Venerable Ananda asked the Buddha: How can sentient beings in the last kalpa cultivate right concentration and not regress from Bodhi? The Buddha replied: To control the mind is to observe the precepts. From the precepts comes concentration. From concentration comes wisdom. Specifically, there are about four points:
1. Eliminate lust. If a person cannot eliminate lust and hope to obtain spiritual liberation, it is impossible. The Buddha used an analogy to say: This is like cooking using a steam pot, and there is a pot of sand and stones in the pot. No matter how long it takes, it is just hot sand and stones, not rice.
2. Eliminate killing. If a person cannot eliminate killing and hope to obtain spiritual liberation, it is impossible. The Buddha used an analogy to say: This is like a person who plugs his ears and shouts loudly, but hopes that others cannot hear. Moreover, the Buddha said: People who have generated Bodhicitta cannot bear to trample on living grass when walking.
3. Eliminate stealing. If a person cannot eliminate stealing and hope to obtain spiritual liberation, it is impossible. The Buddha used an analogy to say: This is like a person pouring water into a leaking container. No matter how much water he pours, it is in vain.
4. Cut off lying. If a person cannot cut off lying, it is impossible to hope for spiritual liberation. The Buddha used an analogy to say: It is like using human feces to carve an object. It is impossible to expect the carved object to emit the smell of sandalwood. The Buddha also said: A person's mind should be as straight as a string of a harp. A straight mind can enter into right concentration.
To control the mind is to observe the precepts. From the precepts comes concentration. From concentration comes wisdom.
The moonlight in front of the window looks like frost on the ground. What you are facing is actually the pure land of awakening wisdom. Don't regard it as trouble in the world.
Don’t see, hear, and perceive the environment around you. Instead, turn your mind around and use it to feel your own nature. Understand that your nature is the Dharma.
One day, when the Buddha was preaching to the public at the Jetavana Grove in the Kingdom of Savatthi, an old man also came to the scene. This old man was already 200 years old. He had delicate features, ears that were larger than his head, neat and white teeth, and hands that were longer than his knees. Judging from his appearance, he was also a very blessed person. However, he was extremely poor, with no clothes to cover his body and no food to fill his stomach. He walked very slowly, with a weak breath, and came here with the help of a cane, asking to see the Buddha. However, the Brahma guarding the door did not let him in because of his appearance. The old man had no choice but to stand at the door and sigh loudly: "I was born unhappy, very poor, hungry and cold. But I can't die, and I have no one to rely on when I am alive. I heard that the Buddha is very kind and his kindness is bestowed on all living beings. I was very happy to hear this news. I have been wishing to see the Buddha day and night for ten years. Today I finally have the opportunity to see the Buddha. I came from a long way away, hoping to see the Buddha and escape from suffering. You blocked me from the door, which violated my wish and the Buddha's principles." At this time, the Buddha had already known the old man's arrival. The Buddha said to Venerable Ananda: "Ananda, have you ever seen a very old and blessed person who suffers?" Ananda replied: "How can there be a person who is old and blessed but suffers?" The Buddha said: "There is such an old man at the door, you can bring him in." Then Venerable Ananda came to the door and greeted the old man. So the old man crawled on the ground, moved forward on his elbows, came to the Buddha, raised his head, and cried with joy. After paying respect to the Buddha, he said, "I was born unhappy, very poor, starving and cold, but I could not die and had no one to rely on when I was alive. I heard long ago that your kindness benefits all living beings, so I wanted to see you. Ten years later, I finally came to your door today. But I couldn't get in, so I wanted to leave just now, but I didn't have the strength. When I was at a loss, I thought that if I died at your door, I would defile your holy place and increase my sins. I was in a dilemma, but you let me in. Now, even if I die, I have no regrets. I just want to die as soon as possible and pay for my sins in the next life. Before I die, I would like to ask you to give me some wisdom."
The Buddha said, "A person's birth and the cause and condition of life and death are all due to the retribution of what he did in the past. In your previous life, you were born in the family of a king of a powerful country. You were a prince at that time. Your parents loved you very much, but you developed an arrogant attitude. You have no compassion for the people and you arbitrarily despise and insult the public. There was once a poor monk named Jingzhi. Jingzhi came to your country from a faraway place and begged you for a monk's robe. Not only did you not give him alms, you also refused to let him leave. In this way, Jingzhi was trapped by you for seven days without water or food. At that time, Jingzhi was already dying. One of your ministers persuaded you, and you drove Jingzhi out of your country. However, when Jingzhi was ten miles away from your border, he met bandits. The bandits were very hungry and wanted to kill Jingzhi for meat. When Jingzhi was in danger, you felt guilty and , you rode a horse to chase Jingzhi, you encountered the bandits and saved Jingzhi's life. Jingzhi at that time is now Maitreya Bodhisattva. The prince at that time is now you. You suffered from poverty in this life because you were stingy and unwilling to give alms. The reason why you lived a long life of 200 years in this life is because you saved the life of the monk Jingzhi. Therefore, the retribution of a person's sins and blessings is like a shadow following the body. "
After hearing this, the old man asked the Buddha to accept his confession and hoped to become a monk and serve the Buddha. The Buddha used his supernatural powers to make the old man strong and full of strength, and his ears and eyes were sharp. He also said to the old man: "You were a prince, but you did not practice good deeds, so your blessings cannot be kept forever. You suffered in this life, and seeing the Buddha freed you from the sins of your previous life, just like a seriously ill person suddenly recovering. You must never be stingy again and practice good deeds."
The Buddha said to Ananda: "Those who read this story will see the thousand Buddhas of the Kalpa of Virtue. Those who spread this story to future generations will receive the prediction of Maitreya Buddha when Maitreya Bodhisattva becomes a Buddha."
-"The Sutra of the Poor Old Man. The Suffering of the Poor Old Man"
If there is a self, then we are clinging to the view of permanence, which is inconsistent with the knowledge that all dharmas have no self. If there is no self, then we are clinging to the view of annihilation. The Tathagata transcends the scope of thinking of both the view of permanence and the view of annihilation, and speaks from a true and unbiased standpoint: All dharmas will decay and change, so they are impermanent; decay and change have a continuity between the past and the present, so they are continuous, and everything is in the state of impermanence and continuous. All arising and existence have their causes and conditions. If the causes and conditions no longer exist, they will decay and disappear. Therefore, due to ignorance, there are actions, due to actions, there is consciousness, due to consciousness, there is name and form, due to name and form, there are the six sense organs, due to the six sense organs, there is contact, due to contact, there is feeling, due to feeling, there is craving, due to craving, there is attachment, due to attachment, there is existence, due to existence, there is birth, and due to birth, there is sorrow, grief, suffering, and the accumulation of pure great suffering. On the contrary, the extinction of the result also has its cause: when ignorance is completely extinguished, the mental formations are extinguished; when the mental formations are extinguished, the consciousness is extinguished; when the consciousness is extinguished, the name and form are extinguished; when the name and form are extinguished, the six sense organs are extinguished; when the six sense organs are extinguished, contact is extinguished; when contact is extinguished, feeling is extinguished; when feeling is extinguished, craving is extinguished; when craving is extinguished, attachment is extinguished; when attachment is extinguished, existence is extinguished; when existence is extinguished, birth is extinguished; when birth is extinguished, all sorrow, grief, suffering, and the accumulation of pure great suffering are extinguished. —-Taken from the 961st Sutta of the Saṃyukta Āgama
A tree grows towards the east from the time it is a seedling. As it continues to grow, it still grows towards the east. If someone cuts down the tree in the future, it will still fall towards the east.
If someone throws a bottle of ghee into a deep pool, the bottle will of course sink to the bottom of the water, but the ghee in the bottle will eventually float to the surface.
If a person recites the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha for a long time, even if his body is cremated or abandoned in a cemetery after death, left to be eaten by crows, eagles, wild dogs, and coyotes, and exposed to the wind, sun, and rain, over time, his body will turn into dust, but the long-term influence of the mind sutra, the solid faith, precepts, hearing and thinking, charity, and wisdom established will lead the mind to sublimate and move towards a peaceful and beautiful place. ——Saṃyukta Āgama 930
The eight difficulties refer to the eight obstacles to seeing and hearing the Dharma.
According to the "Ekottara Agama. Volume 36. Eight Difficulties", the eight difficulties are:
Hell: The sentient beings fall into hell due to their evil karma, and suffer endlessly in the dark night, unable to see the Buddha and hear the Dharma. This is the most painful of the six realms of reincarnation.
Hungry ghosts: The sentient beings in the hungry ghost realm are hungry and thirsty all day long, and have no time to seek the Dharma.
Animals: Although these sentient beings suffer less than the previous two, they still have to face many disasters. It is really impossible to practice. Animals are afraid all day long and cannot hear the Dharma.
The lifespan of the heaven of longevity is about 500 kalpas, which is the heaven of nothingness in the fourth meditation of the realm of form. Most of the outsiders who practice are born there, but they are hindered from seeing the Buddha and hearing the Dharma. Many outsiders practice until they have no thoughts and enter into meditation, thinking that they are liberated. The sentient beings who practice the state of meditation are mostly born in this heaven in the future. They are in the state of meditation without any thoughts all day long. There are obstacles that prevent them from practicing Buddhism.
Borderland: People born in borderland cannot see the Buddha and hear the Dharma. The people there do not hear the teachings and do not practice the holy path.
Blind, deaf, dumb, and mute: Although these people are born in places where Buddhism is flourishing, they have heavy karma, are blind, deaf, dumb, and lack all the faculties. Although they are in the Buddha's time, they cannot see the Buddha and hear the Dharma.
Worldly wisdom and eloquence: refers to people who are extremely smart and eloquent in worldly knowledge. Unfortunately, they reject Buddhism and indulge in worldly thoughts and heterodox theories. This is a kind of obstacle of being smart but without wisdom, and they do not believe in the true Dharma of the world.
Born before or after the Buddha: Due to heavy karma and weak affinity, those born before the Buddha was born or after the Buddha passed away cannot see the Buddha and hear the Dharma. Born before the Buddha, the Buddha had not yet been born and attained enlightenment, so there was no holy teaching to practice. Born after the Buddha, because the Buddha had entered Nirvana for a long time, he was far away from the Dharma.
The seventeen kinds of pure lands that the Buddha taught to the boy Ratnakūta in the Amala tree garden in the country of Vaishali are recorded in the "Vimalakirti Sutra. Volume 1. Buddha Land Chapter". They are: (1) Straight mind, the pure land of bodhisattvas. When bodhisattvas attain Buddhahood, non-flattering beings will be reborn in their lands. (2) Deep mind. (3) Mahayana mind. (4) Giving. (5) Keeping precepts. (6) Forbearance. (7) Diligence. (8) Meditation. (9) Wisdom. (10) Four Immeasurables. (11) Four means of attraction. (12) Expedient means. (13) Thirty-seven bodhisattva factors. (14) Dedication. (15) Removing the eight difficulties. (16) Keeping precepts. (17) Ten virtues. All of these are the pure lands of bodhisattvas.
Stay away from the crowd, stay away from lust, and be happy with no desire. Only in this way can you experience the joy of detachment from desire, the joy of silence, the joy of tranquility, and the joy of enlightenment, and only then can you achieve a pleasing temporary liberation of the mind, or an unshakable liberation of the mind that is always at peace.
When the mind is settled in the state of emptiness, one can be fully aware that one does not have desire, sorrow, or other evil and unwholesome dharmas while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Any words or thoughts will only be about leading to enlightenment, liberation, and nirvana. The five desires that arise from the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body are impermanent and should be abandoned. One should be fully aware that the mind is not agitated by the five desires and is truly free from desire. The birth and death of the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness are all inseparable from attachment. One should be fully aware that the self is destroyed by observing the five aggregates, observing the origin of the five aggregates, and observing the extinction of the five aggregates. The above are all good dharmas that lead to the sages and the world beyond. By practicing them, one can escape the control of the demon king.
In the past, King Prasenajit of Kosala was in the capital city of Savatthi. He had to rush to the faraway city of Sakya within one day because of an urgent matter. To do this, he thought of a way to set up seven post stations on the road between the two cities, including the beginning and the end. Each post station was equipped with energetic horses and well-maintained carriages. The king set out from the palace in Savatthi in a carriage. When he arrived at each post station, he immediately abandoned the original tired carriage and changed to the new carriage waiting there. In this way, he arrived at Sakya within the scheduled time.
At this time, if the ministers asked the king which carriage he took to arrive so quickly, how should King Prasenajit answer? "
King Prasenajit would of course say that he set out in the first carriage, changed to the second carriage at the second post station, and changed seven carriages in total, so that he could arrive quickly within one day.
Just like this, because of "observing the precepts and perfecting virtue", one can achieve "purity of mind"; because of "purity of mind", one can achieve "correct understanding"; because of "correct understanding", one can achieve "elimination of doubts"; because of "eliminating doubts", one can "know clearly what is the correct method of practice and what is not"; because of "knowing clearly what is the correct method of practice and what is not", one can achieve "clarity of the path of practice"; because of "clarity of the path of practice", one can "complete practice and realization"; after "completing practice and realization", the Buddha said that this is the realization of "Nirvana without attachment".