If you want to be free of afflictions, the only way is to diligently cultivate precepts, samadhi, and wisdom, and extinguish greed, hatred, and stupidity.
菩萨见三界的众生,都患了贪瞋痴三毒的毛病,有种种的苦恼,在长夜漫漫中被煎熬和压迫。
The Bodhisattvas understand that living beings of the three realms are all ill with the afflictions of the three poisons: greed, hatred, and stupidity. They have all kinds of bitter afflictions that oppress and torment them throughout the long, dark night.
In principle, people who have left the home-life to cultivate should not have any afflictions. However, they still do, because their minds are not pure. They complain that this is no good and that is wrong; this person made such and such mistakes, and that person has some other faults. Anyhow, they are caught up in many afflictions and cannot be free mentally or physically.
Let's think about it. Everyone has his own afflictions. From the President to the panhandler, everyone has afflictions. The leaders of all the nations of the world worry about their nation one day, and their people the next. Many matters vex their minds. Panhandlers beg for food; if people don't give them food, they lose their tempers and get afflicted. If you want to be free of afflictions, the only way is to diligently cultivate precepts, samadhi, and wisdom, and extinguish greed, hatred, and stupidity. When you become skilled at cultivation, your afflictions will naturally cease.
Bodhisattvas bring forth great compassion towards living beings who are afflicted with the three poisons. They vastly proclaim the cure for these sicknesses. The Buddha spoke 84,000 Dharma-doors to cure living beings' 84,000 illnesses of affliction. These 84,000 prescriptions can eradicate all living beings' sufferings. But if we study the prescriptions without taking the medicine prescribed, it will be useless. So in order to achieve anything in studying Buddhism, we must have skill in faith, understanding, practice, and certification.