Happily Practicing the Way (Tao) While Living in the Mundane World - Part VII

The Seventh Paragraph
The Buddha’s Way is so profound that only with practice can you realize that.  The more the ignorance disintegrates, the brighter the Bodhi Mind shines.  The more afflictions have been transformed, the more one wishes to lead a moral life. 

Studying and practicing what the Buddha taught in sutras help you understand His teachings easily.  Learning and following the Patriarchs’ method, you will find that Emptiness in Zen (Thiền) is no longer an incomprehensible mystery.

The practitioner must learn the essentials thoroughly, and dismantle all sources of afflictions, so that none of their trace is left behind.   Overthrow  the victory flag, perfect all mental awareness, and do not embrace any germs of disaster nor let them lie hidden in your arms. 

Burn down all the jungles of wrong views from the past with the fire of enlightenment.  With the sword of wisdom, destroy the remnants of false perceptions, the traces of which may be lingering on up to now.

Show gratitude and respect to venerable Buddhist monks, love your parents, and nurture your strong will to learn the Way from your Master.  Cherish Gotama Buddha’s moral life, abandon the sensual path, and follow the precepts with determination to become a vegetarian.

Inspired by the Buddha’s compassion, you should wish to follow His Way, and never forget His sacrifice, so that you may emulate His efforts to teach and help others, even when you have to go through difficulties for many lives.  Have gratitude and never forget to practice the Way.  Remember that offering flowers and incense is merely a symbolic gesture to express your piety.  Even when one says one believes in the Buddha, but without sincerity, offerings made of gold and jewels cannot hide the covert heart and mind.

(to be continued)

Sources: 
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tran_Nhan_Tong
http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%E1%BA%A7n_Nh%C3%A2n_T%C3%B4ng
http://thuvienhoasen.org/D_1-2_2-137_4-19440_5-50_6-2_17-68_14-1_15-1/#nl_detail_bookmark

Happily Practicing the Way (Tao) While Living in the Mundane World - Part VI

The Sixth Paragraph

 True!  Practicing to dwell in the unattached mind, you are naturally on the right Way.  Purifying the three karmas (bodily action, speech, and thought) to have peace in you body and mind, until you attain oneness of mind; then you will be able to understand the Patriarchs’ teachings thoroughly.  Trapped in words and ideas, the Buddhist practitioner will get lost, and feel very lonely.  Once realizing the truth and thoroughly understanding the fundamentals, those who chose to become monks and nuns need to be skillful and solid.
Observing duality and non-duality, one sees that things may go through a strainer, but not through a ladle.*  Studying the Theravada Buddhism and the Mahayana Buddhism, it is true that sometimes one needs a strong rope to hold coin money** together, but at other times, one may use threads made from silk to weave the water container to get water.   
Clearly realizing the shining true mind, one is never doubtful about the capricious weather-like causes and effects.  Cleaning one’s own mind mirror (self-reflection), one is never influenced by the senses and their disturbing and distracting reflections.
Crude gold must go through metallurgical processes several times.  When one is not pursuing fame and interest, one lives happily with  simple things in life.  Maintaining a noble pure mind, and having moral and skilful behaviors, then one’s authentic Bodhisattva expressions naturally shine.  Loyal to the king (the nation), and dutiful to one's parents, one is always a noble person in behavioral expressions.  When one practices meditation, one should live in close vicinity to skillful Dharma friends and practitioners.  One may have to sacrifice one’s own body and life to express appreciation on their behalf.  When one learns the Way from a Master, one’s gratitude could be expressed with one’s own bones and brain.***

(to be continued)

Sources: 
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tran_Nhan_Tong
http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%E1%BA%A7n_Nh%C3%A2n_T%C3%B4ng
http://thuvienhoasen.org/D_1-2_2-137_4-19440_5-50_6-2_17-68_14-1_15-1/#nl_detail_bookmark
* Symbolic meaning: seeing the whole, not seeing separate entities.
** Symbolic meaning: various tools or means to serve the ultimate purpose.
*** Symbolic meaning: complete, selfless, and ultimate sacrifice

Happily Practicing the Way (Tao) While Living in the Mundane World - Part V

The Fifth Paragraph

Having known that the Buddha is within, not without, you find it unnecessary to look outside for Him.  Only when you forget your inner Buddha do you have to  search outward for Him.  Once realizing this Truth, you realize that you are the Buddha Himself.  Having heard a few Zen statements, you may feel like you are strolling leisurely in your homeland, the true eternal Home.  Reading sutras a few times, you feel as if you were resting in the Kingdom of Tân-La.* Leading an ethical life and practicing meditation, you have entered and lived in the realm of Sutras (Dharma) and Patriarchs.  Living beyond all arguments, and immune to all forms and sounds, you can avoid getting lost in the world of dense forests and wild flowers.  Let’s pray to live close to the Buddha for many and many lives, so that we may learn from His compassion.  Let’s pray to King Nghiêu, ** who blessings and kindness were tremendous, so that those who deny the world do not have to pay tax and tribute.  Clothes and blankets are to keep one warm during the cold season, and it doesn’t matter whether they are worn out and simple patchwork.  Eating rice or gruel is to fuel up your body; so never mind whether it is from nutritious brown rice or leftovers.   Protect yourself from the eight types of perceptions (seeing, hearing,….) to fight against the eight types of winds (self-interest, personal loss, disgrace, honor, praise, criticism, suffering, happiness), but not to suppress them.  Try your best in monastic life; prove your mastery of the three essentials (precepts/ethics, meditation, and wisdom) by  self-taming and training.  Even with a no-string lute, you can still play the music of No Birth; even with a no-hole flute, you can play a song of Peace.  Uprooting the tree just to find its branches is a regrettable thing Câu Chi the old man*** did; turning one's back against the mirror to find one’s own image in it is the most hilarious thing Diễn Nhã Đạt Đa**** tried to accomplish.  Getting through the ring of diamond does not scare heroes; swallowing the outer spiky skin of the lật fruit does not make a brave man hesitate for fear of minor scratches. 

(to be continued)

Sources: 
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tran_Nhan_Tong
http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%E1%BA%A7n_Nh%C3%A2n_T%C3%B4ng

http://thuvienhoasen.org/D_1-2_2-137_4-19440_5-50_6-2_17-68_14-1_15-1/#nl_detail_bookmark

*http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A2n_La

Silla  was established in 57 BC by Pak Hyŏkkŏse (69 BC - 4 AD)–Capital: Seo(ra)beol.  It was then one of the three kingdoms (Goguryeo, Baekje và Silla) in an  East Asian peninsular which is the Korean Peninsular nowadays.

**http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nghi%C3%Aau

King Nghiêu (2337 BC- 2258 BC), also called Đế Nghiêu or Đường Nghiêu (唐堯), was a legendary king of ancient China.  He was an exemplary king with great talents and high moral.  Under his leadership the Chinese people enjoyed peace and prosperity.

*** These are stories in ancient oriental mythology.  Câu chi the old man (Câu chi trưởng lão) tried in vain to look for the branches of a stump by uprooting the remaining of the tree.  Diễn Nhã Đạt Đa mistakenly thought he could see himself in the mirror if he turned his back against the mirror.  These stories refer to human ignorance when they are trying in vain to search for something that does not exist.

Being able to get through a small ring of diamond and to eat the rough and spiky skin of the lật fruit are not impossible deeds to heroes and those who are determined and have the courage.  This implies the strong will and determination of a Buddhist practitioner to achieve the ultimate goal in his/her spiritual life.

 

Happily Practicing the Way (Tao) While Living in the Mundane World - Part IV

The Fourth Paragraph

The truth is that when one has recognized the true mind, all sufferings and afflictions cease right away.  The three evils (greed, hatred, and illusion/ignorance) will be  transformed, and one will attain the three kayas* (kāyas or bodies; i.e., the Dharmakaya Buddha, the Sambhogakaya Buddha, and the Nirmanakaya Buddha).  If one wants to put an end to all the wrongs caused by the six senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and discriminative perceptions), then one needs to realize the dangers caused by the six enemies (sight, sound, smelling, taste, feeling/sensation, external phenomena).

Those who want to transform their own bodies and to transcend this world know only alchemy; in their search for answers about Emptiness, Buddhist followers do not need to avoid the phenomenal world of forms and sounds.

When one realizes the true mind, and has a firm belief in the Perfect Wisdom, one does not need to search for Buddhas or Patriarchs in the East or the West.  Having experienced Oneness and reached Enlightenment, does one really have to labor over chanting sutras nor sitting in meditation, following either the Southern or the Northern Buddhist traditions?

From the Tripitaka one learns that one needs to follow the monastic rules of the Zen tradition and instructions; burning the incense and taking care of the altar does not mean one has to spend money on decorations and rituals.

If everyone has accumulated moral merits (knows how to live morally), is there any among us not a Buddha him-/herself?  Those who rigorously observe the precepts, and have eradicated all envies and greed are actually Maitreya Buddhas.**

(to be continued)

Sources:
http://thuvienhoasen.org/D_1-2_2-137_4-19440_5-50_6-2_17-68_14-1_15-1/#nl_detail_bookmark

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trikaya

**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitreya

Happily Practicing the Way (Tao) While Living in the Mundane World - Part III

 The Third Paragraph

Once one has recognized the true mind, all mistakes committed in the past become null, and all the practices about precepts, meditation, and wisdom can be mastered easily.  If one maintains or dwells in one’s clear mind, one never goes astray, nor falls into the wrong and evil path; instead, one is following the right path or the Way.  The Buddha is one’s true mind , this we may learn from Mã Tổ (Mazu)*; as to how to deal with attractions and talents, we may learn from Bàng Công (Layman Pang).**  When the mind is clear, one has no desire for wealth or possessions, even though one has not left the mundane world to dwell at Cánh Diều on Mt. Yên Tử.***  Vigilant against what one hears (sounds) and what one sees (forms), one is not disturbed by evil/wrong thoughts, even though one is not necessarily a hermit in Sạn Hut on Mt. East.  Although one is living in the mundane world, one can be successful in practice, and achieves the happiness which has been one’s ultimate goal.   Living in the wilderness, but having no wisdom, one still has to face destructive forces, and simply wastes one’s time.  If one sincerely wishes to be near a true Zen master, then within only one night one may attain Bodhi state.  If one can benefit from meeting with skillful people, then the Ưu Đàm flower (udumbara in Sanskrit/Pali or udonge in Japanese)**** can bloom even if it has been delayed for many past lives.

(to be continued) 

Sources: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tran_Nhan_Tong
http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%E1%BA%A7n_Nh%C3%A2n_T%C3%B4ng

http://thuvienhoasen.org/D_1-2_2-137_4-19440_5-50_6-2_17-68_14-1_15-1/#nl_detail_bookmark
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongzhou_school 
**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layman_Pang
***http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%C3%BAc_L%C3%A2m
****http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UdumbaraThis flower is a symbol of the highest or ultimate achievement in Buddhist practice.

Happily Practicing the Way (Tao) While Living in the Mundane World - Part II

The Second Paragraph

We should know that the most important thing to do is to cultivate an unattached and peaceful mind; no other Way (Tao) is better than that.  Maintain or dwell in the clear mind so as to have peace and joy.  Trying to prevent mind disturbances (thoughts) is useless, for thoughts continuously arise.

Transcending the concepts of “I” and “others” unveils the true nature of the (solid/unchanged) diamond mind; transforming greed and hatred reveals the perfect and noble enlightened mind.  The Pureland is our true pure mind; no need to ask whether there is any Pureland elsewhere in the West.  Amida is our shining nature; no need to search painfully for any Paradise elsewhere.  Observe one’s own body and mind in order to attain peace and joy for oneself, and not to show off one’s practice to others pretentiously.  In face of Permanence the Evil, observing precepts and ethics with discipline is not a matter of barter or trade!  Eat plain vegetables and fruits, and never mind bitter or unpalatable foods.  Wear only rough cloths while never bothered about the colors of what one is wearing.   As long as one lives an ethical life, one feels more contented with half of a small tent than the whole palace in the Paradise.  Once one is happy with one’s good deeds, then even living in a hut covered with three tiles, one feels much better than dwelling in a huge mansion.

(to be continued) 

Sources
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tran_Nhan_Tong
http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%E1%BA%A7n_Nh%C3%A2n_T%C3%B4ng
http://thuvienhoasen.org/D_1-2_2-137_4-19440_5-50_6-2_17-68_14-1_15-1/#nl_detail_bookmark:

Happily Practicing the Way (Tao) While Living in the Mundane World

"Happily Practicing the Way (Tao) While Living in the Mundane World" (Cư Trần Lạc Đạo) is a prose essay by King Tran Nhan Tong (Truc Lam The Great Ascetic Hermit).  It is the first essay in Old Vietnamese (tiếng Nôm).  It consists of eight paragraphs which explain the heart of the Great Hermit's method of mind training.  

The First Paragraph

While my body is dwelling in the city, my living style is that of those living in the wilderness.  When all the karmas (committed by the body, in words, and in thoughts) are subdued/pacified, both the outward expressions and the inner nature become calm.  As a result, it takes only half a day to practice in peace, and both the body and the mind are under control. 

When the spring of lust ceases, my mind is no longer bothered by love or desire; once arguments about rights and wrongs stop, I can enjoy the beautiful songs by swallows and thrushes.  

Many feel contented when they are traveling and seeking quietism among wild rivers and green mountains, but among them is there any who is able to see the nature of green foliage and pink roses?

The images of blue skies and a silver moon shine upon all flowing Zen rivers, while the wisdom sun extends its radiation over innumerable gentle willows and fresh flowers.

Those who practice mystical methods may want to transform their bodies and to transcend this world; they then are trying hard with alchemy in search of a rare potion for an eternal life in the upper realm of heaven.  On the other hand, Buddhist followers simply love to read sutras and treatises, as they consider a simple and free-from-fetters life much more valuable than gold and jewels.   

(to be continued) 

Sources: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tran_Nhan_Tong
http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%E1%BA%A7n_Nh%C3%A2n_T%C3%B4ng
http://thuvienhoasen.org/D_1-2_2-137_4-19440_5-50_6-2_17-68_14-1_15-1/#nl_detail_bookmark