37) How to Combat and Subdue Anger

Among the various afflictions, only anger manifests itself in a very crude manner, destroying the practitioner in a most effective way. Therefore the ancients said:

When we allow an angry thought to arise, we open the door to millions of obstructions.[55]

For example, while reciting the Buddha's name, a practitioner may suddenly think of a wicked, ungrateful, stern and evil person who has treated him cruelly; or, he may remember close relatives who are troublesome and unreliable and have caused him grief. He therefore becomes sad and angry, fidgety and uneasy. In that state of mind, his mouth recites the Buddha's name while his mind is saddened and full of delusive thoughts. Some practitioners drop their rosaries and stop reciting; lying down, they put their arms on their foreheads and let their minds wander aimlessly. Others are so afflicted and saddened that they forget about eating and sleeping in their desire to confront the culprit and shout at him; or they look for ways to take revenge and get even. The angry mind can harm the practitioner to that extent.

To combat and subdue anger and resentment, we must develop a compassionate mind. The Lotus Sutra teaches:

We should take the mind of great compassion as our house, forbearance as our armor, the Truth of Emptiness as our throne.

We should think: we ourselves and all other sentient beings are common mortals drowning in the sea of Birth and Death, all because of karma and afflictions. However, afflictions by their very nature are illusory and unreal. For example, where does an angry thought come from before it arises? Where does it return to when it dissipates? When we are angry and resentful, we are the first to suffer, because we have ignited the fire of afflictions, which will consume us. Anger, moreover, can neither convert nor bring a single benefit to anyone. Is it not then a useless case of delusion?

We should think further: those who have harmed us by their wrongful actions have, through delusion, planted evil seeds; they will necessarily suffer retribution. They should therefore be the objects of pity, not anger. This is because, if they were clear-minded and understood the causes of merit and retribution, they would never dare do such things. We are offspring of the Buddhas and should apply their teachings to dissolve our own afflictions -- because the goal of cultivation is to seek liberation and happiness, not to descend upon the path of suffering. We should feel compassionate and forgiving of injurious actions and practice forbearance, understanding that everything is illusory and void. We should remember the words of the ancient masters:

The fire of the three poisons, greed, anger and delusion, 
Burns up all the forests of virtue; 
Those who would tread the Bodhisattva Path, 
Should be forbearing in mind and body.

Compassion is the pure and refreshing water that can extinguish the fire of afflictions; forbearance is the enduring armor that can block all poisoned arrows; the Dharma of the Void is the light that can completely destroy the somber smoke of delusion. Knowing these three things and relying on them to rid ourselves of anger and resentment is to have "entered the house of the Buddhas, worn the armor of the Buddhas and sat on the Buddhas' throne."

38) How to Do Away with the Judgemental Mind

We ordinary people, not having attained the mind of true equanimity, and still making the distinction between ourselves and others, count life's successes and failures, rights and wrongs, praise and blame, in the tens of millions; no one can escape this condition. Even the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, who in their compassion appear in this world to save sentient beings, must endure criticism, affection and distaste.

The ancients have said:

No one is immune from criticism and blame, 
It is just that people refrain from speaking openly.

This is an accurate observation born out of experience.

If the practitioner is not clear-minded and calm, criticism can sometimes upset him, giving rise to afflictions, and greatly obstructing his cultivation. I therefore raise this question in an attempt to find a cure.

To avoid being judgemental, we should follow three principles.

First principle: we should examine and correct our own mistakes, not watch or discuss the transgressions of others. Take the case of a black buffalo which allows a white heron to perch on his back, but uses his horns to chase away a crow trying to do the same. Little does the buffalo realize that it is much darker than the crow!

Ordinary people, too, are similar, fond of praise, loathing criticism, delighting in exposing other people's mistakes while not realizing that they themselves have many more failings and are nothing to be proud of! For this reason, the main principle followed by practitioners is to reverse the light, observing and correcting themselves, not watching or discussing other people's transgressions. Examining and correcting our own mistakes will develop our wisdom, while watching and discussing the failings of others will certainly create karmic debts and injustice.

Second principle: When we are the object of slander or blame, we should remain calm and forbearing and not necessarily seek ways to justify ourselves. For example, if a sheet of white paper is stained by a spot of black ink, left alone it will be smudged in only one place and the spot will gradually fade away. If, on the other hand, we try to erase the blot, the whole sheet can become dirty.

A well-known commentary states:

Being the object of injustice, do not always seek to justify yourself, because to do so will create more rancor .

This is because when someone has set his mind upon speaking ill of another, if the latter tries to justify himself, he is in effect saying that the speaker is wrong. Naturally, this leads to hatred, resentment and conflict, and unintentionally makes the dispute known to everyone around, who then begin to harbor doubts about the very person attempting to justify himself.

In general, those who have just begun to cultivate see themselves in the right and others in the wrong. Those who have cultivated for a while see themselves and others as sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Seasoned cultivators only see themselves as being in the wrong. Why is this so? It is because, if those of us who are the object of slander are not wrong in this life, we may have committed transgressions in a previous life for which we must now endure retribution. Even if we have not created "personal karma" by directly committing a transgression, it must have been due to "common karma" that we were born in this world of the Five Turbidities.[56]

Having created adverse karma, let us not blame Heaven for being near or far.

These words by the well-known Vietnamese poet Nguyen-Du are indeed quietly consonant with the teaching of the Way.

Third principle: The practitioner should be steadfast in his determination, believe firmly in the law of cause and effect, and not be moved by words of praise and blame from outside. The Dhammapada Sutra teaches:

A high mountain stands immovable in the midst of a raging storm. The upright man is calm and at peace within the swirl of criticism and gossip.

No amount of praise or ridicule from outside can make us good or bad, free from suffering or mired in suffering; everything depends on ourselves. If we create good karma, even though we are despised as evil and full of transgressions, we will still be reborn in the higher realms. On the other hand, if we create bad karma, although we may be honored and praised, we will still be reborn in the lower realms.

A Vietnamese Zen Master once wrote a refreshing stanza along these lines:

Let us not concern ourselves with fame or fortune, right or wrong; Let them drop with the morning flowers, freeze with the midnight rain and gradually fade away. There, a bird's song, springtime has passed. Why not concentrate on practicing the Way?

39) Some advice on Fault-Finding

An ancient proverb states:

If even what we see before our eyes is sometimes untrue, how can we possibly believe what is said behind people's backs? Therefore, while our ears may hear talk of right and wrong, our mouths should not repeat it.

Criticism and issues of right and wrong often originate in unfounded doubts, misunderstanding and misinterpretation. What in the house is merely a mouse, past the gate takes the shape of a goat, and outside in the street is transformed into a buffalo. While originally there may have been very little substance to a rumor, by the time it reaches the tenth person, even the one who actually started it may receive quite a shock!

Frequently, disparaging words spring from a contentious or jealous frame of mind, the determination to settle accounts, or the desire to denigrate those who have more advantages or qualities than ourselves. Women, and many men as well, seem prone to this habit of gossip, jealousy and criticism. When they like and respect someone, he is depicted as an Immortal or a Buddha; when they despise or resent him, he easily becomes a demon or a ghost. A respected master once observed, "women tend to have stronger faith than men and are usually diligent and assiduous in their practice. However, the virtues they reap from cultivation often go up in smoke because of their mouths!"

To avoid such mistakes and ensure that virtues are not lost, I will relate, for our common edification, the teachings of the Patriarchs and Buddha Sakyamuni Himself.

One leisurely evening, a king asked a certain courtier, "You appear to be a man of integrity. Why is it that you are the target of so much criticism, slander and hatred?" The official replied, "Your Majesty, when the torrential rains of spring arrive, farmers are elated because their fields are well-irrigated. Pedestrians, on the other hand, are unhappy because the streets are muddy and slippery. When the summer moon is as clear and bright as a mirror, poets and writers rejoice at the opportunity to travel and compose couplets and poems, while thieves and felons are distressed at the brightness of the moonlight! If even the impartial heaven and earth are the object of blame and resentment, love and hate, how can this subject of yours, imperfect and full of blemishes, escape denigration and criticism?

"Thus, I venture to think, we should remain calm in the face of praise or criticism, think it over, and not rush to believe it. If a king believes gossip, his subjects lose their lives; if parents believe gossip, their children are hurt; if brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, believe words of gossip, they experience separation; if relatives, friends and neighbors believe gossip, they sever relations with one another. Fault-finding is really more noxious that snakes and serpents, sharper than swords and knives, killing without spilling a single drop of blood."

According to the judgement of history, this courtier was a disloyal official; however, his answer was sound and reasonable, and a worthy example for later generations. It is therefore still quoted today.

The Lotus Sutra states:

Then the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue said to the Buddha [Sakyamuni]: "World Honored One! In the latter five hundred years of the corrupt and evil age, whoever receives and keeps this sutra, I will guard and protect him, eliminate his anxieties and give him ease of mind ... If anyone sees those who receive and keep this sutra andproclaims their errors and sins , whether true or false, such a person [will receive all kinds of evil karma]."[57] (Bunno Kato, et.al., tr. The Three-fold Lotus Sutra, p. 340-343.)

As Buddha Sakyamuni said, slandering and harming those who recite the Lotus Sutra constitutes a heavy transgression. So does slandering and harming those who recite the Buddha's name, mantras and other Mahayana texts.

As stated also in the Brahma Net Sutra:

A disciple of the Buddha[s] must not himself discuss the offenses of any Bodhisattva sanghan, Bodhisattva lay person, bhikshu, bhikshuni, nor may he encourage others to do so, or involve himself in the causes, conditions, methods, or karma of speaking of the offenses of the Four Assemblies ... If instead, a Bodhisattva discusses the faults of those within the Buddha Dharma, he thereby commits a Bodhisattva Parajika [major] offense.

A disciple of the Buddha[s] must not praise himself and disparage others, encourage others to do so, or involve himself in the causes, conditions, methods or karma of praising himself and disparaging others ... Otherwise, he commits a Bodhisattva Parajika [major] offense. (Hui Seng, Brahma Net Sutra. Part I, p. 97 and 100, respectively.)

Buddha Sakyamuni, in his compassion, clearly indicated the paths of transgression and merit, but we Buddhists are so deluded that many of us have forgotten all about them. Because of our minds filled with jealousy and criticism, we create immeasurable evil karma of speech!

In the Great Heap Sutra, Buddha Sakyamuni said:

If kings and officials beat and scold monks and nuns, whether the latter keep the precepts or not, the bad karma of the kings and officials is as great as if they had shed the blood of millions of Buddhas. If we see someone wearing the yellow robe, whether he keeps the precepts or not, we should consider him a Buddha.

As the Great Heap Sutra clearly teaches, if monks, nuns or laymen have committed transgressions, they will suffer retribution. We should feel only compassion for them, rather than disdain or scorn. Respectful and compassionate thoughts increase our good karma; scornful and deprecating thoughts, and looking for the failings of others, can only reduce our stock of merit and virtue, bringing suffering and tears! For this reason, the true cultivator is always concerned with self-examination and self-improvement. On the other hand, if we still have many faults but do not examine ourselves, spending our time unmasking and denigrating others, we cannot be said to have a true understanding of cultivation.

The ancients used to say:

Harming others brings misfortune; to be harmed is to receive merit.

When the cultivator is subjected to criticism and slander, he should think: "that person is bringing me merit." Why is this so? It is because, from time immemorial, we have committed obstructive transgressions. If we are the object of one word of scorn and belittlement, our bad karma has been lightened by one part. Are we not then receiving merit and benefit? Those who engage in scornful speech and slander will certainly suffer retribution; through delusion, they bring calamity upon themselves.

In order to demonstrate clearly what true cultivation and the personality of the true cultivator are, I will quote a passage from the No-Mark Stanza of the Platform Sutra, by the Sixth Patriarch:

He who treads the Path in earnest Sees not the mistakes of the world; 
If we find fault with others 
We ourselves are also in the wrong. 
When other people are in the wrong, we should ignore it, 
For it is wrong for us to find fault. 
By getting rid of the habit of fault-finding 
We cut off a source of defilement. 
When neither hatred nor love disturbs our mind 
Serenely we sleep. 
(Wong Mou-Lam, tr. "The Sutra of Hui Neng," p. 34.in The Diamond Sutra & The Sutra of Hui Neng.)

Buddhist adherents, whether clergy or laymen, all consider themselves cultivators, concerned with the Way. However, how can we tell the genuine from the sham cultivator? On this issue, the Sixth Patriarch has advanced a simple criterion. He said:

He who treads the Path in earnest sees not the mistakes of the world.

In effect, the genuine cultivator always looks at himself to correct his own mistakes and dwells in empty, still meditation. Having severed the mind of discrimination between himself and others, how can he think about the good and bad points of others? With the sham cultivator on the other hand, the mind of self and others, right and wrong, jealousy and hate runs rampant; as soon as he opens his mouth, he criticizes others and speaks of the good and bad points of the world. This is very far from the Way.

Therefore, when we continue to see the mistakes of others, denigrating and slandering them, we demonstrate that we are the most awkward and wanting of all, because our minds are still deluded, full of discrimination, lacking in wisdom and compassion. We thus bring retribution upon ourselves in the future. Regardless of whether or not others are in the wrong, let us strive not to be in the wrong ourselves. We should learn from great men and let our minds be as clear and bright as a mirror. Without anticipating or hedging about future events, without regretting or dreaming about things of the past, with the mind filled with brightness and equanimity, we will surely receive a wonderful response!

If we have distracting thoughts of envy and hate and speak words of scorn and blame, then, internally our True Nature becomes defiled and externally we bring rancor and disputes upon ourselves. This results in further errors and transgressions. For this reason, to achieve peace of mind and be free of afflictions, we should not comment on people's shortcomings.

The phrase "by getting rid of the habit of fault-finding" also has the deeper meaning of eliminating the Four Propositions and eradicating the One Hundred Errors.[58]

"When neither hatred nor love disturbs our mind, serenely we sleep" ("reclining with both legs stretched out and resting") describes the state of great liberation, all eagerness for study gone, eating when hungry, sleeping when tired.[59]

True cultivators always have a clear and solid position and viewpoint, and pay no attention to the praise and criticism, likes and dislikes of the outside world. As an example, it once happened that a well known Zen Master, having awakened to the Way under Elder Master Fu Shan, went to reside in a famous monastery. Although living among the Great Assembly, he did not practice meditation or seek guidance in the Dharma; all he did all day was lay sleeping.

Upon hearing this, the abbot arrived at the meditation hall, a big staff in hand. Seeing the guest master reclining with eyes closed, he admonished: "This place does not have surplus rice to allow you to do nothing but eat and rest!" Reply: "What would you, High Master, advise me to do?" The abbot said: "Why don't you sit in meditation?" Answer: "Succulent food cannot tempt those who have eaten their fill." The abbot continued, "A great many people are unhappy with you." Answer: "If they were happy, what would I gain?" Hearing these unusual replies, the abbot inquired further, "Who was your master?" Answer: "I arrived here after having studied under the eminent Master Fu Shan." The abbot said, "No wonder you are so headstrong!" They then clasped hands, laughing aloud, and headed toward the abbot's quarters.

One day, many years later, the guest Zen Master, having washed himself, ascended the Dharma seat, bid farewell to the great assembly, wrote a parting stanza, immediately dropped the pen and expired in a seated position. The guest master, as we can see, conducted himself easily and freely, having mastered life and death. Is it not because he had truly internalized the meaning of the passage "when neither hatred nor love disturbs our mind, serenely we sleep?"