Date: 07/06/2024 07/07/2024
Location: Star Ocean Meditation Center
Teacher: Otto Huang
Dharma Talk
Root Cultivation in Buddhist Teaching
Once, a young student of Brahmin Varshneya named Yudhara visited Buddha. Buddha asked him,
“Yudhara, has your teacher Brahmin Varshneya taught you how to cultivate your roots?”
Yudhara replied, “Yes, Venerable Gotama!”
“How did he teach you?” asked Buddha.
“Venerable Gotama, Brahmin Varshneya said that not looking and not listening is how we cultivate our roots.”
Yudhara’s response prompted Ananda, who was fanning Buddha from behind, to comment, “Yudhara, according to what Brahmin Varshneya says, a blind man would be the most accomplished in cultivating roots, because only a blind person can truly achieve not looking.”
Caught off guard by the counter-question, Yudhara was left speechless and disheartened.
To break the ice, Buddha told Ananda, “Ananda, the teachings of Brahmin Varshneya are different from the most supreme method of cultivating roots in the law of the sages.”
Seizing the opportunity to guide further, Ananda promptly asked, “World Honored One, I wish for you to teach the monks the most supreme method of cultivating roots in the law of the sages, so they can practice according to your teaching.”
Buddha explained, “Ananda, listen carefully and contemplate. When a monk sees, hears, smells, tastes, touches, or thinks, and recognizes these sensations, he should maintain detachment from preferences by fostering aversion to what is liked and non-aversion to what is disliked. For things that are neither liked nor disliked, he should maintain aversion or non-aversion; or if he wishes to avoid both, he can maintain peace, focus, and proper awareness. Ananda, this is the most supreme method of cultivating roots in the law of the sages.”
“World Honored One, what then is the method of cultivating roots for the wise sages?” continued Ananda.
Buddha responded, “When a monk experiences any sensation, recognizing it as transient and conditioned, he should let go as easily and quickly as blinking an eye or snapping fingers. This is how wise sages cultivate their roots.”
“And how do the practitioners cultivate their roots in the law of the sages?” Ananda asked further.
Buddha replied, “When a monk experiences any thought of preference, dispreference, or neutrality, and feels shame, disgrace, and aversion towards the arising of such thoughts, he is cultivating his roots as a practitioner in the law of the sages.”
