(Biodata of Bro. Teoh Kian Koon)

Bro. Teoh graduated from University of Malaya in Civil Engineering in 1979. He has been a spiritual practitioner cum ‘Meditator’ since 1971. Since his retirement from his Engineering career in 2001, he has been sharing his understandingand experiences with those who are keen in their search for true happiness, peace and liberation from birth and death and all mental sufferingso that they can be a blessing to all of humanity via becoming a more virtuous, nobler andwiser human being. He gives dharma talks and holds meditation classes & retreats and weekly Dharma classes at various meditation centres, Buddhist society and places that invite him.

For more detail of Bro. Teoh’s dharma activities and his Kalyāṇamittaship grouping please login to his dharma website at: http://broteoh.com

You can also view his YouTube video recording channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCjClbc-7-upsZ2Kg5Re4pQ/videos

1. Preface

It is Brother Teoh’s sincere wish that Dharma friends, spiritual practitioners, seekers of truth, and cultivators will be able to make use of the enclosed dharma transcript notes to develop a betterunderstanding of the Buddha Dharma as taught by the Buddha so that they may progress along the path of dharma to become more virtuous, nobler and wiser human beings that can be a blessing to all of humanity and the world.

As these notes were mostly compiled based on a transcript from the recording of the 10th lesson on Cultivating the Bodhisattva Way (dated 10.3.2019); the text is aligned as closely as possible to the colloquial speech in the talk. However, some editorial amendments have been made to the text without detracting from the essence of the talk. With this, it is hoped that readers can adjust themselves accordingly to better understand its true meaning and intent. A good way to do this is to listen to the recordings first before reading the transcript book.

To listen to the recording (audio file) you can log on to our http://broteoh.com website under Repository of Dharma material OR Google ‘Bro. Teoh’s Kalyāṇamittas – A Repository of Dharma Material’ to view them or alternativelydownload the audio file from this below MP3 audio link:

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/10-Cultivating-The-Bodisattva-Way-10-March-2019.mp3

2. Acknowledgement

It is the donors’ sincere intentions that these dharma transcript book be given free to those who are interested and have the affinity to receive them. I would like to take this opportunityto thank and rejoice in the generosity and wholesomeness of all those Dharma friends or Kalyāṇamittas who have donated and helped out in the transcription, typing, typesetting, formatting, proof reading, etc. to make this free distribution of dharma dāna possible.

Special thanks should be accorded to our late Sister SK Hoong (Hoong Suet Kun) who had earlier on taken the initiative to volunteer to develop the draft transcript for my subsequent editing thereby enabling this dharma transcript book to be printed. May this wholesomeness pave the way for her to realize her good and noblewishes.

By the power of all these wholesomeness, may all beings be well and happy, free from all mental and physicalsufferings and dangers and may there be love, peace and joy - deep within their hearts. And may it also pave the way for there to be causes and conditions for all dharma friends who have donated or helped out in one way or another to realize their good and noble wishes/aspirations soonest possible.

With Metta always,

Brother Teoh Kian Koon

(Dated: 31st July 2019)

3. 10th Lesson on Cultivating the Bodhisattva Way

Bro. Teoh: A very good afternoon to all, Brothers and Sisters in the Dharma. Today is Sunday, 10 March 2019. We are having our dharma class at Wu Pin Chin Seah. Please get ready for Puja. Let us compose our mind, develop the faith (saddhā) and vīriya, then mindfully commence the puja chanting.

3.1 Pūjā

We shall recite the salutation following the Mahayana tradition first:

Nā Mó Běn Shī Shì Jiā Móu Ní Fó (南无本师释迦牟尼佛) (3x)

Nā Mó Guān Shì Yīn Pú Sà (南无观世音菩萨) (3x)

Námó fó púsà (3x) (南無佛菩薩) (3x)

Now we will chant the Theravada tradition. We will start off with the Salutation to the Triple Gem: The Buddha, Dharma & Sangha.

Vandanā - Salutation to Lord Buddha: -

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsaṃbuddhassa (3X)

Tisaraṇa - Taking of the Three Refuges: -

Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Dutiyampi Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Dutiyampi Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Dutiyampi Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Tatiyampi Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Tatiyampi Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Pañca Sīla - Renewing of the Five Precepts: -

Pānātipātā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi;

Adinnādānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi;

Kāmesu micchācārā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi;

Musāvādā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi;

Surā-meraya-majja-pamā-daṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi

Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu! (Rejoicing)

Now let us pay respect mindfully to Quan Yin Bodhisattva and all the other great beings that are worthy of respect and the Triple Gems to end the pre-pūjā.

Buddhaṃ pujemi; Dhammaṃ pujemi; Saṅghaṃ pujemi.

3. 10th Lesson on Cultivating the Bodhisattva Way

Bro. Teoh: A very good afternoon to all, Brothers and Sisters in the Dharma. Today is Sunday, 10 March 2019. We are having our dharma class at Wu Pin Chin Seah. Please get ready for Puja. Let us compose our mind, develop the faith (saddhā) and vīriya, then mindfully commence the puja chanting.

3.1 Pūjā

We shall recite the salutation following the Mahayana tradition first:

Nā Mó Běn Shī Shì Jiā Móu Ní Fó (南无本师释迦牟尼佛) (3x)

Nā Mó Guān Shì Yīn Pú Sà (南无观世音菩萨) (3x)

Námó fó púsà (3x) (南無佛菩薩) (3x)

Now we will chant the Theravada tradition. We will start off with the Salutation to the Triple Gem: The Buddha, Dharma & Sangha.

Vandanā - Salutation to Lord Buddha: -

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsaṃbuddhassa (3X)

Tisaraṇa - Taking of the Three Refuges: -

Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Dutiyampi Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Dutiyampi Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Dutiyampi Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Tatiyampi Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Tatiyampi Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Pañca Sīla - Renewing of the Five Precepts: -

Pānātipātā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi;

Adinnādānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi;

Kāmesu micchācārā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi;

Musāvādā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi;

Surā-meraya-majja-pamā-daṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi

Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu! (Rejoicing)

Now let us pay respect mindfully to Quan Yin Bodhisattva and all the other great beings that are worthy of respect and the Triple Gems to end the pre-pūjā.

Buddhaṃ pujemi; Dhammaṃ pujemi; Saṅghaṃ pujemi.

3.2 Dharma and sutra sharing by Bro. Teoh

You can be seated. We will continue from where we stopped. We are at Page 56. We will go back one paragraph before that, Page 55, so that we can recap what we had discussed last week.

“There are additional vows to clear all Karmic obstructions to bring about the way. The first one is to ask for forgiveness from The Triple Gem”.

This is very important. In fact, this is also taught in the Theravada tradition. Many traditional Theravada practitioners did not understand the importance of such request for forgiveness. They chant it under “Kāyena vācā cittena…..” meaning if through action, speech or thought, if you have done anything wrong unto the Triple Gem, you sincerely ask for forgiveness. But they only chant it during the closing Puja and sometimes during the meditation retreat, towards the end before going back. But karmic offence is not only to Triple Gem but also to all beings as well. So the 1st additional vow to clear all Karmic obstructions to bring about the way is to ask for forgiveness from The Triple Gem and this is most important because these karmic offences from Triple Gem, if you ask for forgiveness, it is automatically cancelled and you are freed and liberated from those karmic offences but if you don’t ask, those karmic offences can be a severe hindrances and it can trap you for very long. The reason being all these enlightened beings, especially the Bodhisattvas, they know these karmic offences are very severe so they make their vows to forgive all beings, past, present or future (whether knowingly or unknowingly) that have caused any karmic negativity towards their karmic nature. This part is very useful.

We shall now chant:

`If by action, speech or thoughts, whether knowingly or knowingly, via ignorance, delusion or heedlessness, this nature of mine has offended or done anything wrong unto the Triple Gem, the Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha, this nature of mine would like to sincerely ask for forgiveness.’

We have to do this because the moment you ask for forgiveness, it will connect to the Nature’s Law because the Triple Gem and all these great beings have already forgiven every living being via their vow (pure wish). You only need to make the request for forgiveness.

Then after that, the second vow is:

`Whosoever from the distant past until now, whether knowingly or unknowingly, that this nature of mine has caused any Karmic negativity, misery, and suffering or mislead, this nature of mine would like to sincerely ask for forgiveness from them all. May my sincere request for forgiveness be accepted by all so that all these Karmic obstructions can be amicably dissolved or watered down or lessened thereby enabling this nature of mine to continue with its cultivation to realize the true Dharma with ease. Then this nature of mine also vows to repent and from now onwards, vows never to repeat any of these Karmic negativity borne of greed, hatred and delusion by following the advice of the Buddha to avoid all evil, do good and purify the mind via striving on with heedfulness to keep the 5 precepts and cultivate the Bodhisattva way diligently so that it will never violate this Law of Karma again whenever it arises.’

If you do this, the Way will be a lot easier, otherwise the karmic obstruction can be very strong. Then the final part is also very important. Finally, you have to invoke power of merits by reciting the following:

‘By the power of whatever wholesomeness or merits that this nature of mine has cultivated since the distant past until now, may it arise the causes and conditions for this nature of mine to have the ability to overcome all my Karmic offences, obstructions or obstacles amicably so that this nature of mine will be able to gain back its life, to walk the Path of Dharma to realize and fulfil all its Bodhisattva vows.’

This invocation of power of merits has to be done every half yearly or 6 monthly so that it will help you.

The next paragraph explains why karmic obstructions are very powerful. Since karmic obstructions are very powerful, so if you don’t invoke the power of merits for causes and conditions to resolve them amicably, chances are, when you come, you will stillbeobstructed. Many of you have already witness these; sometimes you mislead people for many lives in the past, yet you don’t even know then the karmic fruition can trigger off Karmic obstruction later on. This is how you can develop the cultivation. Then there are other miscellaneous vows to enhance the cultivation. I will go through them with you later on.

The final part of the notes is about the cultivation of the 10 perfections. You have to remind yourself that, as you cultivate the Bodhisattva Way, the 10 perfections are being perfected naturally. The first of the 10 perfections is generosity or dana, followed by sīla which is morality. The 3rd is renunciation or nekkhamma, the 4th is wisdom or paññā, the 5this vīriya or spiritual zeal, the 6th is patient endurance or khanti, 7th is truthfulness or sacca, 8this adhiṭṭhānaor determination or affirmation of truth (aspiration and resolution), 9th is loving kindness or mettā and the last is upekkhā. These are the 10 important virtues/perfections. We will do the actual taking of the vows on 26th April 2016. (That was about 3 years ago. That was the time the Bodhisattva Vows were taken).

Ok, Padmasuri, I will pass to you the original copy of the vows for you to help Photostat 80 sets for free distribution. Don’t distribute them until that day. If you want to Photostat additional copies to keep, you can. But please, don’t abuse it and don’t simply pass them to people who don’t understand, because they may create unnecessary negativity of Karma without them realizing it, if they simply comment on them without understanding. If they do that, they are going to get into serious trouble. We didn’t do anything. These are Nature’s Laws so if they don’t have the condition to receive them or they don’t have the understanding to appreciate what this is, then please don’t try to ‘help’. If there are no conditions, then just let things be. All these people who have the conditions will appear and they will have their own conditions to come into contact with this teaching. They will approach us to receive it. Otherwise, don’t try and don’t go and thinkthat this can help everybody and you want to promote it. No! If it is not meant for them. It is for you only because you have conditions and if you are serious, you will progress very fast. You will benefit tremendously from it.

Okay. Now we will go into the book proper. I will read the Foreword to you. For those who have the e-copy that I have sent out, you can refer to it. Turn to the Foreword page. ‘This book consists of a series of talks on the Bodhisattva precepts given by Master Sheng Yen at the Zen Meditation Centre in New York from Dec 6th to 8th, 1997’.

This is what is written in the Foreword:

‘We sincerely hope that this commentary on the Bodhisattva precepts will provide the reader with a clear understanding of their meaning, as well as the inspiration to integrate these teachings into their lives’.

That is why life itself is the cultivation. Without going into life, there is no cultivation, so you have to integrate all these teachings into your life.

The reason why you have to integrate Dharma into your life is because it is a living Dharma, not theory or knowledge; otherwise, it is not the true Dharma. It is an understanding which can only be cultivated in the midst of life and this understanding can be realize because it stands up to investigation.

That is why the true Dharma is not rigid, not a knowledge. It is an understanding.

‘We wish to acknowledge our thanks to several individuals for their help in producing this booklet’. The people whom they have acknowledged are mainly those who are responsible for the translation:

Guo-gu - translation

Simeon Gallu - organization and editorial assistance

The International Affairs Office

Dharma Drum Mountain

January, 2005 (which was 14 years ago)

This book was printed in the year 2005, about 11 years ago, because that time when I spoke on this topic it was in the year 2016).

Okay. Please turn to the next page on Introduction.

There is a saying in Mahayana Buddhism: ‘those who have precepts to break are Bodhisattvas.’

What do you think of this sentence? Does it really make you feel funny? ‘Those who have precepts to break are Bodhisattvas’. Why did he say that? Anybody wants to try to answer that? Sheng Yen Fa Shi puts it in such a humorous way. ‘Those who have precepts to break are the Bodhisattvas’. Why did he say that? Because the precepts they hold are very extensive. They are not ordinary precepts; do you understand? They are not the 5, 8, 10 or the monk’s 227 precepts. They have to hold onto the 3 sets of pureprecepts and the precepts are very pure and extensive. That’s why it is so different and if you want to talk about breaking precepts, only the Bodhisattvas, have them because they hold onto these precepts very extensively. These are very pure precepts.

Do you agree? They are so serious and that’s the reason why they have precepts to break because it’s very difficult not to break them when you have these vows. That’s why the Buddha is very wise. He never said, ‘Thou shall not.’ He said, `we undertake the training rule to abstain from breaking them.’ It’s through an understanding.

That’s why the training rule after you understand, you train yourself not to violate. Then they continue, `those who have no precepts to break are outer-path.’

Do you know what is outer-path or ‘Wai tao’ in Mandarin? It means not following Buddha Dharma. It is an external path teaching based on their understanding.

Then, `Many Buddhists know that receiving the Bodhisattva precepts generates great merits.’ This is very important. Another name for outer-path is external path teachings based on their understanding which is not following the Buddha-Dharma. So when you want to receive or generate a lot of merits, you have to take the Bodhisattva precepts or vows. So this part you have to make a note that `Many Buddhists know that even by just receiving the Bodhisattva precepts can generate great merits.’

For you to have the pāramī to receive the 3 sets or pure precepts and the 4 basic vows, you must have already generated a lot of merits. I will continue.

See, when you receive these Bodhisattva vows, you generate great merits.

‘Yet they believe this without a real understanding of the profound meaning of the precepts.’ So this is stated in Sheng Yen Fa Shi’s booklet, the introduction part. Then I explain:

‘That’s why you must do it with understanding. You must receive it with understanding. So when you have the understanding, you become very different’.

`Or what does keeping these precepts entail? They receive the precepts as a matter of course, knowing only that receiving them is a good thing to do. To try to remedy this situation, we are conducting the transmission of the Bodhisattva precepts over the course of three days so that prior to the formal transmission ceremony, I can explain to all participants the meaning and significance of these precepts within the Mahayana tradition.’

So this one is by Sheng Yen Fa Shi and they have it over 3 days. He used the first 2 days to explain to all participants the meaning and significance of all these precepts.

We shall continue.

Bro. Teoh: So, you must understand clearly why you take all these precepts. This book has a lot of good advice. Master Sheng Yen has developed them but he didn’t explain how all these precepts comeabout. It is from Right View with regards to the Nature’s Law of Karma and it comes from the advice of all Buddha. The Buddha’s first advice is to avoid all evil via keeping our precepts. Also, who are the ones who will violate the precepts? If you check all the precepts, those who violate these precepts are evil people. They have the evil roots of greed, hatred and delusion. That is why to avoid all evil; you must keep the minimum basic 5 precepts; for violating them can give rise to very severe offences. That is why you must not allow your form and mind whenever it arises, to violate these precepts. You must not kill or cause any harm to fellow living beings. You must not steal, cheat or deceive or take things that do not belong to you. Then you must not have sexual desires or lust to conduct sexual misconduct. Then you must not have wrong speech. They must not tell lies, not backbite, and not give rise to harsh, angry and deluded speech. They must not speak frivolously.

Do inquire. Who kill and who harm? Those who kill and harm are selfish people, deluded people or violent people who are evil. Violent means having emotional negativity, like anger, hatred, envy and jealousy. That’s why such people are capable of killing and causing harm to fellow living beings. They can also bring about war due to their delusion. You can also check on the other precepts. They are the same. Who steal? Greedy people, selfish and deluded people. Then who commit sexual misconduct? Lustful people. Lust is part of greed and delusion. They are even willing to sacrifice their family unit’s harmony, peace and love, just for some short moments of fun (cheap thrill) due to their lust. When you don’t have this understanding, you become deluded and make a lot of such mistakes.

The Law of Karma is, ‘you reap what you sow’ hence in future, you will become the victim. I. e. Now you do this to people, in future, you become the victim. This is the Law of Karma. If you don’t want it to happen to you then don’t do itto others for you reap what you sow and that is the reason why the law of karma is very powerful. In mandarin it is: “Zhong Yin Jie Guo; Zhong Shan Yin, Jie Shan Guo; Zhong E Yin, Jie Er Guo” (种因结果，种善因，结善果，种恶因，结恶果);

So the advice from Master Hsuan Hua is:

“Qian Wan Yao Xiao Xin” (千万要小心)

“Bu Yao Zhong Cuo Yin, Jie Cuo Guo” (不要种错因，结错果)

This advice is very important. ‘You reap what you sow’ means whatever you plant, good or evil, you will reap them as the fruition. So you must bear this in mind, ‘if you plant the seed of evil; you will reap the fruit of evil’. You can never run away from it. In that sense, always remember, never be Heedless; never be Deluded to plant the wrong seed and reap the wrong fruit. Otherwise your life will be afflicted. You will become miserable.

To be heedful is to have this understanding; i.e. not to allow the mind to heedlessly do the wrong things. That is why keeping the precepts is not easy when you don’t have the understanding. When you understand what constitutes evil and when you understand what this Nature’s Law of Karma of “You Reap What You Sow” and “you are born of your Karma, heir to your Karma, conditioned and supported by your Karma and you are what you are because of your Karma”, you will be very, very careful with Karma. Whatever you do comes back to you. Be it Good or Bad/Evil.

To transcend good and bad, you have to develop wisdom. Without wisdom, you cannot liberate your mind. When you cannot liberate your mind, you cannot transcend birth and death; you cannot transcend Karma. So understanding the importance of having this Right View with regards to the Law of Karma is very important, very powerful. This part Sheng Yen Fa Shi did not explain. He just tells you this precept must be held with understanding.

Ok, I will read the second paragraph.

When people do that to you, you complain by saying, `how can my spouse or my husband do this to me?’ But in the past, when you did that to others, you never asked this same question of, `how can I do this to fellow living beings?’ That’s why as a Bodhisattva, you can never do this because you come for the living beings. You keep your vows,you keep your precepts, and you uphold them with understanding. So likewise, for the other precepts, they are the same. When you partake intoxicants, you make your consciousness very low and then you will fall. That’s why it will arise the condition for you to break all the other 4 precepts. These can be very dangerous. Through delusion, this can happen. That’s why self-delusion will lead to greed, hatred, anger, envy, jealousy and selfishness.

`Each participant, after understanding what keeping these preceptsinvolves, is free to decide for himself or herself whether or not totake them. In this situation, many participants in the past did decide to take the precepts (meaning the Bodhisattvas precepts) and were able to happily commit themselves to the Bodhisattva way. Transmitting the precepts in this way via allowing aspirants to take them in good conscience and with proper understanding can help aspirants plant the seeds of Bodhi for Buddhahood with no feelings of compulsion or guilt in their minds. The virtue in vowing to observe the Bodhisattva precepts enables us to practice or cultivate the Buddha dharma diligently leading to purification of minds.

These codes of behavior may also help us interact with others in a more peaceful and harmonious manner. If we can purify the actions of our body, speech, and mind through cultivating the three sets of pure precepts, the five precepts and the ten meritorious actions, then, with the wisdom,such cultivation or practice has given us, we can banish or eradicate craving, covetousness, anger and all other afflictive emotions. With a Bodhisattva's mind of compassion, we can accept and cherish all sentient beings, and by purifying our own conduct, we can help to transform society at large. Even in the midst of suffering, every sentient being can attain the altruistic Bodhi-mind and also help others arouse this awakened mind of wisdom.

The combination of vows and precepts that we are transmitting here includes the four great vows. That’s why we have the three sets of pure precepts, and the four great vows. The three sets of pure precepts, the five precepts and the ten good deeds are quite accessible to everyone. There is ample flexibility in practicing the three sets of pure precepts, so long as their fundamental principle are adhered to. These precepts can be adapted to the different situations that a practitioner of the Bodhisattva way may encounter. Such flexibility makes these precepts relatively easy to cultivate for a wide variety of people. As these precepts also function as guidelines for wholesome behavior for Buddhists, the commitment to cultivate them is a valuable undertaking for all practitioners. I dare not change the content of the Bodhisattva precepts, nor do I have the virtues necessary to invent new ones. I have simply referred to the various systems of Bodhisattva precepts in both the Chinese and Tibetan traditions and adapted them to fit the needs of modern practitioners. In doing so, my hope is to promote the actualization of the spirit of the Bodhisattva precepts, and I encourage all practitioners to receive and practice them’.

So the above is by Master Sheng Yen from his book. Then I will continue.

The above understanding is very important. Always remember you have nothing to lose. So don’t listen to what people say and what the thought tells you, like - `Are you serious? This is a serious matter. This is not for you.’

Nothing to do with all these, do you understand? Just ask yourself, `what have I got to lose by taking the Bodhisattva vows?’ I have nothing to lose, but everything to gain, right? And I can develop much understanding from it. The vows can guide me along and give me all the understandingto connect, to develop affinity with all the Buddha, great beings (Bodhisattvas, etc.) and to connect to their nature so that they can always protect, bless and guide me. Then I can develop profound gratitude and respect towards them. Then all the wholesomeness will arise for me to strengthen my resolve to transform my spiritual faculties into powers.

From then on, I will progress very fast. Then I will determine to do all these because I have benefited from all these great beings that go this way, do you understand? It is your turn now if you have the conditions and the understanding to go this way. So that in future, you can also benefit other living beings by playing your role.

Whenever you do all these, you are not only doing it for living beings because the nature’s Law of Karma is such: `you reap what you sow’. Hence whatever you do or have perfected is for your own nature. That’s why in future if you come again, you will receive all this wholesomeness because it is just like what I used to share with you all; ‘when my nature came, how come everything could just come along together? And how come this nature of mine could receive the Buddha dharma so fast. Sometimes the teacher, or guide or whoever who spoke the truth had not realized or penetrated those truths but this nature of mine just listened and it understood and penetrated the truth’. This is because this is the way this `nature’ has been giving and sharing for so many lives (eons) before. That’s why when it came, it can receive equally fast. That’s the reason why whatever wholesomeness you do, it will come back to your nature because ‘you reap what you sow; if you plant the seed of wholesomeness, goodness, virtues, you willreceive the fruit of virtues, and wholesomeness’.

The Mandarin description is even more beautiful. That’s why the Law of Karma is such, `You plant the conditions, you will receive the results, the fruit of it. You plant the seeds of virtues; you will reap the fruit of virtues. You plant the seed of evil; you will reap the afflictions of suffering and evil.’ This is the Law of Karma and it will just manifest. That’s why between the two, which will you choose? Do you want to choose to plant the seed of heedlessness through your delusion? Then your karmic nature will fall, you will become miserable, life after life when you come. The choice is very obvious isn’t it? If you want to plant the seed of wholesomeness and virtues, then what must you do? You must train your mind to be heedful, to understand what constitute evil. Then you have to keep your precepts because this is the Law of Karma; ‘you reap what you sow’, do good begets good, do evil begets evil. So ultimately it is just the advice of the Buddha but you have to understand them.

The reason why you have to do this is because according to the Buddha, this is a nature’s law and each and every living being, we are all ‘born of our karma, heir to our karma, conditioned and supported by our karma, and we are what we are because of our karma.’ Since karma plays such a great role in your life, if you still don’t wake up to this Right View and determine to follow the advice of the Buddha to avoid all evil and do good so that you can take care of your karma, you are going to have a lot of suffering and affliction in future.

Even if you start cultivating now, it’s going to take you quite a while to clean up all these karmic negativities from your past. But these good conditions can from now onwards, give rise to more wholesome karmic fruition with little or no more negative/evil karma. Then only can you have the causes and conditions to plant this goodness over a long period of time so that in the future, whenever you come, you don’t have to pay back anymore of those karmic negativities borne of evil actions.So that whatever negativity of karma left, will be very mild.

Likewise, when my left leg had problem recently because the muscles developed spasms and I can’t stand, it was like meant to be. The treatment by Bro. Vincent took one and a half hour and I had to endure the pain, which I endured. Bro. Vincent the ‘doctor’ came twice to my house to help treat me and I had a lot of gratitude towards him and I thanked him. But I would rather take this pain in this form on this physical body via this way rather than having to pay it back through an accident via landing up in hospital which will be a lot worse. Instead of having severe bodily injuries, you just take it through a different way which is a lot milder. So sometimes, don’t complain. Do you understand? It is actually a blessing in disguise but you don’t know. That is why when you sit in meditation, if you have affliction and suffering, it is good. It helps you to take the suffering in your form. Otherwise you cannot run away from its fruition because whenever there is condition, you may end up having severe accidents and injuries.

This cultivation can bring about this understanding for you to avoid some of the karmic negativities. This is possible because you know how to break your karmic obstruction first. Then you vow to repent and not to repeat all these. You also know how to invoke the power of merits for you to go the right way. In future, after that, all your cultivation will be in accordance with the Law of Karma and your progress will be all the way up, no more falling back. Then life after life, you will accumulate a lot of blessings, virtues and understanding until you can hardly commit any evil. I will explain all this to you later. I hope you all can understand.

This life when I came, I realized I had very little karmic debt to pay back and they were relatively minor. Even though minor, they were still there but comparatively, I felt very blessed because everything went my way. It was like I was very well protected everywhere I go, every moment, every instant while going through life. This is possible because my nature understand the teaching and know how to invoke the power of merits and vows; develop affinity with all the Great Beings and their nature to protect, guide and bless me. All these are very important understanding.

I shall read on. But before I read on, maybe I will explain to you all the part on cultivation. You see, when you start your cultivation, you must start from square one with a clear slate as if you don’t know what the Dharma is. Then you take your chance in life through whatever good roots you may have. You investigate into all truth. Then suddenly, you may have bumped into some conditions that gives you, the condition to encounter the Buddha Dharma, the Triple Gem. You then have the condition to take the refuge. From the refuge, you develop the faith and the affinity through an understanding of its teaching. Then with the understanding, you cultivate. As you cultivate, you come to understand that your Karma is very mixed initially and you have a lot of heedlessness before you know the Buddha Dharma. Then when you know the Buddha Dharma, you have the condition to improve your understanding and your lifefrom that moment onwards via cultivating diligently, sincerely and with faith until youhave the understanding of how to develop a good spiritual life. Initially the cultivation may not be stable and not strong. But as you persevere, you accumulate somegood conditions for you to develop the affinity to connect to the Triple Gem during the sāsana period and this merits can help you progress along the path of dharma. It can also help you with your future cultivation. But when the sāsana is no more, you may get lost again. That’s why your Karmic conditions will continue to oscillate between the wholesome and unwholesome phases and you continue to come as a normal human being, having the usual problems.

But like I mention just now, this nature came to realize this very important understanding: ‘That is after you have the condition to meet up with thetrue teachingagain (especially during theBuddha sāsana), you must then make thisstrong resolveto go this way, through taking the Bodhisattva Vows toplant the seed of Bodhi with very strong faith and understanding as taught by my nature’.

Then after that, you will come to realize, in the future when you come; every life somehow the conditions will be activated and you will know how to move following this Bodhisattva way cultivation. Then as you move along this way, you will accumulate more and more wholesomeness,merits, virtues and understanding.But initially as you come, you will still reap the effect of your karmic past. But because from then onwards, your cultivation becomes so different, because every life you come, almost 70, 80 or later 90 over percent, if not near to 100% of your life, is all wholesome; which means there is little or almost no more karmic negativity left. Can you understand? Then your karmic nature becomes better and better. Then as you pay back all the Karmic negativity’s fruition that you have accumulated in the past, through each and every life that you have cultivated, you would reach a point where your Karmicfruition or negativity of karma is very little left. Whatever that is left, is very minor, non-issue type. By then, your nature will become very different. By that time, whenever you come, you are like very blessed and very beautiful. For so many lives when this nature of mine comes, everything appears set and everything is already there in place for this nature of mine. The timing, the conditioning and whatever things that it needed will be there. It’s like all of these are meant to be and preplanned through an understanding.

As I have explained in my sharing, I hardly have any problems. All the things I go through are very minor karmic issues which I paid back when I was very young and these were very trivial or minor issues. I don’t have any issue at all with life. Everything is smooth sailing, like very blessed and people use to say‘I am very lucky’. But I don’t think it has anything to do with luck. It is all through the understanding of the dharma, the vows, the karmic nature and the spiritual nature. That is why you can have all those conditions. So in cultivation, you need to reach that stage where your progress is most of the time uphill,which means your cultivation has stabilized because you hardly have any more karmic negativity. So the accumulation of wholesomeness and merits far outweigh whatever karmic negativitythat is still possible until later, you can hardly do them. This is because after you have progressedto certain level, especially after you have gone beyond the Arahant stage, you would have stabilized your understanding and after you have reached the 3rd stage of Bodhi mind development. Your nature becomes very different, very different indeed; for every life you come or choose to come, you don’t have to go through all those sufferings or miseriesanymore. Then every life you come, you will connect very fast; you will connect early and you will develop the understanding very fast. The way this nature of mine gave (in the past) and the way it receives is also very fast when it comes. That is the reason why I realized when I came, my nature learnt very fast. I received things very fast. I used to share with you all, my teachers and my guide hardly teach me anything because I seldom see them except my 2nd last teacher whom I happen to have the condition to spend more time with her because she is a local Malaysian. The rest are from overseas. I don’t know them all. Somehow they came and we met up. I usually hardly see them, perhaps once a year or maximum twice a year. Usually, I met them when they came and I took them around and listened to their sharing. After that they are gone. Sometimes, after many years, when conditions arise again, I would visit them during Kaṭhina time. Apart from that, I hardly see them. This is unlike you all and me because I am local and you all are mostly local, so we have the conditions for our kalyāṇamitta activities to be held on a weekly basis. It goes to show that you have very deep karmic affinity with Guan Yin and all the great beings and my nature. Otherwise, you can’t be here. A lot of these have to do with past karmic affinity, past life encounters and conditions.Without those affinities, none of these can happen.

So coming back to the topic on cultivation, hopefully by now you all can understand the importance of this window of opportunity(thispresent Buddha sāsana). If you make use of it, to set everything in place, thenin future when you come, the Bodhi mind or Bodhi seed you have planted this life will be activated and you will know what to do, life after life, even during period without the Buddha sāsana. You will progress all the way until one day, you will come to realize, you can’t fall anymore because your cultivation has transformed and every life you come you will not be heedless any more. This is howthe realunderstanding can bring forth the way and cut short your cultivation even though people say the Bodhisattva way cultivationis a very long way. Yes, indeed, it takes very long. But when you go through it you will come to understand it better and you actually will choose to come again and again because it is so wonderful, so beautiful and so meaningful. By then you will come to know, that the so called long period is a relative thing and is no more significant or not more a reality. Long and short has no reality because the phenomenal world is a world of consciousness, empty, not real and not what you think. But there is such a thing as life. There is such thing as living beings. There is such thing as existential law that governs life and existence. The law of karma. So there are a lot of understandings that come with existence and living life. When you have the understanding of both (the conditioned and the unconditioned), you will understand all these very clearly. We will stop here, “The source of compassion”. We will continue later.

Anybody has anything you want to ask or any sharing regarding this particular topic on Cultivating the Bodhisattva way. You all do not have any questions? Ah, Tammy! Please pass the mike to Tammy.

Tammy: Good afternoon. Previously when Brother Teoh talked about one of the Perfections of Adhiṭṭhāna, I couldn’t really get it and I don’t know what that is. Then, a few days ago, a friend wanted to go somewhere, but we cannot go. Then all of the sudden I was thinking about the law of attraction because I just got to know the law of attraction. I thought about it and then it came to me that the law of attraction and adhiṭṭhāna is kind of similar and it rings a bell. May beBrother Teoh can explain a bit.

Brother Teoh: Can, I will explain it. You see, there is what we called the theory on, the law of attraction. This is more towards the motivational theory type of teaching. They tend to hold seminars and teach this theory. They say, this law of attraction means positive thought attract positive thought. So, they encourage you to have positive thinking. That, to a certain extent is helpful at times but it doesn’t play such a big role, because the overall pictureis different. The big picture has a lot more things involved. I will explain that. Your question is good; it creates condition for that teaching to be compared to the Buddha Dharma. Then you will come to know why the BuddhaDharma is so much deeper, so much more extensive and so much more superior. The general law of attraction is just a simple law but to them it is like a very fantasticlaw. In fact, it is just a theoretical law but they treat it like a scientific law.

They didn’t know that it involves the mind. When it involves the mind, it goes beyond the scientific law. Which means it is not an ordinary scientific law any more. So, the law of attraction means if you have good thought, you will attract people with good thought to you also. So, if you want to be successful, they will tell you to create this confidence in you with the good thought, for instance “I want to be a successful person” or “I want to have financial freedom”. So, every time you imbue yourself with this positive thought of meeting up with the right person who can help you, guide you and make yousuccessful.They believe that when you have positive thought, you will have confidence, you will attract positive people and you will have the ability to be successful. So, they go for this motivational talk. Then they try it. Initially, of course, it will have some result, isn’t it? Do you know why? Because all along they seldom have positive thoughts. They are not confident. So their motivational course motivates you, do you understand? So, if you develop positive thought, it will help you initially. But the big picture is different because according to the dharma, the Buddha said your life is governed by what? What is the major cause or contributor? Yes, Karma. So if you don’t take care ofthis karma and you expect to improve your life, it will be very difficult. It’s just like that day, at Susan’s house, do you all remember? She invited us for lunch, and Luangpor Jumien is supposed to come to her house, but somehow he was not available to come. So, Susan invited me insteadto go to her house to give some dharma sharing and that was just immediately after the Chinese New Year. Can you all remember? I started off the sharing by saying we, Chinese have this good tradition of wishing people “祝福你, 新年快乐” which means “Wishing you Happy New Year” and wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year.Wishing you good health, good life and everything also good. Then “心想事成” -meaning whatever you think and wish for, you will receive. And I asked, ‘is it by only wishing then all these good wishes will materialize?’By wishing people, do you think it can materialize, it can’t, isn’t it?If it can, everybody will be very happy, very prosperous and having the good life, isn’t it? So, no amount of wishes can bring forth the condition for it to materialize. Of course your pleasant and good wishescan make people feel good. They may thank you for your greetings, for your good wishes, for your kind words and so on. But then, it just ends there, do you understand? It is not going to make any difference.

The only way for it to bring about the result is to understand the Buddha Dharma. When you understand the Dharma, then you willunderstand life.So, understanding the Buddha Dharma is very important. When you understand the Buddha Dharma, you will understand life then you will know how to live life. As taught by the Buddha, the law of Karma is very powerful. All of our lives dependon Karma. So, for it to materialize, we have to takeof Karma. That’s why you have to follow the advice of the Buddha, you must avoidallevil to avoid Karmic negativity, you must cultivate wholesomeness, goodness, virtues, and then you must purify your mind to develop wisdom for you to transform.Otherwise, it cannotbring about the causes and conditions to bring about the good life. Good life means - you take care of Karma and Karma takes care of your life. So what does having positive thought mean? It means you just make use of your good Karmic condition earlier, a little bit similar to using “Feng Shui”. Do you understand? Because it will help you to avoid all those people with negative thought, people with no confidence and who do not belief in becoming successful. There are many people who lack understanding and do not have the confidence. If you talk to them and advise them that they should try this, change their job, do this or encourage them to do investment and become successful, their response is typically negative: like, “ah, this one is not for me”. This shows that they lack confidence and choose to close the door. They don’t even wantto give it a try and they don’t even want to change for the better.

At least this motivation theory teaches them to have confidence, to have faith, to have those positive thinking. However, if they don’t take care of their Karma,they can have all the positive thinking, and interact with all these people, their good wishes, still will not materialize. They may have more chances to listen to some good ideas and if they go ahead and work towards it sincerely then things will go their way and they can make it. There are quite a number of them who had gone to such motivational courses, maybe they can share their experience with you. Initially they tend to do well, and sometimes they make it. But then it is just like the good Karma, and ‘feng shui’, do you understand? Every time you do this, you invoke the usage of your good merits and this is like drawing on your bank account. All the good merits that you have, will give you the conditions for you to reap what you sowed. But once there are no more merits left, then no matter what you do, nothing will happen. So, this law of attraction in a way is misleading because it is not a scientific law but rather it involves the mental consciousness, the mental intention part of the thought. This thought is limited because it is subject to the law of Karma; if you don’t have the fullpicture and understanding and you don’t take care of your Karma then it may not work. Sometimes you try to cheat and deceive people and you go and join those pyramid schemes, etc. Initially you may make some money but later you are caught because the law of karma may come after you and you end up miserable again.

Whereas, Adhiṭṭhāna is different, it is a spiritual understanding that you can make use of. Actually, Sākyamuni Buddha taught that. You can develop Adhiṭṭhāna by making affirmation using: - ‘by the power of truth or by the power of merits may it arise the causes and conditions for certain good wishes to be fulfilled. In the Sutta there are many examples of these being used, for instance in the Angulimala Sutta, they recite this: ‘by the power of this truth ….’. And in the Jaya Mangala Sutta they also recite: ‘by the power of this truth, may this and that happen’. These are all possible because they are all part of nature’s law. To arise this Adhiṭṭhāna, you need to have merits, you need to input the power of merits for causes and conditions for it to arise, or through sincerity, or power of truth, or power of merits. Even like asking for forgiveness to break Karmicobstructions, is the same because it involves one of the spiritual law’sunderstanding, otherwise, it will obstruct you. All these are so complete, comprehensive, and extensive. If you don’t do all these, and you only go for the law of attraction: positive thoughts, positivethoughts….. etc. what you wish for may not materialize. And before you are enlightened the positive thought that you think of, may not be the real positive thoughts which are without the evil roots. That’s why if you achieve things through evil means with the evil roots, there will be karmic implication. It can bring forth the Karmic fruition to torment you. So, all these need to be understood. Otherwise, you are limited in your understanding. So this is the main difference. Many years ago, people get excited with this ‘law of attraction’ because this theory was so popular during that time. I can still remember, it was more than 10 – 20 years ago, people came and asked me regarding this subject. They are quite interested in it because it was so popular then. So I asked for a copy of the book from them to have a look as to what they teach. I also search the internet. Then I knew it was limited because they don’t have the full understanding.

So, a lot of these are motivational theories taught by others to motivate you, but they don’t look at the other aspect of things especially the law of Karma which is most important. That’s why they cannot develop the full benefits and understanding of these nature’s laws to bring about causes and conditions for it to materialize. So whatever you want and wish for, you need to have the understanding. Take for example, 心想事成 (Xin sian shi cheng) – the meaning is, ‘whatever you wish for, may it come true’. This can only take effect if you have the Dharma, if you understand the nature’s law of karma that governs all of life. That’s why the pure wish of the enlightened beings is very powerful. When they saw the conditions, they may radiate this pure wish, which is very powerful. It is very powerful, because it is from theirpure mind. So, this pure wish can bring aboutgreat conditionsfor it tomanifest, and it willcome true, but there must be conditionsfor it tohappen. They cannot be giving out all these pure wishes, without the appropriate conditions.Without conditions, there is not much effect. It’s not potent. For it to be potent, there must be condition, and when the condition comes the enlightened being will know, then it will match‘相应’ (Xiang ying). Then it will manifest. So, is this clear? Sadhu to you Tammy for your good question.

Okay, any more question?

Ah, wah, Sister Soo is back. This is our New Zealand friend. Sadhu and welcome home.

Sister Soo: Brother Teoh, since you asked, ‘is there any more question?’ I have one. There is this word ‘cetasika’ that I have just heard, so, can you please explain what ‘cetasika’ is and how can cetasika helps us in our cultivation?

Brother Teoh: Okay, this is a very good question. You must have heard it from your Abhidhamma classes. This word ‘Cetasika’ means mental states or sometimes they translate it as mental concomitant. Actually ‘cetasika’ means mental states. All of the mental states within your saṅkhāra are cetasika. And they are nothing special. It’s just a pāḷi word used in the abhidhamma teaching to expressionthese mental states. Then people get excited by this word. Cetasika are actually your mental concomitant, all of your mental states within your mind states.When you develop the cultivation, and once you have the stability of mindfulness, you can see them. That’s why with mindfulness your mind becomes different, your mind becomes sensitive when you are mindful. Then when you can see them, you know these are cetasika within. That’s why in the Abhidhamma teaching, there is this part they call the content of consciousness or cetasika which is also called mental concomitant. It said within every consciousness that arise there are seven universals cetasika. Have you heard of these seven universals? The seven universals mean that these are the seven cetasika that are common to all consciousness. Because they are universal, so, all consciousness must have these for it to arise. We have gone through these seven universal earlier on. One of them is contact, the other one is feeling, then perception, and then you have ekaggatā (one pointedness) and Cetanā or mental intention. Then the other one is attention or ‘Manasikāra’ in pāḷi. That’s why Yoniso manasikāra is wise attention at the moment of sense experience. Then you have the life stream or energy called Jīvitindriya in pāḷi. All these seven universals are common to all consciousness. For consciousness to arise, they must have them. So for consciousness that is without the content, these seven universals are not there as yet. But the moment you input the content, these seven will be there. The only cetasika that is there before the content went in is contact.When there is contact, there is the pure consciousness ‘viññāṇaṃ’, and the moment you input the content,the saṅkhāra all go in, the feelings, perception, all the other things will go in, then wholesome/unwholesome and all these willcome in.

So, this word, cetasika is another word for mental states, mentalconcomitant, or every mind state your mundane mind can transform into. When you develop it through meditation, then these cetasika are what you have to look for. When you are mindful, you will have the stability of daily mindfulness and awareness in your daily life to be awarewhen your mind reacts and stirs. All these cetasika will arise. That’s why under cittānupassanā, you will have to be mindful of them (the content of consciousness). The consciousness that have greed, that have fear, that have envy, jealousy, that have all the various mind states, you must be aware. So, the consciousness is spaciousawareness and when experiencing pīti, sukha, you must be aware. These are the cetasika, the mental states within. When there is an expanding consciousness. You will have to be aware, spacious awareness or whatever. The cetasika are the mind states that are inside whether it is peacefulness, tranquil, still, joy, pīti and so on. Or whether there is envy, jealousy, fear, worry, anxiety, and phobia. All these are called cetasika.

According to Abhidhamma there are fifty-two of these mind states as described under saṅkhāra. These fifty-two include the first two mind aggregates of feeling (vedanā) and perception (saññā), if you take this two away, the balance of cetasika is fifty. This is done because, this is related to meditation. You have to be mindful of these two mind states in meditation. Like the Buddha’s explanation, when these mind states arise, you must know your mind has stirred. If your mind has not stirred, it will remain in the tranquil and stillness state of silence. Pīti and sukha wholesome mind states can also be experience.

When you input the content of consciousness, wholesome and unwholesome (kusala and akusala) and neutral feeling mind states will arise depending on your understanding. These various understanding of these mind states are described in more detail in the sutta under saṅkhāra. If you want to know more of these mind states, you have to refer to the term saṅkhāra as taught by the Buddha. He sub-divided saṅkhāra into a total of 52 mind states. The 52 saṅkhāra mind states are taught by the Buddha in the Abhidhamma pitaka. You can read through them.

Basically, these, cetasika is nothing special, except people find it very interesting because this word is seldom taught or discussed. It is an Abhidhamma word. Abhidhamma is the higher teaching and it is one of the three baskets of the Tripitaka. First, you have the Vinaya pitaka – the monk’s precepts, which is the Pātimokkha part covering the discipline of the monks. Then you have the Sutta pitaka, the second basket, consisting all the discourses of the Buddha, then the third basket is the Abhidhamma pitaka, they called it the higher teaching. In the Abhidhamma pitaka, they go into consciousness, much deeper, and they classified them into all the various types of consciousness. They also have the consciousness for lay people and consciousness for enlightened beings, mundane and supramundane consciousness and so on with the various classifications.

But as far as my nature is concern, this Abhidhamma teaching canonly be understood by the wise. Because in the early days when people came to see me and ask me about this topic, I say to them I don’t know because I don’t read Abhidhamma. But many years later, I managed to get hold of one Abhidhamma book after my University graduation. Somebody gave me this book which is quite good and it was written by Venerable Narada, I think the title is ‘A manual on Abhidhamma’.After 1989 when my nature had understood the dhamma, I flipped through the book and I find the things written there rather interesting. I realized that these teachingcannot be understood by the unenlightened beings because all these are mostly concept, theory and knowledge and the words are not easy for living beings to understand. But if you have awakened and transformed,when you read, you will understand what they are trying to tell you. In fact, some of the translations and commentaries are not so correct. The actual happening is not like what they have described. But they try their very best to express them. I think in the olden days when they still have the understanding of this teaching (if I am not wrong), they try to use words to describe them, and quite a number of things thatthey said are quite correct.

For example, when consciousness arises, they always ask this question, which one arise first? Perception first or feeling first? There is a Singaporean, I remember, he asked the monk, he said, at momentof consciousness, when I see, do I see the colour first or the shapefirst or the thought about the thing first? The monk doesn’t know how to answer him. But actually all these, you cannot understand because the mind moves very fast.

At the moment of consciousness, like the physics experiment, the light bulb, lights up, do you remember? The light bulb lights up means the true mind, just become conscious, this is the pure awareness, pure consciousness, without the content as yet. The moment you input the content, which is very fast, these seven universals, they arise simultaneously. Upon contact you input the content, all these went in with the other cetasika, whether wholesome or unwholesome, it all arise simultaneously, then your mind decides,you can be at the moment of feeling, at the moment of contact, at the moment of saṅkhāra activities movement, and which one you want to go to is up to you.That’s why the monk cannot understand him, because his mindfulness is not so stable, he hasn’t reached that stage of stability. But when you have reached that stage of stability of mindfulness, you can answer him.

It is not what you think because you are speculating with your thought. The actual happening is different because mindfulness that can be aware can be at the moment anywhere. It can only be at one of these cetasika at any one time but it can move very fast. It can just silent everything and be aware of the whole content. So, this is the power of mind,power of mindfulness, and this is why mindfulness is very important. Without mindfulness, you cannot have that type of sensitivity, the ability to be aware, to understand all these.

So, Abhidhamma to me is like the Mahayana teaching, it is written for enlightened beings. If you are not enlightened, when you read you cannot understand. You can only perhaps interpret them. That’s why you need to develop the cultivation. When you have the cultivation, the understanding and the transformation, your mind functionsdifferently and you can see all these very clearly. By then, whatever that is written, you can have a clearer understanding of what those things are and what is written wrongly, you will also know. So, this is not a new word, it is just a Pāḷi word that a lot of people may not understand. So, the English equivalent word is mental concomitant. It is actually all your saṅkhāra mind states that is within the content of consciousness. And there are a lot of descriptions on these cetasika.

(Silent awareness Meditation for 30 minutes………..)

Okay, I have sent out a soft copy of the file link on cetasika for sharing by all. My wife found it on Google. It is quite a complete and good write up. The adobe link is: Chart_Cetasika_en.pdf

I will go through it with you all. It is quite similar to what I have just told you, except instead of mental concomitant, they use another term ‘mental factor’. The fifty-two mental factors are stated there in the table of classification which is very good and clear. (Refer to the 2 tables). The first seven are the 7 universals that I have thought you all. The secondsix are the occasional, then there are fourteen unwholesome and twenty-fivewholesome cetasika. So if you add them all up, there are a total of fifty-two.

Down there, the coloured section, with the English and Pāḷi equivalent words are shown the seven universal mental factors and they are: Phassa (contact), vedanā (feeling), saññā (perception), cetena (mental intention), ekaggatā (one pointedness), Jivitindriya (the life faculty) and manasikāra (attention). So, these are the seven universal mental factors, then you have the next six, occasional mental factors. These are mainly the Jhanic factors and some enlightenment factors. Vitakka (initial application of thought) and vicāra (sustained thought) are the Jhanic factors. Then Adhimokkha is intensified interest; Vīriya and Pīti are enlightenment factors and Chanda is passion. The Buddha taught lay people the four accomplishments or 4 bases of success; Chanda which is passion, is the first one, then vīriya (zeal), Citta (will power) and the last one Vimansa (investigation). These are the four bases of success mental factors.

Category one: are the unwholesome mental factors or mental concomitants. They are altogether thirteen of them: delusion, shamelessness, moral fearlessness, restlessness, the three evil roots, Lobha, wrong view, conceit, hatred, envy, stinginess, worry, remorse, sloth and topper (thina midda) and sceptical doubt (Vicikicchā). Many of these are mental hindrances.

Then you have the 25 beautiful mental states: Saddhā, Sati, Hiri (Moral Shame), Octopak (Moral fear), alobha (non-greed), adosa (non-hatred), equanimity, Kayapassati (tranquillity of mind), tranquillity of consciousness, tranquillity of mental factors, lightness of mental factors, lightness of consciousness, pliancy of mental factors, pliancy of mental consciousness. These are all meditative and spiritual mind states. Then you have the Kayakammannata, these are the adaptability of mental factors. Followed by: adaptability of mental consciousness, proficiency of mental factors, proficiency of mental consciousness. Rectitude of mental factors, rectitude of mental consciousness, right speech, right action and right livelihood, compassion, sympathetic joy and wisdom. So, these are the fifty-two mental states. This Chart and table gave a very complete definition and this is for your information. These are mental states/mental factors/mental concomitants taught in the Abhidhamma. If you are interested, you can read through them but they are not really important. This type of teaching, you can only truly understand when you are enlightened, when you have the mindfulness to realize them. When you have the ability to go through all these mind states, then the words have meanings. Sometimes the word they use, the meaning is wrong, but you will know. For example, Chanda; Chanda is passion, not vision. Your passion or strong tenacity to do certain thing is Chanda.

3.3. Meditation reporting

Now is meditation reporting and Q & A session. You can report your meditation or ask me whatever question related to your meditation and the dharma. Anybody? Ah, pass the mic to Brother Song.

Brother Song: Brother Teoh, I wish to report my meditation experience for this week. Last Saturday night, when I was listening to your sharing at Susan’s house Dana, as usual, I dose of after 10 minutes. Suddenly there is a very bright light illuminate from inside. Then my awareness arises, then I wonder, why is it so bright, I thought I didn’t switch off the lights in my room, but when I open my eyes, my room is dark. I’ve switched off the lights. The light illuminated very brightly from inside. Then the next morning, Sunday, when I woke up, my mind was totally silent, very aware, no aggregate, it is in total silence. (Brother Teoh said, Sadhu!)

Then, I went to the garden and looked outside, I was in total silent. Then, my mind arises and say that I must use this mind to cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna. Then the next moment, a voice arises saying that there is no Satipaṭṭhāna. After that I contemplate: why is it so? Then I realize when you are at that mind state – in pure awareness, you don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna.

(Brother Teoh again commented: Right, Right and Sadhu!)

Then, on Wednesday night, while I was listening to your Tuesday night’s sharing on the topic: 12 links, the light strike again from within even though I was listening with my eyes open. Nowadays, I like to look outside from my garden. On Friday, suddenly, I realize that I can be aware of the birds flying high above me in the sky, then I suddenly realize, this is general spacious awareness without a centre. Then I relax into it to maintain awareness of whatever that is within my field of vision: the moving cars, people, birds, I can be aware of them all.

Brother Teoh: Sadhu!

Brother Song: Yesterday (Saturday), When I was washing my clothes at home, I usually make use of the time when I am washing my clothes to cultivate mindfulness, but half way through my washing, the understanding of all the essential Dharma that Brother Teoh had taught us suddenly arise and unfold in front of me like a flower flowering.

Brother Teoh: Yes! Yes! Yes! And Sadhu!

Brother Song: Then, it was as if at that moment, I can understand all the Dharma taught.

Brother Teoh: Good! This can happen because now you can link them (all the dharma). It means you have already stabilized your understanding.

Brother Song: Then last year, during our Yunnan, Shangri La, spiritual trip, while in the bus, the understanding also arise, but yesterday’s experience was different, the understanding is like a flowers, keeps on blooming, keeps on unfolding. Recently, my mind state is very clear, and I can see my mental intention very clearly. Then I came to realize, actually, before our understanding arise, every of our mental intentions are with the evil roots and our mundane mind is very egoic in nature. After I can see these 3 evil roots clearly, I started to straighten my views. And because I have this very stable mindfulness, that’s why it is very easy for me to be aware of them. And from then onward, I know how to go about cultivating the Noble Eightfold Path via acting with right views and wisdom. No more acting from memory.

Brother Teoh: Yes, correct, correct.

Brother Song: When you are aware of it, it will cease by itself because of the wisdom.

Brother Teoh: Yes, because of the wisdom and the understanding, it will not arise. So, as I have told you all, the twelve links can only stop at feeling if there is wisdom (especially yoniso manasikāra), without wisdom, it will continue to flow and move and condition cravingstraight away. Very good. Sadhu! Anymore to share?

Brother Song: Actually, I realize this year, my mind state is very different again.

Brother Teoh: Yes, it has transformed already.

Brother Song: Last month, when I read the “The five aggregate of form and mind”, I can understand all of them. Previously, it is only at the knowledge level. Last month, when I read, I can understand all of it. It is not easy to understand this 5 aggregates of form and mind because there are two mind, the pure consciousness, its content, perception, saṅkhāra, etc. Previously I can only understand knowledge wise. I can’t really understand it deeply, but last month when I read it, I can truly understand all the Dharma Brother Teoh Shared in that book.

Brother Teoh: Yes! Sadhu! And correct. Let us rejoice. Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

That’s why when you have the ability to connect, you will understand and cultivate correctly, and then the transformation can happen.That’s why he can go through all this cultivation. He can see and understand the links clearly. Now he can understand what I spoke before because it is in transcript form. He can see all the subtle mental intentions and saṅkhāra activities occurring within his mind. Last time, he never sees, because at that time it was mainly dharma knowledge and he tries to link the Dharma to what he thinks he understands. To develop the ability to transform, your awareness, your consciousness and your mindfulness needs to become more and more stable, more and more deep, clear and refine. When the mind enters Sati, then all these stages will manifest, it will happen.

Initially he went through the stage: like the consciousness becomesvery bright, like day light. That one actually is one of the tendefilements of insight. If you cling to it and think that you have transformed, you have special ability, then you will stagnant there and be trapped there. But he knew, this is part and parcel of the spiritual training, the spiritual path. Just like Master Xu Yun (虚云 老和尚)’s case; before he had the condition to become enlighten, just before the retreat and before the hot water spill onto his hand, to awaken him - a few days before that, he was in deep Samadhi and it was actually at night and he was in a dark room, then suddenly he experience this brightness of mind state, like it was day light. Just like Brother Song’s case, he thought he had forgotten to switch off the light, and when he opened his eyes, the whole room was dark. It is the same like Master Xu Yun, he realized the whole place was in darkness but when he was in that state that so called Samadhi, it is the mind’s manifestation which can show to you the brightness, the luminosity and so on, but these are all mind states. As long as it doesn’t bring about wisdom, forget about it. It is part and parcel of cultivation, the by-product of deep Samadhi, hence it will manifest. That type of mind is the mind that is capable of transformation if you are not trapped by it, you are not deceived by it, and you do not cling and attach to the psychic ability and the special mind manifestation. All these manifestation, if it doesn’t bring about understanding or wisdom,forget about it,because these areonly conditioned mind states. Nothing special, so don’t go and attach and cling via saying, ‘Wah! I must have gone through certain insight or certain mind transformation. I can see this; I can see that’. No, these are defilements of insight that will manifest through mind states. It is a condition state, just like those people in Jhāna, in concentration, in one pointedness of mind; they can see nimitta, have psychic ability and so on.

So, when you develop the cultivation in accordance with the teachings as taught by the Buddha, it is just Sati, awareness and mindfulness leading to heedfulness. Just stabilize it, then through this stability of mindfulness that naturecan see by itself, can awaken by itself. He was able to be in this state because he has connected quite long ago, a few years already. That’s why earlier on, he still has the questions of the thought. Then I told him, forget about thethoughts. If you go to the thought, it will continue to deceive you. So, you just do, don’t try to know, then you will understand.

That’s why I said, whatever happens, relax into it and silent your mind. So, that knowing part, is the knowledge, forget about it. Don’t try to know when you are in formal meditation. Just do until the whole wisdom stabilized, then the understanding will unfold. The understanding will shine forth, then your nature will know and then this understanding is with your nature. When it is with your nature, you don’t have to remember them because it is not knowledge, it is an understandingwhich is always there and you will understand what this thing is. That’s why when he was in the garden, he can be aware of the birds flying very high up there, then the nature’s movements, the car, the plants, the leaves, everything else, and then he realizes his mind is different already. Then there is a thought that tells him, maybe you should use this to do the four foundation of mindfulness, the Satipathana. Then from the nature inside, it says, there is no Satipathana, he has done it. All these, the cultivator with the understanding and wisdom connected, will understand. Then it will just know how to live life. Just like what he said, the five aggregates of form and mind, that book that we printed became so clear to him now. You all should go and read through it to develop the clear understanding.

The last time when he read, he thought he understands, but mostly still theory, because it involves so many things. There are two types of mind and if you cannot understand that, you cannot penetrate the Buddha Dharma. Then the two aspects of five aggregates ofform and mind, then the twelve links, the dependent origination. The mental intentions, the fine movements, the various mental states, etc.; all these you cannot just understand them through knowledge or theory. There may be words to describe them but the actual awakening is via the direct seeing with the mindfulness, the awareness. That’s why you must have the understanding and if you have faith, and you diligently cultivate accordingly, you will awaken. That’s why the first phase of Dharma, understanding it clearly, then put it into practice,don’t try to know, just cultivate it. Then silent the mind until the mind enter Sati, until your daily mindfulness is very stable, Sati Sampajañña also very stable. Most of you have the initial wisdom already, except for some of you, it is not stable yet.

Check against, the ten steps stated in the Avijjā Sutta’s enlightenment sequence. The 1st step is to have Dharma friends, which you all have. 2nd step is listening to the true Dharma, which is what you all have been doing all these while, and then the 3rd(third) step is to develop the faith which you all also have already. So, once the faith is there, you will develop the spiritual Zeal (Vīriya) to move forward, to cultivate the first turning and second turningwisdom cumulating into the initial wisdom (Yoniso Manasikāra), and that is step 4, which is what you have to develop. The first turning wisdom is through hearing or reading. When you have the Dharma understanding borne of pariyatti (first phase of the Dharma), then through constant hearing of the true dharma, it can awaken you because your understanding has stabilized. Then after that when you reflect, contemplate and inquire further, you start to develop deeper understanding, then you start to assimilate everything that you have heard and studied, and assimilate then into your nature’s understanding. First is to stabilize the understanding through constant reflection, contemplation and inquiry, then the assimilationpart is when you take them all in, then the understanding will prepare you to receive thethird turning wisdom, which is more penetrative leading to the true awakening. So, the first turning and second turning wisdom can bring about the initial wisdom, which is YonisoManasikāra. This initial wisdom is needed for you to develop the stability of mind, leading to a stable daily mindfulness.

When you have the initial wisdom, at the moment of sense experience, feeling will remain as pure feeling, you will not stir, you will not react. That’s why you can have more moment of peace, more moment of calmness, more moment of awareness. Your mindfulness becomes more and more, then more and more stable. That’s why after that step 4, you will move on to the 5th step, which is sati sampajañña (mindfulness with clear comprehension). After this the 6th step which is the sense restraint will arise because your daily mindfulness with clear comprehension is already very stable. When you already have the initial wisdom and sati sampajañña, you will have the sense restraint because your mindfulness is very stable, and you can then, like what Brother Song went through, see the evil roots clearly, and they cannot move like before because of understanding. The 3 evil roots are the roots of all evil, but the moment your wisdomis there, it willprompt you with the appropriate dharma and it will stopbecause you will understand that these are all delusion, illusion, empty, having no meaning, so why do? Then the 2nd right effort to prevent the wrong thoughts from arising can be done.

That’s why you will not be like ordinary people anymore. You cannot stir your mind, you cannot react, you cannot becomeemotional, you cannot become fearful, and you cannot becomeunhappy and miserable any more.All these will stop. It is like you are completely different now. What ordinary people do, you cannot do any more. You can’t cheat people, you can’t deceive people, and you can’t have that mind that is cunning because you know it is not worthwhile. It is not worth doing all these wrong things. The senserestraints will be there. With sense restraints, you are incapable of negativity and that’s how you can move on to the 7th step to arise, the 3 ways ofgood conduct. It’s only after that step 7, you can develop the cultivation of the four foundations of mindfulness.

So, after Yoniso Manasikāra, you will have a very stable daily mindfulness leading to Sati Sampajañña or daily mindfulness with clearcomprehension. Then your sense restraint will arise. Once your sense restraint is stabilized, the three3 ways of right conduct: Right action, speech and thought will be there. With the 3 ways of right conduct, the four foundations of mindfulness cultivation (which is step 8) will become very easy. You will skim or breeze through it. Then you will have the condition to experience the seven factors of enlightenment which is step 9. Then you know you are on the right path leading to step 10 which is enlightenment in the here and the now. That’s how you awaken. The ten steps all fulfilled.

So, what you all need is just to develop the initial wisdom and the stability of daily mindfulness leading to sense restraint. Then after that, what you hear from Brother Song’s sharing, you will be able to go through to experience them. After that your sense restraint is automatic. You cannot do all the funny things like before because the wisdom is already there, the understanding is there, by then everything is so clear to you. That’s why under the dependent origination (the twelve links) teaching, it is said, upon contact, feeling arises, and then with this wisdom developed feeling cannot condition craving. It stops there. Feeling will remain as just pure feeling, and it stops there. Then, there is joy, there is wisdom, there is understanding and the mental states (cetasika) of peace, tranquillity and equanimity will be there. The joy, the lightness of mind, the tranquillity and stillness of mind, the love, compassion, and contentment of mind, all these very beautiful mind stateswill be there. Then all the unwholesome mind states cannot arise. Then, the sense of shame is automatic. You cannot do them anymore,because no point. This type of things only the normal beings can do, but not for transformed beings. An ariya can never do all those things, because no more delusion. So, that part is very beautiful. That’s why if you check your cultivation against theten steps of the Avijjā Sutta you won’t go wrong.Then when the seven factors of enlightenment arise, you know you are on theright path. Otherwise the enlightenment factors won’t be there. When the enlightenment factors are there, it is a condition for you to become enlightened, awakened.

Insight Knowledge in the here and the now leading to the enlightenment or liberation of mind is the final step, step number 10. This is beautiful. So, hopefully with this understanding, you all can have the faith. A lot of you will transform and awaken. It is not difficult because of the present sāsana. The sasana’s consciousness is very special and unique. This special condition that enable you all to be born during this Buddha sasana’s golden window can help you realize this awakening.Everything has evolved so well, so beautifully for you and the coming retreat will be even more beautiful.

Okay, let us rejoice with Brother Song’s sharing. (Sadhu 3X).

Do you all have any more meditation question and reporting? Just now PG suggested maybe we can get Sister Soo to do some sharing. Soo, do you have something to share? You just came back from your India spiritual trip, right? You just share whatever you want to share.

Sister Soo: Recently, I went for this second pilgrimage to India. During the pilgrimage, I am perplexed as to why I have no feeling? I feel nothing. I don’t feel joy, I don’t feel regret, rejoice also sometime a little bit only. Basically, I have no feeling, sometime no thought also. Why? Brother Teoh, can I have your opinion, why I have no feeling?

Brother Teoh: Okay, no problem.

You see, when you go for all these types of pilgrimage or spiritual trips, if you have the faith, chances are your mind will transform. But this one that you experience isa calm state of mind which is conditioned by your determination to be seriously calm during this spiritual trip. You are conditionedinto believing that there is a sortof mind that iswithout feeling, associated withequanimity and conducive for enlightenment. Meaning you are neither excited nor joyful, or sad or whatever. You are just calm and peaceful. But if you are mindful, it is different and the experience is not like that. If you are mindful, relax and just aware, it is a free mind. The free mindthat is in Sati is very different. Yours is a conditioned state borne of faith. Do you understand? You become calm and peaceful because your faith is thereand that is a conditioned state. Because your mind has been conditioned into believing; ‘I don’t want to have feeling, Iwant to have equanimity’. How can you not have feeling? There is feeling but you suppress it, so it becomes calmness, is like you are neither happy nor unhappy because you are in that state of calmness. People who are in Jhāna also behave like that. So, faith and spiritual way place can bring about that calmness, that peacefulness. Your mind become very composed, very calm, very still and most of the time if you move in those spiritualplaces, together with the cultivators there, their collective consciousness and energy (especially if they are doing mostly concentration or Samatha meditation), you can go into calmness very fast. Do you understand?

But for those who practice mindfulness and awareness it is different; theirs is wisdom energy, and if you know how to draw from it (after you have connected to your nature), it will open up your heart’s consciousness. It will not only make you very calm and peaceful but It will also give you that wisdom energy to transform you so that youcan have thefree mind that is very quiet, very peaceful, still and tranquil, yet it is fully aware. It is sensitive. It is not the case that you have no feeling at all but that one is very sensitive. It can sense and feel many things. It can have the spacious awareness without a centre. It can have specific phenomenaawareness and most of the time that mind state is with joy, Pīti and understanding. With wisdom and understanding, there is so much joy and you will understand, ‘everything is just the way it is. Cannot be otherwise’. So, this is the explanation why you are in that state.

You cannot maintain this state because this is the conditioned state. Coming back to the daily life, may be for the first few days, you can still maintain that quietness, but after you start to interact with others in life, you will lose that mind state and you will become like normal again. You can still have fear, worry and anxiety, and emotions again, maybe not immediate, but after a while, when yougo back to society, when you go back to life. But the other one is different it is a pure mind in Sati with wisdom, and the moment they understand, awaken and transform, their mind becomes different. No matter what happened, they will not behave like before; the heedless thinking, all cannot arise. Whatever happens, they can understand and they can accept the reality of the moment. They can even smile and move and be active; not need to hold on to a conditioned state of mind to become peaceful.

Sister Soo: Because before I left, I have been telling myself, okay, I shall silent my mind, I shall not be a ‘Kay Poh’ (busy body), so, when I silent my mind, I should be calm. So, I have been telling myself that. So, my is a conditioned mind and I quite agree with Bro Teoh’s explanation.

Brother Teoh: Yes, that is the conditioning you arise. Ok, Sadhu

Sister Soo: Um... ok, I shall share with you all my trip in India. Initially, I had difficulty in overcoming my aversion until towards the end of the trip. You see, the dislike, towards those beggars who come, asking for money. This trip they are more aggressive, they come and hold you and touch you, I actually cringed, whenever they do that. So, I had this problem. Then I thought maybe I should send Metta to them. It may have lessened the effect but towards the end, I still have this aversion which I am not able to overcome. That is one lesson for me. The No. 2 problem is, I could see the strong desire for blessings, the desire for fame, and the discrimination that is going on around me. I could see the suffering in people at the end of the trip. The message that came to me was: it is about time I lookinward, rather than outward, that’s all I have to share.

Brother Teoh: Good, Thank you for your sharing, Sister Soo. Let us rejoice with her good sharing. Sadhu 3X.

You see, when you don’t have the full understanding or the clear understanding, it is very easy for you to be conditioned by what you hear, what people teach you. This is what she came to realize after hearing my explanation. She confirmed what happened to her is a conditioned state because before she went for the trip, she made the determination not to become a ‘Kay Poh’ and she wanted to be silent with no emotion during the entire duration of the trip. This is how she gave rise to that conditioned mind state. But because she has very strong faith her conditioned mind state of peace and calmness become stronger. That’s why, she agreed with my explanation. Then the other thing that makes her agree is, she still has this problem of aversion. She said the aversion towards thosebeggars who are more aggressive this time around. Do you know in India, there are a lot of these beggars? So when they come, it is how you attend to them that counts. These are worldly phenomena. Worldly conditions. So, when conditions arise, it’s like lightning strike, etc. if don’t have the wisdom and the understanding, there is sudden fear at moment of lightning strike, especially so, when you are caught unaware. Do you understand? That’s why when the beggars became aggressive, she cringed. Cringe is like you don’t like. It is like they are disgusting, disturbing and harassing you. So, she realized she has that problem. But in cultivation, you have to reflect and contemplate to develop the understanding via inquiring: why did I do that? Why can’t I reflect and straighten my views? Why do I still cringe and react? When you contemplate and reflect on them, you become different, which means you will come to understand that you don’t have right view, to accept them for what they are. You should reflect, ‘I have to remind myself, I am in India, these people have no money, no food, and they want to get something out of the tourists, and so they will come after you’. In the early years when I went to Indonesia, it is the same. When I was in Medan, and when I was in Jakarta, these kids also came and harass us. Some of them are pickpockets. They will come after you, and they will ask for money from you. They will crowd around you to distract you and steal your things. So, you have to be mindful, you have to be aware. What I normally do is, I just smile, then I look after my important things like my purse and passport, then I will stare at them and said to them, ‘please don’t come near, I have nothing for you’. So, when they see you do that they will not come for you, but when they see or sense you having fear, they will come after you. They like those people who have fear, because that is the way of living beings. When you are heedless, it is like that.

So, you have to learn to straighten your views, via inquiry: how can I not react and stir my mind? How can I, not have the fear? My mind must not be in a conditioned state. I must have a free mind that is aware and understands, then only can I have love and joy.

Like she said, she tried to radiate Metta or loving kindness. This won’t work because it is as if, when you want to answer nature’s call, only you look for toilet? It will be too late, because your Metta must be with you in the first place. When you already have the Metta in you then only the Metta can come out. Then no need to verbalize, they can feel your mettā and they will know you are different, and they won’t disturb you. Like I told you all before, the gangsters also won’t come near me, even when I was very young. They can feel your mind state, especially your fear. It is the same with dogs, they will bark louder and they will chase after you if they can sense your fear. But if you have no fear, and you look at them, they will look back atyou, and then they will walk away. Do you know why? The dogs have little thoughts so they can sense you. They are more sensitive. Base on the law of attraction, when you have fear, you attract people who are aggressive, who want to prey on your fear, do you understand? It is not difficult for living beings to develop the understanding. When you reflect and contemplate, you will come to realize the choice depends on your wisdom. If you don’t have wisdom, you will do all those wrong and foolish things. You will arise the fear and panic. To protect yourself, you just have to becalm and aware, just in case they are pickpockets. When you travel make sure your passport and your other important documents are tugged inside your body, I always put them inside my singlet here, so it is always with me. At the most, they only take my money. But so far so good, touch wood, nothing happened. When you take precautions, you are being mindful and aware,even while in the midst of acommotion, you are fully aware. You make sure your things are with you. When you arefully aware, you will know how to respond, there is no fear and you do not panic. This is how when you have the understanding, you will act appropriately, because you act with wisdom and understanding; you no longer act with fear, with aversion and delusion. When you have the Dharma, you are different. This understanding is very important.

But the last part she shared is very good. That is the beginning of true learning. Can you remember what she said? She said, ‘she can see other people’s suffering, their desire, craving etc. That is part of cultivation. Then she said she has to reverse the light and go insideto see her own fear,her own suffering, her own desire and craving. This is what the Satipaṭṭhāna training is all about.

When you are aware externally, what do you do? You are also awareinwardly. But the actual cultivation is the other way round. She saw in others first, which is outside, and then she tried to go in. The actual cultivation is to go in first,see your own fear, your own desire, your own suffering, and your own craving. When you can seeyour own defilements,you can understand others. What she saw was the gross one, the gross suffering and fearthat other people manifest on the street, but the fine ones deep inside their consciousness she cannot feel or see, because she is not sensitive enough. But later on, as shared by Bro Song, ‘when you can see your own subtle defilements inside you, then you can see others on the street, or when you are near somebody, you can sense through your sensitivity of mindfulness, and you will know, this person has problem, he has sadness, he has deep fear. That’s why when people with depression come to my house, my nature will know because their vibration is very different. I can sense their fear. When they have the karmic affinity, my nature will also know. Then I will share accordingly. If you are a true cultivator, you will have this type of sensitivity. Then from the way they answer and report to me, my nature will understand what their likelykarmic conditionsare. I can use the mindfulness’ssensitivity of mind and dharma wisdom to understand myself, others and the outside world. That is real cultivation.

Yours is just the beginning, you start seeing others suffering, craving and desire first. Then you reverse the light and see your own defilements within yourself. After that you start to come to the Dharma classes to look for answers. Then when you start to meditate, only then do you realize that these are gross suffering and defilements. The fine ones are deep inside; do you understand? How your cocoon of negative thoughts develops and accumulate through your wrong views and wrong thoughts which conditioned you into depression and misery. Then how all these become very strong in you, until it develops into habitual tendencies. This cocoon of negative thoughts is like a tape recorder keeps on repeating itself and make you miserable. And your negative thoughts conditioned your fear, worry,anxiety, sorrow and lamentation, etc. brings aboutdeep resentment, unhappiness and suffering. You tend to ask all these wrong or unbeneficial questions like, ‘Why these people do this to me? How come my life is so bad? Why my own children also don’t respect me?Why can’t they understand me?’ Then suicidal thoughts that say, ‘might as well die.’ That means you only look through your own selfish wrong thoughts. You are not using the awareness to be aware. When you are using the awareness to be aware, you will not be caught by the thoughts. The proliferation of thoughts doesn’t grasp you, or cause you to cling and suck you in. You are not being swallowed into it. Do you understand?

So, the dependent origination is very clear. Upon contact, feelingarise; when feeling arise, if you have delusion, you will attach, cling, grasp and hold, do you understand? This is craving. Then you grasp at it and you become that. It has transgressed out. That’s why you can do funny things and these links, you also cannot see; these are still very gross and very intense movements, with suffering. But you are not sensitive. That’s why it can move until like that, and you are still not aware. But when you havemindfulness, the slightest movement to react with like and dislike, pleasant and unpleasantfeelings, is like so gross to you because you are so sensitive, and you realize after that you cannot arise them like before. The mind just stops, no more stirring, because this is delusion. The stirring of mind, creates mental hindrances and is causing mentalsuffering. And the links will continue. When you hit suffering link, it means you are very, very ‘teruk’ already or meaning you are totally not mindful at all. Do you understand? Because you are not mindful of feeling transforming into craving, then craving transforming into grasping also you are not aware because you lack sensitivity of mindfulness. Then from grasping, it condition becoming, leading to birth and the whole mass of suffering also you are not aware. Your consciousness has become so heedless, it is already concocting (‘cooking’); saṅkhāra-saññā, the thinkingkeeps on moving. Concocting means ‘cocking’ or ‘boiling’. It is like the saṅkhāra-saññā activities’ or mentalmovements are very fast. The moment you perceive, you think, then you react, and you stir your mind, and this is what I call ‘cooking’. ‘Cooking’ in your mind. That’s how people can become depressed. This is how depression sets in. The cocoon of depressive thoughts is so strong. This is how sufferingbecomes intensified, and if you are still not mindful even at that stage, then you cannot blame anybody,why you suffer. Do you understand? To me that is intense suffering. You are already so miserable, yet you keep on clinging onto it and keep on behaving like a tape recorder, repeating and playing the same old wrong thoughts. Your whole thinking is just those cocoon of wrong thoughts. You are trapped in it. You have become that and still you are not aware. When you take ‘birth’, it means the transgression part where the whole mass of suffering is going to attack and haunt you. That’s why you will be engulf by your anger, hatred, fear, remorse, deep resentment and other negative emotionafflicting you. When you grasp and grip on to such wrong thoughts, they will make you miserable mentally and this mental suffering conditions your physical suffering, that’s how your immune system and health will be affected. It can cripple you. Do you understand? Those types of negative energy can give rise to conditions for more negative Karma. Without wisdom you cannot stop them. You will be badly afflicted; do you understand? So, all these are very beautifulsharing because there are conditions to share them. That’s also the reason why, it has been raining non-stop all this while. Do you have any more questions?

Today is very good, somehow PG created the condition for Sister Soo to share. Then Brother Song also gave a very beautiful sharing.

If you all don’t have any more questions, I will make use of this 5 minutes or so, to share with you this Mahayana sutra which is very important: The Three Fold Lotus Sutra.

Have you all heard of this 3-fold Lotus Sutra? Since you all are mostly of the Theravada tradition, I will have to introduce and share this sutra with you all because later on we may do our sharing basing on this Sutra. This Sutra, the 3-fold Lotus Sutra is very powerful. Sister Eng Bee, do you know how to write the mandarin words? ‘Fa’ is Dharma. Padmasuri, she asked you to write. In mandarin they pronounce it as, ‘Fa Hua San Bu Jing’ (法华三部经), the Three Fold Lotus Sutra. In Pinyin it is ‘Fa Hua San Bu Jing’. This is a very important Sutra. This is the Sutra the Mahayana based on to cultivate the Bodhisattva way. The other one is the AvatamsakaSutra (华严经). We have covered most of the Mahayana Sutta, except these three and the Avatamsaka Sutra. By now, you all are ready to study these sutras. This ‘Fa Hua San Bu Jing’ or 3-fold Lotus Sutra is very long, and not easy to understand.

They have a total of 3 books:

- the first book is ‘Wu Liang Yi Jing’ (无量义经),

- the second one is ‘Miao Fa Lian Hua Jing’ (妙法莲华经), and

- then the last one is ‘Guan Pu Xian Pu Sa Xing Fa Jing’ (观普贤菩萨行法经).

This ‘Wu Liang Yi Jing’, (Sutra of Innumerable Meaning) is very important. This first Sutra is to introduce The Lotus Sutra. There are a total of 3 sections within this sutra. Section I: Virtue,Section II:Teaching or Preaching of Dharma, where the Buddha told the Bodhisattva, when you understand this sutra of innumerable meaning, you will know how to share and teach the Dharma and liberate living beings. The third section is on the Ten merits; (these ten merits are not the ten meritorious actions). These are the very deep cultivation of the ten merits taught by the Buddha.

After that is the Lotus Sutra (妙法莲华经), the Wonderful DharmaLotus Sutra. This sutra is very beautiful and there are twenty-eight chapters, but there are teachings in this sutra, unlike the Diamond Sutra where there is hardly any teaching. The Diamond sutra, only teaches you how to cultivate at those levels of mind transformation. But there are a lot of teachings and stories in this Lotus Sutra. It also has a lot of predictions of Buddhahood by Sākyamuni Buddha for his disciples. Sariputta is one of them. He will become a Sammāsaṃbuddha and a lot of his other disciples (especially the top ten) will also become Sammāsaṃbuddha. And they also have the parable of the burning carts. There are a lot of beautiful teachings inside this sutra and this one will take years to finish if you really want to go through it.

We will see how it goes. At the moment I can’t even find one book with the English translation that is really good for us to use in the sharing. Master Hsuan Hua’s version consist of about twenty over to thirty volumes and they are all very thick. I am talking about the English translation, not the mandarin version. Whatever it is, this Lotus Sutra is very, very beautiful. And the last one is the sutra onmeditation by Pu Xian Pusa,普贤菩萨, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Later on if we have the condition, after we finish this book, ‘The Cultivation of the Bodhisattva Way’, then I will see how it goes. I may use this book, ‘Wu Liang Yi Jing’ first because it is a very important teaching book. There is also the other book, ‘The Path to Truth’, which I told you all, I may go into that too. Because that book also covers the cultivation of the Bodhisattva way. That book is from Tzu Chi (慈济).

Now the condition has arisen for all these teachings to be shared. Last time, I cannot share all these because if I share, you all may not understand as these teachings are very profound and not easy to comprehend. But recently the condition just arises. Last Friday, while at the office, I have nothing to do, so I clicked on my computer, I was actually looking for Chinese movie and as I browsed down, I saw thisThree Fold Lotus Sutra. I wonder what is it, so I clicked on it then I found it to be so beautiful. I straight away understood what it is and how they were put together, the first part is the introduction and the ending part is the summary, which is very beautiful.

3.4 Closing Puja

So, we shall stop here. The next class will be after the retreat. It is a good condition today and the sharing has been so beautiful. The rain is also about to stop. We shall do the sharing of merits and the transferring of merits, etc. then we end. (End of session)

3.5 Outline Short Notes, audio and video links

Outline short notes for Bro Teoh’s Sunday class dated 10 March 2019 (Cultivating the Bodhisattva way)

Audio link: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/10-Cultivating-The-Bodisattva-Way-10-March-2019.mp3

Whiteboard link: https://i2.wp.com/broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/10-Cultivating-The-Bodisattva-Way-10-March-2019.jpg?ssl=1

Video link 1: Law of Attraction vs Law of Karma (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9wJnrttj4U&feature=youtu.be

Video link 2: Understanding Cetasika or Mental Factors (YouTube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AcK_bA2rFk&feature=youtu.be

Ref. Book: Bro Teoh's transcript book, ‘Cultivating the Bodhisattva Way’, pages 55-62

1. Karmic fruitions can trigger karmic obstructions and they can be verypowerful obstructions.

2. To clear karmic obstructions, one need to sincerely ask for forgiveness from the Triple Gem and all beings and vow not to repeat all these karmic negativities via following the advice of the Buddha to avoid all evil, cultivates wholesomeness and meditates to purify one’s mind. Then invoke power of merits for turn around and recovery.

3. The 10 Perfections cultivation are generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, spiritual zeal, patience endurance, truthfulness, determination/aspiration, loving kindness and equanimity.

4. Dharma is not just theory. It has to be cultivated while in the midst of life because it is a living dharma, not theory or knowledge which is not the true dharma. Investigate the Dharma in our daily life activities. When the Dharma stands up to investigation, there will be understanding and faith.

5. Only Bodhisattvas have precepts to break because Bodhisattvas have very extensive vows and work to do.

6. It is very important to understand what constitute evils so that they can be recognized and

7. Strive on with heedfulness to connect to our true nature early in every life. Learn the Dharma fast so that the Bodhi mind or seed can be activated early to perfect our karmic nature until it cannot fall back any more.

8. Long or short period of cultivation time is of no significance for a Bodhisattva who had realized the Enlightenment.

9. Question from Sister Tammy: Is Adhiṭṭhāna and Law of Attraction the same?

10. Brother Teoh explained that the Law of Attractiondoes not give the whole perspective of things as it does not take into account the law of karma. Even though the thoughts arepositive and motivating but with evil roots, negative karma will arise. Then, those positive thoughts (with evil roots) may only work for a while in the beginning until the negative karmic fruition kicks in. (Do view and listen attentively to the video recording which is very clear and complete to understand this topic better. This video recording is available in our com website under recording of classes.)

11. Question from Sister Soo: What is cetasika? How can cetasika help in our cultivation?

12. Brother Teoh explained that cetasika are just mental concomitants/states/content of consciousness which we must be aware of while cultivating our daily mindfulness. (Do view and listenattentively to the video recording which is very clear and complete to understand this topic better. This video recording is available in our com website under recording of classes.)

13. Brother Song shares his cultivation experience, where he experiencedheightened awareness and understanding of the Dharma. His consciousness experience brightlights and was aware of even the birds flying high above his head but he was not distracted by such experiences. He continues to relax and maintain awareness until he can be aware of his very subtle greed, resentment and dislike including all the very fine mental movements and mind states within his mind.

14. Brother Teoh rejoiced with Brother Song's rather good progress and understanding and cautioned others against attaching to the manifestation of bright light (consciousness very bright) which is one of the 10 defilements of insight because it is just a conditioned state. Clinging will block progress. Silent the mind until the mind enters sati. Stabilize the daily mindfulness until one can develop the direct seeing from their pure nature. (Must listen attentively to the audio recording from the 2hr 7 minutes onward to develop the clearand deep understanding of the actual cultivation.)

15. At the moment of sense experience and feeling, if there is the initial wisdom (yoniso manasikāra) the mind will not stir and one will then have more moments of silent awareness (sati Sampajañña) leading to sense restraint.

16. Sister Soo asked why for a period she can have no feeling and thoughts during her recent spiritual trip to India. She also asked why at one stage she at the same time also has so much dislike or aversion towards those beggars that harassed her and causing her to cringe. Later she can also see other people’s suffering, desire and greed for blessings and fame. She then decides to reverse the light and look within or inwards to see her own defilements.

17. Brother Teoh explained that her faith and conditioned mind brings about the initial calm state of mind that conditioned her to associate every encounter with equanimity. If she is mindful with a free mind it will not be the same. If she had relaxed into it and maintain awareness, it will changeinto afree mind. Regarding the beggars, there must be understanding to overcome or root out the aversion. The last part she did - to reverse the light and see within was good. Actual cultivation is usually the oppositeway. One must reverse the light and look within to see our own defilements and how these defilements condition us via our own self-delusion to stir and project our thoughts leading to all the fear, worry anxiety and suffering borne of wrong thoughts. Through understanding ourselves we will be able to understand others. (Must listen attentively to the audio recording from 2hr 26 minutesonwards to develop the clear and deep understanding of this cultivation.)

18. Bro Teoh introduced and shared the 3-Fold Lotus Sutra (Fa Hua San Bu Jing) with kalyāṇamittas.

(Above draft prepared by Sister Mun Yuen)

Table of Contents

(Biodata of Bro. Teoh Kian Koon)

1. Preface

2. Acknowledgement

3. 10th Lesson on Cultivating the Bodhisattva Way

3.1 Pūjā

3. 10th Lesson on Cultivating the Bodhisattva Way

3.1 Pūjā

3.2 Dharma and sutra sharing by Bro. Teoh

3.3. Meditation reporting

3.4 Closing Puja

3.5 Outline Short Notes, audio and video links