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

2020 • 10 50 their own minds and pay attention only to others. They are unable to realize that their own views are wrong, but if someone else commits a fault, they are very aware of it. They do not observe their own nature or thoroughly reflect on themselves. As spiritual practitioners, we must rectify our own thoughts, for if our mind is not correct, then we will easily give rise to interpersonal conflicts. If we criticize people whenever we see them make mistakes, we ourselves will become the object of criticism. In this way, we create obstacles for ourselves. If we wish to correct the mistakes of others, we must first correct our own mistakes. The purpose of spiritual practice is primarily to eliminate discursive thoughts and contamination from our own minds. If we allow these impurities to remain in our minds, we will allow other people to trouble us. Then, not only will we be unable to purify our minds, but they will become even filthier. As ordinary beings, to rid ourselves of habitual tendencies, we must train ourselves by interacting with others until we no longer give rise to afflictive thoughts. In this way, we will be able to purify our thoughts and will not dwell on the mistakes of others. The second measure is to “maintain right mindfulness and strive to transform oneself”. Our perspective must be correct. This is why I often say that we should take the Buddha’s heart as our own heart. The Buddha’s heart is one of great compassion, great wisdom and great radiance. If we can transform our unenlightened heart to become like the Buddha’s heart so that our every thought is as compassionate and brilliant as the Buddha’s, then we will eliminate all “improper thinking”. If improper thinking is not eliminated, we cannot “transcend birth”. By “transcending birth”, we mean not descending into hell. If our thinking is proper, naturally, we will not fall into hell. “Maintaining right mindfulness and striving to transform oneself” is the way to deal with the obstacle of improper thinking. When we maintain a proper mindset in everyday life, we can save ourselves from falling into hell. In this way, we do not need to wait for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to save us at the point of death; we will have methods to deliver ourselves. This is just like a person who understands the nature of water—when he falls into the water, he is able to swim and does not need anyone to rescue him. If a person does not understand the workings of water, once he falls in, he needs other people to help him. Therefore, we must keep training ourselves in our everyday life in order to transform ourselves. To transform ourselves, we must rectify our thoughts. Then, our journeys on the path of spiritual practice can be smooth and without obstructions. Third, we must not “cover up flaws”. In order to make uncut jade or unrefined gold shine, we must keep cutting and polishing it. Spiritual practice requires both inner and outer cultivation. One must not pretend to be diligent but then slack off when no one is looking. This is called “covering up flaws”. When someone’s thoughts are unkind, and his actions are merely for show, not only will he not attain any virtues or merits, but he will also create negative karma and sully his practice of the pure precepts. When we have made mistakes, we need to admit our wrongs and openly repent; harma