how to let go of something without occupying myself with other
things?
it seems hard cuz i dont know the other mode of thoughts when i
keep thinking of the bad things constantly...sigh
The other mode is not of thought, it is no-thought, no-mind, no
attachment. Just drop everything and maintain a spacious,
thoughtless awareness. You can read http://www.jenchen.org.sg/cultivat.htm
The correct concept of cultivation
What is cultivation? Where
do we practise cultivation? Let me tell you a story: More than
twenty years ago, I took four years to cultivate as I travelled
across the country. Step by step, I covered Taiwan by walking. Once
when I was in Hua-Lian, an elderly Buddhist asked me, "Master! A
monk should reside in the temple to meditate, pray and chant
sutras, but when you travel about what are you cultivating? I
replied, "That’s right! I am cultivating. Sakyamuni Buddha teaches
us to cultivate our conduct. He does not encourage us to cultivate
sitting down! In the past few years I had been practising sitting
meditation, now I wish to travel about. While walking and also
amidst all my other activities, I do not commit evil deeds, I chant
the names of the Buddhas, I praise and commend others, I tell
people about the Dharma, I avoid the places of vice, this is the
way I cultivate."
Thus, to cultivate means
cultivating in the midst of our activities. This is a point that
many people do not understand. They think that cultivation will
result in a society that is pessimistic and low-spirited. This is a
mistake. Jen Chen Buddhism advocates cultivating in the midst of
our daily activities. Many retired old folks have no need to attend
to household chores anymore, thus they can afford to spend their
time to chant the names of the Buddhas and to cultivate in the
midst of their leisure. However, there are many housewives who need
to tend to their children, household chores and many other matters.
How do you expect them to cultivate in their leisure? Thus, the
need to cultivate in the midst of their activities; while cooking
they could chant the names of the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas. No
matter what activities they are engaged in, it is always possible
to cultivate. Instead of gossipping about our neighbours and
friends or engaging in other frivolous talks, why not refrain from
all these. This is cultivation. Therefore, only when we cultivate
in the midst of our activities do we understand the meaning of
cultivation. To cultivate in our leisure may cause others a lot of
frustrations. For example, a husband may be upset because his wife
neglects the household by spending too much time chanting or
running from temple to temple. For her to introduce Buddhism to her
husband, thus, would not be an easy task. If she understands the
principle of cultivating in the midst of her activities, it would
be acceptable to the husband. Should he be invited to places of
vice, he would know how to turn them down because his wife is a
diligent cultivator. Both husband and wife are then cultivating at
the same time.
There will be progress in
our society when we understand the principle of cultivation.
Otherwise, society will backslide. Over the last few decades, I
have come to realize that we need to cultivate wherever we are.
When we possess the correct concept of cultivation, any time is an
appropriate time for cultivation, any place can be the place for us
to seek enlightenment. If each and everyone of us conduct ourselves
in this way, then the world will become a pure land. If we think
that we can only cultivate in the temples, or that we cannot
cultivate when we are working, then it is very possible that we
commit evils deeds without even knowing. When we are with Buddha
every moment, and cultivate constantly, then we are truly
practitioners of Buddhism.
As to when in the
cultivation process does one awaken and what it is like to be
awakened, only when you follow the guidance of the Dharma and put
it into practice, will you know you have awakened: when you drink
the water, only you know how warm or cold it
is.
Cultivating
amid our activities
It is common to see people
working and singing at the same time; machinists talking while
working the machines; housewives working on their chores and
exhorting their children at the same time; others work with their
minds preoccupied with all sorts of other problems not related to
their work. In short, they may be occupied physically, but
mentally, their minds are not free or empty. As such, does learning
and practising Buddhism really pose a problem to our heavy
schedules? This is definitely not so. A verse from the "Seven
Buddhas" reads: "Avoid all evils; do all that are good; purify
one’s mind. These are the teachings of all
Buddhas".
A commuter, when
travelling in a train for example, may emulate the mental purity of
the Buddha, and listen to the rumbling of the wheels and at the
same time rythmically chant the name of the Buddha or Bodhisattva
so that the mind does not wander. Naturally the mind will become
pure and calm. Learning Buddhism means emulating the mental purity
of the Buddha. Buddha is one who has already attained perfect
enlightenment, sublime wisdom and blessings. On the other hand the
commoner has lesser blessings and wisdom. Still, he would have made
tremendous advancements if he merely practises Buddhism amid his
daily activities to the extent that he attains purity in his bodily
actions, speech and thoughts.
Thus, no matter what we
do, where we are or how busy we may be, we can still practise
Buddhism. As long as we put this into practise, our wisdom will
develop and our blessings will gradually grow. For this reason, Jen
Chen Buddhism advocates practising amid the activities of our daily
lives; practising without attaching to the notion of practice;
maintaining awareness without attaching to the notion of awareness;
and attaining without attaching to the notion of attainment. When
we understand this principle and have no more confusions, we can be
considered great practitioners of Buddhism.
Non-origination
and non-cessation
Our
each and every action is manifested physically, but these physical
actions are initiated by our mind. Hence, "Cultivating our moral
conduct is better than cultivating our actions. Cultivating our
mind is better than cultivating our moral conduct. Maintaining
non-origination of the mind is better than cultivating it."
Cultivation means examining our conduct and eradicating conduct
which are undesirable, for example, those that inflict suffering on
ourselves or on others. When our conduct is moral and ethical, then
our actions are naturally beneficial to ourselves and others. Thus,
cultivating our moral conduct is better than cultivating our
actions. Unethical or immoral actions, originate from an impure
mind. Once these undesirable actions arecommitted, it is too late
for cultivation. Thus, it is better to cultivate the mind. To
cultivate the mind after the arising of impure thoughts is also too
late. Thus, cultivating the mind is still not the ultimate, it is
better to spontaneously cease the arising of such thoughts all
together. Since there is no arising, then there is no cessation.
The verse "Non-origination and non-cessation" as described in the
Heart Sutra is really a simple matter!
Now,
I neither raise nor put my hand down. When the mind does not give
birth, there is no death. This is no-birth and no-death, or
non-origination and non-cessation. The Buddhas exist in this world
for the sake of liberating sentient beings from this process of
birth and death. In this way we all know that non-origination and
non-cessation refers to our mind and hence maintaining the mind as
such is the proper way to cultivate.
We
should begin to cultivate from here. From cultivation, we acquire
liberation, unfold our wisdom and widely follow the practices of
all Bodhisattvas through aeons of countless births. In this way, we
keep alive our hope of attaining the Supreme Enlightenment or
Buddhahood. This is indeed so simple! Yet, so simple that you may
not know, you may not believe and you doubt if you can actually do
it. Whatever we are doing, be it walking, standing, sitting or
sleeping, we only need to cultivate in this manner and maintain an
unmoving keenness of our awareness. You may think that this is so
simple and feel that you know all these very well. But, human
beings are indeed intelligent and it is not easy for others to fool
them. Yet, in a whole life time they are constantly deceived by
themselves without ever knowing.
In
this world we speak of "nip in the bud" to eradicate a problem.
Thus, to catch a thief, arrest his leader. In Buddhism, to
cultivate our actions, first cultivate our mind. When we have our
mind in control, we follow up by keeping it still. We know that
"our mind is not moving", see that "our mind is not moving". The
"know" and "see" mentioned here refer to our awareness. It is in
this way that we maintain our awareness. I hope we all will
practise and cultivate following this method.
I
have described the essence of the Dharma using simplest words, and
when we practise as such we are with Buddha. At every moment,
irrespective of our activities, be with Buddha. Jen Chen Buddhism
advocates cultivating and being with Buddha amid all our
activities, including walking, standing, sitting and
sleeping.
Observe the
mind to purify it
If
we all purify our minds, then the world becomes a heaven. Everybody
is very happy and there is no suffering. In learning and practising
Buddhism, the most important thing is to purify our minds. When we
can purify our minds, then naturally there will be happiness in our
world.
To
do that we have to observe the non-arising of the mind. This is
called ‘contemplation of the mind’. When the mind is polluted, then
we cleanse it with the dew of the Buddha. And when our minds have
been purified, then they are the same as those of the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas. In this way, we will progress very quickly in our
cultivation.
Observing
the mind is very simple. It is like watching out for the mouse.
Everybody dislike mice because they steal our food or they damage
our clothings. An idiom describes this sentiment with the phrase,
‘When the mouse crosses the street everybody goes after it.’
Obviously mice are not welcomed and they have to be dealt with. One
method of dealing with it, is the cat. At the sight of a mouse, the
cat puts his paws firmly on the ground and fixes its steely eyes on
the mouse. On seeing the cat, the mouse trembles with fear, not
daring to make even the slightest movement. Treat your mind as if
it were a mouse and your awareness as the cat. At every moment
observe your mind, in the same way as the cat watching the mouse.
The mouse wants to live and hardly has time to think of its own
safety, let alone of stealing food. If we can observe our minds,
then we will hardly have time enough to treasure our wisdom life,
let alone think of committing evil deeds.
Therefore
when we are learning and practising Buddhism, we need to learn to
"contemplate the mind". In this way, we will very quickly be able
to avoid all evils and do all that are good.
"Avoid
all evils; do all that are good; purify one’s mind. These are the
teachings of all Buddhas". Besides avoiding all evils and doing all
that are good, we need to purify our thoughts. When our thoughts
have been purified, then the mind is pure. The purpose of learning
and practising Buddhism is to purify the human mind. If the minds
of everyone in the family is pure, then our home is pure; if the
minds of everyone in this society is pure, then our society is
pure; if the minds of everyone in the country is pure, then our
land is pure; if the entire human race in the world is pure, then
our world is as happy as the Western Pure Land.
Our
mind is like the stealthy mouse, ever watchful of a chance to creep
out to commit evil deeds, and we are not even aware of that. I hope
all of us will keep a cat to watch our minds, so that we can become
Buddha quickly.
When the
thoughts are pure all Karma are pure
Bodhisattva
Path is Enlightenment Path
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