On the stage of life, everyone plays their own role devotedly. First, they are the children of their parents; later, they become the parents of their children. At the same time, they also assume various professional and social identities. In fact, we have an endless supply of roles to play in this endless series. Even if the character in front of him dies, he will appear on stage with another appearance after a short while.
In the play, most of them are dedicated actors, and they are so deeply involved in the play that they are completely immersed in the role, thinking that this is their whole life. Ever since, I have been too busy to remember "who I am." In other words, I have never thought about what is beyond the character. Often, we hear a voice giving orders to us, but once we get into the scene, we forget to look back and see where the voice is coming from. In fact, that is an invisible director, a director who constantly instructs us on how to interpret the characters.
The name of this director is "Heart".
What is the heart? What is the relationship between the heart and life?
1. What is the heart
1. The heart is diverse
Buddhism divides the heart into the king of hearts and the states of mind. The king of the heart is the master of the spiritual world; the mental states cooperate with the various psychological activities of the king of the heart, including three categories: good, bad, and unrecorded (neither good nor evil). From this perspective, the heart is like a kingdom, with a king in charge, hundreds of officials assisting, loyal ministers defending the country, and treacherous ministers seeking personal gain.
Although each factor of the heart is independent, mental activities are a composite function, completed by the cooperation of many factors. Just as a king must be assisted by his subordinates in his actions, the King of Hearts does not act alone and must have corresponding psychology to cooperate with him. The Consciousness-Only Classic summarizes it into six fifty-one mental factors, which assist the King of Hearts in completing various life activities.
Among them, the five types of mind, contact, feeling, thought, and thought are universal mental factors, which will arise when the king of mind moves, just like the bodyguard who never leaves the king's side. The role of wholesome and unwholesome mental states is similar to that of a loyal or traitorous minister. When consciousness corresponds to wholesome mental states (no greed, no hatred, no ignorance, no shame, guilt, etc.), wholesome (moral) behavior will occur; Yi, etc.) correspond to unwholesome (sinful) behavior.
Only by understanding various psychological factors can we manage them effectively, strengthen our virtuous states, and resist evil forces. Rather than being like an ignorant and foolish king, who loses power and lets his subordinates do whatever they want. If so, we will lose our basic autonomy in life, and happiness will be even more out of reach.
2. The mind is dependently arising
Buddhism is based on the theory of dependent origination, which believes that all things are formed by the combination of causes and conditions. The same is true for psychological activities. They all arise based on causes and conditions and are by no means accidental. Cause is a psychological factor; fate is a related state.
For example, being greedy when seeing money is the function of greed; being afraid of the dark is the function of fear; feeling uneasy because of doing evil is the function of conscience; gnashing teeth when thinking of an enemy is the function of hatred; being taken advantage of by others is the function of hatred. Being grudged for gain is the function of stinginess; seeing others become successful and becoming famous and feeling sad is the function of jealousy. Among them, greed and fear are the causes, and wealth and darkness are the conditions. Only when there are sufficient causes and conditions can corresponding psychological activities be triggered. If any one of them is missing, it will not mature.
Despite this, causes and conditions still have priorities. Although the external environment is the trigger for psychological activities, internal factors are the root cause. At the same time, consciousness itself has a very strong ability. Even if it has never faced the external environment, it can still trigger relevant psychological activities through recall and separation.
Understanding the interaction of causes and conditions, we can know that although improving the external environment has a certain impact on the mind, the key is to work on the mind itself. Otherwise, the effect must be temporary and of little effect.
3. The heart is the foundation of behavior
Ordinary people’s minds often change according to circumstances. From the surface, it seems that matter determines consciousness. In fact, this is due to a lack of understanding of the heart. In ancient times, there was a famous official in the state of Zheng. Someone gave him a jade. He refused, saying: "You regard jade as a treasure, and I regard non-greed as a treasure." It can be seen that there is no greed as the reason. Even in the face of temptation, he will not be greedy. You will not be moved by it and lose your principles.
Cause, like a seed buried deep in the soil, grows and grows when it is nourished by sunlight, rain and dew. Although seeds are invisible, they are the basis for crop growth.
Everyone knows that "if you sow melons, you will get melons; if you sow beans, you will get beans." The reason why this is so is because the seeds you sow are either melons or beans. Different seeds will bear different fruits under the same sunshine and rain.
Our hearts are the seeds that trigger various behaviors. What kind of heart you have will lead to what kind of behavior and what kind of life results. Many people yearn for success, but they often only focus on external conditions, such as diplomas, abilities, funds, interpersonal relationships, etc., but ignore inner training. Of course, the role of external conditions cannot be denied. However, with the current development trend, it is difficult to regard diplomas and funds as unique advantages of individuals. Today, with the advent of globalization, psychological quality is particularly important in the face of a rapidly changing society.
When farmers sow seeds, they will choose excellent varieties. If you choose the wrong seeds, even if you work hard, you will get twice the result with half the effort, or even no harvest. These excellent seeds are produced through careful cultivation. Similarly, if we want to achieve success in life, we should also work hard to adjust our mental behavior and remove all unhealthy elements in it. In this way, no matter you encounter gains or losses, honor or disgrace, setbacks or obstacles, you can face them calmly. Only when one's own problems are solved, and then supplemented by corresponding external conditions, can one become a true winner. Otherwise, even if you get rich once and get ahead by luck, without the correct mentality, it will be difficult to maintain it for a long time.
4. The heart is the source of suffering and happiness
In this materialistic era, people are accustomed to deciding everything with wealth, and they keep the suffering and happiness here, and blindly pursue outward pursuits. But as conditions continue to improve, pain seems to be increasing; happiness is mostly short-lived. Why? It is caused by neglecting the heart and not knowing the important role of the heart in the feelings of pain and joy.
Trouble is the source of pain in life. Annoyance is a disturbance of meaning, annoyance is a disorder of meaning, and is an unstable factor that disturbs the heart. The root cause is ignorance and attachment. The pain of broken love stems from the persistence of feelings; the pain of bankruptcy stems from the persistence of money; the hatred of failure stems from the persistence of success. The deeper the attachment, the greater the pain. If the mind has never fallen into all kinds of attachments, it can deal with lovelorn, bankruptcy, failure and even life and death indifferently. The so-called "suffering" will not easily catch us and torture us over and over again.
By letting go of these causes of suffering, we can feel nature and savor life with a calm heart. For such a heart, happiness is everywhere. There is a saying that the world does not lack beauty, but lacks the eyes to discover beauty. Similarly, the world does not lack happiness, but lacks the heart to feel happiness. If the eyes to discover beauty require professional training, then the heart to feel happiness also needs to undergo corresponding adjustments, which means cutting off ignorance and letting go of attachments.
2. The mind is very non-stop
At the end of the 19th century, American psychologist James first proposed the theory of "stream of consciousness", believing that thinking activities are continuous like running water. This theory has not only become an important theory in Western psychology, but has also greatly influenced the creation of literature, film and television and other artistic fields.
In fact, the relevant ideas have long existed in Buddhist scriptures. "The Theory of Consciousness-Only" says: "Is Alaya consciousness discontinuous or permanent? It is not discontinuous, so it is constantly changing. Permanence means that this consciousness has a kind of continuity without beginning... Turning means that this consciousness comes from time to time, thoughts arise and die, changes come and go, cause and effect are born, and it is the same thing... The constant words are blocked, and the turning means the extreme, like a waterfall, the law of cause and effect." Mental activities arise and disappear in an instant like a waterfall, similar and continuous, not always continuous.
The flowing water never stops, this is non-stop. But the flowing water at this moment is not the flowing water before or after. This is extraordinary. Understanding this principle can help us correct the dual views of judgment and regularity. These are two major misunderstandings in people's understanding. It is either/or.
1. The heart is not eternal
Those who hold common views believe that there are atoms that exist alone and remain unchanged in the material realm, and that there is an eternally dominant soul or self in the spiritual realm.
Buddhism views the world based on dependent origination, denies that there is a unique and unchanging cause in the world, and thus puts forward the idea of ??impermanence and selflessness. I mean eternal (eternal), one (existence alone), unchangeable (unbreakable), and dominant (having absolute power). Buddhism believes that there is no permanent entity in either the external world or the inner mind.
In our hearts, there are countless life experiences stored. The activities of consciousness are based on various experiences of Alaya consciousness, and the realm of six objects is the object, which is constantly differentiated and triggers various psychology. In ethics, what corresponds to a kind mind is a kind heart; what corresponds to an unwholesome mind is an unwholesome mind.
In terms of feelings, the emotions of pain, joy, sorrow, and joy are caused by the favorable and adverse changes in the object's realm.
It is precisely because the heart is not eternal that it can be transformed. Otherwise, the ordinary mind will never be able to be eradicated, and there will be no possibility of achieving the qualities of a sage.
2. The mind is not annihilated
Those who hold the view of annihilation believe that death is like a lamp going out, and everything will disappear with death. This is more serious than the common harm. Misconceptions. It should be noted that although the activities of the mind arise and perish, and thoughts are impermanent, they will not completely cease. In fact, every thought you have will leave a trace in your heart.
Buddhism believes that life has three lives: past, present and future, without beginning or end. Life is not the beginning; death is not the end. This life is just a fragment of the long journey of life. Although the present physical body will disappear, the flow of life will continue. Although all efforts in life will eventually come to nothing, the karma and inner experience formed will become the potential force for the continuation of life in the future, affecting us forever.
This is also the meaning of improving life. If death would end everything, put an end to all the good and evil deeds that had been done. So how meaningful is it to stop evil and do good? It is this misconception that has led to the prevalence of utilitarianism, which is to do whatever it takes to achieve immediate benefits and ignore future consequences. And those who understand the truth of life will never trade tomorrow's great misfortune for temporary happiness. Because good and evil deeds do not go to waste, and if you do too much injustice, you will not only have to pay a price, but it will also become a shadow of your future life.
3. The starting point of life
There are two major systems in life, one is the physical system received from parents, and the other is the spiritual system derived from the continuation of individual life. Life is accumulated in the past, creating different starting points in this life, resulting in various differences in the world. Even if we are of the same flesh and blood, there are differences in intelligence, temperament and even appearance. In addition, there are many differences caused by race, country, religion, and economy. Some people are born into royal families, while others are born into beggars' families; some people are born with superior intelligence since childhood, and some people are born with retarded intelligence. It can be said that there are no two identical people in the world. Buddhism believes that all living beings are equal, so why are there so many differences in the world?
It should be noted that this difference comes from equality. In the face of the law of cause and effect, all living beings are equal. Doing good will result in happy results, and doing evil will result in bitter results. All differences in life are determined by the good and evil deeds that have been committed. They are self-inflicted and cannot be replaced by anyone.
4. Seize the present
The quality of each person’s life is determined by his or her own behavior. Therefore, the rudder of destiny is in our hands and is determined by this life and this moment. Because the past is gone and the future has not yet come. We cannot change the past, and it is difficult to directly grasp the future. The only thing we can truly grasp is the present. The human body is rare and easy to lose. It is the greatest wealth in this life and an important hub of the six paths.
The Buddha often taught us to live in the present, rather than dwell on memories of the past, which can only waste time but will not help; nor should we fantasize about what will happen in the future, because human life is fragile and things are impermanent. If you don’t start now, plans will often fail to keep up with changes.
Recognizing the importance of this present thought, we should cherish it and make effective use of it. Through current efforts, we can lay a good starting point for the future; through the improvement of our thoughts, we can open up a bright future for life.
3. Two levels of the heart
Buddhist scriptures also use the sea and waves as metaphors to conduct in-depth analysis of the spiritual world from different angles. "The Lankavatara Sutra" says: "It's like a huge ocean wave, which is caused by a strong wind. The torrential waves are deep and deep, and there is no time to stop them. The sea of ??hidden consciousness is always there, and when the wind in the realm is moved, all kinds of waves of consciousness jump and reincarnate."
The spiritual world is like the sea, and mental activities are like waves. The sea is turbulent due to storms; in the heart, various thoughts arise due to the state of affairs. The waves rise and fall, but the sea water is continuous, and the same is true in the spiritual world. Usually, people live in the mind composed of consciousness, thinking that this represents everything about themselves. In fact, it was just waves on the sea. Under the waves is the deep and vast part of the ocean.
1. Consciousness
In the spiritual world, the most active and prominent thing is consciousness. Buddhism believes that the level of consciousness includes six consciousnesses: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. In terms of cognitive ability, the first five consciousnesses are present quantities (intuition), and their objects must be the present rather than the past or the future, and must be present rather than elsewhere. At the same time, without famous sayings, the difference between right and wrong cannot be distinguished.
Once it is connected with the past and future realms, or makes judgments about cognitive objects, or intervenes in language concepts, it enters the scope of the sixth consciousness.
Consciousness has great energy, and all actions in life are governed by it. This is also the key to why humans are the spirits of all things. Because consciousness has the ability to distinguish, reason, and judge, it can enable people to decide good and evil behaviors through rational thinking. At the same time, it can also enable people to obtain a spiritual life that is different from animals, and even achieve wisdom and realize the truth.
In psychological activities, although consciousness is the subject, it may not retain its authoritative role. Since time immemorial, we have been confused by ignorance, causing greed, anger, and troubles to take over and dominate our minds. In this case, consciousness acts like a puppet king, obeying the defilements. As a result, even though you know what you are doing is wrong, you still can't help but do it, and even make the mistake again and again. How pitiful, how sad.
The only way out is to listen to the Dharma, think rationally, establish the right view, regain the lost sovereignty, and make the heart truly play a positive role. Only in this way can life be directed to the light.
2. Subconscious
Corresponding to consciousness is the subconscious. Although its activities are not known, it secretly controls consciousness. In consciousness-only classics, it is summarized as the seventh consciousness and the eighth consciousness. The emergence of consciousness is caused by the seeds stored in the eighth alaya consciousness and is its fundamental support. At the same time, the innate ignorance (ignorance and ignorance) and selfish instinct (innate self-grasping) inherent in the seventh-end consciousness also have a significant impact on conscious activities.
The seventh consciousness, Sanskrit mona, is translated into Chinese as meaning. The meaning here refers to the root of meaning rather than consciousness. Meaning means thinking. In "Ode to the Rules of Eight Consciousnesses", its characteristic is defined as "constantly thinking about myself," that is, endlessly thinking about oneself. This inherent self-grasping is the root of human selfishness. And the ignorance of mana consciousness keeps sentient beings always in ignorance. They don’t know where life comes from, where death goes, and they don’t know the truth of life and the nature of the world.
The eighth consciousness, Alaya consciousness in Sanskrit, is translated as Tibetan in Chinese. It not only collects all life experiences of sentient beings, but also provides information for conscious activities. At the same time, we are still working continuously in the process of life transformation and continuation. It holds on to its physical body until the end of one life, and is reincarnated according to its karma. This cycle continues endlessly, and only liberation can make it laid off.
By understanding the existence of the subconscious mind and the relationship between consciousness and subconscious mind, we will find the source of psychological activities. In this way, we can directly explore the source and finally solve the problems of the heart.
4. Human heart and life
1. Soul channel
People are complex polyhedrons. Some people with extremely different behaviors are called dual or multiple personalities. In severe cases, it is often regarded as a mental illness. In fact, these phenomena are not isolated. Kind-hearted people will also act coldly, and cruel people will also have a gentle side. The difference is only in the degree of contrast and the way of expression.
In the endless process of life, various psychological forces are formed based on awareness and ignorance. Among them, there are negative psychology such as greed, hatred, jealousy, selfishness, and pride, as well as positive psychology such as compassion, kindness, self-confidence, and lack of hatred. Each psychological force represents a spiritual channel.
Like television channels, spiritual channels also have different signals. Its strength depends on the accumulation of mental formations. When the accumulation reaches a certain level and is much higher than other signals, it will wait for the opportunity to seize the channel and occupy the "ratings" of the mind. For example, a person who is very greedy will habitually become greedy because of being driven by greed. As a result of constant greed, greed will spread indefinitely and he will become a greedy person. But we need to know that this does not mean that greed is his only channel. In fact, it was just that the signal from Greed was too strong, causing other channels to be interfered with and unable to broadcast normally.
If we recognize this principle, we don’t have to be discouraged by our existing bad behavior, which will lead to inertia and degeneration. We cannot be complacent about occasional good performances, as we may be attacked by troubles due to neglect of defense. What we need to do is to face up to the good and evil channels of the soul, take the initiative to seize the broadcasting rights, actively request positive spiritual channels, so that their signals will continue to strengthen, and ultimately, firmly occupy the dominant position in the soul.
2. Mental traps
Many people feel that the world is unpredictable and full of traps, and they can fall into traps if they are not careful. In fact, traps in the world are tangible, and those with corresponding social experience or life experience can identify the truth from the false and not be confused.
Even if you are not deeply involved in the world, as long as you act cautiously and with a precautionary mind, you will not be easily deceived.
The most difficult thing to guard against lies precisely in ourselves and the various invisible traps in our hearts. The scary thing is not only that we cannot escape, but also that few people realize it. Even after falling into the trap, we will dig it deeper and deeper, thinking that this is the way out in life.
These traps are the result of the continuous work of negative mind channels. For example, if you feel angry towards someone, if the thought cannot be stopped in time but plays over and over again, we will collect a lot of material about this channel. In fact, the mind has a unique editing function, which can transform all kinds of relevant and even irrelevant materials into the evidence needed by the anger, making us sink deeper and deeper into the quagmire of anger. Although, we sometimes climb out of the trap with help of one kind or another. But as long as the trap is still there, whenever you think of this person, you will still fall headlong into it. As the saying goes, "I feel angry just thinking about it." If we dig more and more traps in our souls, we will fall from one trap to another throughout our lives, forever in the dark and suffering harm.
Therefore, we must carefully examine our hearts and discover where the traps lie. At the same time, cultivate the power of clear understanding and mindfulness to completely eliminate traps, instead of simply covering them up on the surface, which will bury deeper hidden dangers and heavier crises.
3. Mentality and life
Human beings’ lifestyles vary widely. Why would we choose this lifestyle over another? In addition to the constraints of objective conditions, there are also subjective factors at play, that is, our desires, thoughts and emotions.
Desire drives us to pursue. Among them, there are three categories: good, bad, and unrecorded, and there is no need to completely deny them. Desires are different, so the causes and conditions that produce happiness are also different. Some people pursue a successful career and obtain happiness through hard work; some pursue a happy family and experience happiness in family happiness; others pursue instant pleasure and find happiness in sensuality and sex. But we must know that only legitimate desires corresponding to good laws are the way to achieve a happy life. Otherwise, it will not only deviate from happiness, but also lead people to the abyss of crime. In addition to differences in specific content, desires also have differences in capacity, which is also an important factor affecting happiness. Those with few desires can be content with food and clothing; those with many desires can never fill their grievances no matter how much they have. If you compare desire to a vessel, a little desire is like a cup that can be filled easily; a lot of desire is like a vast ocean that cannot be filled even if hundreds of rivers flow into it. Therefore, the Buddha often taught his disciples to be content with less desires. Otherwise, you will spend your whole life in endless demands, and you will not even have time to enjoy it.
Emotions affect personal mood. Among them, there are two categories: healthy and unhealthy. Healthy emotions include joy, pleasure, satisfaction, etc.; unhealthy emotions include sadness, anxiety, fear, etc. The occurrence of emotions originates from the heart's feelings about the realm, but its changes will affect the inner balance. A correct view of life and the world is the basis for eliminating bad emotions. In addition, we must master methods of regulating emotions. Once infected, treat it promptly and control its spread in the early stages of the disease. If you don't know how to classify and manage emotions, but let them develop, it will be difficult to cure them when they have a full-blown attack. The main reason why depression has become a common problem among modern people, causing the suicide rate to remain high, is the neglect of emotional management and neglect of the mind.
Thoughts determine life choices. In fact, most people's lives are just swinging between desires and emotions. What they say and do every day is nothing more than I want it and I don't want it; I like it and I hate it; I am happy and I am in pain. Sometimes, people will lament the boredom and helplessness of this kind of life, but after sighing, most people will continue to compromise and continue to drift with desires and emotions. In addition, it is difficult to find the right thoughts that transcend desires and emotions, which is also an important factor why people miss happiness. Because desires and emotions are fickle, this makes life choices blind and life goals wandering. If you don’t have the right ideas to make choices and trade-offs, how can happiness come as expected?
To understand the role of various psychological factors in life, you should compare them accordingly to check whether existing desires are reasonable, which thoughts need to be adjusted, and which emotions should be overcome. Continuous adjustments and multi-faceted maintenance effectively protect mental health.
5. Conclusion
Exploring the relationship between the human heart and life is to arouse people's attention to the heart.
When troubles arise in our hearts, when we encounter difficulties in life, when there are gaps in interpersonal relationships, we should not blindly look for external reasons. We should also look back and see what state our hearts are in, and see if this director of life exists. question.
Only by tracing back to the source can we discover that by opening up the knots in our hearts, we can fundamentally disintegrate our worries. Although, external improvement still depends on the combination of many conditions and may not be controlled by personal will. But as long as you face it with a correct mentality, you will not be harmed by changes in the external environment, nor will you become an unstable factor that endangers society and harms others. Therefore, a healthy mind is not only the guarantee of a happy life, but also a factor of social harmony.