(Continued from issue #295)
Instructional talk given by Venerable Master Hua
Some people say, “Living in this era, you ought to watch television to keep up with international news. Otherwise, you’ll be like a blind and deaf.” Well, so what if you know what’s happening out there? If you know what’s going on out there, when the time comes, will you still die or not?
Someone says, “Well, can cultivators really avoid death?” If you cultivate, when the time comes, you will still die. But when you die, you have a clear understanding of what’s going on, and you are certainly free from afflictions and worries. You will go peacefully. If you don’t cultivate, when the time comes you will still die. However, you will die in confusion, worried about this and thinking about that. Your mind will not be clear and pure, and you will die with anguish. That’s the difference. Do you understand now?
Let me tell you! When cultivators die, they are clear of their coming and going. They understand how they came and understand how they will go. They are very lucid and unconfused. They have not forgotten who they are. People who don’t cultivate are muddled when they come, and muddled when they go. They are muddled their entire life, not knowing why they have come and why they must go. They don’t know where they came from and where they’ll go. They have no idea at all.
The goal of leaving home is to end birth and death; it is not to enjoy oneself. Since you have left the home-life to cultivate the Way, why should you be greedy for material comforts? If you crave for material comforts, why did you leave the home-life? Hence, I propose that anyone who wants to live in a small temple all by himself, might as well return to lay-life. Why do I say that? It’s because returning to lay-life is much better than living alone in a small temple. That way, he won’t commit as many offenses. I hope everyone pay special attention to this point!
If a left-home person lives all by himself, most likely his aim is not to cultivate, but rather to hanker for offerings from people. I am sure there are people who don’t like to hear what I said. But I don’t care if they want to listen or not. Be it annoying to some people, but I’m saying this out of concern for the future of Buddhism. Let me repeat: any left-home person who is finicky about comfort does not have any skill in cultivation to speak of and is merely creating a false facade. I hope all of you fellow cultivators will mutually encourage and alert each other onward. Do not rashly tell lies or do things to fool yourselves.
(The End of the Article)