January 23-24, 2004

The non-Buddhists always say this about Buddhists, “You Buddhists like to pray for opening up the wisdom, getting the blessed merit and attaining the Buddhahood.”  It is correct that we Buddhists are practicing for the blessed merit and wisdom.  If we don’t have the blessed merit and wisdom, we cannot attain the Buddhahood.  We are not just praying for the blessed merit and wisdom as our way of practice.  It is because Buddhism asserts that “every cause has its effect, as every effect arises from a cause”.  For example if you plant the seed of Good Roots and Wisdom then you need to take good care of it.  You need to use fertilizer and weed to let that seed grow into a tree so that the fruit will grow out of that tree.

There are many people who have Good Roots, it is because that our Buddha-Nature and Dharma-Nature are in one.  The Historical Sakyamuni Buddha and the Thousand-Buddha that we worshipped they were all took good care of the seed of Good Roots and wisdom.  No matter how many Cyclic Existences that they went through, they always came back as a practitioner.  Eventually and they never lost their Bodhi Mind.  Their Good Roots and wisdom were finally fused together inseparably.  But our Good Roots and wisdom haven’t connected together and we are not the Buddhas yet.  Therefore, in order to connect our Good Roots and wisdom together we need to come to the temple to practice.

According to the statistic report of CNN, the year 2003 is the year that most people had died in many natural disasters than the past years.  We all wished that the next year would be better than this year.  We are always praying for tomorrow or the next year although our lives are impermanent.  We don’t know if we would be here tomorrow or if we would still be here the next year it is because of the changing nature of the “every cause has its effect, as every effect arises from a cause”.

The reason why we had so many calamities it is because that we living beings have very heavy karma.  Although we living beings have many blessed merits but we do whatever we can to use that blessed merits to benefit ourselves even harming others.  There are many strange diseases, for example, the pig produce pig feet disease and the chicken produce the bird flu.  CDC will have a news conference to tell us how to prevent the disease as long as any diseases have occurred.  The best prevention those diseases is to have a good behavior.

We are very fortunate to have a rebirth as human beings.  It is because we have thought and wisdom so that for we can perceive what is good and what is bad.  And those animals had created ignorant karma in their past lives so that they do not have wisdom.  But we human beings do whatever we can to harm those animals.  What method would the animals use to defend themselves?  For example, chicken will produce bird flu if we ate the chicken that had bird flu then we will be infected with the bird flu.  This is a reaction of the cause and effect.  Every disease is caused by the power of karma of the living beings.

We need good karma in order to come to the temple to prostrate to the Buddhas till our waist sore and back ache that is our blessed merits.  There are many people who do not have blessed karmic merit to come to the temple to prostrate to the Buddhas. Obstacles would manifest so that they don’t feel well and they just lying there until their waist sores and back aches.  Therefore, in order to become Buddha we need to have blessed merits and wisdom as supplies for our soul.  To practice for the blessed merit and wisdom are the most important things to us, we need to practice in each of our lives.  Your Karmic Obstruction will be absolved, your Buddha-Nature will be revealed and your blessed merit and wisdom light will come naturally as long as you practice.

June 26, 2004

When I became a nun, there were over one hundred Dharma Brothers in our temple.  The Sangha’s daily schedule was extremely regular.  Plus, our Master paid immense attention to our health conditions.  Therefore, I learned how to maintain my health after becoming a nun.  My Master told us how to look after our health all the time.  Then I said: “Aren’t we practice to get rid of self-cling?  This physical body is fake, why do we need to pay immense attention to it?”  Then my Master replied me with these words: “Take care of yourself for the sake of the Dharma.”  Today, I would like to share these words with you.  Whenever you are not feeling well physically or mentally, you should think of these words: “Take care of yourself for the sake of the Dharma.”

Ourselves aren’t very important, but there are many people around us are significant.  We say that we shouldn’t have any attachment to practice Buddhism.  Therefore, don’t bother to take care of our bodies.  Buddha taught us that we shouldn’t attach to our bodies because this physical body is fake.  But, Buddha also wants us to safeguard our bodies.  Why?  Because Buddha said: “The graces from all living beings are too great to requite; the graces from our country are too great to requite; and the graces from our parents are too great to requite.”  These favors have been given to us from our past lives to our present lives.  We are not going to talk about our past lives because they are too far off so we will just talk about our present lives.  From the time we were born until now, if there is no grace giving by all living beings and no help from parents, relatives, and everyone, then we will not grow up.  It is impossible for us to talk and walk right after our births.  If we don’t have teacher’s guidance, then we won’t understand many things and won’t have any knowledge.  If there is no parent to take care of us, we won’t be alive after we were born.  If the doctor does not treat us, we won’t be here now.

Buddha says: we should requite those graces.  Therefore, this is the reason why we should take care of ourselves for the sake of the Dharma.  The Chinese Confucianism also says that: “Our bodies, hairs, and skins are given by our parents.  We dare not to damage them.”  Buddhism says: “This physical body belongs to the residence of the monastery.”  Our Master told us that: “Now you became a monk or nun to practice in this monastery.  Your body is not yours.  Your life is not yours.  You have already given them to the Three Jewels.”  Contribute this body and mind to serve all living beings that is the way to requite the grace of the Buddha.  Buddha doesn’t want you to only prostrate and pay respect to the Buddha without respecting others.  The true requiting the grace of the Buddha is that you live for the sake of all living beings.  Because when you aren’t feeling well, the people close to you will be worried.  For example, your parents and relatives, everyone will be very painful.

I feel that everybody’s role is very important.  Because our monastery is a mini one and it cannot be here without any one of you.  Therefore, everyone should take care of oneself for the sake of the master, for the sake of the monastery, and for the sake of the Dharma.  Our physical bodies are fake, but there are so many Dharma activities need to be accomplished by us.  Thus, we should take a good care of ourselves.  Your body belongs to the Three Jewels, Buddha, Dharma and Sanga.  Therefore, if you are sick then it is the same as the master is sick.  If you are healthy, it also means I am healthy.  When you are successful that is my joy too.  So you see, everybody is so important!  Therefore, sometime I thought: “What should I do?  I should bring some young people because everybody is so important but everybody is older than me.”  You should take a good care of your body because the Three Jewels need your support.

“Contribute the body and mind to all living beings that is to requite the grace of the Buddha.”  This is a stanza in the Surangama Mantra.  We should remind ourselves with this stanza constantly.  Each one of us has different Karma in our previous lives.  Sometimes, no matter how we maintain our health we still get sick because this physical body is impermanent.  We should take care of our bodies as possible as we can.  But, we shouldn’t be afraid of getting sick.  Once our bodies ache, we are doom; we cannot practice; and we cannot do anything - because once I do something, I will become this and that.  If this is the case, then you are attaching to this physical body too much.  This is incorrect either.  Buddhism emphasizes the Middle Path that it doesn’t deviate to the east or to the west; it doesn’t deviate to the left or to the right; and it doesn’t deviate to the good or to the bad.  We shouldn’t abuse your physical body but we also shouldn’t over protect our physical bodies.  No matter how we protect our physical bodies, the body will be decayed one day.  Therefore, do it just right.  Everything should be taken care of based on the Middle Path.  If you know how to take care of things with the Middle Path, then the relationship between you and your spouse will be terrific; the relationship between you and your children will be terrific too; and the relationship between you and your friends, your boss, your company and all other people will be excellent.  Because you know how to manage your interpersonal relationship, you will be in complete harmony wherever you go.  Because you know how to manage things with the Middle Path, which is not to deviate on either side, everything is just right.  Each one of us plays a significant role.  Each one of us should practice diligently.  One should take care of oneself for the sake of the Dharma.