DHARMA IN EVERYDAY LIFE

By Nhat Quan

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The phrase: Joy in lust must be fully said as:

- Happy in lust, happy then suffering

Suffering to practice suffering turns into happiness

The first sentence of the two verses wants to tell you that having too much greed or too much desire is suffering. The word desire also means wanting, is hoping. The word desire also means love. You are greedy for fame and fortune without knowing how to get tired. One day you will climb up the elephant, then one day you will fall down the dog, that is suffering. When you have too much desire will have a disturbed spirit, a weak body, and will finally lead to the saying in the world:

- Loss of body, reputation, and fame.

The second sentence:

- Suffering to practice suffering turns into happiness

In fact, once you practice, there is nothing to suffer, because once you know how to practice, you know how to control your senses, or your desires; there is nothing to call suffering. However, from the perspective of the worldly people, seeing that those who practice have some objective conditions that are limited to not let their minds run wild and run after the worldly scene, they think it is suffering, but in fact, the more the six senses are limited from running after the worldly scene, the more peaceful and leisurely their minds are, so it is said:

- Suffering to practice, suffering turns into joy.

Because this is the topic of this article:

- Joy in greed, joy then suffering

So now you should learn what joy is in greed, joy, then suffering. Speaking of suffering, according to the Dhammapada Sutra number 69, it presents a pitiful and blameworthy reality of ignorant people who only know how to seek pleasure and sweetness in evil actions, such as those who specialize in hunting, fishing, or like to eat elaborate dishes for fun, but they do not know that deer, or any animal, also has feelings, has its own lineage and family.

This is a true story told by a monk. Before he became a monk, he was a professional otter hunter. One day, he went out hunting and caught an otter. After peeling off its precious skin, he placed the living otter on a patch of grass. In the evening, he returned to the same spot, but did not see the otter. He observed, discovered blood on the grass, and the blood trail leading to a small cave nearby. When he got close to the cave, he was surprised; it turned out that the otter had endured the excruciating pain of losing its skin and ran back to its cave. When he pulled the suffocating otter out, he discovered two otter cubs that had not yet opened their eyes and were tightly sucking on their mother's breast, while the mother otter was dead. Seeing that scene, he was shocked and suddenly realized, he had never thought that animals had such a sacred mother-child relationship. Before dying, the mother otter still thought about breastfeeding her baby because she was afraid that her baby would go hungry. Thinking of that, tears fell from his eyes, feeling guilty for his actions. Finally, he washed his hands and resolved to become a monk to atone for his mistakes.

Through this story, you see, a person with human nature, just by looking at the scene, immediately feels guilty, but that is only the external emotional impact, but when the karma of killing is determined, the harmful consequences of evil karma are endless, and the result is that person must suffer from the evil karma that he has done and accumulated. The original words of Buddha are as follows:

- The fool sees it as sweet,

When evil has not yet ripened;

When evil karma is ripe

The fool suffers.

More specifically, while Buddha taught about a way of life called:

- Practice of present happiness, future suffering

The Buddha clearly tells you that there are people who live to find joy in killing, in taking what is not given, in sexual misconduct, in lying, in speaking with a double tongue, in speaking harshly, in speaking frivolously, in lust, in anger, in wrong views. They enjoy doing such evil deeds and live with that feeling of joy, forgetting that that temporary feeling of joy is the cause of all the lurking suffering and misfortune. As a result, those evil deeds push them into the evil realms, evil animals, the lower realms, hell:

- Bhikkhus, there are people who, with pleasure and joy, kill and create conditions for killing in a future life. As a result, those very evil actions push them to fall into a state of misery, an evil destination, a place of woe, hell.

- Feeling pleasure and joy; with pleasure and joy, they take what is not given and create conditions for taking what is not given in a future life. As a result, those very evil actions push them to fall into a state of misery, an evil destination, a place of woe, hell.

- Feeling pleasure and joy; with pleasure and joy, they live in wrong conduct in sensual pleasures, and create conditions for sensual pleasures in a future life. As a result, those very evil actions push them to fall into a state of misery, an evil destination, a place of woe, hell.

- Feeling pleasure and joy; with pleasure and joy, they speak falsely, speak with a double tongue, and create conditions for falsely speaking, speak with a double tongue in a future life. As a result, those evil actions push them to fall into a state of misery, an evil destination, a place of woe, hell.

- Feeling pleasure and joy, with pleasure and joy, speaking evil words, and creating conditions for speaking evil words in a future life. As a result, those evil actions push them to fall into a state of misery, an evil destination, a place of woe, hell.

- Feeling pleasure and joy, and creating conditions for speaking frivolous words, in a future life. As a result, those evil actions push them to fall into a state of misery, an evil destination, a place of woe, hell.

- Feeling pleasure and joy; with pleasure and joy, there is a mind of craving, and creating conditions for a mind of craving, feeling pleasure and joy in a future life. As a result, those evil actions push them to fall into a state of misery, an evil destination, a place of woe, hell.

- With pleasure and joy, there is a mind of hatred and creating conditions for a mind of hatred, in a future life. As a result, those evil deeds push them to fall into the evil realms, or the lower realms, which are often referred to as hell.

- Feeling happiness and joy; with happiness and joy, there is wrong view, feeling happiness and joy, and creating conditions for a bad view mind, in future lives. As a result, those evil deeds push them to fall into the evil realms, or the lower realms, which are often referred to as hell.

This person, after the body breaks up and dies, is born in the evil realms, evil places, the lower realms, hell. This, monks, is called:

- The Dharma practice is happy in the present; the future results in suffering.

Explaining the reason for the way of life that pursues evil desires or enjoys evil deeds, the Buddha said:

- Due to ignorance, due to delusion, you do not know the truth: This is the Dharma practice that is happy in the present, the future results in suffering.

- Due to ignorance of this Dharma, due to delusion, not having true wisdom, you are deluded by this Dharma; do not avoid this Dharma. Because you are passionate about this dharma, because you do not avoid this dharma, for you, the unlovable, unpleasurable, and undesirable dharmas increase, the lovable, pleasurable, and desirable dharmas are destroyed.

The Buddha's teachings tell you that ignorance of good or evil, or confusion about the cause and effect of good and evil, is the cause of an evil and miserable life. On the other hand, the Buddha's teachings also indirectly remind you that evil sometimes has an attraction for people, meaning that doing evil or living according to evil desires also has a sweet taste or mistakenly thinking that it is sweet, so there are people who chase after that temporary feeling of pleasure and ignore evil.

Only when the evil karma is ripe do the ignorant and evil people see the evil, but everything is too late now. This mistaken attitude is extremely regrettable and has its roots. It is a wrong view that there is no result of good and bad karma, for example, according to the Buddha:

…There are some monks and Brahmins who preach:

- There is no fault in sensual pleasures.

So these monks and Brahmins indulge in sensual pleasures, delight in wandering girls. They say:

How can those venerable monks and Brahmins see the future fear of sensual pleasures, speak of the cessation of sensual pleasures, and give understanding of sensual pleasures. How delightful is the touch of the hairy hands of these young wandering girls.

But after indulging in sensual pleasures, when the body breaks up, after death, they are reborn in a state of woe, in an evil destination, in a lower realm, in hell. Here, they experience painful, intense feelings, they say:

- These venerable monks and Brahmins see the future fear of sensual pleasures, speak of the cessation of sensual pleasures, and give understanding of sensual pleasures. But you, because of these desires as causes, because of these desires as conditions, you must experience intense feelings of pain and suffering.

Indeed, it is extremely dangerous for life to fall into the crazy idea that desires are not at fault or to mistake the taste of desires as sweet, because that delusion will open the door and encourage a life of indulgence following the instinct of desire. The Buddha calls such an idea or feeling crazy, delusional, unwise, because it makes you completely confused, crazy, intoxicated with suffering and disaster, not knowing clearly about evil desires, having little joy, much suffering, the danger is even greater, confusing the feeling of temporary pleasure with the disaster of long-term suffering. In other words, because of being confused about cause and effect, not clearly seeing the law of cause and effect, or not believing in the progression of cause and effect of good and evil deeds, people nurture wrong views, have an attitude of disregarding the law of cause and effect, disregarding morality, easily doing all kinds of evil to satisfy their desires. As a result, according to the Buddha's teachings:

- Unlovable, unhappy, and undesirable things increase; The pleasant and the agreeable are destroyed in him, and he experiences long-lasting suffering and unhappiness.

To avoid such a disastrous and painful lifestyle, Buddha advises you to practice, to control yourself, not to live a life of indulgence, not to be infatuated with sensual pleasures, and at the same time to be close to the Saints or wise people to learn the Dharma and to develop faith in the good Dharma. Thanks to knowing the Dharma, you can escape from wrong views and delusions, especially thanks to understanding the law of cause and effect and being reinforced by the belief in the cause and effect of good and evil, you know clearly what is good to follow and what is evil to abandon. That is the clear attitude that paves the way for the peaceful and virtuous life of wise people.

In the direction of being aware of being happy in greed, happiness, then suffering, and suffering to practice, suffering turns into happiness. As a Buddhist, you must be aware that:

- Misfortune or blessing is a real thing                

Doing evil will result in evil retribution; they always go together. Doing good is the same. Since they go together, nothing is without a reason. That is, cause and effect always go together like shadow and form. Therefore, in the Buddha's sermons, he always used examples to illustrate the teachings and methods of practice. Obviously, the use of this artistic technique makes the content of the sermon explained specifically, clearly, and concisely, and helps the student perceive the problem directly. Therefore, the Dhammapada, the Pali version, is a very popular sutra and is widely applied in the practical life of Buddhists, with the use of the artistic technique of examples in language. The examples presented in this sutra are all close to the things and phenomena that occur, directly related to human life. In other words, the appeal of this sutra is presented in the form of simple, concise, and rich in imagery verses with vivid, rustic, and familiar examples, but when you read it, you can see the echo of the entire value of Buddhist ideology and teachings expressed through specific practices, such as the following sutra sentences:

- Like a shadow that does not leave its shape,

- Like a cart that follows the foot of the ox that pulls it,

- Like a weak tree in the wind,

- Like a rocky mountain in the wind,

- Like the moon escaping the clouds…

This is a typical example image, both literary and symbolic of a karmic cause and effect structure. But at the same time, it is also a very valuable structure of one of the verses of the Dhammapada, creating a spiritual mark for those who study the Dharma. That proves that the teachings of the Buddha in this sutra are very simple, seemingly understood by everyone, but for those with high intelligence, the more they ponder, the more profound the meaning becomes. Later, learned scholars have explained the theory of karma at length, but I think it cannot replace the simple teachings full of metaphors and examples of the Buddha in the Dhammapada and some other sutras.

When preaching, the Buddha often used many examples, or rather metaphors, because the examples that the Buddha used often evoked images, some of which were very beautiful and poetic, with strong evocative power, as you will see in the verses quoted in this article:

- In all dharmas

The mind is the master; the mind creates everything.

If with impure words and thoughts.

With impure actions.

Then suffering will follow you..

Like the wheel rolling the foot of an animal.

Buddhism believes that humans are the masters of karma, the inheritors of karma. Karma is an intentional action. For example, when a person does evil or says evil, it is because the mind thinks evil first. Therefore, the sutra says:

- Mind leads all dharmas.

Mind dominates and creates all.

Here, the main idea refers to good or evil actions due to passion for greed. Of course, the word dharma in Buddhism has many meanings, but here, dharmas refer to good or evil things expressed in words or actions of passion in greed. The sutra says that if you speak or act with an evil mind, that is, a polluted, impure mind, then you will suffer immediately, just like the image of a cart wheel rolling closely behind the feet of an ox. Of course, there will be suffering that occurs later, like when you just said evil and did evil, you will immediately be in anxiety, fear, and people will laugh at you, or you are worried about going to jail... That is the suffering that occurs in the present. On the contrary, if you speak good words, do good things, with a good mind, then you will immediately have joy, peace, just like a shadow that never leaves the form:

- If with a pure mind,

Speak and act,

Peace follows,

Like a shadow that never leaves the form.

As our ancestors often said:

- You sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind,

Be good and you will be rewarded

That is the law of cause and effect in the moral category. Therefore, if you have an unwholesome attitude, indulge in unrestrained passions, and cannot control your body and mind, you will lack confidence when facing difficult problems, and are at risk of falling and collapsing, just like a weak tree will fall in the wind:

- Whoever lives without a pure appearance,

Does not protect the senses,

Eat and drink without moderation,

Be lazy, not diligent,

The devil will threaten that person,

Like a weak tree in the wind.

On the contrary, for those of you who have a virtuous lifestyle, you will reside in a peaceful world, steadfast in the face of all challenges, confident in life, like the solidity of a rock mountain in the wind:

- Whoever lives contemplating impurity,

Skillfully guarding the senses,

Eating and drinking in moderation,

Having diligent faith,

The devil cannot threaten,

Like a rock mountain in the wind.

The pure appearance is the world full of the colors of life. You have consciousness, the ability to perceive beauty, when you step out of the cycle of desire and attachment, that aesthetic sense enriches your peace; otherwise, it leads to suffering. Practical experience shows that some of you have a loose, indulgent, lazy attitude, do not have faith in reason, in goodness, in the Saints and their teachings, do not know how to be content, and are easily attracted and manipulated by base desires. The Dhammapada uses the word Mara to refer to lowly desires, not just demons.

On the contrary, you have the wisdom to train your mind, making it always think good thoughts, not evil thoughts, thanks to which, your words and actions are also good. You are skillful in cultivating your mind like that; the Dhammapada compares it to a well-thatched roof, rainwater cannot penetrate. For a well-cultivated mind, lowly or evil desires cannot control it:

- Like a well-thatched house,

Rain cannot penetrate,

Similarly, a well-cultivated mind,

Lust cannot penetrate

Clearly, the examples the Buddha used to preach the Dharma just mentioned, on the one hand, conceptualize the problem, on the other hand, suggest to you a specific image, illustrating the real world that is happening very vividly; it depends on the results of the mind's operation. A clear mind, diligently doing good deeds, accumulating good deeds, you will certainly be at peace. Therefore, in life, if a fool tries to harm a good person, then that fool's behavior is no different from standing against the wind and throwing dust, which will dirty the face of the fool, but cannot dirty the good person:

- Harming a person without evil intentions,

A pure and undefiled person,

Evil comes to a fool,

Like throwing dust against the wind. (verse 125).

An evil person who has done evil thinks he can run far away, but the Dhammapada clearly states that an evil person who does evil, but is not determined to correct himself, even if he runs to the sky or under the sea, cannot avoid the evil consequences that will come to him:

- Not in the sky or under the sea,

Not hiding in a mountain cave,

No place in the sky or under the sea,

Can escape the evil consequences. (verse 127).

The law of cause and effect is objective, but not mechanical. In Buddhist books, there is the concept of transforming karma. By creating good deeds regularly and strongly, you can limit and eventually eliminate the bad causes created in the past. Therefore, the Dhammapada says:

- Whoever lives in the past,

and then lives without negligence,

shines brightly in this world,

like the moon freed from clouds. (verse 172),

and:

- Whoever uses good deeds,

to obliterate bad karma,

shines brightly in this world,

like the moon freed from clouds (verse 173).

The moon freed from clouds is a typical example of this artistic technique; it is also a beautiful image to explain an objective causal structure in the philosophy of life, as well as in real life. It is worth mentioning that when the Buddha uses the artistic technique of example to express the truth, the truth is revealed more fully. The case of Angulimala, a notorious robber and murderer, is a typical example. He was enlightened by the Buddha and allowed to become a monk. Later, Angulimala not only became a gentle and compassionate monk but also attained the fruit of Arhat. That means that a person who commits a serious crime, if he knows how to abandon evil and follow good, will also attain the fruit, let alone ordinary people. It can be said that, for Buddhism, the door to enlightenment and liberation is open to everyone, without distinction between good people or evil people, even very evil people, as long as that person honestly turns back from evil and follows the right path, abandons evil, and does good. Therefore, it is said:

- The sea of ​​suffering is boundless; turning back is the shore of enlightenment.

Therefore, in this turbulent life, you can easily waver and be entangled with the beautiful world of appearances outside. If, unfortunately, you lack awareness and are misled, or are degraded by unwholesome actions, you should not be discouraged or disappointed. A good heart and good actions can transform and burn away sins that you cannot fully anticipate. That helps you have an inner strength and affirms your pure faith in the journey to find the root of liberation. Liberation and enlightenment are each person's own career; no one can do it for anyone else.

In short, according to the law of cause and effect, being happy in greedy will certainly sooner or later bring about bitter consequences. But if you know how to consciously preserve the roots to practice, you will create good karma and live a happy life. Good or bad karma always follows you like a shadow following a shape, like the moon escaping from a cloud... In the verses of the Dhammapada, they are not only typical Buddhist literary examples, full of aesthetic value, not also convey the content of the message of objective karma and retribution, but also truly become a specific practice for each person. I think, if you have never read it, you should start reading this sutra. If you have read it, you will surely understand the Buddha's teachings more deeply, and your mind will become more peaceful and clear.

Obviously, the Buddha's teachings are always valuable in terms of literature, beautiful meaning, and profoundness. Therefore, those of you who diligently read it every day, and if you practice it, you will certainly reap many benefits in this practical life.

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