The world of Tzu Chi October 2020 (Vol.127)

TZU CHI 127 49 REMINDERS UNDER THE SALA TREES and everyone clapped and cheered whether his arrows hit their mark or not. His inaccuracy was evident, but the chancellors by his side applauded nonetheless. At that moment, he suddenly felt alarmed. He shook his head and sighed. Just then, the minister Xian Zhang passed by. Jing Gong said to him, “Did you hear everyone’s cheers?” Xian Zhang replied, “Yes, I did!” Jing Gong asked, “My arrows never hit the target, so why do they applaud like this?” Xian Zhang said, “Whatever food the monarch loves, everyone loves, and they’ll tell you it’s good. Whatever amusements the monarch enjoys, everyone will enjoy. This is how they curry favour with the monarch and gain his appreciation, even though it poses great danger for the kingdom!” As they were speaking, cart after cart of fish began to be brought over. The carts formed a line and blocked the traffic. When Jing Gong saw so much fish, he was very happy, and he wished to gift a basket of fish to Xian Zhang. But Xian Zhang only shook his head and said, “It would be better to give these fish to those who agreed that they love fish as well. I’m different from your majesty, for I do not enjoy eating fish.” Jing Gong suddenly realized that Xian Zhang was much like Yanzi in the past. Their advice was given in the best interest of the kingdom, and they intended for the king to not deviate in his speech and actions. The king was very grateful and quickly said, “For many years, no one has dared to correct my mistakes. Now a second Yanzi has appeared, and for this, I rejoice for both the kingdom and the people.” As Buddhist practitioners, we should use compassionate and loving speech, but we should not use flattery. Our speech should be for the benefit of others. When someone is wrong, we should tactfully correct them. If they feel wronged, we should console them. Flattery, obsequiousness, and currying favour with our superiors without advising them of their responsibilities are all transgressions of speech. We should by all means remember not to make the mistakes of “using incantations or magic potions, or associating with those in high positions and thus become disrespectful and arrogant”. We must remain vigilant and remind ourselves that whenever we open our mouths, we create karma. If we lead people down the wrong path, this is creating negative karma, while guiding others to improve their lives and elevate their knowledge creates positive karma. Through our speech, we can generate both positive and negative karma. So, when we speak to others, we need to be mindful about our accuracy and propriety. Six methods for preventing mistakes The Sutra on the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teaching contains important teachings on how to prevent mistakes. All the transgressions committed by us ordinary beings are inseparable from our actions, words and thoughts.All these stem from our consciousness. It is what we think in our minds that we express through our words and actions. So, to prevent negative karma of actions and speech, we must first be vigilant against improper thoughts. There are six kinds of preventative measures we can use for this. The first measure is to “rectify our own mind”. Most people do not properly adjust