Original Article in Chinese: https://bookgb.bfnn.org/books/0018.htm

Clean Copy — Part 1/4 (SegID S01–S06)

How to Eliminate Greed, Anger, Delusion, Conceit, and Doubt

Composed by Elder Yuanyin

Delivered in Hangzhou on June 17, 1995

A disciple asked, “How can one eliminate greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt?”

Greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt belong to the delusions of thought. Doctrine analyzes ignorance into four: the delusions of views, the delusions of thought, the dust-and-sand delusions, and the delusion of fundamental ignorance—ranging from coarse to subtle, to very subtle, to extremely subtle. View-delusion arises from losing sight of the truths of non-arising and non-self; it pertains to principle, hence is called the delusion of principle. It divides into five wrong views (self-view, extreme views, wrong views, attachment to views, and attachment to precepts and ascetic practices). For example, to cling to psychic powers without asking whether one has apprehended Mind and seen one’s nature is a common wrong view among practitioners. View-delusion is easy to remove: when we practice and awaken to see our fundamental nature, our view is rectified and view-delusion is ended. But thought-delusion is not easily eliminated at once; only after awakening and cutting off view-delusion must one, on the basis of seeing nature, cultivate the truth further to gradually sever this delusion. Thought-delusion arises from cogitating about the unreal things of the world; its nature is dull and obscuring, and it is divided into the five—greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt; therefore it is not easily cut off suddenly. If view-delusion and thought-delusion are not eradicated, birth-and-death in saṃsāra cannot be ended. Thus to eliminate the ten delusions—self-view, extreme views, wrong views, attachment to views, attachment to precepts, and greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, doubt—one must first understand the fundamental nature and open great awakening. Deeply realize that all phenomena are illusory and unobtainable; thoroughly see the very point at which a thought ceases, and the lucid, vividly clear numinous awareness there—this is our own fundamental nature. In the midst of situations, constantly protect and train it; polish away the habitual attachments of many lives; only then can greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt wither away.

Most important is to know that our true mind originally and fully possesses the three bodies—dharmakāya (body of essence), sambhogakāya (body of enjoyment), and nirmāṇakāya (body of transformation)—and there is no need to seek outwardly. Now, when the present thought has ceased and the next has not yet arisen, that lucid and distinctly clear numinous awareness is our dharmakāya; the wisdom-luminosity by which we see all things is our sambhogakāya; and the manifestations of all things, in their various forms and colors, are the transformations of our dharma-nature—our nirmāṇakāya. Dharmakāya and sambhogakāya are easy to understand. When we cut off thought, awareness remains lucid and distinctly clear; it is not without knowing—this lucid awareness at that moment is our dharmakāya; this can be experienced on the spot. The sambhogakāya is the wisdom-light by which we now can see all things: without the wisdom-light of the dharmakāya we could not see; without light one is like a blind person who cannot see. What can see is the light of our dharmakāya; when that light shines, it is the shining of wisdom. The nirmāṇakāya is not so easy to understand. All things—cups, fruit, houses—are my transformations, my emanation-body. How are these my emanation-body? Are they not insentient? The world of equipment is insentient; humans and animals are sentient—how can they be my emanations? Because these things would not exist apart from the wisdom of my dharma-nature. Consider a house: before building, one must first have a design. How does an engineer conceive that design in the mind? He takes in external forms, reflects and analyzes how to transform and develop them to suit human needs, and then drafts a new design. What function is this? Is it the function of the brain? It appears to be the brain’s function, yet the various neural pathways of the brain, like circuits laid out, do not work if no current flows. What is the current? It is the function of our dharmakāya. What is buddha-nature? “Nature” means capacity—function. It functions without any form to be seen. Electricity, for example: you cannot see its form; when it flows, the lamp lights and the machine turns. The brain’s nerves are like wires; the flowing current is the functioning of our buddha-nature. Thus whether drafting the design or later engaging craftsmen to build the house, all are functions of our buddha-nature; they are manifestations of buddha-nature—its emanation-body. Once you understand that the three bodies—Dharma, reward, and emanation—are all fully present in mind alone, you will, at all times, not dwell in appearances. Seeing that everything is but images revealed by the Great Mirror Wisdom of the dharmakāya, you do not let the mind be moved and do not grasp appearances, and you pray for nothing. Cultivating in this way, greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt gradually melt away.

If one does not understand this principle and instead dwells on psychic powers and clings to appearances, not only will greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt fail to be eliminated, they will increase. What do you want psychic powers for? Is it not for fame and gain—for praise, reputation, offerings? Then greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt only grow; there is not the least help in it. Hence, to eliminate greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt, one must see one’s nature—without seeing nature, it will not do. The root still lies in apprehending Mind and seeing nature. Therefore the foundation of the Buddha’s teaching is precisely apprehending Mind and seeing one’s nature.

Some people today have gone astray: they do not seek to apprehend Mind and see nature; they want psychic powers. As soon as they hear a method has powers, they rush to pursue it. They do not remove greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt; they increase the mind of greed to obtain. Thus, when we practice, we must set everything down. Do not even seek samādhi; if you seek samādhi, you will not enter it, for the very mind that seeks samādhi is a deluded mind; when the deluded mind moves, how can you enter concentration? To enter concentration, you must set everything down, seek nothing, keep everything ordinary and plain; only then can the mind be at ease, enter concentration with serenity, open to what is original, and personally realize buddha-nature. In truth, attaining the Way is not arcane; it is disarmingly simple and ordinary. Yet I have heard some Dharma friends in Hangzhou say, “None of us here has attained.” That is unfortunate—they must have mistaken the true meaning of attainment. What counts as attainment? Must one manifest psychic powers to count as attainment? Without powers one cannot apprehend Mind and see nature and thus cannot be said to attain? That is a grave error. Let us first discuss what attainment is—what is the goal of learning the Buddha-Dharma? It is to leave saṃsāra and end birth-and-death: this is our great aim. How can one end birth-and-death and leave saṃsāra? Can psychic powers do it? No. Non-Buddhist practitioners possess the five mundane superknowledges—the divine eye, divine ear, knowledge of others’ minds, psychic travel, and knowledge of former lives—yet they cannot end birth-and-death. They do not recognize their own fundamental nature; they cling to external conditions and pursue them; with grasping and attachment, birth-and-death cannot be ended. Therefore, to end birth-and-death and leave saṃsāra, the mind must be open and empty, dwelling nowhere. Knowing that every change is but a manifestation of one’s own buddha-nature, one seeks nothing, grasps nothing, and is carefree and at ease—this is great attainment—great freedom, the highest spiritual power. If there is chasing and praying, and the mind is still as afflicted as before, then even if all five powers arise together, it is not attainment. Learning the Buddha-Dharma is to learn carefree ease—to follow conditions in society, do one’s utmost to serve the many, able to rise high or descend low, seeking nothing, grasping nothing. When one is truly carefree and at ease, this is the true meaning of the Great Vehicle and may be called attainment. If, when we live, we can refrain from sticking to any situation—without love and hate, without grasping and rejecting—then when the thirtieth day of the twelfth month arrives, we will likewise not cling to conditions and will, free and at ease, have no birth-and-death to be ended.

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That we now cling to birth-and-death is because we grasp at conditions. Today we have a body of form, a physical body, precisely because when our parents joined, we ourselves were stirred and went in. If you did not cling to conditions—if you did not go—there would be no such body; you would be carefree and at ease, able to wander freely. But now, having a body is a burden; it cannot be moved lightly—this is reaping what we ourselves have sown. In practice we must understand this principle: the three bodies—Dharma, reward, and emanation—are complete within the one mind; do not pursue anything; seek no psychic powers; set everything down—then you are carefree and at ease. When carefree and unbound, with no sticking anywhere, so in life and so in death, you go wherever you wish, entirely your own master. Is birth-and-death not thereby resolved?

Ultimately, there is no birth-and-death at all. Our fundamental nature is originally unborn and undying, neither coming nor going, neither increasing nor decreasing, neither defiled nor pure, unmoving and unshaken—there is fundamentally no birth-and-death. To cling to birth-and-death is just our deluded mind restlessly grasping at objects. If one sets everything down, is one not utterly at ease? This is great freedom. What then of greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt? They are but our failure to understand our fundamental nature and our chasing after external conditions—being deluded by forms and outer dusts. Once we understand what our fundamental nature is, and do not grasp the external, greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt naturally vanish. Likewise, if one truly can be carefree and at ease, seeking nothing and grasping nothing, the five superknowledges will naturally arrive—because they are inherent in our fundamental nature, originally present, not acquired by cultivation. Therefore we say realization pertains to awakening, not to fabricating. Awakening is sobering up, like waking from sleep and no longer dreaming. Ordinarily we dwell in a dream, chasing dream-scenes, unaware that they are dreams and pursuing them as real. Where there is seeking, there is greed; when greed is not satisfied, anger arises; to cling to greed and anger is delusion. Conceit is to look down on others—“you all are inferior to me; I am the best”—thus the marks of person and self. Doubt arises easily. For example, when I say that the lucid numinous awareness at the point where thought ceases is our true mind, you may think, “Is this really the true mind? If this is the fundamental nature, then having seen nature I should manifest great powers; why do I have none? Then this cannot be it.” Doubt arises—this is disastrous. Without true faith, you cannot wholeheartedly protect your fundamental nature; you get dragged about by conditions and go down another road. Perhaps you were almost home—your practice had reached this point; what remained was to maintain and protect. Because of doubt, you turn back and take another path; you drop this method for another; then again you change—so, with your mind unfocused, when the decisive moment arrives, you switch again. Thus nothing works. This is the fault of doubting and refusing to practice solidly. Many waste their efforts in this way and attain nothing. If we can, without the slightest doubt, recognize that the lucid awareness at the point where thought ceases is our fundamental nature, and protect it at all times—walking, standing, sitting, and lying down—never letting it be submerged by conditions, never running after them; no condition can pull us; knowing all is mere appearance and that only my present numinous awareness is real, and disregarding all else—if we truly practice like this, then within three to five years the great superknowledges will naturally flourish. Because you do not chase them, the powers that are already inherent naturally appear. They cannot manifest now because they are covered by your greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt—by your discursive thought, attachment, and grasping after powers—and so the powers do not come. Therefore powers are not obtained by cultivation or seeking; powers that are sought are false, not true, and are dependent attachments. Because you greedily seek, ghosts and spirits attach themselves, catering to your mind and entering your mind. Thus among those who practice qigong and claim special abilities, eighty to ninety percent have attached entities; the ability is not theirs—precisely because there is greed to obtain.

Learning the Buddha-Dharma is to open wisdom—to understand that our true mind is the numinous knowing present when a thought has ceased and no thought has arisen. Speaking of realization is very simple: one directly points it out; there is nothing arcane about it. It is not that, upon speaking of realization, all manner of arcana appear. In fact, Chinese Chan is the very best: cutting straight in, not establishing words, directly pointing to mind so that seeing nature is becoming Buddha—this is the highest esoteric method. The highest level of Esotericism is Chan. This is not my invention. A great accomplished master of Tibetan Buddhism, the Karmapa, once said: “In our Esotericism, Dzogchen is the most profound. Does China have Dzogchen? It does: that is Chan; the Chan school is Dzogchen.” We also studied Dzogchen with Lama Gongga. Dzogchen teaches “preliminaries” and “main practice.” The preliminaries set forth rituals—the practices with signs; the main practice directly reveals what buddha-nature is, an instruction in the view identical to Chan’s direct pointing—there is no difference. Chan points straight to seeing nature without detour. If asked, “What is Buddha?” it answers, “Speaking face-to-face—what is it if not Buddha?” Who is it that is speaking face-to-face with me? Who is it that hears and moves? Is this not our buddha-nature? With a simple, intimate, crucial phrase it directly indicates seeing nature. Or if asked, “What is Buddha?” the master calls to you; you answer; he seizes the moment and says, “This is Buddha!” How direct and joyous! Awakening is just this easy—there is nothing arcane. This is the most profound Chan—China’s Great Perfection. Unfortunately, later generations’ faculties were thin and doubt great; they would not accept it. “Is the point where a thought ceases truly the fundamental nature? So easy? Perhaps not!” Doubt—the most harmful of the five—makes one lose the true mind. Seeing that direct pointing did not work, the patriarchs ceased direct revelation and instead had students “investigate the head of a saying.” Ask, “What is Buddha?” The answer might be, “The eastern mountain walks upon the water,” or “Having cast off straw sandals, go barefoot.” A casual phrase, not telling you directly. Because you do not understand, doubt arises; through doubt, discursive thought is cut off; when time and conditions ripen, you personally realize what is original.

In Chan, after awakening to the principle, one then protects it with continuous subtlety, training amid situations, diligently removing delusive habits, until one piece is made of it and the three barriers are passed through transparently. Consider the Sixth Patriarch. Hearing the Fifth Patriarch’s instruction, “Let the mind arise without abiding anywhere,” he awakened and knew that all daily activities are the wondrous functioning of buddha-nature. As long as one does not abide, one is carefree and at ease; the fundamental nature, the bright true mind, naturally appears to the fore. Thus he protected it continuously in walking, standing, sitting, and lying; when the Way matured, he emerged to open the altar and teach. Speaking of maintaining, it is first “protect,” then “let be.” First protect: when thoughts arise, do not follow them; when conditions come, do not be turned. When this is mature, let go of protecting and proceed to letting be—let the mind roam in openness; act freely; neither constrained nor stuck. As Confucius said, “At seventy I could follow my heart’s desire without transgressing the norms”—able to do anything, to enter Buddhahood or Māra’s realm without hindrance. Later, the disciple Damei asked Mazu, “What is Buddha?” Mazu replied, “Mind itself is Buddha.” Damei immediately awakened. After he protected for three years, Mazu wished to test him and sent an attendant: “Elder brother, the Master’s Dharma is now different.” “How so?” “He now says: ‘Not mind, not Buddha.’” Damei said, “That old man confuses people without end. Let him say ‘not mind, not Buddha’; as for me, I only hold to ‘mind itself is Buddha.’” Hearing this, Mazu said, “The plum is ripe!” A true awakener stands firm and is not swayed by others’ words.

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In Chan, after awakening to the principle, one then protects it with continuous subtlety, training amid situations, diligently removing delusive habits, until one piece is made of it and the three barriers are passed through transparently. Consider the Sixth Patriarch. Hearing the Fifth Patriarch’s instruction, “Let the mind arise without abiding anywhere,” he awakened and knew that all daily activities are the wondrous functioning of buddha-nature. As long as one does not abide, one is carefree and at ease; the fundamental nature, the bright true mind, naturally appears to the fore. Thus he protected it continuously in walking, standing, sitting, and lying; when the Way matured, he emerged to open the altar and teach. Speaking of maintaining, it is first “protect,” then “let be.” First protect: when thoughts arise, do not follow them; when conditions come, do not be turned. When this is mature, let go of protecting and proceed to letting be—let the mind roam in openness; act freely; neither constrained nor stuck. As Confucius said, “At seventy I could follow my heart’s desire without transgressing the norms”—able to do anything, to enter Buddhahood or Māra’s realm without hindrance. Later, the disciple Damei asked Mazu, “What is Buddha?” Mazu replied, “Mind itself is Buddha.” Damei immediately awakened. After he protected for three years, Mazu wished to test him and sent an attendant: “Elder brother, the Master’s Dharma is now different.” “How so?” “He now says: ‘Not mind, not Buddha.’” Damei said, “That old man confuses people without end. Let him say ‘not mind, not Buddha’; as for me, I only hold to ‘mind itself is Buddha.’” Hearing this, Mazu said, “The plum is ripe!” A true awakener stands firm and is not swayed by others’ words.

The trouble lies in doubt. Pure Land practitioners doubt as well: “Can I be reborn in the Western Land by reciting like this? Perhaps not.” When doubt is heavy, recitation has no power and rebirth is difficult. One must have full faith: “In this way I will surely attain; I will surely be reborn in the Western Land—surely!” Then there is power; with whole heart there is power. For us, the most important is first the superknowledge of the exhaustion of the taints. Learning the Buddha-Dharma is to be carefree and at ease; if one remains worried and afflicted all day long, that is not the Buddha-Dharma and does not accord with it. “Whether clothing and food are abundant or frugal, let them follow conditions.” Let everything follow conditions: if good, then pass easily; if bad, then pass through that—no matter; all are false appearances. If, when things go well, you laugh, and when they go badly, you fret and grieve—what are you learning? Are all things not unobtainable? Is not everything a dream? Why then be moved? Someone asks, “Have I awakened?” Ask yourself: “Do I still cling to conditions? Do I still dwell in appearances?” If, upon encountering conditions, you still become enamored, you have not awakened. Awakening is sobering—no more dreaming. In dreams, you have everything: in good dream-conditions, incomparable joy; in bad, unbearable sorrow—some weep or cry out in their sleep. After waking, nothing remains. If, on meeting conditions, you still become afflicted, you have not awakened. Only when, in favorable conditions, you are not elated, and in adverse conditions you are not distressed nor angry—only then is it right, and only then can greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt truly be eliminated. Without apprehending Mind and seeing nature, there is no talking of eliminating them—not even a little. To eliminate them, seeing nature is indispensable.

After seeing nature, one must still temper and protect it amid circumstances. If strength is insufficient and the mind still moves before conditions, one should increase sitting. To be confused by conditions and have the mind stirred—that is thought-delusion. In working, first understand what the true mind is—this is the single most important stroke. Only then can you set to protecting it, knowing where to apply effort. Without understanding the true mind, you do not know where to exert yourself—how can you attain the Way? One must have self-knowledge. If concentration is insufficient, sit more; only by much sitting can concentration increase. I too was thus before: on Sundays, instead of going out, I sat at home the whole day. When I rose at night, the mind was utterly clear; no condition could move it; what I formerly liked, I now did not want at all—only serene joy in the Dharma, lightness and ease beyond compare. Therefore, if concentration is insufficient, sit more to protect continuously. When the mind is truly empty and pure—carefree and at ease—that is the penetration of the Way, the superknowledge of the exhaustion of the taints. Having this, the other five superknowledges need not be worried over; “grasp the root and you need not fear the branches.” The five are inherent in the fundamental nature; when it is opened, they naturally appear; if not opened, they are covered within. If the clinging things have not been removed and the mind constantly wavers, to seek powers is to go against the Way—piling attachment upon attachment, adding greed, anger, and delusion to greed, anger, and delusion—how could one obtain one’s wish? One must set everything down.

The Heart-of-Mind method is a great Dharma that fuses Chan, Pure Land, and Esoteric into one; at every moment it bids us see nature directly. In cultivation it is neither empty nor existent. Mudrā and mantra are “existent,” yet their meaning is beyond thought and consideration—having is as not-having; it is existent yet not existent—thus non-existent. Because there is mudrā and mantra, it is not “empty,” thus not-empty. Given a mantra to recite and a mudrā to form, it is empty yet not empty, neither empty nor existent—pushing you forward so that you realize the fundamental nature. Having realized, one returns to Chan. When the mind is truly empty and pure—bare and lucid, utterly unadorned, without a speck of dust—is this not the Pure Land? “Land” is mind and mind is land. Then, wherever you wish to be reborn—east, south, west, north—you may; all are Pure Lands. Following conditions with freedom, all is integrated. The true Pure Land is our eternally quiescent, luminous Pure Land—the Pure Land of the fundamental nature, originally pure and undefiled. It is because of our deluded mind’s clinging that this five-defiled evil world is fashioned. When our mind is pure, the five defilements and evils are transformed into a Pure Land. Therefore the Heart-of-Mind method is the heart-marrow of Esotericism—the view of Great Perfection.

Now, I have given you the instruction for seeing the principle: to know that the numinous, aware nature at the point where a thought ceases is our fundamental nature. This is a conceptual understanding. After understanding the concept, you must still protect it. In the midst of protecting it, watch your thoughts and do not follow them. When you become proficient, the mind that observes and the thought that is observed will suddenly fall away. This is the same as when, during our sitting meditation, the mind that is reciting and the mantra being recited suddenly fall away, and the body, mind, and world become unobtainable; this is to personally realize the fundamental nature. What is the difference between this conceptual understanding and personal realization? The essence-body that is realized is identical in both cases; there is no difference. What is realized in a single instant is completely the same in principle as what is realized after several years of practice, and it is the same as what is realized after thirty years of Chan investigation. But the strength is different. One who realizes it in a single instant has not done the work, and when situations arise, they often cannot withstand them, and the mind becomes disordered. This is the delusion of thought not being resolved; it means greed, anger, delusion, conceit, and doubt have not been eliminated. Now, when we practice on the cushion and the body, mind, and world melt away into emptiness, the strength of personal realization arises. When situations come, you can withstand them, and greed, anger, delusion, conceit, and doubt can be dissolved. Therefore, the strength is different. However, if we can truly plant our feet firmly, recognize that this point where a thought ceases is our fundamental nature, and protect it without any more doubt, that is also very good. Recognize that this one nature is the three bodies—dharmakāya, sambhogakāya, and nirmāṇakāya—and that everything is my transformation body. Do not doubt, do not take it as real, do not chase after it. Practicing like this for three to five years, things will slowly be resolved, which is an excellent thing. So, this is how you should practice; there is nothing arcane about it. The essential words are not complicated. When Master Linji became enlightened, he said, 'So, there isn't much to the Buddha-Dharma after all.' There's nothing to it; it is right here in the present moment, realized in the present moment. Therefore, we must practice without ever leaving the present, applying effort at all times.

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Attaining the Way may be divided into four steps. The first is “seeing the fundamental nature.” Now, to understand that the numinous awareness at the point where a thought ceases is the fundamental nature also counts. Next comes maintaining and protecting; within that, “experience of awakening grows”—this is the second step. “Awakening” means lucid awareness and illumination—not being deluded, not moved or turned by conditions. Truly awakened, one gains true benefit and will not be afflicted. Otherwise, in adverse conditions you will fret and rage; awakened, you know all is false, mere images; you do not cling or pursue; you are untroubled and receive true benefit—the joy of the Dharma fills you, lightness and delight all day long. Thus the First Stage is the Stage of Joy; as awakening-experience grows, one proves the stages step by step—first, second, third… one should constantly examine oneself.

The third step is “advancing in the illumination of the essence.” The essence is luminous; as it advances, great light appears, shining throughout the ten directions: the buddhas of the ten directions enter my body; my body enters the bodies of the buddhas; they mutually interpenetrate without obstruction—this is the realm of the Avataṃsaka. Here, owing to the growth of awakening-experience, greed, anger, delusion, Conceit, and doubt are utterly absent—none at all—yet still it is not ultimate. The fourth and final step is “the Dharma-realm brought to consummation”: all lights are unobtainable, all powers unobtainable; all are gathered back to the self-nature and no longer appear. In Great Perfection this is likened to “the moon on the thirtieth night of the twelfth month”—no longer visible. Gathered back into one’s own mind, there is nothing. Chan speaks the same at this point. As when a monk asked Caoshan, “What about when the bright moon is overhead?” He replied, “Still a fellow below the steps”—not yet home. “Please, Master, draw me up the steps.” “When the moon sets, we shall meet.”

Therefore, if you can plant your feet firmly and not be confused by what people say, you will realize the great Way. If, hearing that a “living Buddha” has come with great powers, you run after him, you will stray into byroads. There is no esoteric method higher than Chan; seeking powers leads to trouble and possession. A young woman from Guangzhou came here; practicing qigong and seeking special functions, two spirits entered her body. The first was tolerable—it told her things, seeming like a little power. The second came, and her body could not bear it; she suffered. This is the evil result of seeking powers. Therefore we must understand and walk the right road. Know that the most vital point in the Buddha-Dharma is not to manifest powers but to end birth-and-death. How is birth-and-death ended? By not clinging to conditions and not running after thoughts—without sticking to any condition—only then can birth-and-death be ended. Seeking powers is not ultimate and cannot end birth-and-death. Those who seek them cling to appearances and aim at fame and gain. I have heard that qigong teachers first give “empowered” public talks to sell tickets and profit, then treat illness for money, then sell “information objects.” All of it is irrelevant—plainly, just tricks for money. To follow them—what an injustice! We who learn the Buddha-Dharma must recognize the mind-ground Dharma-gate: “Only this one is true; the other two are not true.” To cultivate beyond the mind, seeking Dharma outside the mind, is the way of outsiders. Attainment is not manifesting powers, but mind empty and without abiding—broad, level, carefree, and at ease. To be unconstrained by favor or adversity and carefree and at ease—this is the greatest power. Apart from this, even if the five powers arise, the mind is not at ease. For example, with knowledge of former lives, upon learning what one did, one is dismayed: “I committed so many wrongs!” A certain arhat, having killed his father in a past life, gained this knowledge and was distraught—unable to sit still. The Buddha said to Mañjuśrī, “This arhat has gained knowledge of former lives and knows he killed his father; his mind is unstable. Let us put on a drama and teach the Dharma to save him.” Mañjuśrī drew a sword to kill the Buddha; all were terrified. Killing one’s father is grievous; to kill a Buddha is worse. The Buddha said, “Do not panic—Mañjuśrī has no intent to kill a Buddha.” All these are your deluded thoughts stirring—like scenes in a dream—unreal; truly there is nothing. So the deeds of past lives are like what is done in dreams; when awake, nothing remains; the mind settles. Thus the Buddha taught this arhat and calmed his mind.

Practitioners should, at every moment, work on the mind; do not vainly seek powers. Walk the right road; do not enter byways—only then will you truly end birth-and-death.

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