Ordinary people see everyone as ordinary.
Arhats see everyone as arhats.
Bodhisattvas see everyone as bodhisattvas.
Buddhas see everyone as Buddhas.
Wise people see everyone as teachers.
Pure Land practitioners should see everyone as Amitabha Buddha.
So if we look down on anyone,
we look down on Amitabha Buddha.
If we have conflict with anyone,
we have conflict with Amitabha Buddha.
How Does One Adjust One’s Mindset?
Even if we suffer many wrongs in this world, we should maintain a calm mind and accord with conditions. Why? Because whatever we encounter daily in this lifetime, whether favorable or unfavorable, is destined and brought about by our deeds from past lifetimes.
It is clearly stated in the sutras that there are two kinds of karmic retributions for all beings. The first kind is leading karma, which leads us to be born in a certain path [e.g., as a human or animal]. The second kind is fruition karma, the karmic force from our good and bad deeds done in past lifetimes that brings about all that we undergo in this lifetime, whether we are rich or poor and have a high or low social status.
Now that we understand that what we undergo in this lifetime is the karmic retribution of our deeds done in past lifetimes, how could we not endure and accept it? While we are enduring the karmic retributions, we should not be attached to favorable conditions or become angry with those that are adverse. This way, we will be able to eliminate our negative karmas.
We should know that we must eliminate the negative karma created in past lifetimes;
otherwise we cannot transcend the Three Realms. Although learning and practicing
the Buddha-
No matter what humiliation or torment we undergo, this will eliminate our negative
karma. When we encounter this situation, we should let go of everything and all thoughts,
and instead, single-
The Health Effects of Losing One's Temper
When I speak to people about Buddhism and mention the three poisons of greed, anger,
and ignorance, it is that mention of anger that gets people's heads nodding in agreement.
Ideally, we want to control our own tempers for the sake of all beings. An angry
person cannot help others.
But what if we're not at that point? What if we have enough
trouble just trying to do what is right for ourselves? If the only person we can
think of helping at this moment is ourselves, we still need to realize the harm becoming
angry does.
Losing one’s temper hurts both oneself and others. It is particularly harmful to one’s physical health. When one loses one’s temper, even for only a minute, it takes three days for all the cells in the body to return to normal. Imagine how much worse it is to lose one’s temper every day. Clearly, losing one’s temper is the same as gradually committing suicide.
Now that we know this, we should not lose our temper no matter what provocation we
encounter. Why? Because we must protect our bodies and minds from being affected
by the external environment. We should gradually reduce emotional afflictions for
they are harmful to our bodies and minds. This way, we will be able to maintain mental
and physical well-
Good Dharmas
The Buddha said in the Ten Virtuous Karmas Sutra that bodhisattvas have a method
that can help them end all sufferings in the Three Evil Paths. The method is being
often mindful of and contemplating wholesome thoughts, and observing wholesome behavior
and speech night and day, not having even the slightest non-
When one is often mindful of good dharmas, one’s mind will be virtuous. When one often contemplates good dharmas, one’s thoughts will be virtuous. When one often observes good dharmas, one’s conduct will be virtuous. The criterion for virtuousness is to permanently end the Ten Evil Deeds: killing, stealing, committing sexual misconduct, false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, enticing speech, greed, anger, and ignorance.
When one’s every thought, every word, and every action accords with the Ten Virtuous Deeds and the virtues innate in the true nature, one will be free from all sufferings in the evil paths.
Untempted and Undisturbed
What is meditation? What is concentration?
Simply put, meditation means not to be affected by the external environment. And concentration means to maintain an undisturbed mind. The mind must remain pure, with no discriminations, no worries, and no attachments: This is concentration.
The Buddha said in the Diamond Sutra: “Do not cling to [illusory] phenomena; maintain an undisturbed mind.” The first part is meditation, and the second part is concentration.
We can clearly see that practicing meditative concentration does not mean meditating facing the wall every day. This is only one of the many forms of practice. In actuality, in your everyday activities, you are practicing meditative concentration when you remain undisturbed and unattached.
In the Avatamsaka Sutra, where did the Bodhisattvas practice meditative concentration?
At the market! The sutra mentions sichan, which means a bustling bazaar. The Bodhisattvas
went “window-
To remain untempted is “meditation.”
To maintain an undisturbed mind is “concentration.”
What did the bodhisattvas cultivate when they went window-
We should know that meditative concentration is true enjoyment. Meditative concentration and wisdom are the utmost enjoyments in life.
Deep Concentration
Ordinary beings have an illusory mind, the mind that arises and ceases. In other words, ordinary beings have wandering thoughts. Enlightened beings have true minds that constantly dwell on truth. They do not have wandering thoughts, only deep concentration. Deep concentration is the state without discriminatory wandering thoughts or attachments.
However, this does not mean that we are idle all the time; we continue to do our job with a pure and completely aware mind. When the external environment no longer hinders or affects us, we have attained deep concentration.
Understanding this principle, we will know how to correct our improper behavior. When our six senses encounter the external environment, our thoughts, words, and deeds are improper because our senses follow the external conditions and we allow afflictions to take hold. We have been wrong for countless eons and this is the root of our improper behavior. We have buried our true nature and have allowed afflictions, especially those of views and thoughts, to be dominant. Thus, we have transformed the One True Dharma Realm into the Six Realms of Reincarnation. How are the Six Realms formed? They are formed by our attachments.
The first mistake from the view or thought affliction is our attachment to our bodies as we think that this body is “I”. This is why the Buddha told us there is no self and therefore our attachment to self is wrong. With the initial attachment to self, we have a mistake that is hard to undo. This body is not “I”. This body is something that we possess just like the clothes that we own.
If we understand this, we will realize that humans do not have births or deaths. Death is just like taking off our soiled clothes and birth is like putting on a new set of clothing. In the cycle of reincarnation, our birth and death is like changing clothes.
What then is “self”? In India, some religions believe that the spiritual self is I. In China, we call it the soul. In Buddhism, we call it the spirit. This state of believing that the spiritual self is “I” is higher than that which views the body as “I.” Why is it such an improvement? Because when one believes that when revolving in the cycle of reincarnation the spiritual self takes on a body just like someone takes on a piece of clothing, there is no fear of death. Rather, death is regarded as something quite normal.
If we have accumulated only good karma in this lifetime, then we will be reborn into the Three Good Realms—changing from a human into a heavenly being and having a much more beautiful and dignified appearance, a longer lifespan and greater good fortune. This is to “sow a good cause and reap a good result.” However, if we were to do bad deeds, then our body will change for the worse.
