Free Web NovelChapter 1925: Chapter 1923: [Buddhist Enduring Sayings (3)]
18. Happiness
124. Do not indulge in negligence, do not crave sensory pleasures; those who are enthusiastic and frequently contemplate the truth can attain great joy.
125. Living without a trace of hatred among a crowd filled with resentment, life can be joyful.
126. There are two extremes that cultivators should not pursue. What are these two extremes? The enjoyment of ’sensory pleasure’ is low-level, crude, vulgar, base, and leads to physical and mental harm; ’self-torture’ is painful, degrading, and also causes harm to body and mind. However, the ’Middle Path’ discovered by Perfect Saints avoids these two extremes, bringing you sharp insight and knowledge, and guides you towards peace, wisdom, enlightenment, and eternal joy.
127. Those who maintain good character in old age are happy, those with strong faith are also happy. The wise are happy; those who do no evil are happy as well.
19. Contentment
128. Happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires, and only in the preservation of noble desires.
129. Trust yourself, besides yourself, who else can you rely on.
130. A person is the master of their own destiny.
131. Health is the best gain; contentment is the best wealth. Trustworthy friends are the best relatives; absence of worries is the greatest happiness.
132. A person’s thoughts are extremely subtle and difficult to detect, but the intelligent are skilled at guarding thoughts that are about to stir; a mind that has been safeguarded can lead to happiness.
133. Ah! Without attachment and hindrance, our life can be happy, like celestial beings in the Light Sound Heaven who feed on joy.
134. Generously give, behave appropriately, support relatives, and act without shame—this is the greatest happiness.
135. Honoring parents, caring for a wife, stability in profession, are great happiness.
20. Wisdom
136. Understanding sacred eternal matters can be aptly called ’wisdom’; understanding worldly matters is merely ’knowledge.’
137. Every formation of things in the universe has its cause. Perfect Saints not only explain the cause of formation but also describe the circumstances of each thing’s demise.
138. Not knowing the truth of suffering, the cause of suffering, the state of eliminating suffering, and the method to eliminate suffering—this is called ’ignorance.’
139. There are three forms of mental training: the first is training in noble morality, the second is training in excellent thinking methods, and the third is training in superior understanding.
140. Make your old age as innocent and romantic as childhood, and make your childhood as calm and steady as old age; this means: do not let arrogance mingle in your wisdom, nor let humility lack elements of wisdom.
141. Wisdom arises from meditation; without meditation, great wisdom cannot emerge.
142. If a person lives a hundred years without genuine wisdom and cannot regulate themselves, it’s better to live just one day with wisdom and the practice of stillness.
21. Tolerance
143. If someone speaks ill of you, there’s no need to harbor malice, resentment, disdain, or dissatisfaction towards them.
144. If you harbor resentment, it not only hinders the development of your mind but also makes it impossible for you to judge whether that statement is right or wrong.
145. At the same time, if others overly praise your teachings and monks, you should not be too pleased, for it would also harm your inner mental development. You should accept part of the facts and clarify the actual situation to them.
146. A lotus born amidst abandoned waste and mud still emits a pleasing fragrance, just as Buddha’s disciples can live among those with strong desires yet exude the light of wisdom.
147. It’s not just starting today, as ancient times have already passed down: silent people are slandered; those who talk too much are slandered; those who talk too little are slandered too; there is no one in the world who is not slandered.
22. Contentment
148. Do not expect illicit achievements.
149. Health is the best gift, contentment is the greatest wealth, faith is the best virtue.
150. Live a life of simple clothing and plain food, curb your desires, reduce your needs, and in this worry-free moderate life, you can discover satisfaction.
151. Even if gold rains from the sky, it cannot satisfy the desires of the senses. Sensory desires bring no joy, only pain.
152. People always give according to their faith and liking. Envying others’ food and possessions leads to unrest both day and night.
23. Health
153. Greed, hatred, and ignorance are the three major elements of illness.
154. There are two types of illness, what are these two types? Physical illness and mental illness. Some people’s bodies seem to go a year, two years, or even a hundred years or more without illness, but in this world, apart from saints with minds free of impurities, very few people can keep their mind disease-free even for a moment.
155. Emotionally unstable, untrustworthy, and unfriendly to friends, their health situation will greatly deteriorate.
156. Good people do not cling to anything. They only talk about noble matters, not pursuing desires and enjoyment. Whether experiencing joy or pain, wise ones are neither too jubilant nor sad.
157. Intelligent people, whether happy or suffering, do not overly express their feelings.
158. The wise should clear the impurities from their minds, abandon sensory enjoyment, making the heart free from burdens.
159. If there is no wound on the hand, you can use it to hold poison, and the toxin will not invade the unwounded hand. Similarly, those who have not done wrong will not suffer bad consequences.
160. Full of vitality, often thinking, acting purely, discerning right from wrong, self-restraining, living according to truth, alert and not negligent, they will undoubtedly become healthier.
161. Prevention is better than cure.
162. Physicians must first determine the illness before prescribing medication or proceeding with treatment.
24. Charity
163. Land becomes barren due to weeds, people suffer because of greed; giving things to those without greed will yield abundant rewards.
164. There are three types of charity: the first is the giving of material wealth, the second is the giving of truth, and the third is the removal of fear from all living beings.
165. When a noble person gives, they hold no intention or purpose in their heart..., such selfless charity generates immeasurable merit.
166. The flesh is not the true self, for if the body were mine, it would be free and would not fall ill.
167. When the belief in non-self is deeply rooted in one’s heart (when one firmly believes in the truth of non-self), they can thereby attain a state of calm, composure, and greater equanimity.
25. Friendship
168. Sincere friendship has an exquisite taste. freēwēbnovel.com
169. When traveling, if you do not find a companion better or equal to yourself, it’s better to walk alone rather than be in the company of fools.
170. The flattery of friends can corrupt one’s character, similarly, an enemy’s insults can sometimes correct your mistakes.
171. You should know these four kinds of people are true friends: first, a friend who helps and supports you; second, a friend who shares joys and sorrows; third, a friend who benefits you; fourth, a friend who is loving.
172. A person who is tolerant and patient will gain friends, property, reputation, and lasting happiness.
26. Wealth
173. A foolish person says: ’I have sons, I have wealth.’ This is troubling. Because he himself does not truly belong to him, let alone his sons or wealth.
174. Having a lot of property, a large amount of gold and food, yet only indulging in one’s luxury enjoyment - is a major cause of downfall.
175. Wealth destroys the foolish, but it cannot destroy those who wish to cut off afflictions; when a foolish person covets wealth, he harms not only himself but also others.
176. A household should divide their property into four parts: one part for daily use, two parts for savings or charity, and one part kept for emergencies.
177. One should use money reasonably, and proportionately with their income, avoiding wastage and avoiding stinginess. Do not scheme for wealth, nor indulge in extravagance.
27. Faith
178. Faith is the root of wisdom, allowing for good virtue to arise.
179. If one’s inner self is unstable, does not understand good teachings, and faith is shaken, they cannot accomplish Perfect wisdom.
180. A wise person is not swayed by praise or criticism, just like a hard rock is not swayed by the wind.
28. Liberation
181. Removing selfish ** can cure suffering.
182. This is the path to achieving freedom and liberation - helping others without seeking fame, profit, or reward, without harboring intentions to harm others, but acting with rationality.
183. Just like a palm tree uprooted will never grow again; when one’s actions (including thoughts and speech) are free of greed, hatred, and ignorance, they will no longer suffer birth, aging, sickness, and death.
184. The path to peace and wisdom:
Proper Understanding
Proper Thought
Proper Speech
Proper Action
Proper Livelihood
Proper Effort
Proper Mindfulness
Proper Meditation
185. Meditation does not arise in those lacking wisdom, nor does wisdom arise in those without meditation. Having both meditation and wisdom brings one closer to a state free from afflictions.
29. Diligence
186. Starting today, a person should strive to improve their mind, for we never know when death will come.
187. Not reciting is the stain of reading scriptures; not being diligent is the stain of maintaining a household; laziness is the stain of the skin; promiscuity is the stain of those who inspire the mind.
188. Those who work hard, diligently without giving up, who fear no difficulty, will have good rewards.
189. Ignorant and foolish people indulge recklessly without restraint; but wise people keep striving diligently, valuing diligence as a supreme treasure.
190. You are your own protector, your own reliance. Therefore, guide yourselves well, like a horse trader guides a good horse.
191. You should strive to do good yourself, for the Perfect Saint only shows you the path to follow.
192. Even views as Perfect and without burdens, if you are attached to them, it means you don’t understand. All teachings are like a raft, meant to cross the river, not for clinging to. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to give recommendation votes and monthly votes on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
