As far as I know, there has never been a teacher who beat himself because his disciples were not filial. It really leaves a person profoundly grieved and pained at heart. The Venerable Master's practical application of the principle: "Others' mistakes I take as my own; to be one with everyone is called Great Compassion" can be perceived at a glance. It is just as described in the Twenty-fifth Chapter of the Flower Adornment Sutra.

I should, for the sake of living beings, universally undergo all their sufferings on their behalf so that they will be able to quickly escape the deep abyss of endless births and deaths. I should, for the sake of living beings in all worlds and in all evil destinies, universally undergo all their sufferings on their behalf throughout all time to come... I would rather undergo all beings' sufferings myself than to ever allow beings to fall into the hells. I prefer to stand in for all beings who are in the dangerous and difficult situations of being in the hells, among the animals, or among the asura kings so that I can rescue and ransom all beings in the evil paths, enabling them to escape and attain liberation.

I remember when Elder Layman Li Bingnan was still alive, one time a disciple presented a long whip and asked his teacher to beat him with it. Instead the Elder took the whip from the disciple saying: 'Will everyone please rise. When the students fail to learn, it is the teacher's fault. I will take this whip away with me and beat myself with it." That, too, caused people to be profoundly moved. In the Analects, Confucius said, "Chastise yourself more and blame others less. In that way you will avoid resentment." (Venerable Weiling, Chapter Fifteen). King Tang of the Shang said as he made sacrifices to Heaven, "Please do punish the people for my mistakes; and if the people err, the offense is mine." (Xiaoyue, Chapter Twenty) The words and actions of these sages are similar. They all act as models, subduing themselves; only in that way are they able to influence others. The Venerable Master has another verse:

Vast, proper energy fills heaven and earth.
Transform what is great and learn from the sages and worthies.
When you fail in your endeavors, seek within yourself.
Turn the light around and shine within; don't exploit conditions.
Act like an old fool; don't be clever.
Diligently sweep the dust from your mind; get rid of craftiness.
If you can constantly spur yourself on in this way,
It won't belong before the Buddhadharma fills the universe.

Finally, let's discuss the Master's philosophy of kowtowing. The Master once remarked that the secret to his life's cultivation was bowing to others and taking losses. The Master often would say to his new disciples in refuge, "As my refuge disciples, you must learn to be patient and not to contend. If people beat you, you should bow to them. If they scold you, you should bow to them. Always be willing to take a loss." "If people scold me, you ought to bow to them. No matter who slanders me, you shouldn't defend me."

The Master frequently bowed to his own disciples in America. If his disciples were disobedient, he would kowtow to them, and then they would behave. In his early years in the United States, one night when the Master was giving a lecture at Wonderful Words Hall in the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, not a single left-home person was willing to go up on stage to speak. After the lecture was over and the assembly was filing out of Wonderful Words Hall and returning to the Buddha Hall, the Master knelt by the door and watched everyone walk out. He was reproaching himself and giving a wordless teaching. That's really "Space Age cultivation," where the teacher bows to his disciples. It shows the Master has realized the spirit of nonself. Moreover, the Master often led the assembly by personally kneeling to listen to lectures given by guest Dharma Masters at the Sagely City. He certainly was not haughty, as certain rumors might say. The Master started bowing to all living beings from the time he was twelve (he wasn't bowing to the Buddhas). Every day he bowed to heaven, earth, his parents, teachers, elders, insects, ants, and so forth, making a total of 1,670 bows. This was certainly not something ordinary people could do.

Nowadays Buddhists only know how to bow to the Buddhas outside. They don't bow to the Buddha in their minds, nor do they repent and admit their errors before their parents and all living beings; thus their practice is not perfect. We ought to learn to bow to our parents and all living beings every day . We should constantly "seek within ourselves, reflect upon ourselves, and listen to our own natures." Let us "strive to emulate those who are worthy, and examine ourselves when we see those who are not worthy."

Part Five Birth and Death
The final goal of the Buddhadharma is to help us end birth and death . There are many ways to do this, but there is something we must be aware of. The ancients said, "If you don't cut off love, you can't be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. If you didn't have heavy offenses, you wouldn't be born in the Saha World." If emotions and desires are not severed, it's impossible to end birth and death. The Shurangama Sutra says, "If lust is not cast out, one cannot leave the dust." It also says, "If living beings in the six paths have no lust in their minds, they will not continue in birth and death." The Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment says, "One should know that transmigration is based upon love. Due to all kinds of desire, which help to generate love, birth and death are perpetuated." The Sutra of Limitless Life says in Chapter Forty-one, "Ending Delusion and Seeing the Buddha," "If there are living beings who plant wholesome roots and create great blessings, but who cling to marks and discriminations and have deep emotional attachments, they will ultimately fail in their attempts to escape transmigration." The Commentary on the Sutra of Limitless Life says, "Lust is the source of flowing in birth and death and the cause which brings us far away from liberation."

All the Sutras and commentarial literature seem to indicate that lust is the root of birth and death. The Venerable Master promoted education all his life, for he believed that virtuous people come from good marriages, and good marriages come from mutual fidelity and avoidance of adultery. These values must be instilled in children at a young age. We must educate them to have proper relationships and not indulge in promiscuity. This is an extremely critical issue. All the strange diseases and calamities in the world are caused by killing and lust. Although many people may not like to hear about or discuss this topic, the Master said, "Whatever you oppose the most, that's what I like to talk about most. Then the two of us will have business to do!”

All his life the Venerable Master urged people to refrain from sexual misconduct and lust. Even the year that he passed away, he was still cautioning, "Lust is the foremost of all evils; don't walk that road to death"; "People are born from lust and die from lust. That's all there is to it"; "Boys should not look for a girlfriend before they reach twenty-five years of age. Girls should not look for a boyfriend until they are at least twenty." The Master spoke of the old-fashioned ways at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, which has separate schools for boys and girls. This encourages people to behave themselves and to avoid promiscuity, abortions, and contraceptives. Lust is the major cause of degeneration in the world.

The Master said, Do people die for money? No. The desire for wealth is actually driven by lust. People go to their death on account of lust. The proverb that "people die for money" is a misnomer, but the Chinese people aren't willing to expose it. They know it's wrong, but they won't speak about it. They just want to fool themselves. But as it's said, "Good medicine is bitter to the taste, but cures the illness. Honest words are hard on the ear, but can cause people to reform their behavior." I can't bear to see people catch AIDS, so I have to say this." He also said, "If you can't put an end to lust and love, then even if you have left the home-life for 84,000 great eons, you're just wasting time within Buddhism and creating offenses with every meal you take.

Every day the newspapers are filled with reports of murder, robbery and theft, sexual misconduct, and perjury. Homocide and sexual misconduct are especially prevalent. The Master said, "In terms of the law of cause and effect, sexual misconduct is the most serious offense and carries the most severe punishment. According to the law of cause and effect, however many times a person engaged in sexual misconduct in his life, that's how many times he or she will be sawed from head to foot with a giant saw. If the person was married a hundred times, he or she will be divided a hundred times at death." In the Writings of Great Master Yinguang, the Great Master had some stem words to say: "Those who engage in sexual misconduct are using human bodies to engage in the behavior of animals. When their lives come to an end, they will first fall into the hells and then be reborn in the animal realm, where they cannot escape for thousands of billions of eons. Since all living beings are born from lust, this precept is difficult to hold and easy to transgress."

"Those who engage in sexual misconduct have no modesty or shame. They are filthy and vile to the extreme. With human bodies, they act like animals. They have already become animals while still alive, and in their next life they will be born as animals ... Those who engage in sexual misconduct will certainly give birth to children who do not preserve their chastity... Those who ruin their bodies through masturbation-even if they don't engage in sexual misconduct with others-will still fall into the great hells. When they come out of the hells, they may be born as sows or bitches. If born among people, they will become prostitutes... "

Some people may think the Patriarch's words are exaggerations or overcorrections of mistakes, but that is not the case. Living beings in the Dharma-Ending Age have done so much evil that if the corrections were not excessive, they wouldn't be effective. Have you not read "Teng Weng Gong," Part II, of Mencius? It states, "The times were bad and the Way was weak; deviant teachings and violent deeds prevailed. Ministers assassinated their lords, and sons murdered their fathers. Confucius was fearful and wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals." It can be seen that people's hearts were already quite degenerate in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, how much the more in the present Dharma-Ending Age? The Patriarchs spoke that way for a reason; we ought not doubt or speculate about it. As Lao Zi said, "True words seem paradoxical.”

 ~ To be continued