the"SAINT'S SYMPTOMS"
Hsihu Center, Formosa February4, 1996.Today,I'm going to tell you the story of a saint. This story is abouta person who didn't know that he was a saint, unlike you. (Laughter)Each of you are aware of your sainthood. He didn't know that hewas a saint - the only "remaining" person (the words'saint' and 'remaining' sound similar in Chinese). (Laughter)
The name of this person was Long Shu, and hewent to see a doctor named Wen Zhi. I think Wen Zhi was born inthe Era of Spring and Autumn in the Warring States. Long Shu wentto see Wen Zhi, a very famous doctor who could cure any illness.Someone said that he once cured Emperor Wen of Chi State in theEra of Spring and Autumn in the Warring States. Emperor Wen sufferedfrom an unknown disease. He went to consult Wen Zhi, who didn'tprescribe any medicine to heal him but only made him angry, andhis illness was cured! Have you heard this story? (Audience: No.)
Long Shu consulted Wen Zhi, "Your medicalskill is so wonderful - this the whole world knows. Now I am sufferingfrom a strange disease. Will you please treat me?"
Wen Zhi said, "Of course! But first letme know what is wrong with you. Tell me about your symptoms."
Long Shu then explained, "I don't knowthe name of this disease, or from where it came. The situationis this: I have been living in my village for a very long time,but now I find myself feeling alienated. I feel myself as a totalstranger, having no deep relationship with anyone.
"For instant, when people in my villageall praise me, I don't feel honored. When people in other villagesinsult me, I also don't feel upset. Even when I get some preciousthings, I am not delighted, nor do I feel agitated or sorry whenI lose something. I feel that life and death are the same! I couldeven die tomorrow. I see no difference between wealth and poverty.The worst thing is that I see people the same as pigs. (Laughter)I also see myself the same as them - a pig. (Master and everyonelaugh.)
"I live in my house as if staying in aninn. I live in my village as if living in a foreign country -it doesn't feel like my hometown." Apart from these strangehabits and thoughts, I also have many shortcomings. For instance,I look down upon positions, fame, palaces and governments. I thinkthey are just common things for which I have no respect. I haveno fear of punishment - life, death, goodness or evil; all ofthese things do not touch me!
"Therefore, I cannot help my country,or be loyal to the king. I cannot maintain close relationshipswith relatives and friends, nor can I handle my children or wife.I cannot educate them or mix with them. Unable to think in thesame ways as my wife and children do, I find it hard to live withthem. I cannot manage my wife and children, nor can I manage theservants and maids in my household."
"I am perplexed! Do you know what typeof illness this is? Can you cure me?"
Doctor Wen Zhi then told Long Shu to turn aroundand stand in a brighter place under the sun, so that he couldobserve him with his heavenly eye. Then he yelled loudly, "Oh!I saw it!"
Long Shu asked him, "What have you seen?"
"I saw your heart."
Long Shu asked, "What about my heart?"
"Your heart is square and fair, spaciousand empty, very much like the heart of a saint! The six aperturesare open, only the last one remains blocked."
Perhaps it was because this aperture was notopened, he didn't know what was wrong with himself. If the lasthole had also been opened, he would have been certain about hisown illness.
Long Shu then asked, "What kind of diseaseis this?"
Wen Zhi explained, "In this era, peopleregard the wisdom of a saint as an illness. Perhaps this is whatyou've got. If you are really infected with the "Saint'sSymptoms," my medical treatment will be futile on you!"
Do you understand? (Answer: Understand!)
I also don't know what his illness was, butit is fine if you know. Do you really understand? Do you reallyknow? Good grief! How do you manage to understand? Perhaps youare similar to him. Is that right? Are you all saints, so youunderstand each other? Maybe this is the reason. However, whenI ask you to forsake your wife and children, and come here tohelp Master to spread the Truth, you would say, "I can'tdo it!"
Perhaps you have transcended the level of thisperson! He couldn't maintain relationships with relatives andfriends, but you are more advanced; you have such close relationshipswith your relatives that you cannot forsake them. It is easy totalk, but difficult to act.
As an after thought, perhaps we are all similarbecause many people have these symptoms. I seem to have thesesymptoms, but I am not a saint. Perhaps I have been infected!
There are many types of illnesses in the world!For instance, people who indulge in meat eating, smoking, drinking,and sexuality, will incur a specific disease - some hard to curediseases, like AIDS or others! Then, when you go around outside,and use other people's bathrooms or toilets, sometimes you mayalso be infected with that disease, though you have not indulgedyourself.
When people exert themselves excessively, theymay get a lung disease. If you had a relationship with them, orgot too close to them and were in contact with them for a periodof time, you would also get the disease.
I amnot a saint! However, it seems that I'vealso got the "Saint's Symptoms". Who is the one whodared to infect me, raise your hand and show me!? (Laughter) Youshould acknowledge your own faults! Don't pretend that you don'tknow. Do you? (Laughter)
Normally, I only interact with you. I nevergo anywhere and socialize with other people. Therefore, if I evergot any disease, it must be you who infected me. Who is the one?You dare not admit it now that you know it is a disease. (Masterand everyone laugh.)
It must be you who infected me. Otherwise,why would I have become like this? Previously, I also loved tostroll on the streets, go shopping, or find someone with whomto dance or sing. Otherwise, I would feel very lonely.
Now I feel nothing even if I sleep all daylong. If you had not come, I would carry on sleeping, and onlyget up to eat when hungry. One, two or three meals - I eat whenI feel like eating, but most of the time I don't.
Most probably I've got this disease, now thatI have no special feelings towards my relatives and friends. Notthat I do not love them! I love them as much as I love you. However,love remains love, and it vanishes when it should. I love themdearly when they are here, but I forget them immediately whenthey are gone, and don't even need to wait till tomorrow. As soonas they turn their backs, I also turn. (Laughter)
Even my mood and emotions are changed. It isstrange! Most probably I've got this "Saint's Symptoms"disease. Perhaps I was infected. I shall go to consult Wen Zhi!(Master and everyone laugh.)
Perhaps Long Shu was a spiritual practitioner!Do we become like him after we have pursued spiritual practice?It seems to be the case. Haven't you? (Audience: Yes.) Oh! Soyou are the ones who infected me. Now you finally admit it.
I was not like this before; well, perhaps alittle bit. However, it is getting worse. For instance, I usedto hate something, but then I stopped hating it later. I justdon't mind anymore!
Anyone may come or go as they want, I won'tbe very upset! You too would only be upset for two or three days.(Answer: Yes.) Not as much as before. Previously, we would suffera lot when we lost something, or failed in our business. Now wedon't mind too much; we won't blame others or heaven, but willwork harder instead.
So, there were saints in the Era of the WarringStates, not only in Miaoli now! (Master and everyone laugh.) Don'tthink that you are the only saints in China. They existed longago.
I have told you, the method of spiritual practiceexists in every age; the problem is whether or not we have theaffinity to study under an enlightened Master. If we have an affinitywith a certain enlightened Master, we will follow that Master.
Perhaps Long Shu practiced spirituality inhis previous life, so he came back only to complete it. Maybehe had reached the fourth level, (Master laughs) so there wasonly a little way to go!
Had the doctor told him to look for an enlightenedMaster, he would have been cured! Only one more aperture to open;once it was opened, he would have been immediately enlightened,and would not have felt that he was sick.
Perhaps initially he didn't think himself asbeing ill, but he was in contact and associating with people,and everyone told him. "Why are you so odd, so unemotionaland aloof?"
Being unemotional and aloof is not the sameas treating people badly. All of you, after listening to thisstory, should not behave like pieces of ice, (laughter) and thenproclaim this is the "ice quality" of saints. (Masterand everyone laugh because Chinese words for ice [ping] and quality[ping] are almost similarly pronounced.)
I notice that some people do have this "icequality" - ice cold personality - when talking to people,and do not seem to pay attention at all. When people ask themsomething, or whether they understand or not, they don't answereven if they know. Or, they would respond very slowly. Peopleask them on the first day of the month, but they don't answeruntil it is the fifteenth. (Laughter) This is really awful.
Besides, people are very busy sometimes, andhave many things to do; they don't have time to tolerate yoursluggishness. These kinds of people must rectify themselves. Theirsis a sickness of ego. They love to make things difficult for people,and love to hear others begging them. They desire constant attentionfrom people, so they deliberately delay their response. They don'treply, or do it very slowly, thinking that they are very great,very elegant. This is not elegance, this is being stupid and senseless!
Perhaps for the first few times, people mayfeel embarrassed, and will continue to implore you politely, andmaintain a relationship with you. Gradually, they will get tiredof you. Since there are so many people on Earth, why should theygo to you - a senseless and sluggish piece of ice? Do you understandwhat I mean? (Audience: Understand!)
Therefore, being unattached to the world doesn'tmean that we should detest the world! Long Shu was sick in thathe was not attached to his relatives, friends, or his hometownand country. However, he was not aloof, only that he was in avery ordinary and calm state of mind. He didn't deliberately makethings difficult for people, or demonstrate that he was a saint;nor did he act coldly, or speak very slowly - unable to finishingone sentence in half a month.
He also didn't deliberately refuse to replyor respond when people sought his help. He didn't say, "Whatdo you want? Could I possibly help you?". Unlike some people,instead of sincerely and promptly rendering assistance to people,they talk extremely slowly for half a day, as if something - maybekarma, has got stuck in their throat. (Master and everyone laugh.)
Perhaps they have just descended from the snowymountains. Maybe they are great masters from the snowy Himalayas.(Master and everyone laugh.) They want people to realize the intensityof the cold! I really dread having relationships with those coldand aloof people. They deliberately act very sluggishly to attractpeople's attention, so that people have to beseech them.
In fact, this is a serious disease of heavyego and an inferiority complex. If a person is confident, he wouldnot behave like this; he will act frankly and earnestly. Thereis no reason to "um and "aw". Maybe he (or she)hanged himself (herself) previously, and the impression extendsto this life; the rope is still tightly tied around a certainspot, so he (she) cannot speak. (Laughter)
We human have plenty of illnesses, but we oftendo not think that we are sick. Long Shu thought that he was ill,but actually he was not. Many of us think that we are all right,but we are actually sick.
We should be aware of where our illness lies.Others may be able to correct us several times, but we must knowwhere our illness is, and save ourselves quickly. If we cannotsave ourselves, then consult books, or find someone to help us,instead of doing nothing. If our fault is not rectified, we haveto come back next time, with or without following an enlightenedMaster. It is because we cannot forsake that corner, and keepclinging to it, using it as a weapon to make things difficultfor others or to win their attention. Then, we have to come back!
The law of thisworld is very impartial - you get whatever you want. Even theenlightened Master cannot force you to get liberation, unlessyou want it yourself! The doctor also cannot force you to takemedicine, or forcibly operate on you without your consent. Right?(Audience: Yes!) Even if you cannot make the request because youare unconscious, your relatives can speak for you. It means thatyou have consented in the first place. It can only be done withyour consent.
If you deliberately cling to your faults, youhave to come back next life, and may not meet an enlightened Master!Then, you will also run around like Long Shu, carrying a heartwith six open apertures, not knowing what is wrong with you. And,it will be very difficult to open the seventh.
All of you should reflect and quickly rectifyyour faults, if any. If you do not rectify it today, you haveto do it tomorrow or the day after anyway. The longer you delay,the more serious the trouble, because the interest multiplies.The bad habit will become strong and entrenched, then it willbecome more difficult for us to eradicate. Good day!
