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Vietnamese|English Don‘t
Mistake the False for the True In
this world, there are more phonies and hypocrites than honest, genuine people. In
this world the liars outnumber the honest people; there are more people who
speak falsehoods than who speak the truth. Let‘s look into this. Why is it
this way? Why are people dishonest? Why do they lie whenever possible? Why do
they like to say false things rather than the truth? It’s because in this
world, there are more phonies and hypocrites than honest, genuine people. If
you cater to people‘s feelings and say only nice things, everyone is happy.
If you speak the truth, everyone gets upset. Why? Because people in the world
like the false and dislike the true. That‘s known as "recognizing
what's false and not recognizing what's true." This is how ordinary
people‘s minds are. They know very well that something is false, but they
love it and don’t want to give it up. Upasaka
Cunda was an honest fellow. Although he was poor, the things he said were true
and honest. He was not like the demon king Papiyan, who spoke beautifully and
claimed that his mantra could save people. That kind of sweet talk was plain
nonsense; it gave people the shivers and goosebumps. Cunda was very honest. He
didn‘t boast about how rich his offering of food was, or how savory and
appetizing it was. Instead he very humbly said, "I hope the World Honored
One will compassionately accept our last offering." He was just like
Chinese people when they give a banquet. Even though the table is covered with
food and drinks, they still very modestly apologize to their guests, "We
haven’t been very hospitable today; we don‘t have anything special to
serve you." This
reminds me of a story. Once upon a time, there was a wealthy man who threw a
big party to celebrate the birth of his son. He invited many people, so that
“distinguished friends filled the tables, and honored guests were as many as
clouds." He also invited three monks to recite the Auspicious Mantra and
say a few auspicious words of blessing. Some of the guests said, "Your
son will surely be rich and honored and live to a ripe old age." Some
said, "Your son will enjoy blessings, wealth, and longevity, and he will
suffer few illnesses, calamities, and disasters." Upon hearing these
auspicious words, the host smiled and was very happy, and he toasted his
guests. As
for the three monks, one recited the Auspicious Mantra, another said
auspicious words, and the third said, "Your son will surely die in the
future." When the host heard that, he flew into a rage. “Nonsense! How
can say that my son will die?” He thereupon had the monk beaten up. This
monk had cultivated great skill in patience and did not have any temper. On
the contrary, he very amiably said to the host, "Upasaka! You do not
recognize the truth, and you like to wear high hats. In fact, do they really
know that your child will be honored and wealthy and live a long life? Those
are but words of praise. I said your child will die in the future. That is the
truth. Not only will your son die, but all the people of the world will die.
You do not understand this principle, and so you‘ve had me beaten up. You
are a very foolish person." The monk‘s words made sense to the man, and
he repented. From that time on, he believed in the Triple Jewel and became a
supporter of the temple. If that monk just said some auspicious words like
everyone else, the rich man would not have been moved to believe in Buddhism
and in the truth. We
should not be fond of praise, nor should we be self-satisfied and brag about
ourselves. We ought to be amiable and modest, not haughty or arrogant. We
should also have the spirit of kindness, compassion, joy, and giving, and
resolve to universally save living beings. Take a look: Why are there four
social classes in India? It‘s because some people looked down upon the poor
in their past lives, so in this life they themselves were born into a low
class. This shows that the principle of previous causes leading to subsequent
effects is really true. We
should understand cause and effect, and believe that causes always bring about
corresponding effects. Therefore, we should be honest in whatever we do, and
not be even the slightest bit false. If we are even the slightest bit false,
we will have to suffer the retribution. There‘s a saying, "If one is
not true on the causal ground, the retribution one receives will be
crooked." If you plant beans, you get beans. If you plant melons, you get
melons. If you plant wheat, you harvest wheat. If you plant rice, you reap
rice. This principle never fails. If you do muddled things, in the end
you’ll find that you‘re only cheating yourself and not others. A
talk given on November 20, 1985
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