..续本文上一页eless, is to learn the wisdom of all religions and to learn the wisdom of all living beings. Where do I start

　　 I start with ants and with mosquitoes. Now, some of you may laugh, but it”s true, it”s straight talk.

　　There will be people here who do understand what I say. The Buddha”s first teaching was that all living beings have the Buddha nature, and that all can become Buddhas. This is not to say that there are certain living beings who cannot become Buddhas. That is not the case; all living beings have the Buddha nature, and all can become Buddhas.

　　We all come here by the same road, and will return on the same road. Since we are all travellers on this road, there is no need to differentiate between ourselves and other living beings. Although we aspire to live this way, and walk this way, I know there are people who would prefer not to hear what I have said. They don”t want to listen. Is that the case with all of you

　　 Is anybody sleeping

　　 We”re going to request another three minutes because I haven”t gotten to the real point of what I want to say! (Laughter.)

　　So, if we want to have real wisdom, the first job is to learn to recognize stupidity. What is stupidity, after all

　　 If we really see it clearly, then we will know what wisdom is. Wisdom is not something that arrives from outside. Recognition of it is not done from outside. We recognize wisdom from our own self nature, this is the Buddha nature; this is our original face, our fundamental identity. Nobody can take it from us, or stand in for us and use it in our place. I only have five minutes so I will tell you in brief. If you don”t attach to forms, that is to say, (Translator: the literal Chinese is the "dust of visual sense objects", it”s called the " dust of things seen"); if we attach to objects with form, things that we see, then we should know that this attachment to beautiful forms will impede our cultivation, this will create an impediment to our spiritual cultivation. If we can cut off this attachment to beautiful sights, just this is wisdom. It”s the same way with the dust of sounds, with the things we hear. If we attach to those sounds, then our cultivation will turn towards stupidity and turn away from wisdom. Cultivators should look at sights and listen to sounds as if they were not there; we should treat them as if they were illusory. We can regard them like a person who "rides by on a horse to look at the flowers" (Literal translation), like a tourist. If that”s the way we see the sights and hear the sounds of the real world then there can be real wisdom. If we can see through and put down sights, sounds, smells, flavors, and sensations of touch, those five things, then we can approach wisdom.

　　Furthermore, we should recognize the pursuit of wealth, sex, fame, food and sleep as as being part of stupidity Once we have seen through and put down the senses, then we must further identify these Five Desires. If we can be unmoved by the pursuit of wealth, see through the desire for property and money; if we can stop the relentless pursuit of sexual pleasure, as well as the desire for food, the craving for more and newer sensations of flavor, and if we can abandon the pursuit of sleep or comfort, if we can see through fame, and not be moved by any of these desires, then we are on the road to wisdom.

　　The Six Objects of the Senses: sights, sounds, smells, taste, objects of touch, and dharmas (the sense objects of the mind) are things we desire. Furthermore, the Five Desires are wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. If we can see these things as ordinary, if they don”t hook us, seduce us, or tempt us, and we are not attached to them, then we can have real wisdom. If we can bring forth this wisdom then we are on the road to Buddha hood.

　　Further, there…

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