OM MANI PADME HUM

The Endlessness of Life

Life is endless. To search for its beginning is futile. Even the Buddha did not wish to speak of it because human mind may not be able to fully grasp it. To know is easy - become a fully Enlightened One, then all the mysteries of the world are no more. Only one who has Omniscience may know all aspects of life, even its beginning.

What brought about life? A cause or an effect of a cause? Without the cause there is no effect, yet what was it that caused the ‘cause’, was it not the result of the effect? Where is the beginning of a circle? Why waste precious mental energy on this search? Why not spend all time and energy to develop one’s body and mind? Why not become a disciplined being so that both body and mind can be subdued? Why not strive to gain the wisdom that will bring about an end to the endlessness of Life?

The Buddhadharma Points the Way to End The Cycle of Birth and Death

Life is suffering and all beings in the samsara are bereft of happiness. All are caught in the cycle of birth and death, experiencing all kinds of pains, sorrows, and frustrations. No one is spared of it unless he has perfected himself through mental development of the various spiritual practices. Unless one begins to take interest in spiritual practices, he will not be able to free himself from the bondage of samsara. The Buddhadharma points the ways to this liberation. It must be treasured and practised as one who is caught in the sea will cling on to the raft to be saved.

What is spiritual practice really? It is the method of training the mind to be rid of all kinds of unwholesome thoughts that will lead to similar speech and actions. Therefore spiritual practice is that which purifies one’s body, speech and mind of all defilements and tendencies which are the causes of future sufferings that must be worked out within samsaric existence. That is why a person who has accumulated good or bad karma must continue to live to experience their effects. It is easy to understand having to repay or work out evil karma but not many may know why even good karma must be worked out. This is because not many have knowledge of the precious Dharma and therefore ‘clinging’ in all forms, even subtle ones.

The Proper Motivation and the Wisdom of Dedicating Merits

Without dedicating the merits derived from virtuous or wholesome acts, these karmas will have to produce their effects. Without the understanding of Voidness, the energy of karma cannot be done away with. When a person does a good act to another, he has accumulated some good karma. Unless such a person is a practitioner who knows how to dedicate such merits towards the thought of enlightenment which makes him a selfless being, his ‘self’ will someday have to receive the benefits of his good acts. Many people are performing good acts each day, and it is what is in their minds that is behind those good actions that counts. Some do it out of pity, some out of necessity and others out of the spirit of Bodhicitta. Only the person who has found faith and meaning in the Buddhadharma may develop the altruistic spirit to work for others for the sake of their safety and happiness, who will live to do good diligently. He will also refrain from committing acts which are unskillful or unwholesome. He is working out his karma with wisdom and he does not go about doing good while his mind is affected by the Eight Worldly Feelings. He is then learning how to weed out worldly passions, and with proper motivation and wisdom of practice, he creates no further karma that holds him to samsaric life, he becomes free!

Friday, 27th June 1986 (5th Moon 21st Day)