Teaching of the Mentor
Author: Fafu
Translator : Lotus
Treat mentor and sangha as parents
It is really hard to consider the mentors and sangha as parents, not mention to treat in Parents’ Way accordingly. First of all, now we don’t have the standard right attitudes towards our parents. In the sutras, it can often be seen to think of the buddhas, bodhisattvas, mentors and sangha as parents because during the period when the sutras were being translated, this translation was the most standard and the people who read the sutras knew how to treat the mentors and sangha. For what reason was this? Because at that time people knew how to treat their parents. But now, people is self-centered towards everything, taking their parents as a cash cow or as a burden, while for ancient people everything is parent-centered. There are different positioning points between the modern people and the ancient people. What does it mean to think of mentors and sangha as parents? It’s known to us that the children are dependent on their parents, the mind of the children call Parent-like mindset. That is to say they can’t live without seeing their parents even for a while and when their parents show their authority, the children are so frightened that they can’t dare to speak or act. Suppose there appeared some karma obstructions, afflictions and defects in a child, his parents would launch their powers and he were so frightened that he couldn’t even move, which would make his karma run away or even death. Therefore, the real ancient people, including kings, ministers and common people, no matter how old they were, even in eighty, would tremble with fear in front of their parents like walking on thin ice if their parents were alive. But now, people don’t have this kind of mind.
As well as in the Buddhism, only if you are influenced by your parents’ authority, then you can make achievements swiftly. Why is this? Because our karma and bad habits are frightened to run away or even to death relying on the authority of the buddhas, bodhisattvas, mentors and sangha so that we can’t do evil deeds at all when it is difficult for us to subdue afflictions. Therefore, there are a lot of people who obtained achievements in the past. On the one hand they had this kind of causes and conditions and cultivated with effort and persistence, on the other hand, they could consider their mentors and sangha as parents.For example, there was Linji Sect in Zen Buddhism. If you had wanted to learn Dharma from Linji Sect, he would not have taught you anything at all but excoriated and beaten you. That is to say, he would have abused and beaten you, rightly or wrongly. To what extent would he have beaten and abused you? He would have done it until you had been endowed with concentration without any delusion.Because the ancient people could really take their mentors as their parents, thinking that the more their mentors beat and abused them, the better and more correct they were, all of them attained achievement. But later, it got worse and worse. The people who had obtained achievements became fewer and fewer due to their lack of respect for their mentors and Dharma. Until today, there has almost been no any achiever. Why is this? Because we need the help from our parents and sangha when we are in difficulty. Instead, if we are just dependent on them but without sense of fear from their authority, even making decisions on behalf of them and acting opportunistically, nothing will be accomplished for us.
Remember: this is the manifestation of preserving the Dharma and the vessel of upholding the Dharma. It is the very method if you really want to get achievements quickly. It will be impossible for you to achieve if you are not possessed of these rules.
I swear that all sentient beings will, like their true nature, think of mentors and sangha as their parents, be endowed with love and fear towards them and beg the buddhas for their mercy and protection so that they can achieve rapidly. I will become firmly established in it through undisturbed and single-minded thought in my mind with great joyful faith and the persistent and courageous power and then will make it become wisdom within myself and fit the roots of all beings skillfully. I will rescue all sentient beings with this wisdom and countless perfect kindness, compassion, joy and giving.
