(Continued from issue #307)
An Instructional talk by Venerable Master Hua in winter of 1979 at the City of Ten Thousand Buddha
Not only should we recite the Buddha’s name this way, we should also recite Sutras and mantras this way. In this state, we cannot indulge in idle thinking even if we want to. Cultivation is really not easy. Take a look at Guo Zhen (Master Heng Sure, who cultivates “three steps, one bow.”) Why did he make a vow not to drink milk? Because he knows how harmful milk is. As soon as he drinks milk, a bovine nature appears, and this bovine nature is more fearsome than a tiger.
As long as our diet isn’t deficient and our bodies are in balance, we don’t need to eat nutrient-dense food. If we do, we’ll have a lot of trouble. That is to say, “Too much is the same as too little.” Neither excess nor deficiency is good.
The deeds of living beings in the Saha World are full of greed, anger, and delusion. We pursue worldly matters with greed, anger, and delusion. We also use greed, anger, and delusion in cultivating world-transcending dharmas. As we cultivate, we have the greed for enlightenment. We sit in meditation for two and a half days and expect to be enlightened. We cultivate a Dharma for two and a half days and expect to gain spiritual powers. We recite the Buddha’s name for two and a half days and expect to have the Samadhi of Buddha Recitation. Look at how huge that greed is! These are the behaviors of a greedy ghost!
We should take cultivation as our basic duty. There’s no need to be greedy. Over time, our merit and virtue will naturally be perfected, and we’ll accomplish the fruition of Bodhi. It may be that we were due to accomplish it, but then we bit off more than we could chew. Eat one mouthful at a time. Stuffing too much food into our mouth at once leaves no room for chewing. How can we eat that way? We can neither chew nor swallow it. Eating is a very simple analogy. This is called “biting off more than you can chew.”
When we cultivate, we should regard it as if nothing special is going on. Do not be greedy. Do not speculate on the outcomes you want, i.e. I want to get enlightened; I want to get spiritual powers. It is not that quick. When farmers plant the seeds in the ground, they wait for the seeds to sprout. When the time is right, the sprouts will ripen. The ancients had a saying, “Grind an iron bar down to a sewing needle. When effort is duly applied, success will naturally come.” If you are not afraid of the tedious work, with time, the iron bar will naturally be grounded to a needle.
Hence, in cultivation of the Way, we must get rid of our faults. What are our faults? Liking to drink tea is a fault. Liking to drink milk is a fault. Liking to entertain idle thoughts is a fault. If you always crave comfort and ease, then your efforts will never elicit a response. If you don’t fear suffering, difficulty or fatigue, you’ll succeed in cultivation. Now I want to apologize to all of you here. You see, I like to crack jokes, so those of you who are overweight should not rush to go on a diet after listening to my advice on eating. If you do, you will be “adding a head on top of the head you already have,” and causing yourself much vexation!
(To be continued …)