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Dear Shih Fu,
It's truly as you say, "The straight mind is the Bodhimanda." I remember when I took precepts, it was said that each precept brings with it five Dharma-protecting Spirits. As long as one holds the precepts, these spirits protect one. But if one breaks a precept, they retreat, leaving one wide open to attack from the retinue of demons. Why do things go wrong with our lives? Why do we meet with disasters and bad luck? It's just because of not following the rules, not keeping the precepts. When the mind is straight, one's Bodhimanda is secure and lucky. When the mind is crokked, the Bodhimanda meets hard times. The Bodhimanda is just our won bodies minds.
Out here, bowing, every time we break a rule or false things we get trouble. In the Avatamsaka Sutra it says:
As one thinks, so one receives in return.
This week, we really put our minds to working hard keeping the rules. It was very peaceful and natural. The car, supplies, weather, our health - all effortlessly worked out just right and went well. Then I attached to a pleasant state in meditation and felt, "Hey I've got something here." Within minutes, cars were honking and people were yelling at us. Strange people appeared, pale-looking and hungry for our light, wanting "to talk and rap." You see, after I got my state I got sloppy. I figured, "you don't have to start on time; relax, don't force it." So I got lazy and hung around the car making tea. Then I thought, "well, I'm still hungry and that half an apple should be eaten." So I ate it, even though we has ended the meal. I didn't protect the Bodhimanda but left it open to strange energies and hassles with my false thoughts and broken rules.
I realized that all disasters in the world begin this way. There is no boundary or fence for our thoughts. They are free to purify or pollute to the ends of empty space. If I kept the rules and purified my thoughts, it could have benefitted a lot of living beings and improved the world. The Bodhimanda begins with a single thought and our own persons, but it has no end. The self and the Dharma Realm are not two.
When we were in Hong Kong, the legation went to visit Western Bliss Gardens, a Bodhimanda the Master built years ago on the steep hills of that city. It is a very pure place. Even though Western Bliss Gardens is surrounded by urban noise, smog and pollution, as soon as you enter the gate, it's as quiet as mountain wilderness. The air is clean and the water that flows out of a rock is the purest I ever drank.
There's a Bodhi tree growing in a corner and I got the notion to pick a leaf from it to bring back to the U.s. and carry with is on our pilgrimage. Clearly this was just greed and climbing on conditions. While everyone was inside, I ran over to pick a leaf. But every time I reached for one, I couldn't touch it. It was as if I was being restrained. Not only that, but every time I found a perfect leaf - just the right shape and size, etc. - when I reached for it, the perfect leaf suddenly revealed a flaw or didn't look like one I wanted. This went on for about five minutes. Just as I finally found the leaf I wanted, when I toughed it, I felt all sorts of itching and stinging on my legs. My socks were full of ants! They were biting and crawling all over my legs. I ran out from under the tree and started jumping up and down, shaking off the ants and scratching the bites. The Master came out and someone said, "Come on, time to leave." I never got the leaf, but I got a good lesson: greed and self -seeking bring disasters; and, "everything is made from the mind alone." This Bodhimanda is created by pure thoughts, It's not outside.
In the midst of a Hong Kong slum is a peaceful and well-protected Way-place. In the midst of the pure and peaceful California coast and countryside we can encounter hassles, weird people and feel insecure. Why? Thoughts. A pure mind can turn any place into a pure place. A defiled mind can transform even the purest place into mud. If I want a peaceful and well-protected Bodhimanda, I should clean up my own mind and not try to steal it by picking other people's Bodhi trees.
Defiled and purity, It measureless kshetra-seeds Come about from living beings' thoughts; They are held up by the strength of Bodhisattvas. -- Avatamsaka Sutra
Peace in the Way,
Disciple Kuo T'ing (Heng Ch'au)
bows in respect.