The Dharma Master Chǒngsan of Won Buddhism: Analects and Writings

IX. Dharma Admonitions

IX Dharma Admonitions 1. Master Chŏngsan said, “The physical life is a side job; the spiri‑ tual life is one’s primary occupation.” (CP 11:1) 2. The Master said, “Precepts (śīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā) are the clothing, food, and shelter of our spirit.” (CP 11:2) 3. The Master said, “If one is enlightened in one’s youth, does deliv‑ erance work in middle age, and becomes emancipated in one’s last years, then one’s life is perfect.” (CP 11:3) 4. The Master said, “The one who, while residing in the precinct of the dharma practice, does not know the preciousness of the dharma is harder to deliver.” (CP 11:4) 5. The Master said, “Observe precepts, beginning with trivial ones, with utmost care. People in the secular world will regard this dharma as of great significance only if we observe it with utmost care.” (CP 11:5) 6. The Master said, “Observe the precepts for yourself like a Hīnayāna practitioner, and edify the world like a Mahāyāna practitio‑ ner, so that you may practice both Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna Buddhism together.” (CP 11:6) 7. The Master said, “In ancient times, it is said, a Confucian scholar read the Xiaoxue his whole life. If you read and put into practice the Essentials of Daily Practice your whole life, then that will be sufficient for attaining to buddhahood.”101 (CP 11:7) 8. The Master said, “The great way under heaven is simple and easy. One who has found the correct way of practice drills oneself in 201 202 / The Dharma Master Chŏngsan of Won Buddhism the Tripitaka Koreana and, summarizing its essential principles in a few words, puts them into practice.” (CP 11:8) 9. The Master said, “Make your resolution unique, but your conduct should be commonplace.” (CP 11:9) 10. The Master said, “Dozing while hearing the dharma is like eat‑ ing rice cake in a dream, and hearing the dharma aimlessly is like looking at rice cake in a painting.” (CP 11:10) 11. The Master said, “Knowledge is different from self‑awakening; if knowledge is not accompanied by self‑awakening, one will be no more than a slave to one’s knowledge.” (CP 11:11) 12. The Master said, “If you do not stop practicing with faith, you will eventually attain to complete enlightenment.” (CP 11:12) 13. The Master said, “True Buddha‑dharma is the Buddhism that includes the Buddhism of faith, the Buddhism of scholar, and the Bud‑ dhism of the practitioner.” (CP 11:13) 14. The Master said, “Superstition lies in a faith based on ignorance and nowhere else.” (CP 11:14) 15. The Master said, “In your daily greetings, do not just inquire about the physical well‑being, but say, ‘Let’s do our mind cultivation well.’ This will become the true greeting of the practitioner of the Way.” (CP 11:15) 16. The Master said, “An ancient sage taught his disciples to become salt. I encourage you to become a lotus. Though a lotus has its root deep in mud, its leaves do not get dirty and its flower is beautiful and fragrant; it will be the symbol of the practitioners of the New World.” (CP 11:16) 17. The Master said, “To hold your ground against greed, anger, and delusion, you need integrity, fairness, and brightness. Integrity replaces greed, fairness anger, and brightness delusion.” (CP 11:17) 18. The Master said, “If you can willingly submit to advice, your practice will make steady progress daily and monthly.” (CP 11:18) 19. The Master said, “Who has the sharpest eye? The one who examines one’s mind thoroughly for any fault does. Who has the sharp‑ est ear? The one who willingly submits to earnest advice does.” (CP 11:19) 20. The Master said, “It is difficult to expound the deliverance ser‑ mon102 to a person in his or her last moment who does not think of death. Likewise, it is difficult to give advice to someone who does not check his or her mind for any fault.” (CP 11:20) 21. The Master said, “An eye cannot see itself and a mirror cannot reflect itself. Likewise, deluded beings, being blocked by a false notion of Dharma Admonitions / 203 the self, cannot see their own faults but only see someone else’s fault...