Issue 294

Whether she was walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, gods surrounded and protected her. As I said earlier, now that we have tied the boundaries, even if anyone has karmic obstructions such as demonic obstructions, everything comes to a standstill during this time; nothing can come to bother you. Since the boundaries are set and you are here listening to the sutra, all the accounts are temporarily halted. No one is allowed to come here to bother anyone or hassle anyone. You have to concentrate on listening to the sutra. Whether this Brahman woman was walking, standing, sitting or lying down, the Dharma-protecting good spirits, the Eightfold Divisions of gods, dragons and others all protect her. Although she is protected, her mother, however, embraced a deviant faith and often slighted the Triple Jewel. Her mother did not believe in the proper Dharma and believed in deviant dharmas instead.

What is meant by deviant faith? This does not necessarily refer to believing in heretics or cults. Actually, the Brahman woman’s mother half believed and half doubted. Today, she’d believe in Buddhism; tomorrow, she’d question it. She’d say, “I believe in the Triple Jewel, but I have not seen any Buddha of the Triple Jewel, or the Dharma. Although there are sutras, it is no big idea. Sangha members, they are people too! Why should I respect some monastic?” She is skeptical, which is faith in the deviant. Without proper thoughts, she had deviant thoughts. Without proper faith, it is deviant faith.

For instance, an externalist claimed, “Give me one million dollars and I will sell you the role of an emperor in a future life.” You think about being an emperor in a future life, so you give him a million dollars. In actuality, how can the role of an emperor be sold? How can you buy the role of an emperor? Perhaps you can buy the presidency in this present-day democracy. “You are a woman in this lifetime and not a president, but I can guarantee that you become a president in a future life if you give me one million dollars.” Whether or not you become a president in the future, you will not be able to find him and get your one million dollars back. These externalists did not start an insurance company guaranteeing any of this. This is faith in the deviant.

How can you buy a presidency with one million dollars? That does not make any sense. If you can buy a presidency with one million dollars in this present life, there may be some truth in it. How come? You can utilize the million dollars to lobby for votes. Here in America, then the voters have to be American citizens and not foreign citizens. Explanations based on deviant faith do not make sense. Or, you may hear someone claiming, “Give me one hundred dollars, one thousand dollars or ten thousand dollars, and I will guarantee that you will be a man instead of a woman in your future lives.” You hear this and you think this is not bad, one million dollars to buy a future life as a man is not too expensive. Since you see this as a good deal, you hand over the million dollars. He puts the money in his pocket and off he goes to indulge in drinking, eating meat and exploiting women. When he is all done, you cannot get your money back, and there’s no guarantee that you will be a man in the future. This is deviant play. These are a few tactics that swindlers use.

Since she believed in deviant dharma all the time, she did not believe in the proper Dharma. Deviant dharma makes statements such as, “Why believe in the Buddha? You are the Buddha. Just give me $65. That will do. Sixty-five dollars can buy Buddhahood.” That is a deviant dharma, a deviant path. How can Buddhahood be purchased with money? You can become a Buddha, but you cannot buy Buddhahood with money. You can use money to create merit, then when you have accumulated enough merit, you can realize Buddhahood. While doing meritorious deeds, you should also cultivate the Way and practice Chan and sit in meditation. If not, it won’t do. If Buddhahood can be bought, then Shakyamuni Buddha need not cultivate in the Himalayas for six years, then sit underneath the Bodhi tree to behold the bright star and become enlightened. As a prince, he was very wealthy. He could have easily bought Buddhahood with his wealth. Nevertheless, Buddhahood cannot be bought with money. Slighting the Triple Jewel means looking down on the Triple Jewel, slandering and sabotaging monastics. It is like some Cantonese people who hate seeing bhikshus and bhikshunis. That is slighting the Triple Jewel.

The worthy daughter made use of many expedients in trying to convince her mother to hold right views, but her mother never totally believed. Before long, the mother’s life ended and her consciousness fell into the Relentless Hell.

“The worthy daughter, the Brahman woman, made use of many expedients. Expedients are for provisional explanations for people who only have a rough understanding of the Dharma. In trying to convince her mother. Encouraging and enticing someone. For instance, children like candy, so you tell them, “I have a piece of candy. Follow me and I will give you the candy.” This is an enticement. This Brahman woman tells her mother something similar, “Follow me and study the Buddhadharma. The Buddhadharma is the best, it is number one.” But her mother does not believe her, encouraging and enticing her mother to hold right views, so that her mother will develop proper knowledge and proper views. But her mother never totally believed. The Brahman woman’s mother half-believed and half-doubted the principles she heard. Perhaps what you say has some principles in it but may be not completely true. It is just like some of my refuge disciples who do not believe their teacher. They half-believe and half-doubt, or they may question the principles. Before long, the mother’s life ended.

After a person dies, he is oblivious to everything. He does not think of eating, dressing, sleeping or working; he does not need to do anything. Some people think this is the best. It may be the best; or, it may be the worst. What is the worst? Upon death, if you do good deeds, you will be born in the three good destinies; whereas, if you do evil deeds, you will be born in the three evil destinies, either in the hells, as hungry ghosts or as animals. Yesterday a few visitors came to the Buddha hall and I told them about the responsibilities of soldiers. What responsibilities? I said that amongst the military, there are Bodhisattvas and there are asuras. Bodhisattvas in the army teach and transform living beings so that living beings do not kill too many people; whereas, asuras in the army encourage people to kill more lives, the more the better. They feel that the more they kill, the mightier they appear and they earn the highest credit. On the contrary, Bodhisattvas tell people not to kill lives but to help the two opposing countries to coexist peacefully by resolving their problems amicably. They tell those in the military that doing this way will earn them the highest credit and they can become the highest ranking officials. I told these visitors that they must emulate the Bodhisattvas and not the asuras.

What are asuras? What are Bodhisattvas? In China, there were two generals. One was Guan Yu. He killed lots of people, but he became a Bodhisattva after his death. The other one was General Bai Qi of the Qin reign. He killed lots of people too, but he became an ox, a pig and a horse after his death. Why? It is because he dug a big hole and buried alive 200,000 soldiers who surrendered to him. He had the heart of an asura. On the contrary, Guan Yu killed only bad people; he didn’t kill good people. He eliminated the violent ones and brought peace to the kind ones. In the end, he became a Bodhisattva; whereas the other one became an ox, a horse, a pig, and a sheep.

We have an American friend who is in the navy. He asked me, “Do you believe people will become animals after death?” At the time I said, “It is fine whether or not you believe people become animals after death. If you ought to become an animal, you will become an animal whether you believe or not. You will become an animal if that is what you should be after death. Nothing can change that. Do the deeds of Buddhas and you are a Buddha; do the deeds of Bodhisattvas and you are a Bodhisattva; do the deeds of humans and you are a human being; do the deeds of ghosts and you are a ghost; do the deeds of animals and you are an animal. You are what you do. This is not about becoming something because you believed, or not becoming something because you do not believe. Whether you believe it or not, you will become what you ought to be.And, you will never become what you ought not be. This is not a matter of believing or not believing. One Chinese person said, “This idea is very lofty and profound. I will be coming to learn the Buddhadharma.”

Speaking of impending death, each of us should think about our own deaths. Before long, the Brahman woman’s mother died. We need to retrospect, “When will I die? Where will I go after death? Will I end up in the hells like the Brahman woman’s mother?” When we listen to the sutras, we should reflect on each part we hear. Do not let it go in one ear and out the other. That would be meaningless. Everyone will die. Neither believe what I said earlier about death being the best thing nor believe that death is the worst thing. Whether death is good or bad, people will eventually die. Do good and it will be good; do bad and it will be bad. Earlier I have said, “Plant good causes and reap good retributions; plant evil causes and reap evil retributions.”

The ancients had this to say,

Seeing the death of others,
my heart burns like fire.
It burns not for others,
but in anticipation of my turn.

When I see someone pass away, my heart is blazing hot like it is on fire. It is not burning for the death of others, but it makes me wonder how come he died? Soon it will be my turn. A few days ago, I said there are more births than deaths; nonetheless, death comes to each one of us in turn. Eventually, everyone will die. Hence, “Seeing the death of others, my heart burns like fire. It burns not for others, but in anticipation of my turn.” Since you are not afraid of death, then, die soon, or die now. Why did you not die?

It is not a matter of whether you are afraid to die or not, but whether you have a pleasant or unpleasant death. Unpleasant deaths result from catastrophes and disasters, e.g. getting hit by a car, plane casualties, boats going under water, train collisions. These are all unexpected. You didn’t want to die, but you did. These are accidents. Accidental deaths are unpleasant deaths. If you die at the moment you want to die, it is pleasant death. What if you do not want to die? You can cultivate for immortality.