When Can We be Helped?

In the Earth Treasure Sutra, we see that it is difficult to save sentient beings who have already descended into the hell realms. Earth Treasure Bodhisattva has great wisdom and great extraordinary abilities, thus he can help the sentient beings in the hell realms to even reach the Western Pure Land. But, because of our habitual behavior, when we are able to move up to the heaven realms, we continue to commit wrongdoings. And after life in the heaven realms has ended, we will again fall into the hell realms. But to Earth Treasure Bodhisattva it is as if we have returned after only having been gone for a few days!

Once in the hell realms, as we experience continuous suffering we will be unable to cultivate. Thus, our hatred and resultant negative karma will increase and become more binding. The sutras clearly explain this for us. From this, we can begin to understand how difficult it is to help sentient beings who have descended into the hell realms.

When can we be helped?

After we have committed wrongdoings, but before we pass on and descend into the hell realms. During this time, we must awaken so that through feelings of intense remorse and fear, we will diligently forgo thinking, saying, or doing anything that is bad and only do that which is good. In this way, we will maintain purity of mind. And in this way, we can change our present conditions and transform a bad situation into a good one.

It would be even better if we could bring give rise to the great Bodhi mind. If at the moment of death, we sincerely regret as we recite “Amituofo” one to ten times and we seek birth into the Pure Land, we will be reborn there. And we will do this even though we had been about to go to the lowest of the hell realms. We will be born in the Pure Land as non-retrogressive bodhisattvas, beings who will never fall back in their practice. Once there, we will have the opportunity to return to our world to help those whom we have an affinity with to transcend the hell realms.

Bodhisattvas Fear Causes

It is said that bodhisattvas fear causes while sentient beings fear effects. So, bodhisattvas fear negative effects and take steps to avoid creating any negative cause. In doing so, they eradicate their debts—the karmic obstacles created from their previous wrongdoings. They also accumulate perfect merits and virtues until they reach the state of buddhahood. Whether worldly phenomena or the teachings of the Buddhas, nothing is beyond the law of cause and effect. Everything is empty and unreal, an eternally impermanent element. But the law of cause of effect is unchangeable and real, an eternally permanent element.

Cause and effect are closely related as they coexist mutually. A cause becomes an effect, which in turn results in another cause. From this endless cycle, we can see that a particular cause is not fixed. Neither is a single effect the only effect. The combination of cause and effect forms a continuous cycle, the cycle of rebirth.

Bodhisattvas are awakened, understanding beings and are therefore well aware that every single cause produces an effect. Because of this, they are mindful of their every thought, word, and action. They understand that a negative cause will become a future negative karmic effect, which they themselves will have bear.

Unlike bodhisattvas, sentient beings do not understand the principles and the realities of life. The little knowledge that we may have is limited and vague, far from complete. So, we carelessly commit causal actions and do not understand, when the effects occur later, why they happened. It is then too late for regret. Cause and effect are continuously played out all around us. If we are unable to connect the events, it is because we are not mindful. Rather we are impulsive and careless, not yet truly understanding.

For our own sake, we should not want to create any more bad causes but, instead, only cultivate those that are good. This is what the ancient masters and patriarchs tried so hard to encourage us to do.

So Where's My Garden?

 

For something to happen, we need the right conditions. What do I mean by conditions?

To attend college, I need the right conditions: study, good grades, and money to pay the tuition. To advance in my career, I need the right conditions: hard work that places me above the average, a supervisor who values my efforts, and an ability to get along well with my fellow employees. To be reborn in the Pure Land, I need the right conditions: faith, vows, and practice.

How do we create the right conditions?

We work hard planting the right seeds.

We figure out what is the cause that will bring about the wished for condition. And then we do the hard work of planting those causes, just like we work hard at planting and then nurturing seeds if we wish to have a garden. Sure we can watch the birds dropping seeds and see seeds being blown onto our barren plot of ground, but just watching this happen won't make a garden.

We need to carefully choose and then attentively and diligently tend our seeds. We need to make sure they are safe from adverse conditions like not enough water or too much sunlight or the onslaught of hungry insects. We don't wait around for someone else to wander along and do all the planting, watering, and weeding for us because if someone else does all the work, it will become their garden. Wonderful for them, but it will leave us still without a garden.

The law of cause and effect assures us that if we plant the cause, we will have the result. There is no doubt about this. Be assured that it will happen. Exactly when, I do not know. But I do know that without planting the cause, we will not have the conditions we wish for. Also, the more causes we plant, the better our chances for quickly getting the wished-for conditions.

Harmony Within and Without

The Study Report says: “Harmony at the level of inner truth (noumenon) means to attain One Mind Undisturbed and the Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment.” This is the goal of Pure Land practitioners. We Pure Land practitioners share the same goal and work towards the same direction—to attain One Mind Undisturbed. This is the goal of Pure Land practitioners. When one attains One Mind Undisturbed, one is truly qualified for attaining rebirth in the Western Pure Land. When one attains rebirth in the Western Pure Land, one will attain Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment. This is harmony at the level of inner truth (noumenon); this is our common goal.

Harmony at the level of phenomena means that we have to coexist. The Buddha taught the Six Harmonies for the Sangha to follow in daily life. The first is harmony in having the same viewpoints. How does one achieve this? By following the teachings in the sutras. The second is harmony in observing the same precepts. These precepts are the norms in daily life that we have to follow. The third is harmony in living together. We have to get along with everybody in a group. The fourth is harmony in speaking without conflict. There is no argument; whatever personal opinion we have, we replace it with the thought of Amituofo. The fifth is harmony in experiencing the Dharma bliss. We should be sincere, pure-minded, impartial, and compassionate. The last is harmony in sharing benefits. Everybody has the same living standard, and all offerings received are shared fairly.

~ Based on Ven. Master Chin Kung's 2003 lecture series on the Amitabha Sutra

And it Made Me Cry

 

It's instinctive. And it made me cry. Not a lot. Only for a few seconds, but enough to think again how difficult it is to eliminate attachments.

Sitting here at my desk, I just saw some baby goslings. They were born within the past twenty-four hours because their parents, two Canada geese, were alone yesterday.

The goslings are so small. Little, yellow balls of fluff waddling along on short, but obviously sturdy, legs. Five trusting cotton balls walking in line behind their mother and followed by their father. Instinctively I wanted to call out to my mother to come see them as I have in the past. But time passes, and my mother is no longer alive, no longer able to marvel with me at how quickly the babies can walk and swim. And I miss her and am sad.

And I cry.

And then I smile. 

And I am again aware that it is difficult to give up what can no longer be. Difficult to break long-held attachments. Difficult to move on.

Difficult, but necessary. 

Because on the other side of difficult is joy in having been fortunate, contentment with what is, and growth through understanding the suffering of others. And each time, we take a peak at the other side of difficult, it is easier. And quicker.

And each time the smile returns sooner.