More than 2500 years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha already advised his disciples to treat the precepts as their teachers. It is disappointing to read of some people wearing monk robes and cheat devotees of their money and not practising the precepts. One has to bear in mind that Buddha didn't teach you to be rich. Buddha's core teachings are the Four Noble truths and karma. Sometimes I think karma teaches you about empathy as some people don't understand the impact their action has on others until someone treat them the same way. Cause and effect are real. Just a matter of time.
The Four Noble Truths are:
1) Suffering exists in everyone's life. They include dissatisfaction and impermanence.
2) The causes of suffering are greed, anger and ignorance.
3) Suffering ceases when craving and attachments are eliminated, achieving. Nirvana.
4) The way to end suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.((Right Views, Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Meditation.) Some people disagree with Right. If not Mindful or Moral( not hurt anyone).
Image from Buddha drama.
Now AI is on the trend. Let's see what AI share on Buddha and the precepts.
From AI:
Before entering Nirvana, the Buddha advised his disciples to treat the
precepts (sila) as their teacher, serving as a guide for ethical conduct in his absence. These guidelines—avoiding harming, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants—are not mere restrictions, but tools for cultivating wisdom, compassion, and mental clarity.
Key Aspects of the Precepts
A Guide for Conduct: The precepts (Sila) are considered the foundation of spiritual practice, helping to avoid mistakes and cultivate a harmonious life.
The Five Precepts (For Laypeople):
Refrain from taking life: Promoting compassion and respecting all beings.
Refrain from stealing: Promoting honesty and respecting property.
Refrain from sexual misconduct: Promoting respect and trust.
Refrain from lying: Promoting truthful speech.
Refrain from intoxicants: Maintaining a clear mind to avoid negligence.
Significance: Following these principles helps to break free from greed, reduce desires, and protect oneself from negative karma. They are viewed as a "hook" to remove the "poisonous snake" of afflictions, such as anger and desire, from the mind.
I like to watch movies relating to Buddhism as I get to learn wisdom from Buddha's teaching. This is a movie on Bodhidharma. The director of this movie became a monk after directing this film. Amituofo 阿弥陀佛.
Ajahn Keng, a Singaporean monk who was ordained in Thailand shared about the karma faced by a monk in Thailand who stole temple money. The monk suffered in the lower realm and he was only reincarnated after his daughter apologised to the other monks. It's your choice to believe the talk. Just take note just because you can't see beyond the physical realm doesn't mean others cannot. In Singapore, a monk who took temple fund was discovered and served his time for fraud and misappropriation of funds.
Karma is real and truth will be revealed ultimately. Just do good and there be good results and do bad, there be consequences. Corrupted people who abused temple money must face the consequences. Do take note that real monks do not accept money during alms round. They only accept food.
Craving and grasping increases attachment and therefore forms the karmic force that will bring human to the next life in the cycle of birth, aging and death.
This book, The Boy Who Saw Truth that I read recently reminded me of the 12 links of dependent origination taught by Shakyamuni Buddha. I hope you find this sharing from this book and another post on 12 links of dependent arising useful in your spiritual path.
Various Hong Kong celebrities like Jacky Cheung, Jacky Chan and Aaron Kwok and many others sang the Heart Sutra in Cantonese in 1999 to raise funds for Taiwan earthquake.
In this post, I translated meaningful part of this drama on the life of the 6th Patriarch of Chan, the Venerable Huineng as I find that Venerable Huineng explanation of Diamond Sutra is helpful. I find that after reading Buddha's teaching, I don't worry as why waste time worrying over something that is illusion in this transient life in this temporary body? Once you know your true mind, you don't get attached to external transient things. Just let go and your mind is at ease.
Please highlight to me if there is error in translating.
Venerable Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan (February 27, 638 – August 28, 713) was said to attain awakening when he heard a verse from the Diamond Sutra 应无所住而生其心. Without abiding anything, give rise to the pure mind. In my understanding, not abiding, means not attaching or thinking about it. Just let go of things that bother you.
When the Fifth Patriarch of Chan Venerable Hong Ren explained to him the Diamond sutra. Venerable Hui Neng was "suddenly and completely enlightened, and he understood that all things exist in self-nature.
凡所有相，皆为虚妄
因为一切形相都是因缘和合而成
随缘而生，随缘而灭
菩提本无相，相乃人心中之物
心中有相，就可以将菩提本性遮蔽
All appearances are illusion
Because all forms are formed by the combination of cause and effect
Arises with fate, extinguishes with fate
Bodhi has no form, and form is in the human mind
If the mind has form, one can conceal the nature of Bodhi
应无所住而生其心，Without abiding anything, give rise to the pure true mind
云何应住，云何降伏其心 When does the cloud abide, how does the cloud calm the mind
佛说应无所住而生其心 Buddha said without abiding in forms, arises the mind
即是说心即是佛,佛即是心 Meaning Pure Mind is Buddha and Buddha is Pure Mind.
他做了一首偈子Venerable Huineng came up with the following stanza when he understood the verse. I think true mind, is our consciousness.
何其自性本自清净！What is true mind, it is intrinsically pure (not perturbed)
何其自性本不生灭！What is true mind, it is neither born nor extinguish
何其自性本自具足！What is true mind, it is self-sufficient
何其自性能生万法！What is true mind, it can produces immeasurable dharma/ideas
From the Diamond Sutra
Subhuti, all great bodhisattvas should give rise to purity of mind in this way: they should not give rise to a mind that abides in form; they should not give rise to a mind that abides in sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. They should give rise to a mind that does not abide in anything.
Subhuti, a bodhisattva should turn away from all notions, and initiate the mind of anuttara samyaksambodhi. He should not give rise to a mind abiding in form, and he should not give rise to a mind abiding in sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. He should give rise to a mind that does not abide in anything.
When we contemplate the following verses from the Diamond Sutra, your mind should not be affected by forms which are transient, dependent on causes and conditions.
一切有为法，如梦幻泡影，如露亦如电，应作如是观
“All conditioned phenomena Are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows, Like dew and lightning. One should contemplate them in this way. “
All phenomena appear in the world is a combination of causes and conditions that is temporary by nature. It will pass. There is no permanent nature to form which is subjected to change due to causes and conditions, thus it is illusory. Thus why be sad over something that is illusory. Just let it go and not be attached to it.
A lot of suffering comes from the mind which is influenced by forms like sight, hearing, touch, taste or perception. When someone criticised us, we get upset, when someone own something we don’t have, we want it. We are always influenced by the three poison, greed, anger and delusion.
From the book, Miracles Happen: The Transformational Healing by Dr Brian Weiss, “ Chinese philosopher Hui-neng (6thpatriarch of Chan Buddhism/Zen) wrote, “When we are free from attachment to all outer objects, the mind will be in peace. Our essence of mind is intrinsically pure, and the reason why we are perturbed is because we allow ourselves to be carried by the circumstances we are in. He who is able to keep his mind unperturbed (calm), irrespective of circumstances has attained enlightenment. “
A woman who went through a near-death experience shared,” I realized that life is like a dream”. She wrote, “ When you are born, you wake up into mortality in this physical body. When your physical body dies, you return to immortality.”
I realised what is 无我 no-self as our consciousness or mind changes identity in various body forms in our many reincarnations. Thus there is no permanent self-identity. Do not cling to anger and just let go.
Episode 8, From 18:30, the Sixth Patriarch Hui met Fifth Patriarch Hong Ren.
From Miracles Happen: The Transformational Healing by Dr Brian Weiss,
