Episode 1389 – Cultivating the One Mind and the Three Directives
>> “These Bodhisattvas reverently followed the Buddha’s intent and vowed to travel back and forth in the evil world throughout the lands of the ten directions. They were unstinting with their lives and would endure hardships in order to widely spread the teachings of this sutra. These Bodhisattvas could endure hardships and claimed that they had attained non-arising patience. They vowed to practice in the turbid and evil age of Dharma-degeneration to uphold the sutra and protect sentient beings.”
>> In dealing with matters, we must be able to observe the subtlest things. We must be serene and patient with peace of mind. In terms of the principles, we must be gentle, harmonious, virtuous and compliant. If we can see thoroughly into matters, we will not be deluded by baseless opinions. We must keep our hearts stable so that we will not be disturbed by momentary irritations. This path is the best method for practitioners to be in the world as well as the wondrous way to uphold the sutra.
>> One mind: This refers to a single thought. The Three Directives for Spreading the Sutra: The room of compassion. The clothing of patience. The seat of the emptiness of all phenomena. The Fourfold Patience: This is the common cause which. Bodhisattvas must practice, the Four Practices for bringing peace and joy with body, speech, mind and vows.
>> One mind: This refers to a single thought. The nature of the mind is all-pervasive; it pervades the void in an instant, unhindered by phenomena. When it spreads out, it responds to all things. When it converges, it forms a single thought. Thus, whether it is good or evil, noble or ordinary, everything is created by the mind.
>> The Three Directives for Spreading the Sutra: The room of compassion. The clothing of patience. The seat of the emptiness of all phenomena. The Fourfold Patience: This is the common cause which. Bodhisattvas must practice, the four practices for bringing peace and joy with the body, speech, mind and vows.
>> …and furthermore, when they have nothing to practice regarding the Dharma and observe the True Appearance of all Dharma without any action or discrimination, this is known as the place of practice of Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas. [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 14 – On The Practice of Bringing Peace and Joy]
>> “What do I mean by the places that Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas draw near to? Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas do not associate with kings, princes, great ministers or officials.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 14 – On The Practice of Bringing Peace and Joy]
>> He feared that if they followed worldly customs, they would become sycophants who grasp at power and status and become arrogant and extravagant. Grasping at offerings, these people engage in devious flattery in order to ingratiate themselves. Thus [the Buddha] admonished them to not draw near [to these people]. Once they drew near to people like this, they might abandon their rightful duties and allow themselves to sink into internal defilement.
>> We will run about wagging our tails and begging for pity. We will be anxious about everything. We will be busy wiping away the tears of the mundane; how will we keep our minds on the path? Because of this, He warned us not to draw near to [these people].
>> What do I mean by the places that Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas draw near to?: Earlier, He said that we must peacefully abide in the places where [Bodhisattvas] draw near to. Our bodies must diligently cultivate and uphold all good deeds; we must retain the teachings of the Great Vehicle sutra.
>> Do not associate with: This means they must not be driven by emotions. By clinging to or relying upon powerful people, they end up oppressing others. If they were to draw near powerful people, the Buddha feared they would come to rely upon power and status and do harmful things that would be of no benefit to the path.
>> Kings, princes, ministers and officials were powerful people at that time. They must not contrive affinities with them. If their worldly affinities were too heavy, their actions would not completely accord with the path to Buddhahood.
>> If we draw near to these people, as soon as we refuse to comply with them, we will be harmed by the adverse conditions that come from our entanglement in their afflictions. If we do comply with them, we will be harmed by the favorable conditions that come from improper offerings. All of these are beneficial conditions that are harmful to the path. This is one of the reasons why we must avoid these harmful affinities.
“These Bodhisattvas reverently followed the Buddha’s intent
and vowed to travel back and forth in the evil world
throughout the lands of the ten directions.
They were unstinting with their lives
and would endure hardships in order to widely spread the teachings of this sutra.
These Bodhisattvas could endure hardships
and claimed that they had attained non-arising patience.
They vowed to practice in the turbid and evil age of Dharma-degeneration
to uphold the sutra and protect sentient beings.”
These few days everyone has had to be very mindful in using the Dharma we have truly absorbed. We must take the Dharma to heart and make vows to go among people so we can share the Dharma with everyone. If we wish to share it with others, then we have to understand it clearly ourselves. Listening to the Dharma is not just constantly reading the sutras and just understanding the meaning of the text. After we understand the meaning of the text, we must go further to experience its truth. This means that even though when the meaning of the sutra is verbally explained and our ears can take it in and our mind can understand it, this is still not enough. We must take what we understand in our minds and [ask] whether we ourselves have practiced it and have experienced it.
The Dharma is intangible, without substance or appearance. However, here in this organization, there are many things we have done in the past. And our companions in this organization, our Bodhisattva-companions, have done things in the past that they have shared with us. They have given and interacted with people; they have experienced these things. Can the ways they do things and treat people be correlated with the Dharma we have learned? Do the things we ourselves have done correspond? This is very important [to ask ourselves].
The sutras are written texts; the oral teachings are just sounds. We can look at the written sutras [at any time], but when we listen, by the time the sound enters our ears, it has already disappeared. Does the memory of it remain in our minds? We may remember it, but have we used it? Have we experienced it in the past? If we have experienced it, then we will know that this Dharma is a path; it is a path that we have walked. So, this path is a path we have walked; it is a path we have actualized. This path is the sutras. We have already awakened to the sutras we were taught. So, “The sutras are a path; this path is a road to walk on.”
So, on the awakened path of Bodhisattvas, have we encountered this Dharma? If so, from the depths of our hearts, we will be inspired; we are inspired to give rise to this aspiration. We must verify for ourselves whether we are using this sutra as a path and whether we use this path to walk on every day. This is something we should reflect upon again and again each day. When the meaning of a previous sutra passage is repeated again, this means that we must not forget it. When something is brought up again, it is something that
we must be sure to continuously keep in mind. So, “Bodhi” means “enlightenment” and “sattva” means a sentient being. A Bodhisattva is an awakened sentient being. Even though Bodhisattvas have achieved realizations, have been putting the Dharma into practice and, for a very long time, have been practicing according to the teachings without retreating from their aspirations, still, when it comes to actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions, they have not yet perfected their causes. Only when their causes have been perfected will they approach the fruition. This means they must be replete with all causes and conditions. To have the causes and conditions, we must put the teachings into practice. Have we walked the path? When it comes to our mind, do we still have afflictions in our mind, in our consciousness? When it comes to giving, though this is the evil world where people, matters and things are very complicated, we still form aspirations to do this. Amidst the swirling dusts of the world, we willingly go among the people to help them.
Yet now, even though people are saved, will those people joyfully accept [the teachings]? Afterwards, can their minds be purified? All we can do is do our best to give in hope of eliminating their illness and suffering. Of course, we also hope that in addition they will be able to accept the teachings in their hearts. This is what we need to be mindful of. Perhaps there are those around us who share the same aspirations, the same path, the same resolve. Though we share this aspiration, path and resolve, and though they have Bodhisattva-aspirations and are headed in the same direction as we are, every person’s habitual tendencies are different. When people with different habitual tendencies all come together to walk the same path, is it possible that everything will always go the way we want? Will everything we see always be pleasing to us? Will everything we hear always make us happy? They may still have their habitual tendencies, may still have faults or make mistakes. We still need to know how to treat these people. This is something we need to practice.
We purify each other by practicing together. When we practice together, we encourage each other, we help each other learn how to move in the correct direction, how to persevere in our efforts. This requires a very long time. Bodhisattvas must actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions, so we must care for those who share our aspirations and be mindful of those who need our help. This helps all things become perfect and complete, helps those who are saving and those being saved to have perfect and complete [karmic conditions]. Then, with these causes and conditions, we can transform evil into goodness and turn goodness into blessings. Then we can turn blessings into awakening to be awakened sentient beings. This means that when we give, we transform those around us. We transform people at the same time.
So, to perfect and complete the Bodhisattva-path is not an easy thing to do. In a world like this we must continually and incessantly train ourselves. This is how awakened sentient beings, in this evil world of Five Turbidities, will face great difficulties; this is a very difficult task. This is the one great cause; Bodhisattvas also have this one great cause. Because we wish to seek the path to Buddhahood, we should reverently follow the Buddha’s intent. When it comes to what the Buddha taught us, we must be extremely diligent and reverent as we accept it. If we wish to be able to attain the Buddha-Dharma, then we must accept it. When we accept the Buddha-Dharma, if we do not have reverence, if we do not cherish at all the Dharma in our hearts, then how will we ever be able to utilize it? So, we must cherish [the Dharma] and we must respect it. So, we must “reverently follow the Buddha’s intent.”
The Buddha had an ideal; He sought nothing else in coming to the world, only that sentient beings could awaken to the fact that everyone has the nature of True Suchness, that everyone could love themselves and love others and that everyone could be free of afflictions. When our mind is without afflictions, we will not be obstructed by matters or things in the world. We will have no obstructions and no fear, no afflictions or delusions; all delusions, afflictions and discursive thinking will have been eliminated. Sentient beings suffer because they have too many afflictions and discursive thoughts. It is truly impossible for their minds to be at peace and at ease. If we engage in discursive thinking, once we have stray thoughts and one thought goes astray, it can stir up a dense cloud of afflictions in our minds. This is will be very hard for us.
So, we should be very mindful to respectfully follow the Buddha’s intent. We must make vows, vows to be in this evil world. Only in this evil world can we become polished; we must withstand this polishing. If we want some object to shine, we must first polish it. We must cut and polish it, for only when it is cut and polished does it become very refined and smooth. An object must be cut and polished. So, this is why we must make vows.
This evil and turbid world is the only place; it is like a fiery furnace that enables us to become refined. So, we make vows to be in this evil world. We do not try to escape; we face its reality. If we wish to go among people, if we wish to enter this turbid world, then we must have the power of vows. We return to the world not because of our karma, but because of our vows. So, we make vows to be in this evil world and bring purity. Whether our fellow practitioners or those we wish to influence and transform, those suffering people whom we wish to help, these are all people for whom we make vows. We are not afraid of the trouble, so we return again and again. For those we cannot transform in this life, we will come try again in the next one, lifetime after lifetime.
So, they would “travel back and forth throughout the ten directions.” They were willing to go to any land, any land in the ten directions, any place at all. They would give everything they had; they were unstinting with their lives and would give until their last breath. Regardless of how many lifetimes it takes or of what place they must go to, they were always like this, unstinting with their lives. In this evil world of the Five Turbidities, our minds must be prepared to “endure hardships in order to widely spread the teachings of this sutra.” We must be able to endure all kinds of different difficulties. “These Bodhisattvas could endure hardships.” We must be able to endure so many [challenges] with people, matters and things, all kinds of difficulties and hardships; we must endure all of these.
Some of those Bodhisattvas expressed a great deal of confidence and said, “I have already attained non-arising patience. When it comes to the Buddha’s teachings, I have respect for the Buddha and have experience with everything the Buddha taught. With non-arising patience, whether I face difficulties that arise from the natural world or from other people, I can endure them all.” Thus, they vowed to practice in the turbid world of the era of Dharma-degeneration. “I am willing to remain in this evil world of turbidities in this era of Dharma-degeneration. I am willing.” What were they willing to do? They were willing to uphold the sutra and safeguard sentient beings.
Everyone, we should be very mindful, and our understanding should be very thorough. After we attain understanding, we must then take action. This resolve must be firm. If we only listen and say, “I will do whatever you tell me” then we will not be determined in our vows. So, we must consider things, and then firmly establish our resolve. Then our resolve will not waver. This is the true power of a Bodhisattva’s vows.
In dealing with matters, we must be able to observe the subtlest things. We must be serene and patient with peace of mind. In terms of the principles, we must be gentle, harmonious, virtuous and compliant. If we can see thoroughly into matters, we will not be deluded by baseless opinions. We must keep our hearts stable so that we will not be disturbed by momentary irritations. This path is the best method for practitioners to be in the world as well as the wondrous way to uphold the sutra.
“In dealing with matters, we must be able to observe the subtlest things.” While we are in this world, even the smallest objects and matters are things we should be very mindful of observing. This applies to every word we speak, everything we do and every person we deal with. Every person has different habitual tendencies. When we [hear] what others say, whether the meaning within is true or false, real or illusory, it is what we need to very mindfully seek to understand and deal with. Different people have different habitual tendencies and many other differences. So, whether with matters or principles, we must always have meticulous contemplation as we are observing them. So, “In dealing with matters, we must be able to observe the subtlest things.”
We must try to understand even the smallest of things. We know that this person’s habitual tendencies are like this. Yet regardless, we must learn how to accommodate them, how to gradually influence and transform them. This is also what we must be mindful of when we go among people. We cannot give up on anything just because it is difficult. We cannot give up on anything or anyone, even if a person has bad habitual tendencies. As long as we remain in the world, we will never give up, even over many lifetimes. Our vows are deep and profound, so we must not give up easily. Thus, in this world of evil turbidities, Bodhisattvas must have perseverance. This is the only way for our minds to settle down.
“We must be serene and patient with peace of mind.” Only in this way can we face any kind of bumps in the road or [problems] caused by other people, any kind of thing at all. Although our minds are quite clear, these matters are quite troublesome, but what else can we do? We must be serene and patient, have peace of mind. What else can we do? We must experience it fully. How can we face such a complicated and turbid world? “In terms of the principles, we must be gentle, harmonious, virtuous and compliant.” We [need] the principles. Although there are many difficulties when it comes to people and matters, we must first train ourselves with the principles. This means we must cultivate our mind and character over a long period of time. We must cultivate this gentleness and harmony, this virtue and compliance.
This requires that we cultivate our mind and our character at all times. So, when it comes to the principles, we will always be able to respect the Buddha’s intent and overcome all kinds of difficulties in this complicated world. “If we can see thoroughly into matters,” if we can be clear on all of the principles, then when it comes to matters, we will be able to see thoroughly into them. Even with the most subtle and intricate things, we will have a way to observe them all. So, with this principle, if we are gentle, harmonious, virtuous and compliant, we will see through all matters and appearances and “will not be deluded by baseless opinions.”
We will be able to understand how illusory and baseless these things are. When our mind remains calm and collected, we cannot be influenced by illusory, baseless things among people and matters, things which seem to be true but also untrue. We must clearly analyze the principles. “Should I do this or not?” If we should not do it, then we should be mindful to hold fast to not doing these things. When it comes to things we should do, we must learn to overcome any difficulties to doing what we should. So, our minds must remain very clear; we must discern right and wrong clearly. So, “We will not be deluded by baseless opinions. We must keep our hearts stable.” In our hearts and minds, we must persevere in our Samadhi and the power of our vows.
So, “We will not be disturbed by momentary irritations.” We must not act rashly or give in to momentary irritations, allowing ourselves to become agitated or annoyed. We must “not be disturbed.” Our mind needs to be very stable so our mind can remain focused in Samadhi. We must remain very stable. “This path is the best method for practitioners to be in the world.” For those practicing upon the path, this is the best method to use when they are dealing with the world. It is also “the wondrous way to uphold the sutra.” For those of us who practice the path and who have also made vows to uphold the sutra, this is the best method. This means. “In terms of the principles, we must be gentle, harmonious, virtuous and compliant.” Only then will we be able to penetrate matters so that when we encounter issues, we will not become that irritated or annoyed. We must be peacefully settled; only then will we not be tempted by things, nor will our minds become confused by them. Then we will be able to have Samadhi and not become momentarily irritated or annoyed because of something we have encountered.
So, this is what we must truly persevere in. This is the best method of being in the world for practitioners on the path. The way we uphold the sutra is by using this method, for it is only through this that we can persevere along this path and be able to overcome difficulties. So, we must use the Buddha’s teaching of “one mind, Three Directives, Fourfold Patience.”
One mind: This refers to a single thought. The Three Directives for Spreading the Sutra: The room of compassion. The clothing of patience. The seat of the emptiness of all phenomena. The Fourfold Patience: This is the common cause which. Bodhisattvas must practice, the Four Practices for bringing peace and joy with body, speech, mind and vows.
“One mind” refers to “a single thought.”
One mind: This refers to a single thought. The nature of the mind is all-pervasive; it pervades the void in an instant, unhindered by phenomena. When it spreads out, it responds to all things. When it converges, it forms a single thought. Thus, whether it is good or evil, noble or ordinary, everything is created by the mind.
“This refers to a single thought. The nature of the mind is all-pervasive; it pervades the void in an instant.” The mind is very nimble. If I tell you, “Europe’s scenery is beautiful,” anyone who has ever been there will be off there in their mind; they will arrive there in the blink of an eye. This is the mind. “The nature of the mind is all-pervasive; it pervades the void in an instant.” It is completely unobstructed. The mind can ascend to heaven or descend to hell. It is completely unobstructed. If you want to go somewhere or if you form an aspiration to save someone, as soon as that thought arises and you form a firm and powerful vow, you naturally will be able to do many things that will benefit that person. So, “The nature of the mind is all-pervasive; it pervades the void in an instant.” This state is determined by our mind. [The mind] is “unhindered by phenomena.” We completely understand all Dharma and are furthermore unhindered by anything.
Although the Buddha-Dharma is very profound, as long as we can [transform] our mind, we will definitely completely understand it. Wherever you want to go in the world, you will be able to arrive there. As long as you have been there, those impressions will always be there. This principle is the same. Though the Dharma has no substance or form, its principles are still firmly rooted in our mind. “When it spreads out, it responds to all things.” When we apply the Buddha-Dharma to our mind, if we wish to apply it on a vast scale, it can be applied very widely and broadly.
For instance, in Sichuan, everyone is very diligent. They are using the same Dharma there to bring together our spirit and ideals in that place so they can mindfully help others there. They all gather together there from many provinces. Right now they are also listening to the teachings. They are unhindered in doing so. Our mind is able to be like this. “When it spreads out, it responds to all things.” It is unhindered in going anywhere. If we collect it, “When it converges, it forms a single thought.” When we bring it together, it is collected in one thought.
We can spread out our mind so that it can go anywhere in the world. When we collect it, it becomes a single thought. “Thus, whether it is good or evil, noble or ordinary, everything is created by the mind.” Do we want to be a noble person or do we want to be an evil person? Both result from the same mind. So, when we spread out our mind, it can reach everywhere in the world to manifest its abilities and effectiveness. When we focus it, the mind becomes one teaching. So, we should use this one mind, but we must work hard to safeguard it. We should not let it deviate; whether we become a noble or an evil person depends merely on the direction we take. If we deviate in our direction, then we can become an evil person. If we follow our direction correctly, we can become Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
To spread the sutra we need the Three Directives. We enter the room of great compassion, wear the clothing of patience and sit on the seat of the emptiness of all phenomena. These are the Three Directives. And the Fourfold Patience? This is how Bodhisattvas should practice, with body, speech, mind and also vows. These are the Four Practices for Bringing Peace and Joy.
The Three Directives for Spreading the Sutra: The room of compassion. The clothing of patience. The seat of the emptiness of all phenomena. The Fourfold Patience: This is the common cause which. Bodhisattvas must practice, the four practices for bringing peace and joy with the body, speech, mind and vows.
To be able to completely understand, we need the one mind, the Three Directives and the Fourfold Patience. Everyone, we must be mindful. Previously these were all explained repeatedly. This was all done to help everyone really take the Dharma to heart.
We must not only take it to heart, but also apply it to many things, in many places. So many people have used it successfully. We have all worked together to do things, which have brought us peace of mind, These things have benefited others, and we can recall them, thinking, “Where did we go? What methods did we use there? This is how the Dharma can be spread out to reach many different faraway places. We can recall them now. No matter how far away they are, we can recall them. Then we collect our thoughts and return our mind to the present. So, we should always mindfully understand this.
Thus, the previous passage says, “And furthermore, when it comes to the Dharma, if they have nothing to practice….”
…and furthermore, when they have nothing to practice regarding the Dharma and observe the True Appearance of all Dharma without any action or discrimination, this is known as the place of practice of Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas.
We have so many teachings, so the previous passage tells us again that we must not have any attachments to the Dharma as we give to others. “Having nothing to practice” means we have no attachments. Amidst the Dharma, we are actually very free and at ease. If we then try to say, “This is how I engage in practice” or “These are the good deeds I do,” we are constantly talking about this “I”! What is this “I” really?
When it comes to what we do, if it is right, then we just do it. We have “nothing to practice.” This is just how it is. When it comes to the Dharma, we should be mindful, not constantly be hung up by inner afflictions. We give without any expectations. We “observe the True Appearance of all Dharma.” We observe the ultimate reality of the Dharma, how in reality it is without substance or appearance. The principles are solidly rooted, but they are without substance or shape. This is what the principles are. We can spread our mind throughout the universe, or return it to one thought. We can send it out or pull it back freely. This is the Dharma.
We are “without any action or discrimination.” There is nothing further to be done; the past is the past. “This is known as the place of practice of Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas.” The mind a Bodhisattva constantly preserves is a clean and unhindered one, and because it remains unhindered, the Bodhisattva knows the wondrous existence in true emptiness. This is what Bodhisattvas understand.
The following sutra passage says,
“What do I mean by the places that Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas draw near to? Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas do not associate with kings, princes, great ministers or officials.”
Those who Bodhisattvas can and cannot draw near to must be delineated very clearly.
He feared that if they followed worldly customs, they would become sycophants who grasp at power and status and become arrogant and extravagant. Grasping at offerings, these people engage in devious flattery in order to ingratiate themselves. Thus [the Buddha] admonished them to not draw near [to these people]. Once they drew near to people like this, they might abandon their rightful duties and allow themselves to sink into internal defilement.
This is because the Buddha was afraid that “if they followed worldly customs, they would become sycophants who grasp at power and status and become arrogant and extravagant. Grasping at offerings, these people engage in devious flattery in order to ingratiate themselves.” This is telling us we must discipline ourselves, teaching us we must prevent this. Our hearts should not contrive to create these kinds of affinities. If we go flatter people, flatter those sitting in high positions, there is the fear that we will gradually keep retreating from and eventually lose our spiritual aspirations, that we will move toward wanting to have power. We will continually want to make connections with those who have power. [We may say], “I know this person and that one, so you should treat me differently. I can get in touch with so-and-so and have them help me, so you should be good to me” and so on. This is “grasping at status and power.” People may become very arrogant and extravagant. They become more and more arrogant, selfish and self-aggrandizing.
They “grasp at offerings.” When this happens, spiritual practitioners end up flattering others merely for the sake of receiving offerings. This is absolutely unacceptable. We have our moral character and moral integrity, so we must earnestly protect our character. We should not ingratiate ourselves with others merely for the sake of pleasing them. We use gentleness, harmony, virtue and compliance and are very sincere with others, but we never need to use cleverness or pretension. We can say good things to them, and we can teach them the Dharma. These are things that we can do. But are we using a method of flattery? This is something we should be very cautious about.
What is right is right and what is wrong is wrong, but when someone does something wrong, we must find a way to deal with their mistake. Still, we must not get irritated or annoyed. We must be able to keep our mind settled and find ways to help him understand why he is wrong. We need know ourselves [why it is wrong]. So, we do not need to try to please others or ingratiate ourselves with them. We want to do the right thing. If something is wrong, we should not do it just because people have authority or power and we want to try to curry favor with them. So, if something is wrong and we will still tell them, “Right, right, right! You are right!” then this is wrong; we are the ones who are wrong. We should clearly distinguish right from wrong. This is teaching us to guard against wrongs and stop evils so that these evil habitual tendencies will never enter our minds.
“Once they drew near to people like this, they might abandon their rightful duties.” If we go astray by flattering and grasping for power, wanting to rely on other people’s authority, on other people’s power, on other people’s fame, then we should quickly earnestly reflect on ourselves. If we are like this, then we may easily abandon our rightful duties, abandon our spiritual aspirations. If we abandon our rightful duties because of this, then we can easily degenerate. This is very bad. This is something we should truly be mindful of.
We will run about wagging our tails and begging for pity. We will be anxious about everything. We will be busy wiping away the tears of the mundane; how will we keep our minds on the path? Because of this, He warned us not to draw near to [these people].
If we degenerate to the point where we are trying to please those with authority and power, “We will run about wagging our tails and begging for pity.” This is like [a dog] wanting to please his master; it just sits there wagging its tail. Do we all understand this? Do not wag your tail to beg from people. If a dog comes near and we pet it, it will just keep on wagging its tail! It does this to make you love it more. We do not need to do this. As spiritual practitioners, we truly have our moral character. However, we should not be conceited or arrogant. We should distinguish these clearly. We need to preserve our moral integrity, preserve our integrity, preserve our aspirations, not wag our tails pitifully or try to flatter others.
“We will be anxious about everything.” Thinking like this is just a waste of time. “We will be busy wiping away the tears of the mundane.” If all we are doing is flattering others, then when will we find time to engage in practice? All we will do is contrive affinities with others, coming and going doing mundane things. “What are you doing there? Why didn’t you take care of this? Oh, sorry!” Many things happen like this. We should do the things that we should do, not just try to contrive affinities with others. If all we do is contrive affinities like this, how will we have time for anything else? We need to make good use of our time; otherwise, how will we ever walk the path? Our time here is limited.
“Because of this, He warned us to not draw near to [these people].” Because of this, the Buddha warned us to not draw near to people like these, to kings and ministers and so on. We should not do this. Of course, if we need to get something done, then if we are very respectful, very grateful and truly sincere, we can go to people whose help we need and ask them for their help. Sometimes to get things done, we need our government. We need them to understand and to help us, but we do these things for all the world. We do not do these things for our own benefit, single-mindedly currying favor by flattering them. That is not what we do. Thus, we should distinguish between these clearly.
So, “What do I mean by the places that Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas draw near to?” It said previously that we should “peacefully abide in the places where [Bodhisattvas] draw near to.” These are places we should draw near to. With our bodies we diligently cultivate and uphold all good deeds and we should put effort into retaining “the teachings of the Great Vehicle Sutra.”
What do I mean by the places that Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas draw near to?: Earlier, He said that we must peacefully abide in the places where [Bodhisattvas] draw near to. Our bodies must diligently cultivate and uphold all good deeds; we must retain the teachings of the Great Vehicle sutra.
This is where we need to be diligent. In our spiritual practice, we should uphold all good deeds and eliminate all evil. We must quickly eliminate all evil, all the things we should not do. As for the things that we should do, we should hasten to diligently carry them out. We should safeguard our mind and our thoughts. This is what the Great Vehicle sutras teach. We benefit ourselves and benefit others. By earnestly engaging in spiritual practice, we benefit ourselves. By thoroughly understanding the principles, we benefit ourselves. By giving, we benefit others.
So, “Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas do not associate with kings, princes, great ministers or officials.”
Do not associate with: This means they must not be driven by emotions. By clinging to or relying upon powerful people, they end up oppressing others. If they were to draw near powerful people, the Buddha feared they would come to rely upon power and status and do harmful things that would be of no benefit to the path.
This means we do not need to ingratiate ourselves with others. We do not need to flatter or fawn upon others, but we must use sincerity when dealing with them. Whether it is a king, a great minister or an official, in fact they should want to serve the people. If we have to flatter them to get something done, then this is very inappropriate. However, as citizens we have our duty. Whenever we want to do something, we must follow the rules and make [proper] reports. This is following the rules. This is acting with Right Dharma
“‘Do not associate with’ means they must not be driven by their emotions.” We should not let our emotions rule us, indulging ourselves in our emotions. We also should not “cling to or rely on powerful people and oppress others.” Only relying on the power of others would not be correct. We should do things honestly, handle matters honestly, for the benefit of sentient beings. We should be upright and honest, do things according to the Dharma and not indulge ourselves by becoming attached to those with authority and power. If we cling to and rely upon people like this, if we only depend upon their power, by relying on their power we may oppress others. Sometimes people take things that they should not have from others. Those who are weaker have no way to hold on to what should be theirs because it is taken away by those who are stronger. This should not happen. Thus, “clinging to and relying on powerful people” is something we should not do.
So, “If they were to draw near powerful people, the Buddha feared they would come to rely on power and status.” If there are influential people, people with great power, and all we do is continually try to get close to them, then there is a fear that we ourselves will start acting like this. This would be wrong; we must not do it. This would do “harmful things that would be of no benefit to the path.” All we would be doing is wasting time there. If all we do is flatter powerful people in order to depend on them, then we will waste a lot of time. Not only that, we may acquire things we should not have. This is something that does not benefit others, nor does it benefit our own spiritual path. So, these are harmful; they do not benefit others, nor are they beneficial to our spiritual practice. Whatever falls within these boundaries, we should comprehend clearly. We must be meticulous and mindful.
Kings, princes, ministers and officials were powerful people at that time. They must not contrive affinities with them. If their worldly affinities were too heavy, their actions would not completely accord with the path to Buddhahood.
So, there were “kings, princes, ministers and officials.” These “were powerful people at that time.” Practitioners must not contrive affinities. “They must not contrive affinities with them.” Actually, “king” or “prince” is only a title. Even if someone is a king for a lifetime or is a great minister for a lifetime, it is only for a one lifetime, it is not eternal! It is not forever; it is not eternal. A time will come when a king will lose his power or he may also meet with an accident. It is the same for princes and ministers, to say nothing of how people’s minds are not balanced; one never knows when the world may change. We may rely on someone’s power now, but what if they lose their power in the future? There is no need.
If our mind is truly upright, if our thoughts are correct, if we give of ourselves for the sake of the world’s sentient beings, then we need not contrive affinities like these with powerful people. These are only temporary. We have no idea how long they will last, so there is no need to contrive these affinities, especially as in spiritual practice we need to rely upon ourselves. We must earnestly use the power of our minds to cultivate the Dharma. Only by taking the Dharma to heart will we understand the path we should walk. By walking it correctly, as we come and go, we return to the world with the Dharma of Suchness. One who does this is called a Tathagata. By coming to the world on the Dharma of Suchness, coming and going like this, we preserve our intrinsic nature of True Suchness and do not allow it to become disrupted, do not let it become scattered. So, we absolutely do not contrive affinities.
“If their worldly affinities were too heavy, their actions would not completely accord with the path to Buddhahood.” This comes from continually seeking to contrive affinities in the mundane world. Since we are engaging in spiritual practice, we do our utmost not to contrive affinities. We do our best not to do this. However, when it comes to doing things that will truly purify people’s hearts, that will truly benefit people, we must prepare ourselves well. How will we be able to purify people’s hearts? How will we be able to guide people to mutually benefit one another? It is for reasons like these that we go among others. It is not to curry others’ favor so they will give us authority and power. This is not why we do it. So, we must be very mindful in trying to understand this. Otherwise, “if their worldly affinities were too heavy,” if their actions were like this, they “would not be completely in accord with the path to Buddhahood.” So, we should form aspirations to go among people, and we should stay within the proper boundaries.
․If we draw near to these people, as soon as we refuse to comply with them, we will be harmed by the adverse conditions that come from our entanglement in their afflictions. If we do comply with them, we will be harmed by the favorable conditions that come from improper offerings. All of these are beneficial conditions that are harmful to the path. This is one of the reasons why we must avoid these harmful affinities.
If we draw near to these people, as soon as we refuse to comply with them, we will be harmed by the adverse conditions that come from our entanglement in their afflictions. If we do comply with them, we will be harmed by the favorable conditions that come from improper offerings. All of these are conditions that(I think you want to remove this word) are harmful to the Path. This is one of the reasons why we must avoid these harmful affinities.
So, “If we draw near to these people, as soon as we refuse to comply with them, we will be harmed by the adverse conditions that come from our entanglement in their afflictions.” If we associate with these people for a long time and then suddenly we no longer comply with them, if we no longer flatter them, if we no longer follow them, it could possibly bring on many adverse conditions of afflictions or entanglements that may harm us. This is possible. We should not say, “I am a close associate of that powerful person.” He may be powerful, but if a time comes when you no longer do what he wants, it may bring on many harmful adverse conditions.
“If we do comply with them, we will be harmed by the favorable conditions that come from improper offerings.” This is also harmful. If now you keep complying with him, and keep on complying with him, the only thing we attain will be offerings of fame and fortune that are undeserved. This too is harmful in its way. So, this is why we say that attachment to and reliance on power is never correct.
So, “All of these are beneficial conditions that are harmful to the path.” To continually associate with these people will always be harmful to our path. Its effect on our cultivation of the path as spiritual practitioners will always be harmful. These are this [kind of] beneficial conditions. “This is one of the reasons why we must avoid these harmful affinities.” This is only one reason why we should not associate with them. What we should draw near to is the Dharma, Right Dharma. The things that we should not draw near to, we should not draw near to. This is what it means to “not draw near.” With things that we should draw near to, we should truly be mindful. What we should draw near to is the one mind, Three Directives and Fourfold Patience. We must be very mindful. We must not draw near to those with power, for this is one kind of harmful affinity. So, kings, ministers and so forth are the ones who have power. This is what we should mindfully seek to realize. So, I ask you all to always be mindful!