The Teaching on the "Faith in Mind" by Venerable Jinwoo 

Do not invite pain upon yourself by nitpicking.

If it is not like this, you definitely must not follow it.

Commentary

This is a passage that may be a little difficult to understand. You must remember the words “like this” in the second line and understand them accurately. Here, “like this” means “like the truth,” and “in accordance with the truth.” Therefore, the sentence means that if it is not the truth, you must not follow it. The truth is what is happening here and now before your eyes. There is nothing to examine, add, or delete; it is as it is, and it is truth and thusness. What I see, hear, and feel right now is the same as the truth. It is wrong to disagree with this and judge the here and now to be good or bad, right or wrong; thus, you definitely must not follow it. More precisely, everything is the result of the principle of cause and effect. There is no effect without a cause, so both the world and the state of the mind that creates the world manifest the effects of causes.

However, the time I create a cause and the time I experience its effect are not simultaneous; they are separated by time. In other words, the causes at the time of a thing’s arising and the effects at the time of its ceasing are different. Those who lack wisdom simply create causes, and then complain about the effects, expressing their dissatisfaction. As a result, they just end up creating pain and distress for themselves.

All phenomena that manifest follow this pattern. This arises because that arises, and if this does not exist, that also does not exist. Either way, the result is emptiness, so ultimately, there is nothing to add or delete.

There are no coincidences. Everything that happens is inevitable. Even unexpected accidents do not happen by chance. What “inevitable” means here is that their causes are not from someone or something else, but are from ourselves.

If a car accident occurs, there may be many causes. In the case of an accident that happened due to no fault of my own, it may seem that I did not cause the accident, but it should not be simply dismissed in that way.

Living beings, especially humans, have emotions. Strictly speaking, karma is caused by emotions. If you have no emotions of pain or sickness even when you are sick, then you have no problem even in sickness. You regard your children as yours because of the special emotions that come and go between you and them, and because of the subtle emotions that manifest affectionately even when crying and laughing. If there are no such emotions, there is no special relationship between you and your children. Emotions can be put into three categories: good emotions (joy, happiness), bad emotions (pain, sadness, unhappiness), and emotions that are neither of these. In the Buddhist Consciousness Only School, these are the emotions of pain, pleasure, and neutrality, and the first two are considered the karmas of pain and pleasure.

The problem is that feeling pleasure automatically gives rise to the causes for feeling pain. This is due to the law of cause and effect. Since the quality and quantity of these two emotions are exactly the same, the more pleasant your emotion becomes, the more painful is the emotion that follows. Therefore, when a pleasant emotion arises from “good” karma, good things happen, and when a painful emotion arises from “bad” karma, bad things happen. This is called the “opportune moment” of causes and conditions. 

Therefore, when you are sick, in pain, or in distress (when painful karma arises), bad conditions and bad relationships will eventually occur. At such times, you may have bad experiences (accident, injury, breaking up, bankruptcy, etc.). These cause you pain and distress.

So, all the things that happen in the world, this and that, all myriad things, are all the result of the law of cause and effect. Therefore, we must keep in mind that a judgmental mind—one that says this is good or bad, or this is right or wrong—only gives rise to emotions of pain and pleasure, which in turn instigates the karmic cycle of arising and ceasing, and pain and pleasure. 

In conclusion, both the world and the state of the mind that creates this world are the result of cause and effect; all is inevitable, all is the result of encountering the opportune moment of causes and conditions that brings pain and pleasure, causing us to reap what we sow.

Therefore, the truth is as it is, and as it manifests; it is like truth and thusness. The more you doubt, the more you complain, the more you get angry, the more you blame others, the more you become greedy, the more you feel pain and/or pleasure, the more you have no choice but to endure pain and distress. You must thoroughly realize this fact. 

If you still do not understand this principle and cannot calm your mind and find peace, I recommend you pray sincerely without thinking about anything. Methods of prayer include reciting sutras, prostration practice, reciting buddhas’ names while turning prayer beads, or chanting a Dharani. If you set aside a certain time and length of time to practice consistently, you will see results. In addition, if you also practice Seon meditation and almsgiving, it will be even more effective.

Verse

What is seen and heard before yourself

What is here and now is like this and the truth.

Everything is cause and effect, reaping what you sow.

Thus, do not invite pain upon yourself by nitpicking.