The People’s Problems

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The root cause of people’s problems is that they are too content, therefore they have drawn innumerable and endless calamities onto themselves.

To cultivate Buddhahood is to learn from the Buddha. Irrespective of status, professions, all must learn the spirit of the Buddha, the ideas of Buddha and the compassion of Buddha, and implement all these qualities in their daily lives.

Therefore, our life style should be modest and content. Excess is shared with all sentient beings. This is the difference between Buddhas-Bodhisattvas and the lay people: The Buddhas-Bodhisattvas share their good fortune with everybody while the lay people indulge in their good fortune, unwilling to share their fortune with others. This is over content.

The saying, “six roots are pure, tainted not by one dust” actually means that the six roots i.e. eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind remain unperturbed in face of temptation. It does not mean a state of purity attained by eschewing social contact. If upon facing temptation, mind becomes confused and delusions once again take shape, and this is a sign where cultivation has not been effective.

When facing temptation, we must nurture an unsullied mind and this requires wisdom of highest degree. In the event of facing temptation, we must immediately recall that all forms are illusory and the mind will find its equilibrium. In good times, do not cling on to that which is pleasing. In bad times, do not give rise to anger. We know very well that all forms are illusory.

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