A Zen Talk
Cause and Effect

When we turn our back on our own nature... we dream dreams that can never be real and we keep making judgments that can never be true and we create values that we can never meet.

A Lecture By The Venerable Hyunoong Sunim
Of The Sixth Patriarch Zen Center, Berkeley

If we give up on our self, there isn't anyone who can do it for us. Usually people live their lives giving up on themselves or they believe incorrectly in themselves. We take what is not correct and believe it to be correct so our thinking becomes upside-down.

In that condition, we live our lives INSISTING on what is right and wrong. This is the condition of delusion. This is why we do spiritual practice, because we need to go beyond living in this delusion, this condition. When we look individually at each person, each of us has a problem with something we are holding onto.

We live comparing ourselves to other people. Because each of us is different, there's no need to make comparisons. We create our own world, looking from the outside it may seem that we are all the same, but what is covering up our inner wisdom is different for each person. Our personalities, habits and our karma is different and because we look out at the world from this state of being obscured, even though it's the same world, the way each of us see it is different. The kind of suffering we experience is different; the kind of wandering that we are caught in is different. This is why we cannot compare ourselves to other people.

Being different from each other is normal. The more we compare ourselves to others, the more this will cause us suffering. But the thing that is the same among us is our "essence nature". Our forms are different but that invisible essence nature is the same. When we look from the point of view of that essence, there are no differences. When we come to question why are we different from other people, this can cause us unnecessary suffering.

We all have the habit of making comparisons among ourselves, between our world and the rest of the world, comparing ourselves to society. This causes us to have feelings of inferiority. With the exception of very special awakened people, all human beings live this way. According to how much heavy karma we have obscuring us, our suffering can be greater or less. If our suffering is at the point where even breathing is difficult, then that is great suffering.

If we look at the fundamental reason for this, its because we live turning our back on our own fundamental nature. When we turn our back on our own nature, what is it that we do that with? This is different for each person. We dream dreams that can never be real and we keep making judgments that can never be true and we create values that we can never meet. We keep making judgments of right and wrong that can never be achieved. If we look honestly at ourselves we can see that we live like this. If we awaken and can see that our thinking is upside down we can realize how foolish and dangerous our judgments have been.

Its making these judgments that cause us give up on ourselves.

"This is what kind of person I am", "This is what I think", "This is the best I can do" and so on… Even though we live in a vast world, we create a very narrow world for our self and we obscure, cover up our own nature but we don't know with what we do that.

It can start from a simple place of making a wrong judgment and if we are unable to free ourselves from it, then we give up on our self. Then only the outside looks like a human being, on the inside, there really might not be much difference from an animal. In fact, there are some human beings that live on a level of karma which is on a lower level than some animals. Animals instinctively live in a pure way but when human beings give up on themselves, they live in confusion and their thinking is upside down. Then they create a "ghost world", a world that doesn't really exist. They make a world based on their illusions then try to live in it. As a result they have unnecessary arguments, abuse themselves and they suffer. This is something we have completely created our self.

Of course there are those who suffer from living in prisons or jails but if those people looked honestly at themselves, they would see that they obscured their own essence and as a result committed crimes that got them there. When we live in society among other people and do things that cause people suffering, fear or hurt, then we are committing sins. So, since society has to be organized, we create laws and people have to live by those laws; if they break them then they go to jail.

But even if we're not in jail, we can look at ourselves -- are we really free? Are we free from our karma, suffering and delusion? We have delusions within us that could cause us to end up in jail at anytime. Even if we're not in a physical jail, we are living in our self-made jail. We come to live feeling extremely frustrated, we can even feel claustrophobic. We need to look honestly at our self, we have to ask ourselves: "who created that? Who is experiencing the results of what we created?"

When I talk like this, some people might think "I'm free, I'm happy" but from the point of view of a great Buddha or eternal freedom, from this moment or as this moment passes, we can be in a different world. We never know what is going to happen next or tomorrow; we just HOPE that good things will happen, but nothing is certain.

In this way, our life as a sentient being, being happy today, we cannot trust that to be there tomorrow. We want to be happy today, tomorrow and forever, but we cannot trust that. We rely on our expectations, hopes and maybe even just luck. Our present is the result of our past; our future is the result of the present.

Our birth appears from the principles of cause and effect. If the cause is good, the effect is good, if the cause is bad, the result is bad. That is why right now is very important, but if we are wandering right now, then we'll be wandering in the future. On occasion we might enjoy some good fortune, but its not assured and if the wind blows, it could all blow away. This makes us realize how vulnerable we are. If we rely on fortune, that makes us a weak person. We need to believe in cause and effect. If I live incorrectly now, my future will be incorrect. If I commit crimes now, without a doubt, the police will be coming.

Cause and effect cannot be avoided by anyone; no one has immunity from it. But, we can free ourselves from our conditions. Buddha, Christ and the Saints taught us the path. You can live without religion but you can not live apart from the principles of cause and effect. The principles of cause and effect apply to everyone. Even if you are not religious, it's necessary to understand cause and effect.

Of course everyone wants the future to be good, so then we should live in a good way today. What creates cause and effect? The upside down thinking of our own mind, our deluded thoughts create things for no reason and then we suffer for no reason. Then illness arises, poverty, our relationships become narrow, we become very sensitive, very delicate; the slightest thing upsets us, we get into arguments easily… because we get used to living like that, then as we live in this moment, we always feel unstable. Our upside down thinking has not become clear.

Some people think they are unhappy or unstable because they lack money. Of course there are those situations where people don't have money, but there are plenty of situations where people wander in suffering and delusion even though they have money. In some ways, money or no money may seem like it will make us happy or unhappy, but this has more to do with how people are with it. To think that people are happy or unhappy based on money is a mistake.

So if we want to practice Zen, we want our life to be better, then we need to see into cause and effect. Religion is nothing special… all principles come from the fundamental principle of cause and effect. In the Bible it says if we don't plant seeds, there will be nothing to harvest. In Zen they directly teach us the principles of cause and effect. Even those who don't believe in religion can be very sensitive to the principles of cause and effect. If they make one mistake now, without doubt, they will experience its result. If you eat spoiled food, then you will have an upset stomach. If you become angry or upset frequently, your friends will distance themselves from you. If you mind wanders with complicated, useless thinking, your wisdom will disappear. This is how it is.

In America, people think of this as a free country but people misunderstand or misconceive freedom. Freedom is the greatest thing but if we look at it incorrectly, it can become poison. Having freedom means there is some goal we hope to achieve. If we are to achieve correct freedom, then we need to live a correct life.

According to cause and effect, we have to refrain from creating cause. If we create a cause, the effect comes, at that point, if we hope for freedom, the universal principle will not allow that to happen. No one can help at that point. When we live in America, we think we can do whatever we want -- that is incorrect; people become reckless and do whatever pops into their head. At that moment, things seem to be okay but the result can be very bad. Our body and mind are relying on principles of cause and effect. If we can't breathe, we will die. It is very straightforward. Our body and mind are living within this truth. We are always within the principles of nature.

I like to work in a way that I give freedom to people, so I don't like to make strict rules. But don't be silly… when people ignore cause and effect, do you really think that just sitting on a cushion, still wandering will fix your life? We justify why our Zen practice doesn't go well, we say "oh its because I have so much thinking, I have so much desire, I'm not in good condition…" it gets to where whatever we see in front of us obstructs our practice.

Its because we are experiencing the results of past causes even though we try to forget our past. Someone in jail wants to forget about the crime they committed and they complain. They're there because the committed a crime, that's cause and effect. There's no where we can ignore the principles of cause and effect.

When we can awaken to the emptiness of the principle of cause and effect then it will no longer bother us. It's like clouds which appear and disappear. The cause is the arising, the result is the disappearing. Then we simply do not become attached to the arising or the disappearance. If we are to be unattached to this, then we must have wisdom. Because that wisdom allows us to distinguish what is the arising and what is the disappearance. Our essence-nature is empty and vast like the blue sky, no matter how many clouds appear in that sky, the clouds cannot stay there forever.

So its just the clouds that are passing by but the blue sky is always the blue sky, no matter how many clouds appear, they will not cause that sky to change. If you awaken to your own essence, your own blue sky, you will see your own essence is that blue sky and what arises, your thinking, is just clouds. When the wind blows, it causes something to arise and disappear.

You live in reality and someone comes along and aggravates you, your mind arises and then disappears. Someone who has awoken to experience that blue sky, whenever the mind arises and disappears, they can just let go of it, knowing its just a natural thing; they've seen that blue sky and know that blue sky. If the clouds come, that's fine, if they go, that's fine. So awakened people have clouds that arise and disappear but they don't mind them, its normal.

Ordinary people get upset when clouds arise, they think, "where did that one come from? Where did this one come from?" They get upset, their mind gets excited and it goes back and forth.

This is why they are deluded, they went inside the clouds. Even though their eyes are open, they don't see, they wander around inside the clouds, and collide with others in clouds then start deciding what's right and what's wrong. This is the beginning, but the clouds become so thick, the roots of the problem become so deep, its not that they just meet and separate instantly, the roots get deeper and thicker and stronger.

Next thing you know, lawyers are involved, and no one even knows they're in the clouds of delusion. Lightening, thunder!!! So you forget all about the blue sky, and this is hell.

If we can awaken to our own blue sky, even if someone comes along and aggravates us, it's like an ant on your hand, you just leave it alone. In reality if someone annoys you if you can be quiet and have no mind, the other person will feel embarrassed, because everyone has wisdom, everyone has a blue sky. It's only from clinging to the clouds without realizing it that you suffer. If you awaken and you're not crashing with others if you stop and look for a moment, you can realize it's your own mistake. If you aggravate someone else and they don't respond, you can know its you that is being foolish.

There's a saying in the Orient that if you're smiling, no one is going to spit in your face. For someone who has an empty mind, if someone becomes angry or upset the poison of that anger goes back to them and they go into turmoil. It's like in boxing if one throws a punch and the other evades it, it throws the first boxer off.

So to live "smart" you must really know and understand cause and effect. When we come into the sitting hall, some people leave their shoes in disorder. Some people think to live like that is freedom. People do that unwittingly. Outside on the ground is dust and dirt and there are some who take their shoes off but walk on the dirt with their socks then drag the dirt into the Zen hall, defeating the purpose. Very strange, I don't know. This is also not freedom. When I point this out, they immediately make excuses. People like this, even if they sit on their cushion, their Zen practice will not go well.

Our mind can come to have no burdens and then naturally we feel grateful even for the smallest thing. If you do Zen and your burdens disappear, then in the midst of our ordinary life, all things start connecting with our own essence. What obscures you starts to disappear and you begin to see things very clearly.

And, of course, you stop creating wrong causes; rather than creating wrong causes, you create positive causes. Through that you come to cultivate virtue and you are kind and respectful towards others and a good light starts to arise. If others have difficulties, you help them, if you are too selfish you think only of yourself. In this culture, people are protective and isolate themselves in the competitive world. If this becomes too extreme, this will also obstruct your true nature. We need to live with the attitude that we will lose a little to other people.

If other people perceive you to be a little bit dull, maybe a little bit of a fool, that's good. You have to be comfortable. People have to feel comfortable with you… If you're too intelligent, too bright, people will move away from you and people's minds will not connect with each other. So to be simple and not to be attached one way or the other, is fine. Then you can do Zen and your wit and humor will come forth because you can relax. Living that way is very good for your own environment and those around you. Human beings need to reduce their own burdens; it's why we have religion. Your spiritual path and the rest of your life is not separate. Then mentally, physically and spiritually we can become healthy and spontaneously we will be happy.

I am also a human being and have had many problems but fortunately I trusted the teaching of the Buddha and observed the principles of cause and effect. I worked on not creating wrong causes, but good ones and continually did Zen. One's karma changes. What is obscuring you disappears and this world and this society, just as it is, becomes paradise. Then the whole world feels like it belongs to you and happiness continuously bubbles up and your karma will continue to melt. When the clouds disappear and the brightness appears, you don't create new negative causes. Every human being can live like this, in fact its this that makes us a human being.

So will you follow this path? It's up to you. Don't take the wrong step; if you do, things will be in continuous turmoil. The correct step may be difficult but it will continually bring you good things. You will meet good friends and good teachers.

Don't count your money, it can disappear. You might think just hold on to it as hard as you can and hope for the best. But money you have to spend, you can't hold onto it. It has no taste, no fragrance, no flavor, its just paper. When human beings use money correctly, it can bring wonderful things. Who has the money? How will you use it? If the person grasping money doesn't change, it's no fun.

Lets try taking correct steps, little by little. Don't try to correct yourself completely all at once. Begin with small things. Let's begin by taking our shoes off and putting them down mindfully. Enter the Zen hall properly.

Its very strange when I look at people, there are things that are hard to understand. They have all kinds of time and clouds in their head, what they are thinking I don't know. But it's not all good causes. So do good work, do the cleaning, live a diligent life, that's where you have to begin. Otherwise, if you just say you're going to do Zen and you just sit on your cushion, nothing will happen.

You may think "oh all this is just some Oriental cultural thing" but when I see Americans who are healthy, they are not like that. Those who have a good life, successful, healthy, they are following the principles of cause and effect. When I first arrived in America and I observed people's habits, I wondered "wow can you really get away with doing that?" Even Americans are not free from the principle of cause and effect; this is what creates mental and physical illness. They are suffering and they don't know from where it came. The Bible emphasized cause and effect, so we have to move into this to get back into our life. Make the corrections that will restore a healthy life and free us from illness.

Questions?

Also, there is no need for you to be upset with yourself. Because the things you're doing are not going well, or you're not that fast at fixing your bad habits, there's no need to get upset with yourself. There is also no need to feel regret. Feeling regret is not good for you mentally. You just resolve to take the right step as best you can. Regret will just confuse you more; just forgive yourself. Don't try to accomplish too much at once. Just realize your mistakes, that's the beginning, and gradually things will release. If you get upset and feel regret, that is a kind of greed. It may appear like a spiritual attitude but it's not good. So just say, "lets begin again". You will become humble. Try it little by little. If you do that, you will become happy. Your mind will be more relaxed and then doing Zen will be easy; as you sit on your cushion, happiness will arise on its own. You will see what has to be done and you will want to do it.

When you have nothing to do, you can write nice letters to your friends; when you're in good condition you can write a poetic letter -- better than useless thinking. In Zen, poetic things keep arising in you, you could become a poet; your surroundings will seem very rich and you can gaze inward. But being attached to being a poet will cramp you. You could be grateful that you speak English very well.