The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.113)

53 TZU CHI 113 that of Taoism. That was how some stories in Buddhism became more mythical. The Buddha’s teachings reflected India’s social background of the time and were closely related to people’s lives. Therefore, the Buddha’s teachings are very grounded; they are not supernatural or mystical ideas. Ms Yun: Every one of us can pray, but how do we pray more sincerely and genuinely to make sure our prayers are heard? In other words, how do we make our prayers reach the heavens? Master Cheng Yen: Praying is returning to and reflecting on one’s innate nature. Through praying, we uncover our pure and clear nature. It is said in Buddhist sutras that when one encounters difficulty, one may pray sincerely for the blessing and protection of the Three Treasures—the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. The Buddha is the Enlightened One; the Dharma is the Buddha’s teachings on being a good person; the Sangha is the monastic community. Before praying, one should reflect on one’s state of mind first: “Did I do anything against my conscience?” When praying to the Buddha, one must truly repent one’s mistakes and resolve to correct them. However, people are indolent. They repeatedly admit their wrong-doings to the Buddha but cannot correct their mistakes completely. So when people ask me how to pray, I always say, “Pray to your own heart, and summon your innate Buddha-nature” because everyone innately possesses the Three Treasures. As long as we are truly sincere, our innate Three Treasures will give us strength. Only when we reach this state of cultivation can our prayer be truly sincere. MsYun: When one is unhappy and suffers from afflictions related to birth, aging, illness and death, it is like having fallen into an abyss and being unable to escape. To climb out of this abyss, do we depend on ourselves or do we rely on outside help? How do we escape from the abyss of suffering? Master Cheng Yen: Aging, illness and death are what ordinary people fear, particularly illness and death. Why? It is because most people value their illusory physical lives without an understanding of wisdom-life. They are fearful because they do not understand. If people understood that death is natural and can be transcended, they would not have worries or experience suffering. People who study the Buddha’s teachings or engage in religious practice must first explore the origin and end of life. This is what makes them different from ordinary people. It is the reason why Buddhist practitioners are neither worried about nor afraid of death. Ms Yun: As a writer, what can I do for Tzu Chi? Master ChengYen: As long as the writer is sincere and honest, and always displays the correct views in his writings, his readers will receive his proper perspectives. This is equivalent to helping Tzu Chi. Ms Yun: I will do my best to serve Tzu Chi through my speech, writings and actions. * The article is extracted from the book “Friends from Afar: Conversations with Dharma Master Cheng Yen”.