Khenpo Yeshe Phuntsok
(Khenpo Yeshe Phuntsok is one of the main teachers at Larung Serthar Monastic
College and one of the heart disciples of HH Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche)
In making a choice of what to do and what to avoid, the main consideration is
the principle of cause and effect.
Some people say, "I have earned this money myself, so I should spend it
all on myself for enjoyments. If I do not do so, isn't it pointless to earn
money?"
We can consider this analogy. A farmer looking at his grain storehouse, thinks,
"This is the grain I grew myself, so of course, I should enjoy it. If I
don't finish using it up, isn't the whole year of hard work in vain?" This
is obviously a foolish way to destroy one's own future. If the farmer doesn't
leave seeds for planting next year, he will eventually starve to death.
Thus, indulgence without regard for consequences will deplete one's merits,
bringing immeasurable suffering to oneself later in the present and future
lives.
Let's consider this historical case:
In the third year of the Ming Dynasty's emperor Zhengde’s reign, a severe
drought occurred. However, the area of Liantang managed to avoid the disaster
because it had water reserves. The following year, there was a major flood, but
again, due to the high embankments, the area remained unaffected.
Several neighboring villages suffered crop failures for several consecutive
years, but Liantang continued to have bountiful harvests. Moreover, by a stroke
of luck, they received grain exemptions from the government twice as a result
of the situation in the surrounding areas. The people of Liantang bought up the
estates of neighbouring areas at low prices, becoming very wealthy. The once
frugal and plain lifestyle of Liantang disappeared, replaced by extravagance
and luxury.
At that time, a villager named Chen Liangmo warned his uncles and brothers,
"Unusual misfortune will befall our village!" When asked the reason,
he replied, "We lack the merits to enjoy (such extravagance)." Soon
afterwards, a widespread epidemic struck the entire village, sparing only a few
survivors.
The ancient Confucian Jiao Danyuan said, "The clothing, food, wealth, and
good fortune in a human life are of a fixed quantity, one should not use it up
hastily and leave some spare. By being
frugal and contented, lifespan can be extended; however, excessiveness and
insatiable greed exhausts blessings. It is rare to see anyone who squanders
merits living to an old age."
Human blessings are limited. By being thrifty and not indulging excessively,
one can prolong their life. However, if one indulges excessively, merits will
dry up and lead to early death (or misfortune).
Some people think: "Nowadays, times are different and material conditions
are constantly improving. Outdated things can be discarded. A half-bowl of
rice, a piece of paper are not worth much. Don't be too restrictive on
oneself."
This is a misconception that misleads people to think that there is no cause
and effect. The principle of cause-and-effect lets us understand that wasting
even a half-bowl of rice or a piece of paper carries significant negative
karma. Consider how much work it takes to produce that half-bowl of rice: it
comes from planting, fertilizing, irrigation, harvesting, milling, and
transportation, involving the labor of many workers and using up much natural
resources before it can be placed before your mouth for your consumption. If
you waste it wantonly, doesn’t it cut your merits?
The truth is that every act has its natural consequences, and wasting resources
diminishes one's good fortune and merits. Therefore, remembering how difficult
it is to produce these goods and the infallibility of karmic consequences, we
must cherish our merits.
As the ancient saying goes, "Every grain of rice and every leaf of tea —
think of how hard it is to obtain it.
Every thread and every strand — so difficult to come by." A Tang
poem says, "Tilling the soil at noon, sweat drips as seedling enters the
soil, food on plate at noon, who knows each grain comes from great toil?"
To continue to live in this world requires the tiring labour of many of our
mother sentient beings. Considering this, why would we waste instead of
cherishing our blessings?
The great master, Venerable Hongyi, said in one of his teachings:
(Venerable Hongyi is one of the four great masters in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism
in recent times, famed for his pure conduct.)
“When I was five, my father passed away!
At seven, I practiced writing, scribbling on entire sheets of paper, oblivious
to its value. My mother, upon seeing this, scolded me, "Son! When your
father was alive, not even a small scrap of paper was wasted, let alone entire
sheets of paper like these!" My mother's words is a reminder to conserve
our merits!
“Because of such family education, it
became deeply imprinted on my mind. As I grew older, I never failed to cherish
clothing and food. Even after I became a monk, I've maintained this habit. If
you have the time, please take a look at the yellow shoes I'm wearing, which a
Pure Land monastic gave me in Hangzhou in 1920 during a seven day Amitabha
recitation retreat. Or, you can come to my room and see my cotton quilt cover,
still the same one I used before becoming a monk; and there's an umbrella I
bought in 1911. Despite some signs of wear and tear, with some sewing, they are
as good as new. They can be used to the end of my life. However, some
shirts, pants and sandals need
replacement every five or six years. Other than that, most of my clothes were
made before my ordination or when I first became a monk.”
In the stories of ancient great practitioners, examples like this are
everywhere. Once, during ancient times, Zen masters Xuefeng and Qinshan were
washing their feet by a stream. Qinshan saw vegetable leaves floating in the
water and joyfully remarked, "There must be a practitioner in these
mountains. Let's follow the stream and seek him out."
Xuefeng replied, "You lack good judgement. How will you discern the
qualities of people in the future? If someone doesn't cherish merits like this,
what is the use of practicing in these mountains?"
Sure enough, upon entering the mountains, they found no great practitioners.
Some people say, "Life should be enjoyed to the fullest. It's necessary to
have luxury homes, fancy cars, high-end appliances, etc. What's the point of
life without these material pleasures?"
Firstly, one should distinguish between what is necessary for life and what is
extra? As human beings in the realm of desire, we cannot do without clothing,
food, and shelter but normal food and clothing are sufficient to sustain life. Since a human being’s
height is less than two meters, one doesn't need much space. Anything beyond
these necessities are extra adornments.
Animals also seek food, shelter, and mates. If the meaning of life is limited
to these aspects, then there is no difference between humans and animals. If
one devotes all their energy to pursuing material pleasures, engaging in
non-virtuous deeds, then humans are no better than animals.
The meaning of life lies in accomplishing great benefits for oneself and
others. Without contentment, one cannot concentrate their energy on Dharma
practice. Then one cannot achieve any
great purpose but merely wastes one’s life.
Not only should we cherish our blessings ourselves, but we should also educate
our children and students to cherish their blessings, for their sake.
The wife of Upasaka Yuan Liaofan was a virtuous woman. One winter, she made
cotton clothes for her son. They had silk-cotton fabric at home, but she sold
it and bought cotton paddings instead. Liaofan asked her, "We had
silk-cotton fabric at home, why did you exchange it for cotton padding?"
She replied, "Silk is too luxurious. By selling it, we can give the money
to others, and besides, cotton padding also keeps warm." Liaofan was very
pleased because this way of thinking meant that their child would conserve his
merits for his future!
Now, let's look at a negative example:
In ancient times, a wealthy family hosted a grand banquet to celebrate their
baby’s first month of age, during which many animals were killed. Prior to
this, a fortune teller had predicted a great destiny for the child. However,
the child went on to die at the age of two and a half. The wealthy man blamed
the fortune teller, saying that he had always thought of this fortune-teller’s
prediction as being very accurate, so why had it failed this time? Later, they
met a venerable monk who explained that the child had squandered too much
merits and thus met an early demise.
Looking at young people in present times who are accustomed to enjoyment,
spending their parents' hard-earned money, demanding branded clothes, shoes,
and accessories, splurging their monthly allowances like the flow of water.
Parents also believe that in these times they would rather endure hardship
themselves than let their children lose face. They do not know that indulging
children from a young age inevitably leads to conceit, conceit leads to greed,
eventually leading to a lack of virtue. When they grow up, these children
either become corrupt, crooks, promiscuous or social parasites, non-beneficial
to society. From this perspective, loving your children becomes ruining them.
Therefore, it's essential to teach children to cherish blessings and cultivate
virtue from an early age.
We are all Mahayana practitioners, and we should always be mindful of the
suffering of sentient beings. While enjoying our own merits, why can't we save
some of our good fortune to help countless others who can't even afford a meal?
Here are some examples of cherishing blessings and practicing generosity:
During the Song Dynasty, Fan Zhongyan, while studying, always had the desire to
help others. Later, when he became a prime minister, he used all his salary to
purchase fields for charity, supporting hundreds of poor families. When his
sons asked him to buy a garden estate, he said, "There are many gardens
belonging to officials in the capital, and their owners cannot always visit
them. Since no-one would stop me from enjoying their gardens? Why do I need to
have my own garden to find pleasure?"
In his later years, Fan Zhongyan converted his residence into the Tianping
Temple to propagate Buddhism. His sons shared good clothes and took turns
wearing them when going out. Throughout his decades-long career as a prime
minister, Fan used all his salary for charity, so much so that when he passed
away, there wasn't enough money even for his funeral expenses. However, all his
four sons became high-ranking officials and continued their father's legacy of
generosity, thus, the future generations of the Fan family always enjoyed great
prosperity.
One year, in the 11th month of the lunar calendar, during the cold weather, a
wealthy gentleman from Suzhou brought craftsmen to install a Western-style
fireplace in Master Yingguang's meditation room. However, Master Yingguang
firmly refused to accept it, saying, "One should not enjoy too much in
life. If one lacks virtue and merits, yet indulges, it will only deplete one's
good fortune." Despite the gentleman's sincere requests and the
encouragement of his disciples, Master Yingguang remained resolute, suggesting,
"Place it in the visitors’ room outside instead! Many visitors come there,
and when the outer room is warm, the warmth will also reach this room."
(Master Yingguang is widely recognized to be the emanation of the Bodhisattva
Mahasthamaprapta or Vajrapani.)
