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Contributed by the Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated, Australia

Mentor: Bennie Spirit

Editor: Yinyue(Ivy)

With gratitude to Google AI Gemini

With gratitude to NotebookLM

Draft Date: Nov 3, 2025

Location: BPI Meditation Center

Abstract

This article focuses specifically on the section concerning the “Subjugation of Afflictions” (*Kleśa-vinaya*) within the *Abhidharma-mahāyāna-prakāśa-mukha- śāstra* (Treatise on the Hundred Dharmas as the Gateway to Understanding the Nature of Consciousness). Its primary purpose is to enable practitioners to thoroughly subdue their afflictions and engage in authentic practice.

This text serves as a branch of the broader “Mahayana Practice System Flowchart.” It has been observed that when many individuals make their vows (*praṇidhāna*), their understanding of the word “respect” (*gaurava*) remains merely superficial and literal; they lack a profound grasp of its actual underlying meaning. They fail to realize that when a person is in a state of affliction, it is impossible to genuinely embody respect. Consequently, we have dedicated this specific study to this topic, intending to help practitioners cultivate true causes and make sincere vows, so that in the future, the fruits of their practice may manifest perfectly and authentically.

Notes on the Practice of “Respect” and Subjugation of Afflictions

*(Based on the discussion of the Abhidharma-mahāyāna-prakāśa-mukha-śāstra)*

**Disciple:** I find it difficult to cultivate true respect and reverence. How should I transfer the merit (*pariṇāmanā*) of my practice given this lack of wholesome roots (*kuśala-mūla*)? I am troubled by this.

**Master:** Then you must first cultivate the wholesome roots.

**Disciple:** Can I transfer the merit from other good deeds toward the vow of “Unattached and Unbound Liberation”? For instance, if I perform prostrations, can that merit be directed toward the Great Vows?

**Master:** Yes, you can. However, since everything must begin with “respect,” it would be more effective to first establish the foundation of respect.

**Disciple:** How can one establish this?

**Master:** Transfer all merits into the cultivation of respect. Furthermore, transfer all merits into the “Subjugation of Afflictions” (*Kleśa-vinaya*), because afflictions are precisely what destroy your ability to be respectful. Afflictions are like worms, and your sense of respect is like a fragile sprout—the worms will devour it. This is why you struggle to subdue afflictions: the very nature of these afflictions is destructive. We have studied the nature of afflictions for years; everyone should now recognize their destructive power. In the Dharma, afflictions are called “thieves and enemies” (*ripu-caura*) because they hijack your merits and wholesome roots, devouring everything good. You must be vigilant against them, as you have not yet truly grasped the full extent of the destruction they cause.

**Disciple:** How did you go about studying afflictions?

**Master:** You must clearly see their destructive power and understand what they are capable of ruining. Ultimately, you will discover that they destroy anything wholesome or virtuous. They force you into a state of extreme depravity, making it impossible for you to manifest your good qualities. They are indeed thieves that

specialize in stripping you of all goodness.

Study this carefully. For example, when greed (*lobha*) arises, it immediately breaks your precepts (*śīla*). Precepts exist to prevent misconduct and ensure peace and happiness; when greed consumes you, you can no longer secure peace, only suffering. Do you realize how severe this is?

By utilizing scientific understanding, we can see that dietary habits alone lead to immeasurable suffering. The things you crave are often filled with harmful additives that exceed the body’s needs, turning into a burden and a debt. Conversely, you neglect the nutrients your body genuinely requires, leading to systemic failure. From a physical, psychological, and mental perspective, the destruction is evident—and that is merely considering greed in a narrow sense. A single dietary indulgence can destroy a person; it cannot secure happiness, only suffering.

If you study every point meticulously, you would not dare to place yourself in a pile of suffering, because you cannot bear it. As I stated when compiling the *Confession of the Ten Wholesome Deeds*, it is truly difficult to endure. You must continue to research how many calamities afflictions bring—they ensure you are distanced from peace and immersed in pain. Even without considering the extreme suffering of the Three Lower Realms, you cannot even live a viable life here in the human realm. Consider the case of the person mentioned earlier who had to have his foot amputated—the infection returned, and he had to undergo further amputation. He resisted, but the rotting continued; he had no other choice. That is the reality.

**Disciple:** So, that is the suffering brought on by greed.

**Master:** In the late stages of diabetes, amputation is often necessary. It does not stop there; the flesh decays, and the internal organs follow—these are the complications. Sometimes the decay starts at the foot, sometimes in the viscera. If you watch someone undergo these repeated amputations—cutting away pieces little by little—even if they are under anesthesia, the foot is gradually disappearing.

**Disciple:** If he controls his sugar intake, can he still recover, even in such a severe state?

**Master:** At the very least, he would stop the need for further amputations. What has already been cut cannot grow back, but if the sugar levels in the cells are eliminated, the bacteria can be halted through medication and topical treatment.

**Disciple:** Then why does he continue to eat, even knowing his feet might be fully amputated?

**Disciple 1:** Someone mentioned that he cannot control it. Even when the doctor gives clear instructions, he eats regardless. He doesn’t want the surgery, but he cannot stop. My state is the same.

**Master:** If you cannot control it, you can only lose your limbs. If you can control it, you can stop the decay. However, you must realize that this is not just a “stuck switch.” People often say it is a matter of willpower, but it is actually a total corruption of the nervous system. The autonomic nervous system that tells you “you are full, do not eat anymore” has been corroded. It stops functioning, and you are left in a state of “idiotic eating.” You have lost the intellectual ability to protect your own body. The nervous system could regenerate, but because you continue to overeat, you deny it the chance to heal.

You are being eroded. The entire brain-nerve system is being attacked. You must wait for it to regenerate before you can regain the rational restraint to protect yourself. Until then, you are trapped in a vicious cycle.

**Disciple:** So, even if he wants to control it, it is very difficult.

**Master:** The only way to stop it is through external intervention—binding him and sealing his mouth.

**Disciple:** That requires someone to force him.

**Master:** Are patients in a mental hospital not treated through forced intervention? Ultimately, they are cured through such constraints.

**Disciple:** He has lost his rationality; he is in a vicious cycle.

**Master:** That is why our responsibility is so heavy. We must help sentient beings attain happiness by removing this suffering. It is difficult, indeed, but we must find a way, for it concerns your very life.

**Disciple:** He must truly recognize that the problem is his eating habits before it can be solved. Even with study, we still cannot fully practice this.

**Master:** It is because your study is too superficial. You are unwilling to take deep root. If you study, research it in your spare time, and dig deeper until you understand the dangers, you will naturally stop. You must realize that the damage is cumulative— like placing iron in sulfuric acid. You don’t see the corrosion at first, but after a day, the surface is gone. People are the same: they feel nothing, so they assume it is fine. They become dull, unable to remember, analyze, or perceive clearly—that is already the state of being “dull-witted.” We are like the frog in boiling water; when we finally realize we cannot escape, we are already cooked.

We must use scientific research to identify sugar as a “sugar toxin” and recognize that it is an addiction. Why can you not stop? Because it is a drug.

**Disciple:** So every extra bite makes us a fraction more “dull.” Eating equals losing one’s mind.

**Master:** It is fine to eat only what your body needs. Keep to that exact amount. If you are deficient, eat what is needed to restore balance, but never exceed it. The moment you exceed the limit, the trouble begins.

**Disciple:** But we always find excuses. “I bought it with money, so I can’t throw it away.”

**Master:** What a great excuse that is! But you will pay for that “thrown away” food with far greater medical expenses and the loss of your own health.

**Disciple:** Many of these damages are irreversible.

**Master:** We must cultivate a deep aversion (*jugupsā*) to these afflictions. You must study the history of these “lifestyle diseases.” In the past, people were poor and lacked resources, so these diseases were virtually non-existent. Today, with material abundance, we have nurtured habits of overconsumption. We must understand that we are currently acting as slaves to these afflictions, serving the “master” of eating, drinking, and playing. As practitioners, we must reclaim our status as sovereigns of our own minds and subdue these afflictions.

**Disciple:** How do we “force” ourselves to do this?

**Master:** Keep “Right View” (*Samyag-dṛṣṭi*) present at every moment. If the Right View is present, you will not be deceived or harmed. Memorize the key findings of the research and discuss how to apply them. By discussing these things together, you achieve a resonance—like a pendulum effect—until everyone’s frequency aligns with the Right View.

**Disciple:** What should be the primary focus of our merit transfer?

**Master:** Everything must be transferred to the establishment of “Respect.” Without respect, you have no equipment to receive the help of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Respect is the connection; it is the optimal cause (*hetu*) that links you to the frequency of the Buddha. In the *Lotus Sūtra*, it is taught that one must constantly mindful and respectful of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. If you lack this “device” of respect, you cannot receive their power, even though their compassionate power is omnipresent—just as the sunlight is always there, but you need a solar panel to capture it as electricity.

**Disciple:** So, Respect and the Ten Wholesome Deeds are different types of equipment?

**Master:** Exactly. Respect is the primary step. You must respect the Ten Wholesome Deeds to be able to practice them. Once you have established this respect, you can begin to analyze the five faculties and the secondary afflictions as outlined in the *Hundred Dharmas* (*Śatadharma*). Study these until they are perfectly clear, and you will attain the wisdom required to subdue the afflictions.

See the webpage for details:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iVFZXYMQhJNNFBCJFqYfvS3B7JFg-5qU/view?usp=drive_link