Five Precepts 《For The Sake Of All Beings》

247. I met with Zhangjia Living Buddha once a week. He often reminded me, either intentionally or unintentionally, “Precepts are very important.” After he passed away, I stayed by the crematory that was built especially for his cremation for three days. During those three days and nights, I kept thinking about what he had taught me for the three years that I studied with him.
Surprisingly, what made the deepest impression was “Precepts are very important.” I could not figure out why but thought that there must be a reason for Master Zhangjia to keep telling me to pay attention to precepts. So I studied precepts. And then I realized that worldly rules needed to be constantly amended to suit the people of that time period. Precepts are supramundane rules, not worldly rules. If you want to transcend this world, the Six Paths, and the Ten Realms, you have to abide by precepts. AS

248. Precepts are rules that all Buddhas and bodhisattvas abide by in their cultivation over countless lifetimes. They are rules for transcending the Six Paths and the Ten Realms, not worldly rules for daily life. That is why they cannot be changed, the Five Precepts in particular. Do you think that the Five Precepts can be changed? Is no killing wrong? How about no stealing, no sexual misconducts, no lying, and no drinking? They cannot be changed. They are major precepts by principle and indeed transcend time and space. AS

249. The Five Precepts are no killing, stealing, committing sexual misconduct, lying, and taking intoxicants. The first four offenses are physical transgressions of the true nature. Whether or not we have taken the precepts, it is wrong to commit these acts. But for one who has formally taken the Five Precepts, this will be considered as committing a double violation. 
Taking intoxicants is different. A person who has not taken the precepts is not guilty when drinking, however, a person who has taken the precepts and then drinks will have broken this precept. The purpose of refraining from intoxicants is to prevent us from committing the first four transgressions while under the influence; therefore, intoxicants in themselves are not wrong. This is an example of why we need to understand the purpose of the Buddha’s precept setting, its function, and its benefit. BACW

250. The Buddha taught the basic Five Precepts and the first of these is the first of the Ten Good Karmas: do not kill. Continuing to kill is to completely disregard his teachings and is an ultimate act of disrespect. This disrespect is tantamount to being unfilial to our parents. Consequently, if we ignore these instructions and kill, we are neither compassionate nor filial. BACW

251. When we practice adhering to the precepts, the most important point is to follow their fundamental spirit; “Do nothing that is bad: do everything that is good.” Doing nothing bad is a Theravada precept directed toward us and is to be followed conscientiously in order to develop self-discipline. The Chinese call this “Attending to one’s own moral wellbeing even while alone.” When we practice self-discipline, we need to remain true to the precepts, even when no one is around. “To do all that is good” is for the benefit of all beings and is a bodhisattva precept that teaches us how to interact with others. Precepts are the criteria for distinguishing between good and bad. BACW

252. Some people have complained that there are too many precepts, that it is too easy to violate them, and thus, they abandon abiding by them. This is why most people prefer reading or listening to talks about the sutras while avoiding those on precepts. We need to remember that precepts guide us in our behavior and are the proper conduct of all Buddhas. If there were no precepts, there would be no Buddhism. If there were no courtesies, there would be no Confucianism. Merely reciting the sutras without practicing their teachings will result in our not receiving any of their benefits. BACW

253. A good illustration [of living a simple life] is my late teacher, Mr. Li Bingnan, who lived a simple yet happy life. For decades, he only ate one meal a day, but, whenever he was invited out for dinner, he accepted. On several occasions, he invited me to accompany him. Since I had been practicing the precept of not eating after noontime for years, I felt very uncomfortable when being invited. 
Mr. Li simply said, “Come with me! Come with me!” Later he explained: ”With this attachment, you will not be able to help people because if you intend to help them, you must help them to be happy. Eating this dinner is not violating the precepts but lifting them. They invited you with good intentions. If you reject their invitations, they will think you are closed to reason. Then, they will not only reject Buddhism; but, will also say that we practitioners are arrogant and look down upon others. They may also urge others to avoid Buddhists. So, you could ruin the opportunity of an untold number of people to learn of Buddhism. This will result in the creation of negative karma for you.” 
Therefore, he was not violating the precepts but was instead simply lifting them for this meant making others happy, helping them to learn of Buddhism as well as according with conditions. . . .We can see from this that Buddhism is flexible. BACW

related post:  Paramitas

Source Of Information: 
 《For The Sake of All Beings》，from the works of Venerable Master Chin Kung, published in 2012 by Pure Land College Press (email: purelandpress@gmail.com), translations by Silent Voices and the Pure Land Translation Team, edited by Venerable Wuling, distributed by Amitabha Buddhist Society Malaysia (92, Jalan Pahang, 53300 Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
*** No content of this post shall be altered without written permission from the publisher. Reprinting is allowed for non-profit use.
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.

Three Refuges

243. When we take refuge in the Three Jewels, we first return to and rely upon the Buddha. For uncountable eons, we have been wandering helplessly and miserably in the six realms. Now we have met a good teacher who shows us that we need to return from our delusion and erroneous thinking, and to rely upon the awakening of our true nature that was originally awakened. So, the Buddha that we rely upon is not to be found outside of ourselves but is innate to our true nature. BACW

244. Taking refuge in the Buddha means being awakened and not deluded. Taking refuge in the Dharma means being proper and not deviated. Taking refuge in the Sangha means being pure and not polluted. These are the Three Jewels of True Nature for our practice: awakening, proper understanding, and purity. From now on, we need to forget our past and return to and rely upon these Three Jewels and use them to correct our thoughts, speech, and behavior. BACW

245. Once we attain enlightenment, we attain everything. Therefore, no matter which method we choose, the key to success is concentration on one method. So long as we adhere to our chosen method, we will achieve deep concentration, attain wisdom, and uncover the True Nature of Great Perfection. 
From all of this, we can see how important the Triple Jewels are to us, for monks and nuns are the treasure of the Sangha. We need to respect all of them. We can learn from the good ones, as well as from those who do not follow the rules and guidelines. We emulate the former and use the latter to serve as negative examples. 
If we fail to understand that taking refuge in the Three Jewels does not mean following a certain person, then there will be the most serious of consequences, as we will fall into Avici Hell. Why? There is only one Sangha in the universe and the Sangha in our world is a part of this whole. If we take refuge in and follow only one individual monk or nun, regard that person as our only teacher, and refuse to respect others, we will be “splitting and sowing discord among the group.” This is the fifth of the Five Deadly Offenses. The first four are patricide, matricide, intentionally causing a Buddha to bleed, killing a bodhisattva or an arhat. Thus, it would be even worse to choose only a certain monk or nun for refuge than not to take refuge at all. 
Furthermore, we only need to take refuge once. It does not accomplish anything to take refuge from one person this time and then from another later. We may think that we can get much more protection if we follow many monks and nuns. But as the saying goes: “A clay idol crossing a river cannot even protect himself.” Nobody can protect us. Only when we take refuge in the Three Jewels of True Nature, can we protect ourselves. BACW

246. The Three Jewels in our true nature are awakening, correct understanding and purity. The Buddha signifies the awakening of our true nature, the Dharma signifies the correct understanding of our true nature, and the Sangha signifies purity of our true nature. We should be respectful to them. Everyday, in our every thought we should ask ourselves if we are awakened? Do we have correct understanding? Are our thoughts and views correct? Are our minds pure? The purpose of dwelling in and upholding the Three Jewels is to constantly remind us of the Three Jewels of True Nature. EILS

related post:  Five Precepts

Source Of Information: 
 《For The Sake of All Beings》，from the works of Venerable Master Chin Kung, published in 2012 by Pure Land College Press (email: purelandpress@gmail.com), translations by Silent Voices and the Pure Land Translation Team, edited by Venerable Wuling, distributed by Amitabha Buddhist Society Malaysia (92, Jalan Pahang, 53300 Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
*** No content of this post shall be altered without written permission from the publisher. Reprinting is allowed for non-profit use.
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.

Three Learnings 《For The Sake Of All Beings》

236. In order for us to resolve disasters, the ultimate method is to “cultivate precepts, meditative concentration, and wisdom; cease creating and destroy greed, anger, and ignorance.” All forms of prayers, although effective, are not the final solution. Only by universally spreading the teachings of morality, virtue, and causality, can we ultimately transform people’s minds and help to solve all the complex problems on Earth. REN

237. When the Buddha taught all beings, his aim was for people to achieve the Three Learnings of precepts, meditative concentration, and wisdom. Abiding by the precepts leads to the achievement of meditative concentration. And from meditative concentration, wisdom arises. Meditative concentration is pivotal to one’s learning and cultivation of Buddhism. Abiding by the precepts is the means to achieve meditative concentration. Meditative concentration is the means to uncover wisdom. Uncovering wisdom is the true objective because only wisdom can help us solve all problems. EILS

238. Buddhism teaches us to work to eliminate greed, hatred, and ignorance; to abide by precepts, practice meditative concentration and wisdom; to eliminate all the conflicts within ourselves against all people and environment; to let go of all selfish thoughts; and to only consider the needs of others. If we can truly learn this principle, we are “seeing through” to the truth. But we need to start by putting these teachings into real practice by completely letting go of all greed, anger, ignorance, and arrogance; eradicating all evil and practicing all good deeds; and practicing giving and patience. Doing so we will accumulate merit and virtue. WPH

239. When the Buddha was in our world, he was joyful and open-minded, whether taking part in daily life or teaching and it was this joy and energy that attracted people and helped them to accept Buddhadharma. Buddhadharma is not meant to bind us, but to benefit all beings by bringing them joy and happiness. The formation of the precepts was to show us the right path to attain a happy and fulfilling life. BACW

240. What are the sufferings of the sentient beings in our current age? The first is committing the wrongdoings of the Ten Evil Karmas. The Buddha taught us the First Learning of precepts to overcome these. The second suffering is the inability to remain serene and at peace. The Buddha taught us the Second Learning of meditative concentration to achieve purity of mind and tranquility. The third suffering is ignorance. The Buddha taught us the Third Learning of wisdom to overcome our current state of ignorance. BACW

241. The Buddha told us that if we can abide by the precepts and laws, we would have a tranquil body and mind that will enable us to be free from worries and fears. Since, deep concentration arises from tranquility, the precepts are essential to self-cultivation. If we break the law or the precepts, then our consciences will be plagued by guilt even we are not punished. Moreover, even if we avoid worldly retributions, there is no way to avoid our karmic retributions. When the body and mind are disturbed, we cannot concentrate on our practice and to practice successfully, we need to be tranquil. It is said, “Precepts or self-discipline lead to deep concentration, from which wisdom arises.” BACW

242. Once we have developed a pure and quiet mind, and have attained wisdom, we can begin to broaden our knowledge. We can see, hear, and learn of anything that we are interested in, for now we have attained wisdom and will not be affected by our surroundings. Since we have self-control, the more we see and hear the wiser we will become, and the greater our strength from deep concentration will be. How are deep concentration and wisdom increased? Remaining unmoved by surroundings will enhance deep concentration. Developing a clear and understanding mind will enhance wisdom. Then we can learn from other schools to enhance our deep concentration and wisdom. First, we practice precepts, concentration, and wisdom to attain our original wisdom. Then we can learn extensively to perfect our acquired wisdom. This is the way of learning from ancient times. BACW

related post:  Three Refuges

Source Of Information: 
 《For The Sake of All Beings》，from the works of Venerable Master Chin Kung, published in 2012 by Pure Land College Press (email: purelandpress@gmail.com), translations by Silent Voices and the Pure Land Translation Team, edited by Venerable Wuling, distributed by Amitabha Buddhist Society Malaysia (92, Jalan Pahang, 53300 Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
*** No content of this post shall be altered without written permission from the publisher. Reprinting is allowed for non-profit use.
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.