Friendship, fellowship, and all influences are bore moment
by moment as a rung on an endless ladder, as each step we take in
life is built on what has gone before. Relationships built upon the
foundations of deception only serve the ephemeral qualities of
wantonness, which are no more sustainable than a wandering puff of
breathe. As deception germinates the imposter of ego, not out of
dignity but the compassion for all, truth becomes you.
AtlasWept made a good point.
What is a 'man'? What is a 'woman'? A temporary combination of
bones, blood and all sorts of impurity. This life you are a 'man'
(or 'woman'), when you turned into bones and ashes, who are
'you'?
From the diamond sutra...
"...no mark of self,
no mark of others,
no mark of sentient beings,
and no mark of a life span..."
Let go of the notion of self and others. Then there will be no one
to around to piss you off, and no one to be piss off.
Something extra...
An interesting extract from one of Venerable Master Hsuan
Hua's talks...
A cultivator should not have the mark of self, the mark of others,
the mark of living beings, or the mark of a life span. Not having
the mark of self doesn’t mean that when it’s time to work, you make
everyone else work. Not having the mark of others doesn’t mean when
it’s time to eat, you say, "I have no mark of others, so it’s no
problem if I eat more." You may not have the mark of others, but
other people do have the mark of others. Or perhaps when you are
fighting, you claim to have no mark of living beings, or when you
eat meat, you say you have no mark of a life span. That’s wrong.
Those are all improper ways of thinking. What’s the right
way?
Have no mark of self: Don’t be arrogant, and don’t scheme for your
own benefit.
Have no mark of others: Don’t impede or obstruct other people. If
something does not benefit others, don’t do it.
Have no mark of living beings: Regard all creatures as being of
the same substance. Everyone has the right to live.
Have no mark of a life span: Don’t take the lives of other
people or other beings.
So in cultivation, we should never seek anything for ourselves or
scheme for our own benefit. We should always try to think on behalf
of others.
