Master Hsing Yun's "Confessions on Personnel and Work"

When people get along with each other, it is inevitable that there will be unpleasant frictions over time. Sometimes, people may offend others intentionally or unintentionally without even knowing it. Therefore, when dealing with people and affairs, if you can always reflect and repent, the world will be much wider. If you do not create sinful karma in your heart, people and affairs will naturally be harmonious. If you think about it and see through it, just like what Zen Master Faqing said in his prophecy: "The four great generals will leave their masters, and their bones will be blown away by the wind." Why bother? When I think about it, I realize there is no spring breeze in life!

In the past, there was a Zen Master Yunju who once talked about ten kinds of regrets in human affairs, and advised us not to be careless and fall into traps. These ten kinds of regrets are:

1. Not meeting a teacher. Learn to regret: A good teacher is in need of help in times of trouble. A good teacher has a profound influence on us. A true word can be used for life. Like the boy Shancai who went to fifty-three ginsengs without any hesitation, and Zen Master Zhaozhou who lived to be eighty years old and still walked. The reason for visiting is because it is easy to get a scribe, but it is hard to find a teacher. If you meet the Human and Heavenly Teacher, but don't know how to get close and study closely, you will regret it in vain when the opportunity is lost.

2. Regret if you don’t say goodbye when you meet a virtuous person: The ancients said, "Good medicine is bitter in the mouth and good for the disease, and loyal words are hard on the ears and good for deeds." It is a rare and rare opportunity to have a wise and confidant in life who can often consult and advise. We must be able to accept with all our hearts the wise and helpful friends who offend and rebuke us, and never reject them. Otherwise, we will reject all good friends and bad friends one by one, and we will miss out on the good opportunities in life.

3. Unfilial piety and regret after death: As the saying goes, "A drop of water before death is better than a hundred springs after death." When parents and elders were alive, they could not be happy and support them, or even be disobedient in every possible way. After your own death, even if your death is full of glory and honor, and your tomb is majestic, what’s the point? "You are not filial to your parents in the hall. What is the merit of worshiping Buddha in a distant temple?" It is better to show more filial piety when your parents are alive.

4. Being unfaithful to the Lord and then regretting it: working with your boss and not being able to do your duty with all your heart and being loyal to your duties. What’s the use of being filled with regrets when you are fired for your violation?

5. See righteousness and never regret it: The state of life is often determined in an instant. A confused thought means selfishness, and a conscious thought means high righteousness. If you don't do what is right and miss the opportunity, being upset will not help.

6. Regret for not helping others when seeing danger: Conscience is something that cannot be deceived. People who see others in danger and are reluctant to lend a helping hand will inevitably have "Although I did not kill Boren, I will not help others" afterwards. Boren died because of me" and the endless regret.

7. If you have money, you will regret it if you don’t give it away: If you don’t do it when you have the ability to make merit, and then regret it when you lose the opportunity for wealth, it will no longer help. In the past, a layman said to me, "Master! Come and build a university for Buddhism, and I will donate your money." I thought he was just talking, but within a few days, he actually sent the money. I told him that it is not easy to build a Buddhist university, and there is no need to send the money so quickly. He replied: "No! I don't give away money now because I have money. If I am in trouble in the future, I don't want to participate in such a meaningful thing as the establishment of a Buddhist university." It won’t work.” This layman was able to take precautions and gained the profound benefit of Buddhism.

8. Disbelief in cause and effect will lead to regret: A rice seed sown in different soils will grow and produce ears with different causes and conditions. The ears of rice in the fertile field will have a good harvest, and the ears of rice in the barren soil will have a good harvest. Poverty, every rice seed has its own cause and effect. We must believe in the truth of karma and retribution, "such is the cause, such is the effect." We must always be vigilant and not let go of the six roots to sow evil causes, otherwise the bad effects will be too late to bite us when we feel them. .

9. Patriotism and unfaithfulness will lead to regret: "No eggs are left intact after the nest is overturned." The prosperity of the country is the well-being of the people. All citizens, whether in government or in opposition, regardless of public or private positions, will We should take the survival of our country as our own responsibility and work hard to contribute.

10. If you don’t practice Buddhism, you will regret it if you don’t practice it: When you are strong and healthy, you don’t practice well to seek Bodhi. When your hair grows gray and your teeth become shaky, you can’t even recite the name of the Buddha. "Amitabha Buddha" has been recited as "Where is Amitabha Buddha?" How can I still practice diligently? As the saying goes, "The human body is rare and has been obtained. The Buddha's Dharma is hard to hear and has been heard. If this body is not to be saved in this life, how can it be saved in this life?" When impermanence comes, it will be too late to ask others to recite the "Rebirth Mantra" for us. .

Based on the above ten types of regrets, we must grasp the karma between people as early as possible, always maintain a repentant heart, and feel that I am sorry for all sentient beings. With this heart of not arguing or arguing, you can Avoid the contamination of greed and hatred, and human relations will naturally become harmonious.

In addition to repentance in personnel matters, there must also be repentance in work. For example, if you cut corners when building a house, causing it to collapse, can you not regret it in your conscience? In order to defraud and gain huge profits, we have counterfeited, misappropriated, shoddily manufactured goods, ignored business ethics, and damaged the image of the country. Shouldn’t we repent? Just to satisfy personal greed, it has caused financial chaos and vicious bankruptcies, which has put many people's lives in trouble and cast a shadow of misery over society. Can you not repent? If everyone had a repentant and kind heart, put the interests of the public as the premise, and disregarded personal gains and losses, wouldn't our society be prosperous and our country harmonious and happy?

There are ten methods of repentance in the Buddhist scriptures, which provide guidance for our repentance in personal affairs and work. These ten methods of repentance are:

1. Repent to the Buddhas: The Buddha's magic power sometimes connects with our brain waves and transforms us with the same frequency. Repenting to the Buddhas does not require us to kneel down to idols or kowtow to wooden and stone statues, but it requires us to change our minds and empathize with others. In the past, there was a devout believer who picked flowers from the garden and brought them to the temple to offer to the Buddha every day all year round. Zen Master Wude was very happy and commended her and said: "It is really rare that you can devoutly offer fragrant flowers to the Buddha every day." According to the classics It is recorded: Those who often offer fragrant flowers to the Buddha will be rewarded with a majestic appearance in the next life."

The believer was very happy after hearing this, and asked the Zen master to continue teaching: "Master! The first time I went to the temple to pay homage to the Buddha with fragrant flowers, I felt like my heart had been washed by nectar, cool and peaceful. But when I returned home, when faced with trivial household chores, sometimes it felt like I was trapped in a cave of fire, and I was just anxious and uneasy. Me: How to keep a pure heart in the hustle and bustle of the city?"

Zen Master Wude asked: "Do you know how to keep flowers bright?" The believer replied: "Yes! As long as every day Change the water and cut off the soaked flower stems below, so the flowers will not wither easily."

Zen Master Wude nodded and said with a smile, "The same goes for maintaining a pure heart. Our living environment. Like water in a bottle, we are flowers. We must purify our body and mind every day, repent and reflect a lot, get rid of rotten habits, and cultivate a pure heart. This is the true meaning of worshiping the Buddha."

The believers listened! Suddenly enlightened, he saluted happily: "Thank you, Master, for your teaching. I hope that I will have the opportunity to get close to Master in the future, live a monastery practice life, and enjoy the tranquility of evening drums, morning bells, and Bodhi Buddhist chants." Zen Master Wude smiled, stretched out his finger and said, "You Your breath is the Sanskrit chant, your pulse is the bells and drums, your body is the temple, your ears are like the Bodhisattva, your words, movements, and gestures are all peaceful, so why bother to cling to the image of a temple? Practicing meditation or repenting in front of the Bodhisattva is not only about kneeling down and reciting, but more importantly, it is about throwing away distracting thoughts in the mind, giving up false connections, giving up sinful karma, and purifying the body and mind!

2. Repent to your parents: If you are a child, if you often feel that you have failed in your filial piety and cannot serve you willingly and shine on your family, it is also a kind of filial piety to repent and improve.

3. Repent to your children: As parents, if you often feel that you do not care enough for your children and do not care enough for them, and therefore try your best to be a good parent, you will surely be a good parent.

4. Confession to the master and monk: In the past, there was a Jajja king in India who wanted to murder the Elephant King, so he ordered the killer to wear cassocks and go there disguised as a Samana. The Elephant King’s mother found out that he was hiding. Advising his son to refuse to see him in order to avoid disaster, the Elephant King decided to sacrifice his life to overcome the stubbornness, so he thanked his mother and said: "When you see the appearance of the cassock, you know that this is the root of compassion. Those who take refuge in the Buddha with this heart are mindful of all living beings. Don't be doubtful. It's appropriate for you to do so." You should quickly seize your heart! Those who are robed by this dharma wish to cross the sea of ??life and death. "Teachers and monks are all preachers, the embodiment of truth, and the beacon in the dark night. Even if we cannot imitate the compassion of the Elephant King, we should always feel ashamed. There is no achievement in Taoism.

5. Repent to your disciples: As masters and teachers, we should always reflect on whether we have taught our disciples with all our heart and soul, so as not to mislead the disciples and mislead the disciples.

6. Confession to the Lord: The country protects us and leaders lead us so that we can live and work in peace and contentment. How much have we contributed to the country and society? With such a heart of repentance, one can shoulder the responsibility of protecting one's home and country.

7. Repent to Tan Yue: A monk should also have a heart of repentance to the believer Tan Yue. He feels that I have not done my best to solve the problems of the people, and that I have not always saved the people from disasters. I am really unworthy of the Three Jewels and the Sui Su. , so we should be diligent and do more things that promote the Dharma and benefit living beings.

8. Confess to good friends: When I get along with my friends, I always feel that you treat me too well and I am not kind to you. Only by being strict with yourself and being lenient to others can you build good relationships.

9. Confession: For example, you have traveled thousands of miles from all directions to listen to the lecture today. How much time will it take? How much money does it cost? How much can I help you? When I think of this, I feel a deep sense of shame in my heart! Because I have a heart of shame and repentance, I am very cautious every time I give a speech. I hope that every word I say can contribute to everyone.

10. Confession to Long Tian: The eight parts of Tian Long and Tian protect us and give us blessings in the dark, so that we can achieve many causes and conditions, overcome all dangers, and not fall into the path of foolishness and obsession. Can we do well? Give back to the people of all directions, repay the Eight Tribes of Heaven and Dragons?

Repentance is so beautiful. When everyone is vying with each other, violent and worried, we should give in and repent with humility, so that our heart will be as bright as the sun and our temperament will be as peaceful as the gentle breeze. How wonderful it is to repent! However, it is a pity that society does not truly respect and rarely tolerate people who can repent and reform. For example, after a prisoner is released, although he has reformed his life and is determined to do good, the society is so realistic that a repentant prodigal often cannot find a job, lacks opportunities, and has no way out. In a bad situation with no place to stand, he has no choice but to It is a pity that he has worsened his crime and committed another crime!

The "Five-Five Rules" says: "If you are aware of your sins and repent, your good roots will grow." We Buddhists should be generous and broad-minded, tolerate and assist those who repent.

The koan about Zen masters raising orchids in the Jin Dynasty is an example. He cultivated hundreds of pots of orchids in the courtyard next to the temple. While giving lectures, he regarded orchids as his beloved disciples. One day, the Zen master went out for business and asked a disciple to take care of him. When the disciple was watering the orchids, he accidentally tripped over the orchid stand and destroyed the whole stand into a pile. The disciple felt very guilty and decided to admit his mistake and be willing to wait until the master came back. be punished. Zen Master Jindai returned to the temple and saw the dilapidated scene in the orchid garden. After hearing his disciple's sincere confession, instead of getting angry, he calmly comforted his disciple and said, "The reason why I love orchids is to offer fragrant flowers to the Buddha and beautify them." Temples are not planted for anger. Life and death are fleeting, and things are impermanent. If you are obsessed with the things you love and cannot let go, it is not the behavior of a Zen person!"