AVOID EVIL, DO GOOD AND PURIFY THE MIND

On 15 December 2011, the above teaching, which is the teaching of all Buddhas of the three times, had gained a deeper significance as far as I am concerned. A comment by Ven. Boon Keng had struck me that it is necessary for us to avoid non-virtuous actions, even after we have attained enlightenment. If we don’t avoid non-virtuous actions, we will have a down-fall. It is said that unless we are an eighth level Bodhisattva, then we must absolutely comply with morality. It is not to say that at levels above the eighth stage of Bodhisattva that we can ignore morality. No. Rather, at that level, good and bad are seen in the different light. Good and bad are used to help sentient beings more compassionately than ever before. So, when we hear teachings that say good and bad are transcended, it does not mean there is no good and bad anymore or there is no demarcation between what is good and what is bad. They are just regarded or used differently. At that time, we are no longer concerned with what happens to ourselves since at that time, we are no longer affected by self-interest. For breaking the precepts, we shall gladly go to the hell regions for even one sentient being. We shall have the ability to help sentient beings then. The story of the ancient Korean Zen Master Won Hyo comes to mind. I will comment on that story in a later blog. But until that level of attainment, we must comply with the common standard of morality. This is basically the message intended by Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen’s Permissions and Prohibitions, but it never gained a deeper impression until lately. Hence, for the first time, when I bowed to the Three Jewels, I actually bowed respectively to “avoid evil”, “do good” and “purify the mind”. Even though it is the most basic teaching of the Buddha, it is also the highest. Maybe I should recite this everyday so that it sticks in my mind. It is possibly the most efficacious protective "mantra" one could ever get. And there is no need for any empowerment to recite this “mantra”. Everyone should recite it daily, less we forget it.