August 5, 2006

Living beings’ nature is such that nobody likes to look for trouble.  We wish everything goes well on the way of practice without any obstructions until attaining the Buddhahood.  But, sometimes it isn’t that easy.  It is very difficult for modern people to cultivate their practice because our habitual patterns are extremely deep.  Thus, for modern practitioners, we have to ask, do they have greater merits?  Or, do they have greater accumulation of bad Karmas?  When the ancient Great Masters practiced in the monastery, their principle is that “there is no crooked tree in the jungle”.  It means, “Cultivating the practice in a heavily populated Monastery, it is like in a forest that every tree is growing upright.”  Because the tree beside me is growing upright, then the tree next to it, which is I, will grow upright along with it.  This is the power of the group practice.  The same reason, if every tree were crooked, then I would be like them to grow in a crooked way.

We, the modern people, rely on so many things in order to practice.  For example, it cannot be too hot or too cold. Someone said that: “Shi-Fu, I cannot go to the temple because there is no air-conditioning so I cannot practice.  I will go there next time.”  Although there is a limit on the endurance of the human body, but the most important thing is how to adjust our attitude and view.

The attitude of our practice is that we should have the spirit to walk the rough roads.  We must not be afraid of arduousness on our way of practice.  We should choose the easy as well as the difficult ways to practice.  After the Buddha became a monk, he lived in a small cave on the snow mountain and ate only one grain of sesame and barley daily.  He had practiced rigorous ascetic discipline for six years, which had weakened his body and made him near death.  He thought: “I am almost died.  How can my practice reach a certain level?”  Therefore, Buddha gave up the practice of rigorous ascetic discipline.  He accepted the offering from a shepherdess named Suddhartha.  His physical strength then restored.  After that, he went to Bodhigaya to practice and attained Buddhahood.

The Buddha said: “We should neither suffer nor to have pleasure while cultivating our practice.”  When your practice goes smoothly all the way, it is because that you have enormous merit.  But, your merit is impermanent.  When you encounter the difficulty in your practice, maybe it is the resisting cause to advance your practice and it is the period that you have the best practice.  When you walk on this rough road, you will feel the spirit of pioneer, have awareness, and awakening.  Your awareness is vivid twenty-four hour a day and you know your thoughts clearly.  Therefore, when you encounter some difficulties, it doesn’t represent that you have the worst practice in this moment.  It is very possible that it is the moment for you to get enlightened.

Buddhadharma is complete and flexible.  Because of the impermanence, we will have better chance to practice.  And, because of the impermanence, the defilement won’t be with us for the whole life.  It is like a traveler; it comes and goes.  If we think this way, then our view will be transformed enormously.  The good cause or bad condition shouldn’t become a hindrance to our practice because the good cause is impermanent and the bad condition is also impermanent.  Therefore, our mind should be like the space.  The purpose of the practice is to make us have an open mind because our lives are transient and time passes very quickly.  It is not important that time passes quickly or slowly; it depends on how we utilize our lives?  How are we going to use our limited life to care for others compassionately and to establish good connection with everybody in our transient life?  The most fundamental thing is to take care of our families and friends first to make them happy and joyful.  If we have more capability, then we should take care of more people.  Therefore, we can apply our compassion in many ways.  The Buddhadharma is everywhere.  And, Zen is everywhere.

May everybody attain the Buddhahood quickly!