Lecture No. 0373
Great Ocean of Lamrim
Lecture No. 0373
Lamrim Volume 1: P47 L4 ~ L7
Date: 27 Feb 2022
Topic: Method to counteract feeling of unfairness and grievances
My take is that prompting practitioners to aspire the spirit of enlightenment right in the beginning of their study is quite logical and rational; in fact, it is a very tactful approach, because this approach can counteract the attitude of wanting to withdraw. That is [what Master would say] in the following. [00:10]
We will continue to listen to the next paragraph. [00:15]
[6A 09:50 ~ 6A 11:16]
The same applies to us now. Otherwise, we think by doing a little bit of service to others is fine, but if we have to reconcile ourselves to do more, we would become very reluctant. One thing you must understand is that unless you do nothing, to engage in any task is to face unfairness; this is the first point. Besides, only through enduring unfairness that things can be accomplished; and this is the characteristic of Buddha Dharma! Give it some thought and see if you agree with it. It would be nice to just lie there doing nothing; you wouldn’t have any chance of feeling aggrieved. If you engage in more tasks, like serving meals, after finishing eating, people complaining that certain dish is tasteless or salty, or not greasy enough or too greasy. That is the way it is; and it is absolutely true. This is why, in the six perfections, each perfection builds on the previous one. Perfection of generosity is comparatively easier, but upholding ethical discipline is hard. Upholding ethical discipline may become relatively easier, while practicing patience is difficult. What is the object for true forbearance? It is the Bodhisattva state of attained forbearance with regard to the teaching of nonproduction [V.3 p.207 & p.324]. Only when you are able to achieve that level of forbearance is it possible for you to talk about expedient means, and then next is the perfection of joyous perseverance. After this achievement, then you can actually achieve perfection of meditative stabilization and the possibility to achieve the perfection of wisdom insight. This is what we should understand. It is the same with the case of doing business. Sometimes businessperson will run into some picky customers! If you are not able to satisfy their demand, when they come to buy things from your store, your attitude says, “Take it or leave it; that is how I run my business!” These customers will certainly not return again, and you will not make money after all of your hard work. [01:41]
In this part, pay attention to the first sentence， “The same applies to us now. Otherwise…” what does “otherwise” mean in this sentence? Have you noticed the word “otherwise”? Or you missed it? This “otherwise” refers to which paragraph? [02:00]
That is, it refers to what is mentioned in the 2 paragraphs [in Teaching #372] from Master’s commentary; why is that you have to contemplate on: what is the trade-off engaging in Bodhisattva deeds? Upon hearing this, you may think: “Alas! This thought of what I can get in return seems to devalue my motivation; am I really that incapable? To benefit others should be fine with me, right?” If what Master said did not occur to you, what will happen next? Then Master explained, “we will think by doing a little bit of service to others is fine;” this is the attitude I mentioned earlier: sure, I am capable to benefit others, right? This is our current state of mind! We assume we are capable of benefiting others without considering personal advantage. However, are we able to endure any unfair treatment or reception? That would be way too much to compromise. “I have to come up with a way to avoid unfair treatment or poor reception; I want to see if there is a way around it.” Isn’t this the attitude of ours? Is this correct? [We would argue that] “Why is that benefiting others requires to endure unfairness? I reject this idea!” [02:43]
And Master followed, “One thing you must understand is that unless you do nothing, to engage in any task is to face unfairness;” Will we think to endure unfairness is a must? That is, we just would not take any unfair treatment! Please tell me: why do we need to find another way around without being treated unfairly? What is the intention for not wanting to be mistreated? Do we feel being mistreated is wrong? Or is it I am not willing to take it? (Venerables: we feel [taking] it is not necessary.) The reply of “not necessary” suggests that you think you do not deserve this kind of treatment! Is this right? If it is something joyful, would you say, “Joyful feeling is not what I should expect,” right? Would you think of it this way? So, it follows that this feeling of unfairness is a type of suffering, correct? If we know the suffering lying ahead, we would try our best to bypass it, either with the assumption that “I do not deserve this kind of treatment” or “I can bypass it”. So, Master said here, “unless you do nothing, to engage in any task is to face unfairness; this is the first point.” [03:29]
Master followed by saying, “Besides only through enduring unfairness things can be accomplished;” and what Master said next is even more detonating: “this is the characteristic of Buddha Dharma!” Have you noticed: well, how come this is the opposite from what was said earlier? Didn’t Master say the more we benefit others, the more benefits we will get in return? Now says here that all tasks are accomplished through unfairness? Do you find the opposition between the two concepts? May I ask, how to make sense out of it? Do you have any answer for this? [03:57]
What [Master] explained here is to support the earlier paragraph [in teaching #372]. Why would you feel being treated unfairly? That is because you do more for others; that explains why you feel it is unfair. However, if you can think about how much more benefits you will get in return, you would take it willingly despite feeling unfair! What Master meant is: in what way you can willingly accept unfair treatment? You have to figure out your returns, right? And this is the same principle for businesspersons to strike deals. If you do not figure out your return on investment, Master expressed, “otherwise”, meaning if you disregard what your return will be, you are building up the unwillingness to subject yourself to unfairness. [04:31]
The above two paragraphs are like a rope held tight on each end; the proposition is posited firmly, like the tight entanglement in wrestling. So, if you continuously offer your effort without calculating the payback, before long you would not be able to withstand any bit of mistreatment. Besides, Master said that only with the sense of unfairness we can get the assigned tasks accomplished, and this is the characteristic of Buddha Dharma! How could this be endured? Isn’t Buddha Dharma to bring us refreshing coolness? How come it turns out that the more engagement begets more unfairness and grievance? [05:00]
So, what can you do to handle such sense of unfairness? It is common experience when we begin to serve many people, for sure we will encounter the issue of “hard to cater to different tastes”, meaning, you burned out after trying so hard, yet still cannot please everyone, would you feel the grievance at this point? Think about it: would you feel unfairness? Should we persist in such unfair task? What is your motivation to persist in the effort? You have to identify what that driving force is. When you are salvaging all living beings, at the same time you are contributing to achieve your own enlightened physical form and secure your placement in the Pure Land of Blissfulness. This is the definite effect! Correct? Otherwise, we would withdraw from this aspiration; have you noticed it? [05:34]
To endure unfairness is not just about suffering; rather, it would completely change the premise we established in the beginning; namely, laden with grievance, I quit! We would determine whether we will continue the effort of benefiting others by how much unfairness we feel, rather than by discerning whether the task should be accomplished or not. Many of us are susceptible to emotions, and our reaction to the external conditions depends largely on how we feel. My take is that Master brought forward a very powerful way to stop us from dropping the aspiration; that is, we have to reckon what benefit we will get out of such aspiration. In fact, either we determine to be ordained as monastic or as lay practitioner; many of us weigh the outcome in this way as well. Are the five sensual desires enjoyable? If you figure out the price you have to pay, you would not indulge in them. The path to liberation is far from now; it seems chilly and painstaking. However, after weighing the advantages of upholding precepts, achieving high-status and certain-goodness, you would willingly endure all the hardship incurred by applying the teachings into meditation practice. Namely, all of these involve a reckoning process! [06:23]
Actually, such reckoning is a discerning mechanism – a path we choose by discerning from the cause to the effect. The moment some people experience unfairness, the sense is how pervasive it is! They feel unfairness from the beginning, in the middle and all the way to the end. What they do not realize is that the unfairness they feel after engaging in tasks for the welfare of the general public is to weaken the grasping on the self-cherishing, and enhance their strength in forbearance. Besides, the next level up from the forbearance is the Bodhisattva state of attained forbearance with regard to the teaching of non-production. This is how the powerful mental strength we gain for ourselves, and such strength will benefit us life after life. Are you listening? [06:58]
Take heed! When we hear the word “unfairness”, our first response is: I do not want it! Pay attention! I do not like that; I refuse to be treated unfairly? May I ask would unfairness disappear? Who can be so sure that from birth to death we would never ever face unfairness? So, would Bodhisattvas feel they have been mistreated? Yes! They would! Then, how can we make such grievance worth our while? That is, [we have to ponder:] what do we trade this grievance for, and what approach can we adopt to offset this grievance? First, let us talk about the approach to offset the grievance. What approach would people adopt to relieve grievance? They tend to pour out their grievance by telling others: if the other party is a good friend, the expectation is for others to relate to such feeling, and provide some advice. And what else? When the grievance is up to the unbearable point, they would lay the blame on others, or even to the state of fighting with each other. These are the approaches some of us take to offset grievance. And there is another way to relieve grievance, and what is it? That is the Bodhisattva state of attained forbearance with regard to the teaching of non-production [V.3 p.207 L.15 & 324 no new production of affliction]. After reaching this level of forbearance, then by the time we apply the six perfections, our wisdom level will soar, why? Then, there would be nothing that we cannot endure. [07:59]
When that power is getting stronger and stronger; as you may notice, the state of forbearance the Bodhisattvas demonstrate at the causal stage is to such an extent that one can hardly imagine! How can Bodhisattvas train themselves to that level? They all begin practicing it steadily. They enhance their ability of forbearance each time they endure a little bit of unfairness, and this is how we enhance our patience to become stronger and stronger. After such strengthening, actually the vitality of our life becomes very powerful! By practicing in this manner, the ability for us to be fully in charge of life becomes stronger and stronger while we are facing all kinds of arising conditions throughout our meditation practice on the teachings – I am in charge of my life – are you able to be in charge of yours? For instance, when the grievance feeling surges like the gigantic waves, could we be billowed away from our course of action – our course is for the welfare of living beings! Would we be deviated? [08:43]
If such grievance becomes extremely strong, after being deviated, what can be used to bring us back on the track? That is, we must weigh the price we will have to pay for feeling unfair and grievance? Why is that I am able to endure this grievance? What lies in here is the precious foresight: if we are able to foresee the outcome, we are more than willing to bear the feeling of unfairness! Why is that we are willing to endure having been treated unfairly? That is because it is overly valuable! It is like doing business: you painstakingly satisfy the need of picky customers; sometimes you would feel displeased, but when you think of great store of gold and silver will stash your own storage room, then everything becomes bearable. This is still from the perspective of weighing the benefit that the Bodhisattvas will gain in the long run! [09:16]
【广海明月 讲次: 0373】
讲次 | 0373
标题 | 对付委屈的办法
《广论》段落 | P9-L6 ~ P9-L7 阿逸多云……由道种智成办世间利。”
音档 | 6A 09:50 ~ 6A 11:16
手抄页/行 | 第1册 P167-LL3 ~ P168-L8 ( 2016 南普陀版：P167-LL2 ~ P168-L10 )
手抄段落 | 现在我们也是如此……那你弄了半天你就赚不到钱。
(更新日期: 2022年2月27日)
00:00
我觉得一开始从这样一个合理性的角度劝人发心是很好用的，因为这个可以抵挡退心。下面就说了。00:10
我们接着听下一段。00:15
现在我们也是如此。否则的话，我们做一点点，自觉得可以，稍微委屈一点就不行。要晓得你要嘛不做事情，要做事情是一定委屈，这第一个。而且才只有在委屈当中，才能够成办事情，这个是佛法的特质喔！试想大家对不对？最好睡在那里，一点都不委屈。然后你忙一点事情，忙完了给别人吃，别人吃完，他还这个不舒服，还嫌你这个淡了，嫌你这个咸了，这油少了、油多了，就是这样，这是千真万确的。所以六度当中，它一层比一层高。布施容易，持戒就难；持戒还可以，忍就难。忍辱真正的忍是什么？无生法忍。你能够真正忍到那个时候，你才谈得到方便，那个时候才谈得到精进。你有了这个才能够真正成就禅定，才能够成就智慧，这个地方我们要了解。所以就算那个做生意人也是一样，做生意人做的时候也是一样，那个顾客非常挑剔的呀！如果你不能满足那个顾客的挑剔，那个顾客跑到你店里，店里买了东西，你说：“要就要，不要就拉倒，我就是这个样！”那第二次那个保证顾客不上门，那你弄了半天你就赚不到钱。01:41
在这里边，注意第一句话：“现在我们也是如此。否则的话”，“否则的话”这句话什么意思？你们有没有注意到“否则的话”这四个字？漏掉了吗？这个“否则的话”是说哪一段呢？02:00
就是上面那两段为什么要让你想着这事情──行菩萨道你会换来什么？因为我们这样一想就会觉得：“哎呀！这样好像把我的动机想下劣了，我有那么不堪吗？应该利他还是可以的吧！”你如果不这么想的话，接着会出现什么事呢？师父接着说：“我们做一点点，自觉得可以”，就是刚才我们那种心，我们是可以利他的，对不对？就是我们的现行啊！我们可以利他，不用考虑自利。但是稍稍委屈一点儿行不行呢？就不太行。“我得想办法，得把那个委屈绕过去，我看有没有不受委屈的路。”刚才这观点不都这样吗？对不对？“为什么利他要委屈呢？不要！”02:43
然后师父说：“要晓得你要嘛不做事情，要做事情是一定委屈”，我们会觉得一定会委屈吗？这就是稍稍委屈一下就不行嘛！请告诉我，为什么要去找一个不委屈的路？我们不想要委屈的动机是出自于什么？是觉得被委屈不应该吗？还是我不愿意？（法师：觉得没有必要。）“没有必要”就是你不应该经历委屈呀！对不对？如果它是个快乐，你会不会说：“我不应该经历快乐”？你会有这种想法吗？所以这是一种苦受嘛，对不对？所以一种苦受的时候，我们就会想要绕过去，或者你假定“我不应该委屈”，或者“我可以绕过去”。然后师父在这里边说：要嘛不做事，要做事情一定委屈！这是第一个。03:29
后面还有一句话跟着来的：“只有在委屈当中，才能够成办事情”，后面还有一句更爆炸的：“这个是佛法的特质喔！”有没有发现：欸？这怎么是又反了呢？前面不是说给别人越多我们得到越多吗？现在怎么所有的事情都在委屈中成办呢？你们有对立起来吗？那请问怎么走出来？你们有什么答案？03:57
后面这一段话完全是为了成立上面那一段的。你为什么觉得委屈呢？就是因为你为别人做多了就委屈，如果你想想自己能换来多少的话，委屈也愿意受了！他的意思就是说：怎么让你能够心甘情愿地去受委屈呢？你要算算你能得到什么？就是做生意人的道理。因为如果你不算你能得到什么的话，师父说：“否则的话”，就是如果你一直都不算你会得到什么，你就会成这样，不愿意受委屈。04:31
这个两段像一个绳子从两边绑一样，他把他的立宗已经绑到牢固不可动摇，就是角力型的这种绑起来的感觉。所以如果你不去计算你会得到什么、只是想要付出的话，我们就是稍稍委屈点儿就不行。而且说：在委屈中，才能够成办事情，这是佛法的特质喔！这怎么受得了呢？佛法不是要清凉烦恼，怎么会是好像越来越委屈、越来越委屈呢？05:00
那么你用什么方式来对付这种委屈呢？当我们开始要服务很多人的时候，一定会遇到一个问题就是“众口难调”，你累得个半死，还发现大家都不开心，这个时候你委屈吗？想一下会不会委屈？这委屈的事情还要坚持吗？你坚持下去的动力到底是什么？你一定要找出那个坚持下去的动力到底是什么。当你救济一切众生，对自己来说的话，就成了报身报土，一定是这个东西！对不对？不然就退心了，有没有发现？05:34
委屈它不仅仅是一点苦受而已，而这个委屈的感觉会让我们的立宗彻底地变掉──这么委屈的事我不干！我们会从委屈的深浅决定我要不要做事情，而不是从抉择那个事情该做不该做，很多都是感受性的人、感受性的生命。所以我觉得师父提出了坚定有力的遮止我们退心的办法，就是算一算你会得到什么。其实出家、在家抉择也是这样算，很多都是。五欲很美吗？那你算一算得到它你会付出的代价，你就不敢上去了；解脱道很遥远，好像很寒冷、很辛苦，那算一算你持戒修行、增上生和决定胜的利益，那你就会心甘情愿地接受这些修行的痛苦，都是要计算！06:23
其实这种计算就是一个抉择，抉择从因到果的这一条路。有的人一受委屈就会觉得：周遍的！这件事我开始受委屈、中间受委屈、到结果也是受委屈的。却不知道为了大众、成办大众的事情受委屈，削弱了我爱执之后，增加了内心的忍耐力，而且忍耐再往上升的是无生法忍。这个是自己的内心得到了很大的、很强猛的这种力量，而这种力量自己生生世世受用不尽的。有在听吗？06:58
注意！“委屈”这两个字，它一出现的时候，人的第一反应就是：我不要委屈！注意！我不要委屈，不要委屈，请问会受委屈吗？谁可以说从生到死我不受委屈？那修菩萨道会受委屈吗？会！那请问怎么样可以让这个委屈有价值？就是拿你的委屈换什么，还有怎么消掉这委屈的办法。先说怎么消掉这委屈的办法。消掉委屈有人选择什么？把委屈说出来，告诉对方，如果是好朋友看能不能理解，或者请求援助、劝自己几句。还有什么？当委屈到极致，我们就控诉别人，那就到了去争斗，到了那种地步，这都是一个想要消灭委屈的方法。那还有一种消灭委屈的方法是什么呀？无生法忍。而这个无生法忍忍过了之后，你修了六度之后，我们的智慧就飞翔了，我们没有什么不能忍的。07:59
那个力量越来越强之后，你看菩萨在因地里的那些忍辱的境界，那简直是一个人能忍受的想像力的极限！但是他为什么都能练成那样的，就是从最初一点点练。他忍受了一点的委屈之后，让我们的内心的忍耐力量越来越强、越来越强、越来越强之后，实际上我们的生命力是非常非常强悍的！这样的话，我们在修行的过程中面对各种境界的时候，我们这个作主的力量就会越来越强──我的生命我主宰──你能主宰得了吗？比如委屈的感觉像浪一样冲来的时候，会不会把我们冲离、偏离我们的航向──我们航向就利乐有情嘛！会不会偏离？08:43
如果这个委屈力量特别特别强大，偏离之后用什么把它拿回来？就是你一定要计算，你忍受这个委屈的代价是什么？为什么我可以接受我委屈？这里边就是千金难买愿意──我愿意委屈！为什么我愿意接受这个委屈？因为它太有价值了！就像做生意一样，你辛辛苦苦地面对那种挑剔的顾客，是有时候有一点不愉快，但想想会有大把的黄金、白银充盈自己家的仓库，那就可以忍了。他还是计算他能得到的利益！09:16