Choosing to be happy is a choice; choosing to be unhappy is also a choice. Choosing to be judgmental is a choice; choosing to be not judgmental is also a choice. If we were to choose one of the choices, we have to judge or decide the better choice to take. That means we will be judgmental even if we choose to be not judgmental (不辨即是辨). The question is: do we have to choose between the two choices? The answer is: if we never get into the position to choose, we don’t really have to choose. (If we don’t have to take an examination, we don’t have to answer any question in the examination paper. If we don’t get into the position to choose whether to live or to die, we don’t really have to choose whether living is better than dying.) If the desire to choose a stand is not stirred up in our heart, we will not start to debate about the choices (不生辨别之心). Thinking too much can be detrimental to our mental health. Stop thinking and start living. We will be happier if we don’t have to make too many choices.
If we keep looking for differences, we will never find the parallels or common grounds. As a rule of practice, try not to judge what is right and what is wrong when there is no necessity for a decision to be made. When we have to make a decision, to do this or to do that, then of course we have to judge or decide the better action to take. Don’t be limited by rules. Rules are meant to be broken; yet the rules need to be made (勿被法轉心，執空即頑空). Having no rules at all can make us bewilder, but strongly upholding the rules can make us brainless (不生知見法不明，若生知見障心靈). If we hold strongly the stand that no rules should ever be made, that means the rule of “having no rules at all” should also be abolished.
The Buddha has had a struggle to teach the devotees not to have adoration or veneration toward anybody including the Buddha. Needless to say, we must not have adoration or veneration toward any rules. We must not assume any law, theory or method is right (or wrong) in all time and space; we must not simply divide them into right and wrong. All the deductions with our brains are false delusions (诸法空相). To gain insight on the subtleness of Dao (ultimate truth), we must not have the desire to divide the reality. On the other hand, we may need to adopt certain perception for different scenarios in order to see the form or boundary of certain manifestations of Dao (故恒无欲也，以观其眇；恒有欲也，以观其所徼). Do make the necessary distinction when the need arises, as a temporary measure, so long as we don’t become the victims of our desire to divide the reality and burden us with fear, obligation and guilt (F.O.G.), which then lead to sadness and anger. We can classify something as dirty or clean. If we like clean too much, we will hate dirty, which is detrimental to our mental health, although our original intention is to attain physical health. Poor mental health can be detrimental to physical health. Dirty is temporary since we can clean up later, or we can leave the dirty place later. We can classify someone as good or bad. But there is good in a bad person, and there is bad in a good person. If we insist on absolute good, we will have to live in a cave. Alternatively, we can apply more cautions when there is a “bad” person around, and less cautions when there is a “good” person around. “Bad” person who doesn’t kill us will make us stronger. “Good” person can let us enjoy some peaceful time but he can also make us become complacent or ignorant of the hidden danger (i.e. not mindful). If we are so naïve to say “good is bad, bad is good, good and bad are one, so we shouldn’t differentiate good and bad”, therefore we don’t run away from a tiger, we will be dead. A tiger may not become aggressive immediately upon seeing a human, but it can kill for no obvious reason, more so when it is hungry. To fear or not to fear, that is the question. There is good and bad in the fear itself. Fear is a natural and essential mechanism to keep us out of trouble. But too much of it can kill us. We fear to go to Hell, or to be reborn as animal or human to experience the cycle of life and suffering again, therefore we do what we are told and refrain from committing any sin. We are already in Hell when we are suffering emotionally or physically. We are already in Heaven when we are happy. If we believe in contentment, we wouldn’t be greedy to stay alive in this world forever.
A professor asked a monk to show him what Heaven and Hell were. The monk scolded him with all possible demeaning words. The professor got so angry. He picked up a stick and wanted to beat up the monk whom he respected so much before the incident. The monk said: “Didn’t you want me to show you what Hell is? You were in Hell just now when you were angry. The world suddenly looked so ugly.” The professor realized his mistake and return to calm. The monk said: “You are back to Heaven. The world suddenly looks beautiful again.” We are already in Heaven. We don’t have to look around to find the path to Heaven. There is no path to Heaven. Heaven is the path; we just have to keep staying on the Heaven instead of detouring to Hell from time to time.
We have a new life every day. When we sleep, our senses are shut down and we feel nothing, like a dead person. Nobody loves to sleep, but the satisfying feeling upon waking up after a long hour of sleep. We are reborn every day. We are already in the cycle of birth and death, or eternal recurrence, or reincarnation. If we don’t learn to be happy, we put ourselves in a vicious cycle; reborn in Hell every day. If we are happy every day, we are reborn in Heaven every day; we want to stay awake as long as we can. It is our choice, not someone else’s discretion. The world may change, but we can choose not to be emotionally affected by external changes.
No desire (无欲) is the fundamental principle. Having desire (有欲) is useful, but not necessarily good or bad (无为本 有为用). If I desire to have no desire (我欲无欲), that means I still have desire. The use is I can slowly forget myself (忘我); then I will have no body (无身), therefore no emotion, and finally achieve the abandonment of desire (绝对无欲). When we reach our destination, we don’t need any more muscle energy; when we reach the state of no desire, we don’t need any more desire. But in order to live, I need to eat and exercise (虚其心 实其腹 弱其志 强其骨); therefore I can only minimize my desire (寡欲). Totally no desire means I will forget to live (涅磐). I am not sure whether that is good or bad; there is no good or bad. Having no desire is to leave this world (出世), or rise above the worldly world (超越世俗). Having desire is to stay in this world (入世). We must learn to live in this world before we try to learn about the afterlife world (未能事人 焉能事鬼 未知生 焉知死). We can learn about afterlife when the time comes, i.e. after we die. If a person doesn’t know how to make people happy, how can he possibly know how to make gods/ghosts happy? Be brave and strong to face it if indeed there is eternal recurrence (or reincarnation) and afterlife (Heaven and Hell).
Someone said: “I don’t think there is any opinion that I can accept as the truth (执于空).” Shakyamuni Buddha said: “If that is the case, does that mean the opinion you just said is also not the truth? You seem to contradict yourself. If a person does not grip strongly on a thought, he will not end up arguing with others about the thought. When the thought is criticized, he will not feel agitated and want to start a debate.” When we say nothing is absolutely right and nothing is absolutely wrong, it doesn’t mean we should listen to no one. What is not-right doesn’t mean it is useless; what is not-wrong doesn’t mean it is useful. We should accept everything which is not-right and not-wrong, like the sea which accept everything. Seek common grounds while reserving differences, or unity in diversity (存异求同). Confucius said: “A gentleman would seek harmony and not insist on unity; despicable person would seek unity and not satisfied with harmony (君子和而不同，小人同而不和).” When we hear something which we want to hear, the words are pleasing to our ears (顺耳). When we are able to listen to different opinions, our ears are pleasing to the words or people who want to offer ideas to us (耳顺). Dividing the opinions into right and wrong should be avoided. We should have a calm demeanor, peace of mind, and not easily swayed into emotional states when faced with points of view that run counter to us. We should recognize that there are different ways of looking at different things depending on the context and perspectives. Ultimately, we want to have the intelligent to do what our hearts tell us to do, without violating the Dao (能从心所欲，不逾矩).
Don’t insist you are right (不执于我). Don’t insist a particular law is right (不执于法). Don’t insist that nothing is acceptable (不执于空). Not everything is wrong; they are just not-right and that’s OK.
You should not be afraid to die. You should not be afraid to live either. You will be happy to live if you live happily. Shakyamuni Buddha (The All-Knowing One) said: “There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.” You don’t have to look everywhere to find the path to happiness. You can be happy now because your heart is in your body; you can’t take out your heart and ask someone else to make your heart happy. If you choose to be happy now, you are already on the path of happiness, and continue to be on the happiness-path.
RESILIENT KID 