Spring Term Monastic Retreat Teachings

Our inner state constitutes a phenomenal world and a spiritual world. In this spiritual world, we must have a sense of renunciation. "Renunciation" means to be apart from all attachments and delusional clinging. When we can let go of every attaching intention, it is a state of spirituality and awareness. As long as we remain in the phenomenal world, every little thing that we come across would generate lots of concepts and attachments. We have no choices but to associate with the phenomenal world.

This phenomenal world is comprised of virtues and nonvirtues. "Virtues" entail a harmonious relationship with everyone, mutual benefits, support, and help. Virtues are our companion that would complement our secular accomplishments in reputation, recognition, benefits, and livelihood. We are connecting all the virtuous conditions by joining one thought after another in our karmic DNA. Together, collective goodness, virtues, and interdependency are formed. On the other hand, nonvirtues are conflicting. Such negative energy would only create further divisions, destructions, and harms. It is hurtful karmic genes that are unharmonious.

Look at global politics. All we see are rivalry, destruction, and harm. If politics are a joined force of virtues, our world would be very beautiful. On a personal level, our conduct fluctuates between good and bad. When we’re in a state, we’d make lots of virtuous connections. When we’re moody or extreme, we are prone to destruction, damage, and vengeance. How do we revenge? We’d do anything to revenge and destroy others. In that sense, our karmic DNA becomes annihilative.

Life is polarized between negative and positive energies. Getting caught up with positive and negative changes, we struggle to take control. One is not the sole being in this world. We are intertwined with the good and bad intentions of others. When a connection is malicious, destruction will follow – may it be environmental or biological degradation. On the contrary, a great environment, ecosystem, and interpersonal network are beneficial mutually when the connection is good.

Being in this world, we'd only suffer if we don't apply an understanding of truth in solving polarized situations. Not only can't we determine our life span, but we're also constantly facing the uncertainty of impermanence. The word "impermanence" denies everlasting. It is transient no matter how beautiful or hideous life is. In such a short period, we're lost most of the time in the ever-changing phenomena. Sometimes we like it, sometimes we hate it. At times, we try to make changes with various methods and efforts. Yet, we might not be capable to do so as we have limited abilities. Thence, we struggle in agony.

This is a world of a network like schools of fish. Swimming in schools gives fish an energetic advantage. However, when two schools collide, there could be tension. Similar to fish, we could get caught up in competitions. As we are a link within the network, we'd shape the environment and lives of one another. A connection with every being is made. Being immersed with all kinds of information within the network, we'd have all sorts of ideas and conceptions. As a result, we'd develop a pattern of thinking and conduct in life. Besides, these ideas and actions would affect different networks that we're connected to. A matrix of information is created with bombarding information and ideas.

Along with our karmic memory drive, we’d experience lots of struggles, unfairness, or fairness. They are the faults of our past karmic memories – namely, “samsara”. Where do we go afterlife? Maybe we’d be with God or be in the Pure Land of Amitabha. Different variants lead to different environments and respective challenges. So, Dharma practice is about simplifying. There's no need to complicate things. Spirituality is primordially pure. Before we recognize this, we're influenced by the information of the network that we're connected to. This information is not simple at all. So, how does life take shape? As we continue to learn and make connections within the network, we’re mapping out the blueprint of future lives with the virtuous and nonvirtuous connections. That comes down to a question, how many positive karmic memories are made between one person and another? What about negative memories? This can be very ambiguous and complex. Life is complicated and fuzzy. How do you feel or think about this? As mentioned earlier, these are the emotions generated in the phenomenal world. If you don't want to get caught up in the information of the phenomenal world, you must find the way home back to spirituality.

The home of spirituality is not compounded by phenomena and materials. It is pure simplicity. We stay unshaken by waves, the waves of consciousness within the network. It keeps coming one after another. Look at our world and the surroundings now, the natural cycles are damaged due to our ignorance. We don’t know what to do for the best interests of planet Earth. It is unwell and struggles to keep up with our demands. Keep in mind that the ecosystem and environment are also part of the information network. As we share the information in this network, we're influencing one another. Environmental and ecological crises are the result of our improper influences. Now, how do we awaken? How do we cultivate love and compassion from spirituality? If we have love, we'd build a positive connection. For the betterment of this environment and ecosystem, we must have loving-kindness. Together, we can collaborate and link through love. Furthermore, we can transform negative environments and ecosystem.

The mind projects everything. One mind connects to another. When it’s in a negative state, it is destructive. When it’s in a positive state, we can make the world better. Considered that positivity and negativity are created by mankind, we must rediscover the nature of our spirituality – compassion it is. Whether it’s God, Allah, or Buddha, their essence is “love”. Yet, we are going astray from the pursuit of spirituality. Therefore, we need to get back on track to find the mutual essence of life – great love it is.

As we are gathered here for sitting meditation, we’re returning to the essence of our spirituality. It is the “truth”. Such “truth” is universal and innate within every being. Under the guidance of spirituality, the essence of our shared spirituality is love and compassion. This is why I encourage sitting meditation. We can rediscover love through such practice. Love makes this world so much more beautiful. Without love, this world can be malicious. Let us simplify and return to the nature of spirituality. When it is simplified, we are present with spirituality.

How though? Without spirituality, this world would not come into existence. Without spirituality, there’d be no possibilities of changes. Without such possibilities, this world of spirituality remains unknown. Yet, that isn’t the case. We have the spiritual capacity to know, comprehend, and to understand this world thoroughly. Spirituality is "awareness". Without it, there's no vitality. With "awareness", we'd recognize the vitality of life. If we don't optimize vitality from recognizing our "original face", it'd be difficult to adjust our awareness into a proper understanding. Having the proper understanding as to the basis, we can carry out virtuous acts devoid of harm. We would not inflict any harm on others. We’d be an entity of interdependence devoid of harms. There’s not a place that I’m not present. There’s not a place that is without me. What is "oneself"? It is a spiritual space that is vast and boundless.

Therefore, we must straighten out our awareness. Let’s return to the spiritual world from the phenomenal world. The latter consists of greed, aversion, ignorance, pride, and doubt – all kinds of rivalries and attachments. If these elements are present, our spirituality is veiled. Any phenomenon that is compounded is not spirituality. When we're doing sitting meditation, we need to let go of every thought and attachments. Then, we'd experience the beauty of spirituality. It is free from concerns, attachments, and the afflictions of the three poisons (greed, aversion, ignorance). Spirituality is an uncompounded space. We can enjoy this space through sitting meditation. Without sitting meditation, we’re caught in the phenomenal world like the wok-tossed veggies. We're tossed in the air as we are fried and stirred in the phenomenal world. It is like stirring in the kitchen. There seems to be no end to this.

There are lots of problems in the phenomenal world. It is not to reject it but to extract the spirituality that’s hidden in it. Once we do, we can view this world with a refreshing perspective. Jesus Christ regards this world with love, so is the Buddha. This world is the life of these noble sages. Likewise, you must have a loving sense for your life, right? Through sitting meditation, we can steer our spirituality back on track. We can lead our life instead of the other way around. Once we take control, we can navigate this phenomenal world with virtues and awareness.

If we don't have a general understanding of today’s teaching, we wouldn’t be grateful for spirituality nor would we strive to cultivate. There is a “market of spirituality” that we must develop. It is a market of the truth and unchanging. It is an all-pervasive truth. We'd become holistic by returning to our spirituality. Without returning to it, we're divided as individuals. Let alone sitting meditation, we’d become empty and void. It is not the same as “emptiness” but nothingness. The state of spirituality is an “ecosystem" that is uncompounded, free from phenomena and entanglements. The state of spirituality is vast without separation. The dualistic concept of you and I are not present.

Thence, we must return to our root – spirituality. What is "spirituality"? it is awareness. How does the awareness function with variant factors? To have a crisp and clear effect? Or, to have a marshy effect? When the awareness is mixed with materials and phenomenal world, it is marshy. When the awareness works with emptiness, powerful energy is generated. It is an energy of ease, stability, and liberation. At the same time, this very energy is all-pervasive.