The world of Tzu Chi March 2020(Vol.120)

TZU CHI 120 53 * This article is extracted from the book “Reminders under the Sala Trees – A Commentary on the Sutra of the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teachings”. REMINDERS UNDER THE SALA TREES lives pursuing whatever our hearts desire without mindfulness. In fact, every word we say and every action we take has its causes, conditions, effects and retributions; this is the karmic law of cause and effect. Ignorance and selfishness obstruct spiritual cultivation Most people do not think before they speak; in their carelessness, they often say things that are irresponsible. They are quick to make vows, but then change their minds as the circumstances change. This is how unenlightened beings are, lacking a sense of responsibility. Therefore, they often create negative karma of speech and engage in gossip. They make excuses for those with whom they have good affinities but slander those that they lack good connections with. They do not realize what causes they are sowing and what results they will harvest in the future. Between the twin Sala trees, the Buddha “was about to enter Parinirvana ”, meaning that he was about to give up his impermanent body. What he had awakened to was a realm of tranquil radiance; this is described as “entering nirvana”. This can also be expressed as giving up all the worldly suffering of interpersonal matters as well as birth, aging, illness and death, and arriving at a realm of serenity. The Buddha did not engage in spiritual cultivation for the purpose of attaining Buddhahood for himself. Someone who has the selfish and defiled mindset of practising just for himself will never attain Buddhahood. The Buddha reprimanded those disciples who engaged in spiritual cultivation only for their own liberation as being “scorched sprouts and inferior seeds”. Their cause for spiritual cultivation was not robust. As spiritual practitioners, we must have a robust and healthy mentality in order to exhibit such perseverance and courage. This is similar to how, in the past, we would grow peanuts: Before planting we chose good seeds and sowed them, then we stepped on the soil until it was solid. After a few days, when we returned to the peanut field, we found that the healthy seeds had already germinated and sprouts were poking through the soil. If we plant a bad seed and leave the soil loose, it will wither after the sprout comes up. The best seeds must also have solid soil, so after germination, they can break through the soil and rise above the ground to stand tall and straight. This is a way to develop perseverance and courage. In our spiritual practice, we must learn this kind of perseverance and courage and sow the seeds for engaging in spiritual practice for the sake of all sentient beings. We must be able to give up all selfishness and serve sentient beings before we can attain Buddhahood in the future. The Buddha did not remain in the Land of Calm Illumination, but would instead continually return to the world on the ship of compassion. Though his physical life ended after 80 years, he temporarily “manifested the appearance of entering Parinirvana ” before returning to this world to transform sentient beings. So, the Saha World is the Pure Land of Sakyamuni Buddha, and his Land of Calm Illumination is found here in the Saha World. (To be continued in the next issue)