Ordinary people seek after the false
and forget about the true.
胡大川先生在幻想詩裏，又有幾句說得很好：
Mr. Dachuan Hu has a few more lines in
his "Fantasy Poem," which states things quite well:
「生不願為上柱國，死更不願作閻羅； 閻羅點鬼心殘忍，柱國憂民事更多。」
I don't wish to be a prime minister in
life, Nor do I wish to be King Yama after I die. King Yama is
cruel in sentencing the ghosts, And a prime minister is too busy
worrying about his people.
He said, "While I am alive, I have no
ambition to be a prime minister, and after I die I don't want to
be King Yama. Why? King Yama is very cruel. When he gets angry,
he dumps this little ghost into the pot of boiling oil and
throws that little ghost onto the mountain of knives. I wouldn't
want the job of a prime minister either, for he has to worry
constantly about national affairs and has no time to rest. It's
more practical for me to spend my time cultivating the inner
nature and fostering its inherent virtues."The poem also says,
「但願百年無病苦，不致一息有愁魔。」
I hope to be free from illness for a
hundred years, And not troubled by grief for even one moment.
胡大川先生又為那些好酒、色、財、氣之徒，作一個生動的寫照。
Mr. Dachuan Hu vividly portrayed those
who are fond of wine, beauty, wealth, and fame in his poem.
He said that those who like beauty may
wish: "Beautiful flowers should stay abloom every day. Flowers
should bloom all year round and never wither." This also refers
to a man wishing his wife would stay young forever, or a woman
wishing her husband would stay handsome and never get gray hair
or wrinkles.
People with big tempers may indulge in
this wish: "Why can't the moon be full every night? It's so nice
to sit outside and gaze at the full moon on a night when there
is a gentle breeze and the stars are shining. Why can't the moon
be full every night, just as the sun is full every day?"
People
who like wine fantasize: "What if all the springs on earth
turned into wine? If all the water in the rivers, streams,
ponds, and lakes became wine, I could just reach out and scoop
up wine to drink whenever I felt thirsty. Wouldn't that be
convenient?"
People
who are fond of wealth think: "What if money grew on every tree
in the forests? Whenever I needed money, I could just shake the
trees and money would fall. That would save me a lot of
trouble."
These
thoughts are the fantasies of fools. Ordinary people seek after
the false and forget about the true. They forget that their
inherent true nature is an inexhaustible treasure trove. What is
the inherent true nature? It's the Buddha nature within each one
of us. The Buddha nature is neither created nor destroyed; it is
neither defiled nor pure; and it neither increases nor
diminishes. It is perfect and bright; the Buddhas do not have
more of it, and living beings do not have less of it. It is
unmoving and constantly clear.
Blinded by selfishness, greed for personal gain, jealousy, and
obstructiveness, our minds have become smaller than a speck of
dust. We see only what is immediately in front of us and fail to
understand far-reaching principles. That's why we cannot return
to the origin. As the [classical Chinese] poet Tao Yuanming
said,
「悟以往之不諫，知來者之可追，實迷途其未遠，覺今是而昨非。」
We
should realize that while the past has gone by, We can work on
the future. If we recognize past errors And know that we are
right today, Then we have not strayed too far.
If we
realize our past mistakes, we can turn around and reform. To
reform and become a new person means getting rid of selfishness,
greed for personal gain, jealousy, obstructiveness, and
arrogance.
The
goal of a cultivator is to understand his mind and see his
nature. That doesn't mean simply saying that you understand your
mind, see your nature, and are enlightened. You must have
genuine achievement in your practice; don't just pay lip
service. Once you understand the mind, nothing will present any
difficulties. You won't fear any hardships. Why not? Because you
will understand the essence of all things. You will have
penetrated to the source of the Dharma. You will be free and at
ease in everything you do. Once you see the nature, you won't
have any worries. Your mind will be like a clear mirror or like
calm water, reflecting states when they come and becoming still
when they pass. This is the most genuine proof of skill. Once
ignorance and afflictions are gone, prajna wisdom will manifest
and the brightness of the inherent nature will shine forth.
What
is the brightness of the inherent nature? It's the absence of
attachment to the appearances of self, others, living beings,
and life span. And yet these appearances still exist. Despite
the lack of attachment to them, they are not destroyed.
Appearances do not obstruct nonappearances, and nonappearances
do not hinder appearances. One is free and at ease between
existence and nonexistence. In this state, there is no
difference between mind, Buddha, and living beings.
Students of Buddhism should ask themselves, "Am I practicing
giving just to make myself look good? Am I holding precepts and
practicing patience, vigor, samadhi, and wisdom just to show
off? Or am I really sincere about cultivating?" Cultivation
doesn't mean putting on a show for others. It requires genuine
effort. For every bit of effort we put in, we gain a
corresponding bit of skill. For every bit of sincerity we
muster, we obtain a bit of response. We must be completely true
in all we do. We shouldn't cheat ourselves or others. Instead,
we should mutually encourage one another.
