We Need to go Further

 

One time when the Buddha was speaking with the monastics, he advised them to discipline and train themselves whenever they heard people speaking to them using speech that was timely or untimely, true or false, affectionate or harsh, beneficial or unbeneficial, with a mind of good-will or with inner hate. In other words, they were to train themselves by remembering these words of advice at all times.

Like the monastics, we can train ourselves so that their minds remained unaffected. To maintain a calm, clear, and unperturbed mind, we should not allow that which we see, hear, taste, touch, or think to disturb and thus taint our pure mind. Whatever has been perceived must not move the mind but be allowed to fall away; just as an image moving in front of a mirror is reflected but is no longer present after passing out of sight.

Also, we can train to say no evil words and endeavor to never again say words that are false, harsh, divisive, or enticing. Not talking harshly to others, not being sarcastic, and not lashing out blindly are ways to control anger.

But we need to go further.

Ideally, we should not even hold anger in our hearts. Holding on to our anger will taint everything we do: when we interact with others from a mind of bitterness and frustration, we will inflict our anger on others.

Strength of the Spirit

Nonviolence is the law of our species
as violence is the law of the brute.

The spirit lies dormant in the brute,
and he knows no law but that of physical might.

The dignity of man requires obedience
to a higher law—to the strength of the spirit. 

~ Mahatma Ghandi 

A Perfect Practice of the Buddhadharma

The guiding principles in Buddhism are awakening, correct understanding, and purity of mind. In other words, we are to:

1. be awakened, not deluded
2. have correct view, not deviant ones, and
   
3. maintain a pure mind, not a contaminated one.

To achieve these goals, we practice the Threefold Learning of discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom. Buddhists will recognize these as the underlying principles in many of the Buddha's teachings, for example, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Six Paramitas.

Master Lianchi, also known as Master Zhuhong, the Eighth Patriarch of the Pure Land school explained how the Threefold Learning can be perfectly practiced through nianfo—mindfully chanting "Amituofo."

“We must also recognize that this discipline, concentration, and wisdom are equivalent to the Dharma-gate of buddha-remembrance. How so?

• Discipline [precept keeping] means preventing wrongdoing. If you can wholeheartedly practice buddha-remembrance, evil will not dare to enter: this is discipline.
• Concentration means eliminating the scattering characteristic of ordinary mind. If you wholeheartedly practice buddha-remembrance, mind does not have any other object: this is concentration.
• Wisdom means clear perception. If you contemplate the sound of the buddha’s name with each syllable distinct, and also contemplate that the one who is mindful and the object of this mindfulness are both unattainable, this is wisdom.”

~ Pure Land, Pure Mind, Trans. J.C. Cleary

The practice of nianfo, elegant in its simplicity, can help us to perfectly practice the Buddhadharma. 

In the Face of Violence

Hatred and violence are all around these days. Usually, we are not involved but what if we suddenly are? How are we supposed to react when we face a violent situation?

With wisdom.

Reacting to violence with violence only increases the existing hostility. It may appear to solve the problem at that moment but we are actually planting seeds for more anger and antagonism in the future. If only we had been able to act with wisdom in the past, then we would already have resolved this hatred. But having failed to do so once, we have enabled it to grow. And if we do not resolve it with understanding today, this anger and violence will increase and be even worse the next time it erupts. As the Buddha said, hatred never ceases by hatred but by the absence of hatred.

Facing a crisis is exactly when we need to have a calm mind. If we become angry, then we will just charge blindly into the situation and might even begin to behave violently ourselves. With a calm mind, we will have the wisdom to know what to do even in dangerous circumstances.

The sutras have accounts in which the Buddha encountered angry people and violent situations. But he knew the right words to get through to the people to help them stop what they were doing. We do not know the right words because our minds are not calm enough. Only when our minds are tranquil and clear will we be able to access our innate, nonjudg­mental wisdom. Then we will know the right words to speak and the right actions to take.

Relinquish Attachment and Discrimination

We practitioners ought to relinquish our attachments all the time so that we would be free of secular concerns towards the end of our lives. If you continue to indulge yourself, there is the grave danger that you may go astray at this crucial moment of rebirth. Therefore, try to maintain the serenity of your mind while discarding all distinctions of good and bad. You will then attain the state of "mindlessness." This, however, does not mean that you have become indifferent; rather, it means that you have let go of your sense of discrimination. The attainment of such a state will then be a clear indication of your genuine prowess in practice.

~ Analects of Master Kuang-ch'in