The world of Tzu Chi January 2020 (Vol.118)

2020 • 01 46 harma N agasena Bhiksu was delighted at the king’s invitation and followed the minister to the palace. The king asked him, “What brings the greatest benefit? What gives the greatest wealth? What brings the greatest blessings? What is the greatest joy?” Nagasena Bhiksu replied, “Peace and stability bring the greatest benefit, contentment gives the greatest wealth, faith brings the greatest blessings, and Nirvana is the greatest joy.” “Peace and stability bring the greatest benefit.” This means that, if people are safe and sound, their hearts will be at ease; this is the greatest benefit in life. Some people are always worrying about being taken advantage of—they live their lives feeling doubtful and restless. Such people inevitably suffer misery. Furthermore, we must not feel superior or be arrogant, nor must we think of ourselves as clever. This is not really beneficial. The greatest benefit comes from having stability in life. “Contentment gives the greatest wealth.” If we can be content, we will be the wealthiest among people. Without contentment, even the king of a wealthy country will suffer greatly. Therefore, contentment is what gives the greatest wealth. “Faith brings the greatest blessings.”With a proper faith, we will naturally have a deep sense of virtue and treat people with honesty and kindness. Treating others in a virtuous manner will earn us the respect of many people, so we must have a proper faith. “Nirvana is the greatest joy.” The Buddha’s teachings and precepts are a path to peace and joy. If we can truly enter this path and apply the Buddha’s right teachings in our practice, we will live a peaceful and joyful life. So, if our hearts can be at peace, contented and stable, and if we can walk on the right path with right faith, neither mistreating others nor going against our conscience, then we will be joyful and happy. So, it is said, “The essence of Nirvana is tranquil extinction and eternal peace, which is known as joy.” This is the Buddha’s virtue of permanence. As Buddhist practitioners, we must learn to attain this kind of permanence and joy. Revealing the intrinsic nature of true suchness In our discussion of the Buddha’s four virtues of “permanence, joy, self, and purity”, I will now explain the “virtue of self”. For sentient beings, the “self” refers solely to themselves, but this is not the case with the Buddha. The Buddha’s “self” can be explained in two ways: the first refers to the true essence of his nature, and the second refers to how this essence manifests freely in the world. When unenlightened beings talk about “self”, this refers to attachment to an empty and illusory “false self”. Ordinary beings use their unenlightened perspective to deal with interpersonal CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION