Dear Dharma Friends,
Welcome to this episode of the podcast provided by the Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated of Australia.
Today, we continue to study the Sutra of the Ten Wholesome Deeds. Previously, we discussed how practicing the “Ten Wholesome Deeds” in combination with ” Giving Alms ” can yield immense benefits. The Buddha further elaborates that practicing the “Ten Wholesome Deeds” is not an isolated endeavor; if it is adorned with other Dharma methods, it can lead to the accomplishment of boundless merits and virtues.
1、 Adorn the Ten Wholesome Deeds with the Six Paramitas
Having previously discussed Giving Alms, we now continue:
Adorning with keeping Precepts: While practicing the Ten Wholesome Deeds, strictly upholding precepts can give rise to the benefits of all Buddhist teachings, ultimately fulfilling one’s great vows.
Adorn with Forbearance: A person with a bad temper cannot attain the perfect marks and characteristics of a Buddha. If one adorns the Ten Wholesome Deeds with Forbearance, they can possess the Buddha’s perfect voice and be endowed with the thirty-two features, and the eighty characteristics
Adorn with Diligence: If one adorns the Ten Wholesome Deeds with diligence, they can swiftly overcome all inner and outer demonic obstacles, entering the vast treasure trove of the Buddha’s teachings without hindrance.
Adorn with Meditative Concentration: If one adorns the Ten Wholesome Deeds with meditative concentration, it can give rise to the wisdom of the mind. A person skilled in meditative concentration will feel extremely ashamed and experience a state of physical and mental ease and joy.
Adorn with Wisdom: If you adorn the ten wholesome ways with wisdom, you can eliminate all discriminative thoughts and false views.
2、 Adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways with the Four Immeasurable Minds:
Adorn with loving-kindness: If you adorn the ten wholesome ways with the loving-kindness that gives happiness to all beings, you will not harbor any intention to harm any sentient being.
Adorn with compassion: If you adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways with the compassion that pities all beings, you will never grow weary of or abandon any sentient being.
Adorn with sympathetic joy: If you adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways with the heart of sympathetic joy, when you see others doing good deeds, you will not feel any aversion or jealousy in your heart, but instead be filled with joy and able to embrace all.
Adorn with serenity: If you adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways with the heart of serenity, whether you encounter favorable or adverse conditions, your mind will be no greed or hatred.
3、Adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways with Other Methods:
Adorn with the Four All-Embracing Virtues: If you adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways with the four methods of giving, kind speech, beneficial conduct, and cooperation, you will diligently and tirelessly in helping and teaching all beings.
Adorn with the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Skillfully practice contemplating the four foundations of mindfulness—”the body is impure, feelings are suffering, the mind is impermanent, and phenomena (all things) have no self” to adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways.
Adorn with the Four Right Efforts: If you adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways with the four kinds of diligent effort—”striving to eliminate evil actions that have arisen, striving to prevent evil actions that have not yet arisen, striving to sustain wholesome actions that have arisen, and striving to cultivate wholesome actions that have not yet arisen”—you will be able to eradicate all unwholesome deeds and accomplish all wholesome deeds.
Adorn with the Four Spiritual Power: If you adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways with the four spiritual power—contemplation, mind, diligence, and aspiration—you will be able to enter deep meditation and give rise to powerful spiritual abilities, constantly bringing about physical and mental ease and joy.
Adorn with the Five Spiritual Faculties: Adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways with the firm faculty of faith, the faculty of diligence, the faculty of mindfulness of the true Dharma, the faculty of single-minded concentration, and the faculty of wisdom that observes all things. This will naturally lead to serene and disciplined tranquility. With serene and disciplined tranquility, all afflictions will naturally be eradicated.
Adorn with the Five Powers: When the strength of the Five Spiritual Faculties grows robust, they manifest as the formidable Five Powers, capable of vanquishing all demonic adversaries, with nothing able to destroy them.
Adorn with the Seven Factors of Enlightenment: If you adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways with the seven factors of Enlightenment discernment of truth, diligence, joy, tranquility, mindfulness, concentration, and equanimity—you will perfectly accomplish the seven aspects of enlightenment. This enables the most skillful and profound understanding and awakening to all phenomena in the world. Here, the discernment of truth (choosing the right path) is not limited to the Buddha’s teachings but encompasses all worldly matters, allowing you to make correct choices without any error.
Adorn with the Noble Eightfold Path: If you take right view as the foundation and combine it with right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration to adorn the Ten Wholesome Ways, you will achieve perfect, undefiled right concentration, with right wisdom constantly present before you.
In summary, practicing the Ten Wholesome Ways is not merely a singular act but requires the adornment of various methods to achieve a more complete and perfect accomplishment.Thank you for listening!
