Chapter 12 – On the
Foul Body
1. We are not born with material wealth, nor can we, or
mega-millionairs for that matter,bring our assets along when we die. The only
thing that will follow us through all lives is our own karma. So why waste
valuable time pursuing material wealth? We should grasp the little time we have
in human existence and start practicing as early as possible.
2. Relinquish all attachments to this foul body! The most
important goal for practice is to liberate our minds, not to tend to the
desires of our physical body and let it control our lives. Also, remember not
to cling to the idea of attainment during practice. Whatever can be attained
will vanish eventually, hence is not genuinely unmovable, as is our intrinsic
nature.
3. Our body, just like a house, will eventually decay; however
hard we try to mend it, it can never be free of problems. Let go of excessive
concern about this body, do not be too fastidious about it; after all, it is
only a phantasm. What we should do is to make the best use of this
"illusive" body for "real" practice.
4. This foul body is just a temporary residence for us.
Unfortunately, we all become strongly attached to it, and our greediness that arises due to
our incessant pursuits to satisfy its cravings has in turn created immeasurable
negative karma for us.
5. Diseases are inevitable with this illusory body of ours, but
they are not as perilous as the ailments of delusion, greed, anger, and
ignorance. The latter will keep us in the cycle of rebirths if we do not find a
cure. The most effective prescription is reciting "Amitabha Buddha,"
and retaining right mindfulness at our deathbed is crucial. At that critical
moment, if we can recite "Amitabha Buddha" distinctly and steadily,
by the mercy of the Buddha we will be able to transcend the six divisions of
rebirth. Otherwise, with our consciousness inverted, where will we end up after
we die?
6. Very few people can enjoy blessed rewards throughout their
lives. The extent of rewards you can enjoy is proportional to the degree of hardships
you endure.
7. Master Hsu Yun used to live a very simple life. He wore
clothes with multi-layered
patches and could not even count on food for the next meal. But
such hardships did not deter him from diligent practice. He has only one goal
in mind: to be liberated from the cycle of birth and death.
8. If we wreck anything because of our carelessness, we are at
fault and have to take the consequences.
9. Be careful on what you do for nothing is beyond the law of
karma; even things as trivial as throwing away edible food or letting it spoil will
have their consequences. Nobody can take the consequences for what you do, and there is
no escape from the law of karma. "What you eat feed yourself only.
Similarly, the matter of your own birth and death can only be taken care of by
yourself."
10. Handle with care those papers printed or written with words.
It would be better to burn them (than throw them into the garbage dump). This is also
a virtue.
11. Practice relinquishing the attachments of your sense organs
to the six gunas (sense objects).
Otherwise, the thing you crave for will appear at your deathbed to distract
you. If it prevails and your mind is inverted, you will remain in the cycle of
rebirths. Practice relinquishing all your discriminations between self and
others and your judgements of right or wrong. Then, when you are breathing your
last, this practice will help you transcend your karmic obstructions and the
cycle of birth and death.
12. Do not mistake this physical form of ours as the real
"self." It is nothing but a temporary and illusive outer case bearing our karma. The real
"self" is our "tathata," or buddha-nature immanent within
our minds, which can neither be born nor be destroyed (i.e. permanent,
transcending birth and death). Therefore, we should, through diligent practice,
retrieve this intrinsic nature and confront everything with our buddha-mind.
13. Monastic practitioners should concentrate on practice;
nothing else should distract their attention. Lay people who do not realize the
need for practice are living in inverted dreams, their fettered mind bugged by
incessant vexations. They dream not only in their sleep but also while they are
awake. Time passes as they watch their lives slip by, like watching a movie. To
them, life is nothing but a longer dream.
14. It is not easy or just by coincidence that we acquire this
human existence. Seize this opportunity and practice diligently so as to
eradicate our sense of greed and free ourselves from the agony of birth, aging, disease, and death,
hence the cycle of rebirths. With this human existence, we can either practice
to attain buddhahood or bodhisattvahood, or generate negative karma that would lead to
rebirth in the three evil divisions (beasts, hungry ghosts, and hell). Whether
we will ascend or descend within the ten dharma realms depends on our conduct
in this human rebirth. Therefore, human existence is a crucial turning point
that should not be taken lightly, nor be wasted in vain.
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