Second flower bloom
Chapter 4 Starting from Yushu
Chapter 4 Starting from Yushu
If we think that some impermanence is good, mild, acceptable, and some impermanence is unacceptable, then we are not really grasping the deep meaning of impermanence.
origin
Since the Yushu earthquake, some disciples expressed their confusion to me: Why are disasters so frequent?Why do disasters happen in places where Buddhism flourishes?Where is the blessing of Buddhism?Why is it impossible to avoid impermanence while practicing the Dharma?There are many such questions.
I didn't give an answer right away.Firstly, it is still the period of the joint practice of chanting sutras for the victims of the earthquake. I hope that everyone can concentrate on chanting sutras for the deceased without too much interference from other things; secondly, these issues cannot be explained clearly in a few words Yes, and I have been ill since the end of last year, taking medicine and treatment every day, and my physical and mental strength are not good.I think, with frequent disasters, we should indeed think about some problems from a deeper level, instead of rushing to give simplistic answers.Therefore, in the past month, I have asked my disciples to record some of my thoughts intermittently, and finally compiled this article.
I don't think the article makes a comprehensive analysis of the disaster-related issues, and that's not my original intention. I just try to answer the questions raised by some disciples to help them clarify their doubts. In the process of answering, I intend to draw the focus of everyone's observation from the superficial disaster to the deeper reasons behind the disaster. I hope this attempt can inspire everyone to think and come up with more insightful insights.
Regarding this article, my basic idea is as follows: I found that some of the questions raised by disciples are related to their incomplete understanding of impermanence, so the article starts with impermanence, what is impermanence, and how to treat impermanence.However, talking about impermanence only stays on the surface of the phenomenon. Why do disasters occur, and the reasons behind the phenomena must be explored. In this way, the second part of the article naturally talks about cause and effect.In this part, I focused on the truth of cause and effect, but did not specifically list the causes of the disaster one by one.That is very unrealistic, no one can do it except Buddha.But that doesn't mean we don't have to think about the causes of disasters.I just want to draw everyone's attention: the causal relationship behind any phenomenon is extremely complicated, and the problem cannot be analyzed arbitrarily, simplified, or isolated.The third part of the article still talks about cause and effect, the interconnection of things, and various problems caused by people's short-sighted behavior.The fourth and fifth parts talk about what we can do for the disaster area and this disaster-prone world. It should not only be a temporary donation, but more importantly, self-discipline and compassion in daily life.
Buddhism believes that self-attachment is the root of all suffering, so to fundamentally stop suffering, one must let go of self-attachment and establish the view of emptiness.In this article, I did not talk about emptiness. I think it will take some time for most people to realize emptiness. Before realizing emptiness, there are still many things worth doing, such as self-discipline, helping others, such as Cultivating basic ethics and morality, participating in the construction of a peaceful environment conducive to the coexistence of all beings, etc., can alleviate the suffering of all beings and increase the happiness of all beings to a certain extent.
On the one hand, we must choose good and evil causes and effects in the most ordinary and subtle aspects of our daily life;After realizing emptiness, suffering will naturally cease, and bodhicitta will naturally strengthen.
Let us dedicate the merit of practicing good dharma to all sentient beings, and may all sentient beings be free from suffering and find happiness!
Chiarombo
March 22, Year of the Iron Tiger in the Tibetan Calendar
Nov. 2010, 5
Homage to our teacher Shakyamuni Buddha!
Homage to the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva!
Homage to the great kind root guru, Dharma King Ruyibao!
[-]. Impermanence
Disaster, caught off guard.
Although we have heard the teachings about impermanence and understand that everything is changing all the time, and life inevitably has ups and downs between gains and losses, it is still difficult for us to accept that life reveals the truth of impermanence in such a violent way.Impermanence, why can't it be milder?
Time is also space, separating disasters from us.For most people, only when they are at a proper distance can they see things more clearly. If they are too close, they will be overwhelmed by emotions, and if they are too far away, they will be forgotten.
Impermanence never seems mild enough, because we only notice it when we are faced with intense pain, separation, or death.The Buddha said that all formations are impermanent, and all combined things are impermanent.We can understand this truth, but when it comes to personal experience, impermanence is still the frustrating, infuriating situation when things don't turn out the way we expect or like.
After all, we are still not humble enough to let go of our arrogance and preconceptions to understand impermanence.
If we think that some impermanence is good, mild, acceptable, and some impermanence is unacceptable, then we are not really grasping the deep meaning of impermanence.If we take for granted that some people, things, and phenomena are more permanent than others, then we also miss the true meaning of impermanence.
After the earthquake, some disciples asked me why such a disaster would happen in a Tibetan area where all the people believe in Buddhism and where there are many temples?Out of pious faith, many people would think that everything connected with Buddhism should be able to escape the law of impermanence by some mysterious power.
It seems that everyone is still willing to believe that there is a constant thing in the category of dual cognition, and expects that the people you admire and admire, the things and situations you like and are familiar with will always remain satisfying and reassuring. However, the Buddha hopes that we will understand : All conditioned dharmas are like dreams and bubbles, and all things that are related to each other will be exhausted, and they are all impermanent, without exception.
Even the Buddha himself manifested sickness, old age and death.Under the teachings of the Buddha, the five hundred arhats who gathered scriptures with full of authentic merits and transformations, as well as countless great achievers in later generations, the four major freedoms, water can't drown, fire can't burn, stay away from harm, and eventually they will all be one by one. Enter Nirvana.
The Nalanda Temple in India, where scholars gathered and flourished for a while, was once the center of the spread of Buddhism, but was later invaded and destroyed by heretics, and now only a few ruins remain in the wilderness.The Sanye three-storey palace with the top of the palace consecrated by Guru Rinpoche was destroyed by a fire.The pagoda built by King Ashoka was magnificent, but now it has also turned into powder in the wind and disappeared without a trace.
All of the [-] teachings and countless scriptures handed down by the Buddha will be lost.The radiant teachings, the teachings with inconceivable blessings that have brought benefits to countless beings and guided us to ultimate liberation, will eventually appear and be lost in the long river of time.
The protection and blessing of the Three Jewels is not to strengthen the illusion of self and security, and make us believe that we have put on a "golden bell cover", which will make us invulnerable to weapons, fire and water.Faced with an unpredictable world with this mentality, we will only be more vulnerable.
The blessing of the Three Jewels is related to the transformation of our hearts.No matter what form we use to express our refuge to the Three Jewels, if our hearts are constantly transformed towards goodness, and the views of emptiness and Bodhicitta are constantly increasing, then we will be protected and blessed, because there is nothing like This can make a person's heart more tenacious and broad.
Some people say that the Tibetans who suffered from the earthquake showed a different kind of sadness in the face of their families being destroyed: they did not cry or cry out.The ruins along the street reminded that the earthquake had just occurred, but the atmosphere of the whole town was calm.
People actively help themselves and help each other.Children who were only a few years old dug with one hand and rescued their grandma who was under the rubble; When I was young, I went to help another friend; in the tent hospital, a young mother wrapped her one-year-old daughter in a Tibetan robe, and when she saw someone showing friendliness to the child, she turned around to let the child get closer to the greeting person.Due to the language barrier, she just turned her head and smiled softly, but her husband died in the earthquake just now.
The 11-year-old Urgyen Tenzin and his three-year-old sister became orphans in the earthquake. Their mother died and their father did not know where they were.He takes care of his injured sister every day, plays with her, and puts her to sleep.He said he had to find a way to support his sister.While his sister was sleeping, he went to play football with his friends in the open space of the resettlement site.He said: "If my sister wakes up, I won't be able to play with you. Hurry up and kick it." He carried his sister to the ruins of his home to dig out his mother's favorite plastic flowers.He wants his mother to be happy in another world.
In some families, no one mentions the deceased relatives and friends, but every night before going to bed, they each lie in their tents and recite scriptures silently, not wanting to disturb others.People remember their dead relatives in their own way.Most families have lost loved ones, lost property, and some are destitute, but they say, "As long as others will be well, we will be well."
……
Due to the influence of Buddhism, many people living on this plateau can calmly accept a basic fact in life - impermanence.They don't think things have to go their way.
Where there is birth there is cessation, when there is gathering there is dispersal, this is just the normal state of things.Be strong or vulnerable, accept or resist, life goes on.In the bustling, in the ruins, life goes on.
Regarding impermanence, there is such a story in Buddhist scriptures:
When the Buddha was alive, there was a woman named Gotami. Her young child died of illness. She was very sad and asked everywhere if there was any medicine that could bring her child back to life.Later, she approached Buddha for help.Buddha said, I can make this medicine for you, but special ingredients are needed.You go to a house in the city that has never died, and ask them for some mustard seeds and bring them back to me.So Gotami happily went door-to-door in the city to inquire, only to find that every family had someone who had died.She finally realized she wasn't alone in the pain of losing a loved one.She came to the Buddha again, and the Buddha spoke compassionately: You think you are the only one suffering, but the fact is that everything is impermanent.
Every day we face impermanence, suffering and death.I don't know what kind of pain and death is mild.Maybe because of my identity, people who know me around me will always tell me if my relatives and friends encounter misfortune, disasters, etc., hoping that I can give them some comfort and help, so almost every day I hear some "bad news.This gave me a good opportunity to be familiar with the suffering in the world and the impermanence of the world, and also made me feel the importance of practice.
Most people face death, no matter what form of death, they are involuntary and extremely frightened.All their knowledge, skills, and thoughts can only deal with the problems related to life in this world, and they seldom think about what death is and what to do.
Even if a person's life does not experience catastrophe, it is very short, and decades will pass in a blink of an eye.Perhaps the days are too peaceful, people easily forget that old age is approaching and death is inevitable.Not to mention young people, even many old people are like this, as if they believe that they can live forever.
In the spring of the year before last, I met Rijia, an old lama there in Tashi Monastery. He was 80 years old, and he was still not very diligent in his practice.He may feel that he is the nephew of Master Sonam Gyatso, that he is different, and he does not have to worry about whether he will be liberated after death.I persuaded him like this: "Death is imminent, you must hurry up and practice." Unexpectedly, he passed away in the fall of that year.Due to long-term education in Buddhism, I think Lama Rigya should be able to deal with ordinary changes and pains in life calmly, but death is an extremely drastic change accompanied by great fear and pain. How is he prepared to face it.
In the face of death, it is a major event in the life of Tibetans to successfully walk through the trap of the bardo after death.
Only those with high achievements in practice can achieve the freedom of life and death, and independently decide what to do when death comes. However, when ordinary people feel the severe pain of death, they will inevitably panic, completely forget their daily practice, and lose their understanding of the middle state. They go astray due to poor judgment and lose precious opportunities for liberation.At this time, if someone comforts, reminds, and guides the deceased to overcome the panic after death, calm down, and clearly recognize the bright light of self-nature, or recognize the appearance of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the pure lands that appear later, then the deceased will be fine. get relief.Tibetans who believe in Buddhism will find a way to save the deceased after the death of their relatives and friends, and help them pass through the crucial stage of the bardo after death.
In this earthquake, if someone in the family dies unfortunately, the first consideration for the survivors is not how much grief they have or how to live in the future, but to try their best to find the corpses of the dead and rescue them, because the living People still have the opportunity to practice and continue to prepare for liberation, but if the dead cannot seize this opportunity and continue to follow the karma, it is hard to say whether there will be such a good cause for liberation in the future.
Regardless of celestial burial, cremation or other funeral forms, there are special rituals and arrangements for transcendence, rather than simply disposing of the corpse.For Buddhists, helping loved ones achieve liberation is the most powerful and meaningful concern for them.
In just a few decades of life, we have to face countless changes, large and small, and painfully face the death of relatives and friends, and finally our own death.If we can seriously integrate the teachings of the Buddha into our hearts, our life may be more calm.
Second, cause and effect
Everything that happens is the result of many causal relationships.
Due to the limitation of cognitive ability, we often can only see a limited fragment in the infinite continuum of cause and effect.When the ins and outs of things exceed the scope of current understanding in terms of space or time span, people will naturally doubt whether everything has a cause and effect, but we must know that even a supernatural arhat cannot fully explain it from the beginning. Make it clear.
It is said that the Buddha had a disciple named Zhoulipanduojia.He wanted to become a monk at the beginning, but was stopped by other disciples of the Buddha.The Buddha asked: "Why didn't you let him become a monk?" Those disciples were Arhats with supernatural powers, and they said to the Buddha: "I have observed this person, and he has never had a relationship with the Buddha in five hundred lives." The Buddha said: "You just I can see the karma within five hundred lives, five hundred lives ago he was reincarnated as a dog, unintentionally made offerings to me, and formed a bond with me, so in this life he will become a monk and study the Dharma with me."
Nanzhan Buzhou is the land of karma.Most of the sentient beings reborn here are drawn by the karma of the past, so the encounters in this life are not only related to the physical and mental activities in this life, but also reflect the consequences of the actions in the previous life.
The cause of some karma may go back several lives or hundreds of lives, but no matter how long the time interval is, the karma will not disappear automatically.Taking negative karma as an example, there are two main ways to purify negative karma: actively accumulating virtue, repenting, and purifying karma;
At that time, King Pajibo of Savatthi City led an army to attack the Sakya tribe and massacred the Sakya tribe.In order to protect the relatives of the Buddha, Maggallana, the most powerful disciple of the Buddha, used his divine power to lift them into the air in an iron bowl. When I came down, I saw that the inside was bloody and bloody, and everyone was still dead.It can be seen that once the cause and condition are ripe, there is no power to prevent the retribution from appearing.
Even the Buddha and Arhat who have cut off all karma, confusion and obstacles, have to feel their own karma in appearance.While King Pajipo was killing the Shakyas, the Buddha also had a headache.All the disciples asked the reason, and the Buddha said:
In the past, the Sakya people lived by fishing and killing fish.One day they caught two large fish, and without killing them immediately, tied them to a post.Feeling the unbearable dryness, the two big fish tossed and turned on the ground, vowing their revenge in the future.Because of this, the two big fish were later reborn as King Pajipo and Minister Maralo, and the other fish that were killed were reborn as soldiers of the two.Today they want to exterminate the Shakya clan.I was reborn as a fisherman's child, and I couldn't help laughing when I saw the suffering of the two big fish. I felt a headache today due to the karma.If I have not attained the Buddhahood with perfect merits and virtues, I will be killed by King Pajipo's army today.
This world seems to be a messy and chaotic world, full of incredible coincidences and inexplicable impulses, but in fact, everyone is drawn by karma, creates karma, and feels the rewards of happiness and pain. There will be no mistakes or omissions.
During the earthquake, I heard that a Dege businessman named Xiangba settled down in Yushu.For some reason, at three o'clock in the morning on the day of the earthquake, he suddenly ran out of the house and went to live in a hotel outside.During the earthquake, his house was intact and his family members were fine, but the hotel where he stayed collapsed and he was crushed to death inside.Xiangba's younger sister was afraid that the aftershocks would hurt the child, so she decided to take the child back to Dege's hometown. Unexpectedly, when she was saying goodbye to relatives and friends before leaving, she was careless and the child was run over to death by a car.Another person I know survived the earthquake because he went out to stay in a hotel. There are many stories like this.
Business is dynamic.In Sanskrit, the original meaning of karma is "action". Actions produce consequences, and consequences lead to new actions. In this way, cause and effect follow each other, forming a potential energy, and new causes and conditions are constantly added to it.Although its overall trend is difficult to change, new causes (that is, new behaviors) can strengthen or weaken its power.
For example, some people practice good dharma and practice emptiness in this life, and the karma of reincarnation in evil realms in future generations will mature in this life. When reborn as a human being, they still have the freedom to choose good and evil. In the future, I will not receive this report again.At the same time, when receiving evil retribution in this life, with a kind heart in the heart, a new benign cause and effect is opened.
If the new causes and conditions themselves are powerful enough, it is not impossible to completely change the trend of karma.Just like Venerable Milarepa’s sinful karma at the beginning, he would have fallen into hell, but later, with unimaginable perseverance and firm determination, he diligently practiced the Dharma, not only did not fall into hell, but became a Buddha in person. fruit.
When we see other people die and suffer in disasters, don't think that it all happened for no reason or by accident, and don't think that it's their own fault.
Some people may be Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, who show us impermanence, selflessness and compassion in a special way like death and suffering.Some people have changed the cause and effect of the past by accumulating virtue and practicing the Dharma, and they are punished lightly for serious crimes.Some people have completed certain karma and will go to other lands...
Everything in the world is so complex and profound, we must maintain humility and enthusiasm for exploring the truth.
[-]. Coexistence
Why is there a disaster?
I hope that we ask this question because we are worried about the common destiny of all beings and reflect on human beings' own behavior, rather than looking for someone to blame.
The planet we live in seems to have never been short of problems, and natural and man-made disasters have never stopped.Open the newspapers, every day there is news of disasters, conflicts, robberies, fornication, and fraud, and people die and suffer because of them every day, but we always don't realize the seriousness of the problem until the disaster is close at hand.
This is the crux of the problem: we only care about ourselves and the few people and things in the extremely limited space around us.What happened outside this small circle was just another piece of news.It is not our fault that people suffer disasters, experience pain and die, and besides, what can we do?
Believing that you are separate from all things, such an illusion reinforces the indifference of the human heart, making people feel that they should not feel responsible for others, society and the whole world.
Indeed, people's lives are now increasingly dependent on machinery and services that can be bought at a cost.Many things, which used to require the whole family to work together, or even call on friends to do it together, can be done well, but now you only need to call a professional company.This of course has its positive side, our lives are more convenient and independent, but at the same time, we are getting less and less opportunities to socialize and communicate with others outside of business relationships.
Nowadays, people are not good at establishing and developing friendships, and their social circles are very small. Except for colleagues and family members, they don’t have many friends. In fact, the relationship between friends who are like-minded and can share worries and happiness is very important to us. It is very important in my life and the basis of many other relationships.
People regard having as much independence as possible as a sign of success in life, having their own car, house, office, etc., and not needing others as much as possible.Some people think that whether they can live a happy life is entirely their own business, and has nothing to do with other people, as long as they have the ability to get what they want; as for whether other people are happy, it has nothing to do with them.
On the other hand, human interdependence is actually higher in modern societies than in subsistence agricultural societies.The basic conditions of our existence—clothing, food, housing, and transportation—all depend on the labor of others.Urbanization means increasing population density.Whether at work or at home, we are increasingly sharing the same small spaces with other people.Everyone's words and deeds affect their own, but also affect the lives of others.Cooperative coexistence is not only out of good wishes, but also out of the needs of survival and development.
Thus a contradiction arises: objectively, people are more interdependent and interacting with each other than before, and on this side of the earth, the consequences of the activities of a small group of people will affect the earth faster and more obviously than before. On the other side, subjectively, everyone thinks that they are independent, that they don't need others, and they don't have to think about others.
Everyone wants to live a happy life, which is understandable, but in the process of pursuing happiness, we must consider giving other people, not only those who live on this earth now, but also those who will live on this earth in the future. The people on earth, and the animals that share this world with us, leave enough space and possibility to realize their happy life.
Especially those in a strong position can mobilize more resources and means to achieve their own goals, and have a stronger ability to protect themselves if problems arise, and they should take into account the interests of others.While things get bad and everyone suffers eventually, it is the most helpless and vulnerable who suffer first, and it takes longer than others to break free and recover from the damage.
Environmental issues are a readily available example.Due to people's eagerness for quick success, disorderly and excessive development, and resource consumption, the global environment has deteriorated.Floods, droughts, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, ice melting, climate anomalies, these terms that represent disasters take turns to become the headlines of the daily news.People all over the world are affected, and remote and impoverished countries and regions are often areas with fragile ecological environments and weak infrastructure. Once disasters or disasters occur, people there do not have many resources and means to protect themselves and can only resign themselves to fate.
We used to think that natural disasters and man-made disasters are two completely different problems, but now we gradually realize that the line between the two is not so clear.Everything that happens is the result of many causal relationships.
We don't need to understand profound Buddhist principles or become so-called idealists to know that people's psychological activities will affect the external material world.Because in a normal state, human thoughts will guide human behavior, and the result of human behavior is to change the external environment in which he lives.
Disasters do not happen overnight, nor are they simply caused by a certain reason.Natural factors certainly play an important role and are often the main trigger at the moment of a disaster, but the last straw that breaks the camel's back is not all the weight the camel bears.Probing into the underlying reasons, we can always see the key impact of people's physical and mental activities behind disasters.
Of course, sociologists have professional and in-depth research on various social activities and their relationship with people, economy and environment. They can definitely analyze and grasp these issues more comprehensively and accurately than a layman like me.I am just talking about my observation and experience from the perspective of an ordinary person who has not received professional training.
I found that people's living conditions continued to improve, but their physical and mental suffering did not decrease.The diseases caused by the harsh living environment are indeed fewer than before, but they are replaced by "modern diseases" and "rich people's diseases", such as hyperlipidemia, gout, and obesity.In areas with relatively developed economies, people's mental stress is generally greater, and the incidence of insomnia and depression is very high.We know that great mental stress not only brings psychological pain, but also an important predisposing factor for many physical diseases (such as cardiovascular diseases, tumors, etc.).
I do not mean that material progress itself increases human suffering.If everyone went back to the primitive society to drill wood to make fire, they would be happier in the future.It is short-sighted to think that renunciation of material progress can solve all human problems.But most people in modern society fall into the other extreme: they think that as long as they have material abundance, all problems will be solved and there will be no more pain.Therefore, people are greedy and plundering, viciously competing, and occupying as many material resources as possible, thinking that in this way they can obtain happiness.
Material things can indeed bring people satisfaction, but it is limited to sensory satisfaction, that is, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, color, sound, fragrance and touch.The reason why man is different from animals is that he needs not only sensory satisfaction, but also spiritual satisfaction.
In this era, in addition to material resources, people also try to obtain happiness by having more intellectual resources.High education and high IQ are regarded as a sign of success in life.While ignorance does not necessarily guarantee happiness, knowing more does not guarantee happiness.In fact, many people browse massive amounts of information every day, send and receive countless emails and text messages, and make and receive calls all the time. They are still restless, afraid of missing something and being marginalized by society.
Some problems in our lives can be solved by eradicating poverty and ignorance; but in many cases, the deeper reason for our suffering lies in the long-term neglect of the spiritual world.True, lasting and peaceful happiness cannot be obtained externally.
If we continue to neglect spiritual practice, our problems, whether they are external wars, violence, disasters, or internal emotional and psychological crises, cannot be fundamentally resolved.
Four, self-discipline
The spiritual practice I understand is not to pursue mystical experiences or to obtain some supernormal functions.Practice is to cultivate the spiritual qualities of benevolence, tolerance, humility, and being kind to others that can bring happiness to oneself and others. That is to say, one should pay attention to the well-being of other beings, and consciously adjust one's own behavior to make other sentient beings feel comfortable and happy.Therefore, practice has two indispensable aspects, one is to consider other sentient beings, and the other is to take practical actions to transform the heart.
We are born with the ability to empathize with the emotions of others.We instinctively feel compassion when we see another being suffer, although not all of us express strong sympathy, compassion, and acts of help.For example, after the earthquake, many people couldn't help crying when they saw the pictures of the disaster area. Many people took action to help spontaneously. Everyone's immediate reaction was panic and pain, which is exactly the feeling of the people in the earthquake area.Everyone felt from the bottom of their hearts the close connection with the people in the earthquake zone and with all those who share the same love.At that moment, everyone does not need to be a Buddhist, and everyone can truly understand what compassion is.
Of course, there are also people who are indifferent. This does not mean that they have no compassion. I believe that they will also feel uneasy and uncomfortable when they see the scene of bloodshed and casualties, and they will subconsciously close their eyes or look away.Can't bear to see another life suffer, this is the heart of compassion.On this basis, to participate and share the pain of another life is compassion.Compassion is our innate ability. Although we sometimes behave selfishly and cruelly, this ability is always there.
When disaster strikes, what can we do as ordinary people?
I think that although not everyone can directly participate in the rescue operations to save lives and the wounded, at least we can share their pain emotionally and make them feel concerned, cared for, not alone, not abandoned.Chanting sutras for the dead is also a manifestation of this sharing. We accompany the dead through the bardo, sharing their fear and loneliness.
You can put yourself in your shoes and think about what you will need if you are hit by a disaster. First of all, of course, it is material: food, housing, use, and equally important, care.
Being cared for is not only a psychological need, but also a physical need.From childhood to adulthood, everyone needs to be cared for in order to survive, grow, and live a healthy life.For the kindness and love of others, we seem to be able to accept the beauty of it naturally.Any gesture of kindness, no matter how small, even a genuine smile from a stranger, can touch our hearts and make us feel happy.Therefore, from ourselves and others, we should do our best to care for the people in the disaster area, keep paying attention to their problems, and share their pain.
In the long run, if we really want to think about others, we must first practice self-discipline.
Not only to help others when they are in disaster, but also to constantly review and restrain those physical and mental behaviors that will bring pain to others in daily life, so as to fundamentally reduce the relationship between people and people, between people and nature, and between people and nature. Contradictions and conflicts between groups enable everyone to enjoy a more harmonious living space.
Only when the overall living environment and atmosphere are peaceful, can people have more equal development opportunities and create a better life through their honest labor.This point is especially important for all vulnerable groups including people in disaster areas.
The behavior of the body is mainly determined by the heart. If we can control the negative emotions and thoughts in our hearts, our external behavior will naturally change accordingly.Negative emotions refer to inner activities that bring pain to oneself, such as anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, anxiety, depression, fear, etc.
I don't use the familiar word "affliction" because: firstly, affliction covers a wider range, and it includes all the behaviors of beings who have not fully enlightened because of ignorance; secondly, and more importantly, whether it is " Whether it is "five poisons", "three poisons" or other afflictions, I hope everyone can see them as emotions and feelings rather than the nature of the mind.When you say "worry", you may unconsciously rely on your nature, thinking that the heart itself is troubled; when you say "emotion", you don't need to remind, everyone knows that it is superficial and fluctuating, but some emotions appear very frequently , energy is also great, not easy to restrain.If anger were in our nature, we wouldn't be able to be happy, but that's not the case.Not only can we be happy, but we can also know that we are angry when we are angry, which shows that consciousness and emotion are not exactly the same thing.It is possible to consciously control and adjust negative emotions.
The first step to self-discipline is awareness.Pay attention to the activities of your body, speech, and mind, and observe how negative emotions develop, how destructive and deceptive they are.Even violent negative emotions like anger have a gradual development process and require various conditions to emerge and grow.If we can understand these, there are ways to restrain, weaken, and dissolve anger.
There are many negative things that will appear in each of us. To be sensitive and alert to this is something we have to do all our lives.However, most people’s attitude towards negative emotions is to let them go, anyway, it will pass sooner or later, so let’s just wait for it to pass by itself, so there is no need to treat it so seriously.This is largely due to a failure to recognize the destructive nature of negative emotions, which cause us to lose perspective on the overall situation and foolishly sink into anger, jealousy, or panic.In this state, it is difficult for us to make wise decisions and actions, it is difficult to take care of our own interests, and we may even put ourselves and others in a dangerous situation.
One of the characteristics of negative emotions is that if you don’t deal with them, the next time they reappear, they will be more powerful. If you don’t deal with them all the time, they will slowly crowd out other emotions and make your emotional world become its own. world.No matter what situation you encounter, you will habitually resort to one or two negative emotions. For example, an angry person can find reasons to be angry even when encountering things that should be happy.We tend to think that this kind of person is like this in nature, but in fact, he just doesn't take serious measures to deal with angry emotions every time they arise.His heart itself was not an angry heart.
Negative emotions can disrupt our peace of mind, some short-lived, some longer-lasting, and this longer-lasting disruption often also comes from our own perception of the negative emotion.For example, when we are in danger, fear may make us more alert and sensitive, and do things that we cannot do under normal conditions.This kind of fear will not cause great harm to our body and mind, and sometimes it can even save the day. But if we think about it, hold on to the fear, and keep adding rich imaginations, we can only become more and more afraid, and finally Being completely overwhelmed by the horrors of your own making, the same goes for hatred, sadness, anxiety, etc.
People often say that everything should be more open.One thing to think about is not to strengthen the negative cognition of events and emotions, and not to make up stories in your mind to exaggerate and aggravate your feelings.An important aspect of self-discipline is not allowing yourself to indulge in unhelpful imaginations about people and things.
We know from our own experience that emotions are contagious.When a person is in a bad mood, everyone around him will be affected. First, everyone feels unhappy, then unknowingly infects the bad mood, and then spreads the bad mood to others.Over time, you all work together to form a habitual atmosphere, whether it's a family atmosphere, a work atmosphere, or a broader social atmosphere.
For example, if you go out to take a taxi in the morning, the driver will give you a counterfeit bill when you get off.You find out later that your mood becomes very bad all at once, and the colleagues who greet you will wonder whether you have something against him before the company's face has recovered.He was angry, and he turned around and vented his anger on the courier who happened to enter the door.The courier was reprimanded without thinking, and he was very unconvinced. He was not so polite on the road when he was riding a motorcycle, and he took a step forward when turning a corner.A car can't dodge and hit the car in front of it, and the two car drivers start to blame each other... Besides, when you receive counterfeit money, the natural reaction is to find a way to spend it.The taxi driver also received counterfeit money from the passenger in front of him. He was also deceived, and he then deceived you. You were deceived, and then turned around and tried to deceive others.You are usually kind, honest and good people, but under the contagion and influence of bad emotions, you get angry, vent your anger, refuse to give in to each other, and even lie to others aggressively.If most people are like this, it will create an atmosphere of anxiety, distrust, selfishness, and roughness. Living in such an atmosphere, probably no one will be happy.
Negative emotions are deceptive, leading us to believe that we can find protection and satisfaction from them.Many times, we get angry because we think that we will be stronger, but you can see that in debates, it is often the side that has no reason to speak and sees that the defeat is already lost first, and even starts to attack and abuse.In the same way, arrogance just exposes the immaturity of a person's character and the lack of rich connotation.Nothing is more deceptive than greed. We always think that the reason for our unhappiness is that we have too little or don't get what we want.Although the difference between legitimate needs and excessive extravagance is not clear in a few words, and there is no unified standard, if we pay more attention to getting something or achieving a certain state, rather than this thing, this We should be careful not to be led by the nose by greed.For example, we must eat to survive, but if our focus is on eating rather than getting full, we can easily overeat.The result of overeating is not a strong body, but damage to the body.
Careful observation of negative emotions, we will gradually find that the existence of negative emotions directly means the lack of happiness.Without self-discipline, neither building your own happy life nor building a happy life for everyone will have much effect.
However, self-discipline is not about suppressing emotions, following enforced rules, or appearing to be a moral role model.The motivation of self-discipline is to consider the feelings of others, and not to cause harm or pain to others because of one's inappropriate behavior.As Buddhists, we stay away from the ten evil karmas, observe the precepts of laymen and the precepts of non-extrication, all for this purpose: not to harm.
[-]. Compassion
Happiness comes from inner peace, and simply restraining negative emotions is not enough to build a strong and peaceful inner world. We also need to take the initiative to cultivate positive and positive attitudes and emotions.
As mentioned earlier, after the earthquake, everyone generously extended a helping hand to the disaster-stricken areas and tided over the difficulties with the people in the disaster-stricken areas.In fact, what we overcome is not only external natural disasters, but also the negative side of our own heart; what we build is not only an external home, but also our own spiritual home.
A five-year-old child came home and told her father embarrassedly that she was not strong enough today and cried in the kindergarten.Dad asked why.She said, because she thought of the children in the disaster area.The father later said: "My daughter's kindness makes me feel proud and happy."
The earthquake brought great suffering, but the good and kind emotions of human beings can resolve the suffering in the heart. Just a thought of sympathy is also a power to purify the heart, and it makes our personality mature and perfect.Everyone has a good side, the key is that we know how to stimulate and cultivate these qualities that will bring happiness to ourselves and others.
Giving is an effective way to break through your limitations.Some people compare almsgiving to giving roses to others, leaving a lingering fragrance in your hands.In giving, both the recipient and the giver benefit: the recipient is spared the suffering of want, and the giver gains joy and self-esteem from it.There are many kinds of almsgiving, for example, people donate money and materials to the disaster area, which is property almsgiving.This is not something that can only be done in disasters. In daily life, we can still give alms, such as helping the poor and other disadvantaged people, helping children who cannot afford to go to school, and giving them the opportunity to receive education .
Don't think that you have to have a lot of financial resources to give alms. The key is not the amount of wealth, but the sincerity of the intention.Giving is not done to show others, so it doesn't even have to be linked to so-called charity.You can deliberately take a detour to take care of the business of the fast food restaurant at the gate of the community, or you can invite a nanny to come to your house to help in order to create a job opportunity.Many people are living in deprivation and in need of improvement, but not all are willing to accept handouts.Giving others a chance to earn money by themselves is, in a broad sense, a kind of charity.
Not only can we donate money, but we can also donate our time and energy to help those in need.I know that many people went to the disaster area as volunteers to take care of the wounded and assist in communication.After the disaster, our society continues to need this kind of volunteering to help the orphans, the disabled, the elderly, and the homeless.The problem in this world is not only poverty and hunger, but also loneliness and apathy.
In Buddhism, there is dharma giving, which is to explain the Dharma to others and benefit them.In fact, we can understand Dharma giving in a broader sense.As far as thinking is concerned, any thought that conforms to the four dharma seals (all actions are impermanent, all leaks are suffering, all dharmas have no self, and Nirvana is peaceful) can be included in the scope of Buddhist thought; as far as behavior is concerned, all behaviors that abandon evil and promote good It is the behavior advocated by Buddhism.
Therefore, persuading people to do good deeds, giving comfort and encouragement to others when they are in trouble, helping them establish positive values and outlook on life, and making them more caring, responsible, and more complete personalities are all Dharma offerings.
Giving helps us learn to relax, stop holding everything in our hands, and stop focusing only on ourselves.We were surprised to find that giving makes people feel full rather than poor.
The purpose of giving is to learn to let go of the attachment to self, so as to help others better, so the motivation of giving is very important.If it is for show or competition, then giving will strengthen the attachment to the self, and the happiness and self-esteem that the giver will get from it will be extremely limited.
We have always had a very strong sense of poverty, feeling that we are not satisfactory in all aspects.This situation is more prominent in modern society, especially in big cities, where people are more or less troubled by an inexplicable anxiety and dissatisfaction.
The reasons behind this are complex, but I thought that some seemingly simple methods, such as learning to appreciate the bright spots in my own life, might help.When I feel down, I think that I’m not miserable. At least one person cares about me. I still have a place to live and a job. , such as giving up your seat on the bus... Think more about your own strengths, and you will feel more cheerful.
Optimism and contentment are mentalities that modern people need to cultivate, otherwise, facing the pressure of competition, various choices and temptations, life will easily lose balance and be shrouded in the shadow of anxiety.Adjusting our mentality is never easy, but we should try to do it for our own happiness and the happiness of others.
Sometimes our miserable situation may be entirely imagined, and the actual situation is far from that bad, but even when we are really in trouble, we must learn to bear the humiliation.Patience refers to not being afraid of difficulties, being able to endure and have the courage to overcome difficulties, and at the same time, not losing compassion for everything, even for those who may hurt oneself.
When it comes to going against the odds, people tend to think it's mostly about willpower.It's true that some people can get through tough times just by sheer perseverance, but that's not what I mean by patience.Patience is to accept one's situation calmly because one understands the origin, cause and effect of things, which is completely different from cowardice.The courage in patience does not come from willpower, but from the softness and openness of the heart.Under the blow of life's difficulties, try not to let your heart become stiff and numb, and try to maintain the kindness in your heart even in the most difficult moments.
During the earthquake, there was a girl who had been under the ruins for more than ten hours. When she was rescued, she said to the rescue team: "I'm bothering you, and I will never forget you in my life." Many people were deeply moved by the girl's words. I was deeply moved, and some people said that she just had poor Chinese expression skills, and her words could not express her meaning when she was emotional.Maybe her Chinese is not good enough and her words are not accurate enough, but the meaning she wants to express is very obvious: she is sorry for causing trouble to everyone!In this case, this lovely girl didn't think about how unfortunate and innocent she was, and she humbly expressed her gratitude and kindness to others.
Because of patience and humiliation, we will not be easily overwhelmed by negative emotions in difficulties, but maintain judgment, adopt appropriate and peaceful ways to solve problems, and avoid further harm.Patience also allows us to be tolerant, rational, get along with others and build friendships.Therefore, another meaning of patience is tolerance.Acknowledging the diversity of the world and respecting differences and differences is indeed difficult, because everyone only wants to change others, not themselves.
It is difficult to transform the heart. The stubborn habits that have been formed since time immemorial cannot be changed overnight. We must learn to endure humiliation, endure and overcome difficulties and setbacks on the road of practice, and never forget that our goal is to keep sentient beings away from pain and gain happiness.
May the deceased be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!May we create a pure land on earth for the living through our kindness and good deeds!
P.S. Yushu's short lecture
In the early morning of April 2010, 4, a strong earthquake occurred in Yushu, Qinghai!
In the past few days, facing the rising number of casualties, I believe everyone is more and more sad.
Disasters make us more aware of the impermanence and suffering of life, and also let us understand the meaning of renunciation and compassion.
In the face of a major disaster, we should actively extend a helping hand to the people in the disaster area and do our best to help them.The Larung Gar Buddhist Academy responded quickly after the earthquake, donated money and materials, and organized a rescue team. Most of the college's main khenpos, living Buddhas, and stewards joined the front line of disaster relief.So far, nearly a thousand people have entered the disaster area, found people in the ruins to save others, chanted sutras for the victims, and sent food, cotton quilts and spiritual comfort to the survivors suffering from hunger and cold.Many people around me, and many other temples and ashrams I know also sent aid to the disaster area in the first place.
For those who lost their lives in the disaster and those who are suffering from pain and suffering, as disciples of the Buddha, we should also practice good dharma for them in a unique way of Buddhism. May the merits of the good dharma and the blessing of the Three Jewels help the deceased Being able to die, the living will be free from suffering as soon as possible.
The merciful and compassionate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is the manifestation of the infinite compassion of the Buddhas of the ten directions. If you do not lose your confidence in the Three Jewels when a disaster strikes, and sincerely recite the mantra of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and recite the holy name of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will definitely hear it. The sound of salvation is to eradicate suffering for all living beings, because this is the great wish made by Guanyin Bodhisattva in the past.
I was unable to go to the disaster area due to illness. Although I was able to offer my humble heart to the compatriots in the disaster area with the help of my brothers from Larung Buddhist College and fellow Taoists from Tashi Chi Lin, I still couldn’t feel at ease. I want to do more for them at the rear.Therefore, within 49 days from the date of the earthquake, I hope to practice the mantra of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva "Om Mani Padme Hum" and the holy name of Avalokitesvara together, which will help the deceased to get rid of suffering as soon as possible, and eventually to be reborn in the Western Paradise.
In addition to reciting the Avalokiteshvara Mantra, you can also release life, offer lamps, or perform other good deeds according to your specific situation, and dedicate merit to all sentient beings who suffer from disasters.
Those who are determined to participate in this group practice can sign up and report through the website, and finally integrate each person's limited merits into the sea of merits and virtues of the group practice, helping and benefiting all beings.Such acts of kindness will make our short and impermanent life more meaningful.
Let us pray together that all sentient beings will be free from suffering, that all sentient beings can receive the blessings of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and enter into good dharma, and may disasters never come again!
Om Mani Padme Hum!
Chiarombo
Nov. 2010, 4
(End of this chapter)
If we think that some impermanence is good, mild, acceptable, and some impermanence is unacceptable, then we are not really grasping the deep meaning of impermanence.
origin
Since the Yushu earthquake, some disciples expressed their confusion to me: Why are disasters so frequent?Why do disasters happen in places where Buddhism flourishes?Where is the blessing of Buddhism?Why is it impossible to avoid impermanence while practicing the Dharma?There are many such questions.
I didn't give an answer right away.Firstly, it is still the period of the joint practice of chanting sutras for the victims of the earthquake. I hope that everyone can concentrate on chanting sutras for the deceased without too much interference from other things; secondly, these issues cannot be explained clearly in a few words Yes, and I have been ill since the end of last year, taking medicine and treatment every day, and my physical and mental strength are not good.I think, with frequent disasters, we should indeed think about some problems from a deeper level, instead of rushing to give simplistic answers.Therefore, in the past month, I have asked my disciples to record some of my thoughts intermittently, and finally compiled this article.
I don't think the article makes a comprehensive analysis of the disaster-related issues, and that's not my original intention. I just try to answer the questions raised by some disciples to help them clarify their doubts. In the process of answering, I intend to draw the focus of everyone's observation from the superficial disaster to the deeper reasons behind the disaster. I hope this attempt can inspire everyone to think and come up with more insightful insights.
Regarding this article, my basic idea is as follows: I found that some of the questions raised by disciples are related to their incomplete understanding of impermanence, so the article starts with impermanence, what is impermanence, and how to treat impermanence.However, talking about impermanence only stays on the surface of the phenomenon. Why do disasters occur, and the reasons behind the phenomena must be explored. In this way, the second part of the article naturally talks about cause and effect.In this part, I focused on the truth of cause and effect, but did not specifically list the causes of the disaster one by one.That is very unrealistic, no one can do it except Buddha.But that doesn't mean we don't have to think about the causes of disasters.I just want to draw everyone's attention: the causal relationship behind any phenomenon is extremely complicated, and the problem cannot be analyzed arbitrarily, simplified, or isolated.The third part of the article still talks about cause and effect, the interconnection of things, and various problems caused by people's short-sighted behavior.The fourth and fifth parts talk about what we can do for the disaster area and this disaster-prone world. It should not only be a temporary donation, but more importantly, self-discipline and compassion in daily life.
Buddhism believes that self-attachment is the root of all suffering, so to fundamentally stop suffering, one must let go of self-attachment and establish the view of emptiness.In this article, I did not talk about emptiness. I think it will take some time for most people to realize emptiness. Before realizing emptiness, there are still many things worth doing, such as self-discipline, helping others, such as Cultivating basic ethics and morality, participating in the construction of a peaceful environment conducive to the coexistence of all beings, etc., can alleviate the suffering of all beings and increase the happiness of all beings to a certain extent.
On the one hand, we must choose good and evil causes and effects in the most ordinary and subtle aspects of our daily life;After realizing emptiness, suffering will naturally cease, and bodhicitta will naturally strengthen.
Let us dedicate the merit of practicing good dharma to all sentient beings, and may all sentient beings be free from suffering and find happiness!
Chiarombo
March 22, Year of the Iron Tiger in the Tibetan Calendar
Nov. 2010, 5
Homage to our teacher Shakyamuni Buddha!
Homage to the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva!
Homage to the great kind root guru, Dharma King Ruyibao!
[-]. Impermanence
Disaster, caught off guard.
Although we have heard the teachings about impermanence and understand that everything is changing all the time, and life inevitably has ups and downs between gains and losses, it is still difficult for us to accept that life reveals the truth of impermanence in such a violent way.Impermanence, why can't it be milder?
Time is also space, separating disasters from us.For most people, only when they are at a proper distance can they see things more clearly. If they are too close, they will be overwhelmed by emotions, and if they are too far away, they will be forgotten.
Impermanence never seems mild enough, because we only notice it when we are faced with intense pain, separation, or death.The Buddha said that all formations are impermanent, and all combined things are impermanent.We can understand this truth, but when it comes to personal experience, impermanence is still the frustrating, infuriating situation when things don't turn out the way we expect or like.
After all, we are still not humble enough to let go of our arrogance and preconceptions to understand impermanence.
If we think that some impermanence is good, mild, acceptable, and some impermanence is unacceptable, then we are not really grasping the deep meaning of impermanence.If we take for granted that some people, things, and phenomena are more permanent than others, then we also miss the true meaning of impermanence.
After the earthquake, some disciples asked me why such a disaster would happen in a Tibetan area where all the people believe in Buddhism and where there are many temples?Out of pious faith, many people would think that everything connected with Buddhism should be able to escape the law of impermanence by some mysterious power.
It seems that everyone is still willing to believe that there is a constant thing in the category of dual cognition, and expects that the people you admire and admire, the things and situations you like and are familiar with will always remain satisfying and reassuring. However, the Buddha hopes that we will understand : All conditioned dharmas are like dreams and bubbles, and all things that are related to each other will be exhausted, and they are all impermanent, without exception.
Even the Buddha himself manifested sickness, old age and death.Under the teachings of the Buddha, the five hundred arhats who gathered scriptures with full of authentic merits and transformations, as well as countless great achievers in later generations, the four major freedoms, water can't drown, fire can't burn, stay away from harm, and eventually they will all be one by one. Enter Nirvana.
The Nalanda Temple in India, where scholars gathered and flourished for a while, was once the center of the spread of Buddhism, but was later invaded and destroyed by heretics, and now only a few ruins remain in the wilderness.The Sanye three-storey palace with the top of the palace consecrated by Guru Rinpoche was destroyed by a fire.The pagoda built by King Ashoka was magnificent, but now it has also turned into powder in the wind and disappeared without a trace.
All of the [-] teachings and countless scriptures handed down by the Buddha will be lost.The radiant teachings, the teachings with inconceivable blessings that have brought benefits to countless beings and guided us to ultimate liberation, will eventually appear and be lost in the long river of time.
The protection and blessing of the Three Jewels is not to strengthen the illusion of self and security, and make us believe that we have put on a "golden bell cover", which will make us invulnerable to weapons, fire and water.Faced with an unpredictable world with this mentality, we will only be more vulnerable.
The blessing of the Three Jewels is related to the transformation of our hearts.No matter what form we use to express our refuge to the Three Jewels, if our hearts are constantly transformed towards goodness, and the views of emptiness and Bodhicitta are constantly increasing, then we will be protected and blessed, because there is nothing like This can make a person's heart more tenacious and broad.
Some people say that the Tibetans who suffered from the earthquake showed a different kind of sadness in the face of their families being destroyed: they did not cry or cry out.The ruins along the street reminded that the earthquake had just occurred, but the atmosphere of the whole town was calm.
People actively help themselves and help each other.Children who were only a few years old dug with one hand and rescued their grandma who was under the rubble; When I was young, I went to help another friend; in the tent hospital, a young mother wrapped her one-year-old daughter in a Tibetan robe, and when she saw someone showing friendliness to the child, she turned around to let the child get closer to the greeting person.Due to the language barrier, she just turned her head and smiled softly, but her husband died in the earthquake just now.
The 11-year-old Urgyen Tenzin and his three-year-old sister became orphans in the earthquake. Their mother died and their father did not know where they were.He takes care of his injured sister every day, plays with her, and puts her to sleep.He said he had to find a way to support his sister.While his sister was sleeping, he went to play football with his friends in the open space of the resettlement site.He said: "If my sister wakes up, I won't be able to play with you. Hurry up and kick it." He carried his sister to the ruins of his home to dig out his mother's favorite plastic flowers.He wants his mother to be happy in another world.
In some families, no one mentions the deceased relatives and friends, but every night before going to bed, they each lie in their tents and recite scriptures silently, not wanting to disturb others.People remember their dead relatives in their own way.Most families have lost loved ones, lost property, and some are destitute, but they say, "As long as others will be well, we will be well."
……
Due to the influence of Buddhism, many people living on this plateau can calmly accept a basic fact in life - impermanence.They don't think things have to go their way.
Where there is birth there is cessation, when there is gathering there is dispersal, this is just the normal state of things.Be strong or vulnerable, accept or resist, life goes on.In the bustling, in the ruins, life goes on.
Regarding impermanence, there is such a story in Buddhist scriptures:
When the Buddha was alive, there was a woman named Gotami. Her young child died of illness. She was very sad and asked everywhere if there was any medicine that could bring her child back to life.Later, she approached Buddha for help.Buddha said, I can make this medicine for you, but special ingredients are needed.You go to a house in the city that has never died, and ask them for some mustard seeds and bring them back to me.So Gotami happily went door-to-door in the city to inquire, only to find that every family had someone who had died.She finally realized she wasn't alone in the pain of losing a loved one.She came to the Buddha again, and the Buddha spoke compassionately: You think you are the only one suffering, but the fact is that everything is impermanent.
Every day we face impermanence, suffering and death.I don't know what kind of pain and death is mild.Maybe because of my identity, people who know me around me will always tell me if my relatives and friends encounter misfortune, disasters, etc., hoping that I can give them some comfort and help, so almost every day I hear some "bad news.This gave me a good opportunity to be familiar with the suffering in the world and the impermanence of the world, and also made me feel the importance of practice.
Most people face death, no matter what form of death, they are involuntary and extremely frightened.All their knowledge, skills, and thoughts can only deal with the problems related to life in this world, and they seldom think about what death is and what to do.
Even if a person's life does not experience catastrophe, it is very short, and decades will pass in a blink of an eye.Perhaps the days are too peaceful, people easily forget that old age is approaching and death is inevitable.Not to mention young people, even many old people are like this, as if they believe that they can live forever.
In the spring of the year before last, I met Rijia, an old lama there in Tashi Monastery. He was 80 years old, and he was still not very diligent in his practice.He may feel that he is the nephew of Master Sonam Gyatso, that he is different, and he does not have to worry about whether he will be liberated after death.I persuaded him like this: "Death is imminent, you must hurry up and practice." Unexpectedly, he passed away in the fall of that year.Due to long-term education in Buddhism, I think Lama Rigya should be able to deal with ordinary changes and pains in life calmly, but death is an extremely drastic change accompanied by great fear and pain. How is he prepared to face it.
In the face of death, it is a major event in the life of Tibetans to successfully walk through the trap of the bardo after death.
Only those with high achievements in practice can achieve the freedom of life and death, and independently decide what to do when death comes. However, when ordinary people feel the severe pain of death, they will inevitably panic, completely forget their daily practice, and lose their understanding of the middle state. They go astray due to poor judgment and lose precious opportunities for liberation.At this time, if someone comforts, reminds, and guides the deceased to overcome the panic after death, calm down, and clearly recognize the bright light of self-nature, or recognize the appearance of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the pure lands that appear later, then the deceased will be fine. get relief.Tibetans who believe in Buddhism will find a way to save the deceased after the death of their relatives and friends, and help them pass through the crucial stage of the bardo after death.
In this earthquake, if someone in the family dies unfortunately, the first consideration for the survivors is not how much grief they have or how to live in the future, but to try their best to find the corpses of the dead and rescue them, because the living People still have the opportunity to practice and continue to prepare for liberation, but if the dead cannot seize this opportunity and continue to follow the karma, it is hard to say whether there will be such a good cause for liberation in the future.
Regardless of celestial burial, cremation or other funeral forms, there are special rituals and arrangements for transcendence, rather than simply disposing of the corpse.For Buddhists, helping loved ones achieve liberation is the most powerful and meaningful concern for them.
In just a few decades of life, we have to face countless changes, large and small, and painfully face the death of relatives and friends, and finally our own death.If we can seriously integrate the teachings of the Buddha into our hearts, our life may be more calm.
Second, cause and effect
Everything that happens is the result of many causal relationships.
Due to the limitation of cognitive ability, we often can only see a limited fragment in the infinite continuum of cause and effect.When the ins and outs of things exceed the scope of current understanding in terms of space or time span, people will naturally doubt whether everything has a cause and effect, but we must know that even a supernatural arhat cannot fully explain it from the beginning. Make it clear.
It is said that the Buddha had a disciple named Zhoulipanduojia.He wanted to become a monk at the beginning, but was stopped by other disciples of the Buddha.The Buddha asked: "Why didn't you let him become a monk?" Those disciples were Arhats with supernatural powers, and they said to the Buddha: "I have observed this person, and he has never had a relationship with the Buddha in five hundred lives." The Buddha said: "You just I can see the karma within five hundred lives, five hundred lives ago he was reincarnated as a dog, unintentionally made offerings to me, and formed a bond with me, so in this life he will become a monk and study the Dharma with me."
Nanzhan Buzhou is the land of karma.Most of the sentient beings reborn here are drawn by the karma of the past, so the encounters in this life are not only related to the physical and mental activities in this life, but also reflect the consequences of the actions in the previous life.
The cause of some karma may go back several lives or hundreds of lives, but no matter how long the time interval is, the karma will not disappear automatically.Taking negative karma as an example, there are two main ways to purify negative karma: actively accumulating virtue, repenting, and purifying karma;
At that time, King Pajibo of Savatthi City led an army to attack the Sakya tribe and massacred the Sakya tribe.In order to protect the relatives of the Buddha, Maggallana, the most powerful disciple of the Buddha, used his divine power to lift them into the air in an iron bowl. When I came down, I saw that the inside was bloody and bloody, and everyone was still dead.It can be seen that once the cause and condition are ripe, there is no power to prevent the retribution from appearing.
Even the Buddha and Arhat who have cut off all karma, confusion and obstacles, have to feel their own karma in appearance.While King Pajipo was killing the Shakyas, the Buddha also had a headache.All the disciples asked the reason, and the Buddha said:
In the past, the Sakya people lived by fishing and killing fish.One day they caught two large fish, and without killing them immediately, tied them to a post.Feeling the unbearable dryness, the two big fish tossed and turned on the ground, vowing their revenge in the future.Because of this, the two big fish were later reborn as King Pajipo and Minister Maralo, and the other fish that were killed were reborn as soldiers of the two.Today they want to exterminate the Shakya clan.I was reborn as a fisherman's child, and I couldn't help laughing when I saw the suffering of the two big fish. I felt a headache today due to the karma.If I have not attained the Buddhahood with perfect merits and virtues, I will be killed by King Pajipo's army today.
This world seems to be a messy and chaotic world, full of incredible coincidences and inexplicable impulses, but in fact, everyone is drawn by karma, creates karma, and feels the rewards of happiness and pain. There will be no mistakes or omissions.
During the earthquake, I heard that a Dege businessman named Xiangba settled down in Yushu.For some reason, at three o'clock in the morning on the day of the earthquake, he suddenly ran out of the house and went to live in a hotel outside.During the earthquake, his house was intact and his family members were fine, but the hotel where he stayed collapsed and he was crushed to death inside.Xiangba's younger sister was afraid that the aftershocks would hurt the child, so she decided to take the child back to Dege's hometown. Unexpectedly, when she was saying goodbye to relatives and friends before leaving, she was careless and the child was run over to death by a car.Another person I know survived the earthquake because he went out to stay in a hotel. There are many stories like this.
Business is dynamic.In Sanskrit, the original meaning of karma is "action". Actions produce consequences, and consequences lead to new actions. In this way, cause and effect follow each other, forming a potential energy, and new causes and conditions are constantly added to it.Although its overall trend is difficult to change, new causes (that is, new behaviors) can strengthen or weaken its power.
For example, some people practice good dharma and practice emptiness in this life, and the karma of reincarnation in evil realms in future generations will mature in this life. When reborn as a human being, they still have the freedom to choose good and evil. In the future, I will not receive this report again.At the same time, when receiving evil retribution in this life, with a kind heart in the heart, a new benign cause and effect is opened.
If the new causes and conditions themselves are powerful enough, it is not impossible to completely change the trend of karma.Just like Venerable Milarepa’s sinful karma at the beginning, he would have fallen into hell, but later, with unimaginable perseverance and firm determination, he diligently practiced the Dharma, not only did not fall into hell, but became a Buddha in person. fruit.
When we see other people die and suffer in disasters, don't think that it all happened for no reason or by accident, and don't think that it's their own fault.
Some people may be Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, who show us impermanence, selflessness and compassion in a special way like death and suffering.Some people have changed the cause and effect of the past by accumulating virtue and practicing the Dharma, and they are punished lightly for serious crimes.Some people have completed certain karma and will go to other lands...
Everything in the world is so complex and profound, we must maintain humility and enthusiasm for exploring the truth.
[-]. Coexistence
Why is there a disaster?
I hope that we ask this question because we are worried about the common destiny of all beings and reflect on human beings' own behavior, rather than looking for someone to blame.
The planet we live in seems to have never been short of problems, and natural and man-made disasters have never stopped.Open the newspapers, every day there is news of disasters, conflicts, robberies, fornication, and fraud, and people die and suffer because of them every day, but we always don't realize the seriousness of the problem until the disaster is close at hand.
This is the crux of the problem: we only care about ourselves and the few people and things in the extremely limited space around us.What happened outside this small circle was just another piece of news.It is not our fault that people suffer disasters, experience pain and die, and besides, what can we do?
Believing that you are separate from all things, such an illusion reinforces the indifference of the human heart, making people feel that they should not feel responsible for others, society and the whole world.
Indeed, people's lives are now increasingly dependent on machinery and services that can be bought at a cost.Many things, which used to require the whole family to work together, or even call on friends to do it together, can be done well, but now you only need to call a professional company.This of course has its positive side, our lives are more convenient and independent, but at the same time, we are getting less and less opportunities to socialize and communicate with others outside of business relationships.
Nowadays, people are not good at establishing and developing friendships, and their social circles are very small. Except for colleagues and family members, they don’t have many friends. In fact, the relationship between friends who are like-minded and can share worries and happiness is very important to us. It is very important in my life and the basis of many other relationships.
People regard having as much independence as possible as a sign of success in life, having their own car, house, office, etc., and not needing others as much as possible.Some people think that whether they can live a happy life is entirely their own business, and has nothing to do with other people, as long as they have the ability to get what they want; as for whether other people are happy, it has nothing to do with them.
On the other hand, human interdependence is actually higher in modern societies than in subsistence agricultural societies.The basic conditions of our existence—clothing, food, housing, and transportation—all depend on the labor of others.Urbanization means increasing population density.Whether at work or at home, we are increasingly sharing the same small spaces with other people.Everyone's words and deeds affect their own, but also affect the lives of others.Cooperative coexistence is not only out of good wishes, but also out of the needs of survival and development.
Thus a contradiction arises: objectively, people are more interdependent and interacting with each other than before, and on this side of the earth, the consequences of the activities of a small group of people will affect the earth faster and more obviously than before. On the other side, subjectively, everyone thinks that they are independent, that they don't need others, and they don't have to think about others.
Everyone wants to live a happy life, which is understandable, but in the process of pursuing happiness, we must consider giving other people, not only those who live on this earth now, but also those who will live on this earth in the future. The people on earth, and the animals that share this world with us, leave enough space and possibility to realize their happy life.
Especially those in a strong position can mobilize more resources and means to achieve their own goals, and have a stronger ability to protect themselves if problems arise, and they should take into account the interests of others.While things get bad and everyone suffers eventually, it is the most helpless and vulnerable who suffer first, and it takes longer than others to break free and recover from the damage.
Environmental issues are a readily available example.Due to people's eagerness for quick success, disorderly and excessive development, and resource consumption, the global environment has deteriorated.Floods, droughts, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, ice melting, climate anomalies, these terms that represent disasters take turns to become the headlines of the daily news.People all over the world are affected, and remote and impoverished countries and regions are often areas with fragile ecological environments and weak infrastructure. Once disasters or disasters occur, people there do not have many resources and means to protect themselves and can only resign themselves to fate.
We used to think that natural disasters and man-made disasters are two completely different problems, but now we gradually realize that the line between the two is not so clear.Everything that happens is the result of many causal relationships.
We don't need to understand profound Buddhist principles or become so-called idealists to know that people's psychological activities will affect the external material world.Because in a normal state, human thoughts will guide human behavior, and the result of human behavior is to change the external environment in which he lives.
Disasters do not happen overnight, nor are they simply caused by a certain reason.Natural factors certainly play an important role and are often the main trigger at the moment of a disaster, but the last straw that breaks the camel's back is not all the weight the camel bears.Probing into the underlying reasons, we can always see the key impact of people's physical and mental activities behind disasters.
Of course, sociologists have professional and in-depth research on various social activities and their relationship with people, economy and environment. They can definitely analyze and grasp these issues more comprehensively and accurately than a layman like me.I am just talking about my observation and experience from the perspective of an ordinary person who has not received professional training.
I found that people's living conditions continued to improve, but their physical and mental suffering did not decrease.The diseases caused by the harsh living environment are indeed fewer than before, but they are replaced by "modern diseases" and "rich people's diseases", such as hyperlipidemia, gout, and obesity.In areas with relatively developed economies, people's mental stress is generally greater, and the incidence of insomnia and depression is very high.We know that great mental stress not only brings psychological pain, but also an important predisposing factor for many physical diseases (such as cardiovascular diseases, tumors, etc.).
I do not mean that material progress itself increases human suffering.If everyone went back to the primitive society to drill wood to make fire, they would be happier in the future.It is short-sighted to think that renunciation of material progress can solve all human problems.But most people in modern society fall into the other extreme: they think that as long as they have material abundance, all problems will be solved and there will be no more pain.Therefore, people are greedy and plundering, viciously competing, and occupying as many material resources as possible, thinking that in this way they can obtain happiness.
Material things can indeed bring people satisfaction, but it is limited to sensory satisfaction, that is, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, color, sound, fragrance and touch.The reason why man is different from animals is that he needs not only sensory satisfaction, but also spiritual satisfaction.
In this era, in addition to material resources, people also try to obtain happiness by having more intellectual resources.High education and high IQ are regarded as a sign of success in life.While ignorance does not necessarily guarantee happiness, knowing more does not guarantee happiness.In fact, many people browse massive amounts of information every day, send and receive countless emails and text messages, and make and receive calls all the time. They are still restless, afraid of missing something and being marginalized by society.
Some problems in our lives can be solved by eradicating poverty and ignorance; but in many cases, the deeper reason for our suffering lies in the long-term neglect of the spiritual world.True, lasting and peaceful happiness cannot be obtained externally.
If we continue to neglect spiritual practice, our problems, whether they are external wars, violence, disasters, or internal emotional and psychological crises, cannot be fundamentally resolved.
Four, self-discipline
The spiritual practice I understand is not to pursue mystical experiences or to obtain some supernormal functions.Practice is to cultivate the spiritual qualities of benevolence, tolerance, humility, and being kind to others that can bring happiness to oneself and others. That is to say, one should pay attention to the well-being of other beings, and consciously adjust one's own behavior to make other sentient beings feel comfortable and happy.Therefore, practice has two indispensable aspects, one is to consider other sentient beings, and the other is to take practical actions to transform the heart.
We are born with the ability to empathize with the emotions of others.We instinctively feel compassion when we see another being suffer, although not all of us express strong sympathy, compassion, and acts of help.For example, after the earthquake, many people couldn't help crying when they saw the pictures of the disaster area. Many people took action to help spontaneously. Everyone's immediate reaction was panic and pain, which is exactly the feeling of the people in the earthquake area.Everyone felt from the bottom of their hearts the close connection with the people in the earthquake zone and with all those who share the same love.At that moment, everyone does not need to be a Buddhist, and everyone can truly understand what compassion is.
Of course, there are also people who are indifferent. This does not mean that they have no compassion. I believe that they will also feel uneasy and uncomfortable when they see the scene of bloodshed and casualties, and they will subconsciously close their eyes or look away.Can't bear to see another life suffer, this is the heart of compassion.On this basis, to participate and share the pain of another life is compassion.Compassion is our innate ability. Although we sometimes behave selfishly and cruelly, this ability is always there.
When disaster strikes, what can we do as ordinary people?
I think that although not everyone can directly participate in the rescue operations to save lives and the wounded, at least we can share their pain emotionally and make them feel concerned, cared for, not alone, not abandoned.Chanting sutras for the dead is also a manifestation of this sharing. We accompany the dead through the bardo, sharing their fear and loneliness.
You can put yourself in your shoes and think about what you will need if you are hit by a disaster. First of all, of course, it is material: food, housing, use, and equally important, care.
Being cared for is not only a psychological need, but also a physical need.From childhood to adulthood, everyone needs to be cared for in order to survive, grow, and live a healthy life.For the kindness and love of others, we seem to be able to accept the beauty of it naturally.Any gesture of kindness, no matter how small, even a genuine smile from a stranger, can touch our hearts and make us feel happy.Therefore, from ourselves and others, we should do our best to care for the people in the disaster area, keep paying attention to their problems, and share their pain.
In the long run, if we really want to think about others, we must first practice self-discipline.
Not only to help others when they are in disaster, but also to constantly review and restrain those physical and mental behaviors that will bring pain to others in daily life, so as to fundamentally reduce the relationship between people and people, between people and nature, and between people and nature. Contradictions and conflicts between groups enable everyone to enjoy a more harmonious living space.
Only when the overall living environment and atmosphere are peaceful, can people have more equal development opportunities and create a better life through their honest labor.This point is especially important for all vulnerable groups including people in disaster areas.
The behavior of the body is mainly determined by the heart. If we can control the negative emotions and thoughts in our hearts, our external behavior will naturally change accordingly.Negative emotions refer to inner activities that bring pain to oneself, such as anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, anxiety, depression, fear, etc.
I don't use the familiar word "affliction" because: firstly, affliction covers a wider range, and it includes all the behaviors of beings who have not fully enlightened because of ignorance; secondly, and more importantly, whether it is " Whether it is "five poisons", "three poisons" or other afflictions, I hope everyone can see them as emotions and feelings rather than the nature of the mind.When you say "worry", you may unconsciously rely on your nature, thinking that the heart itself is troubled; when you say "emotion", you don't need to remind, everyone knows that it is superficial and fluctuating, but some emotions appear very frequently , energy is also great, not easy to restrain.If anger were in our nature, we wouldn't be able to be happy, but that's not the case.Not only can we be happy, but we can also know that we are angry when we are angry, which shows that consciousness and emotion are not exactly the same thing.It is possible to consciously control and adjust negative emotions.
The first step to self-discipline is awareness.Pay attention to the activities of your body, speech, and mind, and observe how negative emotions develop, how destructive and deceptive they are.Even violent negative emotions like anger have a gradual development process and require various conditions to emerge and grow.If we can understand these, there are ways to restrain, weaken, and dissolve anger.
There are many negative things that will appear in each of us. To be sensitive and alert to this is something we have to do all our lives.However, most people’s attitude towards negative emotions is to let them go, anyway, it will pass sooner or later, so let’s just wait for it to pass by itself, so there is no need to treat it so seriously.This is largely due to a failure to recognize the destructive nature of negative emotions, which cause us to lose perspective on the overall situation and foolishly sink into anger, jealousy, or panic.In this state, it is difficult for us to make wise decisions and actions, it is difficult to take care of our own interests, and we may even put ourselves and others in a dangerous situation.
One of the characteristics of negative emotions is that if you don’t deal with them, the next time they reappear, they will be more powerful. If you don’t deal with them all the time, they will slowly crowd out other emotions and make your emotional world become its own. world.No matter what situation you encounter, you will habitually resort to one or two negative emotions. For example, an angry person can find reasons to be angry even when encountering things that should be happy.We tend to think that this kind of person is like this in nature, but in fact, he just doesn't take serious measures to deal with angry emotions every time they arise.His heart itself was not an angry heart.
Negative emotions can disrupt our peace of mind, some short-lived, some longer-lasting, and this longer-lasting disruption often also comes from our own perception of the negative emotion.For example, when we are in danger, fear may make us more alert and sensitive, and do things that we cannot do under normal conditions.This kind of fear will not cause great harm to our body and mind, and sometimes it can even save the day. But if we think about it, hold on to the fear, and keep adding rich imaginations, we can only become more and more afraid, and finally Being completely overwhelmed by the horrors of your own making, the same goes for hatred, sadness, anxiety, etc.
People often say that everything should be more open.One thing to think about is not to strengthen the negative cognition of events and emotions, and not to make up stories in your mind to exaggerate and aggravate your feelings.An important aspect of self-discipline is not allowing yourself to indulge in unhelpful imaginations about people and things.
We know from our own experience that emotions are contagious.When a person is in a bad mood, everyone around him will be affected. First, everyone feels unhappy, then unknowingly infects the bad mood, and then spreads the bad mood to others.Over time, you all work together to form a habitual atmosphere, whether it's a family atmosphere, a work atmosphere, or a broader social atmosphere.
For example, if you go out to take a taxi in the morning, the driver will give you a counterfeit bill when you get off.You find out later that your mood becomes very bad all at once, and the colleagues who greet you will wonder whether you have something against him before the company's face has recovered.He was angry, and he turned around and vented his anger on the courier who happened to enter the door.The courier was reprimanded without thinking, and he was very unconvinced. He was not so polite on the road when he was riding a motorcycle, and he took a step forward when turning a corner.A car can't dodge and hit the car in front of it, and the two car drivers start to blame each other... Besides, when you receive counterfeit money, the natural reaction is to find a way to spend it.The taxi driver also received counterfeit money from the passenger in front of him. He was also deceived, and he then deceived you. You were deceived, and then turned around and tried to deceive others.You are usually kind, honest and good people, but under the contagion and influence of bad emotions, you get angry, vent your anger, refuse to give in to each other, and even lie to others aggressively.If most people are like this, it will create an atmosphere of anxiety, distrust, selfishness, and roughness. Living in such an atmosphere, probably no one will be happy.
Negative emotions are deceptive, leading us to believe that we can find protection and satisfaction from them.Many times, we get angry because we think that we will be stronger, but you can see that in debates, it is often the side that has no reason to speak and sees that the defeat is already lost first, and even starts to attack and abuse.In the same way, arrogance just exposes the immaturity of a person's character and the lack of rich connotation.Nothing is more deceptive than greed. We always think that the reason for our unhappiness is that we have too little or don't get what we want.Although the difference between legitimate needs and excessive extravagance is not clear in a few words, and there is no unified standard, if we pay more attention to getting something or achieving a certain state, rather than this thing, this We should be careful not to be led by the nose by greed.For example, we must eat to survive, but if our focus is on eating rather than getting full, we can easily overeat.The result of overeating is not a strong body, but damage to the body.
Careful observation of negative emotions, we will gradually find that the existence of negative emotions directly means the lack of happiness.Without self-discipline, neither building your own happy life nor building a happy life for everyone will have much effect.
However, self-discipline is not about suppressing emotions, following enforced rules, or appearing to be a moral role model.The motivation of self-discipline is to consider the feelings of others, and not to cause harm or pain to others because of one's inappropriate behavior.As Buddhists, we stay away from the ten evil karmas, observe the precepts of laymen and the precepts of non-extrication, all for this purpose: not to harm.
[-]. Compassion
Happiness comes from inner peace, and simply restraining negative emotions is not enough to build a strong and peaceful inner world. We also need to take the initiative to cultivate positive and positive attitudes and emotions.
As mentioned earlier, after the earthquake, everyone generously extended a helping hand to the disaster-stricken areas and tided over the difficulties with the people in the disaster-stricken areas.In fact, what we overcome is not only external natural disasters, but also the negative side of our own heart; what we build is not only an external home, but also our own spiritual home.
A five-year-old child came home and told her father embarrassedly that she was not strong enough today and cried in the kindergarten.Dad asked why.She said, because she thought of the children in the disaster area.The father later said: "My daughter's kindness makes me feel proud and happy."
The earthquake brought great suffering, but the good and kind emotions of human beings can resolve the suffering in the heart. Just a thought of sympathy is also a power to purify the heart, and it makes our personality mature and perfect.Everyone has a good side, the key is that we know how to stimulate and cultivate these qualities that will bring happiness to ourselves and others.
Giving is an effective way to break through your limitations.Some people compare almsgiving to giving roses to others, leaving a lingering fragrance in your hands.In giving, both the recipient and the giver benefit: the recipient is spared the suffering of want, and the giver gains joy and self-esteem from it.There are many kinds of almsgiving, for example, people donate money and materials to the disaster area, which is property almsgiving.This is not something that can only be done in disasters. In daily life, we can still give alms, such as helping the poor and other disadvantaged people, helping children who cannot afford to go to school, and giving them the opportunity to receive education .
Don't think that you have to have a lot of financial resources to give alms. The key is not the amount of wealth, but the sincerity of the intention.Giving is not done to show others, so it doesn't even have to be linked to so-called charity.You can deliberately take a detour to take care of the business of the fast food restaurant at the gate of the community, or you can invite a nanny to come to your house to help in order to create a job opportunity.Many people are living in deprivation and in need of improvement, but not all are willing to accept handouts.Giving others a chance to earn money by themselves is, in a broad sense, a kind of charity.
Not only can we donate money, but we can also donate our time and energy to help those in need.I know that many people went to the disaster area as volunteers to take care of the wounded and assist in communication.After the disaster, our society continues to need this kind of volunteering to help the orphans, the disabled, the elderly, and the homeless.The problem in this world is not only poverty and hunger, but also loneliness and apathy.
In Buddhism, there is dharma giving, which is to explain the Dharma to others and benefit them.In fact, we can understand Dharma giving in a broader sense.As far as thinking is concerned, any thought that conforms to the four dharma seals (all actions are impermanent, all leaks are suffering, all dharmas have no self, and Nirvana is peaceful) can be included in the scope of Buddhist thought; as far as behavior is concerned, all behaviors that abandon evil and promote good It is the behavior advocated by Buddhism.
Therefore, persuading people to do good deeds, giving comfort and encouragement to others when they are in trouble, helping them establish positive values and outlook on life, and making them more caring, responsible, and more complete personalities are all Dharma offerings.
Giving helps us learn to relax, stop holding everything in our hands, and stop focusing only on ourselves.We were surprised to find that giving makes people feel full rather than poor.
The purpose of giving is to learn to let go of the attachment to self, so as to help others better, so the motivation of giving is very important.If it is for show or competition, then giving will strengthen the attachment to the self, and the happiness and self-esteem that the giver will get from it will be extremely limited.
We have always had a very strong sense of poverty, feeling that we are not satisfactory in all aspects.This situation is more prominent in modern society, especially in big cities, where people are more or less troubled by an inexplicable anxiety and dissatisfaction.
The reasons behind this are complex, but I thought that some seemingly simple methods, such as learning to appreciate the bright spots in my own life, might help.When I feel down, I think that I’m not miserable. At least one person cares about me. I still have a place to live and a job. , such as giving up your seat on the bus... Think more about your own strengths, and you will feel more cheerful.
Optimism and contentment are mentalities that modern people need to cultivate, otherwise, facing the pressure of competition, various choices and temptations, life will easily lose balance and be shrouded in the shadow of anxiety.Adjusting our mentality is never easy, but we should try to do it for our own happiness and the happiness of others.
Sometimes our miserable situation may be entirely imagined, and the actual situation is far from that bad, but even when we are really in trouble, we must learn to bear the humiliation.Patience refers to not being afraid of difficulties, being able to endure and have the courage to overcome difficulties, and at the same time, not losing compassion for everything, even for those who may hurt oneself.
When it comes to going against the odds, people tend to think it's mostly about willpower.It's true that some people can get through tough times just by sheer perseverance, but that's not what I mean by patience.Patience is to accept one's situation calmly because one understands the origin, cause and effect of things, which is completely different from cowardice.The courage in patience does not come from willpower, but from the softness and openness of the heart.Under the blow of life's difficulties, try not to let your heart become stiff and numb, and try to maintain the kindness in your heart even in the most difficult moments.
During the earthquake, there was a girl who had been under the ruins for more than ten hours. When she was rescued, she said to the rescue team: "I'm bothering you, and I will never forget you in my life." Many people were deeply moved by the girl's words. I was deeply moved, and some people said that she just had poor Chinese expression skills, and her words could not express her meaning when she was emotional.Maybe her Chinese is not good enough and her words are not accurate enough, but the meaning she wants to express is very obvious: she is sorry for causing trouble to everyone!In this case, this lovely girl didn't think about how unfortunate and innocent she was, and she humbly expressed her gratitude and kindness to others.
Because of patience and humiliation, we will not be easily overwhelmed by negative emotions in difficulties, but maintain judgment, adopt appropriate and peaceful ways to solve problems, and avoid further harm.Patience also allows us to be tolerant, rational, get along with others and build friendships.Therefore, another meaning of patience is tolerance.Acknowledging the diversity of the world and respecting differences and differences is indeed difficult, because everyone only wants to change others, not themselves.
It is difficult to transform the heart. The stubborn habits that have been formed since time immemorial cannot be changed overnight. We must learn to endure humiliation, endure and overcome difficulties and setbacks on the road of practice, and never forget that our goal is to keep sentient beings away from pain and gain happiness.
May the deceased be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!May we create a pure land on earth for the living through our kindness and good deeds!
P.S. Yushu's short lecture
In the early morning of April 2010, 4, a strong earthquake occurred in Yushu, Qinghai!
In the past few days, facing the rising number of casualties, I believe everyone is more and more sad.
Disasters make us more aware of the impermanence and suffering of life, and also let us understand the meaning of renunciation and compassion.
In the face of a major disaster, we should actively extend a helping hand to the people in the disaster area and do our best to help them.The Larung Gar Buddhist Academy responded quickly after the earthquake, donated money and materials, and organized a rescue team. Most of the college's main khenpos, living Buddhas, and stewards joined the front line of disaster relief.So far, nearly a thousand people have entered the disaster area, found people in the ruins to save others, chanted sutras for the victims, and sent food, cotton quilts and spiritual comfort to the survivors suffering from hunger and cold.Many people around me, and many other temples and ashrams I know also sent aid to the disaster area in the first place.
For those who lost their lives in the disaster and those who are suffering from pain and suffering, as disciples of the Buddha, we should also practice good dharma for them in a unique way of Buddhism. May the merits of the good dharma and the blessing of the Three Jewels help the deceased Being able to die, the living will be free from suffering as soon as possible.
The merciful and compassionate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is the manifestation of the infinite compassion of the Buddhas of the ten directions. If you do not lose your confidence in the Three Jewels when a disaster strikes, and sincerely recite the mantra of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and recite the holy name of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will definitely hear it. The sound of salvation is to eradicate suffering for all living beings, because this is the great wish made by Guanyin Bodhisattva in the past.
I was unable to go to the disaster area due to illness. Although I was able to offer my humble heart to the compatriots in the disaster area with the help of my brothers from Larung Buddhist College and fellow Taoists from Tashi Chi Lin, I still couldn’t feel at ease. I want to do more for them at the rear.Therefore, within 49 days from the date of the earthquake, I hope to practice the mantra of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva "Om Mani Padme Hum" and the holy name of Avalokitesvara together, which will help the deceased to get rid of suffering as soon as possible, and eventually to be reborn in the Western Paradise.
In addition to reciting the Avalokiteshvara Mantra, you can also release life, offer lamps, or perform other good deeds according to your specific situation, and dedicate merit to all sentient beings who suffer from disasters.
Those who are determined to participate in this group practice can sign up and report through the website, and finally integrate each person's limited merits into the sea of merits and virtues of the group practice, helping and benefiting all beings.Such acts of kindness will make our short and impermanent life more meaningful.
Let us pray together that all sentient beings will be free from suffering, that all sentient beings can receive the blessings of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and enter into good dharma, and may disasters never come again!
Om Mani Padme Hum!
Chiarombo
Nov. 2010, 4
(End of this chapter)
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