7 Oct 2014 Wisdom at Dawn Internal cultivation and external practice With great loving-kindness, there is never any regret With great compassion, there is never any resentment With great joy, there is never any worry With great equanimity, there is never any expectation As practitioners of the Jing Si Dharma-lineage, we must internally cultivate sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. We must also make the 4 Great Vows to transform all sentient beings, eliminate all afflictions, diligently and mindfully study the Buddha-Dharma and steadily engage in spiritual practice. We must not cease until we attain Buddhahood. So, we must vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood. We are now learning the Tzu Chi School’s road of working with others. As we enter this school of Buddhism, our mission is to develop the 4 Infinite Minds (great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy and great equanimity). To have loving-kindness is to have hope, that the world can become safe and peaceful; that everyone can live harmoniously, receive blessings and find happiness. This is the Buddha’s great loving-kindness. He wants peace and joy for all sentient beings. So, He spent a long time teaching them. But sentient beings’ capabilities are complex and varied greatly and the Buddha unceasingly returns to this world on the ship of compassion. He spent a long time in this world creating karmic connections with sentient beings and helping them. Sentient beings are difficult to tame. But with great compassion, He never felt any regret or resentment. With great joy, there is never any worry. A broad and open mind is a necessity for dealing with the many people and matters in this world. We practice being understanding of trivial things and accommodating major issues. Only by doing so, can our minds be broad and our thoughts pure. If we can nurture this kind of mindset, we will feel joy every day. There is nothing to regret or resent, we will fell joyous every day. Giving must be without expectations. We must realize the 3 Spheres of Emptiness and show compassion to all equally. By realizing the 3 Spheres of Emptiness, our minds will become very expansive. Giving is something we should be doing. Material things never truly belong to us. When we can use these things to help people, we feel happy. What we gain in return is their peace and safety. This is all it takes for us to be happy. What more can we ask for? This is why Tzu Chi volunteers give unconditionally and are grateful that others are willing to accept their help. Master usually tells us that the skills to cultivate are to be grateful, content, understanding, accommodating and so on. These are the ways we should engage with people and matters in our daily living. Then for us, with great loving-kindness, there is never any regret; with great compassion, there is never any resentment; with great joy, there is never any worry; with great equanimity, there is never any expectation. If we want to do good deeds in life and walk the Bodhisattva-path, we don’t have to be rich. We do not need to have a lot of free time. Even those who live in poverty and hardship are still willing to give others. Thus, they are living Bodhisattvas. They, refer to the Tzu Chi volunteers in South Africa. Master said their hearts were joyful, free of aversion, resentment and worries. Master constantly reminds everyone to take the Dharma to heart. After we take it to heart, we must diligently practice it. As we practice it, we must contemplate how to go among people and walk hard to develop and attain virtues. We diligently cultivate our minds to develop wisdom. We diligently practice among others to cultivate blessings. This is how we can gradually advance from “the state of ordinary people and practice the sole wondrous Dharma for attaining Buddhahood.” So, we must really take the Dharma to heart. Then, these countless Dharma-doors are in fact all part of the One Vehicle. The various wondrous teachings of the Buddha are all the ways noble beings enter the path. The Buddha calls these many Dharma-doors skilful means. All Buddhas and noble beings must pass through these doors to enter the path. The Dharma is like water; only something in the nature of the water can truly penetrate the capacities of sentient beings. So, for the sake of sentient beings, the Buddha engaged in spiritual practice and attained enlightenment. To do the same, we must engage in internal cultivation of sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. We must also interact with others to practice loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Therefore, everyone, please always be mindful. Gan en. Duo Yong Xin. From Wisdom at Dawn on 7 Oct 2014 by Dharma Master Cheng Yen. Compiled by Gan Lee Eng, Melaka.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 04:39:05 +0000
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