of harm in this lifetime, the karmic retribution they face in future ones will be terrifying. But they do not understand this. They think they will always be human, and if they do not cultivate themselves this life, they can always do it in future lifetimes. However, they may not have the karmic conditions to engage in spiritual practice in the future. They may face so much torment their whole lives that they do not even have time to breathe, but they do not realize this.

So, it is not right to cling to eternalism or nihilism. We must believe in the law of cause and effect. Otherwise, we will lack clarity. “They do not know clearly right from left,” so they keep going in circles. If we let our hair down, and then shake our heads around, looking forward and backward, left and right, in the end, we do not know whether we are going forward or backward, left or right. Without taking the Dharma to heart, we just keep turning around in circles, just like how, if we keep shaking our heads, spinning our hair all around, in the end, we will be dizzy, and our hair will be messy. This is like holding “extreme and heretical views.” Such a ferocious appearance, with such long and unkempt hair, represents people’s confused thinking.

Next it states, “Oppressed by hunger and thirst, they scream and run wildly.”

Oppressed by hunger and thirst, they screamed and ran wildly: They hold extreme views and heretical views, but they are strongly attached to those views and have no nourishment of virtue. They lack the water of Dharma-nature to draw on. This is analogous to being oppressed by hunger and thirst.

Being “oppressed by hunger and thirst” is an analogy for “extreme and heretical views.” People’s attachment to these views is so strong; they just can never get past this obstacle. They clearly know that their methods will not work, but they have such strong attachments. They cling to their views and understanding and to their belief in permanence. “It’s fine; things just turned out this way. I’ll start over next time. I am wealthy in this lifetime. When I am reborn, I will likewise be this wealthy.” They do not know where their wealth comes from. They have no idea, so they keep competing with others and keep taking things from them. They do not know that the blessings they created in the past are the reasons they are successful in making money in this lifetime. Instead of creating blessings in this lifetime, they keep trying to satisfy their insatiable greed. They work so hard in their pursuits. All these things they work so hard to obtain in the end leave them with karmic debts that they have to repay in future lifetimes.

They do not know this, so “They are strongly attached to those views” and “have no nourishment of virtue.” They do not care about doing good deeds. They are only concerned with their income, so they do not want to give and create blessings. Therefore, they have no virtues. They do not cultivate inwardly or practice outwardly. These people have no spiritual nourishment or thoughts of goodness in their minds at all. Outwardly, they do not do any good deeds, so they create no nourishment of virtue. “They lack the water of Dharma-nature to draw on.” They lack the water of Dharma-nature that allows us to develop our wisdom-life. This is analogous to “being oppressed by hunger and thirst.”

Learn and practice careful contemplation, and do not by any means be biased. Those who are destructive and treacherous are without the virtues of learning the precepts and being in Samadhi; they are lacking the practice of the right path. This is like being oppressed by hunger and thirst.

This is the way life is. As we learn and practice, we must think carefully. We must be cautious so as to never go astray. Our minds must be oriented in the right direction; they must not deviate in the slightest. Otherwise we would be like “those who are destructive and treacherous.” They do not practice precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Not having learned precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, they do not believe in these teachings and therefore do not cultivate virtuous Dharma. Their actions constantly deviate more toward evil. So, “those who are destructive and treacherous” have no Dharma in their minds. They lack the right path and virtues from practicing precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Lacking the teachings of the right path is like being “oppressed by hunger and thirst.” These evil ghosts have no Dharma in their minds.

They claim to know when they do not. Each expresses his or her own views and pronounces and promotes evil doctrines, as if crying out. They follow evil practices and transmigrate endlessly without rest. This is like being driven to scream and run wildly.

Because people do not cultivate their minds with the Dharma, they insist that they are always right and teach whatever they want without accepting others’ views. They have gone astray and continue to “pronounce and promote evil doctrines.” They are constantly crying out like this. Not only have they gone astray, they also encourage other people to join them. With these deviant practices, naturally they will transmigrate endlessly. Once deviant thoughts arise in their minds, naturally they will be trapped in cyclic existence and they will call on others to join them in their actions.

This is why we must choose carefully when we decide to engage in spiritual practice. We must earnestly do the homework assigned to us. By earnestly doing this homework, we are making the effort to take the Dharma to heart and manifest it in our practice. “The Three Realms are created only by the mind. The orientation of our minds follows good and evil karma. Good karma leads to heaven and human realms; evil karma to realms of yaksas and hungry ghosts who practice violence and evil. With a thought,” very quickly, “we speedily move in that direction.” So, we must take good care of our minds, or they may deviate very quickly. If we go astray in the space of a thought, we will be like “hungry ghosts [who] are always oriented towards [places of] starvation.” We must be extremely careful and eliminate ignorance and afflictions right away, or else our mind will be filled with turbidity. So, we must always be mindful.

Ch03-ep0630

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

Wisdom at Dawn

Chapter 3

Episode 630 – Awaken to the Truth and Understand the Principles

>> “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.

Ch03-ep0629

Posted on January 7, 2025 by Scott Ogata

Wisdom at Dawn

Chapter 3

Episode 629 – Transform Oneself and Others with Right Dharma

>> “In India, there were 20 religious doctrines that taught how to be free from all bondage. Those that held nakedness as a correct practice would worship while naked, even in winter. This custom from the heretical doctrine of nakedness, a deviated path of ascetic practices, keeps one stuck in the Three Realms. When Right Dharma abides in the mind, one goes among people to save others.”

>> “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.”

>> Naked, black and gaunt, they have long abided there. This refers to one of the 20 religious doctrines. To demonstrate that they have freed themselves from all bondage, they hold to nakedness as right practice. Their nakedness indicates that they have no shame. Their blackness and gauntness show that they are not nourished by the Dharma. They have no merits nourishing or aiding them, so they are gaunt.

>> They do not practice the virtuous Dharma, which shows they have no shame. This is the meaning of naked. With negative actions, they deludedly inflate their egos. Those who cling to the view of self cannot escape from the Three Realms. Thus it is said they have long abided there.

>> They make loud and awful noises. Awful noises will definitely echo back to them. Beset by the suffering of both hunger and cold, they cry out seeking nourishment. This represents how the view of self and greed correspond with one another. With minds that cling to a sense of self, they pronounce and proclaim the existence of “I.” Thus it says that they make loud and awful noises. They hope that by making these sounds, they can achieve the fruit of the path. Thus it says they cry out for food.

>> “Everything in the world is impermanent, and we should contemplate impurity. Due to ignorance, we cannot awaken; this is likened to a black-shelled beetle. When our thinking becomes lost, we take the wrong fork. Noble beings see the Three Realms as impure and thus have compassion.”

>> “Jackals and foxes chewed, trampled, sucked and gnawed on corpses, whose bones and flesh were scattered about.”

>> “This pack of canines battled to seize small bits. Emaciated by hunger and maddened by fear, they dashed about seeking food everywhere. They clashed and fought, grabbed and pulled, growling and barking at each other. This house was terrifying, having come to look like this.”

>> The family Canidae includes many different species. Their sense of smell and hearing is sharp, and they can be trained. With their intelligence, they become arrogant. A pack of canines fight to seize small bits, so they are an analogy for the seven kinds of arrogance.

>> Pack of canines: Just as the delusions of arrogance drive people’s thoughts and actions, dogs rely on the power of humans, and having great strength, they forcefully seize and take from ones with no strength. They dig and search with two feet, defending what they have found. Thus, they battle to seize small bits.

>> Insatiable greed is called hunger. Being unable to quench desires is being emaciated. With various methods, people pursue their own personal gain, bringing on hatred and anger. This ignorance is like madness; thus it says they are maddened by fear. Those who are greedy may be rich but feel poor and follow objects of the five desires everywhere.

>> “Emaciated by hunger” is to be starving and weak, like being unable to get spiritual nourishment. “Maddened by fear” means they have a terrified and frightened appearance that comes from not severing the root of doubt.

>> They clash and fight: Ordinary people secretly and openly fight over recognition or personal gain, or clashed for the sake of the same. Or they may fight because of differences in understanding of the teachings and principles. They advance forward to seize and fight openly and secretly in all dealings. They hold each other back; these are all forms of clashing and fighting.

>> Growling: Opening one’s mouth to reveal teeth. This is an attitude of arrogance. Biting something and fighting for it is growling. Losing something and crying out is barking. These are the sounds of angry fighting.

>> So, a pack of canines is an analogy for “the afflictions of doubt.” When people cannot tell right from wrong in matters and principles, that induces five types of chronic afflictions, greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt.

>> The pack of canines battling is called clashing. Their barking at each other is fighting. Going forward to seize is grabbing. Tugging back and forth is called pulling. These are all forms of conflict. Biting something and fighting for it is growling. Losing something and crying out is barking. These are the sounds of fighting.

“Everything in the world is impermanent,
and we should contemplate impurity. Due to ignorance, we cannot awaken;
this is likened to a black-shelled beetle.
When our thinking becomes lost,
we take the wrong fork.
Noble beings see the Three Realms
as impure and thus have compassion.”

As I have said, everything in this world is in fact impermanent. From ancient times until now, among those who have lived, how many can actually be considered to have had long lives? In terms of material things in this world, buildings can last for a long time. For how long? How many places are still standing after 1000 years?

So, as we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we should be mindful and meticulous and carefully contemplate. What is the meaning of our lives? We must earnestly and quietly contemplate this. Furthermore, sentient beings create karma, especially severely negative karma.

Our minds are scattered and we cannot focus them, so we create karma out of ignorance and delusion. Because we cannot rein in our minds, we cannot realize how “The world is impermanent.” Since we have the karmic conditions to be born human and listen to the Buddha-Dharma, we must continue to refocus our minds and earnestly think about this. “We should contemplate impurity.” How do we control our desires? To address wealth and personal gain, all we have to do is think, “Everything in the world is impermanent; why take issue over anything?” To address the desire for sensual pleasures, we can “contemplate the body as impure.” The human body is very unclean. How long will we actually live? In this lifetime, why should we let our desire for intimacy lead us to create afflictive emotions?

How can we eliminate our scattered thoughts and afflictions? By reining in our minds. All we need is to recall the opening phrases, “Everything in the world is impermanent; we should contemplate impurity.” From this we should be able to realize that there is no need to fight or be attached.

“Due to ignorance, we cannot awaken.” Because we cling to our desire for wealth, we cannot awaken from our state of ignorance. This is analogous to being a black-shelled beetle. They live out their lives in excrement. They are very small and weak, and they physically live in such an environment. Aren’t people living in delusion just like them? Humans are truly insignificantly small, but we claim to be so great, to be on top of the world. We continually take advantage of the weak; we continually destroy things and fight others. Even if we obtain things, how long can we actually possess them? This greed and attachment arises from a state of ignorance. Aren’t we all living in such a state? “Due to ignorance, we cannot awaken; this is likened to a black-shelled beetle.” This happens when “Our thinking becomes lost.” Our minds are all mixed-up; ordinary people are ignorant and confused, so we create karma. This happens because we are lost.

As we engage in spiritual practice, we always talk about precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Samadhi is a meditative state. To cultivate Samadhi and meditation, we must “cultivate contemplation.” But we have lost our constant contemplation of how we can gather our minds into a tranquil and still state. More often, we are lost. If we are lost in desires, the pursuit of wealth or personal affections, then we will easily “take the wrong fork” and fall [into a lower realm]. So, noble beings see the Three Realms as impure. Thus, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have compassion for us.

We seem to be saying the same things every day. However, how often do each of us think about these concepts? The previous sutra passage states,

“Jackals and foxes chewed, trampled, sucked and gnawed on corpses, whose bones and flesh were scattered about.”

We keep fighting and fighting, until ultimately, what do we end up with? Things scattered about.

The next sutra passages continues on to describe,

“This pack of canines battled to seize small bits. Emaciated by hunger and maddened by fear, they dashed about seeking food everywhere. They clashed and fought, grabbed and pulled, growling and barking at each other. This house was terrifying, having come to look like this.”

See, when in a pack, canines will fight with and harass each other. In fact, canine is a general term. In the family Canidae, there are many animals. Animals described by the family “Canidae” include all the canines. But, there are many different species of canines. Some dogs can be trained to guard the door. Some can be trained to guide the blind. Since they are dogs, they have an acute sense of smell and hearing, so they can be trained to use that.

They are also very clever. Out of cleverness arises arrogance. People say, “The dog steps on horse feces and exaggerates his status.” This is an old saying in Taiwan. Dogs can assess situations, so they are very clever. If their owners are well-known, wealthy and powerful, they will take advantage of their status. Even dogs do this. So, “This pack of canines battled to seize small bits.” Canines also possess the tendency of arrogance. Among the five chronic afflictions of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt, canines are categorized under the chronic affliction of “arrogance.”

The family Canidae includes many different species. Their sense of smell and hearing is sharp, and they can be trained. With their intelligence, they become arrogant. A pack of canines fight to seize small bits, so they are an analogy for the seven kinds of arrogance.

We humans are like these canines. The ignorance of self-arrogance drives us. Therefore, we take all kinds of physical actions.

So, [dogs] “rely on the power of humans, and having great strength, they forcefully seize and take from [ones] with no strength.” Canines also use their greater strength to seize and take from those with less strength. So, “The pack of canines seize small bits.” Some people are the same. The bigger overwhelm the smaller; the strong take advantage of the weak and so on. In this way, people and canines are similar; they both have this kind of nature.

Also, “They dig and search with two feet, defending what they have found.” When dogs take possession of something, they will place all four feet on top of it. After holding down what they want with two of their feet, they will still continue to dig and root around. Similarly, when we humans search for something we can go wild. “Where is the thing I’m looking for?” We dive in head first, digging through and looking for that thing. Dogs do this too.

Therefore, their bodies and minds are strongly driven by the “delusion of arrogance” so they are conceited and arrogant and always want to claim things for themselves. If their minds never stop moving, neither will their bodies. Their bodies and minds are so forceful and busy, but for the sake of what?

Pack of canines: Just as the delusions of arrogance drive people’s thoughts and actions, dogs rely on the power of humans, and having great strength, they forcefully seize and take from ones with no strength. They dig and search with two feet, defending what they have found. Thus, they battle to seize small bits.

The next part states, “Emaciated by hunger and maddened by fear, they dashed about seeking food everywhere.”

Those with strength fight each other. What about those without strength? Their insatiable greed is “hunger.” Among humans, some are always greedy. Although they have enough to live on, they still feel that they do not have enough. Being unable to quench desires is being “emaciated.” In this verse, “emaciated” means to be very thin. They feel malnourished and are always hungry and scrawny. Never being able to quench their desires, they are like those who never feel well-nourished.

So, with various methods, people pursue their own personal gains. They keep thinking that what they have attained is still not enough. So, all their lives they are hateful and angry and keep creating problems for themselves. They bring worries and anger on themselves. If they cannot complete the deal they want, they hate that they could not make it happen. So, this kind of person truly has “ignorance [that] is like madness.” This is “maddened by fear.” We keep currying favor and fighting for more. Limitless greed is like being “emaciated by hunger and maddened by fear. Those who are greedy may be rich but feel poor and follow objects of the five desires everywhere.”

Insatiable greed is called hunger. Being unable to quench desires is being emaciated. With various methods, people pursue their own personal gain, bringing on hatred and anger. This ignorance is like madness; thus it says they are maddened by fear. Those who are greedy may be rich but feel poor and follow objects of the five desires everywhere.

Some seem to be very rich, with many possessions, [but their state of mind] is not much different from that of the poor. So, I often talk about the similarities between greed and poverty. Thus, those who are rich may feel poor. People like this never feel they have enough, so they pursue their objects of desire everywhere. In this world, amidst the sense objects of form, sound, smell, taste and touch, their greed for the objects of desire is endless. This is what people are like.

“Emaciated by hunger” is to be starving and weak, like being unable to get spiritual nourishment. “Maddened by fear” means they have a terrified and frightened appearance that comes from not severing the root of doubt.

We may have not yet attained the Dharma. If we have attained the Dharma, we will be content, grateful, understanding and accommodating. Isn’t such a life one of great wealth? People who are not able to feel content have not tapped into their Dharma-nature. They have not taken the Dharma to heart, so they have not awakened their pure nature. Their wisdom-life is still parched because they lack the nourishment of Dharma-water. This is similar to being emaciated by hunger.

“Maddened by fear” means they have a terrified and frightened appearance that comes from not severing the root of doubt. If they do not take the Dharma to heart, they will be fearful; they fear losing their fame and wealth to others. People like this are constantly frightened. This is because they have not taken the Dharma to heart. Because they have doubts, they wonder if people are friendly to them because of some ulterior motive. People with this kind of doubt can never make any close friends. They are fearful and suspicious, because they have not taken the Dharma to heart. When they act out of fear, they will not do things in the right way. This makes life hard for them.

“They clashed and fought, grabbed and pulled.”

People fight like this. Ordinary people secretly and openly fight over recognition and personal gain, or clash for the sake of the same. Perhaps people fight because of differences in their understanding of teachings and principles. Why is this argument necessary? Principles have always been principles. What is there to argue over? People fight over worldly recognition and gain and argue over what is right or wrong regarding principles of faith. What is the use of all this? We must elevate our own wisdom and, once we know the direction to follow, we should just stay on that course. When it comes to the right thing to do, we should just do it. What is there to argue over and fight about? All of that is really unnecessary.

But, “They clashed and fought.” In the last 100 years, this has led to so much sorrow and suffering. People fight openly and clashed secretly. They advance forward to seize or fight openly and secretly in all dealings. They mutually hold each other back, so major conflicts will endlessly arise and lead to endless clashes. Then when will this world be at peace? With all this fighting and clashing, when will it finally be over? [This depends on] people’s minds.

They clash and fight: Ordinary people secretly and openly fight over recognition or personal gain, or clashed for the sake of the same. Or they may fight because of differences in understanding of the teachings and principles. They advance forward to seize and fight openly and secretly in all dealings. They hold each other back; these are all forms of clashing and fighting.

Fighting and clashing are like “growling and barking at each other. This house was terrifying having come to look like this. Growling” is what canines do when they fight. A pack of canines will fight over food or over a pile of flesh and bones. When they fight, as they hold what they seized under their paws, they try to lay claim to other things. They feel, “This belongs to me, don’t you dare.” So, they open their mouths to reveal their teeth. Can you imagine what this looks like?

Growling: Opening one’s mouth to reveal teeth. This is an attitude of arrogance. Biting something and fighting for it is growling. Losing something and crying out is barking. These are the sounds of angry fighting.

Canines lay claim to things and are reluctant to let go. When they see that something they want is about to be taken away, they seize it in their mouths and pull back their lips to reveal all their teeth. When they bare their teeth after biting down on something, they appear to be very fierce. If we see canines fighting, this is what they look like. If this is what canines fighting look like, what does it look like when people are fighting?

They look arrogant and self-important. Fighting like this is like “growling.” They want ownership of all things and want to win on principle. They want both recognition and personal gain. This situation is called “growling and barking.” The way people shout and curse at each other is like how dogs bark at each other. This is like “growling and barking. Losing something and crying out” is called “barking.” They try to lay claim to something. If they cannot claim what they want, they get very loud. We humans do the same thing when we shout and curse at each other. We not only shout and curse when we fight, some people, out of ignorance, often yell at other people.

So, a pack of canines is an analogy for “the afflictions of doubt.” When people cannot tell right from wrong in matters and principles, that induces five types of chronic afflictions, greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt.

There is arrogance in all these afflictions. In greed, there is arrogance. In anger, there is also arrogance. In ignorance, there is also arrogance. Even in arrogance, there is more arrogance. Doubt also contains arrogance. These chronic agents of action contain many afflictions.

Out of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, we “clash and fight. We also argue over right and wrong,” so “We grab and pull. Debating” who is right and wrong and so on is “growling and barking.” These are the five chronic afflictions.

When a pack of canines battle to seize things, these canines all gather around and tug back and forth to take things from each other. This is a very sad way of living.

The pack of canines battling is called clashing. Their barking at each other is fighting. Going forward to seize is grabbing. Tugging back and forth is called pulling. These are all forms of conflict. Biting something and fighting for it is growling. Losing something and crying out is barking. These are the sounds of fighting.

So, when it comes to sentient beings, humans are just like other sentient beings. We are all animals.

There are many species of canines, but there are many more species of animals. All animals have special characteristics. But human [characteristics] include all the animal characteristics. We have all these tendencies within us. So, the behaviors of animals can all be found in the human mentality. In summary, we must understand the principles and be able to distinguish right from wrong. “Everything in the world is impermanent; we should contemplate impurity.” In this way we can naturally tame our ignorance. So, we must always be mindful.