Once we have set an objective for cultivating the mind, we must ask ourselves: “How do we cultivate our minds? How do we purify it?” The answer depends on your mind’s ability to comprehend – that is called “enlightenment”. To get enlightened is to understand.
We always talk about the desire to become enlightened. However, with the principles already laid out clearly – the law of cause and effect, cyclical rebirths, karmic conditions and destiny –what else are we meant to awaken to? In reality, everything we encounter in our daily lives –such as the moon, a flower, the grass or a tree – provides us with opportunities to become enlightened and deepen our understanding of life. Enlightenment is a cyclical process in which we practise the teachings of the Buddha-dharma and apply it to our everyday lives. And from the experiences of doing so, we gain a deeper understanding of the Buddha-dharma. Then, we reapply what we have learned back into our everyday lives – and the process repeats itself. This is similar to preparing for a test, where, in doing our exercises, we constantly and repetitively apply the guiding principles. From these exercises, we keep learning to master the basic concepts until we reach a level of proficiency such that we are freely able to put the theory into practice. In the process of cultivation, each time we apply the Buddha-dharma correctly, the level of our spirituality will be elevated accordingly. Nevertheless, even if we did well on nine consecutive attempts but erred on the tenth, all previous efforts will have come to naught. That’s why cultivation of the mind is like treading on thin ice.
Many fellow practitioners have very thoroughly studied the Buddhist teachings expounded by the Master, gaining an in-depth grasp of his teachings and cultivating diligently. This is an encouraging sign, indicating that practitioners fully appreciate the unique excellence of this Buddhist practice. However, in light of the many questions posted online and considering how practitioners handle interpersonal relationships, it is evident that many are still at the stage of struggling to repay their karmic debts. These practitioners are yet to grasp that the Buddha-dharma is closely intertwined with our daily lives, and that learning about Buddhism begins with learning about the basic principles of being a moral person. Although some may seem to have tamed their temper through their efforts in reciting Buddhist scriptures, they have done no self-reflection or even tried proactively to identify and correct their shortcomings. In other words, they have yet to take the initiative to apply Buddhist teachings in their daily lives, and to practise what they have learned personally. For example, when it comes to cultivating the Buddhist teachings of “Morality (Precepts), Concentration and Wisdom”, many people still do not understand what precepts are to be observed, or even why it is necessary to observe the precepts in the first place. Why it is that observing the precepts will give rise to concentration? What does concentration mean? These are questions we must get to the bottom of. Similarly, we need to fully comprehend the many conclusions derived from our predecessors’ past experiences, and identify the basic principles behind these conclusions. Only then will we be able to understand why our predecessors reached these conclusions. For example, why is it that we are able to practise “diligent cultivation” when we practise “forbearance in the face of humiliation”? On which theory is that based? Why is the concept of “non-self” given so much emphasis, and what is its purpose? Not only should you gain an understanding of the theories, you also need to put them into practice. You cannot just apply the theories mechanically – you need to fully understand them so that you can draw inferences from other cases. This is similar to our study of mathematics, and the application of those mathematical theorems.
Therefore, enlightenment is not something distant nor abstract. In fact, in our daily practice of Buddhism, we are gradually being awakened without even knowing it – we get to learn how to perform recitations of Buddhist scriptures, and understand how performing recitations can change our lives for the better. The next step for a Buddhist practitioner is to systematically and consciously practise Buddhism in order to attain enlightenment. One should be more inquisitive and ask more questions in order to understand more guiding principles. Buddhist practitioners have a good understanding of these guiding principles so that they do not dare to commit bad deeds – just like people who know the law do not dare to commit offences.
What does cultivation really mean?
Cultivation is about changing our own behaviour. The objective is to attain the highest level of realisation, or in other words to become fully enlightened. There are three aspects of cultivation: Discipline of one’s own actions, regulation of one’s own speech and elevating one’s morality. In fact, once we understand that negative karma is a major force that binds us in the mundane world’s web, and that karmic obstacles stem from our “conduct, speech and thought”, it is then easy to understand that the objective of these three aspects of cultivation is to prevent us from creating new negative karma. Discipline of one’s own actions restrains us from creating karma of misconduct, while regulation of speech is to restrain us from creating karma of unwholesome speech. The elevation of consciousness and morality is to guard us against conceiving of any bad intentions, thereby reducing the chances of creating karma of unwholesome thoughts.
Our understanding of this principle serves as a benchmark for us to correct our unwholesome behaviour. In doing so, we reduce our karmic obstacles and cease to weave another new web of karmic relationships. However, applying this principle, and the extent to which it can be applied in our lives, will depend on each individual’s level of understanding. For example, your superior may have increased your workload so much so that you are totally occupied, working overtime frequently, while others receiving the very same salary had less work to do. Under such circumstances, you may be able to endure it, refraining from doing anything improper on a surface level, but deep down, are you not truly angry? Why is it so important not to get angry? If you don’t show any anger in this situation, will you be called a coward? What is the right way of thinking?
This is all up to us to discover and comprehend. With each question answered, our spiritual state will go one step higher. Different levels of comprehension will give rise to different levels of spirituality. Failure to comprehend will lead you to, for example, comparing your workload with that of others, leading gradually to the harbouring of indignation at the thought of being treated unfairly. This is when you have unwittingly developed negative karma, thinking you are the one who has been victimised. This is how one gradually loses motivation in their spiritual practice. However, as a matter of fact, any effort will pay off eventually. It is often said: “A teacher can only lead you through the door – it is up to you if you are to walk through it and succeed in your spiritual practice.” It is precisely because every individual is different that the problems we individually face are also different. Therefore, it is not possible for the Master to lay out for you all of the answers that require your comprehension. Fortunately, while the approaches may vary, the fundamental guiding principles to abide by remain unchanged. These guiding principles are: Applying the law of cause and effect and karmic affinity to understand the life; adopting the Buddhist practice that the Master expounds to solve problems in your daily life, and; treating the doing of meritorious deeds and the refraining from generating negative karma as guidelines to self-discipline.
In the discussion of the three aspects of cultivation, there is no mention of the accumulation of merits and virtues. But why are merits and virtues regarded as the consequence of our cultivation? It’s because the direct results of the three aspects of cultivation are the performing of benevolent deeds, holding on to benevolent thoughts, and speaking kind words – which are all merits and virtues.
What does “cultivating our minds” mean?
On our journey of spiritual cultivation, cultivation of the mind is a topic we will inevitably face at one point or another. Beginners, or those yet to experience any spiritual response from their practice, may start by focusing on eliminating karmic obstacles and performing meritorious deeds. That is because when heavy karmic obstacles and karmic debts are still weighing down on your body, and uncleansed defilements on your mind remain, cultivating the mind is out of the question at this juncture. Once our karmic obstacles are reduced to a certain level, the time will naturally come for us to gradually cultivate the mind. This is the feature of Buddhist practice that the Master imparts to you, focusing on attaining enlightenment in the present life – as opposed to other practices that focus on attaining enlightenment in the next life. Evil stems from the heart. In fact, our inner demons and our karmic obstacles are inextricably linked. Once we have the opportunity to repay our karmic debts before cultivating our minds, we are then all geared up for an easy road to spiritual practice. So when it comes to cultivating the mind, Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door is more effective at clearing the hindrances of our minds, giving us the upper-hand in subduing our inner demons, elevating our level of spirituality and achieving the desired results.
From these three aspects of cultivation, it becomes clear that changing our behaviour and cultivating our minds are closely linked. To correct ourselves, we must first identify what kinds of deviated behaviour we have committed. This process of “awakening” is the process of cultivating the mind. By constantly reflecting on our conduct and our minds, we will be able to progressively make improvements. There is no definite rule about how to cultivate the mind, nor is it possible to outline a standard procedure. The reason for that is because the karmic force affecting each individual varies, as the obstacles they face and the paths of cultivation they choose can be strikingly different. Nevertheless, as the saying goes: “Innumerable dharmas return to one.”No matter how drastically different our paths of cultivation may be, there is only one final aim – to attain the state of mind of the Buddha and the Bodhisattva. The Buddha’s mind is the mind of all sentient beings, while the Bodhisattva’s is one that possess compassion. Hence, we need to reflect on our minds, comparing them to those of the Buddha and the Bodhisattva. Only then will we be able to discover what we should correct within our minds, and how we should go about changing our behaviour.
Buddha’s mind is selflessly focused upon the suffering of sentient beings, while the Bodhisattva’s mind revolves around the Four Limitless Qualities of loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity. Each of these are very high levels of spirituality, and therefore serve as the benchmark and ultimate goal of our journey of cultivation and self-correction. The starting point for cultivating the mind lies in the correction of our minds, and reaching a level where the mind is pure and settled. What this means is that we must be practical in identifying our flaws, eliminating the “three poisons” of greed, hatred and delusion, and eradicating attachment to the self and attachment to others. Only once our minds are settled and wholeheartedly dedicated to cultivation can we achieve spiritual purity by gradually understanding our minds and seeing our true nature. We will then be able to see our innate Buddha-nature, including our conscience and our kindness, which will in turn thrive and develop into compassion.
What is purity of mind?
Correcting our minds is the starting point when it comes to cultivating the mind. However, the perception of what is right differs from individual to individual, as two opposing parties can each insist that they are right. So this is the first question facing us: What is right? And how do we determine what is right? A selfish person may say: “Aren’t all people like this?” A husband who quarrels frequently with his wife may insist that she does not care about him, while a son who has not been in touch with his 80-year-old mother for a decade may defend himself on the basis that she was hostile with his wife back then. Under such circumstances, and especially for people who have never once thought themselves wrong in a decade or more, will they reflect upon themselves? What would prompt them to do that? Most of the time, it comes from the outside. For example, an insightful speech delivered by the Master during his dharma talk; a sudden realisation while travelling in a car; the sight of a child supporting his elderly mother by the hand while walking; an anecdote related by a colleague, and so on. All of these could be the instant catalyst for repentance. However, for such a spark to occur, an accumulation of merits and virtues is necessary.
As the Chinese expression goes: “Lay a solid foundation and reveal your strength modestly when the right time comes.” Regardless of how you acquire merits and virtues, whether by performing recitation or doing good deeds, an instant awakening is only possible after you have acquired merits to a certain level. Only at that stage will your negative karmic obstacles be eliminated, and the defilements that obscure your inherent nature be removed. Only then will you be able to see your inherently unselfish, loving and tolerant nature, and demonstrate filial piety.
At the same time, it is important to recognise the source of such defilements – greed, hatred and delusion. Life is often less than smooth-sailing, and such imperfection may be largely attributable to greed, hatred and delusion. This is why they are referred to as the three poisons. For example, although you’ve managed to subdue your selfishness for a while, you may be back to your old self again. When a reward or a promotion is up for grabs in your department, you may find yourself thinking: “Who is more qualified than me?” Or just as you have managed to resolve the decade-long lack of communication between you and your mother, one of her comments may send you into a rage once gain. Under the influence of these three poisons, your inherent and burgeoning kind nature is once again nowhere to be found.
Therefore, if the three poisons have not been eradicated, cultivation of the mind will be less effective despite all the hard work. Even experienced and famous practitioners are likely to fail to eliminate the three poisons completely, and this can only be resolved through one’s own efforts. External intervention such as advice or help from others have no decisive role to play here. This is true even if it is the Master who is giving you personal advice, and telling you not to be greedy or delusional. It will be futile if you fail to see the true nature of things for yourself.
So many infatuated couples continue to pine miserably for one another, unable to accept the fact that the karmic affinity between them has come to an end. There are so many who are enjoying such high social status and great wealth that they put all of it at risk in pursuit of even more material gains to satisfy an insatiable greed. These are examples of people who are unable to see the true nature of things as they fail to realise that life is brief and impermanent.
They may understand the concept of karmic conditions and the law of karma, but it is another matter entirely when it comes to putting it to practice. It is no longer a matter of the arising and ceasing of affinities, but rather the result of cause and effect from past lives that change through the passage of time. Once the affinity has ended, the karmic shackles will also vanish accordingly. Like falling leaves and petals, everything in the world is fleeting and illusory.The wealth and honour enjoyed in this life are interrelated with the good deeds performed in your past life. If you wish to continue to reap these benefits in subsequent lifetimes, you should step up and perform more meritorious deeds. The three poisons are ubiquitous in the process of our cultivation of the mind, and also the biggest challenges faced constantly by every practitioner.
The antidote to the three poisons is none other than “Morality (Precepts), Concentration and Wisdom”. It all starts with practising self-discipline. A self-disciplined mind can be settled, allowing you to advance along the path of cultivation. There will come a day when you can become awakened and see the true nature of things – this is the time when you gain wisdom, and the poisons will no longer be an issue. Nevertheless, in the subsequent phases, the three poisons may just manifest in the form of other temptations. Just when you are able to let go of wealth, you may be faced with the temptation of status. Once you have seen the illusory nature of status, you may be enticed with lust. Once you have realised that the body is nothing but mortal flesh, there comes the temptation of fame – and the list goes on.
In addition to the temptations, each individual in this world must grapple with their own set of life’s troubles – from the household to the nation and to the world at large, all of it bringing us great worry. But a worried mind remains drifting and restless. Entangled by all kinds of things, how are you going to cultivate your mind?
As long as we live in this world, it is inevitable that we need to interact with other people. Although self-discipline may help to restrain us from forming negative karmic affinities with others, we cannot expect those people around us to do the same. If others form negative karmic affinities with us, that is when we are being hurled with insults, unfairly treated, or misunderstood. Under such circumstances, the practice of “forbearance and diligence” is the proper approach in order to maintain the purity of our state of mind. Exercising forbearance when being insulted is not an expression of cowardice, but a golden practice that saves us from the establishment of negative karmic affinities. The moment we take offence or bear a grudge when someone takes a shot at us, a thread of karmic relationship inevitably sticks – and this is the moment when negative karma is formed. Only by practising forbearance can we reject this “negative energy” and in so doing prevent negative karmic affinities from taking root. Forbearance is merely an external appearance. What we truly want to attain is a state of mind that is impervious to external influences – one that regards insults as nothing. When it comes to the cultivation of the mind, this is what “let mind not be swayed by the changing external circumstances” is all about.
Another thing we must remove from our minds is attachment. This applies to attachment to the self or attachment to others, as they are both forms of prejudice stemming from our incomplete understanding of things. Since our life experiences and our perception of life differ, we develop prejudices that we think are correct. Understandably, it is this attachment that causes us to be biased in our understanding of what we have experienced. However, the problem is that we fail to realise that our views are biased, so we continue to be deceived by the illusions that we believe to be true. The fundamental solution lies in removing the notion of “self”. We should not see Buddhism from “our own understanding and our point of view”. In other words, we should learn to look at problems analytically and comprehensively, combining it with our practical experiences in life to come to understand Buddhism. Our minds need to be cleansed every now and then – our negative karma needs to be eliminated to prevent worries and temptations from afflicting us. Only then can a pure mind be achieved. The objective of purifying the mind is to reveal our inherent nature. When the purity within us reaches a certain level, our inherent nature will become prominent and not easily tainted or blinded by defilements. At this juncture, we need to take great care of the mind, nurturing it and allowing it to thrive, and ensuring it will not become lost once again. This is considered the starting point of learning Buddhism.
Is renouncing the world the only way to achieve purity of the mind? Paradoxically, this mundane world is the best place for cultivating the mind. If the mind is not pure, even if you were to retreat to a mountain-top, you would still be unable to let go of attachment. Achieving purity of the mind isn’t a matter of letting go of everything including one’s karmic affinities. Nor does it mean that you should no longer socialise with others in order to avoid forming karmic affinities. “Purity” in this context is about being clean, pure and untainted by defiled predispositions and negative affinities. It is a state achieved through cultivation, not merely through the act of evading.
What is a settled mind all about?
All of us are faced with different conditions that lead us to the path of Buddhism. Some people, for whom acceptance comes more easily than for others, are resolutely persistent in learning Buddhism from their very first dharma talk by the Master. Others find the situations mentioned in the radio programs to be similar to what they have experienced in life, so they adopt the method taught by the Master. Having put it into practice and seen the desired result, they are first convinced and then steadfast in their faith. Regardless of what the conditions are, once the faith is established, their minds are calm and settled. However, such a settled state of mind is only temporary. Once they recover from an illness, or when – let’s say – their child who once suffered from a speech disorder has finally begun to speak, they come to realise the greatness of Buddhism. However, they may begin to make excuses about being too busy to recite Buddhist scriptures. Some people start off with enormous enthusiasm only to lose steam over time. Then there are those who only follow what is taught without making any effort to study or seek understanding. These cases cannot be regarded as examples of having attained a settled state of mind. When they encounter other problems in life, such as losing their job or tackling a relationship problem, they will continue to go around in circles without a single clue about how to deal with it. They may even start to question: “I have done what was suggested by Master Lu for a whole month, how come I still can’t get a job?”; or “Why haven’t I met the love of my life after following Master Lu’s teachings for half a year?” In other words, doubt begins to set in. When there is karmic obstacle, there will be worries – and the “self” will be dragged along for the ride. The settled state of the mind will then be lost. Therefore, practising Mahayana Buddhism (the method of helping sentient beings become spiritually awakened) must be based upon Theravada Buddhism. In that way, we must focus on improving ourselves and our families first of all. Only when our minds are free of obstructions do we have no fear. Then we can talk about how to cultivate our minds and help others to become spiritually awakened, too.
A settled state of mind can be defined in two ways. Firstly, to be steadfast in faith, and secondly, to be unwavering in achieving one’s goal. The foundation is built upon rationality. This includes: Understanding the difference between worldly dharma and transcendental dharma; the law of cause and effect; the reasons behind the ups and downs of one’s destiny and the relationships among positive and negative affinities; the power of karma, and; the web of the mundane world. With this understanding, we will be able to settle our minds. At the same time, we must also understand that the compassion of the Bodhisattva and the greatness of the Bodhisattva are truly genuine. While the Bodhisattva will rescue those in suffering upon hearing their cries, we first must perform daily recitation and do our bit. In doing so, we will be firmly convinced that the difficulties we face today are not without reason, and that they are merely temporary. Consequently, we can achieve a state of mind that remains unmoved by changing external circumstances. It’s a state in which the external circumstances change but the mind remains unswayed; a state of single-mindedness. This is, of course, a relatively high level of spirituality that may be difficult for everyone to achieve. But at least we know the right direction to head in, and that we can begin to strive towards this goal. As for the final result, we first have to sit the exam and wait for the results.
A restless mind is drifting, whereas a pure mind is settled. With a settled mind, the Way will emerge. Generally speaking, Buddha-dharma is in our daily lives, and our daily lives also reflect Buddha-dharma. Apply the Buddha-dharma in your daily lives, and investigate and contemplate the Buddha-dharma from your life experiences. Remain steadfast. Eventually, everything will begin to change for the better.
发表于 2020-8-16 21:56:50