Living as if Drunk and Dying in a Dream, It's Hard to End Birth and Death

 “Those who know how to use it can transcend the Three Realms.” If you know how to use money, you can become a Buddha. “Those who don't fall into the underworld.” If you don't know how to use money right, you use it to create offenses until you fall into the hells. How dangerous that is! What advantages are there to money? Everyone is so confused. Wealth and sex have confused the people of the world so deeply that they have lost their wisdom. If you do not crave wealth and sex, your inherent wisdom will reveal itself. You should not crave fame, either. Don't always strive to be number one. Don't try to get in the spotlight and make yourself known to everyone.

Perhaps you don't want fame, sex, or money, but you can't put down your attachment to food. You aren't greedy for wealth, sex, or a good reputation, but you're greedy for good flavors. When the food is served, your eyes open wider than a cow's, because you want to take a good look to see if it's the kind you like. If it is, you take more--one serving after another, never getting enough. If it's not, you taste a little bit and push it aside. You are clever when it comes to eating, but not so wise when it comes to listening to the Dharma. When it comes to food, you know what's good and what's not.

You may be able to put down your attachment to food, but as for sleep, you can't bear to give up even a minute of sleep. If you haven't had enough sleep, you can't get up to go to work or to do morning recitation. During the morning and evening recitations, you doze off. When you bow to the Buddhas, you fall asleep and don't get up from the bow. Or you stand there and enter samadhi as you're reciting the Buddha's name, so you forget to walk forward. In this way people are confused all their lives, and then they die without knowing what will become of them. 

The world situation now is incomprehensible. People cannot imagine what will happen to them. We don't know when some country will set off a nuclear weapon and annihilate the whole planet and everyone on it. I'm not trying to intimidate you; it's really that dangerous. For this reason, we have to trace the problem back to its source--fighting. Instead of fighting, everyone ought to yield.

This is the responsibility of the leader of every nation. Every head-of-state should cultivate virtue, carry out humane policies, and teach the people to follow the five precepts and practice the ten good deeds. But some national leaders do not cultivate virtue and carry out humane policies. For example, the Crown Prince of England believes in Buddhism, but the royal family made a rule that when he assumes the royal throne, under no circumstances could he sit in full lotus posture. So you see, even being a Buddhist is against the law! If every head-of-state could believe in Buddhism, every nation would be free of wars. On the other hand, if the head-of-state is not Buddhist and is infatuated with money, there will be war in the country. The heads-of-state have to be responsible for this.

Secondly, religious leaders have to be responsible. Why are religious leaders unable to set a good example for others? Why are they so greedy for wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep? The religious leaders have to assume their responsibility. Furthermore, professors should not teach college students to be promiscuous and take birth control pills like crazy. Professors, thinking only about making money, have spoiled the students and condoned their misbehavior.

It is said, "If the child is raised but not taught well, it is the father's fault." Why aren't parents teaching their children? Why do they let them do whatever they want? For example, American youths commit murder and arson, peddle drugs, and engage in other illegal activities. This is all because their parents didn't teach them to behave well and respect the rules. That's why everyone disregards the law and doesn't follow any rules. In their daily lives, people break the five precepts against killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants. These are the reasons the world has gone to ruin and education is morally bankrupt.

Parents have failed to educate their children; teachers and professors have not done a good job of teaching; and the clergy have not fulfilled their role as educators. The government is not doing anything to reform education, either. Since the world is in such a mess, the religious leaders should make it their responsibility to bring about educational reform. All religions should work together. It should not be like before, with people praising a religion when they were in it and slandering it after they left it. Catholics would say that Catholicism was good, Protestants would say that Protestantism was good, and Buddhists would say that Buddhism was good. Actually, we aren't supposed to praise ourselves. Only the praise and recognition of others counts. For example, everyone recognizes the fact that the Buddha attained Buddhahood. Your thinking of how you are limitless and boundless doesn't make you limitless and boundless. Your deciding that you have become a Buddha doesn't make you a Buddha.