How to Achieve Physical and Mental Well-being
The moment we are born, we are bound to aging, illness, and death. Every additional day lived is a step closer to aging, and every step of aging brings us closer to death. However, many people believe that “birth” is at the beginning of life, and “aging” only begins when one’s hair turns white, teeth fall out, and mobility diminishes. In reality, “aging” is a process that begins the moment we are born, as we are inexorably linked to the passage of time, gradually aging along with it.
Next comes “illness,” which manifests as various bodily conditions. Bodily illnesses can be categorized into two types: imbalances of the four bodily humors and dietary imbalances. The causes of bodily imbalances are varied, including lifestyle habits, psychological factors, and environmental conditions. Even dietary and lifestyle imbalances, as well as an inability to adapt to environmental conditions, can lead to bodily humoral imbalances.
Facing Illness with a Positive Attitude
We often carry illnesses from birth, so it is impossible to be entirely free from illness. However, there are several points to note: First, do not constantly worry about falling ill. Second, if you are ill, take care of yourself. Third, when ill, do not frighten yourself, constantly thinking, “This is terrible! I’m sick! I’m finished!”
I remember when I was studying at a Buddhist academy, there was a classmate who often lamented in a weak and feeble voice, “I’m sick! I’m sick!” He would frequently tell others, “I will probably die in two or three days. Please remember to chant for me, please, no matter what, help me recite Buddhist scriptures!”
As a result, this monk spent his entire life being ill and, even now, at an age older than mine, he has not passed away. However, because he constantly cried out that he was ill, people only pitied him and did not respect him. In truth, he was knowledgeable, but people approached him not for learning the Dharma, but out of pity for his lack of support and care. They would bring him food or help clean and do his laundry, as supporting an ill monk is akin to offering alms to the Buddha.
I ask you: “Are you willing to be such a person?” For us Buddhists, mental health is more important than physical health. It is normal to have bodily illnesses, but it is crucial to face them with a positive attitude. Otherwise, it is easy to waste one’s entire life because of one’s illness, leading to a lack of desire to complete tasks or contribute to the welfare of sentient beings.
Buddhism has already taught us: “The body is a foul container.” Since it is called a foul container, it is not something very good. Nevertheless, we still need to use this foul container as a tool for cultivation. This body often falls ill, which indeed confirms the truth of Buddhism, as the Buddha stated that birth, aging, illness, and death are linked to us.
The day before the Dharma Drum Mountain transmitted the Bodhisattva Precepts in Sanyi, two venerable monks beside me were both unwell. I stood between them, presiding over the precept transmission ceremony for two hours. Afterward, I developed a headache, which was due to environmental factors. However, I cannot neglect my duties because of illness. If no one can take my place, the work still needs to be done.
This is why I often say that I have no blessings; I don’t even have the right to recuperate from an illness. Even when I was hospitalized, people came with documents to consult me, and sometimes they even arranged meetings with me. I have no escape in this world. Everywhere I go, there are matters to attend to, whether here or there, even in the United States. There are always numerous matters waiting to be addressed.
However, looking at it from another perspective, I am quite pleased that with a body like mine, I can still accomplish so much and serve others. I have not collapsed because of it. Some people, like my classmate, never accomplished much and spent their entire lives being ill. On the other hand, some people, despite being ill, accomplished a great deal. There are these two different types of people in the world. I am not saying one cannot be ill; it’s just that when one is ill, one should continue using the ill body, but with moderation and balance.
Facing Adversity with Wisdom
Next, let’s discuss mental health. To achieve mental well-being, one needs to adjust their adaptability to the environment from within. For example, because my immune system is weak, doctors advised me to isolate myself from crowded places. I said, “Amitabha! How can I isolate myself? If I isolate myself, I won’t need to do anything. I live day by day, exhausting my lifespan while my body is still functional, taking care cautiously.”
Because I want to dedicate my life, using it until my last breath, life is precious and should be used well. Besides paying attention to diet, lifestyle, and the impact of the environment, it is essential to maintain a mindset of “I live to serve.” Do not worry about the length of life or safety. If you can live today, continue living. If you cannot live, then pass away. What you gain or lose is often illusory attachment. Monastics have nothing significant to lose.
For example, each of you has textbooks. If a textbook is lost, classes still need to be attended. Do not skip class just because a book is missing. If asked, simply say it’s lost, but continue attending class. There is no need for this kind of attachment to gain or loss. When studying, do not worry about grades. Good grades are normal, but if the grades are not good due to negligence, then it should be reflected upon. If you have done your best, you can be at peace with yourself. Giving your best does not mean pushing yourself to the limit, but rather exerting your mental and physical effort and time to the best of your ability. Do not be overly anxious; maintain inner peace.
Moreover, the most crucial point is not to care about others’ impressions of you because it is impossible to hope that no one will criticize you. If you are a good person, bad people will criticize you. If you are a bad person, good people will criticize you. If you are neither good nor bad, good people will see you as not good enough, and bad people will see you as not bad enough; both sides will criticize you.
Therefore, do not care about what others think of you. Just consider whether you are sincere, humble, tolerant, and willing to serve. The rest is not significant. What does tolerance mean? It means tolerating different opinions and thoughts. From your perspective, others may seem unreasonable, but if you try to empathize with their behavior, you can tolerate them.
Recently, I saw the former president of Tsinghua University, Professor Jiong Lang Liu, who, on the last day of his tenure, visited a female student named Hong in prison. About three or four years ago, this student, Hong, murdered her female classmate out of jealousy for a boyfriend. Most people would consider this student to be very shameful and despicable, but President Liu went to visit her in prison, encouraged her, and advised her to be strong, study hard, and look forward. She was deeply moved by his words. This is what it means to tolerate her. Although she did something wrong and needed to be corrected, she still needs to be tolerated, given a chance to reform, and not be deemed irredeemable by everyone.
Also, do not always think about your own future. In the past, a monk asked me, “Master, what is our future?” When I was young, my blessings were not as good as yours, and I didn’t know to ask my master about my future. When I took ordination for the second time, I didn’t dare to ask my master, Elder Dong Chu, about my future. I was simply content that I could become a monk. As for the future, I will take it step by step. I only want to do well in the present; the future depends on conditions.
A few months ago, while preparing for a symposium, I read a novel, “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.” The protagonist, Linghu Chong, was in great pain because his junior sister had fallen in love with someone else. At that time, he went to see the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult, who told him, “You will have other conditions in the future. Do not keep looking back and continue to suffer from past conditions. Look forward.” Buddhism speaks of “karmic fortune,” and if you had good karmic fortune in the past, you will have good conditions now. If you did not plant good karmic fortune in the past, your present conditions will be more challenging and less smooth. Therefore, now you need to cultivate more karmic fortune, and your future conditions will mature.
Cultivating Merit and Virtue through Service
For example, there was a great monk in the past who had no one to offer alms or had no followers and was deeply troubled. He asked another venerable monk, “I have no one to offer me alms; I don’t know what to do in the future.” The venerable monk told him, “Okay, during the change of seasons, take off your clothes and meditate in the grass. If any mosquitoes bite you, let them; you have nothing to give, so give your blood.”
After hearing the venerable monk’s advice, the monk took off his clothes and meditated in the grass, and he even gave the mosquitoes the Three Refuges: “You should take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. I am forming a connection with you, and in the future, you will become a Buddhist and a disciple of the Triple Gem.” As a result, this person had many followers after he turned sixty, and they were all young people.
As for me, I have not accumulated much merit and have not been very fortunate. My master, your grandmaster, always told me, “Sheng Yen, you are quite clever, but you lack blessings. You need to build more connections with people!” I said, “I don’t have anything to build connections with.” He said, “You need to serve people more, like how certain venerable monks have great blessings and full connections. You should learn from them and cultivate more blessings.”
At that time, I did not know when I could achieve that, but I still made a vow to do my best to offer the knowledge of Buddhism to others. However, I did not have the courage to preach to someone upon meeting them or make them my disciples. I could only provide information when people asked me about Buddhism.
Facing Adversity with Steady Steps
I remember the first time I lectured, there were only thirteen people listening, all students from the Dharma Drum Sangha. It was in the lay community in Hsinchu, and they invited me to give a lecture. However, it was strange that after the first and second days, the laypeople gradually stopped coming. At that time, I was living in the Dharma Drum Buddhist College, and they saw that no one was listening to my lectures, so they felt sorry for me. The dean of students told the students, “A young monk is giving a lecture; you should go and listen. If you listen to others’ lectures today, others will come to listen to yours in the future.” They were supporting me, so they started coming to listen to my lectures. Otherwise, there would have only been three laypeople listening to my lectures. Later, because I felt that I lacked connections with people and the Dharma, I went into seclusion.
My connections were made through writing. I wrote a series of articles called “Orthodox Buddhism” and submitted them to Bodhi Tree Magazine for publication. However, at that time, no one thought I, Sheng Yen, was extraordinary. They only knew that there was a monk named Sheng Yen writing articles for Bodhi Tree Magazine. Later, “Orthodox Buddhism” was published by the Buddhist Cultural Service of Dharma Drum Mountain, and they printed a thousand copies. Mainly, it was through the students of the Buddhist college who “reserved” the books. I reached out to the teachers at the Buddhist college and asked them to reserve my books. These teachers told their students, “You should read this monk’s book. In the future, people will read your books.” They encouraged them to read my book.
“Orthodox Buddhism” was published during my seclusion, and then I went to Japan to pursue my doctoral degree. After returning, about ten years had passed, and I asked Master Shingyun, “How many editions of ‘Orthodox Buddhism’ have been sold?” Master Shingyun replied, “I’m really sorry. The first edition of your book still has a few hundred copies unsold.” I said, “How about this? Can I print my own book? I’ll print and give it away.” He said, “Since it’s not selling, you can go ahead and print it!”
After printing, a few laypeople bought the books and distributed them to build connections, and that’s how it started gaining popularity. To date, over three million copies have been distributed, making it a classic work. It is circulated not only in Taiwan but also overseas, in mainland China, and even translated into Vietnamese. It is frequently quoted in online discussions about Buddhism, second only to the works of Master Yinshun. Later, my name gradually became known, and more people started reading my books, all because of conditions.
Speaking of it, the journey of “Orthodox Buddhism” is quite peculiar. They published it for me, but it didn’t sell for ten years, which sounds disheartening, a book that no one wanted for ten years. However, I want to tell you that the future depends on an individual’s karmic conditions. Those who had good karmic conditions in the past will encounter good conditions in the future. Those who did not plant good karmic conditions in the past need to offer more and build more connections now.
