Buddhism As Education

Cultivation may be favourable or adverse. When an adverse condition appears, one should know that it results from a bad cause planted in the past. If a person displeases one or goes against one, then one should just laugh it off as this will cancel out the karmic debt incurred in the past. If one becomes angry, one will incur another debt on top of the old debt. Instead of cancelling out the old debt, one will have even more problems. As it said, "If one owes money, one will repay with money. If one owes life, one will repay with life. Reprisal breeds reprisal. It is cyclical and never ending". This principle, "to cultivate one is to cultivate all" was explained in the Avatamsaka Sutra. It is the learning and cultivation of non-hindrance. Everything arise from our true nature. If the cultivation is in accordance with the true nature, then it can be regarded as cultivating all. If we do good deeds that are not from our true nature and because we are seeking,...

Ancient sages said that a wise and virtuous person knows that everything including "one sip and one bite" is destined. However, foolish people relentlessly pursue things that are already destined to be their. There is no need to be overly serious or to criticize everything. As we have learned in the Diamond Sutra, "All phenomena are illusory, like dreams, mirages, bubbles, shadows". Nothing is real. As the ancient sages also said, all phenomena are as fleeting as clouds. There is nothing worthy of anger or dispute. There is no point of dwelling on things for this will hinder our cultivation of purity of mind. In Venerable Ouyi's commentary on the Amitabha Sutra, we read "One let go of the phenomena one sees and keeps in mind and never reminisces about them". Letting go refers to how we are to react to our external environments. Outside stimuli often tempt us. But, ideally, when we see or hear these stimuli, we should not be attached to them....

What is exactly no wandering thoughts? What is correct thoughts? Having no wandering thoughts is being free from wandering thoughts, all discrimination and all attachment. Correct thought is a clear and correct understanding of all principles and matters, causes and results and the condition of anything and its phenomenal expressions. Therefore, in correct thought, these is wisdom, there are virtues and capabilities and auspicious marks. In correct thought, there are no wandering thoughts, discrimination and attachments. According to the Diamond Sutra, "Even the Dharma has to be laid aside, let alone worldly teachings". The "Dharma" refers to the Buddhadharma. One should not be attached to the Buddhadharma either. Any attachment would be a mistake. The Buddhadharma is like a boat, something we use for crossing a river. Upon reaching our destination, we should let go of the tool that got us there. The Buddhadharma is to help us overcome obstacles. When we ha...

If we see someone in need and we unreservedly give him a dollar or more, then the merit of this accords with our true nature because at that time we did not discriminate between others and us. We did not distinguish between the receiver and the donor. We were not attached. In this way, the merits from giving a dollar or more are infinite for they are the uncovering of our virtuous natures. Jealousy and hatred are indeed thoughts of stealing. Why is that so? Because one does not like seeing others doing better. This mindset is abnormal. Wishing others would be worse off or becoming displeased, critical or slanderous when seeing virtuous people or good deeds being carried out - these are all thoughts of stealing. A virtuous person delights upon seeing other virtuous people or good deeds and will wholeheartedly assist these good people and help them accomplish their good deeds. A virtuous person will set a good example for whatever community he is in and his good deeds will certa...

Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt are the roots of all natural disasters. They are also the root cause of human diseases. When one has the cause of illness - greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt - in one's mind, one tends to feel resentment, hatred, vexation, anger and annoyance and these give rise to thoughts of killing, stealing, sexual misconduct and lying. The retribution will be the malfunction of internal organs and the occurrence of diseases and epidemics. When we as ordinary people, looking around us, we see only the illusory, ever-changing phenomena, not the truth of these phenomena. It is like looking at a stormy sea. we tend to see waves and surf. We forget the truth. What is the truth? The truth is that the waves and surf are water. When the Buddha said that all phenomena are empty, he meant that the condition is empty; all the phenomena do not have self-nature and are empty in themselves. Everything is empty and without self. "Self...

Needless worrying is also an indication of karmic obstacles. The past is past, what is the use of dwelling on it? Tomorrow is yet to come. To worry bout it is to have wandering thoughts. Some people are extremely good at worrying and wondering about the past and the future. The can do so all day long. This is to make a mountain out of a molehill and this is  karmic obstacle. What kind of mind are we using now? The deluded mind, it is not a true mind. There is no hindrance in the true mind With the deluded mind, when we try to see something with our naked eyes, we cannot see it clearly. It is like looking through  distorted glasses, seeing the external environment through a layer of delusion. This delusion is the Eight Consciousnesses and Fifty-One mind objects. With the glasses heavily contaminated, we then interact with the external environment through these consciousnesses and mind objects. Therefore, the environment has changed to that of the Six dusts. When these ...

The teachings of Mahayana Buddhism emphasize perfect harmony, perfect wisdom, perfect undertaking and perfect merits. People today should try to appreciate this point and learn from the teachings. Only the sages' teaching of wisdom can help us improve ourselves. Buddhism teaches us to eliminate our afflictions and bad habits. In other words, we are to correct our wrong thoughts, wrong mindsets, wandering thoughts, discrimination and attachments and accord with the rules of the nature and the order in which nature functions. We should also understand the relationship between the entire universe and the rules of nature; the ultimate truth is what everything indeed one entity and is harmonious. We and the universe are all in one entity. The reason why our merits cannot compare with those of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is the differences in the minds, in the intentions. The environment changes according to the mind. As ordinary people, we are very narrow-minded, thus no matter ho...

The sutras help us to understand the true reality of life and the universe so that we will know the proper way to think and behave as well as the appropriate cultivation method to be used. Only when we truly accord with the teachings of the sutra will we benefit. if we chant or read indifferently without applying the principles, then our efforts will be futile. Only when we become aware of the purpose and method of chanting the sutra can we actually achieve any results. Today, people simply recite absentmindedly like a small child who sings a song with the right words to the right tune but without understanding the meaning. Only when we become aware of the purpose and method of chanting the sutra can we actually achieve any results. If the Buddha's teachings are not integrated into our minds and our minds are still dictated by our afflictions and habits, what is the use of chanting the sutras? Only our verbal karma is good; whereas our minds and behavior still remains the sa...