Instructional talk given by Venerable Master Hua at noon on December 5, 1982 at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
When cultivating, you should be able to “pick it up” and “put it down”;be serious in what you’re doing.
People who are delighted in reciting the Buddha’s name join the 7-day Buddha Recitation Sessions. Those who like to investigate Chan attend the 7-day Chan Meditation Sessions. People who do not like to recite the Buddha’s name or sit in Chan meditation take part in the Lazy Session or the Sleep Session. The names “Lazy Session” and “Sleep Session” are very fresh, but there’s a lot to glimpse from.
Lazy Session: You are very lazy, but the fact is, you cannot afford to be lazy. You don’t do anything, but then your mind starts to work — generating random thoughts. Your random thoughts bring you to the heavens this instant, to the earth the next instant, to the hungry ghosts this instant, to the hells the next instant, to be among humans this instant, to be among gods the next instant. These random thoughts created the “transmigration machine” right within people’s mind. The mind starts up this machine, and it goes around and around. Originally, you wanted to be lazy, but instead you ended up wasting more of your brain power and energy. Then you become even more tired, which makes you even lazier, and you feel that everything is meaningless and boring.
Sleep Session: When you sleep, you dream. In your dreams, you may strike it rich this moment, poor the next moment; you may be a high official this moment, a beggar the next moment. Or you may dream of tigers and venomous snakes. In your dreams, you can’t even sleep well, so you can’t have a Sleep Session either.
This is a case of people not knowing how to apply effort, so no matter what they do, they feel it’s no good. People who know how to apply effort feel good in whatever they do. They enjoy investigating Chan and reciting the Buddha’s name. Even when they relax or go to sleep, they continue to apply effort.
At the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, there are five schools of practice: Chan School, Teaching School, Secret School, Vinaya School, and Pure Land School. You can choose to cultivate whichever you wish. You have a free choice, and you don’t have to feel embarrassed. If you want to be lazy and sleep, that’s good, too. If you’re lazy, you won’t go steal things, so you’re upholding the precepts. If you sleep, you won’t be killing people or taking life, so you’re also upholding the precepts. Whether you recite the Buddha’s name, investigate Chan, study the teachings, practice the Vinaya, or cultivate secret dharmas, you are upholding the precepts! Thus, when you study the Five Schools of Practice, you are holding the five precepts–no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no false speech, and no intoxicants. If you are working at cultivation, you won’t violate the precepts. Outwardly, you don’t appear to be upholding them, but you are in fact upholding them without trying to. You don’t call it “upholding precepts,” and yet, you are upholding them. Hence, applying effort this way is also very good.
As such, here in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, you have the freedom to choose your method of cultivation. No one will order you around. Since this is a democratic country, this Wayplace should be the most democratic of the democratic, and the freest of the free. So, whatever you want to cultivate is fine, as long as you are able to “pick it up” and “put it down” when you cultivate; be serious and single-minded in whatever you do. That’s the right way.
(To be continued …)