Tuesday, 01/14/2025
How To Transform Suffering
Update: 15/05/2012
Sufferings of the mind: some feel frustrated when their desires are not\r\nfulfilled; they have no choice but live or work with the opposition. Physical sufferings of\r\nbirth: old age, sickness and death. Sufferings due to internal and\r\nexternal factors: adverse weather, natural disasters, war or sufferings in\r\nmarried life, unsuccessful search for fortune, fame, career, etc. In general,\r\nhuman beings have to experience immeasurable sufferings in which bad karma is\r\nsupposed to be the cause of sufferings and affliction. As a rule, everybody has\r\nto re-pay back for their previous bad karma. The more evil\r\nkarma we create, the more sufferings we undergo.
\r\n\r\nThey are like a small extinguished flame and may turn into a\r\nlarge fire and may cause appalling consequences. Frustration and sufferings of\r\nthe mind should be removed as soon as they have just arisen because the\r\ncreation of karma afflicts not only us but also others. Due to these\r\nsufferings, we have been in the wheel of samsara for innumerable lives.
\r\n\r\nIn the sermon of The Four Noble Truths, the Buddha mentioned\r\nThe truth of sufferings (dukkha) and The truth of the cause of sufferings\r\n(samudaya); dukkha is the results, samudaya is the causes. In order to\r\ntransform sufferings into peace, joy and happiness we must find out the causes\r\nof sufferings.
\r\n\r\n There are as many as 84,000 Buddhist dharma sects of\r\ncultivation. However, in the lecture, I would like to emphasize some specific\r\nmethods:
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1.Comparison
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When we suffer from something, we should compare it with that of the same case.\r\nThis gives us better insight to relieve the sufferings and problems and find\r\npeace and pleasure. The two following stories will highlight the point.
\r\nOnce, a lay Buddhists told us that her daughter often did a variety of\r\nmeritorious deeds at a temple and followed the nuns on charitable trips. She\r\ncomplained that daughter spent too much time for it and ignored the house work.\r\nAt that time, I told her the story of another lay Buddhist whose daughter is\r\nquite contrary to the formers. The girl did not pay attention to her study and\r\noften played truant for pleasure with her friends. She was grief because her\r\ndaughter would not follow her advice and she also feared that her daughter\r\nmight fall to victim social pitfalls. After listening to the story, the former\r\nrealized the problem, rejoiced at her ​​daughters work and facilitated her to\r\ncontinue the meritorious deeds.
Not long ago, a lay Buddhist had some complaints about her\r\nhusband who had devoted himself to sutra chanting and Buddhas name recitation\r\nsince he took up Buddhism and he would not be willing to share the house work\r\nwith her. After hearing her complaints, I told her that it was a great blessing\r\nfor her to have such a good husband. Then, I told her the case of another lay\r\nBuddhist whose husband became engrossed in drinking. She said after\r\ndrinking, he cursed her and the children, disturbed the neighbors, disrupting\r\npublic order. Now she just wanted him to stay in the pagoda and practice\r\nreligion so that he could fix his bad habits. She was willing to raise money to\r\nsupport him while he was the temple. The latter seemed sympathetic to her\r\nhusband after hearing the story.
\r\n\r\n2. Considering karma
\r\n\r\nWhenever we become entangled in sufferings, think that it is\r\ndue to karma and its results. All things exist in accordance with the Law\r\nof Cause and Effect. Actually, some people have never been to the pagoda\r\nor practice religion and they are quite all right. They encounter a\r\nvariety of hindrances only when they go to the temple frequently and cultivate\r\nthe dharma wisdom, which arouses suspicion about natural causal law among them.\r\nSome of them may have the question: "Why do we have to suffer more than\r\nbefore while we are doing well and stay away from evil deeds?" - The\r\nanswer to the question is that the bad consequences such as diseases,\r\naffliction ... they have to face up to now due to their killing too many\r\nsentient beings in the previous lives. According to the law of causality,\r\npeople may undergo retribution for their evil karma for five to ten lives.\r\nHowever, now they manage to control their bad actions and follow the right path\r\nof cultivation. Also at this time, their bad karma in many lives has ripened\r\nand arisen together and they have to pay for them in this lifetime. They should\r\nbe happy rather than miserable and view it as a karmic pay back.
\r\n\r\nIn addition, some of us may sometimes fail in our\r\nbusinesses, or some have saved enough money and plan to build a house but\r\nunluckily, the money was destroyed in a fire. In such cases, if we do not\r\nunderstand the law of karma we will be in sharp pain. We should seriously\r\nconsider law of karma. We might have cheated and made others suffer in our\r\nprevious incarnations and now we have to receive bad results. Only if we have\r\nsuch thoughts, our suffering and pain will gradually fade and we will repay our\r\nkarmic debts in peace, and serenity.
\r\n\r\n3. The Contemplation of Causes and Conditions
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Things only exist when there are enough causes which come together under\r\nfavorable conditions; and things will disintegrate when causes or conditions\r\nare scattered. A human body is a combination of four elements—earth,\r\nair, water, and fire. We will certainly die once the combination no longer\r\nexists. Existence of marriage life is dominated by the causal law,\r\ntoo.
Some couples may enjoy happiness; love while others may suffer in marriage life\r\nor even worse, a marriage break-up. If they are fully aware of the causal law,\r\nthey will find that it is due to scattering of causes or conditions of their\r\nmarriage and they will accept it in a cheerful manner. Moreover, it is said\r\nthat: "Marriage is like a cage; one sees the birds outside desperate to\r\nget in, and those inside equally desperate to get out. The bird in a cage will\r\nnever feel comfortable despite being well fed. Now their marriage ends in\r\ndivorce, which means that they are enjoying a life of freedom. They\r\nshould be happy rather than distressed.
\r\n\r\nIt is also hard for myself to overcome afflictions if I\r\ndont follow the proper way of cultivation. Let me give a concrete example of\r\nwhat I mean. Once, some young children came and expressed the interest of\r\nbecoming novice monks at my pagoda. I accepted their suggestion and I brought\r\nup them properly, supported them with everything I could: food, clothing,\r\nschool fees, means of transport ... However, some of them decided to leave my\r\npagoda and lived in other pagodas while some returned to the secular life after\r\ngraduating from high school. At that time, I was obviously in distress,\r\nthinking that it was a waste of time and effort raising them. Later, I found\r\nthat it was just predestination. In another thought, I had raised them now and\r\nthey would serve other pagodas later, which contributed to the promotion of\r\nreligion, so it was not a waste at all.
\r\n\r\nThe next story I would like to tell you is the case of a man\r\nwho was in the final stage of liver cancer and was supposed to have died sooner\r\nor later. Lying in bed, he groaned in anguish and uttered a cry of despair.\r\nOn my visit, I strongly advised him that he recite the Buddhas name instead of\r\ncomplaining about his illness, which would be beneficial to him. Due to\r\nillness, we should realize that human body is purely illusory, life is\r\nimpermanent and life is bound to change! He should try to practice Buddhas\r\nteachings so that he could be reborn into a better realm of existence. "You\r\nbody is like an old torn shirt now. You should boldly change it for a new and\r\nnicer one." Hearing my explanation, he realized the truth and had got so\r\ndeeply involved in Buddhas name recitation since then. Shortly afterwards, he\r\npassed away gently.
\r\n\r\n4. Contemplation of Compassion
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When someone has hurt us, instead of hatred, we should have a feeling of pity\r\nfor them. It is the contemplation of compassion. Because of ignorance, they\r\nmade us suffer and they will surely suffer the consequences in the future.\r\nTherefore, we should sympathize with them rather than blame them.
\r\nIn Buddhas time, one day Purna Maitrayani-putra asked Buddhas permission to\r\npreach in a region. Buddha said:
"The people in that area are said to be not civilized\r\nand to be very aggressive. Will you be able to do it?"
\r\n\r\nPurna said: "World Honoured One. Because of this I find\r\nmyself responsible to civilize them and transform them by dharma of\r\ncompassion."
\r\nBuddha then asked: "But what do you think about those people if they curse\r\nat you while you are preaching?"
\r\nPurna answered: "World Honoured One. If they insult me, I think they are\r\ngood people because they have not hit me yet."
Buddha then continued the next question: "And what do\r\nyou think about those people if they hit you?"
\r\n\r\nPurna replied: "World Honoured One. If they hit me, I\r\nthink they are still good people because they have not killed me yet."
\r\n\r\nNext, was the last question of Buddha: "And what do you\r\nthink about those people if they kill you?"
\r\n\r\nPurna said: "World Honoured One. If it happens, then I\r\nsuppose that my death may also sensitize them, because I have sacrificed for\r\nthe purpose of spreading the Dharma. But, the utmost thing I am concerned about\r\nis that if they kill me, they will suffer retribution. Therefore, it should\r\narouse more my feeling of pity for them."
\r\nThe Buddha praised him: "What a noble spirit you have! I strongly believe\r\nthat you will be successful in the dharma propagation in the area."
\r\nThus, when we encounter a bad luck, instead of being tormented by feelings of\r\nsuffering we should apply contemplation of compassion, showing mercy to those\r\nwho have inflicted pain on and our resentment towards them will disappear.
5. Considering It An Opportunity For Mental Training
\r\n\r\nWhen unfavorable conditions happen to us, consider it an\r\nopportunity for our mental training. For example, when we have insomnia, which\r\noften causes unpleasant feeling, frustration and impatience. So, instead of\r\nlying restless and experiencing feeling of grievance, lets think that it is a\r\ngood opportunity to recite the Buddhas name. Most of us must be busy with our\r\nown business; we do not have much time for the Buddha recitation and some of us\r\nmay feel sleepy whenever we practice Buddha recitation. Take advantage of this\r\nsleepless night to recite Buddhas name as much as possible until the\r\nfrustration of insomnia disappears and we can get to sleep easily. Dealing with\r\nthe suffering by practicing this kind of contemplation certainly facilitates\r\nour cultivation.
\r\n\r\nAs a matter of fact, some lay Buddhists have registered for\r\na Seven-Day Buddha-Recitation Retreat. However, after attending the course for\r\ntwo days or so, they asked us to allow them to go home for their own business.\r\nI believe that they were not busy at all. Although they did not speak it out, I\r\nrealized the hardship that they could not overcome.
\r\n\r\nThe strict regulations require that attendees keep\r\nvegetarian diet, sleep on the floor and stand in line for their meals during\r\nthe retreat. Contrary to life in pagoda, at home, they are entirely comfortable\r\nabout their daily activities and their time is flexible, too. They can eat,\r\nsleep or do something whenever they want. Moreover, they are accustomed to\r\nliving condition which is better than that of the pagoda and they could not\r\nendure the hardship and decided to leave pagoda. I think they were lucky to be\r\nadmitted for the seven-day Buddha recitation retreat. Many people came to\r\nregister for it but they could not because the number of attendees was\r\nrestricted. If we practice this kind of contemplation, we will consider it our\r\ngood luck and blessings. It is the chance for us to practice ascetic life:\r\nkeeping vegetarian diets, sleeping on the floor ... as the Buddha used to do.\r\nIt is not easy for everybody to experience such a seven-day retreat.
\r\n\r\nThe Buddha decided to give up the luxuries of his palace\r\nlife to pursue a life of religion. He had to lead a life of hardship and\r\nhomelessness such as begging for food, sleeping under the tree ... but he felt\r\npeaceful in life. Different from Buddhas time, some of us are used to the\r\nfamilys life and may feel uneasy about life in the pagoda. However, after the\r\nseven-day retreat, some would like to stay in the pagoda for some more time as\r\nthey found happiness during that time here. Another example is the case of some\r\nyoung students. Some have registered for the free Summer Retreat in the pagoda\r\nfor three months, but they left only after two or three days. In\r\ncontrast, some persevered in their attempts to practice although they\r\nhad to follow the strict discipline and regulation that the monks set out or\r\neven some were fined for their mistakes. Some violated the regulation\r\nrepeatedly being asked to leave but they insisted that they be allowed to\r\ncontinue their cultivation here.
\r\n\r\nMany years ago, some of them became young novice monks after\r\nthe course. The following examples release the truth that in the same\r\nsituation, those who have desire of cultivation can easily overcome challenges\r\nand maintain their religious practices. Otherwise they may become fretful while\r\nencountering and quit the practice halfway.
\r\n\r\nFor the time being, some people have decision of becoming\r\nmonks or nuns in the wish for more favorable and better things, but they\r\nencounter full of inauspicious circumstances, arousing their distress during\r\ntheir training. The fact is that living in a group, the disagreement among the\r\nmembers is inevitable. So, unless they resolve minor conflicts wisely, they\r\nwill become more serious. As a result, their distress will grow more acute and\r\nthey may lose the Bodhi mind. If we work out this contemplation in the right\r\nway, we will be able to control our negative feelings.
\r\n\r\nThe talented navigator is the one who succeeds in\r\nwithstanding strong wind and large waves and the good practitioner is the one\r\nwho manages to overcome the tough challenges. As it can be seen, the great men\r\nthat are admired are the ones who have to undergo a lot of hardships,\r\nchallenges to have such achievements. Similarly, valuable gold bars are made of\r\nraw gold which is subject to the process of refining; a beautiful wooden statue\r\nis made of a piece of rough, ugly wood after being chiseled, planed, peeled ...\r\nThe rice we have everyday must go through the process of being planted,\r\ncultivated, harvested and milled so that it can become good quality white rice.\r\nSo are humans. All of us should consider the challenges and difficulties a good\r\nopportunity for us to exercise willpower, maintain dignity, which makes our\r\nlife more significant.
\r\nIn summary, suffering is like a small hole in the dike. If we do not plug it\r\nnow, it will become larger and larger and the dyke will certainly break some\r\nday. Likewise, learn how to transform the suffering when it was just a minor\r\none by practicing the five kinds of contemplation above: Comparison,\r\nConsidering the karma, Contemplation Of Causes and Conditions,\r\nContemplation Of Compassion and Considering It An Opportunity For Mental\r\nTraining. We hope you will always enjoy peace and happiness during your\r\npractice.
Translated into English by Mr. Tran Xuan Thanh, layman