You
should pursue spiritual practice in a moderate way. It's OK to become
a Saint tomorrow, so why must you rush to make it today? You have
waited for many lifetimes, so what is the big deal in waiting just
a few more days? The more you are anxious, the more you obstruct yourself.
In
ancient times, there was a person who followed an Enlightened Master
to practice. One day, he asked his Master, "Master, how many
sincere persons like me can you find in this world?" His Master
replied, "The universe is full of disciples like you." (Master
and everyone laugh.) Still skeptical, the disciple asked again, "Master,
I am truly sincere. If I were to renounce everything, including my
parents, wife, children, relatives, and friends, then how many years
of practice would I take to reach Sainthood?" His Master told
him, "If you are diligent, you can achieve it in five to fifteen
years." The disciple asked further, "This is too slow. If
I refrain from eating and drinking, and even skip sleeping, and only
meditate with my legs crossed twenty-four hours a day, when do you
think I can become a Saint?" His Master said, "In this way,
perhaps it will take you thirty to fifty years to become a Saint."
(Master and everyone laugh.) Do you know why? He was being too anxious.
Who did he think he was? Who cares whether he becomes a Saint or not?
Who would need a person like him?
Shakyamuni
Buddha was very magnificent, and India was a holy land. Lots of people
were vegetarians, and knew that they should pursue spiritual practice.
Yet, He delivered no more than several tens of thousands of people.
Even after His departure, some people still defamed Him. Other religious
sects said that He was a heretic, an evil practitioner, and a demon!
Similarly, people also slandered Jesus Christ. The two of Them are
still defamed by people today. It is because They were predestined
to become Enlightened Masters, and were assigned by God to deliver
people, so They had no choice but to come to deliver sentient beings.
When sincere aspirants pleaded with Them to impart the Truth, They
didn't have the heart to refuse, because They didn't want to break
their hearts. Therefore, there is no big deal in becoming a Saint;
eventually, everyone will become a Saint .
Shakyamuni
Buddha used to have a disciple who didn't sleep even at night. It
seemed that he meditated in the day and chanted the sutras at night,
until later his eyes almost became blind. Shakyamuni Buddha told him,
"The way you are practicing will soon make you Maya instead of
a Saint. When you play the zither, and the strings are stretched too
tightly, can they produce any sound?" The disciple answered,
"No!" "And if the strings are too loose, will any sound
come out?" He said, "No, none." Then Shakyamuni Buddha
said, "The best way is the middle way."
Therefore,
a balanced life is the Tao; an ordinary mind is the Tao. We should
not crave for anything. Craving to become a Saint quickly is also
a kind of greediness. We ought to be moderate in whatever we do. How
can you demand a newborn baby to ride a bicycle? You may be anxious
to see him grow up and become a capable person, but you must not rush
him. He cannot even walk steadily, so how can you ask him to run?
Even if he forces himself to run, he will soon fall down. When a toddler
learning to walk tries to run, won't he fall down in just a few steps?
As a result, he will break his nose and injure his body, all because
he is too anxious.
We
should first take good care of our mind. Check whether or not we have
a pure and noble ideal, that we have reined in our greed, wrath and
infatuation, that we are loving and patient enough to others, that
we are magnanimous, understanding and generous enough to tolerate
others' mistakes. When we have achieved all these things, it is still
not too late to become an Enlightened Master or Saint. Before we have
reached perfection, who can benefit from our becoming an Enlightened
Master? We have not yet erased our guilty feelings, or cleared up
our preconceptions and ignorance. Being still very narrow-minded,
we cannot tolerate many people. Our love is still too insignificant
to love a lot of people. Then what is the benefit of rushing to become
an Enlightened Master? Even if all the Saints and Masters pour all
of Their power into such a narrow-minded, agitated and ignorant person,
what is the use?
Endowed
with power but not love, one will become Maya. There is no significant
difference between Maya and a Saint. Both have similar power, but
the Saint has love, which Maya lacks. Maya is very selfish, demands
everything and takes all. He only criticizes and never forgives. The
Saint not only criticizes, but He also forgives. He criticizes when
it is the right time to do so, in order to help people to progress,
and let them realize their own shortcomings. When it is time to forgive,
He will, giving people due encouragement to live on, without being
burdened by heavy feelings of guilt.
To
really become a Saint, we have to be perfect in every aspect, not
just a particular aspect. If we are only magnanimous, but never criticize,
then it is also no good! For instance, at times when you should criticize
and educate people, you praise them instead, then you will only spoil
them and ruin their judgment ability in spiritual practice. That's
why I say, "One must be balanced in Yin and Yang to become a
Saint." We should penetrate all aspects of this world. Living
in the world, we still need to eat, sleep and interact with people;
therefore, we ought to be normal. As to our inner level or spiritual
progress, we should just keep it to ourselves, and refrain from revealing
it through our outer deportment.
