Today, I want to discuss with everyone how to eliminate afflictions. People often have a tendency to desire everything and to take in everything, be it food they crave or objects they wish to possess. This inclination leads to the acceptance of various kinds of afflictions. The habit of taking everything as it comes is what gives rise to these afflictions. How do afflictions arise? They are self-inflicted. Consider the moon reflected in water – there’s actually no moon in the water. But why do we see it there? It’s because we search for the moon’s reflection, which disrupts the water’s tranquillity. When the moon vanishes, the water returns to calmness. This water symbolizes your mind. It’s also akin to a mirror reflecting a flower; the mirror shows no flower in the absence of one. Our mind is like that clear mirror. Without perceiving worldly matters, our mind remains untroubled. But once we notice the flower and reflect it in our mirror-like mind, it becomes disturbed.
Next, I’ll explain to you that eliminating afflictions requires understanding a certain spiritual state. Your mind embodies a particular spiritual state. The level you have achieved in your practice as of today directly reflects your current spiritual state. If you perform good deeds today without any selfish thoughts or distractions, that is true merit and virtue. However, helping others with an ulterior motive or emotional attachment indicates a lack of proper cultivation and not having attained a higher spiritual state. Indeed, practising Buddhism and cultivating the mind is a challenging endeavour. Engaging in any activity with selfish intentions and distractions hinders the elevation of your spiritual state, leaving your mind restless and prone to afflictions. Thus, afflictions can arise even while performing meritorious deeds.
When afflictions occupy your mind and your mental state is not elevated, when you cling to things you like, both physically and emotionally, when you accept everything as it comes, indulging in all sorts of food (since everyone enjoys good food), you end up gaining something undesirable – illness. For example, if you absorb everything from the world into your mind, it can lead to mental distress. Likewise, if you try to consume everything with your body, it inevitably leads to physical illness.
To eliminate afflictions, you must rid your mind of all its troubles. It’s easier said than done, but who among you can genuinely release their afflictions? Today, who among us is free of worries? This is evident not only in your expressions but also in your actions and words. Be it concerns about marriage, children, finances, work, health, etc., aren’t these sources of trouble for you all? Have you mastered the art of letting go? I frequently discuss methods to release these worries. It involves maintaining an open mind and seeking understanding. When you can’t think it through, turn to praying to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, recite scriptures diligently, and seek their guidance to achieve clarity and eliminate your afflictions.
Today, a family of three came all the way from China to see me. Both of their children suffer from intellectual disabilities, which has caused the parents immense anguish. Upon examining their case, I explored possible causes for this condition. The mother initially thought it was due to her abortions. However, the issue was more complex, rooted in karma accumulated from past lives. The deep-seated karmic obstacles, coupled with the abortions, created a situation akin to a bomb going off at the children’s birth. I inquired whether there had been any history of killing in his family. Eventually, the father recalled his mother’s livelihood of catching and selling snails, which supported him and funded his education. This occupation, however, led to him being born with a blood disorder, subsequently affecting his children with intellectual disabilities. The father was stricken with immense pain; I guided him to uncover the root cause of these problems, steered the parents towards potential solutions, and instilled in them a sense of hope and confidence.
The father asked me, “Master, if my mother hadn’t caught and sold snails, how could she have raised me? How could I have gone to college?” He raises a valid point, indeed. From a certain perspective, had his mother been more conscious of the consequences, the outcome might have been different. In her world, she believed that raising her child was her duty. So, whether it was selling snails or doing anything else, it was all for raising her child. But what she didn’t realise was that the karma she was creating would inevitably impact her future generations. Her occupation of selling snails resulted in her child being born with a blood disorder, and these issues have even affected her grandchildren. The current disaster she faces far surpasses the hardships and struggles she endured in raising her child. I share this real-life story to illustrate the principles and to help you grasp the law of cause and effect – the principle that what you sow, indeed, you shall reap.
In practising Buddhism, one should have a mindset of nothing to be attained. Where is this mind of mine? It is not a mind that is troubled by afflictions. “A mind that abides nowhere” implies that no worldly matter can linger in my mind; there is nothing that I can obtain or that drives me to cling to it. To truly perceive your Buddha-nature, it’s essential to understand and acknowledge your own mind. Your forgetting of the Buddha-nature leads to succumbing to greed, anger, and ignorance.
If a person’s words are sharp and harsh, they are destined to lead a life of meagre fortune. In your journey of learning Buddhism with me, it is imperative to refrain from sarcasm. Those who frequently resort to sarcasm tend to lead lives of limited fortune, devoid of blessings. You should avoid even the inclination to mock others. The very moment one entertains such thoughts, their blessings begin to diminish.
Remember, everything will become the past. If you fail to release your worries, you are destined to live your life completely consumed by them. Think about it – many of you have already lived half your lives, some almost a whole lifetime. In this journey through life, what truly have you gained? You’ve gained nothing but a lifetime filled with worries and persistent anger. Reflect on your life – has it been more filled with happiness or with troubles? People spend their lives caught up in worries. The Bodhisattva teaches that the Human Realm is inherently a realm of afflictions. Humans are pitiful, limited by their own ego. Consider what humanity is doing now: polluting and disrupting the ecological balance. The Earth deteriorates day by day, and without a united effort to protect it, it’s inevitably heading towards ruin.
When everyone’s mindset centers solely on self-interest, leading to conflicts, fights, and even acts of violence, all driven by the ego, the “I,” this represents the lesser self, not the exalted greater self. How pitiful and truly insignificant humans become, all due to this singular “I.” Today, I set an example for you. By extending kindness to the entire world, I garner support and affection from people globally. Who will love and cherish you. Giving always leads to receiving. In helping others, you simultaneously resolve your own issues. If you only think of your own family, you can’t solve the problems of the larger community. If nobody acts kindly, what will become of our planet? It’s quite simple – it fundamentally boils down to the state of your mind. If you sit here without any elevation or with a low state of mind, merely refraining from bad deeds, you meet only the basic standards of humanity, not the higher standards that I or the Bodhisattvas uphold.
One must understand the concept of “all thoughts become one.” Channel all your thoughts into a singular focus – studying Buddhism. “Today, I let go of all other thoughts and focus solely on practising Buddhism.” By doing so, you’ll be free from mental afflictions. In this Age of Dharma Decline, marked by the rapid and intense passing of people, you must let go of your selfish thoughts and distractions. Let them go, release your afflictions, stop dwelling on them and focus on “all thoughts become one,” which signifies a state of having not even one thought. Many say, “I have many thoughts, can I just focus on one?” “In the practice of Buddhism, even the thought of engaging in the practice should be non-existent. That’s when your state is truly elevated. This concept is crucial – the idea of “all thoughts become one” essentially translates to a state of complete thoughtlessness.
When we learn the concept of “all thoughts become one,” I teach you that there are three states of mind to avoid: 1) the present mind, 2) the past mind, and 3) the future mind. These states of mind are not attainable.
The past mind dwells on previous events, such as how well one used to be or how kindly one treated others. But harbouring such thoughts leads to unhappiness and afflictions, ultimately resulting in anger and even illness.
The present mind fixates on current desires and thoughts, such as what one wants to do or feel now. But what can you really do? Who are you? You have nothing. Life is merely a journey, fundamentally akin to a dream. Life, being a dream, implies that if one day you fail to awaken, realising in the dream that you have died, where will you find yourself? The answer depends on the result of your life’s cultivation.
The future mind is about what will happen next, such as how your children will grow up. But what’s there for you to expect? Your priority should be cultivating your own mind, accumulating virtue and blessings for future generations. I always teach you to create blessings so that you have them in later years. Evil deeds lead to bad outcomes in old age.
Now, let me explain the theory of Buddhism. The scriptures say: what is referred to as “Dharma” is, in fact, the absence of Dharma. Are the theories and principles, if not put into action, truly representative of Dharma? In reality, it’s like having no Dharma. I will first explain this, then provide further elaboration. Because there is an absence of Dharma, Dharma exists. Specifically, if Dharma is absent, does it truly exist? It does, but can you claim to see this Dharma? No, it’s akin to Dharma being nonexistent.
Here’s a simple analogy: you need air to live, even though you can’t see it. Can you survive without air? It exists, yet it’s intangible. Therefore, in Buddhism, the Dharma resides within the mind. Many believe that practising Buddhism is merely about maintaining a clean and neat appearance or joining a particular sect or Dharma Door to appear impressive. For instance, those engaged in elaborate rituals with incense and prayers for show are merely practising the formalities, not genuinely studying Buddhism. A true Buddhist practitioner acts with effortless grace, appearing not to act while effectively doing so. Yet in truth, they haven’t acted, though it seems they have.