Buddhism As Education

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....

As you grow in Dharma, you should have a teacher to instruct and advise you. The matter of concentrating the mind, of samadhi, is much misunderstood, phenomena occur in meditation that otherwise do not normally arise. when this happens, a teacher's guidance is crucial, especially in those areas in which you have wrong understanding. Often where he corrects you will be just where you thought you were right. In the complexity of your thinking, one view may obscure the other and you get fooled. Respect your teacher and follow the rules or system of practise. If the teacher says to do something, do it. If he says to desist, then desist. This allows you to make an honest effort and leads to making knowledge and vision manifest in your mind. If you do as I am saying, you will see and know. True teachers speak only of the difficult practise of giving up or getting rid of the self. whatever may happen, do not abandon the teacher. Let him guide you, because it is easy to forget the p...

When you take a good look at it, this world of ours is just that much; it exists just as it is. ruled by birth, ageing, sickness and finally, death, it is only that much. Great or little is only that much. The wheel of life and death is only that much. Then, why are we still attached, caught up and not removed? Playing around with the objects of life gives us some enjoyment, yet this enjoyment is also just that much. Whatever is pleasurable, delicious, exciting, good, is just that much, it has its limitation, it is not as if it is anything outstanding. The Buddha taught that everything is just that much, of equal value. We should contemplate this point. Just look at the Western monks who have come here to practice. They have much pleasure and comfort in their lives, but it was only that much, trying to make more of it just drove them crazy. They became world travellers, let everything go, it was still only that much. Then they came here to the forest to learn to give it all up, ...