Hearing the Cries of the World

[林愛偉]

Hearing the Cries of the World

By Lin Ai Wei

 

Living Beings are indeed hard to teach. Their difficulty lies in the mind of the teacher teaching, only when it comes to teaching. Their difficulty with their own life lies in their own mind. When saying "the world" it is only in reference to living beings, not the actual world.

 

The world exists because of living beings, the minds of living beings that is. Therefore, the problems of the world are only of the minds of living beings. They are tightly attached to their views of self. Views of self create the myriad experiences they base their personality, character, behavior and habits on.

 

When a teacher of the Buddha Dharma, or any Dharma which results in wisdom, teaches a living being, be it an insect, animal, fish, human, etc, the conditions of the one being taught are what is sought after. Sought after refers to the observing the causes and conditions within the mind, and utilizing them as an expedient to transform.

 

Hearing the cries of the world thus refers to the observation of the minds of living beings. The world is because of living beings. No living beings, no world to experience.

 

When there is happiness, there will be suffering. This is because the happiness sought after by unwise beings is based on the causes and conditions for happiness, which change. It is based on the relative. The happiness of Sages are not based on causes and conditions in relativity but based on the attainment of wisdom, the mind of purity.

 

When suffering is seen, and believed to be a difficulty, the mind observing has the causes for that state to arise. Thus, the world seems unfair, living beings of the world seem ignorant, greedy, and angry, arrogant. Because these views arise in the minds of living beings, the result is just what they keep in mind.

 

When living beings hold on to these views for a long time, they forget that good also exists, and or they perceive good to be short term, unreal, and thus imagination. What they do not realize is that what is known as imagination is just the mind; what they know as happiness, sadness, and all their experiences are too of the mind. There is no separation.

 

Generation after generation, living beings hold on to their views so tightly that the world is just as their views are. Some people live with views of peace and goodness, but are seen as ignorant, unrealistic and not rational. Some people hold on to views of needing to struggle, connive, and cut corners through people in order to get what they want. These views are seen as the norm to an extent. Of course this is just a generalization, and they can be further discussed, but it will take up too much time to do so.

 

In reality, actual, non-dual reality, both views are totally non-existent. They simply do not matter. The reason they do not matter, is because originally, there were none of these thoughts. These thoughts create the experience in the mind because that is their relative outcome.

 

Thus, the world we experience is only a figment of our mind, a dream, a bubble, its not real at all..at least its not the reality living beings assume reality is.

 

This manner leads people to question what the real reality is. And the only answer is Meditation. Living beings must meditate, clear the mind of their views in order to actually realize what true "reality" is.

 

One can explain it, but still, living beings must come to realize it, or it will only be another false thought.

 

Originally, we are all Buddhas. But because of our attachment to views of self, beings, other and a life span, we are not realized Buddhas, but defiled minds of the Buddha mind.

 

The method to free oneself of attachments to views is simply to meditate and recitation. Recite the Buddha name in order to plant the seeds of your future attainment of Pure and Complete Enlightenment. Plant the seeds of your Buddhahood, of your attainment of wisdom.

 

Meditation is the method, and so is recitation. None of it is mechanical and none of it is false. Reciting the Buddha's name is not false thinking, for our original mind is just the Buddha mind. Therefore, we are reciting our own original mind.

 

Teachers, Sages hear the cries of the world, hear/see the causes and conditions of the minds of living beings and respond to them in accordance with these causes and conditions. This way, living beings can be taught how to cultivate, how to accept the teachings without doubt, and thus one day attain inherent wisdom which surpasses worldly wisdom.

Edited August 16, 2008 by 林愛偉

[seadog]

Clear,concise and wonderful!

Thanks Lin

[Gerard]

As Jalal ad-Din Rumi once said:

 

You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?

[Patrick Brown]

The echoes of silence,

The chimes of immortality,

Ringing through the seasons of my life.

 

A child looking out to sea,

A myriad forms dancing on the waves of eternity,

How I wish I could see you, you dance so beautifully,

But I'm too thoughtful,

And there's dust in my eyes the size of stars.

 

But who can I be but me or am I you,

Like a blossom on the tree of diamond dream reality's.

[林愛偉]

As Jalal ad-Din Rumi once said:

 

You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?

 

 

The echoes of silence,

The chimes of immortality,

Ringing through the seasons of my life.

 

A child looking out to sea,

A myriad forms dancing on the waves of eternity,

How I wish I could see you, you dance so beautifully,

But I'm too thoughtful,

And there's dust in my eyes the size of stars.

 

But who can I be but me or am I you,

Like a blossom on the tree of diamond dream reality's.

 

[.broken.]

Well written indeed

 

I like the idea that reciting Buddha's name is just calling out to our own true self. It makes sense now that I have read it but it had never been explained to me in that way until now. Thank you for your insight.

 

Yours humbly,

James