Confucius says all men are innately good-hearted.
Buddha say all sentient beings have Buddha nature and are able to become Buddhas.
But Buddha also said this in Sutra of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Original Vows:
"O Ksitigarbha, all the sentient beings in southern Jambudvipa Realm are unpredictable in their wills and dispositions. Most of them are accustomed to evildoing.
Even if they decide to do good, they may retreat from their good intentions in an instant.
Surrounded by evil environmental conditions, their evil wills increase and intensify moment by moment.
For this reason, I transform myself into hundreds of thousands of millions of other forms to convert, deliver, release and liberate them in accordance with their respective roots and dispositions.
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/clubs/buddhism/ksitigarbha/chap13.html
What is the Buddha trying to tell us here?
I understand that all sentient beings may have Buddha nature but here the Buddha clearly tells us that "Most are accustomed to evildoing". And that even if they do feel like being good, they may retreat from good intentions in an INSTANT.
This is pretty confusing for me. It is wrong to think of all as evil, but it is equally foolish or naive to think all are good, isn't it?
I feel so strongly about this because of fellow Buddhists or Venerables' advice and admonishment that we should regard all those treat us badly, harm or torture us physically or emotionally as if they are some kind of 'adversity' teachers. That is the same as saying respect, love and learn from them, isn't it? You can love a man who steals your money, but can you love a man who kills your whole family, including your unborn baby in one night?
I also hear advice to regard all those who harm us like Bodhisattvas, but would real Bodhisattvas harm you?
If all who harm us are teachers, then why the advice to find a teacher when trying to learn about Buddhism? I might as well enrol in secret societies since those who are evil or greedy should be regarded as teachers.
I'm struggling because of past teachings from parents and now from fellow Buddhists and Venerables to respect the bad or the evil. In the past, I used to believe that all are good and that if I'm respectful towards people, people would be respectful towards me. If I have done wrong, people would forgive and understand me like my parents.
But when I first started school in primary one, and slowly all the way till tertiary institutions, I realised that "give them a little respect, they bully you all the way". Forgive them, and risk continuing to suffer from their bullying, cos they will always know how to say sorry. But the worse is, some even argue back and say it's your fault that you are being 'bullied' or worst they maintain there was no bullying and I was only being petty. Or that they were trying to 'teach' me the right way to behave or do things.
People all tell me to take responbility for all my 'sufferings' and that I should continue to be kind, respectful and so on, but..all this is too much!
I'm a human, I have limits, ok?
Can you learn to be loving from a person who constantly ill-treats you? Can you learn to be polite or respectful when people around you are hurling vulgarities like nothing? Can you learn to be tolerant or forgiving when people around you constantly pick on your small or big mistakes?
If there's any one who can really do the above without a single bit of anger or hatred prior to or after the circumstances has changed or the people that harmed you are temporarily out of your lives, that person should be honoured as living Bodhisattva liao.
I should really want to be become his/her disciple. Yeh, maybe I will..But I don't think I will ever have the wisdom to tell whether it was all an act to lead me on, to manipulate me or whether it is real.
Besides, I have heard many past stories that true enlightened people don't like to talk much and hence hardly have disciples and some don't even want one in the first place.
SO the reasoning is this: unenlightened people can be kind, considerate etc and they don't talk much. So how to tell whether he is enlightened based on my level of understanding now? If I can tell, doesn't this mean I'm enlightened in some way? How would an unenlightened person like me ever learn to tell which teacher is truly enlightened and has all the necessary wisdom to impart his virtues according to my level of understanding?
This is pretty frustrating...
Originally posted by Spnw07:Confucius says all men are innately good-hearted.
Buddha say all sentient beings have Buddha nature and are able to become Buddhas.
But Buddha also said this in Sutra of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Original Vows:
"O Ksitigarbha, all the sentient beings in southern Jambudvipa Realm are unpredictable in their wills and dispositions. Most of them are accustomed to evildoing.
Even if they decide to do good, they may retreat from their good intentions in an instant.
Surrounded by evil environmental conditions, their evil wills increase and intensify moment by moment.
For this reason, I transform myself into hundreds of thousands of millions of other forms to convert, deliver, release and liberate them in accordance with their respective roots and dispositions.
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/clubs/buddhism/ksitigarbha/chap13.html
What is the Buddha trying to tell us here?
I understand that all sentient beings may have Buddha nature but here the Buddha clearly tells us that "Most are accustomed to evildoing". And that even if they do feel like being good, they may retreat from good intentions in an INSTANT.
This is pretty confusing for me. It is wrong to think of all as evil, but it is equally foolish or naive to think all are good, isn't it?
I feel so strongly about this because of fellow Buddhists or Venerables' advice and admonishment that we should regard all those treat us badly, harm or torture us physically or emotionally as if they are some kind of 'adversity' teachers. That is the same as saying respect, love and learn from them, isn't it? You can love a man who steals your money, but can you love a man who kills your whole family, including your unborn baby in one night?
I also hear advice to regard all those who harm us like Bodhisattvas, but would real Bodhisattvas harm you?
If all who harm us are teachers, then why the advice to find a teacher when trying to learn about Buddhism? I might as well enrol in secret societies since those who are evil or greedy should be regarded as teachers.
Buddha nature does not mean each person is inherently good or evil. In fact, no concept can describe Buddha Nature. However, because people are endlessly seeking in samsara, and are conditioned in deluded and attached thinking, they do evil deeds. Nobody is inherently evil, it is just that their way of thinking is deluded. Ever caught up in their desires they'll never know their Buddha-nature. Buddha-nature is obscured but never lost.
http://sped2work.tripod.com/huineng.html
He cried out, "Lay Brother, Lay Brother, " (for Hui Neng had not yet formally joined the monastic order), "I come for the Dharma, not for the robe. " Hui Neng emerged from his hiding place and sat down on the rock. Hui Ming made obeisance and begged him to teach. Hui Neng said, "Since the object of your coming is the Dharma, refrain from thinking of anything and keep your mind empty. I will then teach you." They meditated together for a considerable time, then Hui Neng asked Hui Ming, "When you are thinking of neither good nor evil, at this particular moment, what is your original nature (Buddha Nature)?" As soon as Hui Ming heard this, he instantly became enlightened.
Originally posted by Spnw07:I'm struggling because of past teachings from parents and now from fellow Buddhists and Venerables to respect the bad or the evil. In the past, I used to believe that all are good and that if I'm respectful towards people, people would be respectful towards me. If I have done wrong, people would forgive and understand me like my parents.
But when I first started school in primary one, and slowly all the way till tertiary institutions, I realised that "give them a little respect, they bully you all the way". Forgive them, and risk continuing to suffer from their bullying, cos they will always know how to say sorry. But the worse is, some even argue back and say it's your fault that you are being 'bullied' or worst they maintain there was no bullying and I was only being petty. Or that they were trying to 'teach' me the right way to behave or do things.
People all tell me to take responbility for all my 'sufferings' and that I should continue to be kind, respectful and so on, but..all this is too much!
I'm a human, I have limits, ok?
Can you learn to be loving from a person who constantly ill-treats you? Can you learn to be polite or respectful when people around you are hurling vulgarities like nothing? Can you learn to be tolerant or forgiving when people around you constantly pick on your small or big mistakes?
If there's any one who can really do the above without a single bit of anger or hatred prior to or after the circumstances has changed or the people that harmed you are temporarily out of your lives, that person should be honoured as living Bodhisattva liao.
I should really want to be become his/her disciple. Yeh, maybe I will..But I don't think I will ever have the wisdom to tell whether it was all an act to lead me on, to manipulate me or whether it is real.
Besides, I have heard many past stories that true enlightened people don't like to talk much and hence hardly have disciples and some don't even want one in the first place.
SO the reasoning is this: unenlightened people can be kind, considerate etc and they don't talk much. So how to tell whether he is enlightened based on my level of understanding now? If I can tell, doesn't this mean I'm enlightened in some way? How would an unenlightened person like me ever learn to tell which teacher is truly enlightened and has all the necessary wisdom to impart his virtues according to my level of understanding?
This is pretty frustrating...
Dear Spnw07 ,from the post you present to me ,I have this to say
Dont have a concept of Buddhism .abandoned the concept.
start to live "Buddhism" in you by putting into practice .
Teachings is to only show the way and not running merry go-round with it .
My advice is to stop reading so many teachings when u havent realised the essence of One
As said in the Diamond Sutra
"Ungrasppable is the past , present and future of our thought."
Originally posted by Spnw07:I understand that all sentient beings may have Buddha nature but here the Buddha clearly tells us that "Most are accustomed to evildoing". And that even if they do feel like being good, they may retreat from good intentions in an INSTANT.
This is pretty confusing for me. It is wrong to think of all as evil, but it is equally foolish or naive to think all are good, isn't it?
I feel so strongly about this because of fellow Buddhists or Venerables' advice and admonishment that we should regard all those treat us badly, harm or torture us physically or emotionally as if they are some kind of 'adversity' teachers. That is the same as saying respect, love and learn from them, isn't it? You can love a man who steals your money, but can you love a man who kills your whole family, including your unborn baby in one night?
I also hear advice to regard all those who harm us like Bodhisattvas, but would real Bodhisattvas harm you?
If all who harm us are teachers, then why the advice to find a teacher when trying to learn about Buddhism? I might as well enrol in secret societies since those who are evil or greedy should be regarded as teachers.
All sentient beings have buddha nature, but we are contaminated by a thick layer of stain since beginningless time ago. This stain is our attachment. That's why the more we let go of our attachment the more compassion and wise we will become until finally become a buddha.
Why does it take a long time? Because it is not easy to breakthrough our wrong concepts. This wrong concept is not your intellectual thinking that can be corrected by reading dharma books, but are conscious that you bring from life to life.
If you have a strong determination to get out this torturing samsara, we can achieve within this lifetime. Everytime when I think of able to end the samsaric suffering this life time, I feel very happy.
But of coz to attain buddhahood is another matter. If you think that 3 kalpas is too long and decide not to practice, then you can't even get out of samsara, and will continue to suffer different realms be in human, animal, hell, heaven and so on. Come on, I have stuck here for so long, this is the time now, no more delay. Is practicing dharma tiring, maybe, but suffering in samsara and get bullied everyday is much more tiring and pain.
The next time I meet Ksitigharba bodhisatva probably is when I work with him to save the sentient beings. hehe.
Even if they decide to do good, they may retreat from their good intentions in an instant.
Surrounded by evil environmental conditions, their evil wills increase and intensify moment by moment.
=> This is due to lack of proper education especially childhood education ...
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Hi Hi, below are some excerpts from the booklet The Purpose of Life written by the late Ven. Dr.K Sri Dhammananda. Hope it helps.
The Correct Attitude Towards Criticism
You must learn how to guard yourselves from unjust criticism and how to make use of constructive criticism. You must look objectively at criticism that others give to you. If the criticism that comes to you is just, well founded and given with good intention, then accept that criticism and put it to use. However, if the criticism that come to you is unjust and ill-founded and given with bad intention, you are under no obligation to accept this kind of criticism.
If you know that your attitude is correct and appreciated by wise and cultured people, then do not worry about ill-founded criticism. Your understanding of both constructive and destructive criticism is important. The Buddha says:
There is no one who is not blamed in this world.
Expect Nothing And Nothing Will Disappoint You
You can protect yourself from disappointments by not having undue expectations. If you expect nothing, then nothing can disappoint you. Do not expect the rewards for the good you have done. Do good for the sake of doing good with kindness. If you can help others without expecting any kind of rewards, then you can have no disappointment. You can be a great man!
The happiness that appears in your mind for the good that you have done, is itself a big reward. That happiness creates satisfaction in your life.
Perhaps you are a person who is good by nature and you do not do any harm to others. But you get blamed by others despite doing good. You have to face difficulties and disappointments even though you have always help others and have done good for others.
Then you might ask, "If good begets good and bad begets bad, why should I have to suffer when I am completely innocent? Why should I have to undergo so many difficulties? Why should I get so many disappointments? Why should I get blamed by others despite my good work? The simple answer is that when you do some good deeds you have to face certain evil forces. If not, you are facing a bad karma that is ripening in the present.
Continue with your good work and you will eventually be free from such troubles. Remember that you have created your own disappointments and you alone can overcome these disappointments, by realising the nature of karma ( action and reaction)and the worldly conditions as explained by the Buddha.
If you can protect yourself,
you can protect others.
Originally posted by justdoit77:The next time I meet Ksitigharba bodhisatva probably is when I work with him to save the sentient beings. hehe.
May we be fellow Bodhisattvas in future lifetimes working along Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to help all sentient beings. :)
Originally posted by Spnw07:May we be fellow Bodhisattvas in future lifetimes working along Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to help all sentient beings. :)
:) I should rephrase my word to a more humble tone like you.