Day 12 A Correct View Is the Compass for Proper Practice | The Sword of Wisdom

The teaching of complete sudden enlightenment is not to be used as a favor.

All unsettled doubts must be debated until clear.

Not that I, a mountain monk, want to be presumptuous.

But cultivation may make you fall into the pit of cessation and permanence.A Ch’an practitioner must have a clear, correct view of himself, others and his practice. There is a Ch’an proverb which emphasizes that the perspective one achieves, and not practice, is of utmost importance. This of course does not mean that practice is unnecessary. Practice is important, perhaps even crucial, but the insight one derives from practice is even more important. If one’s view is incorrect, one will stray from Ch’an teachings to heterodox teachings.

If a ship relied solely on a compass for navigation, what would happen if the compass broke, marking north for south, east for west? The captain would not be able to steer the ship correctly. If a

U.S. aircraft did not navigate properly and strayed into enemy air space, it might well be fired upon.

Practice is the course taken, but the insight derived from practice is the compass by which the course is set and checked. Ch’an does not downplay practice, but it regards the insight derived from practice more highly than practice itself, because practice needs correct orientation and guidance. If you have any problems or doubts in your practice, you should straighten them out right away.

If you sense that someone else’s outlook is off base, you should try to steer that person back onto the right path. Of course, Yung-chia is speaking from the point of view of an enlightened practitioner. On this retreat and in your daily practice you should be careful about what you say, think or do regarding Ch’an. Even with his deep insight, Yung-chia claims to be only a humble mountain monk. He is not presumptuous.

A widely respected master may still have questions about his practice, but he might feel ashamed to seek advice for fear of losing his disciples’ respect. If a person’s view is off base, then he must be set straight regardless of his rank or stature. The true path of Buddhism is too important to be hindered by personal relations or feelings.

After Hui-neng formally received the robe and bowl from the Fifth Patriarch, he lived in the mountains for fifteen years, after which time he returned to the city to preach. When he arrived at the Dharma Nature Temple in Canton, two of Abbot Yin-tsung’s disciples were arguing about a banner flapping in the breeze. One said, “The wind is moving.” The other said, “The banner is moving.”
Hui-neng immediately perceived that the monks had problems understanding their practice, and that the master had problems as well. Hui-neng corrected the monks, “It is not the wind. It is not the banner. It is your minds that are moving.”

Later, when Yin-tsung heard this answer, he asked Hui-neng to teach him even though, outwardly, Hui-neng appeared to be a layman. After hearing his teachings, Yin-tsung realized that Hui-neng was the missing Sixth Patriarch. He shaved Hui-neng’s head to make him a monk, and then became Hui-neng’s disciple.

Hui-neng did not hesitate to correct Yin-tsung’s misunderstanding of the Dharma even though Yin-tsung was recognized as a great master and had a large following. Also, Yin-tsung did not let his accomplishments and official rank go to his head. When he realized he had problems with his practice, he immediately asked Hui-neng for help.

Ordinary Buddhists might not have the courage and honesty of Yin-tsung. Monks and nuns usually do not permit anyone except their own teacher to lecture on the Dharma in their temple. Some people like to argue, twisting ideas to suit their beliefs. They try to wrangle you with pat answers and formulas: “Vexations are golden;” “Good is bad;” “Samsara is Nirvana.”

The most infamous person in Buddha’s time was Devadatta. His evil was so great that he resided in the worst hell. Sakyamuni Buddha sent Ananda to talk to Devadatta. When Ananda arrived in hell, he asked Devadatta, “Are you suffering here?”

Devadatta replied, “It’s as cool and pleasurable as the fourth dhyana.”

Ananda asked, “Do you want to leave this place?”

Devadatta answered, “Why don’t you send Buddha down here to ask me himself?”

Ananda relayed Devadatta’s message to Sakyamuni Buddha, who could easily have gone to hell as did Ananda, said, “How can I possibly go to hell?”

Later, when Devadatta received this answer, he asked, “If Buddha cannot come to hell, how can I leave it?”

The truth is that Buddha is everywhere, so he did not have to go. Devadatta did not leave hell because he realized Buddha was already there, and that there was no place to go. Going and coming are the same. Hell is as good a place as any. Nirvana is not apart from hell; therefore there is no hell to leave.

You might think that Devadatta was evil incarnate, but Sakyamuni considered him a Bodhisattva of the highest order, destined for Buddhahood. If you had the incorrect view ─ the conventional view ─ then you would perceive Devadatta as an evil being who will suffer incredible torment in hell because of his evil deeds, and that Sakyamuni would not go to hell because he is a being of goodness. But if you had the correct view ─ the Ch’an view ─ then you would see it as the Buddha perceived it.

If a person has problems with his practice, you should help him. If he has wrong ideas or perverted views, then you should be even quicker to help him. A person who misunderstands the story about Devadatta should be straightened out. However, you must be sure that you have clear and correct intentions when you correct someone.

Buddhism guards against two fundamental misconceptions. One is nihilism: the idea that everything is non-existent and meaningless. The other is a belief in permanence, or eternalism: the idea that inside yourself is an eternal soul; that the soul is you ─ your ego ─ and it endures forever, either in heaven, or from one birth to another, changing bodies as one changes clothes. People who believe this say that the soul remains untouched and unchanging through countless births, and they believe that by performing good deeds, it will attain higher and higher levels through each life, until eventually the unchanging soul becomes a deity.

The nihilistic view is wrong in presuming that there is no cause and effect, no karma, no relationship between present, past and future. When people are born, they appear out of nowhere, and when they die, nothing remains. Some people with this belief are very ambitious in life, and they try to accomplish something grand, so that at least their names and deeds will live on. It can be good, but it can also be terrible, as in the case of Hitler.

The eternalistic point of view is more benevolent because people with this belief emphasize doing good deeds and accumulating positive merit.

If an enlightened person meets someone leaning in either of these directions, he will try to help the person from falling headlong into either trap. On the other hand, Buddhism does not advocate evangelism. We do not knock on people’s doors. Preachers of other faiths often burst into Buddhist temples in Taiwan and evangelize. It sometimes happens to me, even while I am in the middle of a Dharma gathering. Preachers stand at the exits handing out pamphlets. Once, one of my students asked an evangelist, “Why don’t you come inside and listen to a lecture?”

The preacher said, “It says in the Bible, ‘Thou shalt not worship false gods or idols.’ Buddhism is paganism, and the Bible prohibits my listening to it.”

Not all preachers are like this. Most are open-minded, but a few, as in this case, tend to be fanatical. Buddhists with the proper attitude are not like this. We do not force our ideas on anyone.
Wrong is not wrong; right is not right; The slightest deviation veers a thousand miles off course.

If right, the dragon maiden becomes Buddha at once; If wrong, the monk Suraksatra falls alive into hell.If you leave the path of Ch’an, even by a hair’s breadth, you are completely wrong, and can plummet to hell like the unfortunate monk, Suraksatra. If you are right, then you are completely right, like the dragon maiden who instantaneously attained complete Buddhahood.

A person may turn things upside down and say something is right when it is actually wrong, or say something is wrong when it is actually right. How can you judge what is right and wrong? Can you say there is no Buddha, no Dharma, no Sangha, no enlightenment?

It depends on who you are and who you say it to. I would not say such things to most people. It would be absolutely wrong to do so. But I would say it to a person who had been practicing hard and had gotten some results from his practice. Before saying anything, however, I would make sure his view, or understanding, is correct. If a student is practicing hard, but with the idea that he is becoming enlightened, and his teacher says, “Yes! Yes, you’re correct! You should try to become enlightened, reach Nirvana and become a Buddha, ” the student’s practice will be ruined. It would be an evil thing to do.

A phrase may help or hurt, depending on the person and the condition he is in. Let me ask you a question: Do you believe there is a Buddha, or do you prostrate just for the exercise? If you believe that there really is a Buddha, and you practice so that you can become a Buddha, and you prostrate in order to appease the Buddha because you rely completely on him, then you are in for trouble.
This stanza mentions two stories from Buddhist scripture. The first illustrates that if your view is correct, then you are instantly enlightened. In the Lotus Sutra there is a story of an eight year old naga maiden who became a Buddha. A naga is a dragon, not a human being. According to the Hinayana tradition, it is impossible for anyone to become a Buddha who is not male, an adult, and human. You must cultivate practice for three asamkhya kalpas (one asamkhya kalpa is billions of years). When your karma ripens, you will be born as a human male, and as an adult you may attain enlightenment through practice. It seems that the naga maiden had three strikes against her.

Once, she was attending Sakyamuni Buddha, and she offered him her pearl necklace. The maiden turned to Sariputra, an arhat and disciple of the Buddha, and asked, “What do you think, Sariputra, is this an easy thing to do?”

Sariputra answered, “Yes, it is easy.”

Then the dragon maiden said, “Becoming a Buddha is as easy as this.” In that instant, she became a Buddha in a distant realm of the universe.

If you cut off the past and future, and discover that the present does not exist either, at that moment there is no mind. This itself is becoming a Buddha. But if, in the next instant, mind, past, future and present return, then you are again an ordinary sentient being.

The second story is about Suraksatra, one of Sakyamuni’s sons. Suraksatra was an accomplished monk. Upon realizing the fourth dhyana level, he thought he had entered Nirvana. Unfortunately, he never asked the Buddha for verification. He had heard the Buddha’s sutras, and he thought he understood the teachings, so he did not bother to inquire about his experience. One of his friends caused his power of samadhi to dissipate, so he dropped from the fourth dhyana level. He wondered, “How can I slide back from Nirvana?” His vexations returned, and he thought, “How is this possible? The Buddha is deceiving people. Nirvana is not genuine!”

Suraksatra was too arrogant to go to Sakyamuni for guidance and advice. He convinced himself that Nirvana was not real and that Buddha was a fraud, and his heart filled with hatred.
As soon as he perceived Suraksatra’s thoughts, Sakyamuni sent out his disciple, Kasyapa, and told him to calm Suraksatra until he could see him. But Suraksatra would not be appeased. He ranted and raved at Kasyapa, and when the Buddha arrived he cursed him and his teachings. At that moment, the earth opened up and Suraksatra plummeted to hell.

These stories symbolize two important points in Buddhism. First, listen to the Buddha’s words. Second, do not have so much faith in yourself that you think you can be your own master. It is all right to trust yourself, but you need somebody else to verify your practice. Measure your practice and attainment against the standard of the Buddha’s teachings. Your own experience and knowledge is unreliable. If you have doubts, ask a master for guidance. If you read the sutras without guidance, you may misinterpret their meaning and endanger yourself. This is why it is important to study with a master.

Remember, if a person is having problems with his practice, help him out; but you must be careful what you say. Buddhist remedies may hurt, rather than help, certain people. Furthermore, do not try to convert Jews, Christians, Muslims, or anyone else who believe strongly in something else. They will not listen to you. You will only rile them, and they will defame Buddhism. If your words or actions cause someone else to slander Buddhism, it is your responsibility.

Before you are enlightened, it is best that you concentrate on your own practice. You might think someone is doing something incorrect, but you could be wrong. He may be at another level of practice, or working from a different standpoint. If you follow your own practice as you should, you will not have time to judge others’ practice anyway.

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