CHAPTER 10

Bodhisattva.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.

Although the aspiration of bodhichitta alone is very significant, just one virtue alone will not fulfill the purpose of achieving your bodhicitta. It is important to enter into the practice of Bodhisattvas. These actions, called the six perfections, constitute the essential and comprehensive path to enlightenment, which combines means and wisdom. The Buddha himself taught that Bodhisattvas abandon all delusion because of their intellectual strength, but it is because of the power of their compassionate means that they never abandon sentient beings. The two aspects of this path should always be coordinated, never by isolation. The whole practice of the Bodhisattva is classified into six virtues, namely generosity, generosity, patience, diligence,

In order to fulfill the wishes of others, it is very important to engage in the practice of giving, and it is charity that must be strengthened by the observance of moral conduct and the avoidance of harm to others. . The practice of moral conduct itself needs to be perfected by the practice of patience, because we should endure the harms that others cause us. In order to go into such practices, you must have great diligence. Without meditation, your practice will be incompetent. And without the wisdom of realizing the nature of phenomena, you will not be able to properly guide others on the path to the attainment of enlightenment. I will now explain the six perfectionions in more detail.

Generosity (generosity)

Giving is an attitude of willingness to give away your own property, body, virtue, etc. without any stinginess. You give away your own possessions, possessions, and the virtues accumulated through giving these things must also be dedicated to the good of others. The wholesome nature of almsgiving does not depend on the eradication of the poverty of all sentient beings; It is the ultimate development of a generous attitude. The texts talk about the importance of developing a generous sense, especially of giving your body to others. The body itself is full of faults and imperfections, but with this body you can accomplish great goals by using it to help others instead of holding onto it. The same thing applies to your property. If you hold onto your possessions, You will accumulate even more evil deeds by being stingy. But if you give wealth to others, they will serve a purpose while increasing your giving practice. The accumulations of virtue that you accumulate by giving these things to others should be dedicated to their benefit.

It is said that if you practice almsgiving in this way, giving away your possessions, bodies, and virtues, the accumulated merit will be immense. Therefore, do not hold onto your possessions, nor do you work to accumulate more, because possessions will prove to be an obstacle to your giving practice. Buddha gave His property and possessions to the benefit of others and achieved the state of Omniscience. Once you realize the futility of holding onto your possessions, you should strive to increase your sense of almsgiving and apply it in practice by giving your possessions to others. A person who is aware of the futility of holding and giving his possessions with a pure desire to help others, he is called a Bodhisattva. Because you have dedicated your body,

In the practice of giving, a solid and steadfast aspiration to enlightenment must be your motivation. Everything you give must have benefits for others. The practice of almsgiving must be done for the benefit of others and must be done in a very skillful way, that is, with the understanding that in the end no one gives or receives. The practice of almsgiving must be dedicated to the benefit of everyone, but it must also have the quality of transcendental purity, which means that the other five perfection also must be present. For example, when giving Dafa to others, you should have the virtue to refrain from falling into a selfish attitude, and you should also have the patience to endure the hardships throughout the practice of the path. There are three types of almsgiving: dharma giving (dharma giving),

You should practice almsgiving with the intention of wanting to attain Enlightenment for others. When you truly practice almsgiving, your attitude toward almsgiving friends should not be a compassionate one. You should see them as a source of great kindness, contributing to the progress of your Dharma practice. Although you should not discriminate, you must pay special attention to the materially poor and those who are suffering greatly. In short, whenever you practice giving, you should always see and talk about the good qualities of others and never mention their faults. Your attitude should not be influenced by your desire to be rewarded, reputation or hope to receive repayment. And when you have given something, you should never regret giving up that property.

To increase your awareness and your sense of almsgiving, you should start by giving your small possessions. With practice, this will lead to you not having even the most subtle fears or backups of giving your body. Having said that the mood of man always depends on what one is familiar with. For example, when we learn a language, we start at the beginning with the alphabet. At first it seems very difficult. If we were given a complex grammar then it would not be useful. But if we start with the alphabet in a clever way, then eventually even the grammar's trouble seems very easy. In the same way, if we ourselves practice by giving our material possessions, then later, even giving up our own body seems very natural.

You should not neglect giving or waiting for others to do something good. Do not give a gift when you have promised something else, and do not mention your kindness in giving what makes the recipient owe you. When giving, you should do it with joy, with an expression of pleasing to the person. You should also practice almsgiving and encourage others to do so, also to help others develop a sense of almsgiving. Anything that harms others in the short term and brings suffering and unhappiness in the long run is not an appropriate gift. Anything that brings happiness both short-term and long-term is suitable for giving to others. When you practice the doctrine of giving (dharma), you should first analyze the nature of the listener to determine whether they benefit from the teaching you are intending to give. Otherwise, instead of being beneficial to that person, it may eventually be harmful, and your audience may lose faith in France. In addition, do not give items to hunters that they can use to kill animals, nor teach them techniques to hunt animals. In some cases, rejection is more helpful than giving. Bodhisattva should be skillful in such situations.

If you find yourself unable to give up, you should reflect on the futility of material possessions and also realize the impermanence of your own life. Sooner or later you will have to give up these possessions, so instead of dying in the oppression of stinginess, it is better to get rid of stinginess now and give your possessions. Think for yourself: “I have endured the torments of suffering within samsara just because I have not developed the familiarity with my attitude of generosity. From now on I have to change my attitude and develop a sense of almsgiving. " To do this, create in mind all kinds of wonderful possessions and imagine giving them to others.

About virtue

The second perfection is morality. Morality is a mind that refrains from engaging in any situation or event that is harmful to others. The virtue of virtue is attained when you develop extreme conviction about not harming others. Here the virtue is generally classified into ten headings, that is, restraint does not do ten non-virtues. Morality is like a cool rain that extinguishes the flame of greed, anger and delusion in you. You should practice virtue with the intention of not being greedy, not having aversion, and also having right view. The observance of pure conduct must be affected by the fear of the consequences that will be faced if you immerse yourself in the bad deeds, whose negative consequences are explained. Moral observance is like a beautiful jewel suitable for everyone, regardless of height, weight, age and nationality like. Jewelry can look good on one person but not on another, while virtue jewelry looks good on all practitioners regardless of their physical appearance.

With the observance of pure moral conduct you will receive natural respect in the human community. Under the influence of morality you will deal with people in a right and virtuous way, and you will be protected from being immersed in non-virtues. It is said in the Sutras that even the dust of the place where a pure moral person walks through is an object of respect; The virtue of virtue is so great. Your intention to uphold the moral conduct should not be limited by protecting yourself not to do bad deeds but also being an example to others so that they can also be protected from harm. of non-virtuous actions.

Long-suffering

Patience is an attitude of endurance in the face of harm caused by others. There are three types of patience. The first type is not to be annoyed by harms caused by others; the second is to voluntarily receive suffering into itself; and the third is being able to endure the sufferings involved in Dharma practice. It is very important to reflect on the great qualities and benefits of having patience. Those who do not do any practice of patience when they die will be invaded by a strong feeling of regret for the bad deeds they have committed in life, while those who practice patience and endure harm to others Other causes will not have any regrets when dead. The most effective antidote to the attitude of abandoning others is to practice patience. Patience also protects practitioners from the harmful effects caused by anger. It is said that even a moment of anger for a Bodhisattva can destroy the whole gathering of virtue you gain by accumulating more than a thousand lives. So patience protects you from the frustration of being harmed by others, and it also protects you from situations when your anger can destroy all the virtue you have accumulated. It is a piece of jewelry admired by others; It is the armor that protects you from your own anger and against any harm done by others. and it also protects you from situations when your anger can destroy all the virtue you have accumulated. It is a piece of jewelry admired by others; It is the armor that protects you from your own anger and against any harm done by others. and it also protects you from situations when your anger can destroy all the virtue you have accumulated. It is a piece of jewelry admired by others; It is the armor that protects you from your own anger and against any harm done by others.

The immediate consequence of your temper is that you lose your temper, your mind loses consciousness. People around you will be unhappy because anger creates a bad atmosphere around you. Resentment and resentment destroy your judgment, and instead of repaying someone's kindness, you end pitifully with revenge. Although you can enjoy material comfort, if your mind is filled with strong anger and resentment, you will not enjoy even the slightest pleasure because you will be tormented by emotions. profane. Recognizing this, make every effort to practice patience and try to get rid of anger.

When someone harms you, don't get angry and retaliate, but realize that the person has no control over their emotions. They don't do it on purpose but are affected by negative emotions. The main reason people make you angry and hurt you is because they are constantly affected by delusion. Instead of being angry, you should develop kindness and compassion. It is very simple that if they control their emotions, they will not harm you at all, because what they seek is happiness. They will not work for themselves to be lost due to the accumulation of negative karma that comes from harming others. Because they have no control over their emotions, there's no reason to be angry.

You should analyze whether hatred, resentment, and intention to do harm are human in nature. If anger is the essential nature of man, as hot as the nature of fire, then one cannot do anything to overcome it, and there is no problem of retaliation when harmed. On the other hand, if anger is not the essential nature of sentient beings but just a random quality, then there is no reason to be angry and retaliate, because what really causes suffering is air. tools that people use, like a stick or a baton. We should be angry with these devices instead of being angry with him, but actually we don't do that. Just as we are not angry with inanimate objects such as batons, we should try to be calm and not angry at all. Instead, try to find the underlying cause of the harm. You will realize that it is your own actions, the bad deeds you have committed in the past that cause people to harm you. Therefore, if you are going to be angry and retaliate, you should be aware of that for your own delusions and non-virtues. There is no reason you should be angry with others. Only our delights make us face such situations and suffering.

If I get angry and respond to some suffering experiences that I cannot bear, I will accumulate bad deeds that will have far-reaching influence in the future. Instead, I should be grateful to the person who hurt me, because they gave me the opportunity to test my own patience. Instead of being angry and retaliating, we should thank the person who harmed us. When we are beaten, pain is an even consequence of our insults and our own bodies. Without the body, we will not experience physical suffering. Therefore, if we are going to be angry, we should also be angry with our own bodies.

Practicing patience is essential to winning against resentment and jealousy for the success and happiness of others. We should rejoice that instead of our assets to work for all others, some may work for their own welfare. When we see success like that, we should be happy and happy. We must overcome the sense of joy that we experience when we see the downfall of our enemies or opponents, and should not feel resentment or despair about the enemies' success. Our resentment not only harms that person but also causes us to accumulate more non-virtues, it will cause our own self-destruction in the future.

In ordinary life, we often suffer more than happiness. It is vitally important to be able to see all this experience of suffering in the context of further strengthening our Dharma practice. If we have developed patience in the sense of voluntarily accepting our sufferings, then although we may not be able to accept the suffering of others physically, we will not lose our ability to speak. his guess. Even in normal life, two people may suffer from the same illness, but because of their different attitudes and ways of seeing things, one is more painful because they are not equipped with the right attitude. right to face the situation, while the other person can face the situation better and can avoid further suffering and mental torment. We should keep in mind that if the situation cannot be changed then there is no reason to worry about it. If the situation could change, there was no reason to worry; We should only work to change it.

If we do not face suffering, we will not have the desire to attain liberation from samsara. That is a positive aspect of suffering. There is no suffering how can you experience renunciation? In this context, it is important to reflect on the fact that from beginningless time we have experienced the cycle of continuous suffering and torment, never giving up the selfish motives of we, trying to cling to our important self, and to work for our selfish purposes. Now, we should realize the importance of transforming that attitude and working hard for the benefit of others. In the process, if we are confronted with suffering, we will be able to endure it without losing our ability to judge and not be disappointed in such experiences. No experience in the end does not become easy thanks to the familiar routine. Enduring suffering in the course of the path is something we can become accustomed to.

It is of the utmost importance that your decision involves determination, courage and resilience. When the heroes see their own blood in a fight, instead of becoming discouraged and losing their courage, they become more determined; It is such a impetus to fight more intensely. That is the kind of attitude that Bodhisattvas should follow when encountering situations in which they suffer. We should suffer the misery of material conditions in the process of practice. We should endure the troubles caused by others when they insult us or speak against us. We have to endure the sufferings of our own illness and old age. Do not let these things overwhelm you; We must be able to bear them. We must prepare to endure the hardships involved in the process of living an intense life in Dharma practice, dedicating ourselves to the ultimate happiness of all sentient beings. We should never lose the power of our effort and should continue to practice and never resent the situation. On the solid foundation of patience, we can build the enlightenment of our future path.

Diligent

The next perfection is diligence. Effort is the mood of rejoicing in virtues. Diligence is seen as the basis for practices so that we do not fall into the lower realms of samsara. It is considered the front man of all virtues. If you have diligence, all your research and practice will succeed, because you will not feel tired or discouraged. It is said that if you are endowed with perfect effort (diligent effort), free from any discouragement or defect, there will be no effort that you will not succeed. On the contrary, if you are overwhelmed by laziness, you will not make intellectual progress and in any other practice. The lack of diligence brings about not only in this life but also in the long run.

Armor-like diligence can help you endure any kind of suffering or hardship in the process of working for the benefit of others. It protects you from discouragement, depression in the face of hardships. Your armor-like diligence has to the point where if you have to be reborn in hell for countless lifetimes just to fulfill one's wishes, then you'll be ready to do so. To attain the diligence required for the accumulation of virtue, you must first identify the obstacle of diligence which is laziness. There are three types of laziness: laziness due to laziness, which is the desire to keep up the work you have to do; laziness due to inferior inferiority, a sense of inability to do anything; and laziness is attached to non-virtues, or to put great effort in non-virtue. To overcome laziness, You must reflect on the fact that Dharma practice has beneficial results. You must also see the harm and uselessness of being involved in meaningless gossip and so on ... Nonsense gossip, often distraction and being absorbed in the secular lifestyle are the biggest obstacles. for the progress in our practice. To overcome inferiority, you must think about the fact that all Buddhas of the past have attained Enlightenment through the power of diligence. First they are not Buddhas but ordinary beings like us. But because they made great effort in the practice of Dharma, they were able to achieve their final goal. To overcome our lack of conviction, we must realize that in order to attain Buddhahood, we must be willing to make some sacrifice. However, if we realize that we are not ready to carry out such diligence, not ready to give up our possessions, we should realize that sooner or later we will have to give up these possessions. and my body as well. We should give them instead of abandoning them uncontrollably at the time of death when they have no more meaning. Thanks to the power of our giving, at least we can derive a few benefits from wealth. Just like when you are sick, you suffer physical pain when the doctor gives you an injection, so, because the benefit of winning great suffering - is the discomfort of samsara - very necessary have suffered some physical suffering and pain along the way to enlightenment. we should realize that sooner or later we will have to give up these possessions and our bodies too. We should give them instead of abandoning them uncontrollably at the time of death when they have no more meaning. Thanks to the power of our giving, at least we can derive a few benefits from wealth. Just like when you are sick, you suffer physical pain when the doctor gives you an injection, so, because the benefit of winning great suffering - is the discomfort of samsara - very necessary have suffered some physical suffering and pain along the way to enlightenment. we should realize that sooner or later we will have to give up these possessions and our bodies too. We should give them instead of abandoning them uncontrollably at the time of death when they have no more meaning. Thanks to the power of our giving, at least we can derive a few benefits from wealth. Just like when you are sick, you suffer physical pain when the doctor gives you an injection, so, because the benefit of winning great suffering - is the discomfort of samsara - very necessary have suffered some physical suffering and pain along the way to enlightenment. We should give them instead of abandoning them uncontrollably at the time of death when they have no more meaning. Thanks to the power of our giving, at least we can derive a few benefits from wealth. Just like when you are sick, you suffer physical pain when the doctor gives you an injection, so, because the benefit of winning great suffering - is the discomfort of samsara - very necessary have suffered some physical suffering and pain along the way to enlightenment. We should give them instead of abandoning them uncontrollably at the time of death when they have no more meaning. Thanks to the power of our giving, at least we can derive a few benefits from wealth. Just like when you are sick, you suffer physical pain when the doctor gives you an injection, so, because the benefit of winning great suffering - is the discomfort of samsara - very necessary have suffered some physical suffering and pain along the way to enlightenment.

We should not feel discouraged and lose our courage by achieving Enlightenment but we must accumulate vast merit and wisdom for countless lifetimes. Our purpose in striving to achieve this Enlightenment is for the happiness of all sentient beings. Beings are boundless, and their sufferings are infinite. The process of working to free these countless sentient beings from their endless suffering must be a long and arduous process. We must be willing to make some sacrifices in this process. A Bodhisattva is a being, due to his compassion, compassion and compassion for all sentient beings, without even the slightest regret or discouragement when faced with suffering and hardship. No one has ever achieved anything without confidence. Otherwise, If we develop the courage and use the necessary diligence, even if at first it seems complicated and difficult, it will eventually become very simple and easy. When you engage in a job, it is important to first assess the situation, analyze it, and see if you can do it or not. If you find that it is beyond your current abilities or abilities, it is better to withdraw and wait than to do it in progress. But once you've decided to do the job, don't do it halfway; You should do it until you reach your goal. If you find that it is beyond your current abilities or abilities, it is better to withdraw and wait than to do it in progress. But once you've decided to do the job, don't do it halfway; You should do it until you reach your goal. If you find that it is beyond your current abilities or abilities, it is better to withdraw and wait than to do it in progress. But once you've decided to do the job, don't do it halfway; You should do it until you reach your goal.

Having said that for your work to succeed, it's important to have conviction. This conviction does not have any negative implications; It is simply a courageous thing. Your conviction must be such that you are willing to do anything by yourself, not by the participation or help of others. You should think that all other sentient beings, due to the effects of delusion, have no ability or ability to work for themselves. You should have the conviction to feel that you have seen the harm of delusion, that you will not allow yourself to be influenced by them, that you have the ability and ability to work for benefit of others. You should be determined never to let yourself fall into the dominion of delusions but always face and fight them. If you regress, even the slightest harm can destroy you. When a snake is dying, even the crows behave like vultures.

You should also cultivate the capacity to rejoice. Whenever you do these practices, it is very important that they be accompanied by the ability to rejoice. The attitude of joy and joy in your practice should be the same as the joy when children play. This capacity to bring joy and happiness into your Dharma practice wins your contentment with your small achievements. At the same time you should not be indifferent to the ability to relax. When you practice diligently and you feel tired and exhausted, you need to relax to feel refreshed, re-energized and ready to engage. onions. Otherwise, physical exhaustion will cause discouragement. It is said that diligence must be like a river, persistent and continuous.

When practicing diligent energy, do not attempt to fight back against the opposing elements you are trying to overcome, but also protect yourself from committing other non-virtues. For example, when you are concerned with winning ignorance, and you are constantly diligent in identifying ignorance and countering it, you can completely abandon other kinds of delusion, and eventually accumulate evil. other conduct, like greed. When a soldier dropped his sword, he immediately picked it up without hesitation. Similarly, when you practice diligent energy, you should practice mindfulness steadily so as not to fall into the influence of other negative emotions. Mindfulness should be used as a key element to protect you from other delusions in the process of making diligence, because even the smallest negative actions can have serious consequences. When you get hit by a poisoned arrow, the wound may be small, but the poison spreads all over your body and eventually kills you. Every negative mentality has that kind of potential. Some may not seem so serious, but all of these emotions have this kind of potential. Your confidentiality must be similar to that of a person who is forced to put a glass of milk on his head under the threat of death if only one drop of milk is spilled. Naturally he will be careful not to spill milk. Your confidentiality in Dharma practice must be similarly cautious. In every situation it is very important to regret the negative actions you have committed in the past and develop a strong decision not to wallow in them anymore. This will serve as a constant reminder never to lose the ability to be mindful. Like a feather carried by the wind, your body and mind are sustained by the diligence and joy you bring into practicing the Dharma.

Meditation

Meditation is a one-pointed state focused on a virtuous object. Our normal mental state is a distraction. Our ordinary mind is so hard to control and so weak that we cannot comprehend the nature of reality. And the essential thing is to understand the nature of reality if we are about to free anyone, ourselves or others, from the sufferings of samsara. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the mind into an appropriate instrument to observe reality, like a powerful microscope. There is a great need to develop the mind into a weapon that cuts the roots of suffering, like a sharp sword. Meditation is the practice whereby the human's ordinary, distracted, unmanaged mind is developed to the point where it can remain energetic, not try and be single-minded on whatever object one chooses. Bodhicitta is the basis of meditation practice.

Tsong-kha-pa said that our minds were influenced by delusion from beginningless time. The function of meditation is to control your mind so that you can direct it toward whatever virtuous object you choose. So far we have been influenced by our minds, and our minds have been influenced by delusion. Therefore, we have drowned in bad deeds. As a result, we have to suffer undesirable sufferings. To end this vicious cycle of conditions that cause suffering in the cycle of rebirth, we must transform our minds and take control of them. The mind is more like a horse, which must be directed at good deeds than evil deeds. Let us not allow the mind to wander indefinitely. In order for your meditation practice to be effective, You must meditate in a systematic sequence with a degree of control. Otherwise, although you may experience random visualizations at first, it will not be very beneficial as long as it is not properly controlled. You will develop a bad habit of letting the mind wander wherever it wants. When you make real progress, on the contrary, you must be able to focus your mind on a certain point easily without any problems. Until you reach that stage, it is very important to follow a proper continuity, just like you have to lay a true foundation for a house if you are going to build solid walls. You should have a program right from the start, and you soon decide how much meditation you will be doing. Throughout the main meditation, You must be able to use both mindfulness and insight to see if your mind is distracted by other problems. It is said that in the beginning, it is better to do short meditation sessions, because if your class is too long, there is a risk that the mind will fall into the influence of drowsiness or impulse. If you do a two- or three-hour meditation course, even though it is time-consuming, if your mind is not really focused and under the influence of drowsiness or chanting, then your meditation will not be helpful. desired effect. In the beginning, it is also necessary to have short meditation periods so that when you meditate, you will have happiness during that time. On the contrary, if you take a long course and do not enjoy it, then you risk becoming frustrated. When you see your meditation place again, you will feel bored or reluctant. However,

What is the role of sleep in practice? It is important not to sleep during the day or at the beginning or the end of the night. Westerners have a very strange habit. At night they go to bed very late and the morning get up really late. If there's a special reason to do this then it's a different matter, otherwise it's better to go to bed early and wake up early. Sleep is thought to be a factor that can transform the mind. If you have a wholesome thought when you fall asleep, it is said that your whole sleep is transformed into wholesome thought. You must go to bed at a specific number of hours, so before you go to sleep try to cultivate a good thought, such as compassion; then your whole sleep will be healed. The right sleep really helps your body and maintains your physical health, it will help you in your spiritual practice. If you follow Indian customs, you should wash your feet and go to sleep. I don't know if many Tibetan masters follow this practice because it's cold. That said, we should sleep like a lion, lying on our right side. Sleeping in this position is said to have many advantages, for example, your body will not relax excessively; although sleeping you will not lose mindfulness; You won't fall asleep soundly, and not have bad dreams.

When you go to bed, try to imagine a dazzling vision that will prevent you from being dependent on the darkness of ignorance when you sleep. You should also have mindfulness and insight and the desire to wake up early. Keep mindfulness before going to bed, remember the activities of the day or go into your meditation with your mind. If you succeed in doing so, even when you sleep you will not lose control. Your sleep will not only be good, it may also have good thoughts. When you wake up, your mind will be awake, but because the sense senses have not regained their power, sometimes you may have a very lucid mind. If you can use it for analytical practice, then it is very powerful. So you should intend to wake up at a certain time and sleep gently, like sleeping animals. Thanks to the power of that will, You will be able to wake up as you intended. Tsong-kha-pa said that if you can use your eating and sleeping activities properly, you can turn them in a good direction and a lot of bad deeds will be prevented.

Tsong-kha-pa said that it is very necessary to realize that there are two types of meditation, namely strengthening meditation and analytical meditation, and skillfully applying the analytical power of The mind is very important. For example, to make silver and gold items, goldsmiths, silversmiths first burn, clean, clean it, and do all sorts of jobs so they can use it to make real jewelry. any shape. Similarly, in order to overcome the main and secondary delusions, it is necessary first to reflect on the imperfections and destructive nature of the delusions and how they cause negative actions. - as a consequence of this action, how one is reeling from the cycle of rebirth. All of this must be understood through the application of the analytical power of the mind, and only then can one hope to achieve the commitment to engage in the practice of the path. All of these analytical processes are like preparing to prepare the mind to benefit from the powerful breakthrough of meditation. Once you've laid the right foundations and enriched your mind through such analytical processes, you can practice any meditation, whether it involves meditation or contemplation. .

When we practice meditation, we should have a purpose; We need to be diligent. That diligence is developed by seeing a purpose, and the purpose of our meditation must be understood. The more you understand the purpose, the more you will stick with meditation. Tsong-kha-pa said that whether all the sūtras become their own teachings depend very much on whether you can recognize or not the necessity and importance of analytical meditation and tranquility. it is sad that not only those who do not study properly, but even those who have had a vast study, when they actually go into rigorous practice, they reject all the studies of yourself and content with the mere thoughtfulness. That is sad. If you do not try to develop the analytical power of the mind but still persistently persist in tranquility meditation, just remain mindless, you will become increasingly less intelligent, and discerned wisdom. between right and wrong will decline. This is very dangerous.

Wisdom

The intellect analyzes the nature of phenomena. There are many different types of intellect, such as the five disciplines: the inner world of religion and the four foreign states of logic, medicine, grammar, and the arts. Here I refer to civilization. This form of wisdom is the basis of all good qualities. Without the guidance of wisdom, all other perfections, such as alms and virtue, will be like a group of people without a leader. The practice of other perfections without the power of wisdom will not lead to the desired goal, that is, to the attainment of enlightenment. Compared to other abilities such as faith, mindfulness, diligence and so on, wisdom is thought to be even more important because of the power of wisdom alone, when supplemented by other abilities, the person One can truly defeat the power of delusion.

The power of the intellect is the same as the power of a powerful king. When he is helped by clever and clever ministers, he will not do anything wrong. Similarly, seemingly contradictory situations, such as having very strong compassion and still not being contaminated by attachment and desire, are due to the influence of wisdom. With wisdom, although you develop strong compassion for others, you will never have desire and attachment to them. If you have intellectual capacity, you will not fall into an extreme philosophical view of eternity or nothingness.

The hindrance of intelligence is ignorance, and the cause of growth and development of ignorance is the constant immersion in useless activities, such as laziness and excessive sleep. Ignorance also arises from the absence of joy or pleasure in the power of wisdom. The way to overcome this ignorance is to increase your understanding through research. For those who understand the benefits of Dharma practice, it is important to realize that the wisdom that discerns the nature of phenomena is the essential cause for achieving Enlightenment. If one is only concerned with doctrine and does not practice, there is no need to gain a broad understanding; but instead of teaching that knowledge, it would be more beneficial if such people keep quiet. For a serious practitioner, both research and meditation are very important. The progress you have made in practice should correspond to the increase in your understanding of the Dharma. When there has been a precious human life endowed with this sophisticated mind, we must use its special qualities and apply the only power we have been endowed with, that is the capacity to discern. between right and wrong. This is done thanks to our cognitive growth. The more you grow your understanding, the better your perception will become. When you work for intellectual attainment, it is very important never to isolate your intellectual practice from other perfections. We can draw inspiration from the Buddha's own example. First, He experienced intense austerities and endured great hardships in the process of the path. Finally, under the Bodhi tree, He achieved enlightenment and taught others what he himself had realized. Although it may be difficult for us at the beginning to dive into the practice of the six perfections, first of all, it is important to develop admiration for the six virtues and to increase our awareness of them. Ultimately, this will lead us to true practice, so that we can find release from the hardships of samsara and enjoy the bliss of omniscience.

SPIRITUALITY FOR A WORLD 
BETTER

Balancing physical progress with inner development 
to achieve true success

When the New Year comes, our world requires us to accept the unity of humanity. In the past, isolated communities may have been eligible to think of themselves as something standalone. Some communities exist in complete isolation. But today, anything that happens in one land ends up affecting many other areas. Within the scope of this new interdependence, self-reliance obviously lies in taking care of the interests of others.

Many of the world's problems and conflicts arise because we lose sight that humanity is what binds us together as a family. We forget that despite the diversity of breeds, religions, and ideologies, people share a basic desire for peace and happiness. However, these things will not be accomplished by saying or thinking about them, nor by waiting for someone else to act. In our field of action, each of us must assume responsibility in the best capacity we can in using our unparalleled wisdom to strive to understand ourselves and our world.

I believe that the purpose of life is to live happily. From the bottom of our being, we desire happiness. In my own experience, I realized that the more one cares about the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of happiness. Cultivating a warm affection towards others will naturally make the mind comfortable. It clears out fears or insecurities and gives us the power to cope with obstacles. Because we are not just materialistic creatures, it is wrong to place all our hopes of happiness in external development. The secret is to develop inner peace.

We need to engage in the hard work of developing compassion and compassion in ourselves. By nature, compassion is peaceful and gentle, but it is also very powerful. Some may dismiss it as something unrealistic and unrealistic, but I believe that the practice of compassion is the true cause of success - a sign of inner strength. To attain compassion, we do not need to become religious or ideological. We just need to develop our basic personality.

Today, believers of many faiths sacrifice their own happiness in serving others. Different religious traditions clearly have this same attachment as well as a world-class sense of responsibility. I firmly believe that this altruism is the most important purpose of the whole religious practice. Humans have different temperaments and interests, and religious traditions that focus on different philosophies and practices are inevitable. Because our core is to achieve individual and collective interests, it is essential that we maintain harmony and respect between them. This will not only benefit believers of our own faith but also create a peaceful atmosphere in society.

In today's world, there is not much interest in human values. Money and power dominated strongly. If society loses its values ​​of righteousness, compassion, and honesty, we will face even greater difficulties. Some may argue that such ethics are not really needed in commerce or politics. I completely disagree. The quality of our actions depends on our motivation. From my Buddhist point of view, everything comes from the mind. The secret is a truly profound understanding of humanity of compassion and compassion. Once we develop a good, altruistic heart - whether in science, agriculture or politics - the results will be even more beneficial.

With the right motive, these activities can help humankind; without it, activities would go in a different direction. This is why compassion is so important to humanity. Although it is not easy to bring about the internal transformation that generates compassion, absolutely, it is worth the effort.

We strive to improve our standards of living, which is natural, but not at any cost. The more we pursue material gain and improvement without knowing that satisfaction comes from inner development, the values ​​will disappear from our community. When righteousness and honesty have no place in each person's heart, weakness is the first thing to suffer. The result is that resentment leads to unhappiness for everyone. We must balance material progress with a sense of responsibility as a result of education and inner development.

We can face obstacles when pursuing our goals. If we remain passive, without any effort to solve problems, no better transformation can be achieved. Turning obstacles into opportunities for positive development is a challenge to our honesty. It requires patience, compassion, and the use of our intelligence. Not knowing such opportunities is a waste of our human energy. It is extremely important to realize that the greater the crisis, the greater the need for patience. Above all, we must not lose our determination.

This is a century damaged by conflict and war. Let us now take steps to ensure that the coming century will be characterized by nonviolence and dialogue, which are prerequisites of peaceful symbiosis. There will be differences and contradictions in any society, but we must develop the faith that dialogue and friendship are a valuable option for violence. What we all need when approaching this new millennium is an enhanced sense of global responsibility. END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.26/5/2020.