Episode 454 – Remorse Can Prevent Wrongdoings
>> “We are humbled that our virtues and learning are superficial. When we are always humble, our minds will give rise to goodness. We are ashamed because we have committed wrongs and been criticized by others. Feeling ashamed and at fault, we will stop committing wrongs.”
>> “Unwholesome people of the future, upon hearing the Buddha teach the One Vehicle, will not believe or accept it out of delusion. They will slander the Dharma and fall into the evil realms.”
>> “Those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood. For people such as these, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.”
>> Those who are remorseful and pure will mindfully and diligently seek the path. They will take this great opportunity to understand and accept the principles. [The Buddha] does not fail to recognize people with the right capabilities or fail to speak at the right time. Thus, they resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood.
>> For people such as these. I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle: When people encounter the Buddha’s Right Dharma and resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood, [the Buddha] teaches them the. True Dharma of the One Vehicle. For people such as these, those who cultivate goodness and enjoy listening to the Dharma, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.
What is remorse?
“We are humbled that our virtues and learning are superficial.
When we are always humble, our minds will give rise to goodness.
We are ashamed because we have committed wrongs and been criticized by others.
Feeling ashamed and at fault, we will stop committing wrongs.”
We must be humble [with our achievements] and be ashamed [of wrongs we have done] to others. Are we humbled by our superficial virtues and learning? When we see how capable other people are, if we are not humble, we may say, “Whatever you can do, I can do it too. Your talent is not a big deal.” By saying this, we are not being humble. If we are humble, we will reflect upon ourselves. Why is it that other people can do these things so well but we cannot? We must be humbled by our lack of virtue.
In our spiritual practice, we have not accumulated deep virtues. We have not learned enough, so we must be diligent. “The virtuous will attain.” We have not done enough, so we do not attain anything. Or we have done little, so we only attain a little. Thus, we are rather lacking in virtue; our practice of virtue is rather thin and our learning is rather superficial. We must always have this mindset so that [we will always be humble and] “our minds will give rise to goodness.”
Shame is something we feel around others. We must be ashamed of the transgressions and wrongdoings we have committed. In our daily living, are we behaving ourselves? We may have made mistakes in the past and may still have not thoroughly eliminated our habitual tendencies, or other negative or unwholesome things. These wrongs we have committed must be examined continuously. Will our past or our present indolence be criticized by others? Will other people mock and judge us? This is the feeling of shame.
When we feel ashamed and guilty, we will stop committing wrongs. This is another way of saying that when our transgressions are seen by others, or heard of by others, and we are then criticized, what we feel will be “a sense of shame.” We will feel embarrassed and know we were wrong. When we know we did wrong and feel embarrassed, we will stop doing those things. So, we must constantly reflect on ourselves. “We are ashamed because we have committed wrongs and been criticized by others.” We must constantly engage in self-reflection. This is the deeper meaning of the word “remorse.”
We often hear people say, “I am remorseful.” But as they talk about remorse, are they truly reflecting on themselves? Are they changing their ways? Being humble leads to self-reflection. Being ashamed leads to change. Only when people reflect and change are they truly remorseful.
One time, the Buddha had gone out to ask for alms. Later, He came to a forest and sat down to eat. There were some bhiksus who were also eating at the same time in that forest. After finishing their meals, everyone collected their bowls and returned to the abode. After resting for a moment, everyone sat down and the Buddha also sat in meditation, then afterwards swept His gaze across them, stopping when He reached a certain bhiksu. He said, “After we asked for alms, as everyone sat in meditation in that forest, one of the bhiksus among the Sangha, while sitting in meditation, lost his focus.” He strayed from his mind’s pure state, and gave rise to a desire. At this time, in the forest, a heavenly being appeared. This heavenly being was a protector of the Dharma. This heavenly Dharma-protector noticed that the bhiksu was not concentrating and was lost in his desires, so he asked the bhiksu, “Virtuous One, if people have sores on their body,” sores can also refer to boils, “what should they do?”
The bhiksu responded by saying, “See a doctor for treatment.” The heavenly being then asked, “If the boil has already festered, emitting pus and blood, if it has burst and is even growing maggots, then what should they do about it?” The bhiksu responded, “If things are already that serious, then they must practice right mindfulness. With right mindfulness and right wisdom they must reflect on why this boil, this sore or tumor, has reached such a serious state. It must not have been cared for properly. Since things are already that serious, they must cultivate right mindfulness. Having right mindfulness is the best way to treat an illness. After establishing right mindfulness, they can practice good hygiene and then seek a doctor for treatment.” Upon hearing this, the heavenly being said, “That is correct. What you have said is right.” After saying this, the heavenly being left.
After the Buddha told this story, He looked at the bhiksu intently. The bhiksu rose slowly, walked to the Buddha and respectfully prostrated. He said, “Venerable Buddha, it was me. I’m ashamed! I’m lacking in virtue. I easily give rise to discursive thoughts. From now on, I will take good care of my mind. If I do not take good care of my wisdom-life, I will easily become physically ill. After a physical illness, I will still be reborn. But if my wisdom-life is ill, once I lose human form, regaining my wisdom-life will be difficult. I understand this now.”
This was his remorse. The Buddha was actually able to see and feel the state of mind of every bhiksu. The bhiksu immediately felt remorse and openly repented. This is the best medicine for the body and mind. So, when we are learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must always remind ourselves to be vigilant. Even if others cannot see our lack of humility or shame, it still poses a big problem for our wisdom-life. So, when we are among others, we must always maintain a sense of remorse. Only then can we maintain the health and wholeness of our wisdom-life.
So, the previous sutra passage states,
“Unwholesome people of the future, upon hearing the Buddha teach the One Vehicle, will not believe or accept it out of delusion. They will slander the Dharma and fall into the evil realms.”
This was the previous sutra passage. Some people not only do not support virtuous Dharma, on the contrary, they destroy it. When it comes to their own wrongdoings, not only do they not reflect on them, they commit ever more serious ones. This is a transgression that we sentient beings of this evil world of the Five Turbidities easily commit, so we must all be very vigilant. The Buddha-Dharma is rarely encountered. To hear the Buddha-Dharma and take it to heart is not very easy. Being able to hear, believe and understand it is already very hard to come by. So, we must earnestly uphold and accept the Dharma. We must earnestly put the Buddha’s teachings into practice. Otherwise, once we become deluded, we will quickly lose our faith as well. Once we lose faith, we will easily slander the Dharma or fall into an evil realm. All this can happen in the span of a thought.
The next sutra passage states,
“Those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood. For people such as these, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.”
We must be remorseful. Being remorseful is purifying. Only by being remorseful can we improve. Only with humility can we cultivate goodness. Only when ashamed will we stop doing wrong. Eliminating wrongs and cultivating goodness are the sources of our physical and mental purity. So, we must place great value on remorse. If we are not remorseful, we will keep degenerating and have no concern over whether others know about our wrongdoings or criticize us for our indolence. If we are this kind of person, our resolve will be very weak. We will easily be tempted by external states and be unable to uphold our vows and follow the path. People like this will easily lose their spiritual aspirations.
So, if we are people with pure minds, we will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood. “For people such as these, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.” If people are remorseful and have firmly resolved to learn and cultivate the path to Buddhahood, the Buddha will devote more effort to guiding them. He constantly spoke to them about the One Vehicle and praised that path. Similarly, as we meet people, we should also promptly nurture and guide them. This is how the Buddha taught us to transmit the Dharma in this world. We must select and teach the capable. Transmitting the Buddha-Dharma is very important.
So, “those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood.” The people who are remorseful and pure will mindfully and diligently seek the path and seize this great opportunity. They know receiving the Buddha-Dharma is rare and receiving Right Dharma is even more rare.
Those who are remorseful and pure will mindfully and diligently seek the path. They will take this great opportunity to understand and accept the principles. [The Buddha] does not fail to recognize people with the right capabilities or fail to speak at the right time. Thus, they resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood.
The Buddha taught the Dharma with skillful means. For over 40-plus years, He had taught everyone how to be a good person. Starting from this point, He began [teaching that] the One Vehicle Dharma is the only path for learning and attaining Buddhahood. He was only beginning to teach this at that time, so this was [a great] opportunity. People who had already mindfully and diligently sought the path now had the opportunity [to hear it]. As I told everyone previously, it was as if, in the past, the door was closed. There were many pictures outside that were used to show everyone what things were like inside this state [of mind]. This helped everyone understand. Through pictures, texts and sounds, they began to comprehend [teachings]. When everyone had a good understanding, He opened the door so that they could see the true conditions inside.
With analogies and other methods, He had slowly led and guided [everyone] to arrive at this place, so now the time had come. Thus, they should “take this good opportunity to understand and accept the principles.” Now they could truly see that the principles are just like this. Their minds had come together with the conditions, and had already unified with the principles. So, “[the Buddha] does not fail to recognize people with the right capabilities.” These people finally had the capabilities to accept them, so He quickly gave them these teachings. Their capabilities were now suitable; the people able to accept the Great Dharma were now there. So, “[the Buddha] does not fail to recognize people with the right capabilities.” He took advantage of this opportunity to immediately help people accept these truths.
“[He] does not fail to speak at the right time.” It was the right time to teach the Great Dharma. It was the right time to reveal true teachings. He had to teach them right away, otherwise it would be too late. So, in terms of capabilities, people and timing, He had to give the teachings right away.
Everyone, since we have vowed to learn the Buddha’s teachings and engage in spiritual practice, our resolve must be very firm. Only then can we realize the Buddha’s intent and comprehend the True Dharma that is in His mind. For more than 40 years, the door to the Buddha’s mind had been closed. He had hoped we could realize it right away, but our wisdom and capabilities were insufficient. So, He had no choice but to teach the provisional. Now He was revealing the true. Thus, for the people with mature capabilities, He “extensively praised the path of the One Vehicle.”
For people such as these. I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle: When people encounter the Buddha’s Right Dharma and resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood, [the Buddha] teaches them the. True Dharma of the One Vehicle. For people such as these, those who cultivate goodness and enjoy listening to the Dharma, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.
So, “People encounter the Buddha’s Right Dharma and resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood.” If people have encountered the Dharma, Right Dharma in particular, they will not only seek to awaken themselves, They will not just know about karma without grasping karmic cause and effect’s full [meaning]. They will not just listen to the Dharma without hearing the essence of the Dharma. If they did so, it would be a great pity. So, the Right Dharma is the correct path. The Buddha wanted to lead everyone forward onto the Bodhisattva-path so they could achieve the state of Buddhahood.
“For those who vow to seek the path to Buddhahood, He teaches the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.” The True Dharma of the One Vehicle was taught “for people such as these.” These were the people with mature capabilities who could comprehend the Buddha’s intent. For these people, He gave a heart-to-heart talk; the Buddha taught them the. True Dharma He had kept in His heart. So, “for people such as these,” people who could comprehend His mind, people who cultivate goodness and value hearing the Dharma, people who very earnestly and diligently practice and are also very happy to listen to the Dharma, people who could take it to heart and apply it after listening, He opened and praised the path of the One Vehicle.
If we can comprehend the Dharma, we should constantly share its benefits with everyone. We should share what we learned from it. Other people’s realizations can be helpful for our own understanding. Perhaps our realization and understanding, once we have heard other people’s thoughts, can become more precise because of what they shared. Then we can continue to discuss our realizations with them. After these kinds of discussions, the Dharma will become more clear and our realizations will become more extensive. Therefore, we must not be attached to the text. We must transform the words into principles and take the principles into our hearts. Once we have realized these principles, every sound we hear, everything we connect with, will be the Dharma.
You see, isn’t this what Tzu Chi volunteers do? “They seek to improve by revealing shortcomings.” They are willing to openly share their mistakes with everyone. After everyone has heard their story, not only do they not look down on them, they praise them for their courage. Later, if someone continues to talk about what they did in the past, we can speak up for them and answer, “He has changed. He told us about all of his past mistakes. We know all about them.” Thus, rumors can be stopped by the wise. This is how being remorseful and openly repenting can purify the body and mind. Then they will not be hung up on past mistakes or worry about people talking behind their backs. Rather than letting people criticize, they prefer to talk openly about everything. This Dharma-door, applying the Dharma as water, washes away our defilements so we can be pure. We are already learning the Buddha’s teachings,
so we must be earnest and not make the same mistakes again. In the past we may have been indolent, or arrogant and self-important. We must not have that mindset, nor should we hide our mistakes. We must disclose them so we can improve. So, as Buddhist practitioners, we must be mindful. “Those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood.” For these people, we can teach the Dharma and “extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.” Everyone can walk the Bodhisattva-path, as long as we form the aspiration. The Bodhisattva-path, as long as we have faith, can help us attain the state of Buddhahood. So, we must always be mindful.