While in an illusionary sea of suffering, your karmic impediments for many lives make your soul drown in three domains and six paths, repeatedly descending and ascending, transmigrating, it is all because your misconceptions cause your six-sense organs to get captivated by six-sense objects; these deviations prompt you to take this dirty body for real, and indulge yourselves in your temporary affluence and relationships. You are not aware that the impermanent body is borrowed as it is made up of the four great elements. The affluence is like a floating cloud, your ‘celestial’ beauty is nothing but a flower which blooms at dawn and fades at dusk, it does not endure, however, the soul must suffer punishments for all its sins over one life after the other to pay for compensation.
Nowadays, you have woken up and take refuge in Buddha-Dharma. As you have seen the path to permanence and immortality, rely on your Prajna and leave the lay world, renounce the bustling modern scene for a quiet place. But, even though you are devoted, you are not yet familiar with the way and path. First, you must carefully grasp the word ‘taking refuge”s: taking refuge is ‘go back’, but where to go back?? It means go back to Buddha’s porch. Go back means to ‘obeying to set yourself in a mould’.
Thus, taking refuge is to rely on the Buddha’s porch and listen to His teachings. How benevolent Buddha is, how will we be. Buddha practices which way to become fully enlightened, and teaches us, we will follow which way. Seeing the enlightened by a rightful means, we will quickly obey. It is crucial to keep precepts everyday. Rituals are secondary and are the aids for reminding you to fulfill your duties. I observe that, among the Three Karmas, you are still heavily burdened therewith. In the practice journey, Three Karmas cause you a lot of predicaments. Only if the sentient beings get rid of the Three Karmas, will they be able to go to Buddha land. They consist of: Bodily Karma, Oral Karma, and Mental Karma (review the Khuyen Thien Volume).
But, from my point of view, I see that the Oral Karma is the heaviest. Take your sword of insight to clean up your evil mind, and take your tolerance to treat each other, and take your compassion and humanity to treat everyone. You need to understand the Buddhist concept of Non-Ego. With your efforts, you will receive your Master’s support.
Stanza said:
Dharma ever tends harmonizes well,
Examine others thoroughly and scrutinize yourself.
If they understand their lot, happily tolerate them,
If you can do this, wll they behave the same.
