Going beyond oneself

1. HUMAN ABILITY IS LIMITED

In life, because of deep-seated clinging to the self, people often have ailments that begin with the word "self": self-love or touchiness, self-importance, self-pride, self-satisfaction, self-exaltation… Here we speak only of self-satisfaction and self-exaltation, seeing oneself as excellent and important. This comes from the self. Because of the self, we see what we know or what we can do as very good, quite sufficient, wonderful. From this, the ailment of "praising oneself" often appears in us. For example, when we say something no one has said before, we feel ourselves better than everyone else; or when we manage some good deed, we feel ourselves very fine and very noble. These ailments come out of the self. They are mistaken ailments, and we must not let them appear in our mind or in our career of practice. Not only practitioners: anyone who lets this ailment arise in the mind will fail and fall apart.

Why do we know that what we have known, learned or attained is not yet complete? Because compared with others, with those higher than us (let alone daring to compare with the Buddha), all that we know and all that we can do amounts to little. So, by relying on others, we can assess ourselves and overcome the ailment of self-satisfaction. Relying on others to re-assess ourselves is called going beyond ourselves, no longer standing still with ourselves. The reason people usually see themselves as good and skilled is that they stand only at their own position to look at the work they do and to observe what they know. At that point, they see that there seems to be nothing better.

For example, when we study the Diamond Sutra and understand an interesting point, we feel it is so good that nothing could be better. Because before, we did not understand it like that. But if we go on thinking that way, we have not gone beyond ourselves and are still standing at ourselves.

When we have stepped out of ourselves, and can rely on the wisdom of others to assess ourselves in return, we have gone beyond ourselves. This is very hard, requiring both wisdom and morality. In life we usually rely on our own subjective view to judge ourselves or others. This is often inaccurate. With developed wisdom, we will see that truth lies in a vast, boundless universe and that what we know is nothing. That is why outstanding scholars in the world often say something very similar: "The more I study, the more ignorant I find myself." Heard in passing, this seems unreasonable, but the more we think about it, the more correct it seems.

When we first begin to understand, we usually compare what we have learned with ourselves of yesterday and see that we are getting better and understanding more deeply. But when wisdom develops, one no longer looks back and compares with one's earlier understanding. Thanks to wisdom, one looks ahead and suddenly dimly perceives a boundless, endless sky of wisdom, with so many things one has not yet learned or understood. Those who begin to have wisdom are those who go beyond themselves and no longer rely on themselves. Not only great scholars: genuine intellectuals, whether they have not finished secondary school, or university, or have completed a Master's or a Doctorate, all share the same view. The more they study, the more they realise that what they have learned and known, what they strove for through the whole of their youth, is nothing in the vast truth of this universe. The truth of the universe is unlimited, while human wisdom is limited. We should never think that we have fully understood.

For a period we heard rumours spread widely about foreigners discovering the phenomenon of flying saucers (UFOs) appearing on Earth. These were signs that extraterrestrials were visiting Earth with flying saucers as their means of travel. Faced with this phenomenon, many different views appeared among us on Earth. Some said it was true. They believed that there really was an intelligence from the universe beyond Earth that had come to visit us. Some did not accept it, saying it was only an illusion that people saw and then imagined. Some said it was a special kind of aircraft of the great powers that was still kept secret… In general, people did not want to believe that there is an intelligence surpassing the scientific intelligence of those living on the globe. From the evidence collected, we see that there really is intelligence out in the universe, far more advanced than ours. Recently, in the programme "Fascinating Things", very interesting information was revealed about the extraterrestrials that American scientists had "captured", and cared for and observed throughout that time.

In a film made by a group of scientists, it was shown that five thousand years ago beings from outer space visited Earth. Signs of this are still recorded in caves, on rocks, and in the customs and habits of people living in remote regions such as South America, Africa and so on… In Australia too there are legends about signs showing that beings from outer space came there a very long time ago. The evidence the scientists put forward is too strong and solid for us to deny. Those who believe this are also called people who go beyond themselves, because they have the wisdom to know that the scientific knowledge of earthlings is not yet high enough. Meanwhile, some scientists insist on proving that whatever Earth's science does not speak of does not exist. So they deny the flying saucer phenomenon. They are people who have not gone beyond themselves.

If we follow the press, we will see that in Vietnam too there is a very famous scientist, a Professor and Doctor teaching at many well-known universities (we would rather not name him), who refuses to believe in the flying saucer phenomenon. In several articles, he relies on the level of Earth's science to deny this phenomenon, because he holds that it does not fit Earth's science. We regret very much that our scientist does not have the stature of Einstein, Newton or Pascal. Although he holds high degrees and is famous all over the country, he still relies only on his own subjective understanding to judge others, and has not been able to go beyond himself to see the issue.

We do not have time to say much about the flying saucer phenomenon, since it is a strange phenomenon with very great scientific significance. But we can consider a few things to see the truths that exist in the universe. For example, with today's level of science we can build aircraft with wings that rest on the air, or rockets that fly out of orbit, but they consume a great deal of fuel. Flying saucers, meanwhile, move very smoothly, with no smoke seen spewing from engines, and are almost free of the pull of Earth's gravity. We can reason that the extraterrestrials have modern methods and techniques that can overcome gravity, the gravitational force between celestial bodies and the Earth's gravity. But with our level of science we cannot understand or explain this.

If we relate it to Buddhism, we remember the stories of how in ancient times the Buddha used supernormal powers to fly, or arhats used supernormal powers to travel. Most recently, Yoga practitioners sitting in meditation can lift their bodies high, very like the flying method of saucers. Perhaps on some planet in the universe people have reached a high spiritual level and applied it to science to build machines that can fly by the method of supernormal powers. This is very special. Perhaps they have joined science to the spiritual, so that in mechanical engineering they can apply methods of the spiritual. We humans have not yet been able to do this. With the level of civilisation on Earth today, science and the spiritual are still two opposing, conflicting fields. Many who believe in science have denied the spiritual. Conversely, those who regard the spiritual as lofty turn their backs on science. Both attitudes show that people have not gone beyond themselves.

Living in the present, we can dream of a future full of good things. That too is a sign of going beyond ourselves. For example, we dream that on some planet in the universe with life, all the people are saints. From childhood the people there are taught Morality, Meditative concentration and Cause and effect. They have a superb method of learning. In three years they can learn what takes three hundred years on Earth. Or in twenty years of study, their level and knowledge can equal a thousand years of our study on Earth. They have superb Wisdom and a very high spirituality, and live together like saints, and so on… We can dream like this. In the past, Voltaire, the famous French writer, also had such dreams. He was a writer with progressive, revolutionary thought, intelligent, and wrote many books with very famous arguments. In one work he wrote about an island with a rich imagination. At that time, the phenomenon of extraterrestrials had not appeared on Earth. People had not yet discovered the remote lands of this Earth. People saw this world as the only one, and they had the right to dream of an island or some country on Earth that they did not know. Reading those stories again, we can see expeditions lost in strange kingdoms, as in the story Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. In his story, Voltaire wrote of a kingdom on an island. There people lived like saints under a republican system. People treated each other with great morality, love and unity… In fact, seeing that in the country where he lived, as on the continents of Europe, people lived with each other very immorally, he was dissatisfied and dreamed of another world. That too is going beyond oneself. People believe that at least there is still some place better than where they live.

Living in today's world, people have the same state of mind. Faced with a life full of grabbing, jostling, scheming for advantage, selfishness, mutual harm…, people usually respond in two ways. Those who know the Path dream of finding another place far from this world full of greed and hatred. They may follow the Pure Land practice, reciting the Buddha's name and praying for death in order to leave this land and go to a more beautiful Buddha-realm and live more happily. That is an attitude of turning one's back on reality. Others hold that, living in this hurly-burly of jostling, racing and grabbing, one must be shrewd, even scheming and deceitful, in order to survive, and never accept defeat or give up.

Before these two attitudes, we can judge as follows: a person who comes to life where many bad things still exist and accepts living alongside them has not gone beyond themselves. They still do not see the deep, noble beauty beyond what now exists, to dream of and rise towards. Conversely, those who live in this world full of bad and evil things still have faith, still hope that somewhere near there still glimmers a holy beauty they have not yet found. That is, they still hope to find, in this very existing body, higher and better things. Such an attitude is also called going beyond oneself.

In short, the truth of the universe is unlimited, and there are many things we cannot fully know. We must have wisdom, and a view that goes beyond what we know. This is the premise for going beyond ourselves. Second, we must know that within the absolute boundlessness of the truth of the universe, human wisdom is relative and limited. These are two things we need to recognise before going deeper into the matter.

Human wisdom is always limited and relative. So when does that wisdom become absolute and unlimited? Only when one has become a Buddha does human wisdom become unlimited. Why is this so? We know that enlightenment is attaining No-self; a person is no longer themselves but becomes the universe. We do not speak of this because we do not want to show off, advertise, or create a view for people to compete and argue over in the Dharma. The Buddhas and Patriarchs themselves all keep this hidden. Though we do not speak of it, we must understand that enlightenment is very subtle and immensely great. It is the highest wisdom in Buddhism, the highest attainment in Buddhism.

For a time people praised Buddha-nature, and discussed how to awaken to Buddha-nature, realise Buddha-nature and see Buddha-nature, without paying attention to No-self. This became a serious sickness in the Dharma and lasted over a thousand years in Buddhism. Because they aimed only at Buddha-nature and paid no attention to No-self, many, on attaining some level of concentration, hurried to claim that they had attained, seen and reached Buddha-nature. But when awakened, within that attained concentration, the ego still exists. Precisely because the ego still exists, all afflictions and all unwholesomeness remain in the mind even if that person has attained concentration. So many ailments are not cured because clinging to self remains. This is very dangerous.

Understanding this, we must be careful: at whatever level of concentration we attain, we must never conclude that we have reached Buddha-nature. We must know that the ego continues to exist alongside concentration. The reason we say human wisdom is limited is that clinging to self remains. The Buddha's wisdom, meanwhile, is boundless and unlimited; the wisdom of arhats is unlimited because in them clinging to self is gone. However, it is not so simple that attaining arhatship, no-self, means knowing everything. Later, if we have the affinity, we will discuss further the levels of spiritual attainment. Here we need only understand the premise: the truth of the universe is unlimited, human wisdom is limited, and we should never think we have fully understood.

We humans usually suffer two "ailments" which show that we have not gone beyond ourselves. The first is the ailment of self-satisfaction, thinking that our understanding is already complete. This is a person who does not have the wisdom to see beyond what they see and understand. The second is the "ailment" of not wanting anyone later to be better than ourselves. The first ailment belongs to Wisdom, the second to Morality. A person with a mind that goes beyond itself always sees that their understanding is not enough, not good enough, that they are not whole, and always hopes that those who come after are better and more skilled than themselves. Thus, going beyond ourselves is both Wisdom and Morality.

2. FOUR KINDS OF PEOPLE

In life, we can provisionally distinguish people into four kinds:

The first kind: someone who is poor in ability and knows they are poor, admitting that many others are better than they are. This is a person who is weak but knows how to go beyond themselves.

The second kind: someone who is poor in ability but stubborn, who does not know their own shortcomings and faults and does not see the good in others. That is, this person has many faults in life but never sees their own faults. They do not see the good in others either, and like only to criticise. This case is very bad. We do not know when such a person will be able to escape from themselves, and in later lives they may fall into very low forms of existence. This is not without evidence. A Master witnessed and told this story: In the past, he once lived with an old man who had no relatives. When he died, the old man had kept hidden, and did not let anyone know, where his family was. Because he was the only one living with him, in the last days of the old man's illness the Master looked after him and cared for him until he passed away. In his whole life the old man praised only two people: the Buddha and Venerable Narada of Sri Lanka. All the rest, from leaders to ordinary people, from Venerable Elders and Venerable Abbesses to monks and nuns…, were criticised and cursed by him. After he died, the Master who had lived with him went up the mountain to build a temple and took all his belongings with him, thinking it was also a way for him to gain merit. Among those belongings was a canvas cot he used to lie on. When it was brought up to the temple, many people lay on that cot. After a while, someone gave the temple a puppy to keep. Every day the dog would jump up on the cot and lie there. Once, a lay follower saw it and lifted it down, fearing it would dirty the cot. That night she dreamed of the old man coming back to scold her: "It is my cot. When I lie on it, why do you keep making me get down?" That old man had been reborn as a dog. A few days later, the dog died. But we do not know whether that single life was enough for him to repay all his debt.

If we reason through cause and effect from what he told and from present life, the old man had not committed many offences; only his verbal karma was very heavy, always criticising and cursing everyone. Thus a person who is poor in ability and does not know their own faults, does not see the good in others to praise, and only criticises, will very easily lose a human body and no one knows when they will get it back.

The third kind: someone talented but conceited, who does not know where their own limits lie. That is, this kind of person is skilled but has not reached absolute wisdom, and, ill with conceit, does not see their limits and does not see how good they really are. This kind of person has also not gone beyond themselves. In life we often meet this type. They are talented people who see that they can do everything and always see themselves as better than others. Such people easily fall into dangerous ambition. Because they think they are good and can do everything, they are easily incited by others to seek political power, gathering into groups and factions to struggle. They do not understand that power and position come through cause and effect and not through ambition. People who attain high authority and high office in society do so through the merit and affinities of previous lives, not through ambition and pride.

This is a person who has not gone beyond themselves, because they do not know where their limits lie. In truth, one may be good in some field but cannot do everything. Politics in particular is an extremely complex and tangled field, which demands that a person be very capable, have morality, and have affinities from many previous lives before power can be attained. This is something we must understand and avoid. Capable people who do not go beyond themselves very easily make mistakes and sink deeper and deeper into them until they fall apart. Besides failing, they also collapse morally, and later they do wicked and sinful things that make people ridicule them. With conceit alone, not seeing their own limits (a fault of wisdom), they are already preparing to face failure in the future. All the more so if they also collapse in morality, that is, do not want anyone later to be better than themselves; they will certainly do wrong. This is very dangerous.

The fourth kind: someone talented who knows there will still be many people better, and who always waits for those who come after to be more capable than themselves. This kind of person goes beyond themselves. This is a case highly worthy of praise.

Among these four kinds, we see that two kinds appear often in life. The first kind, the weak person who goes beyond themselves, is a cause for gladness for the world, because these people will advance. The third kind, the capable person who is conceited and does not go beyond themselves, who does not want anyone to surpass them, is also a kind commonly met. This is sad, because in the world there will not be many geniuses and not many saints. Only capable people who know how to go beyond themselves can become saints and geniuses.

The two kinds we meet rarely in life are the second kind (the weak person who does not know they are weak and does not see the good in others) and the fourth kind (the capable person who goes beyond themselves, who knows that their skill has limits and hopes that those who come after will be more skilled). Such people will become geniuses because they have created a very good cause in life. Unfortunately, this kind of person appears all too rarely. In studying this lesson, our aim is to find many liberated ones, many saints, for the Dharma and for the world. The reason the Dharma and the world have few saints is that this fourth kind is still too few.

So the weak person who knows they are weak will become capable; the capable person who knows how to go beyond themselves will become outstanding for the world. In distinguishing these four kinds, we wish to give humanity a cause, a path by which people learn to go from capable to outstanding, and from outstanding to genius. Those geniuses will become saints for humanity. The more the fourth kind increases, the happier this world will be.

Among these four kinds, we should compare and choose our own path. If we see that we are weak, we try to overcome it and become average, then good, then skilled. If we are skilled, we continue to go beyond ourselves to be outstanding and become a genius.

3. WE MUST GO BEYOND OURSELVES SO AS NOT TO OBSTRUCT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DHARMA

In studying this lesson we aim at two purposes: to understand the path that leads us upward, and not to obstruct the development of the Dharma. If we do not go beyond ourselves, we will obstruct the development of the Dharma.

We already know that Buddhism is vast and its teachings immensely profound, but there are two immensely precious things that Buddhism gives the world. They are the law of cause and effect and liberating enlightenment.

First, the law of cause and effect is a precious thing Buddhism brings, because the law of cause and effect is the premise of Morality. It is the "threshold" by which we reach Morality, not yet Morality itself. A person may have read many books on cause and effect and believe in it and understand it, yet not necessarily have Morality. Believing in cause and effect is only a foundation, a basis from which we can continue to reason and can correct our inner mind. In each lesson on the Psychology of Morality, we analyse on the basis of the law of cause and effect. Without a footing in cause and effect, we cannot develop morally. That is why we regard cause and effect as an immensely precious premise for the growth of Morality in people throughout this world.

What is sad for the world today is that very many organisations, political parties, religions… recognise the importance of human Morality and call on the members of their bodies to train in Morality, but they do not reason about cause and effect. So, although they talk a great deal about Morality, they cannot speak of it profoundly or at a higher level, only calling for it in general terms. If members of their body do not carry it out, they do not mind, relying only on law. But law cannot keep people from violating Morality either. Because in essence law is made by people, and people hold the law. If people have no Morality, what meaning does law still have? Superiors monitor subordinates, but if superiors have no Morality and commit offences, who will monitor them? So, if every citizen has Morality and lives and works according to the law, the police and those who hold the law have an easier time. Without Morality, society always needs people responsible for monitoring citizens, and higher organisations to monitor lower ones. But if the upper organisations do not follow the law, still higher ones must step in to resolve it… And so on: the State spends no knowing how many people and how much salary on maintaining security and order, only because citizens have no Morality.

Recently, big cases that shocked public opinion also came from a lack of Morality. Citizens violate the law. Those who hold the law collude with criminals and do wrong. The State trusted them, gave them authority to manage property and inspect the people, but they did not perform their functions properly. And by the time it was discovered, the damage was already too great. At some point, Vietnam, like countries throughout the world, will call for Morality, because human morality has declined seriously while legal regulations are never enough and can never keep people in check.

Today corruption is rampant in countries in South America and in Asia, not because those countries have no law or the law is not strict, but because people have no Morality. The reason for the lack of Morality is that, although they keep calling for it and talking about it, they lack the "foundation" of Morality, which is cause and effect. To speak of Morality without speaking of cause and effect is no different from building a tall house on sand. But the difficulty is that to speak of cause and effect we must speak of rebirth. Today rebirth has not been proven, so people do not yet believe in cause and effect.

The law of cause and effect is very important to us. If one day the world accepts and believes in the law of cause and effect, human Morality will develop and society will be happy. So it is our duty to sow and spread among people the faith and understanding of the law of cause and effect and of karmic results, so that they live better and Morality fills this life.

The second precious thing Buddhism brings humanity is liberation and enlightenment. This is the ultimate ideal we must aim at. People always live in torment, unease, suffering, bondage… and cannot find any way to rise above it for a happy life. It is Buddhism that gives people that path. Even at a shallow level of this life, people are more peaceful, happier and more open. If they put the Buddha's teaching into practice more deeply, they will find wisdom, compassion, the happiness of peace and joy, and liberation in the mind… which no words can describe.

However civilised and advanced the world becomes, these two things are still lacking and Buddhism remains necessary to humanity. Of course, until people have received the first precious thing (the law of cause and effect), they can hardly imagine the second (the ideal of liberation and enlightenment). So all of us, monks, nuns, lay followers and disciples of the Buddha in general, have the duty and the mission to be messengers for the Buddha, bringing cause and effect and the ideal of liberating enlightenment to humanity.

But how can we do that?

If we met anyone and told them we would give them the two most precious things of Buddhism, the law of cause and effect and the ideal of liberating enlightenment, they would refuse to accept them. Why? The reason that when we give, people do not accept is that, looking at us, they do not find us trustworthy. Without going deeper, in life, if we give someone something precious that they do not yet have, we, the giver, must be close to them and must be better than they are. Only then will they believe it is precious. For example, riding along on a Dream motorbike, we meet a man on a very old bicycle without brakes, who whenever he brakes must scrape both feet on the road until his sandals are worn through. He calls to us to stop and offers us a gold ring. However sincere he may be, surely we would not accept it, because he is not trustworthy enough. We might suspect it is fake gold. Conversely, if he were riding a gleaming car, we could trust and accept his gift, since we see that he is richer than we are.

In the same way, the reason that we bring cause and effect and the ideal of liberation to humanity and they do not yet accept is that they see us as backward and our wisdom not necessarily surpassing theirs. In the Buddha's time, few people could read; out of five or six thousand people only a few thousand could read and write. So at that time people regarded being able to read and write as unnecessary and unimportant. A person who had gone forth did not need to read or write and could still attain as usual. Very many arhats could not read or write at all. But about 1000 years after the Buddha (around the fourth and fifth centuries), a monastic who could not read or write was not worthy of being a teacher to the people. In particular, in this age, a monastic who cannot read cannot go and speak about the path for others to hear. Such people are not worthy to be a Master teaching them the principles. A Master who teaches the path must be better than they are, a person respected in society.

We compare with the Buddha's time in order to speak of a similar situation appearing in society today. Today, the computer is regarded as an invention proving humanity's outstanding progress. At this time, if a practitioner does not know how to use a computer or does not use it fluently, that can still be accepted. Every day they still practise, keep a vegetarian diet, recite the Buddha's name, and sit in meditation regularly each morning. Some who do not know computing still go to preach and still serve as people's Masters. But in about twenty years, a monastic who does not know computing will be the kind of person not worth mentioning in society. We must think of this and prepare right from now.

For the world to accept Buddhism, Buddhism must be steady, strong, sufficient in reasoning and not backward. Buddhism must be able to walk alongside the world and guide it. For this reason Buddhism must develop without stopping. That is, there must be many truly outstanding disciples, monks, nuns or lay Buddhists, who understand science and technology, master the teachings and practise diligently in order to develop Buddhist theory ever higher, level with the age and rising ever higher without end.

If we think that Buddhist theory as it is is enough, that practising like this is already attainment and there is no need to practise further, we have failed the mission the Buddha entrusted to us. We must understand that the books and theories of the Dharma today are never complete for people and for the world. If they were complete, Buddhism would by now have conquered the whole world. So we must not turn our backs on the world, must not suffer the ailment of self-exaltation and pride, must never stand still in one place, but must know how to go beyond ourselves, which also means going beyond the level of the Dharma today. To do so, the future disciple of the Buddha must fulfil three conditions as already said: have the knowledge of the age, master the teachings, and practise diligently. Of course, one person cannot do this alone; it requires the "united mind and effort" of many people, and continuity from one generation to the next.

For example, suppose that today a monk or nun appears in our Buddhism who is very capable, develops new theory, teaches well, and makes many people interested in coming to Buddhism. We are excited and regard it as a step forward, but we must see that it is still not enough: there must be outstanding people who continue to develop theory higher and deeper. Only then can we make the Dharma walk alongside the world and guide it.

If today something new is developed for Buddhism, we must not regard it as the final word of truth; we must know how to wait for those who come after, who are more capable, to discover new things and develop Buddhism further. We must understand that knowing is still not enough, and is still not Morality; it is only wisdom. To thirst and long for those who come after us to be more capable, so as to develop the Dharma, is what is called Morality. That is precisely the aspiration to go beyond ourselves.

For example, Schopenhauer, a German philosopher, wrote books of philosophy that no one noticed. Only when he was seventy did the world discover the good things in his philosophy. People began to extol him. Most of those philosophies he had borrowed from Buddhism and developed into very profound arguments. Later, many philosophers in turn borrowed his ideas and philosophy. Perhaps he lived a good life, for he died very peacefully. The waiter found him dead at the table on the very occasion of his birthday, though he had been in good health before. However, while alive he suffered from the subjective ailment of thinking that he had discovered the final truth about humankind. He did not expect that later people would develop things higher, with many points more profound and better than his philosophy. This is something we need to note.

For example, when the author wrote two books on cause and effect, Karma and Its Results and A Treatise on Cause and Effect, the books were praised by very many people. Some even said: "Theory about cause and effect must be divided into two periods: before and after the appearance of this book." That is, compared with the small comic booklets that used to speak of cause and effect very simply, the theory of cause and effect in these two books had developed into a new age, with tight argument. But the author himself recognised that in his theory of cause and effect there were still many vague points. If he wrote it again now, he would have to add more to make it clearer. Nevertheless, learning from the practice of the Buddhas, going beyond oneself, the author thirsts and waits for others later to write about cause and effect at a higher and deeper level.

One thing that also makes us lose morality is that, once we have created something, become outstanding in our age, have prestige and many admirers, we have built a wall of prestige around us to protect ourselves, and that obstructs those who come after. This is something to be careful about. We should never hastily and subjectively use our prestige to attack or obstruct those who come after and have new discoveries, because this may obstruct the common development of Buddhism.

For example, today we have written a few books, have taught several dozen subjects and have prestige among Buddhist followers. Later, someone says something different from us; we disagree and try to refute it. Being a person of prestige, whom many listen to, we exploit that prestige to deny that person's view before the public. In so doing, we have used prestige to block another's development. This is both immoral and an obstruction to the development of the Dharma.

Understanding this, later, even if our talent develops and we do much for the Dharma, even if we become Venerable Elders, or Venerable Nuns or Head Nuns of great prestige, we must know how to welcome the good things of those who come after, open the way for them to advance, and contribute to the work of developing the Dharma.

4. GOOD DEEDS ARE ENDLESS

As disciples of the Buddha, we must be aware that only when everyone on this earth believes in and understands cause and effect may a disciple of the Buddha rest. Only when all beings have escaped suffering will a disciple of the Buddha have fulfilled their great vow. Here we are speaking not only within the scope of one country but of the world, of humanity. A practitioner of Buddhism has no national limits and at every moment sees the whole world in their mind and in their heart. So, as long as this world still sees conflict, hatred, war and killing, and people who do not believe in cause and effect…, we have no right to rest, and our hearts still throb with the suffering of humankind. Only when everyone has grasped the teachings, has Morality, practises meditative concentration and attains peace and happiness… may we put down our great vow.

On the other hand, we must understand that the good needed in this world is so endless that one person can never do it all. So each person must lend a hand. First, we must encourage and help others to do good. Whatever someone can do, they should try to do it, and we must never obstruct them. The second way is that we must cooperate with others in doing good. In this case, we may be more capable, have more money, have more wisdom, but we are ready to share our work, responsibility and thoughts with others. That is, we have better conditions but are not obstinate; we know how to go beyond ourselves and assist others in doing good. We do not hold that we alone should do good and let no one else do it in order to prove we are better than everyone, that we can do good while others cannot. The third is that we always hope those after us will do greater good. For example, if in our life we have raised the Dharma to some level, have helped so many people to know the Dharma, have helped so many take refuge, have helped so many have teachings to learn from…, then we wish that those who come after us will help the number of people who believe in the Dharma to grow many times over. Only when we thirst and long for others to do more good than we have can we accomplish Morality. If we do not do good directly, we must rejoice in the good done by others and never obstruct it. That too is going beyond ourselves.

At the beginning of practice, hearing these things, we may feel them to be a little remote. But in the future, when we have gone beyond our present position, these things will be very necessary for us. Then we too may be Venerable Elders, Venerable Nuns, Venerable Abbesses…, teaching the Dharma, doing Buddhist work to liberate beings, feeling responsible for the world, and we will apply these things more practically. As for now, anyone who hears and understands these things already knows how to go beyond themselves.

The last point is that we must make the tendency to do good spread from one person to another and not stop with us. Someone told that when they were at school, seeing a friend lacking a machine to study with, they bought that friend a machine. When the friend came to thank them, they were moved too and said: "Don't worry about it; I only hope that later you will try to treat everyone well." That was all they said, but, unexpectedly, some time later they heard that when that friend went out to work, she helped very many people in her office. In this way, good was passed on.

We must make good spread throughout this life. When helped, people must learn to reflect, and later become good people and help many others. Every disciple of the Buddha, whether ordained or lay, once imbued with the teaching, must become a messenger of good: doing good and teaching good. We must not practise passively, only sitting at home chanting sutras and striking the wooden fish, but must open the door and step out onto the road and do something useful for this life. At the same time we must encourage good to spread, and spread on and on. For anyone who does not yet know the Dharma, we must make them know the Dharma. For anyone in difficulty, we try to help within our ability.

5. WE MUST BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT LEVELS OF SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENT NOW THAT WE ARE FAR FROM THE BUDDHA

Speaking of the practice of going beyond ourselves, we need to note one thing: we must be cautious about levels of spiritual attainment now that we are far from the Buddha.

We already know that the state of concentration is something very new and strange; no one can know where the final realisation lies, yet it very easily creates a psychology of self-satisfaction, the belief that one has attained the highest. So even when we have attained concentration, at a level we have never had before, we must be careful and never regard it as the final level. This is where we must go beyond ourselves. That is, we must see that beyond this level of concentration there is a higher, more subtle level. Many people have attained that level and, self-satisfied, thought they were finished, so they have not gone beyond themselves. Moreover, because we are far from the Buddha, no one can certify the levels of concentration we have reached. If we merely guess, or rely on the confirmation of our teacher, it will certainly not be accurate, because our teacher is not necessarily right.

Another thing we must remember is that clinging to self continues to exist alongside the state of concentration, however deep. But where clinging to self still exists we do not have the wisdom to see when the mind is concentrated, because clinging to self is always more hidden than the concentration we can see.

For example, when still full of delusive thoughts, because we trust the Buddha's teaching, we know we have clinging to self, but we cannot see where it lies. It is the same in concentration. We can compare the first layer of consciousness to waves of delusive thought: the consciousness is strong, and when we look in we do not see any point that belongs to clinging to self. After practising for a time, still and quiet like the surface of an autumn lake, we do not find clinging to self either. It is precisely because we do not see where clinging to self lies that we hurriedly think this concentration is Buddha-nature and that this is complete fulfilment. If we dig deeper, we see subtle, vast, endless things… in it, but still do not find where clinging to self lies.

Clinging to self always escapes human sight. This is where we need merit to be able to believe that we still have clinging to self. That is, a person who, having entered concentration, looks into the mind and sees it quiet, level, serene and empty, finding clinging to self nowhere, and thinks they have no-self, lacks merit and has no merit to go further. A person with merit, with Morality, with faith and with deep, absolute reverence for the Buddha, even just after gaining vast, empty concentration, still has faith arising of itself in the mind that clinging to self is lurking in it. Once they know that clinging to self still remains, that person never regards their own state of concentration as Buddha-nature and always tells themselves that there is still a deeper concentration, so as not to give rise to the ailments of pride and self-satisfaction.

Recently, people have claimed the realisation of Buddha-nature in far too many cases. Anyone who has just attained concentration and a bit of empty, pure awareness immediately declares they have seen their nature. They do not realise that this is the very den of clinging to self, which easily breeds pride and self-satisfaction. Not a few practitioners have regressed and fallen because of such false claims and misunderstandings. For this reason a practitioner must never be at ease or put on a show of being free, but must always know to worry and to guard themselves carefully. That is the right attitude.

What is discussed in these last lessons goes beyond the position and level of a student monk or nun. Nevertheless, we must do our utmost to bring our minds to listen and understand, because these matters are very necessary for us in the future.

6. JUDGEMENT

Judgement is when, having gone beyond ourselves, we begin to assess others. If we assess others when we have not gone beyond ourselves and do not yet have enough love, it is usually inaccurate. Then we see only others' errors and shortcomings. A person who has gone beyond themselves and does not regard themselves as the final truth already has enough love for everyone.

For example, when someone who comes after us says something different from what we say, if we listen and consider, our judgement will be right. If, after considering, we affirm that they are wrong, then they really are wrong, because at that point we are no longer subjective, no longer relying on ourselves, and have enough love for beings. Conversely, when we have not gone beyond ourselves and are still self-satisfied, if we criticise someone as wrong, in reality they are not wrong. What they say may be so new that at that time we cannot understand it. So, when we have not gone beyond ourselves and do not yet have enough love, we often do not recognise the new discoveries of others. Only when we have gone beyond ourselves and have enough love can our judgement be right.

Once we have right judgement, if we have the affinity, we sincerely offer advice about what is not right in others, and we quickly recognise their original discoveries.

For example, someone who comes after says very strange things, but when we have gone beyond ourselves and clearly judged right and wrong, if we have the affinity we sincerely offer advice about their errors. If they are right, we must acknowledge, praise and introduce them to many people so that this world gains more new and original things.

In the life of practice there are two extreme attitudes we need to avoid. One is to hold tight to the old and refuse to develop; the other is to develop and then go too far from Buddhism. We must take a middle-way attitude. That is, to be neither conservative nor obstinate, but to develop, with that development always in accord with cause and effect and in accord with the spirit of no-self and liberation in Buddhism. We already know that truth is difficult. Not to be conservative, to develop, and yet not to be wrong is difficult. So each of us must try to reach that truth.