DAILY PRACTICE | Zen Wisdom

QUESTION:
Shih-fu, at the end of every retreat, you urge us to continue to sit regularly. In addition to sitting, what other types of practice can we incorporate into our daily lives? In your teachings you emphasize compassion. Is there a compassion practice and how does it relate to sitting practice?

SHIH-FU:
Practice can be divided into regular periodic practice and daily practice. Regular periodic practice can be further divided into individual and group practice. Individual practice is for those who are already stable in their practice, using their specific method. They can set aside time every week, month or year to just practice. Group practice is similar except that it is done with others. Seven-day Ch’an retreats, sutra recitations and repentance ceremonies are examples of group practice. Serious practitioners should do regular periodic practice a few times each year.

Your question, however, concerns daily practice, which is also of two kinds: fixed practice and ordinary activity practice. In fixed practice, at certain designated times each day, you formally practice. You can sit, prostrate, recite or read sutras, or perform morning and evening services. You should have a regular schedule to which you adhere.

Fixed, structured practice is clear, but how do you practice when working, commuting, entertaining, socializing and so on? It is possible to practice in all these situations. Usually, when people think about practice, meditation or studying Buddhadharma comes to mind, but Ch’an stresses that you should take advantage of all moments, whether practicing in a structured manner or following a daily routine. All times, situations, and environments are opportunities to practice.

In the Avatamsaka Sutra, there is a famous chapter, in the form of a gatha (verses), from which the Three Refuges were taken. This chapter speaks of all the human activities: eating, sleeping, walking, resting, talking, et cetera. It says that in all activities we should have in the forefront of our minds the well-being of sentient beings, called bodhi mind. This teaching is the essence of the chapter.

A person on the Bodhisattva Path should think of helping sentient beings. This is the first of the Four Great Bodhisattva Vows. If you can consistently think of other sentient beings’ welfare, compassion will naturally arise in your thoughts and actions. The greatest problems a practitioner faces are arrogance, greed and anger which manifest when we place ourselves ahead of others.
One who foregoes pride and puts others ahead of oneself will realize that attainment is possible only with the help of sentient beings. Only through interacting with others can one live and grow in knowledge and ability. It is also wrong to expect gratitude when we do something for others. Indeed, we should thank sentient beings for giving us a chance to practice bodhi mind and to cultivate merit and virtue.

Without sentient beings, a bodhisattva cannot attain Buddhahood. For this reason, we should be grateful to everyone. If we have not helped them, we should make it a point to do so; if we feel we have done something for them, we should be thankful for such opportunities. In any case, we should be grateful. Such an attitude will help prevent a great deal of pride and arrogance.

It is easy for greed, anger, arrogance and hatred to arise in us. Greed arises from wanting more of what one already has and wanting what other people have. To be miserly is a product of greed: what is my own I am unwilling to give away.

Anger comes from not having things the way we want them to be; it can arise when something or someone blocks our way. Envy and hate come when we cannot get what we want. Hatred can also arise when someone is different from us, or too much like us. Arrogance, which grows out of pride, can arise if we think we have some kind of spiritual attainment or other ability.

These feelings come up because our self-centeredness causes vexation after vexation to come into our lives. If we let them happen without check or awareness, then we are not practicing. If we can put sentient beings before ourselves, our self-centeredness will lessen.

For example, on Thanksgiving eve, I asked Chris to come to the Ch’an Center and spend the night and some of Thanksgiving Day on some editing and paperwork. Chris agreed, and that is good. If he was very self-centered, he might have said no. But the situation was more complex than it seems. By Chris working at the Center during a holiday, he may be helping some people, but hurting his family. For this reason I apologized to him and his family and said that I hoped his wife, Maria, would not be upset. Chris said that she wasn’t, and I said that it was probably because she figures I’m an old man who needs all the help I can get.

MARIA:
I wasn’t upset. Anyway, it’s Chris who needs all the help he can get.

SHIH-FU:
In that case, Chris should be grateful to us, because I provided a good opportunity for him to practice, and you made it easier for him to do it. In all our actions, we should reflect on whether our intentions are beneficial to others. Likewise, when negative feelings arise in us, we should reflect on them, to see if they are harmful to others. In this way, we will check ourselves before we act; if we put other sentient beings before ourselves, those selfish feelings will not arise as much.

It is difficult for most of us to think about benefiting sentient beings all the time. Sentient beings include people and animals, but in this case I am putting the emphasis on humans. For example, if one of a couple is working hard at a job all day, he or she may be in a bad mood upon returning home. On the other hand, if the other person had to do housekeeping all day, he or she may also be in a bad mood. Two people in bad moods usually spells trouble.

But, if one of the two is mindful enough to perceive that the other may also have had a bad day, he or she will be more attentive, patient, tolerant and considerate. There will likely be fewer problems. This is an example of proper practice: thinking less about oneself and more about others. This is the beginning of compassion.

On one of my retreats, three women shared a room. One complained to me that, if there was one thing she hated, it was snoring, and both of her roommates were snoring their heads off.

I said, “Maybe you snore sometimes, too.”

She said, “I would rather die than snore.”

If she could accept the idea that she herself was capable of snoring, she would probably have more consideration for those who do snore.

I told her a story: Once I spent a night in the same room with two masters. Both snored, one in a loud, roaring tone and the other in a lower but wheezy tone. It annoyed me. I felt like poking them, but then they might have woken up and been unable to fall asleep again. I decided against that idea. Instead, I imagined that the wheezer was a frog croaking in a marsh and that the other was a tiger roaring in the jungle. On the right a frog, on the left a tiger, right a frog, left a tiger, frog, tiger, frog, tiger . . . and eventually I fell asleep.

I remembered that ancient masters could enter samadhi just by listening to the sound of the wind or flowing water. I thought that if it could be done with wind and water, it could also be done with snoring. Perhaps I wouldn’t enter samadhi, but at least I’d fall asleep.

Being considerate of others is as much a form of practice as meditation. Do not only think of yourself; and when you are thinking of yourself, at least do the right thing.

STUDENT:
How do you know what the right thing is?

SHIH-FU:
Base your decisions and judgments on the teachings of Buddhadharma. If you are not sure whether something is right or wrong or good or bad, then try to determine if it accords with Buddhist teachings and precepts. If it is, then go ahead and do it. If it does not, refrain from doing it. Use Buddhist teachings as a guideline. Second, use society’s laws, ethics, morals and customs as a guideline. If your intentions accord with society’s standard, then you’re probably not off track. Use common sense. You can also ask your Dharma teacher for advice.

Be aware of your changing mental and physical conditions. See how they affect your thoughts, words and actions. Usually, if we are unhealthy or physically hurt, we will be in a bad mood. The whole world looks ugly when you are in a bad frame of mind. During these times everything and everyone seems to be lacking. It is easy for anger and hatred to arise. Despite this, from moment to moment, and with everyone, try to give rise to feelings of gratitude.

Greedy people are usually unaware of their own greed. The same is true for people filled with anger, arrogance or pride. But, sooner or later, practitioners will recognize that they have been greedy, angry or arrogant. At that time, they should practice repentance. If you can do this every time, you will recognize that these feelings, these non-virtuous mental states, arise less and less.

You repent because you realize that these mental states result from your strong attachment to self. Of course, you must use your self-centeredness to repent, but afterward, the degree of your self-centeredness should lessen. If the situation allows, it is best to repent in front of a Buddha statue. While bowing or prostrating, you should reflect on the things you thought or said or did that were wrong. When you become aware of your wrongdoings, acknowledge your errors and vow not to repeat that behavior. Likewise, whenever something good happens or someone is kind to you, make a conscious effort to feel grateful.

In the temple in Taiwan, I tell my students to use two sentences in their daily lives. Whenever they meet or receive help from anyone, they should say, “Amitabha Buddha, thank you.” They are not directing their thanks to Amitabha Buddha. Their thanks are directed to the person who helped them, but because their practice is to recite the name of Amitabha Buddha. For others, saying thank you is enough.

The second sentence, spoken when aware of a wrong action, is, “I’m sorry.” To say thank you is gratitude and to say I’m sorry is repentance. If people can truly hold these two attitudes in their minds and act on them, then they will have little vexation. If you can do this with genuine concern for sentient beings, then compassion will arise.

To summarize: Be mindful of the welfare of sentient beings. Remind yourself not to be self-centered; repent wrong actions; and feel grateful to others. What I have described, is, in fact, daily practice. If you consistently strive to hold these ideas in you and incorporate them into daily life, you are doing daily practice. At the same time, it is important to continue to meditate so as to be more aware of your mental state. If you are scattered and lacking the discipline to be self aware, you will not see negative feelings arising. With meditation as an underlying discipline, you will be more mindful of your actions, intentions, feelings, moods and thoughts.

STUDENT:
To be mindful of our behavior, should we set up an objective observer in our minds that monitors our intentions, thoughts, words and actions?

SHIH-FU:
No, that would make you tense and tired. With meditation you will gradually cultivate an inner stillness, so in any situation, you will not get too excited or emotional. If your mind is relatively peaceful, you will naturally be more aware of your thoughts, and you will know what to say and do. You won’t lose control.

When controlled by your emotions and impulses, you are in fact out of control, saying and doing things before you think about the consequences. This is how trouble starts. This is how vexations arise, for yourself and for others.

Therefore, try to stay peaceful, and exercise restraint in your words and actions. This comes gradually, from regular sitting, from being mindful during your daily practice, and from using Buddhadharma to guide your behavior.

On the other hand, if you are always watching yourself like a hawk or a critic, you’ll drive yourself crazy, or else you’ll be miserable. If there is an observer constantly watching, you won’t be able to function smoothly. If piano players always watched themselves play, they wouldn’t be able to play anything.

STUDENT:
This question is about compassion. Every day I ride the subway and I see a procession of beggars, homeless people, sick people, and they often ask for money. What attitude should we have in such situations?

SHIH-FU:
This is a difficult question to answer because every situation is different. It depends on who you are, what you can do, how much you have to give. If you are poor and have no money, then you cannot do much. Perhaps you can help an individual person here and there: give food to a homeless family or clothing to someone dressed in rags. If you have money, power, or influence, then you can do more. Perhaps you can help to create a better society and environment. But you must remember, no matter what kind of help you give, there will be those who don’t care, who won’t listen, and who will not change. By Buddhist standards, you do what you can. You do your best.

If we merely use money to help these people, the help will be minimal. Our financial resources are limited. Besides, money will not help them in a fundamental way. We have to figure out how we can better the environment and help them improve their karma that has led them to where they are now. We have to help them understand the principle of cause and consequence, so that they will better understand their situation. In this way we can help them in a fundamental way. Buddhism takes the long view and concerns itself with fundamental issues. We as practitioners cannot dwell only on short-term solutions. We have to dig beneath the superficial. To do this we have to think about how we can spread the Buddhadharma.

STUDENT:
This doesn’t sound realistic. Most of these people are already too far gone to listen to ways in which they can change their lives. It’s too late. Even if they believed in future lifetimes. I’m sure they are thinking about today and tomorrow, not about years down the road. And they don’t want to know about their root problems. They want food, clothing, shelter, drugs, medicine. These people need immediate help. Are you saying we should become street comer evangelists and preach Buddhadharma to passers-by?

SHIH-FU:
No, you should not evangelize. That is not the Buddhist way. It will only bring more problems ─ for you, for others, for Buddhism in general. The best way is to practice Buddhadharma. If you live it, then you don’t have to preach. It will flow from you naturally. If you are of a mind to give, the giving will come naturally. Those who have affinity with you will benefit. This is helping of the highest order. You don’t have to evangelize. If you live the Buddhadharma, people will come to you.

STUDENT:
What about the other side of the coin? Suppose you work in a dog-eat-dog business. How do you deal with competition with other businesses? It is your job to outdo the competition. Isn’t this causing your competitors to suffer? But if you helped your competitors it would mean losing your own job or business. How should one act in these circumstances?

SHIH-FU:
Honest competition is not necessarily evil. It depends on your attitude. In what way are you competitive? The correct attitude is to strive forward and, at the same time, wish your competition to strive forward as well. It’s like a swim meet. I do my swimming and you do yours. We don’t try to knock each other dead and then go ahead. We encourage a true competitive spirit. This is healthy. It encourages one to perform at higher levels.

An environment where everyone mutually stimulates one another is healthy. In any area of competition, there will be someone who gets ahead and someone who falls behind. Inevitably, there will be some who fall so far behind they will not be able to make it. That area of competition, then, is not for them. They will have to switch to another field. That’s neither your fault nor your concern. People who fail in one area will survive, and they may go on to succeed in another area.

If you are in a dog-eat-dog or unethical business, you should consider getting another job. Your livelihood should accord with your sense of Buddhadharma.

STUDENT:
Constantly trying to think of the benefit and welfare of sentient beings seems to be a great burden. Wouldn’t this attitude itself become a vexation?

SHIH-FU:
It will not be a burden or vexation to one who understands the teachings of Buddhadharma, especially the principle of causes and conditions. As you try to help others, remember that sentient beings have their own causes and conditions, their own merit and virtue, their own karma. You cannot change that. You cannot take on other people’s karma.

For example, two months ago about eighty of us went to India. In Nepal, an older woman in the group was knocked down by a water buffalo and she broke her leg. In spite of her handicap, she insisted on continuing with the group. She said, “I want to go, even if it kills me!”

I said, “If you really want to die, you’re better off in Taiwan. If you come with us, the whole group

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