Today, I want to talk about how good and evil are measured in Buddhism. In the human world, the standard is simple: doing good deeds makes you a good person, and doing bad deeds makes you a bad person. But in Buddhism, the standard is much higher: anything done for oneself is considered unwholesome, while anything done for others is considered wholesome. Of course, even within this framework, there are degrees—wholesome and unwholesome can range from minor to significant. Now, you might ask, “If I do something for my family, does that count as good?” That depends on your level of spiritual attainment—your state of mind. Let me explain further.
Anyone who truly wants to follow the Buddha’s path and attain Buddhahood must first break free from two attachments. The first is called “attachment to a concept of self”—that is, being overly fixated on your own desires. For example, “I have to do this,” or “I must have that.” This is a form of selfishness. If you can break this attachment to self, you will attain the level of an Arhat—like the enlightened Arhat Bodhisattvas. Attachment to self means being obsessed with certain outcomes: “I must win the lottery,” or “My child must get into a top selective school.”
The second attachment is called “attachment to dharmas (factors)”—this refers to being attached to worldly desires, concepts, and the ways we understand things in the human world. If you can let go of both the attachment to self and the attachment to dharmas, then you will attain Buddhahood.
If someone spends every day thinking only of themselves and acting only for their own benefit, they are constantly increasing their attachment to self. Why do we say that someone with a strong attachment to self is selfish? And why is this considered unwholesome in Buddhism? Because that person is always thinking, “I need to compete with them,” or “I have to win,” or “I want to gain something for myself.” In doing so, they’re constantly reinforcing negative karmic energy. The stronger the attachment to self, the more intense these thought patterns become. And as you may know, where there is comparison and competition, there will always be a sense of superiority or inferiority.
So why is acting for yourself considered unwholesome? Because it continually builds up the self-centred ego. When attachment to self grows over time, it turns into a form of unwholesomeness. Let me give you an example: a person who is extremely selfish—aren’t they doing harm in some way? Maybe they start by putting their shoes outside someone else’s door, then later they leave a charcoal grill near their neighbour’s entrance, and eventually they dump their rubbish in front of someone else’s home. This kind of behaviour is driven by attachment to self. What happens next? Their neighbour retaliates—perhaps by dumping rubbish outside their door or damaging their mailbox. Hasn’t this now escalated into wrongdoing? How did it all begin? From selfish thoughts and selfish desires. You might wonder: “Is doing something for my own family really unwholesome?” But remember, we are discussing this from the perspective of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas.
The truth is, many people can be very selfish. Sometimes, when I hear the kinds of things people say on the phone during my radio program, I can feel their distress. All they care about is themselves; all they ask about is themselves. When someone becomes too self-centred, they inevitably start creating negative karmic connections. A person who is selfish to the extreme will end up in conflict with others. Isn’t that creating negative karma?
I’m diving deeper into these teachings for you now. At first, when you hear my plain-language explanations of the Buddha-dharma, they might not seem like much. But later, you may suddenly realise their meaning. What I want is for you to awaken to the truth behind my words and the principles they carry.
Even if you practise good deeds in the human world, if you remain attached to a concept of self, then in reality, you’re just reinforcing that attachment. You’re not increasing your merit and virtue or creating genuine positive karma. If everything you do is still for your own benefit, then no matter how many good deeds you perform, you’re only feeding your attachment to self. You might be thinking, “Wait—if I’m doing good things, is that still self-attachment?” Let me explain it clearly. If what you’re doing is fundamentally for yourself, then no matter how much good you do, it’s still only serving your own goals. If your motivation is selfish, how can that be considered true goodness? But if your intention is for the benefit of others, then all your good actions become merit and virtue.
Today, everything I do is for the sake of others, so what I generate is merit and virtue. Why don’t you take a leaf out of my book? Think about it: my spiritual strength is so great now. If I had selfish motives, would Guan Yin Bodhisattva have granted me such great spiritual power? Right now, what I’m teaching you is how to break through your attachment to self.
Next, let me teach you how to break free from attachment to the dharmas (factors). What is “dharma” in this context? Everything you perceive becomes a form of dharma.
Remember, you must always keep your mindset steady and balanced. Always strive to be a good disciple. Always remind yourself: think of others first, then think of yourself. If you’re someone who never considers others, then don’t expect others to ever think of you. I hope my disciples will learn to consider others before themselves when taking action. You must understand—money cannot buy health or peace. Just because you’re wealthy doesn’t mean you won’t get sick. If you can’t let go of your attachments, that is a form of unwholesomeness. If you can’t let go of selfishness or your attachment to dharmas, then your desires for things in the world will only continue to grow, fuelling more and more selfish thoughts and delusions. Being overly attached to worldly dharmas creates “afflictive obstructions.” And when afflictive obstructions arise, it’s because you’ve started thinking: “I want this,” or “I must do that”—which inevitably leads to stress and worry. This happens because you haven’t yet seen through the true nature of things in the Human Realm. The hardest thing in life is learning how to be a decent human being. There’s a phrase that says it all: “Being human is hard, hard to be human, and hard to live as a human.” The whole lesson is about letting go of the self—releasing both attachment to self and attachment to dharmas.
I’m telling you now: when speaking or acting, you must learn to adapt your mindset to suit the present moment—that’s what a truly wise person does. Attachment shows up in many ways. Some people have started cultivating their minds with me, but because they’ve practised other Dharma Doors in the past, they begin to wonder, “Is what Master Lu’s teaching really correct?” I once had a listener who’d only sat in on my Dharma Talks a few times and already started offering lots of opinions. Because he hadn’t truly accepted this Dharma Door, even though he had learned a lot of Buddhism, he didn’t understand its true essence.
Let me give you an example. There was once a road in Shanghai that was known by its French name in the old days. But now it’s split into East Huaihai Road and West Huaihai Road. If someone didn’t know that, they might say, “This isn’t the right road—it’s all wrong!” But who’s really mistaken? If anything is “wrong,” it’s their timing—because they failed to keep up with the times. If you turned back the clock a few decades, you might not even develop cancer—because that illness didn’t exist in the same way back then. People were kinder and more simple-hearted. Would such people be prone to such destructive illnesses? That’s why, when you practise Buddhism, you must move with the times.
Everything we gain in life is only temporary. Cultivating the mind depends entirely on your own inner efforts. You must break through the afflictive obstructions—eliminate your own mental disturbances and let go of attachment.
Attachment to dharmas is the root cause of “cognitive obstructions.” When you know too much but can’t distinguish between right and wrong, confusion arises—and at the root of that confusion is your attachment to dharmas. How do you even become aware of these obstructions? Through attachment to dharmas. What does that mean? It means the things you see and the experiences you go through—these are all forms of attachment to dharmas. For example: “I have a strong preference for eating black fungus today,” or “I only want to eat shiitake mushrooms”—that’s attachment to dharmas as well. “I’m superstitious about this particular food—I just love it”—also a kind of attachment to dharmas. Saying “I think Australia is the best place”—still attachment to dharmas.
We all make mistakes. But it’s only when you recognise your mistakes that you can grow. Today, I’m helping you become aware of your own errors—that’s how enlightenment begins. Once I point something out and you realise you’ve made a hundred mistakes—that’s progress. Because before this, you probably thought you hadn’t made any mistakes at all. Why are some people arrogant? Because they always believe they’re flawless. But if you’re able to notice your own faults, that means you’re starting to awaken—that insight is coming from within.
“Not perceiving even a single dharma”—this means you no longer perceive any Dharma Door. In the human world, all forms, all objects, all dharmas are ultimately empty. As Buddhism teaches, “All dharmas are empty.” Everything we see and experience is a form of dharma. But when you no longer perceive even a single dharma, that’s tranquillity. From tranquillity comes stillness, and from stillness comes clarity. This clarity shines inward—it illuminates your mind, your actions, everything you do. It allows you to see clearly that the Five Aggregates are all empty. You can visualise this truth because your mind is tranquil and still. Such tranquillity allows you to illuminate and perceive the emptiness of the Five Aggregates. That’s why it’s called “contemplating at ease” (guan zi zai). Guan Zi Zai Bodhisattva is another name for Guan Yin Bodhisattva. “Contemplation” means to observe inwardly—to shine a light on your heart and your actions. When your mind is completely still, you are already a Bodhisattva. When you can clearly perceive your own free, intrinsic nature—that is “contemplating at ease.” That is seeing your own Buddha nature, your own inner Bodhisattva. Think more deeply about it.