All States of Being Can Serve as “Upaya”for Spiritual Cultivation
“Upaya” means to help. When someone is already doing something well, and we offer them a little help, they can do even better and more perfectly. For example, there is a poor orphan who has the ability and the determination to study, but lacks the money for education. In this case, we can help them with money or words.
I remember when I was studying abroad, I had only a month’s rent left, and no future funds for tuition, living expenses, or rent. At that time, I thought about using the rent money to buy a ticket back to my home country. So, I went to see my mentor and told him that I might not be able to complete my studies. My mentor said, “Our culture and Buddhism both originated from China. During the Tang and Song dynasties, our students who went to China to seek knowledge did not bring much money, relying on the care of the Chinese people to help them complete their studies. When they returned to their own country, they brought back a large number of classic scriptures and objects. Therefore, rest assured, if you really have no other way, I can take you to seek alms.” He then said, “As practitioners of Buddhism, the state of one’s mind is paramount. As long as you are determined, if you starve to death, then the Buddha’s teachings are not effective.”
My mentor did not provide me with material help, but his words greatly encouraged me. Soon after, someone sent me money from Switzerland, and to this day, I still don’t know who sent me the money. I think it was probably sent by Guanyin Bodhisattva. If my mentor hadn’t said those words at that time, I might not have been able to complete my studies, so he was my “upaya.”This shows that helping others does not necessarily require a large sum of money; of course, using money to help others is also a good deed. Therefore, in any way that nurtures and helps others, it is a good deed, which is “upaya.”
“Upaya” can be divided into two types: the aforementioned is “positive upaya,” helping others from a positive perspective. The other type is “negative upaya,” helping others through adversity. When Shakyamuni Buddha was on the path of a Bodhisattva, Devadatta often caused him trouble, even to the extent that the Bodhisattva manifested as Mara to strike him.
I have had this kind of experience as well. I had been in seclusion in the mountains for over six years, nearly seven, when someone sent me several books and periodicals, some written by Christian pastors and some by priests. They mentioned in the books that Buddhism in China had already perished because there was not a single person among Chinese Buddhists who truly understood the Dharma. Who understood Sanskrit? How many Buddhists could write profound books? Monks and nuns in temples only knew how to teach people to bow and recite “Amitabha Buddha”; they didn’t know anything else. At that time, I thought about what I should do. In the end, I made up my mind to study abroad and learn the most profound Buddhist studies in the world.
I was nearly forty at the time, so many people said, “You are already old, why do you still want to study abroad?” I said, “It’s okay. For the sake of the Dharma, I must go.” As a result, I lived in Japan for six years and completed my doctoral degree. So, I am very grateful to those two pastors and priests; they were manifestations of Bodhisattvas who came to stimulate us Buddhists, urging us to strive for ourselves.
In life and in the process of life, the more setbacks one faces, the more determined one becomes, which is a necessary condition for success. If one cannot tolerate occasional attacks or stimulation and retreats and hides, there will never be a possibility of success. If each of us can be grateful for criticism, attacks, and slander, and make efforts for the good deeds we have not yet done, continue the good deeds we have done, correct the mistakes we have made, and avoid those we have not made, then suffering setbacks may not be a bad thing. If we handle them properly, they are our “upaya.”
If we believe in “negative upaya,” then we see that everyone in the world is good, and there is no such thing as a bad event. When unfortunate events occur, we are more able to muster our spirits to continue to strive. “Great adversity leads to great prosperity” is an ancient Chinese saying. Therefore, as Buddhists, we should believe in the word “upaya,” accept the arrangement of upaya, promote the occurrence of upaya, and then we will often live in a state of happiness, satisfaction, harmony, mutual assistance, and unremitting efforts.
