Narrator: There is real goodness and false goodness, honest goodness and crooked goodness, hidden goodness and visible goodness, seeming goodness and unseeming goodness, improper goodness and proper goodness, half goodness and full goodness, big goodness and small goodness, and finally, difficult goodness and easy goodness.
Liao-Fan: These different types of goodness each have their own reason, which should be carefully learned and understood. If we practice kind deeds but do not learn the way to differentiate between right and wrong, we may end up doing harm instead of good. Now I will explain the different types of goodness one by one.
Liao-Fan: What is real goodness and false goodness? Once upon a time in the Yuan Dynasty, a group of scholars went to pay homage to Master Jung Feng on Tianmu Mountain. They asked:
Scholar I: Buddhist teachings often speak of the retributions for good and evil; they say it's like the shadow, following the body wherever it goes. This is saying that doing good will always have its reward, and doing evil will always have its punishments. Then why is it, that there are people who practice kind deeds, but their family and descendants are not prosperous and successful? On the other hand, there are evil and wicked people who do bad things, but their family and descendants do quite well. Where has the law of cause and effect gone to? Is there no standard in the Buddha's teaching?
Liao-Fan: Master Jung Feng answered him, saying:
Master J.F.: Common people are blinded by worldly views, they have not cleansed their minds of impurities, and cannot see with true perception. Therefore, they look upon true goodness as evil and mistaken true evil as goodness. This is very common nowadays! Furthermore, these people do not blame themselves for bad perception on their part, but instead blame the heavens for their misfortunes!
Scholar 2: Goodness is goodness, and evil is evil, how can they be mistaken for each other?
Liao-Fan: Hearing this, Master Jung Feng asked each of them to express their thoughts on what was good and what was evil. One of them said:
Scholar 3: To yell at and beat others is evil, to respect and treat others in a mannerly way is good.
Liao-Fan: Master Jung Feng answered:
Master J.F.: Not necessarily.
Liao-Fan: Another scholar said:
Scholar 4: Being greedy for wealth and taking another's money is evil, not being greedy and abiding by proper ways is good.
Liao-Fan: Master Jung Feng said.
Master J.F.: Not necessarily.
Liao-Fan: The remaining scholars all expressed their own views on what was good and what was evil, but Master Jung Feng still replied:
Master J.F.: Not necessarily.
Liao-Fan: Since Master Jung Feng disagreed with all of their views on good and evil, they decided to ask the Master himself They questioned:
Scholar 1: So what is really considered good, and what is really considered evil?
Liao-Fan: Master Jung Feng told them.
Master J.F.: To do things with the intention of bringing benefit to others is good, to do things for the sake of oneself is evil. If what you do is for the sake of benefiting another, then it does not matter if you yell at or beat him, that is still considered good. If your intention is for self-benefit, then regardless of your appearance of respect and courtesy, it is still considered evil. Therefore, when one practices kind deeds with the sole intention of benefiting others, this is considered as benefiting the public, and if it's public, then it is real goodness.
If you only think for yourself while doing kind acts, then that is considered private benefit, and that, is false goodness. When kindness springs from within the heart, it is real goodness. When one does good just for the sake of doing a good deed, then it is false. Also, when one does good without expecting anything in return, it is considered real goodness. When one practices kind deeds for some other purpose than to benefit others, it is false. These differences should all be scrutinized by those who wish to practice true kindness.
No comments:
Post a Comment