The Sea of Emotion

This article presents a teaching from Venerable Yongning, recorded on April 11, 2019. In this discourse, the Venerable explores the nature of emotional attachments and their role in the cycle of suffering within the worldly realm.

Venerable Yongning speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. How many practitioners spend their entire lives in dedicated practice, only to be swept away by the subtle, murky waters of emotion? The word for emotion in Chinese is composed of the character for 'heart' beside the character for 'feeling.' It represents the myriad sensations that arise within the heart. Why is it that one cannot survive in this worldly realm without emotion? People often say that the human world is filled with warmth and affection, but the tragedy lies in the fact that our physical bodies are so incredibly sensitive to these emotions. The moment an emotion arises, the heart loses its composure. Perhaps it is the flutter of excitement, or perhaps it is the sting of disappointment and sorrow. We cling to these feelings out of habit, and when habit becomes second nature, this natural, automatic pull is precisely what makes it so difficult to let go.

The Waves of the Karmic Sea

These various emotional attachments are the very products of this worldly realm. They cause this physical body to rise and fall incessantly—one moment we are joyful, the next we are lost; one moment we are angry, the next we are grieving. We mistake these volatile states for the normal emotions of the human world, but who would have thought that this is actually the turbulent sea of karma? We drift along with our karma, unable to see the truth of reality clearly. We might even encounter a piece of driftwood that could save us, yet we push it away. Ask yourself: am I really that foolish? It is true—once you are caught in the grip of emotion, it is incredibly difficult to pull yourself free.

Think about it—if you know full well that emotion is a sea of karma, yet you keep one hand clutching a piece of driftwood while tying a stone to your foot, and the weight of that stone is far greater than the buoyancy of the driftwood, then it is no wonder you end up drowning. To describe this more concretely: every time you dwell on an emotion, you are essentially tying a stone to yourself. Sometimes it is the emotion of romantic love, sometimes it is familial affection, and other times it is the bond of friendship. These stones, both large and small, are tied to your waist, bound to your hands, and shackled to your feet. Even if you have a large piece of driftwood, it is already struggling to counteract the immense weight of your body.

The Driftwood of the Dharma

Even if you sink, or even if you drown, that piece of driftwood remains floating on the surface of the water. Why? Because it is hollow. Because the driftwood carries no burden of its own. It can help you without being weighed down by anything; it remains forever hollow, cool, and clear. The driftwood is the Buddha’s teachings, while the stones are the attachments of this worldly realm. The choice is always made by your own physical body.

You must wake up and see clearly that every fluctuation of this physical body has absolutely nothing to do with your inner spirit. The only thing involved is the tugging and pulling of the body itself. The purpose of practice is to overcome these things, to overcome every single stirring of emotion. In the end, you will realise that the most plain and simple path is the most profound. Practice is the cultivation of the body; once you let go of everything that is unnecessary, you can freely follow the Buddha’s actions. We are flowing through the bitter sea of karma, but we must hope for the strength to leap out of it. Namo Amituofo."