The Function of Meditation: Self-Growth
What is Growing?
It is the growth of one’s wisdom and compassion.
A wise bodhisattva neither resents the world nor becomes attached to it, which is known as “transcendence.” Truly transcending the world allows one to engage with it and transform it. To enter the world and transform it as a fully enlightened being is to achieve Buddhahood. For instance, all Buddhas attain enlightenment as humans in the human world, and all bodhisattvas must, with compassion, liberate sentient beings in order to achieve Buddhahood. If bodhisattvas do not engage with the world, who will they liberate? If bodhisattvas are attached to the world, how can they save sentient beings? Only by engaging with the world can they carry out the work of transformation. Bodhisattvas possess compassion, enabling them to engage with and transform the world, and they possess wisdom, allowing them to navigate worldly matters without confusion and use their wisdom to guide their efforts to save sentient beings. This is the practice of balancing compassion and wisdom, cultivating blessings and wisdom together.
How is Wisdom Attained?
There are three aspects to gaining wisdom:
- Listening Wisdom: Acquired through hearing teachings, reading Buddhist scriptures, and eliminating wrong views to establish right views, have faith in karma, and understand cause and effect.
- Contemplative Wisdom: Developed through meditative practices, leading to focused states of concentration, which in turn produce clear wisdom.
- Cultivated Wisdom: Achieved by practicing the threefold training of morality, concentration, and wisdom.
- Cultivating Morality involves refraining from actions, speech, and thoughts that harm oneself or others. It is summarized as “Avoid all evil; practice all good.” By using body, speech, and mind to benefit all beings as much as possible, one attains selfless wisdom.
- Practicing Morality, also known as upholding precepts, means avoiding behaviors harmful to physical and mental health and embracing actions that benefit oneself and others. It entails correcting past wrongs and preventing future transgressions while increasing existing virtues and cultivating new ones.
- Cultivating Concentration can be done through meditation. Meditation helps maintain emotional stability and mental health in daily life. If sitting meditation is not feasible, reciting the Buddha’s name can also calm the mind.
- Cultivating Wisdom involves reading Buddhist texts and literature beneficial to physical and mental well-being, as these writings help expand one’s perspective and establish a moral compass.
The wisdom attained through listening, contemplation, and cultivation is called Realized Wisdom, with its highest form being the enlightened state of Buddhahood.
How to Grow Wisdom and Compassion in Daily Life
This can be achieved by focusing on three aspects: remorse, repentance, and gratitude.
- Remorse means recognizing one’s shortcomings. Feeling remorse for oneself is “remorse,” and feeling remorse toward others is “shame.” Arrogant, boastful, or conceited individuals lack a sense of remorse, always believing they have done no wrong. Such people find it difficult to grow in wisdom and compassion. With a sense of remorse, one becomes humble and respectful. As Confucianism teaches, “Pride invites loss; humility gains benefits.” Acknowledging one’s inadequacies allows for self-reflection and improvement; without this, there is no opportunity for growth.
- Repentance is acknowledging one’s mistakes and accepting responsibility. For instance, a teacher who has not fulfilled their responsibilities should feel repentance toward their students. Repentance can be private for minor offenses or public for major ones. It is not a sign of weakness but an expression of courage to take responsibility and correct one’s mistakes. Some people misunderstand repentance as merely offering incense and praying for forgiveness, without actually addressing their behavior. True repentance involves sincere acknowledgment and change.
- Gratitude goes beyond simply returning a favor; it is about being mindful of the sources of goodness in one’s life. Aside from parents, anyone who benefits your life is a benefactor. Benefactors come in two forms: those who help you and those who challenge you. Many see those who assist them as benefactors but consider critics or obstacles as adversaries. However, those who push you through hardship help you grow stronger, and should also be regarded as benefactors.
Conclusion
It is easy to harbor resentment, but difficult to let it go. Viewing those you deeply resent as benefactors is a challenging task, but one worth practicing. Without this practice, there can be no true wisdom or compassion. Throughout life, you will inevitably encounter people who challenge you, helping you navigate life’s struggles. If you have never faced adversity, you are truly blessed with extraordinary karma and circumstances.
