Episode 590 – Avoid the Evil and Head Towards the Good
>> “Carefully contemplate the suffering of the Five Destinies and the Three Evil Realms. With learning, give rise to wisdom and cautiously guard against wrongs. Diligently practice and create good and blessed affinities. Avoid the evil and head towards the good; transform others with pure Dharma and affinities.”
>> “Amidst all these various sufferings, sentient beings are immersed completely, playing happily, not aware, not understanding, not alert, not afraid.”
>> “[We] do not think to renounce them.”
>> This is why we “do not seek liberation. We head east and west in the burning house of the Three Realms. Though we meet with great suffering, we do not see it as a concern.
>> So, they “simply dally in the Three Realms”
>> A brief thought of goodness sprouts, and we are aware we must do good. Thus, we are born in the human realm, which is still within the burning house of the Three Realms. A single thought gives rise to good and evil.
>> One analogy is “going to work at sunrise.”
>> “Following good karma, we head east.”
>> “The sun sets in the west.”
>> “Following evil karma, we head west.
>> Though they face billions of kalpas of great suffering, they do not see it as a concern. This is an analogy for how the children, “when the flames are pressing close to them, do not renounce this or feel concern, nor do they seek to escape.
>> The Three Sufferings in life: The suffering of suffering. The suffering of decay. The suffering of action.
>> This is like a leaky boat adrift on the ocean, being blown about by the wind. We let it take its own course as it sinks. This suffering of action is pervasive in the Three Realms.
>> If we suddenly create evil again, we return to the evil realms. We come and go through life and death and do not seek liberation. Thus it says that they head east and west and do not see it as a concern.
“Carefully contemplate the suffering of the Five Destinies and the Three Evil Realms. With learning, give rise to wisdom and cautiously guard against wrongs. Diligently practice and create good and blessed affinities. Avoid the evil and head towards the good; transform others with pure Dharma and affinities.”
All of us, in our daily living, must be cautious and earnestly contemplate. If we are not careful, the slightest deviation in thought will lead us to suffer in the Three Evil Realms and the Five Destinies. Everyone should know the Three Evil Realms, the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. The Five Destinies are the heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. These are all places of suffering,
so we must earnestly listen to the teachings. Only by listening will we understand. If we do not listen, we will not understand. If we do not understand, we will not comprehend. If we do not comprehend, we will be confused, and our minds will fluctuate with our external conditions. Therefore, we must listen. Only by listening to teachings will our wisdom-life grow. We call this “wisdom from listening.”
I constantly speak of listening, contemplation and practice, which is how we achieve precepts, Samdahi and wisdom. If we do not listen to teachings, we cannot meticulously contemplate them. Therefore, we must first listen so that we can contemplate. After we contemplate, we will be able to apply this careful contemplation in order to make discernments. Wisdom is this discernment. We can earnestly discern whether or not we should do something and come to a judgment. So, we must listen to the teachings in order to unlock our potential for engaging in contemplation. “With listening, we give rise to wisdom.”
If we gain wisdom from listening, once we have listened, we form our perspective toward matters and things. Only with wisdom will we have compassion. This is because wisdom unlocks our compassion to see people, matters, objects and principles from an impartial perspective. Once we comprehend this, we will know how to change or eliminate our habitual tendencies such as our greed, anger and ignorance. In terms of the way we see things in this world, how do we cultivate our minds so as to refine our character and correct our behavior? This is spiritual cultivation and practice. “Cultivation” is about cultivating our minds and “practice” is about correcting our behavior. Our spiritual practice and cultivation comes from “listening”; we listen, contemplate, then practice.
So, we said, we must “listen and give rise to wisdom.” Only by listening, contemplating and practicing can we uphold precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. By following the precepts, we will be careful with our behavior every day. With every word we say, every thought that stirs and every action we take, we must be cautious. We must guard against doing wrong so that we will not commit evils. Thus, what helps us guard against wrongs and stop evils are the precepts. In our daily living, we must be cautious to prevent thoughts from arising in our minds. When these thoughts begin to stir, we must stop them right away so that we do not act on them. For example, we must not allow anger to arise and then automatically react physically, or we may blurt out our feelings and start yelling at people. Or we may raise our hand and physically hit someone. This can happen if we do not “cautiously guard against wrongs.”
Spiritual practitioners need to “cautiously guard against wrongs.” When we listen to the Dharma, we must take it in so that we can give rise to wisdom. Only with wisdom can our minds always remain peaceful, happy and at ease. Then, no matter what we see, we will remain happy, at ease and naturally be free of greed, anger and ignorance. This is the mark of a true spiritual practitioner.
Next, we must also “diligently practice.” We still must engage in spiritual practice. Through our spiritual practice, we “create good and blessed affinities.” We must think carefully when we make choices. Should we do something that benefits everyone or something that benefits us but hurts other people? We must carefully contemplate this. We must earnestly choose to do the right thing. We need to continually bring about good things, such as good deeds, beneficial teachings and encouragement for others to do good deeds.
We must never stop doing good things. The most important thing is to “avoid the evil and head towards the good.” Evil is something we must avoid. We must not deviate, even if only in the space of a thought. We must earnestly walk toward goodness and cultivate virtuous deeds. This is how we “transform others with pure Dharma and affinities.” If we can go among people and not be influenced, we have a pure state of mind. If we can avoid being influenced by living beings and be inclined toward goodness and listen to the teachings, we can serve as a model for others. This creates affinities [for teaching] pure Dharma. When people see us, they will believe and be willing to accept the teachings we have learned. Then in turn, they will guide and transform others so they will definitely be able to accept them. This is what we mean by “transform others with pure Dharma and affinities.”
Everyone, as Buddhist practitioners, we must carefully contemplate everything in our daily living so that we will not end up suffering in the Three Evil Realms and the Five Destinies.
Recently we have discussed how,
“Amidst all these various sufferings, sentient beings are immersed completely, playing happily, not aware, not understanding, not alert, not afraid.”
This is the way sentient beings live.
Clearly we can improve ourselves; clearly we can transcend this state of suffering, and clearly we can develop clear understanding, yet we are unable to transform ourselves. That is why we continue to float and sink in the sea of suffering.
So, not only are we “not aware, not understanding, not alert, not afraid,”
“[We] do not think to renounce them.”
As it states in the following sutra passage,
This is why we “do not seek liberation. We head east and west in the burning house of the Three Realms. Though we meet with great suffering, we do not see it as a concern.”
We sentient beings are truly deluded. We are not aware, and because we are not aware and not knowing, we are willing to remain in the burning house of the Three Realms; we do not realize the fire is pressing us. We are still unaware of this. This is how sentient beings are. Because they are unaware, they do not fear or renounce [this place]. They are not afraid of it, nor will they renounce and leave it. So, they “simply dally in the Three Realms.” We have stopped here in the Three Realms.
Sometimes, “A brief thought of goodness sprouts. Brief” means it is temporary. For a short amount of time, we think we want to do good deeds and understand we need to find a way to turn our thoughts of goodness into action. Because of this, we are born either in the human or heaven realm.
If we do not understand the Buddha-Dharma, if we do good deeds without taking the Dharma to heart, even if we practice the Ten Good Deeds for our entire lifetime, the best we can do is end up in heaven and enjoy a long life and many pleasures. But no matter how long [our lifespan] may be in heaven, our time there will still come to an end.
So, while doing good deeds and benefiting others are of course very important, we must resolve to transcend this world. Having a world-transcending resolve means we must act with a pure mind and without any expectation of repayment. Only with a very pure mind can our thoughts of goodness be long-lasting and can we truly behave in an awakened manner. Otherwise, it is just “a brief thought of goodness [that] sprouts.”
A brief thought of goodness sprouts, and we are aware we must do good. Thus, we are born in the human realm, which is still within the burning house of the Three Realms. A single thought gives rise to good and evil.
Humans are within the Three Realms. Heavenly beings are also within the Three Realms. So, not even heavenly beings have transcended the burning house of the Three Realms. Thus, they remain in this burning house.
“A single thought gives rise to good or evil.” In this world, we are truly unenlightened beings. In the space of a single thought, we can give rise to goodness or commit evil.
One analogy is “going to work at sunrise.”
When the sun comes out, we start “doing good deeds” and.
“Following good karma, we head east.”
Do you know from which direction the sun rises? It rises from the east. When the sun is out, it is daytime. With our goodness, our pure and virtuous Dharma, “Following good karma, we head east,” forever in the direction of daylight. Then our state will be clear, radiant and bright.
“The sun sets in the west.”
Sometimes our minds move quickly, and.
“Following evil karma, we head west.”
We move ever westward. Do you know what the west represents? It is the place where the sun sets. If we go to where the sun sets, it means that we are heading toward darkness.
When our hearts enter the darkness again, that is ignorance. Should our minds head in the direction of the light? A single awakening brings a thousand realizations. Once we have been awakened, we head down the path of goodness, straight down this path towards goodness. As we continue on the path towards the light, we must never turn back toward the dark night, back to the road that leads to the darkness.
So, when a single thought [of goodness] arises, we must not be content to have it last so briefly. When a brief thought of goodness arises, our minds simply change with our conditions. When the opportunity is there, we do good deeds. When it is not, we degenerate again. This is how we have lived for billions of kalpas. We have always been in this place where beings of the Five Destinies co-exist, within the Three Realms.
Though they face billions of kalpas of great suffering, they do not see it as a concern. This is an analogy for how the children, “when the flames are pressing close to them, do not renounce this or feel concern, nor do they seek to escape.”
Wasn’t this mentioned in the previous passage? Outside this burning house, the elder is extremely anxious. He constantly calls out, “Children, come out quickly!” Yet the children are foolish and think of the fire as entertaining. Immersed in confusion, they continue to linger in the burning house. This is the analogy.
This is similar to how the Buddha, having transcended the Three Realms and become the Great Enlightened One of the Universe, saw how deluded we sentient beings were and how we remained immersed in the five desires. This was lamentable, so He wondered how. He could help everyone awaken. This is the heart of the Buddha. He could not bear for sentient beings to remain immersed in confusion, so He wanted to transform them. Because they were deluded, He had to devise [skillful means], which are the Three Vehicles. This is analogous to how the elder set up three kinds of carts outside, a sheep-cart, a deer-cart and an ox-cart, in response to what everyone wanted. These suited everyone’s capacities so they could be drawn out of the house. This is the Buddha’s wisdom.
It is also like the virtue of the elder. With His virtue, He came to the Three Realms, yet the children do not cherish this place; they did not appreciate their blessings. Thus, they let the Three Realms fall into disrepair. This became a place that has been deteriorating. This is due to our collective karma. Out of our delusion and ignorance, we have created various kinds of karma, turning the Three Realms into a place of suffering like a burning house. When we are born into the Three Realms, or into the human or heaven realm, we cannot escape the Three Sufferings.
The Three Sufferings in life: The suffering of suffering. The suffering of decay. The suffering of action.
First is “the suffering of suffering.” Life is already suffering, and on top of this, we add the suffering of disease and our mental hindrances about this. This is truly “the suffering of suffering.” Then, there is also “the suffering of decay,” of formation, existence, decay and disappearance. See, even in these past few years we have seen how the four elements are already out of balance and our planet is constantly being harmed. So, aren’t we in a period of decay? Furthermore, in our minds, our thoughts arise, abide, change and cease. This is also true of good thoughts. Once we begin to do good deeds, a condition may arise that ruins our wholesome intentions. This is something that often happens.
Therefore, the Three Principles and the Four States of Phenomena are tied to the suffering of suffering and the suffering of decay, not to mention the suffering of action.
This is like a leaky boat adrift on the ocean, being blown about by the wind. We let it take its own course as it sinks. This suffering of action is pervasive in the Three Realms.
It is said that the life of ordinary people “is like a leaky boat in the ocean.” It is like a boat that is old and full of holes and no longer knows where it is going. It drifts on the ocean, blown about by the wind. Isn’t this how our life is? Not aware, not understanding, “We let it take its own course as it sinks.” How long will it continue to remain floating? When will the boat sink? We have no idea, since when it comes to the Three Sufferings, particularly “the suffering of action,” the aggregate of action, we are not aware and do not understand. [These kinds of suffering are] “pervasive in the Three Realms” and in the heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms, which are the Five Destinies. So, we must always carefully contemplate the suffering in the Three Evil Realms and the Five Destinies. We must be cautious and carefully contemplate how the Three Evil Realms and the Five Destinies are truly filled with unbearable suffering.
So, the children “head east and west,” not aware, not understanding, not alert and not afraid so they still go to and fro. They run east one moment, and west the next. As I just said, running eastward symbolizes the arising of thoughts of goodness and running westward symbolizes the arising of evil thoughts. In the Three Realms, they play by running east and west “and do not see it as a concern.” This is how unenlightened beings create karma.
If we suddenly create evil again, we return to the evil realms. We come and go through life and death and do not seek liberation. Thus it says that they head east and west and do not see it as a concern.
“We suddenly create evil again.” One moment we create goodness, then suddenly we turn around and commit an evil. This affects our transmigration. We may have been born in the human realm, which is a good path, but even on this good path, we can still give rise to evil thoughts and commit evil actions. When a thought of goodness arises, we do good deeds. By accumulating goodness, we create blessings. When we accumulate evil, we will fall [into an evil realm]. This is how we transmigrate to an evil path.
“We come and go through life and death.” We are born one moment, die in another. We live in the human realm for a few decades, which is not even one day in the heaven realm. In this short lifetime, we cycle between goodness and evil without seeking to become liberated. So, it is said, “They head east and west and do not see it as a concern.”
Everyone, as Buddhist practitioners, we must be mindful. Otherwise, why would we be willing to remain in this kind of state? As long as we are in this state, we suddenly do good or suddenly commit evil. One instant we are on a good path and the next on an evil path. Like a leaky boat drifting on the boundless sea, we are drifting aimlessly; we just keep floating and sinking. Therefore we must, “with learning, give rise to wisdom and cautiously guard against wrongs.” To do this, we must practice the Buddha-Dharma.
It is rare to be born human and rare to hear the Buddha-Dharma. How can we not listen to the teachings? Once we have listened to them, we must “diligently practice and create good and blessed affinities.” We must earnestly practice to “avoid the evil and head towards the good” and “transform others with pure Dharma and affinities.” We must practice the pure Dharma and give to others without expectations. Then we can become role models in the world. Hearing the teachings, we can transform ourselves. We can also transform others with virtuous Dharma. If we can do this, we are true spiritual practitioners. Dear Bodhisattvas, we must always be mindful.