How Many Holes Do I Have to Dig Before I Hit Water?

Question: In the writings of the late Dharma Master Thich Thien Tam, he emphasizes the excellence of the Pure Land Dharma door; exhorting cultivators to practice it faithfully and exclusively. My question deals with the issue of exclusivity. On the one hand, I generate faith & vows, engaging in Buddha Remembrance because Pure Land is my path. On the other hand, many Buddhist teachers from other sects have written useful material.

Is reading material from non-Pure land authors okay, provided my practice remains faithful to the Pure Land school?  There is an old Indian metaphor pertaining to cultivation....If a person digging a well moves hither-and-thither across a field, digging shallow hole after shallow hole, no water will be struck. One must remain faithfully in one place, digging deeply and constantly, to strike water.

What is your view regarding the utility of writings (not practices) from other sects? How does one balance faithful practice of one school on the one hand against unnecessary sectarianism on the other?

Response: I like the well-digging metaphor. It also applies to reading the work of different Buddhist writers.

• Regarding "utility of writings (not practices) from other sects," even reading without practicing, which is the enactment or putting in place of the teachings, can still be a problem. It would be like reading two books on digging wells. Even if we don't follow the procedure in another book, we could still be reading about different methods and this could easily become confusing or conflicting. And even if the methods were the same, the two writers most likely would have different approaches to the method. Presumably that's why they're writing their own book, to give their views on the subject.

• Practically, I only have so much time. If I spend part of my study time reading the writing of Buddhists of other schools, I have less time for reading the books in my "specialty." The books in my specialty are read to deepen my understanding and confidence, which in turn strengthen my practice.

• Reading books on other schools is akin to reading how to dig a well in sand when the well I need to dig has to go through packed clay soil. The reading on sandy-soil digging could be very interesting, but how much would it help me get through my clay?

Whether in practice or study, it’s best to follow one path. And one leader on that path. Following our path, we need to remember that this is the best path for us. Other people, with different karma, have other paths that are best for them. Just as we hope they will respect our choice, we respect their choice.  

My believing in my path does not have to lead to my criticizing others for their choice of path.

I need to be gracious regarding their choice and humble in my own.   

Thoughts on Stillness of Mind

• Stillness is the true mind. In activity, it becomes the false mind. From morning till dusk, the mind moves. We even dream when we sleep. What is a dream? Activity in our mind. How does activity arise? It derives from stillness. When it moves, it is the false mind. When it is still, it is the true mind.

• We need to neither be attached to external forms nor to be affected internally. This is cultivating concentration. For example, in our daily living we eat but we do not attach to the food. Some people are very concerned about how it looks, smells, and tastes. This is attaching to externals, to appearance. Thinking this tastes good or that tastes bad, the mind is disturbed. But if we can eat without attaching to qualities of the food and not give rise to any thoughts, we will be cultivating the concentration of One-mind Undisturbed. 

• In all the activities in our daily living we cultivate stillness. Our life is motion. Buddha Sakyamuni set a good example for us, lecturing to all sentient beings, not staying in one place, traveling and teaching, constantly in motion. The body moves, but the mind is still. How does the mind not move? By not having any wandering thoughts.

• When water is calm we can see everything in it clearly. But when it is agitated and in motion we see nothing. Today, we cannot see true reality because our minds are not in a state of tranquility.

~ Based on the teachings of Venerable Master Chin Kung

How Do I use a Nianju, or Mala, Properly?

Question: Way back in my Hindu Yoga days, it was explained that one moves the beads in one direction, stops at the head bead, turns the Nienju, and goes in the other direction. It was also explained that the index finger is never used to move from bead-to-bead. Is this all just a matter of tradition and preference, or is there a reason for these rules? Please give me your take on the proper use of Nienju. Thank you.

Response: Okay, first I googled "mala index finger." Although I know that Wikipedia information ranges from good to questionable, the following entry sounds reasonable to someone who doesn't know a lot about how Hindus use malas.

Hindu tradition holds that the correct way to use a mala is with the right hand, with the thumb flicking one bead to the next, and with the mala draped over the middle finger. The index finger represents ego, the greatest impediment to self-realization, so it is considered best avoided when chanting on a mala.

This certainly seems to support what you were told and sounds logical. If anyone knows more about this, please join in the conversation through a comment.

As for how we use a nianju, I usually hold mine in my right hand with the nianju draped over my index finger. I'll switch to the left if I've been chanting for some time. Whether using our right or left hand, we recite “Amituofo” once as we gently move each bead toward us with our thumb. 

Someone once explained to me that we need to move the beads toward us because if we move them away from us, we'll lose the merits from the chanting and won't have them to dedicate to all beings.

Regarding the large "mother bead." In some traditions, people do not "cross" that bead but turn the nianju around and go back the direction they came from. This was often done because the name "Buddha" carved on the bead and moving across it would have been disrespectful. But since our nianju do not have either the word or an image of the Buddha on the mother bead, we do not stop at it but proceed in the one direction.

Affected by Others' Suffering

Question:  I feel very unsettled because I want to feel free and happy but have never been able to be not affected by other people's suffering. Please tell me what I can do.

Response: The very nature of existence in samsara, the cycle of rebirth, is suffering. It's the first of the four noble truths--life entails suffering. Every being in samsara undergoes suffering to some degree. Even in the highest heaven, the beings undergo suffering when their lives there are about to come to an end.
 
So first, we need to accept the existence of suffering and not feel that we are when others are not. Once we understand that it's a part of life, we can stop railing against it and move on to the next three of the noble truths: suffering is caused; it has an end; and the way to its end is self-discipline, concentration, and wisdom.
 
To no longer be affected by other's suffering, we practice non-attachment. For more on this, please read Non-attachment Not Detachment.

Also, to truly help others, we need wisdom, not just compassion. The last entry Compassion Tempered with Wisdom might be helpful on this.

Compassion Tempered with Wisdom

Compassion is the intention and capability to lessen suffering and, ultimately, to transform this suffering. When we adopt an awareness imbued with compassion, we seek to ease others’ pain. But in our wish to help, more often than not, we react emotionally and end up getting carried away by our feelings. At times we empathize so completely with what someone is going through that we subject ourselves to the same distress. So instead of one person suf­fering, there are now two miserable people!

Instead of reacting emotionally, we need to learn to temper our compassion with wisdom. Then we will know how to better help one another. We will also realize that an individual’s circum­stances are the result of past karmas. Therefore, it may well be next to impossible for us to improve another’s situation. This realization does not mean that we should stop caring about others or dismiss their difficulties as being their own fault. It means we understand that our wanting to alleviate their suf­fering may instead be of benefit to them in the future, in ways we cannot foresee.

So be compassionate, but do not focus on getting immediate positive results. Do not get wrapped up in egoistic thoughts, thinking that “I” can fix the problem. Without such expectations, we will not be disappointed or saddened when our attempts to help end in failure or, worse, aggravate the situation. We will not know how best to help if we fail to temper our compassion with wisdom. In other words, the person we want to help may not have the requisite conditions for us to do so.

When we stop focusing on immediate results and instead focus on just helping others, our compassion will ultimately benefit all beings. By planting the seeds of compassion—the wish for all beings to be happy and free of suffering—we can be confident that we have indeed helped others.

If we feel compassion for only certain people, then our compassion is limited, and thus our ability to lessen suffering in the future will likewise be limited. But when our compassion for all beings is equal and unconditional, then our compassion will be immeasurable and impartial. When we accomplish this, we will pervade all directions with awareness imbued with equanimity.

In the Western Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha, there are uncountable bodhisattvas, beings who are dedicated to helping all others end suffering. Widely known in this world and often depicted standing to Amitabha’s left is Avalokitesvara, or Guanyin Bodhisattva. Avalokitesvara is often translated as “Great Compassion Bodhisattva” or “She who hears the cries of the world.”

A very long time ago, Avalokitesvara vowed that if she ever became disheartened in saving sentient beings, may her body shatter into a thousand pieces. Once, after liberating countless beings from the hell realms by teaching them the Dharma, she looked back down into the hell realms. To her horror, she saw that the hell realms were quickly filling up again!

In a fleeting moment of despair, she felt profound grief. And in that moment, in accordance with her vow, her body shattered into a thousand pieces. She beseeched the Buddhas to help and many did. Like a fall of snowflakes they came. One of those Buddhas was Amitabha. He and the other Buddhas helped to re-form her body into one that had a thousand arms and hands, with an eye of wisdom in each hand. In this way, she could better help all sentient beings.

Whether you view this as a true account or a leg­end, there is a very important lesson here that can help us in our practice of compassion. When we first develop the bodhi mind—the mind set on helping all beings attain enlightenment, ourselves included—we will experience times when we are disheartened. At this point, we have two choices: go forward or give up. To go forward, we need to reestablish our confi­dence. We may do this under the guidance of a good teacher, through the support of a good spiritual friend, or through other means. If we do not go forward, we will fall back into ignorance and delusion.

It will help us at these difficult times to remember that we do not grow spiritually in good times, when everything is going our way. We grow spiritually and progress on the path of awakening in times of adver­sity. Just as steel is tempered by fire, our resolve is strengthened by hardship.

Avalokitesvara was shattered in a fleeting moment of despair. But through the strength of her aspiration to help all beings, she touched the hearts of those who had gone before her on the path. Due to her great vow and profound sincerity, she had created the causes for many Buddhas to help her when she was momentarily overwhelmed by the enormity of her chosen task. We too will encounter obstacles. When we do, our aspiration to help all beings will enable us to receive the help we need to move back onto the path.

Due to the depth of her vow to help, Avalokitesvara regarded all beings with equanimity. In the above story, in addition to the hell realms, she also went to the ghost, animal, human, demi-god, and heavenly realms teaching all those who had the affinity to learn from her. Each being was equally important, and so she taught each one as best she could. She did not discriminate and was not judg­mental. She tirelessly and vigilantly listened for cries for help and found the beings who were suffering. She then taught them so they were able to advance on the path to awakening.

With similar equanimity, we too will view every­thing equally and in a balanced way. Often when we try to help others, we act impulsively and erratically, not wisely. We rush in to help one day and then feel like giving up the next. Without a pure, calm mind, we can lose our balance and fall from great enthusiasm to mind-numbing discouragement. Only when our minds are calm will we know how to truly benefit others.