Today is the last day of the year jia zi [Chinese lunar calendar]. Tomorrow will be the beginning of the year yi chou. At this time, we should change our old habits. The things we did in the past were not completely proper because of our bad habits. Starting from tomorrow, we should adopt new principles and become new people. If we never
“realize that now we are right and in the past we were wrong,” we will not make any progress in our cultivation and will only be wasting time.
Everyone! Don’t cover up your shortcomings, but rather develop your strengths. It is said, “When you meet worthy people, strive to be like them.” We should emulate Zeng Zi and learn his good habits. It is recorded in the Analects:
曾子曰：「吾日三省吾身：為人謀而不忠乎？與朋友交而不信乎？傳不習乎？」
Zeng Zi said, “I daily examine myself in three ways. Have I been loyal to people? Have I been faithful to my friends? Have I reviewed that which has been taught to me?”
Zeng Zi’s meaning was, “There are three points upon which I must examine myself every day: Have I done my best to carry out the jobs I’m supposed to do? Have I been trustworthy with my friends? Have I reviewed and studied the lessons I have learned every day?” We should also reflect upon ourselves in this way.
The Three Character Classic begins with the words, “In the beginning of people’s lives, their natures are originally wholesome. Their natures are close to wholesomeness, but their habits carry them far away. If they are not taught well, their natures change.” Newborn babies have inherently wholesome natures. Their inherent natures are close to wholesomeness. As they gradually grow up, they are influenced by their environment and their natures become defiled by habits. There’s a saying, “Dyed blue, it becomes blue. Dyed yellow, it becomes yellow.” Thus, their natures gradually get farther and farther away from wholesomeness. So, the line says, “but their habits carry them far away.” During this period, if people are not taught well so that they can change their old habits and return to wholesomeness, then their natures will change.
When we were young, our parents and teachers taught us and corrected our bad habits and faults. When we grow up, there is no one to teach us. If we want to change for the better, we must do it by ourselves. For this reason, today’s topic is “Change old habits and adopt new principles.”
We should clearly know our goals. What kind of a person do we want to be? How can we be a true Buddhist? What is our new course of action? What are our new principles? We need to be very clear about these questions. Otherwise, we will not be able to change our old habits and select new principles. Everyone should pay attention to this.
In any case, these are simple questions. All we have to do is apply the principle of “doing no evil and doing all good.” If everyone follows this course of action, we will naturally achieve our goals as human beings.
Our new course of action is to completely extinguish jealousy, obstructiveness, arrogance, and conceit, so that they cease to function. How do we extinguish these four improper states of mind? We can cure them by using the Four Unlimited Aspects of Mind: kindness, , joy, and giving. One who has a kind heart will not be jealous; one who has a ate mind will not be obstructive; one who has a joyful mind will not be arrogant; and one who has an attitude of giving will not be conceited. Look into this and see if it makes sense to you.
Our new principles are not to contend, not to be greedy, not to seek, not to be selfish, not to pursue personal advantage, and not to lie. Actually, these are the old principles of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. You have heard them many times before, but you have not seriously practiced them. Whatever you have not practiced is new. Once you have put something into practice, it is no longer new. Today, I’m going to play the same old tune and explain the meaning of these Six Guidelines. I hope you will all pay attention!
Why do we get upset and worried? It’s all because of contention, greed, seeking, the pursuit of personal advantage, and lying. These states control us so that we have no peace in body or mind. If we could subdue them, we wouldn’t be so muddled. We’d have no afflictions or worries, and at all times we’d be carefree and at ease. Why aren’t we carefree and at ease? To put it simply, it’s because we’re influenced by these six states.
When I was little, I liked to argue with people and defend those who were bullied. As soon as I heard of some injustice done, I would go forth and settle the case. I was also greedy. For what? For food (most children have this problem). If there was some good food and I didn’t get my share, I’d certainly fight until I got it.
When I was twelve, I started to reflect upon my own character to see why I was so stubborn. After I figured it out, I changed my faults and started to bow to my parents at home to show my repentance. I had given my parents much cause for worry in the past. From that day on, I have never again engaged in contention, greed, seeking, selfishness, or pursuit of personal advantage. These principles have been very useful to me, and even today I continue to observe them faithfully without change.
Later on, aside from bowing to my parents, I also bowed to the heavens, the earth, the ruler of the country, my relatives, and my teacher. I further bowed to the great sages, great worthies, great virtuous ones, and great filial ones in the nation, as well as to those of notorious evil. Why did I bow to evil people? I hoped to influence them to become good. Every day, rain or shine, I spent two hours in the yard making over eight hundred bows.
The last time I was at Gold Buddha Monastery in Canada, I told the monks who were doing the Three Steps One Bow pilgrimage, "You give it a try and see how marvelous it is not to contend, not to be greedy, and not to seek! Not being selfish and not pursuing personal advantage is the wonder of wonders. Nothing is more wonderful than this Dharma. If you can truly practice these Six Guidelines, do you think anything could surpass this Dharma?" You must strive to practice these Six Guidelines, for only then can you make progress in your cultivation. Otherwise, it’s all just empty words. You can’t satisfy your hunger by drawing a picture of a pancake, nor can you obtain rice by cooking sand.
Everyone should remember these Six Guidelines of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. As a result of these principles, I have given up everything. I have given everything away to other people. I don’t ask people to make offerings to me. Of course, when people make offerings, I don’t refuse them. But I do my best to practice giving. Whenever I have a chance, I practice a little giving. If there’s something I can do, I put some effort into it. If something is beyond my ability, I don’t force myself to do it.
All of you think it over. If you could be this way, what worries could you possibly have? What would you be unable to let go of? If you can earnestly practice these Six Guidelines, you will truly understand the Buddhadharma. In other words, these Six Guidelines en the truths of the Buddhadharma.
Not contending means not violating the precept against killing. Why do people kill? Because they want to fight. In fighting with one another, they end up committing murder and arson. If there is no contention, there will be no killing, and the precept against killing will be upheld.
不貪，就是不犯盜戒。為什麼要偷盜？就因為貪的緣故，貪人之物為己有，若不貪就能守持不盜戒。
Not being greedy means not violating the precept against stealing. Why do people steal? Because of greed. They are greedy to possess what belongs to other people. If you are not greedy, you will be able to uphold the precept against stealing.
Not seeking means not violating the precept against sexual misconduct. Seeking involves men pursuing women, and women chasing after men. When people cannot obtain what they seek for, they become so obsessed that their pursuit continues even in their dreams and they are physically and mentally restless.
Not being selfish means not violating the precept against lying. Why do people lie? They want to protect their own benefits, so they go everywhere cheating people and lying. If you are unselfish, you will speak the truth wherever you go and won’t behave in deceitful ways.
Not pursuing personal advantage means not violating the precept against taking intoxicants. People who drink alcohol think it’s good for the body and makes them healthy because it improves their blood circulation. When drunk, they feel as if they’re floating through the air like a fairy. Their underlying motive is to seek personal benefit.
Not lying is already included in the previous five aspects. However, to increase people’s awareness and to emphasize the harm of lying, we have added it to the guidelines as a reminder.
We often lecture on the Six Guidelines at Gold Buddha Monastery in Vancouver, Canada, to teach people of all ages and make them understand the importance of the Buddhadharma. If people can truly avoid contending, being greedy, seeking, being selfish, pursuing personal advantage, and lying, the society will surely be peaceful and families will be happy.
If people of the world can rigorously observe the five precepts and avoid killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and taking intoxicants, they will have no afflictions or worries. That’s why I say the Six Guidelines are the most wonderful Dharma door. You could also say of them:
“The unsurpassed, profound, and wonderful Dharma is difficult to encounter in
hundreds of millions of eons. I now see, hear, and uphold it, and I vow to
understand the Thus Come One’s true meaning.”
Let me add one more thing: As disciples of the Buddha, the very minimum we must do is observe these five basic major precepts and put them into thorough practice. Then we will be happy and carefree. If we cannot uphold these five precepts, it will be even harder to uphold the 250 Bhikshu precepts or the 348 Bhikshuni precepts. Therefore, before our teacher Shakyamuni Buddha entered Nirvana in the Twin (Sala) Tree Grove, he told the Venerable Ananda,
“Take the precepts as your teacher.” From this, we can see how important precepts are!
