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According to the Mahaprajnaparamitasastra (“Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom” in English), "The minds of the people in the world are unsettling, they love the blessings gained from good deeds, and yet they are not fond of sowing the good causes. They seek existence and possession and dislike the contrary.”
The concept of “all things are created by the mind" refers to the ability of our mind to direct action and create seeds of karma, therefore, spiritual cultivation is about cultivating the mind. However, many are mentally trapped. Buddhism describes the world as a river with many waves of greed and an ocean with endless waves of misery. Waves are formed as soon as the wind hits the surface of the sea. Similarly, if we can't withstand the temptations of society, we will also be trapped in the sea of suffering.
Why do most people feel unsettled? Because they love blessings, thinking that they are sowing good karma by just doing a little bit of good deeds and that that is enough to eradicate disaster.
I also often hear people rant, "I worship the Buddha so piously, why can’t my wishes be granted? I have done so many good deeds, why are there still so many setbacks?"
This is a form of seeking, this is an example of someone doing some good deeds just for the sake of reaping some blessings, and they always keep in mind what they have done. A person who wants immediate success or seeks blessing without doing any good deeds is just wishful thinking.
For example, after planting the seed of the tree this year, one will have to wait until next year for it to germinate. Moreover, one will have to sow the seeds and plough the land before the seed has the chance to grow into a tree. That is why, in order to reap blessings, one must first plant the seeds and cherish the cause. Sentient beings have a lot of desire and attachment, but they don't pursue true liberation, not knowing that this is the ignorance of all sentient beings.
There is a story in the Buddhist scriptures about a very beautiful deer. One day, the deer stumbled into the king's garden. The gardener saw this and was afraid to disturb the deer, so he kept very quiet and allowed the deer to wander around the royal garden. Since then, the deer was never disturbed when it enters and exits the royal garden. Over time, it got used to eating delicate grass in the royal garden.
One day, when the king came to the garden, he saw the beautiful deer and liked it very much, he then ordered his guards to capture it. The gardener begged the king to give him some time to lure the deer to the palace and his request was granted. The gardener then began to spray honey on the grass in the garden every day. The deer started forgetting its whereabouts after tasting the sweet grass, and he was not aware of the people around it, not knowing that its activity zone was getting smaller and smaller.
After some time, the gardener fed this deer with some grass that was sprayed with honey and gradually lured it into the palace. It was only when the gardener had kept all the grass and the people in the palace started closing in on the deer, that the animal realised the situation it was in. Seeing so many people surrounding it, the deer began to tremble in fear.
The king saw how carefree and at ease the deer was nature a few days before, but after coming into the palace, it started trembling in fear and feeling uncomfortable. The different states of the deer gave the king a realisation. He thought to himself: “This deer ended up struggling in fear in a trap set by people because of its greed for the taste of food. All sentient beings are just like this deer—they often fall into traps due to their greedy desires and cannot free themselves. Such is the ignorance of sentient beings."
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The minds of people in this mundane world waver easily. Oftentimes, they only seek gains and to fulfil their cravings and desires. This is how people refuse to create good karmic causes and yet, expect rewards and blessings. Spiritual cultivation is about constantly reflecting on our minds and guarding our minds so that they do not waver easily.
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