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TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON 11

It is rare to have no regrets throughout the course of Therefore, it is possible to feel that one has no
one’s life, from youth to old age, but the greatest regret faults. Why? Because after discovering that one’s
is to feel remorse, yet fail to repent. If one has no regrets ideas and behaviors are imperfect, if one always
and no need to repent, then one is a natural-born immediately corrects them, this is maintaining a state of
sage; but in our world of samsara, there are probably faultlessness. We should face our own faults at all times,
few such sages. Out of religious faith, the followers of realizing our faults and hoping we will not have any
Jesus and Shakyamuni Buddha perceive them as being more shortcomings from now on. Maybe next time we
faultless; otherwise they would not be considered may still have faults, but that is another issue. At least in
great saints. However, in terms of mental concepts and this present moment, we can return to the state without
actions, were Jesus and Shakyamuni without fault since fault, the zero state. If one is able to do so in the process
birth? That depends on one’s perspective. of practice, then one is making progress at all times.

From youth to buddhahood, Shakyamuni progressed To declare, “I want to return to the state of
through practice from an ordinary person to a buddha. faultlessness” is just lip service unless you are willing
When Shakyamuni sat under the Bodhi tree prior to his to make an effort. But if you constantly try to minimize
enlightenment, he encountered many obstacles. Even your faults of body, mind, and speech, the need to
before he left home to practice the path, he encountered return to the faultless state will diminish. If you feel
difficulties. From the viewpoint of faith, these were shame and you repent after making mistakes, you are
only manifestations of his being a bodhisattva rather already helping yourself decrease your faults to zero.
than real difficulties. However, from the standpoint of
practice, I believe he really did have some difficulties. I have described the concept of returning to a faultless
state. Here are the methods: If our mind is disturbed,
During an international conference, Master Cheng Yi tempted, influenced, and provoked by the environment,
from Taiwan met the Panchen Lama, and he asked we seldom think it is our own problem, so we blame
the lama, “People refer to you as a living buddha. the outside world. For example, if someone provokes
Are you a buddha?” The Panchen Lama said, “People us we say he is being unreasonable; if someone tempts
may consider me a living buddha, but I am the same us we may think he is disturbing us. But exactly who is
as everyone else.” Is there any contradiction in the being provoked, disturbed, and tempted? It’s us! But
Panchen Lama’s response? The fact is that from their why should we be disturbed, annoyed, and tempted?
perspective as believers, people see the Panchen Lama Therefore, we should constantly turn our thoughts
as a living buddha. inward to see why we are disturbed. If we fail to look
inward, then we certainly will be disturbed, tempted,
Buddhism believes that every human being, and in fact and provoked by the environment; our emotions will
all sentient beings, have buddhanature; this means fluctuate between excitement, happiness, anger, and
we can all become buddhas. This is Buddhist faith and agony. Whether it is delight or agony, it is our own
Buddhist belief. But if you tell someone who isn’t a reaction that arises from being stimulated or disturbed
Buddhist that even cats, dogs, mosquitoes, and flies by the environment.
have buddhanature, would they believe you? Certainly
not! If you tell them, “You have the nature of a buddha People like me cannot practice. How can anyone as bad
and will become a buddha,” would they believe that? as me practice?
They will probably shake their head and say, “Don’t joke
with me. I’m only an ordinary person; I’m not interested Recently, I had a hundred short articles that were
in becoming a buddha.” However, after learning serialized in Taiwan’s United Daily News. Mr. Zhu
Buddhism, one knows that this is faith, and believes one Deyong drew cartoons to accompany the series. In
has buddhanature and can become a buddha. one picture, he drew a turkey whose body was grossly
fat with many sores; its head and eyes were infected