The Original Taste of Clear Congee
The Twenty-second Letter of President Zhao Puchu of the Buddhist Association of China
August 14, 2017
The Sacred Vow of the Monastic
Every Venerable is worthy of our deepest respect. In the very moment that a monastic shaves their head and takes the vows of ordination, the mental note they make and the grand vow they express to save beings resonate throughout the entire Realm. This act of allows all spirits within the vastness of the Dharma Realm, which pervades the entire Dharma-realm and empty space, to receive the power of their merit. To lay down the burdens of the mundane world and commit oneself to the monastic life is a path that not everyone can follow. This choice is truly worthy of our admiration.
However, today I wish to pose a question to those who have chosen this path: Are you still the same person you were when you first ordained? Whether you are now surrounded by thousands of disciples or you are living in quiet retreats, secluded and alone, the state of your heart remains the most critical factor in your practice.
The Flavours of the Mind
Regardless of your current circumstances, I ask you to set aside all your worldly thoughts. Please take a moment to properly collect your Six Roots and observe the current state of your heart. When you compare your practice today to the day you first took your vows, what has changed? If you have maintained your original purity and are following your initial vow step by step, then you are truly a Venerable worthy of respect. However, if you have added various flavours to your practice that were not there at the beginning, you must examine them closely:
- Greed:
- Have you allowed a desire for material gain or status to cloud your intent?Anger:
- Has resentment or frustration taken root in your heart?Arrogance:
- Have you begun to feel superior to others, forgetting the humility of a practitioner?Emotion: Have you become entangled in worldly attachments and personal sentiments?
You must not allow even a trace of these impurities to remain. Any one of these can spoil the entire pot of clear congee, preventing you from maintaining a pure heart. If these flavours are present, you are no longer walking upon the right path.
The Purity of the Original Path
Every person may have a different way of cooking congee, and the pots and utensils they use may vary. Yet, one must remember that regardless of the tools or the method of cooking, the resulting congee must always be clear, white, and retain its original, natural taste. While different schools of Buddhism may have different methods of practice, the essence of all practice is always a heart that is pure and unstained. This is the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way that we must uphold.
The Weight of Responsibility
The ultimate goal of a monastic is to save beings and guide them to be reborn in the . If a being accepts your guidance but is ultimately unable to achieve rebirth in the Western Pure Land, then your method of saving them is not in accordance with the Dharma. You are not saving them; you are, in fact, causing them harm, as they will be forced to continue in the cycle of rebirth and suffer once more. You are meant to be a bright lamp in their lives. Through a combination of multiple and the various sufferings of life, they have chosen to trust you. As a faithful follower, they believe in everything you say without doubt. They follow your instructions exactly in their daily lives, holding onto a beautiful and bright vision of their future.
Yet, if this beauty and light do not appear at the moment of their passing, and instead they are met with a vast, dark, and grey void, they will be left helpless and lost. In that moment, they will remember your guidance and cling to you, believing that you will still save them. As a Venerable who embodies and compassion, you should not watch them fall into such distress. You must be aware of their suffering, and you must take responsibility for their future. Before they enter that darkness, you have the ability to save them, but you must not choose to ignore them.
Returning to the Source
If you choose to ignore them, you have already deviated from the right path. The original taste of the clear congee should not be tainted by external impurities. If you still hold onto your initial intention to save beings, then I urge you to start over. Re-cook your bowl of clear congee and return your practice to the right path.
Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Shi Fajing.
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About the Author
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
Contributed to Pure Land Buddhism knowledge library