CLIMBING MOUNTANT MAN.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.

The topic I'm talking about today is a little bit long. The mountaineers have only maps, no guides. Here I am divided into six categories:

1. Study the map:

Here people say mountain seekers because they have never seen the mountain, so the desire to see the mountain, climb to the top to satisfy his desire. But because there were no mountains in the plains, nor the instructors, only the map. Depending on the map and being told by a teacher how far the mountain is located in the city, in which province, etc. , map and lecture to people who have not learned to listen. In fact, they themselves have never climbed any mountain.

I temporarily example as a specific person in the West, heard in Vung Tau there are two mountains, one is a big mountain and the other is a small mountain. Hearing that, they dreamed of how to climb to Vung Tau to take the big mountain, take the small mountain to look at the sea to satisfy their longing. When they met people who had available maps, they explained that if in the West they wanted to go to Vung Tau to climb mountains, they had to go from the West to the city, then from the city to Vung Tau ... the other is hard at work, but when you go without someone to guide you must bring the map. Groping and walking, that's the first stage for a climber.

2. Aim in the right direction:

Climbers already have a map in hand, but no guide, if you know the right direction, you are not afraid to get lost. For example, from the West to the city, to the Binh Dien bridge, going up the steep slope to look to the Southeast, there are blue mountains far away, they say it is Vung Tau mountain. When the car goes down the slope to see the mountain, it has to run into the city again, through many intersections, if they are not smart, they will get lost. So, once we saw a mountain, we were not sure we could go to the mountain.

3. Be patient:

When leaving the city to go straight to Vung Tau without getting lost, it is very fortunate. Nearly near Ba Ria, clearly see Vung Tau mountain, no doubt. Although clearly visible but with their location a few dozen kilometers away from new, not to see is coming immediately. Seeing clearly, it took several dozen kilometers to reach the mountain, which was the third leg.

4. Go to the foot of the mountain:

The car ran to the foot of the mountain, then they had to get off the car and walk straight to the foot of the mountain. At this time, despite standing at the foot of the mountain, but still not climbing the mountain. So to reach the summit must go through many stages, requiring the efforts of climbers.

5. Climbing efforts:

Now step into the climbing effort. From the bottom of the climb to the top of the mountain, wet sweat to coat to reach. On the way, you have to follow closely with the map so you don't get lost. Because in the overgrown mountains, the road is very difficult to walk, more winding paths, not clever climbers will hang around forever and cannot go forward. Overcoming all obstacles is climbing to the top of the mountain, seeing the vast sky, fresh scenery, satisfying the long-term aspirations. This is the stage to complete the climbing process.

6. Go to the top of the mountain:

At the end of the peak, enjoy the fresh breeze, immense clouds of water, the scene of tranquility, not noisy and noisy as in the city, how to enjoy it! When enjoying the peace like that, suddenly thought of many friends and relatives want to climb like me. So this person came down the mountain, returned to guide his friends to Vung Tau, and climbed with them.

Those are the six routes I talked about "mountain seekers only have maps, not guides". Now legally, learning the example map for us Buddhists. Anyone who practices Buddhism also thinks of the ultimate goal of liberating samsara. Want to liberate samsara, you must realize where you have the Dharmakāya which is immortal. Nghiem Hoa Kinh called Dieu Phong mountain. So first we have to learn the map, learn where the mountain is located. That is when we begin to learn sutras, to know how cultivators want to liberate? Understanding that clearly is the first stage.

When I got to the second stage, I learned the sutta, I mastered the map, I still know the direction of the practice, which is the right direction. Because right so suddenly there was a moment that I flashed. When the light flashed, for example, people coming up the slope of Binh Dien bridge, looking far away, saw Vung Tau mountain. Seeing but seeing but still very far on the way, maybe I will get lost if not careful. This place we should note. Many people light themselves, then imagine that it is finished, but it is unexpectedly far away. Because there are many bends on the road, it is necessary to be reserved and not be able to see so. Seeing mountains but not sure if they can reach the mountains

Go to the third leg is standing in the vacant place, like in Ba Ria looking over Mount Vung Tau see the mountain very clearly. Although visible but still a distance from the mountain. Also, when elaborately cultivating we realize where we have the true nature no doubt, as one has seen the mountain before us. In the Zen house called this Tanh Tanh, ie see clearly what you need to see. Here saying "seeing" is my temporary use of the word, rather than receiving it without a doubt. Like a person standing a few dozen kilometers from the mountain, the road to the mountain has rocks or trees. Clearly visible but not yet to the mountain. The cultivator of nature is just not suspicious, not yet.

Go to the fourth stage, to the foot of the mountain without climbing. We realize that our true Nature is no longer in doubt, but elaborately not done. Now we have to try to advance and cultivate, as soon as we can, just like the one who came down the mountain. Foot pedal on the rocks at the foot of the mountain, not to the bottom of the mountain. That's not enough, you still have to climb to the bottom of the mountain. In the same way, we cultivate when we see where we have the unbelievably sincere and live with it somewhat, called the person who has stepped on the real land, but not yet, work, also elaborate a rather exhausting period. again.

Go to the fifth leg and climb to the top of the mountain. Since I have stepped on the real land, I know that the elaboration has not gone wrong, but I did not stop there, but had to try harder. All subtle defilements are cleansed, the mind is completely pure and clear, just like a person climbing to the top of a mountain. Then the prayer was satisfied, in the meditation house called the Buddha Kingdom, which is the ninth item in the ten buffaloes. But if we are satisfied there, watching the clouds watching the sea, it is only good for us, and how many close friends wish to be like us, but have not had the opportunity. So coming here one more step.

In the sixth leg, from the top of the mountain we went down, leading our friends to climb the mountain with us. This stage is only for people who have attained enlightenment, defilements, then return to the bare dust to guide the degree of sentient beings. That is the tenth item of the ten herds.

Meticulously practicing to save the fullness of glass has to go through many stages like that. Therefore, we only understand the Patriarchs when they are enlightened, they also have to stay in one place for decades to practice elaborately. On the path of enlightenment we see a light or two, thought it was enough then it was wrong. It is not until the sixth stage that the square is complete and the task is completed.

I borrowed the image of "mountain climber, only a map without a guide" to lure our spiritual practice. Understand like that, we will not make mistakes. Many times people with complacency have not come to the place but they have finished work. It was the harm that caused his elaborate retreat, so all practitioners must be careful.

By the way, I remind the monks and nuns of the Zen practice. Because there are two cases that often occur: Firstly, those who stay in the Zen monastery for too long are loosing, forgetting their original goal, so they practice in hospitality. Secondly, some of the newcomers had little opportunity to hear us explain well, so they did not master the spirituality of the monastery. So today I remind the old people to remember more, the new ones who understand the spirit of studying at Zen Monastery.

Previously I myself had studied through the schools of Buddhism, had also taught from elementary school, high school to Buddhism graduate school. But why did I not advocate opening catechism classes for Buddhist monks and nuns to understand the religion, but instead advocated establishing a Zen Monastery to practice? That's where I want to tell all the monks and nuns understand.

Because after going to school and teaching myself and teaching others to learn, I clearly see the pros and cons of this. In the Buddhist school, there are three intellectuals: Van, Tu and Tu. Literature and Wisdom are the first two factors, if anyone wants to understand Buddhism must start from there. Literature is listening, listening means learning. So in the world people use the word multidisciplinary, which is broad learning. Literature means learning, but not learning to return lessons, but also meditating. Because the Buddha's teaching is not as simple as worldly subjects, just by memorizing that formula, you can do the math.

Here, learn and have to contemplate to understand. For example Buddha taught us to contemplate impermanence. Saying the law of impermanence everyone understands, but to penetrate it, how should we contemplate? The first is consistent time. One day when we wake up, we see morning and noon, afternoon and evening. Today, the transformation is the same, tomorrow will be the same, time will not stop at any point, so it is impermanent. Just knowing the impermanent time is not enough, must we consider whether the impermanent time affects us?

People are born, grow up, from adolescent to adolescent to middle age, seniors, go on changing, and no one is teenage or middle-aged. As such, humans are also dominated by time. Time is a stream of impermanent changes, we ourselves are a stream of impermanent changes. The same goes for things, like when we plant a tree, when we plant it as a seedling, the time the tree grows and grows, grows and eventually dies. We see all things like that.

Consistently for a thorough review, to see people are living in the impermanence. From the outside to yourself, always changing without stopping. Considering so carefully, we see the Buddha saying the impermanence is very good, very reasonable. Don't just say impermanence is change, without your thinking, you can't fully comprehend impermanence.

When you know the impermanent body, the impermanent scene, what is there to greed? People who are greedy for thinking that what they like are forever, now knowing that it is impermanent, so greedy. Because he saw that truth, his greed naturally decreased, that's already a practice. Or when listening to someone who has just cursed at me a sentence, I immediately get angry, remember this body is also going to die tomorrow, angry? Remember, then less angry. As for me, I dare to swear, it's a conceit, and the anger in my yard grows. So the wisdom is that seeing the truth from one's own contemplation means seeing the truth and cultivating easily.

Practitioners by imagination will not cultivate for long, because imagination is not true. For example, the worldly people see that the teacher seems to be leisurely, back and forth with no strings attached, so thinking in the temple must be happy? Imagine that so please go to the temple. When I went to the temple, I saw that there were many troublesome things, lost my freedom, was not satisfactory, and thought about going out more happily. There, just like that, I kept changing places, jumping in and out of chaos all my life, going nowhere. So when cultivating is to contemplate the truth that Buddha taught. Understand then the new cultivation easy progress.

Impermanence is the simplest, the most specific, to understand until now that we have already cultivated quite well, let alone fully grasp the cause and condition, the non-self, etc., or know how much. So the first step of the practitioner, Buddha taught Van. Literature is listening, studying, then right then Tu. Learning is not enough but to ponder. Should study is to tu rather than to study. So in the Buddha there are countless disciplines depending on the basis of the practice of various beings. Each of the disciplines is a truth that Buddha taught us, seeing that the truth is to have a dharma practice. Impermanence is a method, a predestination is a method, etc. So learning to practice, that is the spirit of Zen Monastery.

Monks and nuns at Zen monasteries did not attend any classes for several years. Study ten years, twenty years to learn to understand, understand to cultivate, not have any qualifications at all. We remember back in the time of the Buddha, there were elementary, secondary, and university? The difference is that the practitioner has not and the only witness. Not known as the organic property, has not been called goods. Therefore, studying a religion but still having a diploma is very sad.

It was the years when I used to take the exam, I was very sad, because it seemed that adults cheated small people. By studying and then taking exams, all five lessons were too many to remember. That competition, the monks and nuns are always afraid of falling. If they fail, they won't be promoted anymore, so they have to try and pass. If you don't belong to the lesson, you have to find a way to do it, what's the way? Is to put documents in a bag, into a bag, copy on the table to shoot. So people learn to cultivate, but now it becomes a conspiracy to cheat, what is the meaning of the practice again! This makes me very hurt. I taught people to cultivate, now I accidentally create conditions for people to cheat, which means all cultivation is over. So the time I teach in schools and classes, I feel very sad. I do not like it. I want to know how to learn the religion, really pure study, not stuck with the name, stuck to such advantages.

Therefore, I established a Zen Monastery and asked monks and nuns to study and go to class. Understand how to render it to the public like that, exchange experience more practice. A few years as well as a few years, go on studying all the time, not to say that this year he has finished high school, will take college entrance exams, etc. If you want to understand the profound teaching, you must understand it. We remember in the Buddhist scriptures that often teach monks to find solitude, sit under a tree to reflect, or to think of the Buddha's teachings. Thanks to that thinking, the teachers deeply understood.

I find some teachers today very sad. After studying, we meet again in the East and the West, thinking nothing, so impermeable, unable to enjoy the true dharma of Buddha. Learning to repay, free to sit and talk to each other, then laugh and joke, do not let any quiet moments to sit and think, never understand the Buddha's teachings. Do not understand how the Buddha taught, so he does not know how to apply the practice. Is it sad to try to ask such a question? Now, in addition to working time, when I have free time, what is the lack of stumps, peach trees, pine trees, breast milk ... There are many seats, some brothers sit alone to recite the Buddha's teachings. Such meditation is called thinking, understanding the truth of the Buddha's teaching, to see it.

In the past, I was at the Buddhist Temple in Quang Quang when I studied the Nghiem Sutra. After studying, I thought that it was too good. Late at night I would wake up before waking them up, sitting alone studying. After reading the passage, I folded the book to meditate on the Buddha's teachings, found it very good. For decades in the world who have never heard such words, only now have I heard them, I am naturally moved to tears. I think if I don't meet the Dharma, I don't know what it is, all my life in vain. As we see people born and raised, worried about schooling, succession of families, having children, raising children. When children grow up, they prepare themselves to die. Where death was still, and the attachment to his wife and children, money should return again. Just like that, the opposite goes up and down forever.

Now we learn the true doctrine, recognizing that in addition to ordinary life, man has a superior ideal that surpasses all others, naturally he sees a transcendent soul. Since then the new sense of the value of the practice is precious, if you do not understand so, tu once found so often too. Then also eat, wear, also laugh, joke, also go out like anyone, ultimately not aware of the value of the practice at all.

So you should have quiet moments to meditate on the dharma. Contemplating seeing new or cultivated applications. As we all have three poisons contained within. Three poisons are greed, hatred and delusion. Someone listened to three poisons, learned to understand three poisons, and taught three poisons. But the lack of monk, so anyone who poked it immediately went crazy. Thus, Van, Tư are only means to step by step two, but good results or not is the third factor Tu.

In the old days of our time, due to the need to spread the Dharma, it was so demanding that monks study and then go to teach right away, without time to practice. I comforted myself then, tried to teach some time to repay the Teacher. Honestly, I was not willing to make a radio, just play as much as I could without getting anywhere.

In the Avatamsaka Sutra there is a very beautiful passage. When Thien Tai and his pupils asked the wise person if he only listened and understood, was that enough? Friendly knowledge explained if someone goes on the desert at noon summer, did not bring water. Then thirsty fire neck, the other wanted to find some water to help thirsty, but did not know where to find? Suddenly in the distance, there was a man walking, he immediately asked: "Sir, where is there a well, there is shade please help me, I'm too thirsty" The other said: "You come to the fork, turn right, go there will be a shade, there will be a well next to that tree. ”The man thirsty and thirsty heard that was so happy, but if he had not gone there would be thirsty? So heard, understand clearly must go to the place, scooping up water to drink, that much thirst away.

Also, if we only learn to be Literature, then understand that from Tu without Tu, we will not go anywhere, because the suffering of afflictions is not over. So there are many professors lecturing sports games, but once in a while was born. Asked why the teacher was so good that he was born? Because of lack of monasticity, as well as thirsty but not yet drinking, it still burns the neck as usual.

Tu is like listening to a shade, with a well, I am going there. While walking is still dry as usual. As long as you reach the destination, enjoy the cool taste of the water before burning out. Understand that, to know the true morality does not allow us to talk without practice, in order to see the value of cultivation.

In the past Buddha was still in the world, many monks became enlightened when he attained enlightenment, because he saw that life was very noble. The practitioner deserves to make a new offering by the people called Application. Because a new practitioner sees the dharma too high, it is not trivial in the cycle of birth and death. And we now cultivate a little weak. When the new mind was strong, at the pagoda, there was a long time of birth, then gradually weakened and rotten mind.

So learning is the first means. He helps us to understand, but deep understanding is due to his elaborate thinking. Next to be a practitioner is also his elaborate, not a teacher can do the following two things. Achieving the truth is you, then practicing to where you come from is also by you. The following two things require each person to try, not a teacher can do.

Thus, the spiritual practice of Zen Monastery is to create conditions for monks and nuns to listen and meditate and to practice is your part. Here I often remind us not only to meditate during meditation, but to chant every hour. Or we sit in a separate place, reflect on the Buddha's teaching, which is called right thinking. Or when sitting in a quiet place, seeing the flow of delusion that arises, I know clearly not to follow it, that is spirituality. Or by meditating, seeing the truth in me, watching all the virtualisation games I laughed, nothing important at all, that is tu.

You remember many people chatting can be difficult to practice. Initially also talk about austerities or learning sutta But talking about something for a while is not always good. So the story in the Western side of China, the joke, the happiest laugh. One group laughed, then the other laughed, then the whole bureaucracy was not quiet. Buddhists come to the temple to hear in the arrogant teachers, are they happy? How do they rate it? Are you cultivating or are you joking?

Buddhists come to the temple to see the free time teachers, each of them sitting under a tree, a serene face smiling. Seeing that the teacher lived with great purity and freedom, people respected you. Don't even sit and fight and talk and laugh, then who can respect you! Not that we cultivate as a general for Buddhists to make offerings, but we must truly live in right thinking, contemplating the truth. That is the true meaning of a cultivator, both for his own sake and for everyone's sake. That is what I want to remind all monks and nuns to remember, the application of spiritual practice has good results for ourselves and for the collective.

During my years at Chan Khong, I was very pleased with the monks' study. First, I create favorable conditions for monks and nuns to study smoothly in all aspects. After three years of study, teachers can afford to be in a quiet three-year retreat. All external worries are taken care of. Practitioners who are too busy with many things are too difficult to practice. When we are free, we only specialize in doing one thing, the level of progress is clearly exceeded. Thus, monks and nuns can have enough faith that not to cultivate alone, not to practice is to progress.

I found myself responsible for being the one to go first, how to guide the people behind to not go around and lead a religious life. If based on the history of Buddhism, when there were monks and nuns practicing enlightenment, it was the time of the Buddha's practice, and not many people were cultivating. For example, at the end of the eighteenth century, there was only Lieu Quan, a Zen Buddhist monk in Vietnam, who is now a gnostic monk. A gnostic person only lasted for two centuries like that.

Therefore, in order to maintain the Buddha Dharma in the long term, there must be cultivators who see the path and enlightenment. As long as monks and nuns only focus on theories or degrees, the dharma will not last long. Therefore, I think that every person who tries to cultivate, in order to get enlightened in the morning, will deserve a religious life for himself, but for the Buddha Dharma, he will maintain for a long time. That is really the qualified monk to repay the four gifts.

So the thing at the monastery is to learn to practice. After studying, the monks and nuns are in retreat, trying to practice to see that what Buddha taught us is true. The result of your study is your firm belief. Monks and nuns firmly believe that if one strives to practice, one day one will see the religion, live and practice as enlightened beings. That is the purpose of saving the true monk.

* The following is a Buddhist who asks:

- Dear Teacher, the fourth item you say here is the ninth item of the ten buffaloes?

- Not.

- Is that the eighth section?

- Not necessarily. Because the eighth item is no longer buffaloes, no more blankets, it is on the side of Hinayana that says, cultivators come here to attain Arahantship, all negativity. But standing on Zen Buddhism said, although no longer no longer buffalo no longer blanket no longer stuck in treatment, but not yet. There are many more elaborate new jump off the pole hundreds hundred staff. At the beginning of a hundred staff, buffaloes and blankets were still on the top of the pole, when he jumped out of the pole he could enter the Buddha Country. It is not uncommon for a jumper to get over that place. So sometimes we make it very easy to make mistakes, going somewhere we think is enough, sitting and relaxing singing and playing, that's not right.

- Dear Master, I have long wondered about the case of monks who follow the Hinayana, saying that Arahant is no longer sad or sad. But in history, he said that Maudgalyayana was already Arahant, and after he met his mother who was suffering from suffering in a ghostly life, he still cried. So you are still sad?

- There are two cases: First, on the side of Hinayana, it is not right, because it is still illegal to be touched. Second, standing on the Mahayana side is not at fault, because Bo-slaps still cry. Bodhisattva seeing beings suffering, I can not help them lamented sometimes crying. There, moreover, Maudgaly-leper saw that his mother was suffering and could not help, he was crying naturally. Therefore, we understand that according to the Theravada view, he is at fault, so the Theravada monks suspected that the Chinese translation of the Tripitaka was incorrect, and did not know the original Sanskrit word? But with the Mahayana spirit, he said that Maudgalyayana, Mr. Xa-profit-waving, just borrowed from the form of Literature, to practice the Bodhisattva conduct. So call out the domestic Van Thanh Bo-slaps. If you understand that, then it's right to say, not to say well.

-Master, the pirate place of A-la-Han with the heartless place in the meditation house is the same?

- It's not the same. Because pirated ends of A-la-Han are they cease all karma, no longer being born in the three realms. The mindlessness of the meditator is that there is no mind that distinguishes samsara, but the true One is immortal. So although there is no mind of birth and death, they still take the vow to go in samsara, practice self-interest and gain fullness.

The two sides are different. On one side, he went to the place to remove all karma and then stay unborn. And on one side, though there is no mind of birth and death, but still the true Body. The mind does not stir anymore, and still a great compassion arises, taking the vow in samsara. Run the great compassion center vow that is still mind, because the new mind can go in samsara, if not like how how beings? So we often hear that the Bodhisattvas or the subtle subtle or, sa sa or to go in samsara, take the beings. END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.19/12/2019.