Mental Health and Career Success
A Speech Given at Nanyang Normal University
The Evening of November 3, 2011
Remarks by the organizer:
Welcome to today’s lecture series!
Ever since its establishment a hundred years ago, Nanyang Normal University has upheld its founding principle of “Breadth, Steadiness, and Wisdom” and maintained its upbeat university spirit. Many students have been attracted to this campus; here they attain knowledge and realize their dreams.
But while we are growing, there will be many challenges in our lives. How shall we face them with a positive attitude and at the same time, steer our sense of direction and live meaningfully? To answer these questions, we are very happy to have Khenpo So Dargye, the pre-eminent Tibetan Buddhist master, to enlighten us here this evening.
Next we will ask Professor Baohau, School of Education Science, to say a few words——
Professor Baohau:
Some of you may have taken my classes, but you are unaware of how much I love my students. I have tried many times to help them to review courses, take entrance exams, arrange tutoring, or participate in competitions. I have even gone so far as to counsel about their love lives and find them dates. But as I realized later, all these offerings of help bring them only temporary benefits and illuminate their life’s path just briefly. Sooner or later, new problems are bound to roll in. Hence I have always anxiously grilled my own conscience, asking: “My dear children, what is there for me to offer you, to help you?”
There is a saying: “Better than giving someone gold is giving someone the magic wand that turns things into gold.” I cannot agree more. Indeed, interim material offerings provide only limited and insignificant help. What will equip us for life is to foster a correct outlook on life and values, to establish good habits and lifestyles, and to acquire excellent learning attitudes.
Tonight, we are extremely fortunate to have Khenpo So Dargye as our honorable guest speaker. Khenpo So Dargye has been tireless in spreading Buddhadharma and benefiting sentient beings, and has brought deliverance and consolation to many souls. Through his immense erudition and noble character, he will enlighten us with the Dharma and impart on us life’s guidance that is the ultimate solicitude. May we all receive true benefits from his talk, best wishes to you all!
Let us welcome Khenpo So Dargye with warm applause——
Khenpo So Dargye:
I am touched by Professor Bau’s loving care to her students. It seems she really has your best interests in mind, she’s done a lot!
It’s a great pleasure for me to be here at Nanyang. Why? One of my favorite books before I became a monk was the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and I was particularly impressed by the wisdom of its main hero, Zhuge Liang. When the invitation from Nanyang was extended to me, I almost could not make it due to the tight schedule of this trip. But later, I realized that this place happens to be the hometown of Zhuge Liang whose fascinating stories I have heard so much; therefore, I was drawn to come here.
In addition, Nanyang has a deep connection with our Buddhism. Students born in the ’80s or ’90s perhaps know little of this, but Nanyang happens to be the place where Master Huizhong, a prominent Grand Preceptor in Han Buddhist history, stayed for some time. When he was a child, Huizhong was quite unusual in that he never uttered a word, just like a dumb person. At 16, when he saw a Buddhist monk approaching his house for a visit, Huizhong started performing prostrations to him from a long distance; he then besought his parents’ permission to take ordination. After becoming a monk, he followed the Sixth Patriarch Huineng of Zen School for 11 years and finally realized the nature of the mind. He became one of the five main lineage holders of the five branches that sprang from the Sixth Patriarch’s teaching.
He then came to the White Cliff Mountain in Nanyang and stayed for 40 years in practice, attaining great realization. Emperor Xuanzong at the helm of the Tang Dynasty invited the master to come to the capital Changan. The master gave teachings there until the incidence of “An Shi Rebellion”; he then left the capital and resumed his reclusive life in the mountains. Later, Emperor Tang Suzong sought him out to Changan again and revered him as the Grand Preceptor.
Once Emperor Suzong asked him, “What have you learned from the Sixth Patriarch?” He replied, “Your Highness, do you see that piece of the cloud floating in the sky? What I learned from the Sixth Patriarch is to nail it and hang it up there.” Emperor Suzong, failing to understand, asked a few more questions. The Master answered but the Emperor was still lost, so the master ignored him. Embarrassed at being left out, Emperor Suzong said, “Whatever, at least I am the supreme head of the great Tang Dynasty, why don’t you even bother to look at me?” The Master replied with a question: “Your Highness, you do see the void of space, don’t you?” “Yes, I do.” “Then, has the space ever blinked at looking at Your Highness?” Upon hearing this, Emperor Suzong gained some insight. (This passage has in it some deep meaning, how many of you here understand Zen? I wonder.)
After Suzong, Emperor Daizong also invited Master Huizhong to the royal court. The Master was venerated with the highest honor and he took in over 10,000 ordained and lay disciples. When he passed away, a pagoda was erected in his honor in Nanyang, which was renovated later by Emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty. But regrettably, it was destroyed in 1972 during the Cultural Revolution and no longer exists. Thus Master Huizhong is known as the “Grand Preceptor of Nanyang.” But the younger generation of Nanyang knows nothing about this. Isn’t it a shame that such a significant connection to Zen is being overlooked?
Besides Master Huizhong, another great Zen Master, Xiangyan Zhixian, also came from this very place of Nanyang. Xiangyan Zhixian first studied with the great Abbott Baizhang and was quick in learning all the sutras and shastras. Although he was clever and expounded the scriptures quite impressively, he had not gained insight of the mind. After Baizhang’s passing, he followed the master’s senior disciple Guishan Lingyou, who posed him a koan: “What is your real self—the self that existed before you came out of your mother’s womb?” At this question, Zhixian was stupefied and did not know what to say. He racked his brains and went through all his books and scriptures he had read. Still, he found no apt answer.
He went to Guishan a couple of times and implored him for an answer. But Guishan refused, saying, “If I give you the answer right out, you’ll blame me later on. What I say belongs to my own understanding. How can that benefit your mind’s eye?” Dejected, Zhixian left Guishan in tears, vowed to give up the study of Buddhism, and said he rather remain a rice-gruel monk for the rest of his life.
Later he arrived at Master Huizhong’s old seat in Nanyang, the Xiangyan Monastery and, feeling quite at home, decided to settle down here for his remaining years. One day, while he was weeding in the field, his hoe hit a shard of earthenware; he picked it up and tossed it offhandedly. The shard landed on a bamboo trunk by the field and made a clear sound. As the sound reverberated in his ear, he was awestruck and suddenly awoke to the Truth. He returned to his hut immediately, bathed, and offered incense. To the direction of Guishan, he paid homage to his teacher, and with the deepest sense of gratitude said, “Master! Your kindness to me is greater even than that of my parents. If you had explained the profound cause to me when I begged you, I would never have reached where I stand today!”
His verse on this occasion runs:
One stroke and all is gone,
No need of stratagem or cure;
Each and every action
Manifests the ancient way.
My spirit is never downcast.
What is this verse saying? It means that upon hearing the sound of the earthenware hitting the bamboo, his mind’s duality of grasping and grasped vanished completely at that instant. No more does he need the support of external practices, as his every act of walking, sitting, standing, or lying down is in accord with the Truth. He has freed himself from the concepts of labeling and designation. Hereafter he stayed on at Xiangyan Monastery and his Dharma teachings flourished.
In history, Xiangyan Monastery had two sections, the upper one and the lower one, located about 15 kilometers apart. Unfortunately, the lower section was submerged by water in the 20th century, near the end of the ’60s as a result of water diversion. Its two pagodas built in the Tang Dynasty, each more than 10-stories tall and made of lapis lazuli, were also demolished during the inundation of the land from the reservoir. Nowadays, only the upper section remains.
I used to take great inspiration from the legend of Master Xiangyan. Just imagine, by merely hearing a sound, he became enlightened. How enviable it is! In the world today, misery pervades more than merriness; still, everyone wants happiness, and no one likes suffering. Now you also have your share of various pressures, it is only when you reach the state of enlightenment that all your afflictions will disappear completely.
I. The sullied mind of today
1. Current pressure from all sides
Among young people today, those who did well in entrance exams and were admitted to universities should be the happy and contented elite. But surveys showed that they are not above pain either, which they kept to themselves. Basically, there are three major sources of pressure felt by college students: love, human interactions, and related to jobs. One university did a psychological analysis on its students and the statistics revealed that 32% of their students’ pressure comes from their love life, 27% from interpersonal relationships, 25% from job prospects, and the rest are from other sources.
Many students in their freshman or sophomore years hold exalted ideals, but their high hopes gradually erode when they are confronted with the harsh reality as time goes on, and then they abandon themselves to wanton ways and waste their prime youth. Worse, instead of learning useful knowledge in college, they pick up something harmful. For instance, many female students use their computers mainly for playing DVDs, and male students, for playing video games. Each day they are “partying on campus” rather than “studying on campus.” Slumbering away their golden years in college, there is no way for them to graduate as truly competent youth. Consequently, they have no right to complain about their school or criticize society if they ended up jobless.
2. The severe case of money worshiping
In this age, many young people worship money, whether they are in or out of school. They only wish to make tons of money and there are no other pursuits than this burning desire. They are the kind of people described by the Buddha as “the confused fool, whose mind is controlled by circumstances.” Once the mind is dictated by external factors, all subsequent actions will be in disarray.
Actually, money will always elude those who love money to the extreme. As one craves for more and more, one is satisfied with less and less. But in reality we do not need a lot of money all through life. Whatever amount of wealth we have amassed in life, not even a penny will go with us when we die. Steve Jobs (1955-2011), the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple just passed away. According to some reports, he had a net worth of $7 billion. But what did he bring with him when he died?
Some of you may think: “I certainly wouldn’t mind to have all that money; it is perfectly fine with me even if I cannot bring it with me when I die! I’ll be happy just to enjoy it while I am alive.” But how much is there for you to enjoy? It will be no more than buying a number of mansions or owning a few luxury cars. In fact, really rich people these days like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs care the least for money in their daily lives. Mr. Jobs had established himself a principle that money had no place in his decision making, and he would allow no chance for money to ruin his life. Now this is an intelligent way to deal with money.
But many people are far from reaching such a state. They crave money all the time, and their thoughts about renminbi—RMB—become desperate and obsessive, whether during the day working or at night sleeping. It never occurs to them to pay back society or help the poor and the weak. Such people are lost beyond help, as described in the saying: “Some people are dead, but their legacy lives on. Some people are alive, but they may as well be dead.”
To be sure, very few people are willing to look at these problems in the face. Mr. Lu Xun has pointed out in his article To See with Open Eyes: “By tradition, Chinese have not been equipped with the courage to squarely face social issues. First, they dare not look at the problems; later they cannot bear to look at them; eventually, they become conditioned to turn a blind eye to them. They smirk and sink lower and lower by the day, yet they assume their attitude with some kind of conceit….” His words deserve our deep contemplation.
3. Moral standards continue to fall
In our society today, moral standards are falling alarmingly. The root cause can be traced to the decade-long catastrophe, the “Cultural Revolution,” when the “Criticize Lin Biao, Criticize Confucius” campaign rampaged. In that period, Chinese traditional culture suffered unprecedented demolishing—images of Confucius were destroyed, Buddhist monasteries and temples were leveled to the ground, and, most gravely, religious ideas were ditched as totally worthless.
In the past few years, I have visited quite a few universities and observed that people on campus, both faculty members and students, are in general ignorant of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Mencianism. Even fundamental filial piety, common ethics, and civil courtesy are sneered at, and this explains why all kinds of moral corruption and human apathy have come in sight. The incidence of “Death of Wang Yue” proves to be a stark illustration. You must have heard that two days ago, a 2-year-old girl “little Yue Yue” was run over by two vehicles consecutively in a narrow road in Foshan in Guangdong province. Unbelievably, according to surveillance footage, as she lay bleeding on the road, in seven minutes 18 passersby who either rode tricycles, motorcycles, or were on foot all chose to skirt around her body and ignore her. Eventually a female rubbish scavenger moved her to the side of the road and found her mom. Despite rescue efforts at the hospital, little Yue Yue succumbed to her injuries and died.
A toddler getting hit by a car is an unfortunate accident, but not unheard of. What makes little Yue Yue’s case particularly sad is the callousness and cruelty of those who passed her while she lay there dying. This news is indicative of a growing apathy in our contemporary society; the only thing many people have learned since a young age in school or the family is how to safeguard one’s own interest. The spirit of acting bravely for a just cause and as a virtuous “Good Samaritan” have been quietly washed out among us; now the credo people attach great value to is “do less, err less.”
In reporting this incident, Japanese newspapers blame this tragedy on China’s extreme zeal for rapid economic development at the expense of ethical values. It further states that China must possess more than just material wealth if it is to become a powerhouse in the world. That is, China must also command a strong spiritual culture. Regrettably, from elementary to college level, there is hardly a school curriculum that emphasizes the essentials on how to behave oneself, how to deal with people and handle things properly, how to care for the elders and the young, and how we must love and respect one another. Professor Zhang Weiyin of Peking University lamented: “China’s education program over the past few decades is a failure. In educating the young, it fails to cultivate students’ individual creativity, and it ignores the nurturing of human ethics.”
Just because of this, another dismal incident occurred: “1.3 billion people failed to lift a fallen elder.” An 88-year-old man tumbled face down within 100 meters of his house. He tried to get up but could not make it due to lack of strength. As he was lying prone to the ground for an hour, more and more spectators gathered around, but none of them offered a supporting hand. It was not until the old man’s family heard about it that he was rushed to the hospital, but he eventually died from suffocation.
Why it is that none of the many onlookers was willing to come to his aid? It is because they are afraid. A number of cases in recent years have taught the Chinese public that being a Good Samaritan can backfire. In one case, a young man was forced to pay compensation to a woman he had helped after she had fallen who later accused him of pushing her down in the first place. Therefore, people no longer try to assist elders.
Seeing what’s going on, Wu Zhipan, the deputy chairman of Peking University called for the university’s alumni to do good deeds: “As a member of Peking University, you should help a senior citizen who falls down in front of you. If he frames you, the university’s law department will offer you assistance. If you lose the lawsuit, the university will pay the compensation.”This statement, though brief, immediately caught fire on the Internet and triggered much applause and support. Nonetheless, someone also felt that society as a whole is indeed doomed when its members have lost public decency and expect legal protection if they are to give a hand to people in need.
Regarding this issue, Ting Zuolin, a faculty member at the International Media Research Center, School of Continuing Education, Tsinghua University, stated: “It’s a disgrace of our society that 1.3 billion people failed to lift a fallen elder. To say it bluntly, the moral ethics of China are at their nadir; now, enshrouded in this kind of dire apathy, we all fail together.”
In spite of his condemnation, today everyone still has the same dilemma to face: Suppose I see an elder lying hurt after a fall, shall I go ahead to help or not? Among you sitting here today, please raise your hand if you will in such circumstance——
Those who are not willing to offer a hand do have their excuses. As I have just mentioned, a helper may be stung by an accusation and even found liable in court as the judge reasons: “If you had not injured the victim yourself, why on earth would you bother to help?” Indeed such befuddled verdicts have been issued and incited tremendous negative impact. It is also an indication that our society is losing its moral ground and is experiencing a crisis of mistrust.
II. Building up Mental Health
1. “Healthy” not just physically, but more so mentally
To be healthy is a popular pursuit nowadays. However, real health entails not merely the physical aspect; the mental aspect deserves more attention. The World Health Organization has made a resounding slogan: “Mental health is an integral part of health,” and elaborated that health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Richard J. Gerrig, a psychology professor at the State University of New York, also suggested in his book Psychology and Life that psychology is a science intimately related to human happiness. Thus a healthy mental attitude is closely interrelated with and inseparable from a sense of happiness.
In my opinion, of course, the best way to establish a healthy mental attitude is to study the Buddha Dharma. Some of you here may have engaged in Buddhist studies already, while other have neither studied nor cared for it. However, a person devoid of any spiritual faith who hankers all his life for practical gratifications—money, a nice spouse, a good job—may still feel hollow in his heart, even when all his desires are met.
It’s not uncommon to see some old folks deteriorate visibly in their body and mind after retirement. Passing their time muddle-headed, they just live from one day to the next; it’s quite miserable and pitiful. Just think, if they have taken up a religion, they will not loaf about but instead will seize every minute to prepare for the future life. Therefore, it is very important for a person to have religious faith.
2. Establishing a right view of life
Having found a religious faith, next comes establishing a sound view on life; that is, being unselfish and thoughtful to others. In Buddhism, it refers to “bodhichitta,” or “compassion” which you may not be familiar with. In other words, as long as you are not full of your own importance and are willing to help others around you, you have a right view. If this can be done, not only will you be happy personally, but you will also bring a positive impact to your surroundings and to all of society. For instance, as parents, you will guide your children onto the right path; as a teacher, you are leading your students by good example; as a supervisor, you will benefit your subordinates, directly or indirectly. Thus the mere effort of one person can create a far-reaching ripple effect. Even without a higher-education diploma, a person still can accomplish a great deal.
Professor Jin Kemu had only a primary school education but later became a university professor. At an early age he was forced to quit school; later when he went to Bejing to study, he seized every opportunity to read extensively and learned by himself to master a number of foreign languages—English, French, German, and others. In 1941, he went to India to assume an editor position of a Chinese newspaper; meanwhile, he immersed himself in learning Hindi and Sanskrit. He then went to the Buddhist holy site, Sarnath, to study Pali and Sanskrit languages with Professor Fa Xi and delved into the Buddha’s teaching of the third turning of the Dharma wheel. After returning to China in 1946, he was offered a professorship first by the Department of Philosophy at Wuhan University, and then by Peking University in 1948. He died in 2000 after illness, leaving his last words, “I came with tears, and am leaving with smiles.”
Therefore, one’s attitude toward life plays a major role in life’s success or failure; in comparison, a diploma may not seem that essential after all. Although in today’s society, a higher-education diploma may facilitate a person’s landing a decent job, if one lacks integrity and diligence, as time goes on one is unlikely to receive favorable approval by upper management. Certainly, while making sustained efforts, we should not seek quick success or instant profit, but rather follow the flow of karma in all things. This attitude of “taking life as it comes” does not imply passive submission, but rather a positive way to deal with life. If a person cares for nothing and lets things slide, this is a negative attitude. Conversely, if one tries one’s best on a task, makes all-out efforts, and at the same time does not cravea certain outcome, then this is truly to “take life as it comes.”
1. Cultivate moral ethics
Having established a correct view of life, next we must cultivate moral ethics. How to go about this then? To learn it from the sages and sublime beings from ancient times is the best way. For traditional culture, we should study the classics like the Pupil Rule, Analects of Confucius, Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, etc. Besides, Buddhist’s view on life, such as the principles of cause and effect and the teachings in Mahayana in particular will do oneself good. The positive effect of learning the Mahayana view has been experienced by many college students who attest that were it not for their Buddhist studies, they might have collapsed under the immense pressure of their problems. However, having studied the profound Dharma, such as A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life from cover to cover, they become less attached to themselves and the attitude of benefiting others spontaneously arises in their minds.
Holding an altruistic attitude, one will always be thoughtful to others and will do everything in consideration of others. Such a life is bound to sparkle beautifully, as illustrated by this touching story: Once in India a young man took a train to Bombay. While boarding, he accidentally dropped one of his shoes on the platform and, as the train was tightly packed, there was no way for him to retrieve the shoe. When the train was slowly leaving the station, he quickly took off his other shoe and without any hesitation, tossed it toward the direction where the first shoe had been dropped. When asked why he acted that way, he answered: “If a poor person happens to pass by there, he will be able to salvage a pair of shoes, and perhaps this pair of shoes will serve him well.”
This young man, as it turned out, was later to be known as Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi，1869–1948). In India, he is revered as the great sage, Mahatma.
This story, though brief, speaks volumes and is food for thought. Now, if we lost one shoe by accident, would we think of benefiting others right away? In our present society, many people are preoccupied with selfish thoughts and will miss no chance to promote themselves. Such personages may enjoy some popularity early on, but eventually their true color will be exposed. Therefore, I would submit to you that you should always maintain a heart willing to help others!
When I was talking about the incidence of “Death of Wang Yue,” I questioned whether you would voluntarily help stricken senior citizens. Perhaps you were muttering to yourselves: Now that you’ve made us raise our hands, what about you? Would you help in such a situation?” For me, YES, I would rush to help without any hesitation. Suppose my offering is wronged—if I were to be sued and found liable for medical bills, or to the extent that if the person died I were to be penalized—I would just resign myself to bear it all. Because, my response is based on fundamental human conscience: It is just wrong to ignore another’s life and death for fear of jeopardizing one’s own self-interest.
I recall a story of one great president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. Once President Roosevelt’s house was broken into and many things were stolen. Hearing this, one of his friends wrote to console him. He wrote back, saying: “Dear friend, thank you for your letter, I am all right and at peace now. This is because of the following reasons: firstly, the thief only stole things from me but did not hurt me at all; secondly, the thief has stolen some of my things instead of all of my things; thirdly, and most luckily for me, it was the man rather than me who became a thief.” The key of this story lies in the last sentence: “It was the man rather than me who became a thief.” Therefore, we should never act against our pure conscience no matter how we are treated by others. We would rather risk ourselves than leave others in danger; and under no circumstances should we forego our virtuous qualities.
Society today is besieged with many complex issues. People have become reluctant to give elders a hand or to save a child due to media misinformation that highly publicizes isolated negative incidents in order to appeal to the masses. As a result, people just wants to defend themselves and individualism bursts like a flood. Upon encountering a dubious situation, people will retreat lest they get into trouble. But every man with a conscience, especially those who have studied Mahayana Buddhism, must go ahead and do the right thing when the situation presents itself.
Currently, in Tibet the moral values may not seem as bad; people will offer a helping hand wherever they see others are hurt. Not too long ago while I was on the road, I happened to see a motorcyclist in his 50s skid on the snow and break his leg; he bled profusely and suffered severe injuries. At that time a dozen cars stopped by the road and people got busy helping him—some covered the victim with warm coats, some bandaged his leg, still others were prepared to drive him to a hospital 20 miles away. No one was ready to run away. I was quite touched to witness such a scene and felt that for now a case like the “Death of Wang Yue” would unlikely be repeated itself in Tibet. Why? It is because the Tibetans have religious faith in their hearts.
Young folks like you may not appreciate the value of having faith. To those who have it, faith points out the direction of life. You know, we don’t arrive in this world by accident, like mushrooms popping out from the ground without any cause and condition. Neither do we depart from this world like a candle goes out, leaving no trace behind. Rather, we have been cycling in samsara since time without beginning. In this life we are born as a human through the power of our past karma; what we are to become the next life is in turn dictated by our good and bad deeds in this life.
However, many people are totally ignorant of the law of causality and think life is merely scores of years to live; never do they bother to consider what will happen after they die. Such shortsightedness is senseless. Really, when you have time, you should read Buddhist scriptures to understand life as Buddha has taught it. Regarding our cycling in samsara, it is not merely one life or two that awaits us; and the evil deeds we commit in this life will unfailingly bear their fruits which we must experience in our future life, even though for now there is no apparent retribution or reward.
For someone without much education, ignorance of the principle of cause and effect is forgivable. But there is no excuse for you college students, as you supposedly have received a formal education and gained a higher level of knowledge than farmers or shepherds. If you do not know the truth of life and are oblivious of the law of causality that good deeds, as well as bad ones, will rebound back to the doer, it is absolutely lamentable!
Nowadays in university, some teachers just walk away from the classroom as soon as they finish a lecture, never making an effort to find out what the students think or feel. But there are also teachers who are concerned about their students and want to guide them on life’s passages. For this purpose, introducing them to the right view of life is an excellent starting point.
III. The Necessary Ingredients for Success
Of course, I don’t mean to proselytize to you to become a Buddhist from my talk today. I am merely suggesting that you investigate Buddhism if you think it is plausible. Should you go ahead, I believe you will find something far more worthwhile than money. Buddhism is the supreme quintessence of human civilization of all time. By relying on it, innumerable beings from ancient times to now have attained true inner bliss. For one thing, if the mind has not been pacified in the first place, a person’s search for happiness via wealth or love relationships will not be fruitful, I am afraid.
Some of you must have many fantasies about the future, thinking it is the sure stairway to happiness. However, once you reach that stage, you probably will feel quite nostalgic for your college days. Why? It is because life by then is bound to have more headaches, suffering, and messy entanglements; you just have to deal with more problems.
To be sure, whether life’s experiences can cause you to suffer is determined by your attitude when dealing with them. And speaking of attitude, Buddhism is rich in superb ways of mind training which, regrettably, have been ignored by most people. Carl Jung, the renowned psychologist, observed that the demise of religion in the world is largely to blame for the preva lence of psychological ailments in modern society. In his book Modern Man in Search of a Soul, he observed that a purposeful, religious life is far better, richer, and healthier than an atheistic, purposeless one. Now in a big city, there are throngs of people rushing here and there, in cars or otherwise. Yet the majority of them are chasing after money, pleasure, or sensual contact; only an extremely few are preparing for their next life. Perhaps you do not believe the existence of a future life, do you? I think we can discuss it with an open mind. Such a critical issue must be resolved by sound rational thinking, rather than by a self-righteous stance.
Humans always think they are more intelligent or smarter than animals; however, those who know nothing about themselves are in fact not that much superior to animals. For example, in reality, “I” is nonexistent, yet one still attaches strongly to the “I”. For those uninitiated in the study of emptiness, such a notion is inconceivable—“How on earth can ‘I’ not exist? Am I not here right now?” In Buddhist practice there is a specific logical way of observation, to analyze what and where exactly the so-called I is. Such analysis will lead to the conclusion that the “I” is indeed ineffable. Some of you may never hear anything like this, but I really hope that the seed of “emptiness” will be planted in your mind so that upon the maturation of your good merits, you will grasp this ultimate truth with ease.
Another Buddhist maxim is “all phenomena are impermanent”—that is, all the things before our eyes are changing moment by moment. Now, if you comprehend this, in your coming days when you are hit by a sudden and unexpected blow, such as a problem in your love life, you will not resort to hurling yourself off a tall building or overdosing with sleeping pills. You will gain the sagacity that not only your lover’s heart, but also everyone’s, is transitory; this mortal body is impermanent and all things are in a state of constant flux. Any change, then, is no surprise at all. However, without having fortified yourself with such a notion, your brittle self is likely to snap when confronted with any setback.
Some college graduates suffer mental breakdowns when they find no job after having been out of school a year or two. Really, finding no job is not a big deal. If you’ve learned the law of cause and effect, you will know that your various misfortunes are caused by your failure in accumulating enough merit in your previous lives. Hence, there’s no need to complain about your unhappy lot, blaming others or God.
The job prospects for the current college graduates are not that encouraging either. A report says that there were 5.6 million college graduates in 2008, of whom only 30% have secured a job, that leaves 70%, or 4 million graduates still waiting in line for job offers. While this problem is yet to be solved, the class of 2009 will be out of school soon, and the number of this crop is even bigger—6.1 million of them! Thus the unemployment issue is now unprecedentedly pressing. There are reports that elite graduates from Peking University are working as pig farmers and 46 college graduates swarmed in to apply for a job opening as a public toilet attendee in Sujou City ….
Hence, do not feel it’s the end of the world when you can’t find a job. If you happen to be a Buddhist, especially if you have practiced a little, you will be able to get over whatever difficulty is presented to you, as you realize that your every encounter is the playing out of causes and conditions which, incidentally, has a lot to do with your past and present lives. Understanding this principle, you can face any situation with courage.
Therefore, it is crucial to learn how to adjust your mindset. The Han classic Zonjinlu (The Mirror of Orthodoxy) says: “A right mind makes all circumstances right, a perverted mind makes all circumstances perverted.” If the mind is sound, so will be the surroundings; if the mind is corrupt, all subsequent actions will go wayward. Nowadays some people, upon failing their job hunt, get involved in various kinds of illegal activities and cause grave harm to others. Again, their erroneous mindset is to blame for their downfall. So please strive to be an upright person, or, if you cannot make it 100%, at least avoid drifting along with the herd.
Many of you in this room belong to the Normal University and you are likely to become schoolteachers one day. To lead your future students, it is vital that you hold a right view. Amongst all kinds of mental attitudes to cultivate, the most essential one is the willingness to help all living beings with love and compassion, unconditionally. An education lacking such kindheartedness but emphasizing only grades is definitely not an authentic one per se.
In today’s education system, this is the missing piece. A student’s potential is assessed only by his or her grade on the report card, never by proper behavior. Brought up in this way, students will be ill-adjusted when they set foot in society. I myself have met scores of individuals with advanced degrees or training: Master, Ph.D., or Postdoc. But their diplomas from elite universities do not guarantee them to be remarkably outstanding. These individuals prove to be quite disappointing in many ways after a period of interaction.
Larry Hsien Ping Lang, professor of Hong Kong Chinese University, has voiced his opinion in that respect: Young people nowadays, including his own son, really do not have to go to graduate school for an advanced degrees such as a Ph.D., a bachelor’s degree is good enough. Although I do not see eye to eye with his point of view, in some respect it exposes the problems of today’s education system.
The minds of many young people today are fully occupied by how to make big bucks and how to enjoy life. Having gone to school all their lives, they still can’t apply the knowledge in books to daily life. Unable to bear any hardship, they are easily frustrated by the slightest obstacle. They do not want to exert any effort while holding a job, nor will they conform to others. Now how do you expect to be successful with this kind of character? There simply is no capital for it, and no amount of higher education or impressive diplomas can make up for it. Hence, while you are in college, not only should you strive in knowledge-related fields, but equally important, you must get trained in the mental aspect.
IV. Looking back at local Buddhist history and looking ahead to the direction of future education
The Henan Province, especially around the areas of Nanyang and Luoyang, is rather rich both in cultural legacies and myriad connections with Buddhism. The White Horse Temple in Luoyang, for instance, was the very first monastery in China from which Buddhism was introduced to the Han area.
The Emperor at that time, Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, dreamed one night in 64 A.D. that a shining golden man surrounded by brilliant orbs flew from far away and descended into his palace. The next day at the royal court he related this dream to his chamber members and asked what sage the golden man could be. A learned minister told Emperor Ming: “I heard in India there appeared an enlightened being, called the Buddha, he is able to fly in the sky, and his body shines with bright light. The golden man in your dream could be the Buddha.”
Emperor Ming then dispatched 18 emissaries to India to search for the Buddha’s teachings. After three years, they met the Honorable Elders Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana (Fa Julan), and invited them to come to Luoyang. They also brought back to China with them collections of Buddhist scriptures and images of the Buddha. The Emperor was tremendously delighted and ordered the construction of the first Buddhist temple at Luoyang in order to receive the eminent monks from India. This temple is the White Horse Temple (Baima Sui) of today. It is said that since then the architecture of the royal halls basically took after that of this temple.
Arriving in Han China, Honorable Elders Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana translated the first collection of Buddhist scriptures into Chinese; among them is the Sutra of 42 Chapters. After the two masters passed away, they were buried right here at the White Horse Temple. Last year the Indian President during his visit laid wreaths on their graves. Now I am going to give you a quiz: Have the original graves been spared of destruction through the years and are they the ones that the Indian President visited? (The audience had no answer; many said they had not been there) So you have not been there, have you? What a shame! You should at least go. Just think, this temple was built in East Han Dynasty, a long time ago, and it is so near to you. Isn’t it regrettable that you have not been there?
Not too far from the White Horse Temple, there is the famous “Platform of Scriptures Burning.” Soon after Buddhism was introduced in Han China, it spread rapidly, to the utter dismay of Taoism followers. Two years after the erection of the White Horse Temple, 690 Taoists priests made a joint petition to Emperor Ming, in which they condemned the “fallacy” of Buddhism and challenged Buddhists to a competition. Han Ming Di granted the Taoists’ request and let Buddhists and Taoists set up their respective platforms in front of the White Horse Temple for a contest. The match started with debates for two time periods, and the Taoists lost. Next was the contest of scripture burning. Piles of Taoist classics were reduced to ashes right away, whereas when the fire flared up among the Buddhist canons, suddenly, “there arose brilliant light of five colors, shooting straight up; it turned into a huge canopy, covering the entire crowd.” This amazing event brought Buddhism to a new height. And according to an historical account, 1,460 individuals took the Buddhist ordination then and there.
In addition, the world-famous Longmen Grottoes are located in your Henan Province. The grottos were hewed and carved starting during the Northern Wei Dynasty and continued to the Northern Sung Dynasty for a span of over 400 years. In Longmen Grottoes there are more than 100,000 statues of Buddha, Bodhisativas, and Arhats the highest number among all the grottoes in China. The statues carved during the Tang Dynasty make up the highest proportion, nearly 60% of the total. Sure, to talk of the grottoes before you locals, it is like showing off my ignorance before an expert. Still, I really admire these sacred treasures of Buddhism, and I respect very much the wisdom of ancient people who left their descendants the most unusual and marvelous treasures. In this day and age, what is there for posterity? Leaving the spiritual aspect aside, let’s take a look at the material resources. Countries like the United States and Japan are wisely protecting their native resources for future generations and choose to import their necessary fuel from abroad. Conversely, people in our country do not hesitate to dig up the irreplaceable underground ore in large-scale, in order to make money and squander excessively. Do they ever care about what will be left for their offspring a hundred years from now? Many current issues like this deserve our careful contemplation.
In sum, Henan Province has had a deep connection with Buddhism since ancient times. A good portion of precious human cultural heritage is stored right here, and you should get to know it. Although Henan is nothing like Beijing or Shanghai in terms of a national politics or economic activity, it nonetheless is blessed richly with profound ancient civilization. Such a treasure is very worthy of exploration, and sooner or later it will catch the world’s attention.
Through our interaction today, I hope you are inspired to some extent and are eager to find out more about the wisdom and compassion of Buddhism as well as its inconceivable blessings. By so doing, you will ultimately benefit human beings and bring welfare to yourself and others. All in all, our mind’s intention is the master of whatever we do; it charters the direction of all our actions. If the intention is good, all things will be good. If the intention is bad, everything will be bad. This is exactly what the French scholar Victor Hugo (1802-1885) says: “Thoughts can change paradise into hell and vice versa.”
Concluding remarks from the organizer:
Today we have enjoyed such a wonderful evening all together. As always, a good time passes all too swiftly, and a chance encounter may bring a pivotal turn in our life. Today’s talk by Khenpo So Dargye is exactly such an opportunity of a lifetime.
Let us express our sincere thanks to Khenpo with our applause, and please rise to see Khenpo off.
[1] Fa Xi taught at universities in India. He had been invited as a visiting professor by Harvard University and Leningrad University, but returned to India as he could not get used to the severe winter weather. Many people, admiring his erudition, sought him out to learn the Pali language and Buddhism, but not for Sanskrit. Jin Kemu, it turned out, was Professor Fa Xi’s only student in Sanskrit; he transmitted entirely all his knowledge to Jin Kemu.
[2]There is an account in the book Records of Strange Events from the Zhou Dynasty: During the 24th year (jia yin sui) of Emperor Zhao of Zhou Dynasty, at the time of ping dan shifen on the eighth day of the fourth month, creeks and rivers overflowed their banks, and wells were filled to the brim. A fierce wind suddenly sprang up; the palace, houses, mountains, and the earth quaked. At night a five-colored auspicious light connected the major stars, all the western sky turned dark red. Emperor Zhao consulted Minister Su Qu if and what auspiciousness there could have been. Su Qu replied: “A great sage has been born in the West.” Emperor Zhao asked, “How will the world be affected?” Su answered: “To this land, no effect now. But his teachings will come to China a thousand years later.” Emperor Zhao ordered that the event be engraved on a stone tablet and buried at the foreground of a heaven shrine south of the city. Calculating the years, the time predicted coincided with the reigning period of Emperor Min. Hence the minister surmised the golden man must be the Buddha.
