(Photo by Teh Siau Ching)
In our daily life, we are bound to meet people with different ideas and lifestyle habits. Therefore, it is inevitable that arguments and conflicts among people would arise.
Often, people get into arguments and disputes because of the unyielding egoistic thought that they are always right about everything. We argue with people because we believe that our reasons are more valid and thus lead to endless arguments. In short, sentient beings argue for the sake of ego.
For practising Buddhists, when different views and opinions among people arise, we must let go of the attachment and transcend beyond our ego self.
Cultivation is about constantly reflecting upon our actions and words as we go about our daily life, eventually attaining the state of “seeing one’s true nature as Buddha nature”. We have been living in a realistic society for a long time, our minds have been polluted with unwholesome thoughts which overshadow our true nature. So, we must awaken ourselves and find our innate Buddha nature. Train ourselves so that our words and actions are consistent with our pure nature by speaking calmly with kindness, walking carefully with firm strides, and working steadfastly with caution. We must be mindful of our conduct and our thoughts.
During the process of cultivation, we must have self-discipline. Always be mindful of our actions and words, and do our best to remind ourselves of having bad conduct and saying hurtful words. We should also guard ourselves against greed, hatred, and ignorance. Treat all living beings with compassion, sincerity, and tolerance.
In the event that we meet with stubborn folks, we should accept our differences with love. If we could achieve this level of cultivation, our state of mind would have already transcended beyond sentient beings even though we are still in human form.
Therefore, in order to guide and liberate sentient beings from suffering, one must start with self-cultivation. Every person and matter that comes our way in life creates the “best place” for us to practice Buddhism. If we could practice cultivation diligently, we would succeed in attaining enlightenment.
Translated by Christine
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