Essay Writing of Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated
(9th Period)
The Ten Good Karmas
Instructor: Shi Wuguang
Author: Wang Huaigu
May 28, 2022
Abstract
The Ten Good Karmas is the earth on which all good dharmas , virtues, merits and supreme Bodhi , that is, all human beings, gods, Sound-hearers, Pratyekabuddhas/Sages Enlightened by Conditions, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas are established on the earth of The Ten Good Karmas. The Path of Ten Good Karmas is the root of the worldly and the out-of-worldly fruits and rewards. It is only through the practice of the Ten Good Karmas that the world is filled with the rich and noble such as the kshatriyas and the brahmanas, the Heaven of the Four Great Kings , the Heaven of the Station of Neither Thought Nor Non-Thought, or the Vehicle of the Sound-hearers , or the Vehicle of Sages Enlightened Solely by Conditions, and even the Supreme Bodhi. All this is due to the different categories by practicing the Ten Good Karmas. Without the Ten Good Karmas , all these good dharmas ,virtues and merits and supreme Buddhi Path will no longer exist and could not be established. Since the earth of the Ten Good Karmas is so superior, all sentient beings and all Bodhisattvas should take pleasure and pride in the achievement of the Ten Good Karmas, but take suffering and shame in the practice of the Ten Bad karmas .
Key Words: Ten Good Karmas, the earth, be established, different categories, Ten Bad Karmas
Chapter 1 Introduction
How can we achieve all the supreme fruits and rewards, good deeds, merits, virtues and even the supreme Buddha Path? Why is it that many people have been practicing for decades or even for many lifetimes and eons, but have not made any progress, and have not seen any growth in wisdom, blessings, merits and virtues, or abilities? What kind of solid foundation should be achieved before the subsequent achievement of many good deeds, merits and virtues?
The research motivation of this paper is to clarify the above questions. The purpose of this paper is to gain a thorough understanding of the Ten Good Karmas, which is the solid foundation for all good deeds, just like the earth, so that we can stay away from the Ten Bad Karmas , firmly grasp the Ten Good Karmas as the foundation for practice, and quickly achieve all good deeds , merits ,virtues and all supreme fruits and rewards in the world and out of the world.
Chapter 2 The Ten Good Karmas is the Earth for Achieving All Good Dharmas, Merits, Virtues and Supreme Bodhi
As we have discussed in the seventh and eighth period, the wisdom of cause and effect is the foundation of the precepts, which are all based and established on the law of cause and effect. Similarly, the Ten Good Karmas is no exception. They are also established by the Buddha in accordance with the laws of cause and effect, and will enable the practitioner to achieve all good deeds, merits and virtues and even the supreme Buddhahood. Good karma must have good rewards because the law of cause and effect is true and not false.
The Ten Good Karmas are the earth for the attainment of all good deeds, merits and virtues and the supreme Buddhahood, all human beings, gods, Sound-hearers, Sages Enlightened by Conditions, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas are established on this earth. It is only through the practice of the Ten Good Karmas that the world is filled with the rich and noble such as the the kshatriyas and the brahmanas, the Heaven of the Four Great Kings , the Heaven of the Station of Neither Thought Nor Non-Thought, or the Vehicle of the Sound-hearers , or the Vehicle of Sages Enlightened Solely by Conditions, and so forth to the Supreme Bodhi, which is due to the different categories of practicing the Ten Good Karmas.. All the precepts are within the scope of the Ten Good Deeds, including the various Bodhisattva precepts that have been discussed earlier, but they only refine the Ten Good Deeds to specific points.
Chapter 3 Why the Ten Good Karmas is the Earth for Achieving All Good Dharmas , Merits, Virtues and Supreme Bodhi
If you want to truly understand the specific reasons why the Ten Good Karmas is the earth that accomplishes all good deeds, merits ,virtues and supreme Bodhi, then you must first clearly understand and understand the specific functions and uses of the earth.
It is well known that the earth can produce infinite treasures, gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, and other kinds of metals, oil and coal mine, as well as countless animals and plants. Without the earth, none of these things would exist. Therefore, all treasures, animals and plants depend on the earth for their existence.
As it is said in the Sutra of Mahayana Great Rally Ten Wheels of Earth Store, “For example, the earth is the source of all seeds, trees, mountains, crops, and beings of the earth.
The Sutra of Mahayana Great Rally Ten Wheels of Earth Store also says:
If by the earth, all medicines and grains, flowers and trees, and jungles can grow… If by the earth, all mountains, small and large wheel-ring mountains, and the kings of wonderful high kings of mountains can dwell … If by the earth all worldly delicacies are sought … and as the earth, where all the pure and impure are equally held …; and as the earth, where all sentient beings can share and live in common.
From this, we can see that without the earth, there would be no plants and animals, there would be no platform for all sentient beings to live on.
The same is true of the Ten Good Karmas. All human beings, gods, Sound-hearers, Sages Enlightened by Conditions, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas are established on the earth of the Ten Good Karmas, and they all depend on the earth of the Ten Good Karmas.
First of all, let’s understand what the Ten Good Karmas are. The Sutra of the Paths of the Ten Good Karmas says, “This dharma is the Ten Good Karmas. What are the ten? They are to be able to leave killing, stealing, improper sex, false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, useless speech, greed, hatred and evil views forever.
Why is it said that the Ten Good Karmas is the earth for the attainment of all good deeds, merits, virtues and supreme Bodhi? The reason is that all good deeds, merits and virtues are accomplished on the basis of the Ten Good Karmas. The Sutra of the Paths of the Ten Good Karmas says:
You should know that the Bodhisattva has one method that can eradicate all the sufferings of the evil pathss. What is the one? It is the practice of always thinking, contemplating and observing good dharmas day and night, so that all good dharmas may grow mind by mind without the slightest interruption of bad ones. By doing so, all evils will be forever cut off and the good dharma will be perfected, and that one will always be close to all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and other holy beings. The term “good dharma” refers to the human and celestial bodies, the Bodhisattva body, the Bodhi of Sound-hearers, the Bodhi of Sages Enlightened Solely , and the Supreme Bodhi, all of which are attained by this dharma as the foundation. This dharma is the ten good karmic paths.
From the above quotation, it is clear that the Ten Good Karmas is therefore the earth for the attainment of all good deeds , merits ,virtues, and even the supreme Bodhi.
It is also said in the Sutra of Receiving the Ten Good Precepts: “If one can perform the Ten Good Deeds and follow the teachings of the Right Dharma, one will see many Buddhas in one’s all lives. His body and mind are enlightened, he is free from all bonds of suffering and attains the supreme path swiftly.” Therefore, the Ten Good Karmas is the foundation and earth for the attainment of the supreme Buddhas’Path.
In addition, according to the Sutra of Mahayana Great Rally Ten Wheels of Earth Store it says, “The Paths of the Ten Good Karmas are the foundation of the Great Vehicle, the cause of Bodhi, the firm ladder to attain nirvana, the root of dwelling all good deeds, merits and virtues, the root of worldly and out-of-worldly good deeds, and the cause of worldly and out-of-worldly superior fruits and rewards. From this, we can see that the Ten Good Karmas is the earth for achieving all worldly and out-of-worldly good deeds, merits and virtues.
According to the Sutra of the Paths of the Ten Good Karmas, it says:
You must know that these ten good karmas can bring you to fruition and perfection of the ten powers, the fearlessness, the eighteen uncommon and all Buddha dharmas. Therefore, you should practice them diligently! Dragon King! For example, all cities and settlements depend on the earth for their dwelling, and all herbs, trees and forests depend on the earth for their growth.The same is true of the Ten Good Paths, by which all humans and celestial beings are established, and by which all the Sound-hearers, Bodh i of Sages Enlightened Solely , all Bodhisattva practices and Buddha dharmas are accomplished.
In the Second Part of the Five-Vehicle Common Learning , it is said, “If you want to practice and achieve the fruits without the Ten Good Karmas , it is like building a pavilion or planting rice in the air, but if you want them to achieve and grow , there is no possibility. From the above quotation, we can see that without the earth, all rice, herbs, flowers, trees and forests cannot grow, and all buildings and pavilions cannot be built . In the same way, without the earth of the Ten Good Karmas, all good deeds , merits and virtues will cease to exist. The Ten Good Karmas are the earth on which all humans and celestial beings , all the Sound-hearers, Bodhi of Sages Enlightened Solely , all Bodhisattva practices ,Buddha dharmas and all worldly and out-of-worldly good deeds, merits and virtues are accomplished.
Also, according to the Sutra of Mahayana Great Rally Ten Wheels of Earth Store, it says:
What are the ten wheels of great Bodhisattva? Good man! The ten wheels are not other dharmas, but are the Ten Good Karmas. This is the name of great Bodhisattva because of the attainment of these ten wheels. He is able to free himself from all evils, to attain all goodness at will, and to fill the great ocean of nirvana quickly. By the light of the wisdom of great skill and convenience, he matures all sentient beings and makes them benefical and happy. What is the reason for this? Good man! All the Buddhas of the past have kept away from the Paths of the Ten Bad Karmas, and have praised the fruits of the Paths of the Ten Good Karmas. Therefore, if one can observe and protect the Paths of the Ten Good Karmas as they are described here, and even to the end of one’s life without committing them, one will receive all the great rewards as described before and after.
It is clear from this that all the Buddhas in the past have collectively proclaimed that the Ten Good Karmas is the earth of all supreme rewards and good deeds , merits and virtues. Even if one keeps any one of the ten good karmas and does not commit any of them at the end of one’s life, one will definitely obtain all the supreme fruits and rewards. This is how they practice the Ten Good Karmas and stay away from the Ten Bad Karmas to achieve the supreme Buddhas’ Path.
Also, in Chapter 9 of the Sutra of Mahayana Great Rally Ten Wheels of Earth Store, it says:
If a great Bodhisattva accomplishes these ten wheels, he will be able to quickly attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. What is the reason for this? In the past, all the Buddhas, Right and Unequaling Enlightenment have all kept away from the Paths of the Ten Bad Karmas, and have all praised the fruits and rewards of the Ten Good Karmas … Therefore, good men! If one does not truly seek the fruits of the Buddhas by the Paths of the Ten Good Karmas, and if one does not truly go down to guard and protect one of the Ten Good Karmic Paths, and even if one dies and says to oneself, “I am a true practitioner of the Mahayana, I seek the Supreme Bodhi. ”You should know that such a sentient being is an extremely deceitful and with great false speech. To the Buddhas of the ten realms, he is to confuse the world, to have no sense of shame, no sense of qualm, to talk of the view of emptiness and destroying, and induces the fools; and he will fall into the bad destinies in the decay of the body and at the end of life.
From the above quotation, it is clear that without the Ten Good Karmas, there is no supreme Buddhahood, and with the achievement of the Ten Good Karmas, one can quickly accomplish the Supreme Bodhi.
And it also says:
If one does not practice the Ten Good Karmas, if one passes through eons of motes of dust of all the Buddhalands in the ten directions, if one calls oneself Mahayana, if one speaks or listens, or if one resolves or makes one’s vows, one will not be able to attain Bodhi and Nirvana, nor will one free others from the suffering of birth and death. Good man! By practicing the Ten Good Karmas, there will be all the ksatriyas and brahmanas and such greatly rich and nobility, the Heaven of the Four Great Kings , the Heaven of the Station of Neither Thought Nor Non-Thought, or the Vehicle of the Sound-hearers , or the Vehicle of Sages Enlightened Solely by Conditions, and even the Supreme Bodhi. All this is due to the different categories of practicing the Ten Good Karmas. Therefore, good men! If one wishes to fulfill the supreme and right vows equal to Bodhi quickly, one should practice the Ten Good Karmas to dignify oneself. Those who abide in the ten bad karmas of indiscipline are not able to fulfill the Great Vows of Supreme Bodhi. If you wish to quickly realize the Mahayana realm, quickly attain supreme and righteous Bodhi, and quickly fulfill all good wishes, you should first uphold the Ten Good Karmas. What is the reason for this? The Ten Good Karmas is the foundation of all good deeds, merits and virtues and the cause of worldly and out-of-worldly supreme fruits and rewards. Therefore, one should practice the Ten Good Karmas.
It can be learned: one must practice the Ten Good Karmas, the world will have the rich and noble such as the kshatriyas and the brahmanas, the Heaven of the Four Great Kings , the Heaven of the Station of Neither Thought Nor Non-Thought, or the Vehicle of the Sound-hearers , or the Vehicle of Sages Enlightened Solely by Conditions, and even the Supreme Bodhi. All these good deeds, merits and virtues, the positions of fruition are due to the different categories by practicing the Ten Good Karmas. From this, it can be seen that the Ten Good Karmas is the earth of achieving all the supreme fruits, good dharmas and merits and virtues, is the root of the achievement of the worldly and the out-of-worldly fruits and rewards, can make sentient beings quickly achieve the supreme path to Buddha.
Furthermore, in a similar way, if someone does not go to practice the Ten Good Karmas, and rashly recite Buddhas in mind, practice meditation, cast mantra, even if one practices for 100,000 great kalpas, it is impossible to succeed. However, one must come back to practice the Ten Good Karmas because he does not have the earth of the Ten Good Karmas.
If he wants to avoid detours and wasteful paths, and just start honestly from the first step of the Ten Good Karmas, he will have the fastest achievement! It is because of the earth of the Ten Good Karmas that he can achieve all the good deeds, merits and virtues such as reciting Buddhas in mind, practicing meditation and casting mantra.
In addition, as the Sutra of Mahayana Great Rally Ten Wheels of Earth Store says:
If a great Bodhisattva can keep away from killing in his life, he is giving to all sentient beings no fear or terror, so that they will cause all sentient beings not to have sorrow or suffering and will be free from terrible fear.
The good roots are quickly ripened due to it, and when they fell into the river of life and death in the five destinies in the past, all the evil karmic obstacles of body, speech and mind caused by killing, all the obstacles of vexation, all the obstacles of sentient beings, all the obstacles of dharma and all the obstacles of life span, killing beings by themselves and having taught others, seeing and hearing the killing beings and rejoicing with it, have all been destroyed without the rest and have had no more rewards because they have left the wheel of killing. In the present body, all human beings and celestial beings love them together, and there is no speculation and apprehension, they are peaceful and happy in the body and mind, and the life spans are very long.
From this, we can see that by staying away from killing, all the obstacles arising from killing can be reduced to nothing, and one will not suffer from bad karma, and they are peaceful and happy in the body and mind, and the life spans are very long, the achievement of all good deeds, merits and virtues is naturally easy and relaxing. Therefore, the Ten Good Karmas is the foundation and the earth for the achievement of all good deeds, merits and virtues.
In Chapter 8 of the Sutra of Mahayana Great Rally Ten Wheels of Earth Store, it says:
If he can keep away from stealing in his life……when they fell into the river of life and death in the five destinies in the past, all the evil karmic obstacles of body, speech and mind caused by stealing, all the obstacles of vexation, all the obstacles of sentient beings, all the obstacles of dharma and all the obstacles of wealth and treasure, stealing by themselves and having taught others, seeing and hearing the stealing and rejoicing with it, have all been destroyed without the rest and have had no more rewards because they have left the wheel of stealing.
In the present body, all human beings and celestial beings love them together, and there is no speculation and apprehension, and they are peaceful and happy in the body and mind, and the wealth and treasure will be sufficient.
From the above quotation, we can see that by staying away from stealing, all the obstacles arising from stealing can be reduced to nothing, and there will be no evil retribution, and they will be peaceful and happy in the body and mind, and the wealth and treasure will be sufficient, the achievement of all good deeds, merits and virtues is naturally easy and relaxing. Therefore, the Ten Good Karmas is the foundation and the earth for achieving all good deeds, merits and virtues.
The rest of the eight good karma is also the same, and it is also said that:
To be able to live out one’s life free from the sexual misconduct … when they fell into the river of life and death in the five destinies in the past, all the evil karmic obstacles of body, speech and mind caused by the sexual misconduct, all the obstacles of vexation, all the obstacles of sentient beings, all the obstacles of dharma and all the obstacles of family and home, doing the sexual misconduct by themselves and having taught others, seeing and hearing the sexual misconduct and rejoicing with it, have all been destroyed without the rest and have had no more rewards because they have left the wheel of the sexual misconduct…In the present body, all human beings and celestial beings love them together, and there is no speculation and apprehension, and they are peaceful and happy in the body and mind, and have chaste wives and families.
It is also said that:
To be able to live out one’s life free from the false speech … when they fell into the river of life and death in the five destinies in the past, all the evil karmic obstacles of body, speech and mind caused by the false speech, all the obstacles of vexation, all the obstacles of sentient beings, all the obstacles of dharma and all the obstacles of faith and speech, doing the sexual misconduct by themselves and having taught others, seeing and hearing the false speech and rejoicing with it, have all been destroyed without the rest and have had no more rewards because they have left the wheel of the false speech…In the present body, all human beings and celestial beings love them together, and there is no speculation and apprehension, and they are peaceful and happy in the body and mind, and the words spoken are believed and upheld by others.
It is also said that:
To be able to live out one’s life free from the evil view… when they fell into the river of life and death in the five destinies in the past, all the evil karmic obstacles of body, speech and mind caused by the evil view, all the obstacles of vexation, all the obstacles of sentient beings, all the obstacles of dharma and all the obstacles of the right view, doing the evil view by themselves and having taught others, seeing and hearing the evil view and rejoicing with it, have all been destroyed without the rest and have had no more rewards because they have left the wheel of the evil view…In the present body, all human beings and celestial beings love them together, and there is no speculation and apprehension, and they are peaceful and happy in the body and mind, and are pure in mind, and free from evil distinctions.
In summary, the benefits and power of keeping away from the Ten Bad Karmas and guarding and protecting the Ten Good Karmas are very supreme. And the Buddha guarantees that if one can abide by the Ten Good Karmas and never commit the Ten Bad Karmas again, all the obstacles and evil paths caused by the previous bad karmas will be destroyed completely and become null and void, and one will not suffer the consequences and retributions of the bad karmas, and will receive the corresponding physical and mental happiness and excellent merits and virtues!
In other words, if one can adhere to the Ten Good Paths and not commit the Ten Evil Paths again, then all obstacles will be eliminated and it will be easy for him to achieve all the supreme fruits and rewards, good deeds ,merits, virtues and the supreme Bodhi.
Therefore, all of this fully proves that the Ten Good Paths is the root and the earth for achieving all the supreme fruits and rewards, good deeds, merits, virtues and the unsurpassed Bodhi.
Chapter 4 The Terrible Obstacles Arising from the Ten Bad Karmas
Through the above discussion, it has been realized that the Ten Good Paths is the foundation and the earth for achieving all the supreme fruits , rewards , good deeds , merits and virtues. But at the same time, one should also clearly know the opposite of the Ten Good Paths:, the Ten Bad Paths, only brings all kinds of terrible obstacles to sentient beings, can not produce all good deeds, merits and virtues, and it can only obstruct the birth of all good merits, can only corrupt the birth of all good deeds, merits and virtues.
Now we come to understand and realize that if the creation of the Ten Bad Paths, not only can not establish the earth of all good deeds, merits and virtues, can not achieve all good deeds, merits and virtues, but also will bring a series of terrible and various obstacles to the achievement of all good deeds, merits and virtues.
As the Sutra of Mahayana Great Rally Ten Wheels of Earth Store says:
Because of killing, it can create all evil karmic obstacles of body, speech, and mind, all annoyance obstacles, all sentient beings obstacles, all dharma obstacles, all lifespan obstacles …… Because of stealing, all evil karmic obstacles of body, speech, and mind, all annoyance obstacles, all sentient beings obstacles, all dharma obstacles, all wealth and treasure obstacles …… all family and home obstacles …… all the barriers of faith and words…… all the barriers of peace and respect …… all the barriers of goodness …… all the barriers of meanings and benefits…… all the obstacles of greedlessness …… all the obstacles of ignorance …… all the obstacles of right views.
From the above quotation, we can see that creating the Ten Bad Karmas can bring about various obstacles: obstacles formed by the creation of bad karmas, obstacles formed by following afflictions, obstacles formed between people, obstacles formed in all dharmas, obstacles caused by many diseases and short life spans, obstacles caused by difficulties in obtaining money, obstacles caused by reputation and language, obstacles caused by difficulties in harmonizing and respecting relationships with others, obstacles caused by the inability to adjust one’s body, mouth and mind, obstacles caused by difficulties in expressing moral principles and obtaining benefits, obstacles of not receiving the various benefits of not having greed, obstacles of not understanding everything, and obstacles of having right knowledge and views.
Therefore, if one does not perform the Ten Good Karmas but the Ten Bad Karmas, it will only bring all kinds of terrible obstacles to one’s practice, and will only hinder the arising of all good deeds ,merits ,virtues and supreme Bodhi, and will only corrupt the arising of all good deeds ,merits , virtues , and will not be able to build up all good deeds ,merits ,virtues and even achieve the supreme path to Buddhahood.
By the way, if one not only does not kill beings, but also actively saves and protects sentient beings; if one not only does not steal, but also actively gives alms and make offerings to sentient beings …if one not only does not create the Ten Bad Karmas, but also actively exerts kindness, compassion, joy and giving to save and protect sentient beings, that is the supreme mind and conduct of a Mahayana Bodhisattva. That is to elevate the Ten Good Karmas to the standard of the Mahayana Bodhisattva, and to make the ambulance of sentient beings the goal , which is supreme.
I hope that in the near future, I will have the opportunity to discuss this with all those who are interested and aspire to Bodhisattva practice to explore and sublimate together.
Chapter 5 Conclusion
In conclusion, the Ten Good Karmas is the earth of all good deeds , merit ,virtues and even the supreme Bodhi. All sentient beings must have the earth of the Ten Good Karmas in order to establish all worldly and out-of-worldly good deeds , merit ,virtues. All human beings, gods, Sound-Hearers, Sages Enlightened by Conditions, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas also rely on the earth of the Ten Good Karmas to build up. Without the Ten Good Karmas, all good deeds, merit ,virtues and the supreme path to Buddhahood will cease to exist and cannot be established.
Since the earth of the Ten Good Karmas is so superior, why don’t we take the pleasure and honor of achieving the Ten Good Karmas? All sentient beings and all Bodhisattvas should be happy and honored to achieve the Ten Good Karmas , and take the suffering and shame of practicing the Ten Bad Karmas. Therefore, I hereby deeply pray that all beings and all Bodhisattvas will quickly achieve the earth of the Ten Good Karmas, and because of the earth of the Ten Good Karmas and establish all good deeds, merits, virtues the supreme Bodhi, can practice self-benefit and altruism with endless joy, can practice self-benefit and altruism with endless happiness!
In the process of exploring the theme of this essay, the author, due to the limitation of personal wisdom, has not been able to conduct a more comprehensive, profound, extensive, and subtle exploration of the theme, and the arguments of the theme are not sufficient and rich enough, and the demonstrations are not close enough, strong enough, and the logic is not strong enough. In addition, how to quickly stay away from the Ten Bad Karmas and achieve the Ten Good Karmas is not yet involved, lest too much talk, diluting the main point.
Through this inquiry, the author hopes to further improve the above-mentioned research limitations in the future direction of study, and to ponder and practice in accordance with the Dharma, so that I can take the Ten Good Karmas that are pure and perfect in accordance with the Dharma as soon as possible, and achieve all good deeds, merits and virtues for self-benefit and benefit to others without end.
Appendix References
I. Ancient texts (in chronological order of dynasties)
1 [Tang] Translated by Xuanzang: the Sutra of Mahayana Great Rally Ten Wheels of Earth Store, Dazhengzang, vol. 13.
2 [Tang] Translated by Siksananda : The Sutra of the Paths of the Ten Good Karmas, Daizhengzang, vol. 15.
3 [Republic of China (1912-1949)] Translated by Shi Taixu, “The Second Part of the Five-Vehicle Common Learning,” New Continuing Treasure，vol. 13.
4 [Missing dynasty] Missing translator: Sutra of Receiving the Ten Good Precepts Dazhengzang, vol. 24.