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September 10, 1979
Boonville Road
Dear Shih Fu,
The bodhisattva vows that all beings dwell peacefully in purified Buddahlands …that they dwell in the ultimate path and in places of peace and happiness. --Avatamsaka Sutra Ten Transferences Chapter
A young woman spoke to us after lunch today: "My mother has escaped from Vietnam. No one has heard from her. She may be lost at sea. I hope that you will think of her in your prayers."
We were deeply moved by this girl's sorrowful request. Why do we study and practice the Buddahdharma? Because we have found pure goodness within it. Buddahdharma is the best medicine on earth. It can cure the suffering of afflictions. If everyone behaved according to these ancient, universal rules, all wars would stop and suffering would vanish.
For example, the Bodhisattva on the First Ground makes great vows. Afterwards his heart changes. He obtains the ten kinds of minds, or attitudes.
- The Mind of Benefit. Who benefits from wars? Demons. Undertakers. Corpse-eating worms. Bomb builders.
- A Soft, Pliant mind. The mind that does not force itself on others, much less does it want to fight a war.
- A Mind that Accords. "Will you monks please be careful up ahead, maybe walk past our construction vehicles and bow on the other side where it's safe?" asks a road-crew man. "Yes, we will, Mister. No problem."
- A Mind that is Tranquil. "You @#$%*#$*& better tell me what you're doing, or I'm going to break your heads!"
Heng Ch'au replies with a sincere smile, "we are Buddhists, making a pilgrimage. We bow and pray."
"Oh yeah? Buddhists? I thought you were those (X). Oh well, good luck to you." - A Mind that is Subdued. I say to myself, "I would sure like to polish off that plate of tofu, but I'm nearly full. Principle says to stick to the Middle: not too much, not too little. Principle is the truth, my thoughts are false. I'll be patient and subdue my greed. Well, look at that. The host who brought this offering and stayed to share it ate the tofu. If I had grabbed the extra food, he would have gone hungry. Good old principle! Can't beat it!
- A Mind that is Still. "Better take off my scarf. No, wait. Concentrate. Don't think about yourself. Hey, the wind's coming up. I'd better put on my hat. No, wait. Don't move. Concentrate. Oh, time to meditate. Quiet, monkey-mind! Be still!"
- A Humble Mind. My good fortune in getting a complete and healthy human body is one in a billion. If I break the rules, I can find myself in a cow's body, or as a swarm of green grasshoppers on a lonely dirt track here in Point Arena, all in the wink of an eye. Only through the great kindness of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, my parents and elders, have I been able to meet the Dharma. My greed and anger are as large as the Rocky Mts. My offenses are as many as the sands of Arizona and New Mexico. My deviant views would fill ip empty space if they had shape and substance. How can I be lazy and not swat to cultivate repentance and reform? How could I dare to show anger at any being?"
- A Moistened Mind. The drought of 1976-1977 turned Southern California into a yellow, crackling mirage. Everything was thirsty. Every plant was brittle and thorny. All the animals were scrawny and scaly. There was no fertility, no forgiveness in the land. This is my state of mind when I am greedy, when I seek self-benefit. When I am angry and harsh, my mind is just that way. As soon as I remember to moisten my mind and heart with the water of great compassion and kindness, it turns in to May of 1979 in Marin County. Wildflowers fill the fields, fat cows graze, sleek Morgan colts gallop in herds across the ridges, shorebirds sing and fish jump in the lagoons. A moistened mind is a happy, growing place.
- An Unmoving Mind. "You crazy goofs, get up from there!" Says a young man from a passing car.
"You are our good advisor. You remind me of my boundless offenses of flattery and climbing. I vow to dwell in the heart level equality in all beings. I bow to you in gratitude. We will become Buddhas together." - An Un-turbid Mind. We read Buddhist Sutras. We don't keep up with the
news. We don't hear advertising. We don't listen to recorded music. We eat
plain food. We repent of past offenses and guard against desires. We are
learning to respect the rules, "subdue ourselves and return to principle."
Subduing the self creates a solid security that is inherent in the ancient rules. Returning to principle, we discover their deep harmony within ourselves. It feels like coming across the buoy channel markers in a fog. You know that soon you will be in port. The old rules tell us how the universe really is before thought and debate, before words and speech. The Buddha's Way is the ancient road back home. It feels like the first view of the landing lights on the airport runway after a rough-weather plane ride.
As an unruly, freedom loving young man, I reacted defensively at first to the notion of "rules." Disciplining body and mind sounded like courts, cops, lawyers and prison. But respect for the real and worship of them in thought, word and deed, brings true freedom. That's the Buddhadharma's great gift to us all.
Heng Ch'au and I have the feeling that the True Principles of the Buddhadharma are the "deep contours" of the original mind. We all share them, that's why the Dharma is language of the heart. We met a Sioux Indian in Stinson Beach, who said, "You guys are neat. My teacher is the medicine man of the Rosebud Sioux. He says that when you're neat, you never have troubles. You just slip right on through all situations."
Who is the Buddah? He's a living being who came to be so "neat" at following the rules that he disappeared inside them. He lost himself by perfecting his conduct according to the teachings.
What is the Dharma? The rules. How to live, how to walk, talk and think, as we make our way back to the Original Home.
What is the Sangha? It's the lucky people who have found the trail through the dense forest of confusion. People who give up what's false in order to protect what's true.
Why do we bow? Universal Worthy's Ten Vows to instruct us to. His Ten Kings of Vows are foremost among the rules.
We bow to worship and revere all Buddhas. We bow to praise the Thus Come Ones. We bow as an offering to them and to all beings. We repent of all the times in the past we've broken the rules. There are six more vows.
We bow to the King of Kings of all the rulebooks, the Flower Adornment Sutra. It is the map of the universe. Nature's own blueprint. Like Virginia, from Morro Bay, said when she heard about the precepts, "Boy, when you follow the rules, it really takes a load off your back, doesn't it?"
Disciple Kuo Chen
(Heng Sure)
bows in respect