The Seven Good Deeds that Don't Cost Anything

              When you really think about it, how much time do you actually spend caring and thinking about others and how much time do you spend on yourself? A real, honest look might reveal that we're probably spending about 90% of our time getting our own needs met.

              Take the example of a large bath tub. You want more warmth, so you begin to bring in with your hands all the warm water toward you. But what happens? It escapes pushing the warm water around and away from you. However, when you push the warm water away with your hands, the warmth circulates bringing more to you. (Try it the next time you have a bath. It actually works!) This example embodies the concept of Benefiting Others, Benefits the Self within Buddhism.

Original Art by Tim Green aka atoach, available on Flickr.com

               According to the Law of Cause and Effect, doing good deeds only brings more good effects for us. So we should give generously to others more than we did yesterday. This all sounds really logical and seems quite simple, but there's definitely more to the story!

***  

            Long ago, there was once a famous meeting between Bird's Nest Monk, a Zen priest, and Bai Juyi, a scholar of Confucianism.

               Bai Juyi was taking a walk on a mountainside, deep in the forest. He was lost in thought when he saw something curious. Up in a large tree there was someone with their eyes closed doing meditation.

               "Excuse me!" Bai Juyi said, "Don't you think it's a little dangerous to be up there with your eyes closed?"

               Bird's Nest Monk replied, "The one who is in danger is you!"

               Bai Juyi got the sense that this priest was no ordinary man, so he decided to introduce himself. "You know, I'm just a nobody. It's nice to meet you. They call me Bai Juyi."

                "I'm Bird's Nest Monk. I'm also nameless. A pleasure."

                "You know, this is a rather rare opportunity. I always wanted to know what Buddhism is all about," Bai Juyi said."In a few words, could you sum it up for me please?"

                 "Refrain from doing bad deeds and practice various good deeds. In short, 'stop evil; do good.'"

                  Bai Juyi became bemused. "But even a little kid knows this. Is this all the Buddha teaches?"

                  Bird's Nest Monk replied, "Even though a three-year-old boy knows it, it's difficult to practice even for an 80-year-old man."

                   At this Bai Juyi began to think more seriously about Buddhism, and the two carried on a discussion.

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Update: Previously, this post originally ran with the names Hakurakuten (Bai Juyi) and Torinosu (Bird's Nest Monk). These are the Japanese names, but I decided to switch them to the original Chinese and English translations for ease of reference. 

Giving Another Look at Giving

                Even though the core concepts of Buddhism seem easy for us to understand, we have to try hard to put them into practice. In a previous post, we went over the Six Good Deeds that Make You Happy (Six Paramitas).

                Sakyamuni Buddha narrowed down all the virtuous acts we could possibly perform into just six categories. He did this to make it easy for us to choose one and perform it to the very best of our ability and with all our hearts. By doing one with the strongest of intentions, you end up doing them all.

                  But for today let's focus on the first paramita of Generosity.

1.) Generosity -- Making Offerings to Others

 

        a.) Dharma -- Sharing Buddhism will bring happiness in this life and beyond into eternity.

                         

           b.) Materials -- Giving money or things of value that make people happy in this life

               However, for those who have nothing to give as far as materials or compensation, there are still generosities that we can still offer even without a penny, yen, ruble, pound, or rupee!

Seven Good Deeds that Don't Cost Anything 

1.) Kind Eyes -- Send others good thoughts and intentions with your eyes

   

2.) Peaceful, Friendly Smile -- A friendly facial expression promotes harmony, smooths tensions, makes people feel comfortable in their environment

Original Photo by mknobil available on Flickr.com

3.) Kind Words -- A simple, warm "Hello!" can brighten someone's day and also make sure to say positive comments to people who have gone through difficult situations

4.) Physical Labor -- Doing chores, helping someone out for free and volunteering are great examples

 

5.) Heartfelt Gratitude -- Being grateful to others, apologizing for mistakes, and excusing ourselves when we inconvenience others makes us become more thankful in life

6.) Offer Your Seat (position/role/title) -- Giving up an advantage to someone in need like the coveted front seat in a car

7.) Share Food / Shelter -- Offer visitors to your home and those in need of help a place to spend the night and share a meal with them

     
                All seven of the above examples of generosity can be performed everyday, and they are all aimed to awaken the mind of a bodhisattva within us. 

                A bodhisattva is one who is seeking for true happiness. If you sincerely practice these good deeds with keeping these paramitas in mind, you will be happier and even come closer to knowing the meaning of life. Just give it a try and choose one today -- Generosity, Keeping Your Word, Patience, Making Effort, Self-Reflection, or Wisdom!

                 But we just can't perform good acts to anyone. Sakyamuni Buddha taught that we should plant seeds in the Three Fields of Fortune.

Original Photo by irokurcazbah available on Flickr.com

Field of Respect -- Someone with virtue that deserves respect

Field of Gratitude -- Someone who we owe a debt of gratitude

Field of Compassion -- Someone who is suffering and/or less fortunate 

               We are encouraged to practice as many of these good deeds as possible in these fields and to listen to the Law of Cause and Effect frequently. We think because we've heard about karma before that we already know it.

                But by not putting it into practice -- we don't really know it at all. 

Two Reasons Why People Are Not Practicing Good Deeds

1.) They don't understand the teachings.

2.) They think it doesn't matter if they do them or not.

                 Buddhism teaches us not just to know, but to practice as well. At a red traffic light, everyone stops. Knowing isn't good enough; you have to stop at the light to avoid disaster.

                 What goes around really does come around. Everything little thing we do influences our future karma. So we should reflect deeply and choose wisely to plant seeds of happiness with all our decisions in life.

The Inability to See Our Own Evils

                 Doing good brings us closer to seeing hidden evils concealed within our nature. To help us refrain from these wrongdoings, we are taught to learn and avoid the Ten Bad Deeds.

 Ten Evils

 Karma of the Mind
          1.) Greed
          2.) Anger
          3.) Foolishness -- Not Knowing the Law of Cause and Effect

Karma of the Mouth
          4.) Lying
          5.) Double-Tongue -- Telling one person one thing, and another something else
          6.) Flattery
          7.) Bad Mouth -- Using foul language and speaking ill of others

Karma of the Body
          8.) Killing
          9.) Stealing
          10.) Adultery -- Being unfaithful to one's partner


               The more of the Ten Bad Deeds we allow ourselves to perform, especially killing, stealing, or adultery, the more we also lose ourselves. And we're committing evils like these all the time with our words and thoughts... and most of that time we're not even noticing!

                 On the surface level as human beings we seem to be good-natured, but the Buddha's perspective reveals otherwise to us.

The mind is constantly thinking evil.

The mouth is constantly speaking evil.

The body is constantly doing evil.

Never has there been a single good deed.

--Great Sutra

               As we realize this definition of evil through listening to the teachings of Buddhism, the intention to refrain from doing evil then naturally arises within us. It is this mindset that drives us forward on the path.

              However, we can't see anything evil or wrong in our nature at all unless we first perform good deeds like the Six Paramitas with the utmost sincerity and dedication.

    Mirror       |                                        <---- Move Closer

        of          |<-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------X----------------

    Dharma    |                                        <---- Perform Good Deeds    You are Here

               Seeking for good is the barometer for how much one understands Buddhism. It is also the fear of committing evil.

               Along the way, conceit is the hardest obstruction and distraction while seeking for the truth.  It's our own inability to see clearly who we are and what we do.

                We must go forward by performing good deeds and listening closely to the teachings of Buddhism. By doing so, we get closer to realizing our true image in the Mirror of Dharma.

Mirror of Dharma

               Long ago, a group of drunken noblemen were having a party in the forest. When they fell asleep, a woman from their entourage made off with all their valuables. Sakyamuni Buddha was in the area at the time, and the noblemen asked if he knew in which direction she went or how they could find her.

               Sakyamuni Buddha replied, "I understand the situation, but which is more important? Finding that woman, or finding yourself?"

Screenshot from the Buddhist film The Osha Castle Tragedy

***

               We tend to think that we are fully aware of our self, but it's actually the most difficult thing to know. This is why since ancient Greece it has been said to "Know Thyself." (Reason, p. 103)

               We are all seeking for happiness, but if we don't know our true self we will not be able to attain it.

               Thus, the key to happiness is to know our true self.

               These days we know all about the vast distant galaxies in the universe and even about the tiny specialized cells within the human body. But do we really know any more about ourselves?

               There is a very simple reason behind why we can't know our self. It's because we're just too close to it.

               The human eye can see outwardly many things at great distances, but it cannot see inwardly the things that are very close.

Original Photo by benjgibbs available on Flickr.com

               For example, can you see your eyebrows with your own eyes? ... Didn't think so. Our eyes cannot see our own eyes, just like a knife can't cut itself.

              In order to see something that is very close to us, we use a mirror. (Reason, p.107) There are three kinds of mirrors to see ourselves: rectangular, oval-shaped and round. 

The Three Mirrors

   Mirror of Others      Mirror of Self       Mirror of Dharma

               A mirror should reflect exactly how our appearance really is. When we buy a mirror at the store, we need to be especially careful that it reflects how things really are. Cheap mirrors may be warped or bent. Let's examine each mirror to see if it reflects our true self accurately.

Mirror of Others

   "Do people think I am a good person or a bad person?"

               This is the reflected image we see from the minds of others.We're all concerned about the way others see us. We worry about it, sometimes even from morning to night.

               So we put on makeup or wear fancy clothes to appear cool in the Mirror of Others everyday. But if we lived on a deserted island, no one would need these kinds of items because no one would be around to care.

               We want to be praised by others and to be seen as kind and caring. Sometimes we even do things we don't want to do just to win approval.

               Why? It's because we think our true self is reflected in this mirror.

Original Photo by dearoot available on Flickr.com

               That's why we get upset when others are talking badly about us. But suddenly when something good is said about us, we get happy and our feelings can suddenly jump way up.

               According to what other people say our feelings go up or down.

               Does this mirror reflect our true self? ... Not really.

               It reflects a distorted image that relies on others and their convenience. (Reason p.108)

               Let's assume a policeman is coming toward you, when you have just been threatened by a robber. The officer must look like an angel to you!

               Later you make a left turn a little too late at a red signal... and see the same policeman.

               He must look intimidating when he is holding that ominous yellow ticket in his hand. He looked like an angel before, but now he looks like a real devil. So which one is he?

Original Photo by woodleywonderworks available on Flickr.com

  
               Depends on your convenience, right? This is because it is all according to your own biased evaluation.

               Others are doing the same thing. They judge us according to how beneficial we are to them. With this mirror, we seem like a bad person and a good person on the same day. Which one are we truly?

 A Japanese priest named Ikkyu once said:

The human tongue

gives praise today, tomorrow

it finds fault --

laugh away or weep away,

it is all a tissue of lies.

  (Reason, p. 108) 

               Even though I may receive 100 compliments today, I still cannot feel at ease, because tomorrow I might be criticized 10,000 times. 

              That's why at the end of the day some of us often feel that, "Talk is cheap."

               So it's kind of silly to get depressed or rejoice over what people say and how they rank you. You're relying on another's rating of you that is solely opportunistic in nature.

               The Mirror of Others does not reflect our true image. It is obviously distorted. So what about the next mirror?

Mirror of Self (or Mirror of Conscience)

               We may think deeply about ourselves from time to time with many introspective questions in search of the truth.

  "Who is the real me? Am I a good or bad person? What am I truly?"

Original photo by diejule available on Flickr.com

                 But what kind of real answer can we give to these questions? Let's reflect on an old folktale for insight.

               One day a princess in the legendary Dragon Palace under the sea held up a jewel and told all the fish, "I will give a prize to anyone who can tell me what color this is."

               Each of them named a different color: the black porgy said it was black, the bluefish said it was blue, and the whitefish said it was silver.

               Then they asked the princess, "Which one is right?"

               She replied, "The jewel has no color of its own. It is transparent and simply reflects each of your colors." (Reason, p.109)

               Similarly, we see everything including ourselves through the prism of our thoughts and emotions. (Reason, p.109) When it comes to examining ourselves in particular, it is impossible to take off the tinted glasses of our partiality.

               We always want to see ourselves in a good light. That's why all our good qualities are easily identified, but it's so much harder to spot our own faults.

               It's not a problem for us to point out the shortcomings of others or blame them, but it's difficult once we look for those weaknesses within ourselves.

               We just can't get rid of our own biased vision.

Original Photo by Leshaines123 available on Flickr.com

               And if we don't like something about our self, we just look at someone else who is in worse shape. Compared to them, we can feel better. Examining this mindset, we can clearly see the conceit in it. Let's now break it down into detail.

Seven Types of Conceit

1.  Pride of looking down on others who are below you
2. Pride among equals
3. Pride over superiors
4. Pride even though I know I'm wrong
5. False pride in the belief of having attained enlightenment
6. Pride in humility
7. Pride of wrong action

               How many times have we looked down on others regardless of their position, defended ourselves when we knew we were wrong, or concealed our pride by acting really humble? Too many to count!

               It's all because we're wearing those tinted glasses of partiality. In plain terms, we are conceited.

               If we could see our true self as it really is, then this mirror would be true. Since it isn't, we must look to the last of the three mirrors to see if it is true.

Mirror of Dharma

              The Mirror of Dharma, also known as the Mirror of Truth, is our image reflected in the eyes of Buddha.

              This mirror is not like the other two. It's a mirror of sheer truth. It never distorts anything and always shows us everything exactly as it is.

              One can become aware of one's true self only by approaching the Mirror of Dharma.

              But why is this so?

              It's because it's completely impossible to see our true self by using the Mirror of Others or the Mirror of Self. Using either of these two mirrors, it is too difficult for us to see clearly what is true all the time.

              Imagine, if one can see only the good in one's own child, how much more so is that bias directed at one's self?

              Look at your hand with your naked eye, and it looks clean. This level of sight is compared to the laws we use to protect society. Next look at your hand with a magnifying glass. You might begin to see traces of dirt here and there. This level of sight is compared to ethics and morality.

              The Mirror of Dharma is like a microscope. The teachings of Buddhism see deeply and clearly all the germs and bacteria contained within our true nature.

              In the same way when X-rays are taken, all people, whether pretty or ugly, rich or poor, male or female, old or young, are reduced to nothing but bones. (Reason, p. 137) Once our true self is revealed in the Mirror of Dharma, we realize for the first time all the flaws we've had hidden deep within ourselves.

              This is because Buddhism goes beneath our physical exteriors. It places all our actions into three distinct categories. They are Deeds of the Mind, Deeds of the Mouth and Deeds of the Body. (Reason, p.110)

Three Types of Deeds

Mind

 ||

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||                                   ||

Mouth                           Body

              Buddhism places the greatest emphasis on the actions of the mind because it is the source.

              If we think of all the countless thoughts within our minds, we see how hard it is to get a glimpse of our true self accurately without the Mirror of Dharma.

             "In the deep of the night, a candle burned in a mountain cabin, convinced it was the brightest of all. Then came an oil lamp with similar delusions of grandeur. Next came the electric light, arrogant and full of self-conceit, so bright the candle and the lamp could barely hang their heads. Then when morning came, the Sun rose in the eastern sky. Thoroughly eclipsed, all three went dark." (Reason, p.137)

              Likewise, our conceit is the hardest obstacle while seeking for the truth. We must strive with all our might to see it as it is. Only then can we become happy from our core.

              So in order to know that true self deeply, you must listen to the Mirror of Dharma as well as practice its teachings.

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Source Material: You Were Born for a Reason: p. 103-112, 135-138 // Know Thyself p. 103, Eye/Knife/Use a Mirror p. 107,

 Convenience p. 108, Ikkyu p. 108, Dragon Palace p. 109, X-Ray p. 137,  Mind/Mouth/Body p. 110, 

Candle Story p. 137

Law of Cause and Effect -- Part Three

               When using the term Three Worlds, it means the Past World, the Present World, and the Future World.

Original Photo by puuikibeach available on Flickr.com

      Past World                                            Present World                                        Future World

World before birth                         Human life (80-100 years max)                        World after death

   The Past World and the Future World are both related within the Present World. The Law of Cause and Effect penetrates the Three Worlds, which represents all time.

               Our True Self, our deepest sense of life, is not limited to this physical body. The physical body and its six billion cells disappear at death. Our True Self, our true life, also penetrates the Three Worlds. So once the physical body is gone, this True Self remains.

   The True Self is also referred to as the Alaya Mind or Alaya Consciousness. Alaya means storehouse in Sanskrit. Therefore, it can be referred to as the storehouse mind. It is like a safety deposit box, or a storage unit.

Original Photo by toolstop available on Flickr.com

                 Buddhism teaches that there are eight minds within human beings. Seven of them disappear at death with the physical body, but the Alaya Mind is the part that remains.

                The Alaya Mind is our self since the countless ages past. It lasts forever, long after our death. It flows from the beginning-less beginning and into the never-ending future. It is the invisible flow of life present in every moment.

                 Throughout life, we perform various deeds and actions that fall into three categories. They are also known in Japanese as Go, or karma.

Go \ Karma

Mind - Deeds

Mouth - Deeds \ Actions

Body - Deeds \ Actions

 

       We perform countless deeds with our mind, mouth, and body. These are the seeds which create our fate. The mind is performing them the most and has the strongest power. What moves the body and mouth is the mind.

                       My mind caused me to write out my notes on this lecture on Law of Cause and Effect from Takamori-sensei, the current living master of Pure Land Buddhism. Then I decided to put the content online to share the teachings. You are now reading this because your mind encouraged you to look into Buddhism, and you then found Mirror of Dharma Blog by searching Google or you clicked a link to this page. This example demonstrates a chain of causes and their subsequent effects.

       In our life, the mind always remains the strongest of the three, because it invisibly drives all our choices. Because of this, wrong thoughts can't be enforced at this level from outside forces. Mouth and body can of course be regulated.

                  For example in criminal cases, people discuss and debate whether or not the act was premeditated. The law examines what the murderer had in his mind. The mind has this strong energy, so a greater emphasis must be placed on it.

Original Photo by JohnE777 available on Flickr.com

                We have learned about good causes, bad causes, and own causes. So what kind of seeds do we have in our hearts and minds?

                 Even without knowing these causes or the Law of Cause and Effect, the actions of the mind, mouth and body are converted into invisible karmic power. The terms karmic power and seeds of karma are interchangeable. These energies are what is stored in the Alaya Mind. All our actions are recorded invisibly and stored within this storehouse mind. The karmic power within it flows throughout all the Three Worlds (past, present, future).

                    Karmic power thus becomes the cause, but cause alone cannot bring an effect. It requires a condition. You reap the effect only when the condition arrives. Karmic power lasts forever and never disappears. This means all our thoughts, words, and actions become invisible power stored into our Alaya Mind for all time.

                   The Chinese characters for the word "input" translate to "entering the power." When we use a word processor, we are "entering the power" of our thoughts to be stored into data onto a hard disk.

Original Photo by boredwithacamera available on Flickr.com

                    Putting weight on the keys of the keyboard is the condition that allows the process to take place. The commands or words we see on the monitor are the effect.

                   It’s also like the the call log on a cell phone, and there are so many other examples. Society and our world become more familiar when integrated with Buddhist fundamentals.

                    So Alaya Mind flows through the past, present, and future. This is why at birth, we receive the effects of certain characteristics like being American, Japanese, Male, Female, etc. These effects had to be determined before the result took place.

                   But how were they determined? They were made as a result of our past choices in the past life. This is why though we are all human beings, no single person has received the same experience. The different effects we all have were determined by each and every one of us in the past life and the past world.

                     It is not by accident. Our fate does not occur without cause. Different causes mean different effects. Karmic power from the past flowed into this present life. Our parents were the condition.

                     Some may claim the father is the cause and the mother was the condition. But then why do siblings have different effects? It must be the karmic power from each child's past.

                      A cause itself doesn’t result in birth as a human. It must combine with a condition in order to make the effect. This is how we came to be born, but it is not only in this life. We have repeated birth and death ceaselessly. 

      Past             Present                 Future

                    Cause    --- >   Effect

                         Cause       --->     Effect

           To know the causes of the past, look at the effects within the present. To know the effects of the future, look at the causes being made at present. This concept remains constant within the Three Worlds.

If you're happy now = that's a good effect = which means you’ve done good things

If you're miserable now = that's a bad effect = which means you’ve done bad things

                 What we are suffering from is the deeds of our own past. So what about our future? How about after we die? Look at the cause in your present through the actions of your mind, mouth, and body. If you’re doing bad things, you must then suffer in the Future World.

                   If there is no past life, then there is no cause to be born. Without a past, there is then no future.

                                 If someone kills one person, they can be executed once. But if they kill ten people, they can still only be executed one time. Karma dictates that if you kill ten people, you will be executed ten times. What about the other nine offenses? They must be reaped in the future life. All the pain the killer caused must occur to them in their afterlife.

                  If the Law of Cause and Effect were false, it would not be able to span the Three Worlds and Ten Directions. This Law of Cause and Effect of Three Worlds remains valid for all time and all existence. The teachings of Buddhism are all based on this principle making understanding of this concept extremely crucial.

                  Your future is contained within the causes of your present. Look deeply at yourself and the actions of your mind, mouth and body. Look closely into the image that reflects back to you.

Original Photo by nattu available on Flickr.com

                

What is your body doing?

What is your mouth saying?

What is your mind thinking?

                   Listening to the words of Buddha in this way shows us our True Self. Without knowing the Law of Cause and Effect, this cannot be clear.

                    Look within the Mirror of Dharma at present. This is why listening to Buddhism is so essential.