1. Put an End to Existing Evil (Samvara-pradhana)

Before we learn Buddhism, most of us have wandering minds which lead us to evil thoughts. As soon as we start cultivating our Buddha nature, we need to work diligently to develop appropriate attitudes and methods within ourselves. Our attitudes are of utmost importance; evil thoughts should be eradicated completely as soon as their ugly faces come to mind.

In our daily lives, we cannot get away from all manner of people, places and things. We need to deal with these daily encounters with a steady heart that treats even extraordinary events as if they were commonplace and that loves everyone as equals. Human beings interact with each other through both verbal and body language. In this manner, our words and our attitudes communicate our thoughts. The standard we want to set for ourselves is to be gentle and kind in our words and to always embody a congenial and generous attitude. Of course, we often meet people who speak to us rudely and treat us with little or no respect. Nevertheless, we still need to maintain our own self-dignity and not lower our behavioral standards under any circumstances.

Our goal is not to ask others to change themselves; likewise, our goal is not to inventory their weaknesses. It is wrong to take the words other people let slip out unintentionally and use them to build self-justified resentment and hatred inside ourselves. It is also not worthwhile to feel hurt or angry when others speak rudely to us, because they may just have bad habits of communicating and may not really mean any harm whatsoever. There are also people who look cold and uncaring on the surface, and yet have loving hearts buried inside. We need to avoid stereotyping and judging others by their outward apperances.

It is important to be constantly mindful of our own attitudes and behaviors. Among the ever-changing people, places and things in our daily lives, we need to focus our minds on our own cultivation instead of on ego-based emotions of self-interest, such as resentment, hatred, affection and anger. If we find ourselves feeling resentful, we must eradicate the resentment as quickly as possible. No negligence or laziness can be allowed in this constant process of self-monitoring and correction. This, then, is what is meant by putting an end to existing evil.

2. Prevent Evil from Arising (Prahana-pradhana)

It is most desirable to always deal with others with a steady heart, one that consistently treats everyone else as we treat ourselves. If we have not yet found ourselves harboring evil thoughts against others, it is important to keep this pure state of mind. Some people treat their acquaintances with kindness and courtesy and get along famously as long as they don't know each other too well. When they become closer and more familiar with each other, they start abandoning gestures of courtesy because they no longer feel the need for them. Soon, conflicts of words and deeds start to arise, and resentment begins to breed. This is why some say, "All hatred begins with love."

This is the reason that we need to maintain our initial attitudes of respect and compromise toward others, no matter how intimately we come to know them. Such is the essence of preventing evil from arising: keeping a loving thought of equality toward all people and maintaining a steady mind which is not excited by extraordinary events. Do not give the seeds of impure and mean-spirited thoughts even the slightest chance to sprout in our minds.

3. Bring Good into Existence (Bhavana-pradhana)

For those of you who have started to learn Buddhism but have not yet thought about doing good deeds, you need to take special care to nurture good thoughts such as compassion.

Once a Tzu Chi commissioner brought along a Tzu Chi member from Taipei to visit our headquarters. This visiting member said to me, "Master, I am very moved by our wonderful Tzu Chi Foundation. We ask people to donate money for good deeds and to fund relief missions. I have found all of these activities extremely meaningful, and I am trying to do as much as I can myself. I would like to join the activities of the Tzu Chi commissioners to raise funds for good causes. But there is one thing that I sincerely ask Master to excuse me from: please do not send me to comfort the sick."

I asked him, "Why do you make this request?"

"I am very loving," he replied, "but I am afraid to spend time with sick people because I fear that they will infect me. Besides, I have heard that commissioners must chant the holy name of Amitabha Buddha for the dead at their bedsides, and I am also very frightened of dead people. Therefore, I ask Master to please accept my request not to participate in these activities."

This member has a loving heart, but he has not developed the ultimate good thought of great compassion for all living beings as if we all were one being. If he were able to treat other patients as if they were his own close relatives, he would automatically understand how to handle himself with these patients. If he could feel with his heart that the dying are actually one with himself, just like close relatives, would he still insist on not getting too close to the dead?

Although many people are loving, they have not yet cultivated loving hearts that treat everyone as themselves, the great compassion for all as one. We need to immediately encourage these people to cultivate good thoughts of great compassion and love for all. Many Tzu Chi commissioners used to be afraid of the sick and the dead. After they joined the Tzu Chi Foundation, they were encouraged by the behavior of other commissioners and their own behavior gradually changed. They would follow others in visiting patients, and would even support and care for these patients with their own hands. They not only accompanied others to chant the holy name of Amitabha Buddha for the dead, they even began changing the clothes of the dead. All of these examples demonstrate that, with proper cultivation and training, it is natural for people to spontaneously develop loving thoughts of equality and unity.

That is why we talk about bringing good deeds into existence to nurture and grow good thoughts as soon as possible. Life is ever-changing. When, therefore, is there a better time to build good karma and cultivate good thoughts than now? The time for urging others to cultivate loving thoughts, to realize the true path of life and develop the highest consciousness, is also now.

4. Develop Existing Good Deeds Already Done (Anurakkshana-pradhana)

If other people already have loving hearts, we still need to fervently encourage them to keep these loving hearts forever. We will not settle for loving thoughts and good hearts that only last temporarily. To make the journey of bodhisattvahood, we urge people to keep a constant, diligent heart. This is the meaning of developing existing good deeds already done. Not only are we practicing the ten meritorious acts, but we can actually move up to the level of practicing bodhisattvahood by diligently cultivating ourselves.

THE TEN MERITORIOUS ACTS (DASA KUSALA)

BODILY KARMA
avoid killing
avoid stealing
avoid adultery

VERBAL KARMA
avoid lying
avoid slandering
avoid frivolous talk
avoid harsh words