Your main ‘capital’ is Buddha-nature, and time your diminishing resource for nurturing your Buddha-nature.
— Shilashanti
#1: Increase Right Understanding
Focus on having and sharing right understanding of the Dharma, as the more right understanding there is, the less misunderstanding there will be. If there is more focus on correcting misunderstanding instead, without laying the foundation of right understanding, this misses the main point of fostering solid right understanding, with which there will never be misunderstanding.
#2: Beware Of Distractions
In this Dharma-Ending Age (末法时期), Māra (魔罗) and his minions (魔子) will increasingly distract and make us busy with their wrong ideas. Do not make the great mistake of falling for them repeatedly, by always being curious about their latest antics. Do not waste precious time. One minute spent paying attention to false teachings is one minute that could be better spent on the Right Dharma (正法).
Focus on learning, practising and sharing the Right Dharma, which is much more interesting and inspiring. While this might seem to let wrong ideas flourish, the primary defence against them is truly systematic and comprehensive spreading of the Right Dharma; not endless ‘random’ debates, that many will find confusing and thus inconclusive.
#3: Be Evil Karma-Fearing
Be careful of what you learn, practise and preach. It is terrifying to make mistakes so grave, especially in the name of the ‘Dharma’, that they grow on and on after death – for when will their harms cease? How will the evil karma created, that take on a life of its own, that spin out of control be ‘calculated’ and exacted upon you?
#4: Avoid This Personal Mistake
To overly focus on others’ mistakes is a personal mistake as this is to neglect focus on your own personal mistakes.
#5: Maintain Proper Focus
The focus should be on what the lesson is, not who the one making the mistake is. If you focus on the person instead of the lesson, you become another person making another mistake – because the person targeted is not always wrong, while the lesson missed is always right.
#6: Reach For Perfection
It is hard to be perfect in this life, but it is possible to not make big mistakes if very mindful in learning, practising and sharing of the Dharma, and to make up for other mistakes best you can, before it is too late. It is however possible to be perfect in the next life, by ensuring Pure Land is reached, for swiftly perfecting learning and practice.
Your main ‘capital’ is Buddha-nature, and Pure Land with immeasurable resources for nurturing your Buddha-nature.
— Shilashanti
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