Essentials of Pure Land Buddhism—How do we practise Buddism? (Episode 4) 2018/1/2 No:29-509-0004_en
That is how we get to know everything, just as the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas do. They know because they are not lost. We don’t know because we are lost. What is getting lost? Thinking is getting lost. When we see fruits on the table, it is awareness that enables us to see them. Once we start thinking about wanting to eat them, we are lost. It takes great skills to eat them without thinking about them. How do we practise Buddhism? We practise it in everyday lives. We should learn not to start thinking, but to keep our mind in a quiet state. So by practising meditation, wisdom will come naturally. Orientals emphasise mental tranquility, that state of the mind is the “pure mind”. This is the core of learning. Once your mind is stirred, you are lost. Whenever and wherever you are, you should strive to keep your mind in a quiet state. Not to think results in the pure mind; to think, the impure mind. We should keep the pure mind, not the impure mind. Those who keep the pure mind are the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas. Those who keep the impure mind are the sentient beings on the Six Paths of Rebirth.