Recently I was wondering if I should pursue a matter or just let it go as what many of my acquaintances asked me to.
After watching this video, I know the decision I made is right as it is the right thing to do.
What is the difference between attachment and adhering to our principles.
Attachment means you can't let go of how someone treat you or self-centred concern. Adhering to principles mean doing the right thing, righting the wrong.
Adhering to one's principles is not the same as attachment. Adhering to our principles amidst temptations and difficulties is a positive force for improvement. Attachment is self-centered concern about fame and gain, which keeps us bogged in delusion.
The Dharma is beneficial and important to our life, but many are unable to accept it or practice well due to the hindrances of afflictions, work, or karmic retributions. We should strive to overcome them. Only after removing these obstacles can one practice smoothly.
Thus ‚Ananda and the assembly listened to the compassionate Buddha's unsurpassed sermon and gatha whose profound meanings were so enlightening and penetrating, that their mental eyes were opened; they praised what they had never seen before. Ananda then brought his palms together, prostrated and said: "I have today listened to the Buddha's compassionate teaching which revealed the pure, subtle and permanent Reality of the (self-) nature, but I am still not clear about how to untie the (six) knots one after the other and what you meant by when the six knots are undone the one also vanishes. Will you again take pity on this assembly and
future generations and teach us in order to wash our defilements away?"
The Buddha who was on his lion-seat,adjusted his
inner garments and outer robe and took from the teapoy a
piece of beautiful cloth which the Yama deva had given
Him. Then in the presence of the assembly, He tied a knot
and showed it to Ananda, asking: "What is this? Ananda and
the others replied: "It is a knot." The Buddha then tied another knot and asked: "What is this?"They all replied: This also
is a knot.The Buddha tied four more knots, showing each
to ‚Ananda and asking: "What is this?" They all replied that
each was a knot.
The Buddha said to Ananda: ëWhen I first tied this cloth,
you called it a knot. There is only one piece of cloth but why
did you call the second and third ties also knots? Ananda replied: "World Honoured One, although there is only one
piece of cloth, if you tie it once, there will be a knot and if you
tie it a hundred times, there will be a hundred knots. But this
cloth has only six knots because you only tied it six times. Why do you agree to my calling the first tie a knot and disagree to the second and third ones also being called knots," The Buddha said: Ananda, originally there was only one piece of cloth but when I tied it six times, there were six knots. As you see it, the length of cloth was the same before but is now different with its six knots. The first knot I tied was called the first one and altogether I tied six of them, do you
think that the sixth one can be called the first knot?" Ananda
replied: "No, World Honoured One, so long as there are six
knots, the last one is the sixth and cannot be called the first.
Even if I discuss this for the rest of my life, how can I number
these six knots in the wrong order?"
The Buddha said: "It is so; these six knots are different
but come from one length of cloth and you cannot reverse
their order. It is the same with your six sense organs which,
though coming from the same (source), are manifestly different. ‚Ananda, clearly you object to the six knots and prefer
one (piece of cloth) but how can you obtain it?", Ananda replied: "If these six knots remain, concepts of right and wrong
will arise in great confusion, with (such things as) this knot is
not that one and that knot is not this one. World Honoured
One, if all the knots were untied, there would remain nothing, with complete elimination of thisness and thatness: then
in the absence of even one, how can there be six?" The Buddha said: "Likewise, when the six knots are untied, the one also vanishes. It is because of confusion in your
mad mind since the time without beginning that your intellect
gives rise to illusions, the unceasing creation of which disturbs your seeing and causes it to perceive objects in the
same way that troubled eyes see dancing flowers. Hence in
the clear and bright (Reality) arise without any cause all
worldly phenomena such as mountains, rivers, the great
earth, samsara and nirvana which are but dancing flowers
(created by) confusion, trouble (passions) and inversion."
Ananda asked: "How can one untie these knots created
by trouble and confusion
Then the Buddha held (up) the piece of cloth, pulled its
left end and asked: "Can it be untied in this way?" Ananda replied: "No, World Honoured One." The Buddha then pulled
the right end and asked: "Can it be untied in this way?" Ananda replied: "No, World Honoured One." The Buddha
said: "I have pulled both ends of the cloth but have been
unable to untie the knots. What will you do now?" Ananda
replied: "World Honoured One, (each) knot should be untied
in its center (heart)." The Buddha said: "Correct, Ananda,
correct. A knot should be untied from its heart. Ananda, the
Buddha Dharma which I expound manifests due to causes
and is beyond those coarse forms that come from worldly
(concepts of) mixtures and unions. When the Buddha re-veals the mundane and supramundane, He knows their chief
causes and concurrent conditions. He is even clear about the
number of drops of rain in a place as many miles away from
here as there are sand grains in the Ganges, as well as why
pine trees arc straight and brambles crooked, geese white
and crows black. Therefore, Ananda, choose one organ from
the six, and if its knot is untied, all objects of sense will vanish
of themselves. When all illusions disappear, if this is not
Reality, what more do you expect? Ananda, tell me now if
the six knots of this cloth can be untied simultaneously." Ananda replied: "No, World Honoured One, because
they were originally tied one after the other and should be
untied in the same order. Although they are in the same
piece of cloth, they were not tied simultaneously; how can
they now be untied all at once?í
The Buddha said: "Your six organs should be disengaged in the same way. When you begin to disentangle them,
you will realize that the ego is void. When this voidness is perfectly clear, you will realize that all dharma (phenomena) are
void. When you are disengaged from dharma, the voidness
(of ego and dharma) will vanish.This is called the Patient
Endurance of the Uncreate achieved by means of Samadhi
in the Bodhisattva stage." After ‚Ananda and the assembly had heard the
Buddhaís teaching, their understanding was clear and free
from doubt and suspicion. ‚Ananda brought his palms together, prostrated himself and said: "Today our bodies and minds
are clear, at ease and unhindered. Though I have under-
stood what you mean by the disappearance of (both) one
and six, I am still unable to perfect my sense organs. World
Honoured One, I am like a lonely wanderer and a hapless or-
phan. How fortunate have I been to meet the Buddha and
to be His relative, like a hungry baby who suddenly meets its
suckling mother. This gives me a chance to attain the holy
goal, but although I have listened to His profound words, I
am still unawakened as if I had not heard them. Will you
please reveal to me the Ultimate Approach (by means of the
appropriate organ)?
After saying this, he prostrated himself and concentrated
on his inner potentiality to receive the profound instruction.
Thereat the World Honoured One said to the great
Bodhisattvas and chief Arhats in the assembly: "I want to ask
you, Bodhisattvas and Arhats who have practised my
Dharma and have reached the state beyond study, this question: "When you developed your minds to awaken to the
eighteen fields of sense, which one did you regard as the best
means of perfection and by what methods did you enter the
state of Samadhi?"
Recently I watched the hilarious movie Monkey King 3 which is the story of how Master Xuan Tsang faced a dilemma. He fell in love with the leader of Womanland and was wavering in his quest to the Western to seek Buddhist scriptures to deliver all sentient beings. He had to choose his love for one woman or the love of all sentient beings.
So far I really enjoy all the Journey to the West movies as they are hilarious like comedy movies but at the same time educational and share Buddhist teachings which I like. I'm looking forward to the next Journey to the West movie. From Wikipedia The Monkey King 3 is a 2018 Chinese fantasy filmbased on the classic novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en1505–1580. This novel is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.
I learned a lot from Master Sheng Yen, a Chan Buddhist monk from Taiwan last year via youtube videos. I realised I actually took a small booklet titled 108 adages of wisdom in 2013 at Taiwan Taoyuan airport but at that time I didn't know about him. I still have this small booklet. It's good to remind me not to be arrogant. I need to be more humble and be mindful before I talk. The following quotes by Master Sheng Yen stuck a chord with me. The four steps in dealing with any problem: face it, accept it, deal with it, let it go. 面对它， 接受它， 处理它，放下它。 Face whatever is in front of you, act with wisdom, treat people with compassion; forget benefit, harm, gain, and loss, and vexations will diminish.
A bright person is not necessarily wise; a dull person not necessarily foolish. Wisdom is not the same as knowledge; it lies in how you treat others and handle yourself. Life's ups and downs are the stuff of growth and development.
Compassion has no enemies; wisdom, no vexations. Let the measure of your heart be great; the size of your ego, small. Accomplish your own ends by honoring others; reconcile hostility with respect to others; increase harmony with praise of others. The essence of possession and giving is love , but, one benefits the self, the second benefits others. Possession is self craving; giving stems from a great love that is selfless, joyful, and equanimous. The meaning of life lies in constant learning and dedication; helping others leads to self-growth.
"Without abiding anywhere, give rise to the mind" 应无所住，而生其心。The Sixth Patriarch, the Great Master Huineng, heard
that sentence and awakened to the Way. “Any dwelling of the
heart is no dwelling." Therefore the Larger Chapters say, “If
one dwells in dharmas, he does not dwell in prajnà pàramità.
If one does not dwell in dharmas, he dwells in prajnà pàramità." That is why every one of the Great Prajà assemblies begins
with an explanation of “not dwelling."
Almost every Chinese New Year, there will be a new Journey to the West (西游记) movie launch. This year, it features one of Hong Kong popular actor/singer Aaron Kwok as the Monkey King who together with Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing and a white horse (dragon prince), escorted Master Hsuan Tsang on his journey from China to India for Buddhist Scriptures. Since young, I enjoy watching mainland production Journey to the West drama/movies. In the show, I learned many values and Buddha's teaching and how they overcame the many trials and tribulations to achieve the Buddhist scriptures.
The truth is Master Hsuan Tsang (602- 664) did spend seventeen-year to India for the Buddhist scriptures during the Tang Dynasty which is recorded in detail in the classic Chinese text Great Tang Records on the Western Regions.The Chinese novel Journey to the West, written by Wu Cheng'en during the Ming dynasty, around nine hundred years after Hsuan Tsang's death. This novel has 100 chapters so there are still many movies possibilities.
Tripiñaka Master Hsuan Tsang, translated many Buddhist sutras from Sanskrit into Chinese in
the Tang Dynasty at Ta Hsing Shan Monastery with the aid of more than one
thousand bhikùus and over two thousand laymen. Ta Hsing Shan was not a small
place. From the Abbot’s room to the front gate was a distance of over three
miles and the monk in charge of opening and shutting the front gate usually
rode a horse in order to cover the distance in a reasonable length of time.
Being so large, the monastery easily accommodated the three to four thousand
people involved in the work of translation. (from http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/prajparagen2.pdf)
During the year the Great Prajnà Sutra was translated,
the peach trees blossomed six times. That auspicious occurrence testified to the
importance of the Prajnà Sutra. It is also widely known that the flower
spirits and the grass and tree spirits all came to protect the wonderful Dharma
assembly
