Issue 308

What are the advantages of samadhi? Basically, it has no advantages. However, people who aim to obtain wisdom need to cultivate samadhi. Without samadhi, there is no wisdom. When your mind is scattered, you do not have concentration; without concentration, you do not have wisdom. Wisdom comes from samadhi. If you want to be free from delusion, you need to cultivate samadhi.

Now let me introduce someone who said that when meditating he felt as if he were on the edge of a great precipice, on the edge of a very deep abyss, and was frightened. This is an initial indicator of wanting to develop samadhi. Here one must be particularly fearless. I will take this opportunity today to talk about it. Didn’t I mention this before? If you are meditating and you feel that there is a great slab of iron suspended above your head on the verge of breaking loose, or if you feel a bomb is about to go off, do not be affected by it, because if you do, it will be quite easy to enter the realm of the demons. If you become attached to such phenomena, the ‘atomic bomb’ you feel over your head may very well go off. If, on the other hand, you pay no attention to them, demons cannot come near you, and in fact they will have to run away. The mental state in which a huge crevasse appears while you are in meditation represents your karmic obstacles, which are heavier and deeper than a ten-thousand-foot abyss. Now that you know how heavy your karmic obstacles are, you should be urged to quickly cultivate the Way and not be fearful.

Sometimes, when you sit in meditation, you may feel very at-ease. It is an indescribable and ineffable state of being ‘at ease, at ease and truly at ease’. When you reach this state, you are so joyful that you forget everything else. This is a taste of dhyana, the most blissful experience in the world of form, which far surpasses connubial pleasures or pleasures from taking intoxicants. That’s why it is said that the state of ‘at ease, at ease and truly at ease’ is indescribable. It is compared to drinking water or tea. Only the one who drinks it knows whether it is cold or hot. The same principle holds true of the flavor of dhyana.

If you have experienced this state, you know what it is like. You can tell what stage or level someone has reached as soon as they describe it, such as when one is about to reach the Ground of Joy from Leaving Birth, one of the Four Dhyanas. Nonetheless, this is an ordinary state so don’t make a big deal of it. Anyone who cultivates sincerely can attain this. That kind of bliss is incomparable. It is called Ground of Joy from Leaving Birth because one is about to leave afflictions and obtain bliss. This is one form of samadhi.

What is the use of wisdom? With wisdom, one will not go down the wrong road. Why are you so upside-down, and take suffering as bliss? It’s because you turn your back on enlightenment and unite with the six defilements. Why did you do that? It’s because you do not have wisdom. Indeed, fools mistake suffering as bliss. This is most stupid.

You must diligently cultivate morality, samadhi, and wisdom. You do not need to listen to too many sutra lectures. Just this one word, “diligence”, is enough to draw upon endlessly. Diligently cultivate morality. Diligently cultivate samadhi. Diligently cultivate wisdom. You must cultivate to acquire these. Without cultivation, you will not acquire morality, samadhi and wisdom. You must listen to your master and follow his teaching.

Also, you must put greed, hatred and delusion to rest. Did I not say resting is laziness? Why? Because laziness means stopping what you’re doing and resting. So, doesn’t resting imply laziness? Resting shows laziness, which puts a stop to what you’re doing. But this resting is about putting greed, hatred and delusion to rest. Ah! Greed has stopped. Hatred has stopped. Delusion has stopped. When greed is put to rest, you are not greedy for any materialistic pleasures and everything else. When hatred is put to rest, you do not get angry. You do not flare up. Give away your hot temper. To whom? To me, to your master. A master needs a huge fiery temper to scare his disciples into cultivation. Disciples are not afraid of a master as soft as cotton; hence they do not cultivate and become lazy.

The above are the various meanings on how Shramanas should diligently cultivate precepts, samadhi and wisdom, and put greed, hatred, and delusion to rest.

There are beings who pretend to be Shramanas but in their minds are not Shramanas.  They are phony and not genuine. In their hearts, they do not walk the path of shramanas. Not only do they not practice morality, samadhi, and wisdom; they do not put an end to greed, anger, and delusion as well. They said the more greed, anger, and delusion they have, the better; and best of all to completely forget morality, samadhi, and wisdom. They pretend to be shramanas. They are phony shramanas who do not practice kindness, compassion, patience, the Six Perfections and the Myriad Practices. They purposely preclude things that Shramanas do. So, what do they do?

Destroy the things of the Eternally Dwelling. Items belonging to the Triple Jewel, even small ones, cannot be wasted or casually ruined. Even though it is only a piece of paper, add it up and one turns into many. Even if you casually damage just one sheet of paper, you destroy the things of the Eternally Dwelling. There is a saying, “Do not take even a blade of grass or a splinter of wood without permission.” Taking without permission is stealing. Do not use other people’s things without prior consent of the owner; otherwise, that counts as stealing. Doing so is a violation of the precept against stealing.

‘A needle and a thread are also offerings.’ Even simple things such as a needle and a thread given to you count as an offering. All offerings are considered as properties of the Eternally Dwelling. They may not be used carelessly and most certainly may not be given away. Even monastics cannot give away things belonging to the temple. You may give away your personal belongings, such as a piece of clothing that you no longer wear. However, communal items, even something as minute as a piece of thread, cannot be casually given away to win friends. It is wrong to ingratiate with people to make them feel obliged to aid and support you.

Monastics must pay particular attention to this. Destroying the things of the Eternally Dwelling applies not only to a large quantity of items; even giving away a sheet of paper, a piece of thread, or even a grain of rice count. When you give away anything that belongs to the temple, based on your personal feeling, you are destroying the things of the Eternally Dwelling. Even monastics should not give away communal items, even just a stick of incense. You can only give away your own personal items.

Those who deceive and lie to lay people, who go against, or violate, precepts such as the Five Precepts, the Ten Precepts, the Ten Major and 48 Minor Precepts, or the 250 Precepts. And who commit many other, not just one, but unimaginable evil deeds will fall into Relentless Hell where for thousands of billions of eons they will seek escape in vain. Generally speaking, many other evil deeds include every single evil deed/offense committed.

Beings who steal the wealth and property of the Eternally Dwelling, including grains, food and drink, and clothing, or who take anything at all that was not given to them, will fall into the Relentless Hell where for thousands of billions of eons they will seek escape in vain.

If there were beings who steal the wealth and property of the Eternally Dwelling. What do they steal? Money, grains, food and drink, or clothing that belongs to the Eternally Dwelling. In the past, there’s a great Bodhisattva who made the vow, “If there are people who committed the Five Rebellious Acts, the Four Heavy Offenses, or the Ten Evil Deeds, I can save them. For those who have killed as many as 84,000 of their parents or those who have committed such heavy offenses, I can also save them. Using the power of my vow, I will certainly rescue them from the hells. However, if they steal from the Eternally Dwelling, whether it be a blade of grass or a splinter of wood, I cannot save them because there is no way for me to save them. If they steal food and drink, monetary goods, or even just a grain of rice from the temple, I cannot and will not save them.” A Bodhisattva made such a vow.

So, stealing from the Eternally Dwelling is the gravest offense. As Buddhists, we must be very clear on this point. Without permission from the monastery, do not take anything, be it items of value, grains, or food and drink. Do not take anything that was not given to you. If you do so, you will fall into Relentless Hell where for thousands of billions of eons [you] will seek escape in vain.