The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.111)

2019 • 06 58 In a calm environment, our minds can remain peaceful and harmonious, in a state of clarity and purity. At such a time, if we can calmly reflect on our life’s direction and be disciplined, it will facilitate our understanding of the principles. Conversely, in the hustle and bustle of daily life, if we cannot remain focused, our minds will be affected by our environment. When our minds deviate, we make mistakes. I n the time of the Buddha, the minds of some of his disciples were still easily influenced by their environment. Amongst them was a young bhiksuni , who, though she had vowed to follow the Buddha’s teachings, still had greed in her heart. Although she knew that a Buddhist practitioner should eliminate desires in order to purify the mind, there were still times when this bhiksuni could not practise self-control. One day, the bhiksuni went alone to ask for alms in a wealthy village. The villagers gave fabulous offerings that made her heart leap with delight. On her way back to the Sangha’s abode, she thought that if she were to tell others about this village’s generosity, all of the monastics would go there to ask for alms. If that happened, she reasoned, even with the villagers being so generous, there would not be enough for her to receive such an abundant offering again. So, she decided to keep this village’s offerings a secret. When she returned to the abode, she proclaimed to the others, “Fellow practitioners, I recently heard that the cows, elephants, goats and dogs in that nearby village are very vicious. If a stranger walks by, they will come out and attack. So, don’t go there; it’s very aster Cheng Yen Tells Stories The Roots of Deception dangerous!” Believing her warnings, no one dared to venture into that village. Having deceived the others, this bhiksuni continued to go there alone every day to receive offerings from the generous villagers. One day, after walking into the village, a dog ran up and attacked her, biting into her leg. The villagers chased the dog away. Then, they dressed the bhiksuni’s wound and carried her back to the abode. The villagers told the other monastics, “This bhiksuni comes to our village every day to receive alms. Today, however, she was bitten by an angry dog. Please take care of her.” When the truth came out and reached the Buddha, he said, “You are all my disciples. Since you have made the vow to be Buddhist practitioners, you must be mindful of the karma from your actions, words and thoughts. Engage in genuine practices. Your heart must remain pure, and your words genuine.” “There are three evil karma of the body: killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. There are four evil karma of speech: flattery, lying, gossip and harsh words. There are three evil karma of mind: greed, anger and ignorance. Of these ten evil karma, four come from our words, so being mindful of what you say is