Translated By Andrew Yang
The most important thing in Buddhist practice is the accordance of one’s bodhicitta, that is, initiating a tremendous vow to awaken oneself as well as others. Once an individual makes the resolution, it means that he pledges not only to follow the principles of an enlightened bodhisattva and seek what is good for himself, but at the same time, to pursue the best interests of his fellow human beings. In the language of Buddhism, launching the bodhicitta is to seek the way of Buddha and help liberate all sentient beings. In all, a bodhisattva with an arisen bodhicitta should fervently cultivate five virtues: faith, morality, hearkening, charity, and wisdom.
What is the virtue of faith? It is belief. Faith is the gateway to Buddhism for every Buddhist, First they need to sincerely believe in the Three Gems; Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Mahayana Sraddhotpada Sastra (The Treatise on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana) names four types of faith, “The first is to believe in the fundamentals, what is called delight in following the Dharma of bhuta-tathata or true suchness. The second is to believe that Buddha has an immeasurable amount of merit, so one should continuously follow him and support him in reverence, cultivate good energy and all sorts of wisdom. The third is to believe that the Dharma itself has great benefit, with cultivation of its various perfections of paramita. The fourth is to believe that monastics are true Buddhist practitioners who can benefits others as well as themselves. They are keen to learn from Bodhisattvas and practice what they learnt.” Only by having a most sincere conviction can one dedicate to learning and going forward without trepidation. It is normal for those new to Buddhist practice to find it difficult to understand the Dharma or even have doubts sometimes. One can acquire appropriate knowledge and experience through “listening, contemplating and practising”. Once his doubts are cleared, a strong faith can be established, This is what is called “faith arise when doubts dispelled”. Mahaprajnaparamita Sastra states, “For the sea of the Dharma, faith is the access while wisdom is the ferry”, meaning that conviction serves as nexus to Buddhism, while wisdom leads to liberation.
The second virtue is morality, a means to stop evil and prevent injustice, and do good to enhance one’s welfare. To observe morality, one should maintain a clear mind, a prerequisite to departing from evil and forestalling injustice. For those who practise Buddhism at home, it is crucial to follow the basic Five Precepts, which requires abstention from taking life, stealing, committing sexual misconduct, engaging in false speech or using intoxicants. Considered the very basis of human morality, these precepts provide a standard of conduct for the individual, family and society and help everybody get along in harmony by following the social norm. Like both sides of a coin, so to speak, the Five Precepts correspond with the five strands of Confucian ethics, namely, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and integrity. The former roots out bad behaviour while the latter promotes good conduct. After all, abiding by the Five Precepts makes nurturing all other virtues possible.
The third virtue is hearkening, that is, the hearing and otherwise attending and receiving of Dharma teachings and instructions as a real starting point of one’s cultivation, as both a strong conviction and good morality are a foundation-laying precursor to the student’s cultivation, but only through the virtue of hearkening can he tell good from evil and right from wrong, acquire the ability to discern and distinguish, and grow wisdom to correct his own thoughts. Moreover, the practitioner should learn the sacred, supramundane Dharma wherever he could, to rigorously understand and practise it, because what is known as the right knowledge, right vision and right thinking all come from accumulated hearing, reading and putting into action. Thus, Buddhist scriptures declare, “Hearkening leads to knowing what is good, hearkening leads to knowing what is evil, and hearkening leads to knowing nirvana”. In short, assiduous hearkening enables the devotee to understand the Dharma, leave sin, let go of indecency and attain nirvana.
The fourth virtue is charity to others, with all the foregoing virtues, i.e., faith, morality and hearkening, concentrating on merit for one’s own benefit.
In Buddhist practice, one need to benefit oneself as well as others. So, it is equally important to grow oneself through approaches focusing on benefiting others. Here, the virtue of charity means engaging in virtuous conduct in the interests of other people, whether by sharing the Dharma and material possessions, or through the exertion of one’s own physical strength. One could serve others by giving generous donations, providing pertinent information and guidance, or rendering support to elevate their spirits. In Buddhism, we call it cultivating the virtue of charity.
The fifth virtue, wisdom, refers to the attainment of prajna or supreme intelligence within the Dharma. It is pure and perfect wisdom, unlike worldly contaminated intelligence which compares and contrasts things, distinguishes advantages from disadvantages as well as merits from demerits, and involves suffering and affliction. Prajna is the kind of true transcendent wisdom that neither increases with saints nor diminishes with mortals. It eliminates all mental suffering from avidya or ignorance, a frame of mind in delusion or discrimination, so the student gains personally the true reality of all phenomena in the universe. To do so and realize the amazing prajna, he must start by hearkening to the right Dharma, and from there go on to right thinking and right cultivation. With this wisdom, he may eventually attain Bodhi, terminate death and rebirth, and liberate all other sentient beings.
Everyone! When a Buddhist practises the five virtues: faith, morality, hearkening, charity and wisdom, they will become a learned person with a near perfect personality.
