I know that many people will be offended by my statement, but someone must have the courage to share it inside the Sangha. It will hurt a lot if we keep it within as a cat does when it feces, so we have to allow it out. Could you give me your attention now?
First, what is the point of being a monk, even though they shave their heads and appear in monastic robes? Second, allow me to move issues briefly. In Vietnam’s rural areas, there are numerous pagodas where followers can practice and request to become monks. In the pagoda, the Master adopts the disciples as his offspring after his approval. Are you aware? They needed to be instructed on the practice’s way and spent decades gardening, cleaning temples, cooking, and producing herbal medication. And if they were conscious, they would realize their practice was a pointless, empty voyage. Many unfortunate disciples are unaware that the Master bequeathed the pagoda to them upon his death. They believe practicing entails taking charge of the pagoda, such as doing the two daily rituals, holding a bowl, and forming a mudra before lunch. Do you get it? After that, they just sprinkled some rice grains on the spirits.
Do you believe such a practice should replace the wisdom treasure of an Enlightened One? That is, chant twice daily, with two main points covered in the repetition: Recite what they don’t understand first. The second component involves praying and requesting blessings from one or more holy people. Any practitioner will find it weird if he is still conscious. It’s essential to remember that things either lose their value or remain brand new for those who possess brains but don’t use them. For instance, muscles that are not used frequently will atrophy. Older people who do not engage in mental activities such as reading books, playing music, art, caring for animals or children, learning foreign languages, or simply not playing ornamental orchids are particularly vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease. Have you been aware?
Thus, the purpose of life is crucial and very crucial. What is life’s goal? As I mentioned, the most depressing thing is that those who know the way spend much time traveling a meaningless path. Are you following? That is unfortunate. They have spent their entire lives learning how to bend down to statues, chant mantras, and pray without ever considering the significance of the wisdom that a Buddha acquired under the Bodhi tree ages ago. Is it limited to just that? You guys have witnessed us learning and having fun over the past few days, but there are too many objects. However, that is merely a piece, a piece of the Buddha. However, I believed I had no success despite practicing for many years. According to the sutras, we are content with what we have based on the merit of each individual. I was surprised most by that sentence.
Everybody is content with what they have in life, depending on their blessings.
A grocery shop does not satisfy the desires of a millionaire. A high school diploma is insufficient for someone with the blood of a scholar. A village pond, a banyan tree, or a boat won’t satisfy someone with the desire of an explorer. Recognize…? The practitioner feels that their practice material is too little for them to handle and constantly questions the path ahead of them: “What will we accomplish if we practice in this manner???” Regarding those who practice the paramitas less, they quickly find satisfaction in their learning because it’s simple, which makes them joyful. When they become monks, the master gives them a dhamma name, shaves their heads, puts on robes, shows them a wooden fish, instructs them to chant twice daily, enjoys the meal, and creates 4,000 mudras for ants. That’s all.
“Offering ants” are made in Buddhism today, as ants enjoy the offerings more than ghosts. I made a joke, but it was confirmed that all “offer ants” without first comprehending the material. However, I wonder if you’ve ever been surprised by what you discovered in the Buddhist canon. What is kept in that suta shelf if the practice is a straightforward prayer? Have you ever wondered about it? For instance, I am visiting your home right now. After three months of staying at the home of this woman in the blue shirt, she always offers me instant noodles every day. I will then ask her what’s in the kitchen cabinets. Despite having three refrigerators and two freezers, she had only served me instant noodles for three months. I had to be upset.
It’s not that I’m a glutton, but at least I think: “It’s so weird! I wonder what she bought at the market; even if she knew I was a vegetarian, she should at least give me tofu or something.” Sometimes, I couldn’t finish the tofu, so she would save it and reheat it for me to eat later. If I can get angry about eating, then why can’t I get angry about becoming a monk? I am well aware that the texts are enormous, and my master just gave me what I needed, yet lay Buddhists, monks, and nuns who have lived for many years have never felt resentment. Anger, in this context, refers to inquiry rather than outright fury. Oddly, they ask no questions at all.
Several monks constantly return to the same dhamma talk topics. Repeatedly addressed are Vu Lan, Filial Piety, Offering Robes, the Kathina Robe Offering, and Buddha’s birthday or the significance of the Buddha’s birth and enlightenment. These themes have been repeated regularly and discussed for decades. Numerous Buddhists are already familiar with the contents of Vu Lan, Buddha’s Birthday, and Robe Offering ceremonies because they have been retold so frequently. Strangely enough, lay devotees still give offerings that will feed generations to come.
I am touching a lot of people when mentioning this matter, but someone has to have the strength to explain that if we keep it within like a cat’s poop, it will hurt too much, and we need to let it out. But since we have been heading in the same direction for centuries, we continue to hide it until now. I think it’s a little harsh; this odd proverb goes, “Buffaloes know the alley, dogs recognize the road.” Know what I mean? People need to change their journeys. Why do we repeatedly say the same things without being innovative or critical? It’s a pity for those who had ever been pharmacists and doctors,… but after becoming monks, they do such useless things with their masters. But the most fun is to practice and chant mantras, chanting things that they don’t understand, and if you calculate the total time you chant mantras a day, how many minutes each time, and in total, a lifetime of fifty years of practice, how much time has been spent chanting mantras, while you don’t understand what mantras’ meaning, and even more painful is saying that “the more we do not understand the mantra, the more it is effective,” that goes against Buddhism.
“Ehipassiko” = “Challenge all tests” is an essential aspect of the Buddha’s teachings. That indicates that anyone who thinks Buddhism is weird ought to investigate it further. Another item from the second perspective on Buddhism is “Sanditthiko.” Buddhism encourages people to “come and see,” but you must do the seeing yourself; don’t let someone else chew it over and spoon it to you. The word “San” has its roots in “Sayam,” which refers to “by yourself.” Sanditthiko means self-enlightenment. Additionally, there is this: “Veditabbo vinnuhi” means that this religion is not for believers but for the wise.
However, despite reading until their jaws are exhausted and worn out, they still don’t comprehend. Do you agree? They read endlessly, so why don’t they ask inquiries? Thus, I will explain to you to help others comprehend why Buddha is so uncommon. Buddha is relatively unusual because we always behave like ants around the edge of a dish. They have no idea how to express curiosity or ask inquiries. So, I look at something in the frame that frightens me, for instance, and I look at it with an innocent soul. Sometimes, I stare at what Americans call a “shadow box,” a thick frame that is only a shadow. Do you know what that term means? I’m terrified; I’m afraid of seeing things that are secured. I worry about people becoming daughters-in-law because I associate that status with being imprisoned. People who are disabled terrify me because it implies they are detained. I fear I’ll end up behind bars as I observe birds in cages and fish in bowls. Knowing I would be afraid to be locked up, I naturally wanted to find a way out. However, many do not perceive that they have been imprisoned.
I’ve told you frequently that a cage is a jail regardless of its material—even if it’s built of gold. A chain is still a chain even if it is made of gold; however, most people cannot perceive it. Gold chains are commonly called necklaces, and iron chains are chains. In reality, they are merely chains. For instance, if you’re impoverished, your family will shackle you. Rich people are bound by what may be described as spectacular properties. It would help if you got used to anything that ties you up, but it is still a chain. The intention, in particular, is crucial. What would I do if I was asked: “Now we are bad at studying and remembering, so please teach us a method for bad people.” I will then instruct you in a technique known as “making a Vow.” That means reciting the following prayers each day instead of reciting mantras:
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- In every life, I promise to commune with the Dhamma. I’ll meet a “holy teacher” if I cannot see the Buddha.
- I wish I will forever doubt the path I am taking.
- I desire Buddha to make me always afraid of the old, traveled route.
- I hope I’ll constantly look for wholesome dhammas.
- I genuinely think I am capable of abstaining from unwholesome dhammas.
- I hope and aspire I will never be dragged into an enslaved person to erroneous beliefs.
You may find those prayers more weird, yet each reveals an issue. Are you aware of what “alert” means? Every prayer or invocation, “I vow never to be imprisoned by wrong views or unwholesome dharmas,” is a barrier. I’ll tell you this story; it hurts you so much: Elephants, sometimes you see elephants chained by a tiny rope; if they understood, just one kick would break the chain, right? Elephants play around with the chain because they think, “I am chained,” and they must wait until they go insane before breaking the chain. Do you get that? It just loiters around the chain when the timing isn’t right. Has anyone grasped my meaning? The elephant doesn’t care about the rope. It just needs to kick once to return to the forest, but because it is afflicted by thoughts like “This person raised me” and “This rope binds me, I cannot go far,”… All these thoughts bother it, and then others mistreat it.
During the last Central Highlands festival, several elephants lost their lives from malnutrition and overwork; they were left sick and underweight. They were barely two centimeters from the verdant forest, but they dared not go back; as a result, they perished and were emaciated, and they dared not eat the nearby sugarcane roots. They swallowed whatever was given to them. I’m depressed. If others inquire, “If I have a bad memory and understanding, which dharma should I practice?” I’ll say, “The method of vows, hundreds of vows.” “Ba Mat The Si” is the dhamma name I have. A person having one hundred secret vows is called Ba Mat The Si. I will show my friends and relatives a hundred vows because I don’t view them as students in the future but rather as friends. In less than an hour, one hundred prayers are read, but each one reveals the question, you know?
As an illustration, “May I never be content with incorrect viewpoints. I pray that I will forever doubt the path I am taking. I hope that I’ll constantly look for wholesome dharmas. May I never be content with my accomplishments too quickly”. It is incredibly fulfilling to read because every prayer opens a favorable direction. However, I continue to read stuff here that I find confusing.
Natural decisive support (Pakatūpanissaya)
Ven. Giac Nguyen
English translator: Hạnh Đất
