Teaching of the month - Sep 2014

DON’T BLAME ON FATE

33 SaShui GuanYin

OM MANI PADME HUM

Uncertainties of the future have been the driving force to make man strive on, to better his conditions and to prepare for the worse.

In the same way, one must be aware of the uncertainties of his future and act towards improving himself. Material preparation is quite easy and there are ways and means of acquisition. Spiritual wealth is hard to get and when this aspect is highlighted then there will be an initial struggle between which to choose. A wise person will develop both his material and spiritual wealth so that in the acquisition of materialism, spiritualism is not forgotten. To live is to commit many actions through the three vehicles of mind, speech and body. Through these channels one accumulates Karma which is the result of manifold Causes and Conditions. Karma of the present is the reflection of one’s past existences and so it has to be looked into with care because the understanding of this will lead one to prepare for the future.

Throughout the day and night a person accumulates karma through the activity of Speech, Body and Mind. All that one does can be treated as Causes and a long accumulation of Causes make up Karma. Each being therefore has his own Karma which consists of varying causes and conditions so that it is impossible to find two person beings identical in form or in fate. Some will encounter much happiness in the forms of health, wealth and soundness of body and mind, they have planted good seeds long ago, their wholesome actions ripen into happiness and so suffering is absent.

But such beings are few in number, in this samsaric realm, beings are more likely to be in a state of woe rather than happiness. This is due to the bad causes that they have sown in the past so that they must endure a great deal of hardships. Whoever is aware of, and practises wholesome acts, will be able to tone down his sufferings in the future. He is then a fortunate being who has understood the Law of Karma. It is therefore a very wise act to spend time in reflecting on one’s past actions and see if his past has been fill with wholesome or non-wholesome actions. One who wish to experience happiness should strive to produce good and positive karma which will lead to the abandoning of harmful actions. It is therefore very profitable to meditate on Karma and its functions and avoid living carelessly and putting blame on fate. It must be remembered that everyone has a free will and therefore no one can actually force him to do bad things. Good and bad are done by oneself and that is why when one creates karma, he has to undergo the appropriate retributions. This means that Karma is inseparable from each living being so that in each new life one’s past karma is there, waiting to be ripened. Those who have accumulate a lot of positive karma will find a joyful life otherwise misery may be expected.

It is important that one should be able to judge his daily activities and see whether he has created positive or negative karma. He who is aware of this Law and fear its consequences, will easily avoid creating negative karma, and his unwholesome actions can then be restrained. One does not become a cultivator through prayers, but through his daily actions, spoken words and thoughts. The importance of reflecting on one’s daily actions before going to sleep cannot be avoided, it is the best practice there is. At the end of the day if you find that your positive actions are far more than the negative ones, you will sleep better and will find the next day a challenge before you as you are ready to reduce your faults or even remove them. Recognising one’s own fault is an act of purification which makes one into a humbler being.

But it is difficult to recognise one’s own fault. This is because of the human tendency to put the blame on others instead of one oneself. Each time a person gets angry, he will neatly blame others for having been the cause, and he is putting suffering into others minds without realising it. Neither does he realise that anger is also the main cause of the extinction of good karma. So to be able to realise one’s own faults is the first step towards good practice that will lead to the practice of the Mahayana. Why? Because to become a Mahayanist, one has to learn to love and care for the feelings of others as the first step, then to act towards their happiness without seeking rewards as the second, and then to immerse into the practice of the Great Path through self purification by living according to the rules and precepts which will reduce the sowing of bad seeds which will surely produce a bad harvest. If this point can be understood, then it is easy to understand why it is so difficult for anyone to be a Mahayanist even though all can be one, just as it is difficult for anyone to become a Buddha even though they possess the Buddha nature.

Entering the path of the Mahayana, one is on the path of search which mends an active involvement with the way of living. It is a direct experience and passive living has to be dropped. To care for others is to extend one’s hands for others to grasp as they are falling. In this process one too may have to experience the pains of many falls. These experiences provide opportunities of learning so that he who calls himself a Mahayanist must no longer be narrow in mind or heart. He is open to the calls of others and will direct his energy to saving others.

It is easy to say that one wishes to save others, but it will be very difficult to practise. Generosity must be part of you and great patience must be there. If you think you are a Mahayanist, you must recognise the preciousness of the human body and act swiftly to prevent beings from losing their great opportunity to create good karma while they are in the rare human state which allows them the opportunity to generate positive karma.

The beings of the lower realms are unable to generate Bodhicitta to develop themselves so as to be of help to others. Their karma do not allow them such an opportunity and their conditions are far from right. They know only of sufferings and their minds will only seek ways and means to reduce their pains which they are not even aware of the fact that they were self-inflicted.

The human state is therefore the most blessed state as the karma will allow the mind of the person to seek the way towards happier states, even towards Buddhahood. Between periods of misery and joy, one is able to appreciate happiness and to seek the causes of happiness. Only as a human being will the Dharma be most beneficial and only a human mind can generate the love for all sentient beings, because of his ability to come into contact with the Mahayana teachings. The Buddha’s teaching on the Four Noble Truth applicable to the human world and among all the living creatures, only the human beings are able to benefit by it. Waste not this opportunity, take advantage of it when you have strength and right conditions to practise it. When Dharma is before you, you are having the right conditions at the right time to practise it. Do not fail to grasp this great opportunity or it may soon disappear and it will be a long time before you can come across this Gate to Happiness.

Dharma is not to be heard but to be practised and by doing so, positive karma is accumulated. Do not look down on small good acts for they are the causes to great virtuous actions which end in enormous results. Remember a small seed can produce the great oak tree which in turn produces countless fruits. Be ready to progress at a steady pace, each little act of charity can cause as much love and gratitude to the hearts of others. Looking only for a great opportunity to practise a virtuous action belong to one who has no wisdom.

Know that all living beings wish to be happy and it does not require great actions to make them so. Spend each day of your life in the practice of love, charity and kindliness and then accumulate good karma will ensure you a happy, wealthy and peaceful life in the future, will make you a Mahayanist!

Thursday, 27th June 1985 (5th Moon 10th Day)

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