Let Be and Let Alone (8)

1 To a man of practice, the five aggregates are actually empty. The worldly affairs and things are petty.

2However, even the world affairs and things are petty doesn’t mean that we could totally exclude all things, not touching them, not using them and not eating them. Buddha’s disciples often said,” We actually distaste food, but not eating will cause death. Therefore, we have to eat something. When we dine, we abide prudently by the commandment of dining -- eat as less as possible--.”

3 The man of practice focuses on personal subjective conditions, keeping objective conditions at arm length from distracting. However, as a human it is impossible to absolutely isolate himself from others. Buddha exhorted his disciples not to pay attention to the woman in contacting, if it is inevitable, then not to talk with her; if talk is a must, then, talk falsely. So, the fact is even Buddha can’t avoid people.

4 To the man of practice, the attitude to the objective conditions should be the same. The things surrounding us vary and evolve at any time. No matter we care them or not, their existences are unchangeable.

5 There are many inconsideration and irrationalities in the law. However, we have to abide by. We shouldn’t fight obviously against them, due to their irrationality.

6 Living in the society, we have many different duties to do. Though it sometime looks irrational or even reverse of Tao, we have to do it carefully. It is the righteousness.

7 Something looks like the woman’s soft nature or just a bias, but we have to carry it out widely and vigorously. It is the benevolence, or the charity.

8 It is trivial to give a salute or bow and to worship God or Buddha, but we must be sincere and modest to do them, which is the courtesy.

9 Though it is a personal practice, we must carry it out at all aspects of our daily life, which is the virtue.

10 Though it is a simple and clear concept, we should be flexible and versatile to apply it, which is Tao.

11 It is an invisible and untouchable individual but we can obviously feel its trace of operation in the universe, which is God.

12 Due to the said factors, we, the men of practice, respect God but we never do the duty of Heaven or become a substitute for Heaven. The virtue is inherent character so we should conserve and promote it. However, we never interpret it based on our private concept, habit and taste.

13 We act on Tao. We don’t arrange or plan our future on our ambition and secular desire.

14 What we have done represent that we are kind men. But we never label ourselves as philanthropists. We often help our friends and neighbors but will not let the benevolence become our burden.

15 We are considerate and polite. Our salutes never lack anything; we never decline what we should do.

16 We abide completely by the laws and the regulations, not making use of flaw of the law, not to mention openly infringement of the law.

17 We know that the life of a man in this world has to depend on many other people. Therefore, we never look down on anyone, including the peddler and the underling.

18 We coexist peacefully with the material world, never disregarding a tree and a grass. We ward off the association with what happened everyday in the society but we don’t ignore its development; we always keep an eye on it carefully.

19 We understand that a man’s virtue is incomplete if he doesn’t understand Heaven; a man don’t know where he is from if he doesn’t know Tao. They who don’t realize Tao thoroughly are very pity! They don’t know why and what they live in their whole life.

20 What is Tao? Strictly, Tao covers the Tao of Heaven and the Tao of Human.

21 The Tao of Heaven is esteemed for its non-action.

22 The Tao of Human is the skills produced from evolution which leading human passing through the material world, the jungle life. Any one over applying those skills will bring eventually confusing and suffering to him.

23 We must be discreet in employing them due to the big difference between them.

24 In Sutra, the "form" in general term means "thing". One of the most important concepts of Buddhism is that all things in this world are impermanence and because the impermanence property of the thing, when we chase it, it becomes the source of our suffering.

25 Flesh body is the thing or the form. Combining with the self-nature, Buddha-nature, vigor, calmness and refinement, the flesh body comes into human.

26 Therefore, the flesh body is the non-ego while the ego is the self-nature, Buddha-nature, vigor, calmness and refinement.

27 The Non-ego is the source of human’s suffering; the suffering happens because human has flesh body and unfortunately, the flesh body is impermanent and will disappear at end of the day. In others words the Non-ego is nothing but emptiness.

28 According to above, the emptiness that Buddha mentioned is the flesh body integrated by materials—non-ego, emptiness and suffering. It is not what we should chase for; it is not the true ego.

29 Chuang Tzu sees to it too. He is aware that Thing is the only biggest source of suffering and is a troublemaker; but, it also is the important means to maintain our lives. Hence, Thing itself is humble and mean but people can’t live without it.

30 To a statesman, an educator, a reformer of the society, or a philosopher, he goes around to see through various peoples. Therefore, he is deeply aware of the malice and ugliness of people.

31 Therefore, Chuang Tzu asserts that Human is humble and ugly but we can’t live without them. We will die if we leave the society. Ugly as Human is, we have to stay with them. We must know that the contradiction of Human and Thing is a serious matter. We have to pay attention to.