The root of Buddhadharma is found in human beings. The root of human beings is found in the mind. The root of the mind is in awakening to awareness. These three are of one essence. The sutras say, “The human body difficult to obtain, we have now obtained. The Buddhadharma rarely heard, we have now heard. If we do not work towards liberation in this life, then what life are we waiting for?” It is not easy to obtain the human form we have now. In this world, there are many who gain human form, but live with sensory impairments—there is much suffering in this. There are also those born as humans, but are not able to hear the Dharma. Thus, natural disasters happen more frequently in the Dharma Ending Age.
Buddhism teaches, “When the mind is pure, the buddha land is pure. When there is peace in the mind, there is peace in the world.” If we want to avert disasters and avoid misfortune, we must cultivate merit and wholesome dharmas. This very mind should have contrition, practice repentance, and perform self-reflection. When the mind is pure, the land is pure.
Therefore, it is a great blessing to be able to hear and study the Buddhadharma in our meditation centers. We must take the Dharma to heart and practice it in our daily lives. When we apply the Dharma to our household, the household becomes a place of the Way. Apply it to our workplace, and the workplace becomes a place of the Way. Apply it to society, and society becomes a place of the Way. We must know that “A human body is difficult to obtain; the Buddhadharma is rarely heard.” The Dharma is like sweet dew, it is the most nutritious and abundant of feasts. Knowing this, we should share the Dharma with people who have affinity with us, and help them benefit from the teaching as well. If we can benefit ourselves as well as others, that is true bodhisattva practice.
Benefit both self and others, embrace all beings with deep fellowship.
As such, “Before realizing buddhahood, develop good affinity with all.” There are many kinds of affinity we must develop: interpersonal affinity, Buddha affinity, Dharma affinity, joyful affinity, and pure affinity. By attending a Dharma ceremony together, we develop Dharma affinity. Through paying homage to the Buddha and learning Buddhism together, we develop Buddha affinity. People who see each other and say “Amituofo”, develop interpersonal affinity. If we lack these kinds of affinity and still neglect to develop them in this life, it may be hard to avoid feelings of antipathy with those we meet. No matter what we do, whether in terms of worldly or supra-worldly dharmas, we will find it difficult to succeed.
In Buddhism, there are four bodhisattva ways of fellowship, which are four expedient means to help liberate sentient beings. The first way of fellowship is charitable giving. On one hand, helping others through giving can alleviate their suffering and bring them happiness. On the other, the wholesome practice of giving can help us counteract the unwholesome afflictions of stinginess and greed. Since charitable giving benefits oneself as well as others, it is a Dharma gate for bodhisattvas.
In addition to doing the giving ourselves, Buddhism also teaches us to help others practice giving and attain its merits. For example, if someone we know wants to practice giving, but don’t have a penny to their name, we can first give them something of ours. The goal is to help them practice giving, achieve its merits, and gain its karmic effects.
Providing material wealth is but one way to help others practice giving. We can also use our labor or speech to help them achieve merits from giving. For instance, if someone wants to donate material goods, we can help them carry things or select appropriate items. In terms of using our speech, we can commend their efforts or praise the inexhaustible merits of giving. This is to “joyfully cultivate merits according to your means.”
After every meditation class, the instructor will say, “Thank you for joyfully taking the time to listen to the class.” Teaching and listening to the Dharma are both ways to help others practice giving. Helping others realize the merits of wholesome dharmas takes a vast and generous mind. Do not help others for your personal benefit, but in hopes of realizing their merits—when we practice giving this way, without attaching to the notions of a person or a self, the fruit we attain will be none other than anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, or unsurpassed complete enlightenment. Therefore, the merits of helping others perform giving, taking joy in their giving, and commending their practice are incomparable in greatness.
The second way of fellowship is kind speech, which is to speak encouraging and complimentary words. In order to liberate sentient beings, we must first develop affinity with them. One way is by using kind words to initiate friendships. For instance, if you take a morning stroll in the park and see other people, greet them with “Good morning!” They will sense your friendliness and respond with a smile. This is creating fellowship through kind speech.
The third way of fellowship is beneficial actions, which is to help fulfill the needs of other people. Whether food, clothing, housing, or transportation, as long someone has a need, we help them anyway we can—this is creating fellowship through beneficial actions. The fourth way of fellowship is companionship. If someone likes to use the computer, we learn to interact with them through a computer. If someone likes calligraphy, we practice calligraphy with them. If someone likes to play chess, we play chess with them…we participate in whatever others like to do as a way of developing affinity.
If you have children at home, encourage them with loving speech. With a kind father, comes a filial son; when older siblings are caring, younger siblings are respectful. If you are good to your children, care for their heath and studies, and treat them compassionately, they will reciprocate by being devoted and pious.
Everything in this world is relative; all things have causes and effects: “As this exists, so does that; as this does not exist, neither does that; as this arises, that also arises; as this ceases, that also ceases.” The cultivation of learning to realize buddhahood is to achieve self-benefit through the process of benefitting others. Being kind and helping people is to also help oneself—we should not do so because we expect something in return. Buddhadharma is wisdom; it is compassion; it means developing good affinity. We must develop good affinity with all, whether Buddha affinity or Dharma affinity. As long as we have affinity, no matter what we do, whether raising a family, building a career, accumulating merits, or cultivating the Way, we will always encounter good conditions and certainly reach success.
The power of unconditioned compassion is vast and inconceivable.
The Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters says, “Suppose there is a single torch and thousands of people come to light their torches from its flame, to cook food and dispel darkness, this torch will not be diminished; it is the same with these blessings.” “Suppose there is a single torch” serving as a source of fire and “thousands of people come to light their torches from its flame.” In this way, the fire of one torch becomes a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand…then, this fire can be used by everyone “to cook food and dispel darkness.”
“This torch will not be diminished,” means that even though the original torch has provided fire to many thousands of others to cook food or dispel darkness, its flame and utility were not diminished a single bit. On the contrary, it has illuminated the surrounding area with an even greater light. One torch can only light a small area. Now that ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand people have lit their own torches from its fire, an even larger area is illuminated with brightness. The merit from charitable giving and helping others give is the same way, passed from one to another endlessly, not diminished in the slightest, but growing ever greater. When this torch is passed from one person to the next, its light shines greater and greater, and our lives will be filled with an ever-growing brightness.