Master Shengyan: Twelve-character motto in the face of difficulties


Adversity is inevitable in life. I often advise everyone that when dealing with a difficult problem, you should face it, accept it, deal with it, and let it go; that is to say, if you encounter any difficult, difficult, or uneven situation, Don't evade, because evasion cannot solve the problem. Only by taking the responsibility with wisdom can we truly get free from the troubled problems.

How to face troubles

How to face problems? That is to tell yourself: everything and phenomenon happen, there is a certain reason . We don't need to investigate the cause, and we have no time to investigate the cause. Only facing it and improving it is the most direct and most important thing.

Many people say, I am a good person, why should I suffer so much? We need to know that if there is a material body, there will be retribution and obstacles, just as there are mountains and rivers, there will be wind, rain and clouds. The great practitioners will also be rewarded. The Buddha was injured by a large stone and suffered a serious illness. But retribution and obstacles do not necessarily cause troubles. This is the difference between major practitioners and ordinary people.

Ordinary people who are suffering from their own experience will have a backlash in their faith; major practitioners can let go of themselves and not be obstructed by troubles. When we study Buddhism, is to learn the wisdom of the Buddha, clearly recognize the origin of defilements, face it, accept it, deal with it, and let go of it.

Causality must cooperate with cause and effect. For any situation, if it can be improved, it should be improved immediately. If it cannot be improved, then face it and accept it, never avoid it, but try to improve it. It is uneconomical to avoid responsibility and retribution. It is the smartest to improve the situation.

The planned things are not necessarily completely reliable, and unexpected situations may occur. At this time, you should accept it and find a way to deal with it, because this is the case.

Therefore, if expects the planned thing to have problems in the process, do not have to be sad or disappointed. You should continue to work hard to promote the cause and fate, and there is still a chance of success ; if after careful consideration, it is impossible to judge the cause and fate. Had to let it go, which is very different from giving up without effort.

Let go of oneself and others

If you can't let go, you have no wisdom, and if you can't let go of others, there is no compassion. If you can think of it this way, you will have compassion and respect for everyone. Sympathizing with others is also a bondage ordinary man, and respecting others also has an independent personality.

In ordinary life, how does Zen teach people to be at ease? The attitude of Zen is: know the facts, face the facts, deal with the facts, and then put it down. No matter what situation you encounter, you will never think it is an extraordinary thing. If you already know what unsatisfactory things may happen, it is best to prevent it from happening; if it must happen, worry about what else use? Worries and worries not only can't help, they may also make the situation worse. Only facing them is the best way.

I often meet people who seem to be trapped in a sea of ​​flames and come to me for help. I usually listen to their problems and know what they are anxious about, but I will not turn their anxiety into my own nightmare.

There is a principle in my advice to them: : For emotional issues, it is appropriate to deal with rationality; for family issues, it is appropriate to deal with ethics; even if an unbelievable event occurs, time should be used to resolve and dilute it; if It is really unavoidable bad luck, that only has to face it and accept it; being able to face it and accept it is tantamount to dealing with it. Now that it has been dealt with, there is no need to worry about it anymore, it should be let go, Don't keep thinking: "What should I do?" Instead, I still sleep when I go to bed, I still eat when I eat, and live as I should.




Master Shengyan

Author brief introduction Master Shengyan , Buddhist master, educator, Buddhist propaganda master, Ph.D. from Risho University, Japan, and the 50th generation of Zen Cao DongzongRen, the 57th generation descendant of Linji Sect, and the founder of Taiwan Fagushan. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon on February 3, 2009, Master Sheng Yan passed away and lived 78 years old.