Courage

1. DEFINITION

From the standpoint of ethics, courage is daring to face danger in order to do good. In Buddhism, it is hùng lực (heroic strength), or Courage, in the triad Compassion – Wisdom – Courage.

Courage is different from recklessness or audacity in doing something improper. The act of a robber who snatches someone's belongings is therefore not courage but audacity and recklessness, even though it takes real nerve to do it. Here, the word "courage" carries an ethical meaning.

In Buddhism, a saint or a disciple of the Buddha deserves praise only when he or she has all three qualities: Compassion, Wisdom and Courage. Compassion is love for living beings. Wisdom is insight, understanding everything clearly. But Compassion and Wisdom are not enough; there must also be Courage, the nerve to act, before good can be done. For not every good thing in this world is easy to carry out. Many good deeds lie in dangerous and difficult circumstances. Without enough strength and bravery, we will not be able to do them.

In life, when we want to do something good, we may face countless dangers and difficulties. The most dangerous of these is death. Sometimes, to do one good deed we have to pay with our own lives. If we dare to sacrifice ourselves like that, we are regarded as very brave. Second only to death is injury. When we rescue others, we may be injured and have to endure pain. Besides that, the dangers we may meet include imprisonment and exile, and sometimes the hatred and slander of other people… Truly, doing good is not always simple. But in return for those dangers and difficulties, we can do countless good things: rescuing people in peril, going to the battlefield to defend the country, speaking the truth even when that truth angers and offends everyone, or exposing injustice and opposing crime, especially crime that is tightly and cleverly organised…

Thus the concept of courage applies only to actions directed towards the good. In life we often have to face dangers, and in those cases courage is the necessary element that helps us rise above our circumstances and live better. Life is by nature not calm and smooth like the surface of an autumn lake; it always contains accidents, cruel reversals and dangers. We, as disciples of the Buddha, must recognise this and be ready to overcome it with our own courage.

In the course of practising the Path, we do not always meet with favourable and easy conditions. Even simple good deeds in everyday life demand courage. For example, when we have a large sum of money, we can readily spare a hundred thousand to help someone else without hesitating or calculating, because that small sum does not affect our own life. But if we have only fifty thousand in hand, and someone else is in an urgent situation and needs all of it, would we dare to go without food in order to give it to them? This is exactly the moment that demands a spirit of sacrifice and courage. Of course, this is not as hard as jumping into a fire to save someone, because jumping into the fire may cost us our own lives. It takes very strong determination and courage to be able to do that.

We know that the merit a person receives in the next life is calculated by a formula. The formula for merit is the product of the benefit done for others and the effort of oneself. For example, when we have a million dong in our pocket and give another person a hundred thousand, the effort is not great, and the merit we gain will not be large. But if we have only fifty thousand dong, and someone needs it, and we are ready to give all of it, then the effort is very high. So although the sum is small, it is multiplied by a large coefficient of effort, and our merit will be greater.

From this simple example, we see that jumping into a fire to save someone demands extraordinary effort. For at that moment, the person who jumps in knows they may be burned or put in mortal danger, and still makes the effort. The merit gained will therefore be very great.

Let us recall the story of one of the Buddha's previous lives. In one life, the Buddha was an ascetic monk. Once he saw a falcon, a bird that preys on other animals, chasing a dove. The frightened dove flew to hide against his body. The falcon said that this was its meal; if he saved the dove, the falcon would go hungry. This is the fairness of life: it hunts its prey in order to live, and if he snatched away its prey, it certainly would not accept that. Hearing this, he had no choice but to cut a piece of flesh from his own body to give the falcon to eat in place of the dove's life. Thus he was ready to suffer injury and pain in order to save the life of the poor little dove. That was a very brave attitude and action, which ordinary people cannot do. The story is really more of a fable than a true event, but it still helps us understand a shining example of courage and of the spirit of sacrifice to save others in the Buddha. Later, many temples painted this image on their walls, signifying that the Buddha once cut off his own flesh for the falcon to eat in order to save the dove's life.

In reality, we also meet no small number of very moving examples of people sacrificing themselves to save others. Not only adults but children can do it. The press once reported a little girl who dared to sacrifice herself to save her friends. She went out to play on the embankment with four friends, and the fast current swept all four of them off the embankment. In that critical situation, the child jumped in and pulled her friends to the bank one after another. She was a good swimmer, but by the time she had pulled in the third, her strength was almost exhausted. Knowing there was still one more friend who needed her help, the child jumped in again to keep rescuing. When she brought the fourth to the bank, she was exhausted and was swept away by the current. So, though she was extremely tired, thinking of the friend who was about to drown out there, the child made every effort. That was extraordinary effort. When her body was recovered, she was buried with proper rites, and everyone came to pay respects with boundless esteem and sorrow. With the effort of giving her own life to save others, the girl's merit was immense, and she will surely be born in a heavenly realm after death.

Or consider the story of a man in the underworld who was ready to go to prison in place of his friend, which also gives us something to think about. It is told that once, in a fit of anger, this man beat another man to death. When the police arrived to arrest the culprit, another man, his friend, stepped forward and claimed to be the culprit, because the wife of the dead man was about to give birth. This man accepted a harsh prison term so that his friend could stay and look after his wife and children. That attitude seems simple, but it is in fact very courageous. Although we do not agree, and even condemn the illegal business and brutal killings of the gangsters in the underworld, we must also admit that they live very chivalrously and loyally, ready to sacrifice themselves to protect one another.

The action of soldiers who go to the front and are ready to face death is also courage for the sake of good. A soldier who fights in an unjust war bears a very heavy wrongdoing, because he takes up a gun to kill: he commits both the wrong of taking life and the wrong of seizing another country. But a soldier who fights against invasion and defends his country has very great merit. Even when facing death, in his mind he still thinks of peace for the country and of the happiness of the people. That is why quite a few writers, poets and musicians have written words in praise of them: "A rucksack, a rifle on the shoulder. The soldier is used to hardship. The long road, the deep night, the enemy's shadow ahead. Heavy with love for the homeland, he offers his whole youth. So that the little ones may sleep well, and walk happily to school morning after morning…"

Those who dare to stand up to defend the truth, expose injustice and oppose crime are all courageous people, because they dare to face danger to do good. They may be journalists in some countries who take part in the fight against corruption. In recent years it has been estimated that around three to four thousand journalists in the world have been arrested, killed or imprisoned because they dared to speak the truth against the injustices existing in society. When the truth is exposed, what is bad is held in check. If we are afraid and do not dare to speak up to defend the truth, evil will persist and continue to grow. Therefore, saying what is right and what is beneficial also creates great merit.

2. HOW IT IS FORMED

The mind of courage is formed by two things: first, a strong and steady spirit; second, the urging of a good heart.

A strong spirit cannot be defined. It is like love and compassion in that respect. In the lesson on the loving mind, we understood that love cannot be defined in words. We can only see its expressions and know that at that moment love is present. A strong spirit is the same. We understand and sense that spirit only in cases where we are put to the test and still remain decisive, firm in nerve and steady in will. Those are the expressions of a strong spirit.

Something as simple as crossing a "monkey bridge" in the Mekong Delta also demands courage of us. People who are not used to it are very frightened when they look at a bridge across a rolling current that is nothing but a bare tree trunk. If we come to the Delta for the first time and try to cross a monkey bridge, we must be very brave, with a steady, unwavering spirit. If we are afraid at that moment, we will fall into the river. Once we have crossed, we will see that we managed it thanks to courage and very firm determination.

Or take the accounts of people who walk barefoot over burning coals. It is hard to believe, but it is real. The coals glow fiercely red, and they step on them while reciting mysterious incantations. In fact there is nothing miraculous in it. Those incantations make them steadier in mind and give them more confidence. Once their minds are steady, they walk naturally and their feet are not burned at all.

It is told that a teacher taught his disciples to walk on burning coals. The teacher spread the coals and made the disciples walk over the blazing red fire. Before the practice, the teacher walked across once for them to watch, but the disciples still did not dare. Then the master asked each of them to take a sheet of paper and write their fear on it. All of them wrote: "I am afraid my foot will feel the heat, I am afraid it will be burned." The master took the sheets and stood reciting something for a while. When he finished, he burned them and said, "I have burned all your fears. Now you have no more fear. Step on the coals and walk, and your feet will not burn." Hearing their teacher, they stood on the coals with firm faith and walked across easily.

Or there are people who perform for others by taking a bottle and smashing it on their own head, and the bottle breaks while the head does not. It is said that this is the result of training the will and there is nothing special about it. As they hold the bottle, they hold a firm resolve to break the bottle without breaking the head. When their faith is firm, they strike hard once, and the bottle shatters while the head is unharmed.

The human spirit and will have such tremendous strength. That strength lies hidden in everyone's mind, and we have not yet brought it out. It is precisely this strong, steady spirit that makes a person bolder and braver in the face of danger. Before death, before misfortune and difficulty, they are still able to get through.

Courage is also formed by the urging of a good heart, a heart that loves others and acts for them. For example, when we see a child fall into a river, struggling against death, while the river is deep and wide and we cannot swim well enough, yet because love wells up in us we risk jumping in to save the child. Seeing that, others throw in a life buoy to help, and both are saved from death. In truth, we are not ordinarily courageous people, but because of love for the child we become courageous and are able to do good.

In ancient times, under the Trần dynasty, the Mongol-Yuan army invaded our country three times. Wherever they went they killed and slaughtered; not even grass could grow under their horses' hooves. The court had to organise resistance by scorched earth: the people carried and led their children, took their food with them and hid in the forests. After that, the army organised the fighting. Some people, out of extreme indignation at the cruelty of the enemy, joined the army to fight. That indignation came from love for their homeland, their country and their people. It was love that gave them courage and urged them to do good, ready to give themselves for their country: "Though a hundred of our bodies be left to lie in the open fields, though a thousand of our corpses be wrapped in horsehide," they were still content.

People who lack ability, intelligence, health or influence find it hard to have a strong spirit. Indeed, when we lack the wisdom to judge or assess something, we often feel uneasy when facing it. For example, we often hear people talk about ghosts. When young, many people are very afraid of ghosts, and even when they have grown up, quite a few are still afraid. Even in a temple, when someone is said to have seen a ghost, everyone who walks around at night is afraid. Once, in the middle of the night, hearing the dogs bark so much, a monk feared a thief had come into the temple and got up to look. As he walked from the monks' quarters to the guest hall, he saw a figure, he could not tell whether man or woman, carrying something very bright, followed by a crowd of children, but all of them walked very lightly, their feet not touching the ground. When they crossed the bridge over the little stream, the whole procession leapt up into the fig tree and vanished. At that moment he could still hear the children's voices chattering: "What will you give us to eat? We're so hungry!" Perhaps over the New Year days, the temple was so tired that the offering of food to the hungry spirits was not done properly, so the beings of the unseen world had not eaten their fill. After hearing the story, the temple set out a delicious tray of food as an offering to them. But from then on, many people no longer dared to cross the bridge at night, believing there were ghosts there.

So why, in so many cases, do people believe in ghosts and fear them? Perhaps people fear ghosts because they do not know them well. Because ghosts are "wandering spirits and shadows", they appear and vanish suddenly, invisible at times, and that frightens people. If we knew exactly where ghosts are, how they move, what their faces look like, perhaps people would no longer be afraid of them. It is the same in life: the things that frighten us are usually things we do not know well. Or, to put it more accurately, it is because we do not have the wisdom to assess them.

The same goes for what people say about sorcerers who make charms. It is said that such a man can cast spells and put curses on others. If he dislikes someone, he prepares a charm so that the person falls ill and dies. Hearing such rumours, most people fear charm-makers. The reason we fear them is that we do not know clearly what a charm is. If we knew about it, and about the power of charms and incantations, we would not be afraid. In fact, charms do have a certain effect. A charm works through the spiritual power of belief, through long practice and through the sorcerer's concentration. But the effect of a charm also depends on karma. For example, a blow from another person makes our body hurt, but that too depends on karma: if we had no such karma, others could not hit us. The same is true of charms. If we had no particular karma, others could not cast a charm on us. It is not something so mysterious or supernatural that people cannot understand it. When we understand it, we will no longer be afraid.

Speaking of charms, we cannot fail to recall the story of Venerable Ānanda and Mātaṅgī. Because Ānanda was very handsome, the girl Mātaṅgī, after meeting him a few times, fell in love and longed for him, and then fell ill. Her mother inquired, and the girl told her everything truthfully. Though she loved her daughter, the mother did not know how to cure her. On someone's advice, she went to ask a sorcerer. The sorcerer performed his rite and the girl recovered. She waited for Ānanda to pass by on his alms round, then stepped out to greet him and offer him food. Driven by an invisible and unexpected urge in his own mind, Ānanda naturally followed the girl into the house. When he went in, Mātaṅgī spoke words of passionate love. His mind on the Path was very steady, but it was held in the grip of the charm and wavered. At that moment, the Buddha learned of it and used his supernatural powers to guide Ānanda out. Afterwards the Buddha also helped Mātaṅgī to leave home and ordain.

From this story we see how formidable the effect of charms can be. Ānanda was someone who had practised properly, and yet he was still affected by the power of the charm. In truth, this was also due to past karma. In the past, Ānanda and Mātaṅgī had been husband and wife, had loved each other deeply, so now that they met again, the old bond rose up. These two factors together made his mind waver; it was not entirely due to the charm.

There are also cases where many people travelling on a bus have a charm cast on them and all their belongings are stolen. This is not only because of the charm but also because of those people's past karma. Perhaps in the past they had done something themselves, and now it was time to repay that karma. When we understand this, when we understand that cause and effect govern things, we will no longer fear supernatural forces. Even if someone says this sorcerer is formidable and highly skilled, we will not be afraid. As long as we keep to ethics, hold respect for the Buddha and diligently do good deeds, we will not be afraid of any power, supernatural powers included.

Thus courage also comes from wisdom. If we have Wisdom and Compassion, we can easily have Courage as well.

The strong spirit that makes us bold and able to face danger is also formed through health. A person without health, with a weak body, often has a feeble spirit. When we have health, we feel energetic in our work and dare to do anything, however difficult and hard. Thanks to health, our spirit is also steadier and we dare to do what others shrink from. (Of course, there are some exceptions.) If the temple has urgent work, whether in the blazing midday sun or in pouring rain, we are ready to take it on.

We also meet quite a few people who are physically weak but extremely strong in spirit. They have this because they have merit. Merit itself also creates a strong spirit in a person.

People who are capable and skilled have self-confidence, a steady spirit, and get a lot done. Whatever they meet, they can do. Conversely, people who lack ability easily lose confidence, their spirit is weak, and they do not boldly set their hand to work. Whatever anyone asks of them, they hesitate and do not dare to accept. So clumsiness and lack of ability also dishearten people, who then carry a sense of inferiority and find it hard to succeed.

People with money, position and influence are usually people with a strong spirit. If we have a solid material foundation, when we negotiate or do business with someone we feel we hold a firm position. If we are too poor, then in dealing with others we tend to be timid and lack confidence. Or consider a person with authority in hand, who decides everything easily. Such people also have a strong spirit. Meanwhile, those with no authority, commoners who can only follow what others say, also become weak in spirit.

Thus people with wisdom, ability, health, money, position and so on are usually people with a strong, steady spirit. All of these things come from merit. In other words, people with merit will have a strong spirit. On that basis, we can assess the people who live around us. Seeing someone with a strong spirit, we know that person has merit within. People who are feeble and weak in spirit, always timid and fearful, who want to speak but dare not, who want to act but dare not, are usually people lacking in merit.

On that basis, we can also assess the merit in ourselves. If up to now we have been energetic, daring to speak and daring to act, we know we are people with merit. Understanding that, we try to nourish and preserve it. If we notice that we are always fearful and timid, we know we lack merit and must try to do more meritorious deeds. Every day we should help people and do things that benefit the Buddha's teachings. Gradually our spirit will become strong. If we take the trouble to observe, we will see that this works very well. Many people, when they first come to the temple, look gentle, even simple-minded; they put up with whatever anyone says and do whatever anyone orders, yet they work away diligently at voluntary service and practice. Later, such a person has great moral authority and becomes a pillar of the Buddha's teachings.

One thing we should remember: once we have merit, and our spirit and character have become strong, we should not overpower others, because if we use it in the wrong place, our merit will gradually run out. Then our spirit becomes weak again. As a rule, people who are praised by many or respected by many tend to develop pride. Once pride appears, they begin to cling to fame and gain and look down on others. So when our practice makes progress and brings results, and others admire and praise us, we must be careful and prepare some teaching, some practice, to make that pride ineffective.

Greed, selfishness and hatred can also drive people to dare to do dangerous things. For example, robbers who act in broad daylight, or thieves who climb walls at night and pry open people's doors to steal money and belongings, are all people with "big guts". But their nerve does not come from a strong spirit, from the urging of a good heart or from wisdom, but from greed. It is greed that drives them to dare to do these difficult and dangerous things.

In the countryside, there are many thieves who take great risks. They often slip into someone's house at dusk, before the owner has shut the door, and crawl under the bed and lie still there. When the family has turned off the lights and gone to sleep, the thief slowly crawls out, takes the belongings, opens the door and escapes. They steal gently, yet boldly. Of course, this nerve comes from the fact that they still have merit. When their merit runs out, they fall into a state of weakness and fear. The case of "Eight-Finger Phước" is an example. He was a notorious robber who robbed and killed without flinching, and dared to chop off his own finger in front of everyone; the police had to hunt him for many years before catching him. But once in prison, his merit was exhausted and his spirit fell too. On the day he was taken to the execution ground to be shot, he trembled with fear and his legs could no longer carry him. The reason robbers such as "Eight-Finger Phước" have no merit left, with their spirits collapsing as a result, is that they committed so many wrongs in the past.

Conversely, people who truly have a good heart grow stronger in spirit right up to death. History records shining examples of the fighting spirit and sacrifice for homeland and country of revolutionary soldiers. They fought bravely, and until the last moment of their lives their spirit remained steady. The martyr Nguyễn Thái Học, leader of the Vietnamese Nationalist Party, was captured in the Yên Bái uprising, and when he was taken to the guillotine he still stood proudly, without the least trembling. Before he died, that revolutionary still cried out loudly: "Long live Vietnam!" The reason the spirit of such fighters stayed strong until the last moment is that they had great merit. They lived and fought for their homeland and country, with a good heart.

In life, by looking at the spirit of old people, we can also tell whether they did a lot of good throughout their lives. Elderly people whose minds are still clear and bright, whose spirit is still steady and strong, are people who accumulated good throughout a whole life. Conversely, old people whose spirit is weak and faint like a lamp flame in the wind are usually people who did not do much good in their lives.

If we see that our relatives have a weak spirit, we Buddhist practitioners should urge them to make merit. We know that a person about to leave this life with a weak spirit will not go to a liberated realm at death. Conversely, people who at the time of death are still steady, clear-minded, gentle and alert will go to a noble place, to the heavenly realms. In particular, people in the prime of youth usually have good health and therefore a strong spirit. If at that age we feel our spirit is weak, we must take care to make merit and live a life of sacrifice for others.

3. A FEW EXAMPLES

By studying a few examples from the people of old, we gain further precious lessons in training the spirit and will. In the time of the Buddha, the forests of India were home to many wild animals, especially tigers, leopards, lions, pythons and so on. Even so, there were times when the Buddha accepted living alone in the deep forest to practise, above all during the 49 days when he sat in meditation and entered concentration before attaining Buddhahood. That was a formidable trial that demanded extraordinary courage. When he entered concentration at about the level of the second jhāna, illusions of Māra appeared to harass him. Among those harassments was a scene in which Māra wanted to terrify him and make him move his body so that he would lose his meditative concentration. Myriad armies of Māra, holding swords and knives, slashed at him again and again. The scene looked real, not like an illusion. If his body so much as stirred, or his mind wavered, he would lose his concentration at once. But at that time he still did not move. For before crossing his legs to sit, he had made a great vow: "If I do not attain supreme perfect enlightenment, I would rather my bones be shattered and my flesh ruined than leave this seat", a truly resolute oath. So when countless scenes appeared of people slashing at him with knives, he regarded himself as already dead and sat motionless. But none of them could cut him, because they were only illusions. Another time, when Māra's army took up bows and arrows and shot at him, he still sat there, accepting death, resolved not to stir his body. But wonderfully, those arrows, as they flew towards him, turned into flowers that fell softly around him.

This is a beautiful and romantic story praising the brave spirit, the courage, the great heroic strength of a person on the road to seeking enlightenment, for the road to enlightenment is not a simple road.

Or take the story of Master Guishan Lingyou facing a tiger on the mountain, which is also a shining example of courage. A geomancer told Master Baizhang and Master Guishan of a fine site that could gather as many as fifteen hundred people. Guishan asked to go to that mountain region. When he arrived, he built only a small hut, a thatched cottage, to live and practise in. On the way, sometimes he had to pick wild fruit to eat, and sometimes he met tigers, leopards and so on, yet he was not afraid. We know the tiger is a fierce animal, with a firm, majestic gait, blazing eyes, and a roar that echoes through the mountains and forests. A weak person standing before a tiger will go limp in the hands and legs, and may even faint from terror at its power. The animals in the forest all fear the tiger clan. Many animals, once they have met it, no longer have the strength to run because of its hypnotic power. But Guishan Lingyou's spirit stayed steady. Seeing a tiger block his path, he said: "If I have a bond with this mountain, step aside; if I do not, go ahead and eat me." Having said that, he strode forward. And the tiger stepped to one side. His spiritual power was so steady, and his spirit so strong, that even the tiger respected him.

The story of the tiger taking refuge with Master Xuyun is also remarkable. The Venerable Xuyun was a very special person. When he was expounding the sutras in the temple, a tiger from the mountain came down into the temple and asked to take refuge. The most recent story is that Master Xuyun dared to walk straight into a military camp to meet the commander Li Genyuan, to stop the destruction of temples and the arrest of monks in China. When the Xinhai Revolution succeeded (1911), overthrowing the Manchu Qing dynasty, ending a feudal monarchy that had lasted several thousand years and founding the Republic of China, Sun Wen (that is, Sun Yat-sen) became the first President of China. He had a Western education and followed the Christian faith. As a result, his government felt great hostility towards Buddhism and ordered temples to be smashed and monks arrested. Among its officers, the commander Li Genyuan was an extremist and opposed Buddhism with great fierceness. He led his troops down into Yunnan, where Master Xuyun was staying, arrested monks and put them in prison, and demolished temples. Hearing that Xuyun was very famous and a leader of Buddhism, he intended to go there and imprison him too. He brought his troops there and set up a camp, so the monks in the temples all asked to move elsewhere, and no one dared stay. Everyone was afraid and urged him to go and take shelter, but he said: "Those of you who wish to go, go. If we must repay karmic consequences, what use is hiding? I am ready to sacrifice my own life for the Buddha's teachings." Then he went alone, in person, to the camp and asked to meet the commander. When he reached the camp gate, the soldiers, knowing he was a true practitioner, advised him to flee, or disaster would fall on him. But he said: "No, let me in to see the commander," and walked straight into the camp. Having no sympathy for him to begin with, and seeing him dare to come and speak to him, the commander Li Genyuan asked the Venerable angrily:

• What is Buddhism for? What use is it?

The Venerable Xuyun answered:

• The kindness and teaching of the Sages is truly immeasurable… Buddhism is for saving the world and benefiting the people. From its simplest teachings to its most profound principles, all are aimed at creating good deeds and eliminating evil… Buddhism teaches people to treat the illness in the mind. The mind is the root of ten thousand things. If the root is upright, all things are at peace and heaven and earth are always tranquil.

Hearing the Venerable's reply, he asked further:

• Then what are the bronze statues and wooden statues for? They only waste the people's money; what use are they?

……

• If so, why don't the monks do good things, and instead do strange things, like the castoffs of society?

…….

As he spoke, he attacked Buddhism very fiercely. Of course, when others attack us, we should reflect. We should think about what the monks of that time had done for people to conclude that the presence of Buddhism brought no benefit to this life but only expense, and that monks were like castoffs of society. If we think deeply about the harsh criticism of others, we will see our own faults. In this case, Master Xuyun calmly answered each of the commander's questions with his spiritual strength and moral authority. As a result, a man who had attacked Buddhism so heavily, who had arrested all the monks and threatened to arrest Xuyun himself, that governor came to feel warmly towards him and towards Buddhism. He recognised how profound the Buddha's teachings are. Later, the general named Li went to the temple to take refuge, vowed to become the Venerable's disciple, and invited him to be abbot-in-chief of the whole of Jizu Mountain.

The story shows Master Xuyun's example of courage. Without the virtue of ascetic practice and courage, how could the Venerable have turned the mind of General Li Genyuan in such a short time? There are very many stories praising examples of courage in Buddhism like this. We cite only a few representative ones as examples.

In war, countless brave officers and soldiers rush into the jaws of death to fight to defend their homeland and country. We have heard the histories tell of the courage of Trần Bình Trọng. In the time of the Trần dynasty, the Mongols invaded our country. They were murderous and bloodthirsty. When they met our soldiers, they killed them at once rather than taking prisoners. But when they captured Trần Bình Trọng, they did not kill him; they asked him to cooperate and promised that if he agreed they would make him a king. Trần Bình Trọng answered resolutely: "I would rather be a ghost of the South than a king of the North." His famous answer entered the histories and his name has been remembered for ever.

Although the histories do not write much about Trần Bình Trọng's career, as people who study and practise we must reflect: what moral authority did he have that made those bloodthirsty soldiers respect him? We can say that Trần Bình Trọng had an extraordinary presence, shown outwardly in his resoluteness, his dignified bearing and his proud, unyielding posture. Had he not been captured and killed, he might have made even greater contributions to the country. That man was so extraordinary that we cannot fully measure him.

Or take the story of Nguyễn Biểu, which history also records as a shining example of courage. When the Ming army invaded our country, he went as Lê Lợi's representative to negotiate with the enemy. Alone he dared to enter the enemy camp while they were seeking ways to destroy the resistance forces of the Lam Sơn rebels. At the audience, the enemy cut off the head of a prisoner, steamed it, with the eyes still staring open, and set it on the table to serve him. But he calmly took his chopsticks, picked up the two eyes, put them in his mouth and chewed and swallowed them, to the astonishment of the enemy. That man truly had courage and a strong, steady spirit.

Turning the pages of our nation's history of building and defending the country from ancient times until now, we see many other examples shining with courage and with the brave spirit that did not yield to the enemy. We are very proud that our ancestors included such extraordinary people…

Today, there still exist in the world very sophisticated criminal organisations, such as the Mafia in Europe or the Triads in Hong Kong… The Mafia operate in a very tightly organised way and have a rule almost like a law, an unwritten law called the law of silence. That is, if you see them kill someone or do anything anywhere, everyone must keep silent. Otherwise they punish ruthlessly, without mercy. So for a long time no one dared to denounce those criminals. They ran wild, yet the police could not investigate. In the end, unable to bear it any longer, the whole Italian people rose up against them. They accepted death and were determined not to keep silent. Thanks to breaking that law of silence, the Mafia criminal organisation was gradually destroyed. In the fight against those criminals, some judges paid with their very lives. A representative of those who resolutely opposed the Mafia was Falcone. He fought the criminals very effectively. But in the end they investigated and learned his route. Once, on his way back from the airport, his car was blown to pieces by a bomb they had placed. He paid with his very life. Those who came after continued his work against the criminals, boldly, persistently and tirelessly.

In life, if many people dare to oppose crime without fear, crime will gradually be pushed back. If we are always cautious and afraid, crime will spread and keep on spreading like weeds in springtime.

4. MERIT

We know that if we make merit under easy conditions, the merit will not be great. It is excessive effort that brings us great merit. If we make merit under dangerous conditions, the merit is immensely great. This is something we need to affirm once more.

In the circumstances of the world today, the Buddha's teachings still meet with a great many difficulties. If we think that the teachings are now developing in convenient circumstances, we will lose the awareness that we must strive to teach living beings and build up the Dharma. Buddhism meets with many difficulties for both objective and subjective reasons. First of all, alongside the officials who are sympathetic and help Buddhism develop, there are still many state officials who are hostile to Buddhism and constantly create difficulties and obstacles for those doing Buddhist work. This is a fact. So when we carry out Buddhist activities, in circumstances where in some places the authorities are sympathetic to Buddhism and in other places they are not, we will have a very hard time. Many officials are still influenced by the idea that Buddhism, and religion in general, is the opium of the masses, and that faith is the same as superstition. For that reason they constantly make difficulties for us. Often they are even suspicious of people who go to remote regions to bring the Buddha's teachings and ethics to the people. They believe that such people are connected with politics, and they watch and lie in wait for them. At such times, if we are afraid and do not dare to face danger, we will not be able to do work for the Dharma. Each of us must be courageous and keep doing the work of the Dharma to teach living beings. It is our good deeds and our ethical character themselves that will help them understand the truth.

Besides that, there are also quite a few among the general public who criticise monastics. They are people with no faith, no belief in the Buddha's teachings. Often, when they see a practitioner, they look down on them, and even attack them. Of course, those of us who have left home also need to re-examine our own character and ethical conduct. There may be cases of "one rotten fish spoiling the whole pot", leading them to "lump everyone together" and feel hostile to practitioners. Our duty is to strive and train our ethical conduct so as to set an example for those who come after. We must make sure that all practitioners have good ethics, love living beings, and have an ardent ideal directed towards enlightenment and liberation. Only then will this world have fewer bad people and the public outside will make fewer attacks. That is also a way to repay the Buddha's kindness. We are determined not to let the prestige of Buddhism be affected because of one bad person.

Besides the above causes, rivalry between religions also creates difficulties for the development of Buddhism. Buddhism is by nature very gentle, even meek, while other religions are always quietly making plans to draw in followers. For example, a member of their religion who marries must choose a spouse of the same religion, or require the other person to follow theirs. Or children born must follow the religion of their parents. Meanwhile, Buddhism pays no attention to this. Many Buddhists, when they marry, give up the religion to follow that of their husband or wife. Sometimes parents who follow Buddhism do not guide their children towards Buddhism, holding the view that when children grow up it is up to them to choose their own beliefs… That is an irresponsible attitude among Buddhists today, which we practitioners need to take note of.

It is not simply a matter of competing for followers: some religions also have very insidious plans to destroy Buddhism. We know this very well. Even though our hearts remain compassionate and without hatred, we must also understand that this is a great threat to the development of Buddhism.

As for Christianity, its spreading of the faith stays within the framework of the law, so it does not cause much difficulty for other religions. But Islam is one of the religions that competes for followers and for land with guns and bullets. In the regions where Islam has grown, the position of Buddhists is very dangerous. There are regions that were formerly Buddhist and have now become Islamic, also by way of violence, by their strength and fanaticism. Iran and Persia in ancient times were regarded as countries where Buddhism flourished, and have now become a country ruled only by Islam. Or take the vast land of India: Buddhism once dominated it, and now it has become a land of Islam and Hinduism. Regions such as Indonesia and Malaysia, also places where Buddhism once flourished, have now become Muslim lands. And in Thailand, where Buddhism has long been the state religion, the south of Thailand is gradually becoming Muslim land…

At present, in Vietnam, some Islamic mosques have appeared. They too are quietly receiving funding to spread their religion. If we remain indifferent, do not look far and wide, and do not see our responsibility to Buddhism, then the future of the Buddha's teachings cannot be bright. From the start we have made it clear that we do not compete for followers, but each of us has the responsibility to teach the Dharma widely everywhere so that everyone knows the law of cause and effect. Not knowing the law of cause and effect is a great loss for living beings. Therefore we must spread the Dharma in order to spread the law of cause and effect and bring the light of wisdom to people. If living beings believe in the law of cause and effect, they will have firm right view for travelling through the cycle of rebirth with less suffering. At the same time, they will see themselves in the light of the Dharma.

In Buddhism there is also an ideal, a path that leads to liberation and enlightenment. That is a place of true and absolute happiness and peace that other religions do not have. For that reason we always strive to spread the Dharma to everyone. However, although the ideal is lofty and beautiful, because of our weak and timid spirit we have in the end let countless beings fall into the wrong views of other religions. That is a weakness we must overcome.

At present, even within Buddhism itself there is not yet unity; there are still elements that form cliques to plot against good people. This is the most painful thing in the Buddha's teachings. Not a few people wear the outward form of monks but in truth are not good people. There are those who, through acquaintances, hold a position in the Sangha organisation and have gained influence, but use that influence to bully others and gather benefits for themselves, with no concern for the Dharma. Living in such environments, we too must be courageous and not hesitate to speak out about this truth. At times when we cannot fight it, we must know how to endure, but endure with a courageous attitude.

There is one more thing we need to be concerned about: the corrupt practices in the life of monks. Here it is not convenient to analyse them in detail, but in truth there are many very painful matters that need to be set right. In speaking of this and correcting it, we will surely meet sharp reactions, and even be hated and attacked by many people, who will look for ways to harm us. In the present circumstances, hatred and attempts to harm us are also among the dangers we have to deal with in the course of Buddhist life. When we step forward to do the work of the Path, we must accept that we shall walk among thorns and storms, with countless dangers lying in wait. Therefore, from now on, we must equip ourselves with a high degree of courage so as to overcome difficulties and dangers, do many things beneficial to living beings and contribute to building the Dharma. And, more important still, so as to repay the kindness of the Buddhas and the saints, and of the revered elders who went before to lead us. That we are able to live in a quiet and peaceful environment to study and practise is entirely thanks to the efforts of the revered elders before us: most recently the monks of the Board of Directors, and further back the many Venerables of true practice who carried on teaching the Dharma. It is they who taught a great many lay Buddhists for the generations after them. We must understand that protecting the Path has always been the work of lay practitioners. Without them, we would hardly be able to sustain the Dharma. Thinking of this, we must continue to teach so that later lay Buddhists in their turn continue to protect the Path, sustain the Dharma and support the monks of later generations. That too is the utterly sacred responsibility of each of us.

5. SIDE EFFECTS

The mind of courage also has side effects. First, courage easily turns into arrogance; a courageous person is also easily an arrogant person. For once we have used the strength of the spirit, the ego is naturally stirred up and gradually grows larger.

For example, once a few thugs came to the temple and attacked people. In the temple there was a monk who knew martial arts, and bravely stood up to fight them in defence of the temple, the Sangha and the monks. The courage that defeated those violent thugs made that person arrogant and proud. This is a psychology that appears very easily in everyone. Therefore we must be clear that in seeking liberation we must be both courageous and humble. Courage is a very necessary quality in a practitioner, but even in danger, whatever we do for the Dharma, we must see ourselves as no more than straw and dust. Only then will arrogance have no chance to arise.

Courage also easily becomes a hot temper. Usually, people with a strong spirit, who are energetic and dare to rush into difficult places, are also quick to anger. For when arrogance rises, anger follows. We must therefore take note of this. We are very bold and very courageous, but also very gentle and calm. That is the special character of a Buddhist.

Reading the stories of the life of Master Xuyun, we see that this man had a relaxed bearing and an extremely gentle nature, yet when he met danger he faced it courageously, without any fear. We must learn that spirit from him. If we meet difficulty or danger, we are ready to take it on for everyone, but we always keep a humble attitude and a gentle, soft manner.

Something else we often see is that after going through a difficulty or danger to complete a good piece of work, people easily develop the thought of relying on their merit. That is counting up one's achievements, remembering one's own service. For example, a very courageous person who once rushed into a blazing fire to save belongings and rescue people may afterwards keep remembering what he did. From time to time he brings it up with a sense of pride and a little boasting of his own merit, in the manner of: "If it weren't for me, everyone would be ashes by now…"

The thought of boasting of one's merit is also something that obstructs the Path. We must avoid it. In danger and hardship, once we are determined to do something good, we must let that service fly away with the clouds and the wind, never remember it again, and never hope that anyone else will remember it. If we consider our nation's tradition of fighting to defend the country, we will see that it is no accident that our forefathers let the story of "Saint Gióng" end in such a strange, fantastical way. After driving the Ân invaders out of the country, the hero of Gióng village rode his horse up Sóc Sơn mountain, took off his iron helmet and armour and left them behind, and alone with his horse flew straight up into the sky and vanished. That too expresses a heart devoted to the country and the people, ready to fight but not needing to be remembered and thanked by others.

The mind of courage has another side effect. After facing danger and death and returning, people easily become ruthless. Experience has proved it. Many soldiers who went through years of hardship, close to death on the battlefield, have shown very ruthless behaviour on their return. That they went off to fight for a just cause is entirely right. But when facing danger, courage and boldness increase. Then the ego, and ruthlessness with it, also increase. When they return to the home front, if they do not know how to correct and restrain themselves, they easily act roughly. Often it takes only some remark from another person that displeases them for them to beat that person ruthlessly.

Understanding the side effects that accompany the mind of courage, we must be very careful. On the one hand, we must be courageous and bold in facing danger, but on the other hand we must be utterly compassionate and loving towards people. That is why the Buddha put the factor of Compassion before Wisdom and Courage.

As disciples of the Buddha, we must practise the loving mind until we are skilled, contemplating compassion thoroughly day and night as the foundation for courage (heroic strength). Contemplating compassion is very important, so we must cultivate it over a long time. When we are able to contemplate the compassionate mind, we will see everything in life gradually change, and our attitude towards people change as well. If that happens, later we will be able to do much good for the Dharma while still keeping humility, still loving people and still not regarding ourselves as important.

While we are still monastic students, even though we are sheltered by our teachers and live in a peaceful environment, we know that courage and strength are important qualities for a Buddhist practitioner, so we must practise throwing ourselves into danger and difficulty to train those qualities. When there is work that is difficult, tiring or dangerous, we should not hesitate to take it on, and must not avoid it or show fear. Alongside that, we must also gather merit bit by bit so that our spirit becomes strong. A strong spirit is the basic factor that creates courage later on. If our spirit is weak, when we meet danger we will not dare to face it.