Chapter 6 Habits are like ephedra in the forest, hard to get rid of! (04)

It was a little late to go down the mountain that day, the sunset quickly faded behind the mountain, the bright moon had already risen in the east, and the faint moonlight shone on the villages in the valley, and also on our way back to the temple.The ancients said: "In the evening, from the foot of Bishan Mountain, the mountain and the moon return with you", this is the scenery! Looking at the distant mountains, the night and day are so different. During the day, the wild flowers competing for beauty have disappeared, while the dark green mountains under the moonlight reveal a little bit of mystery.

With the faint moonlight, I could see clearly the vines beside me.Manzelan in the moonlight, with thousands of arms stretching endlessly, bared its teeth and claws like a devil.It is said that eupatorium has a strong reproductive ability, and the seeds are scattered by the wind, and they will germinate when they fall to the soil. Wherever they go, the plants will suffocate and die.Even if it is burned with fire, it will still be reborn, which is a terrible "green cancer". "What does Manzelan look like?" Someone in the company raised a question, and everyone thought of "habitual energy" in unison.Habits are endless, hard to break, and follow you like a shadow from life to life.Even after attaining Arhatship, the habitual energy is still there, and its penetration is beyond imagination.

Habitual Qi is also called afflictive habit, residual habit, residual qi.Because our troublesome thoughts and behaviors often arise, over time, they become habitual in our hearts and form a reflex action-like reaction behavior, which is habit. Just like drinking the tea, there is no tea in the cup, but the fragrance of the tea remains. "Afflictions are easy to get rid of, but habits are hard to get rid of." Only a Buddha who has practiced well can get rid of afflictions and habits.And the mobilization of habitual qi often comes quickly and urgently. In an instant, habitual words and actions occur, often hurting oneself and others without knowing it.

How can we break this bad habit?The German Srika monk said to the Venerable Zhi: "The ability to remain still and simply focus on it, or pause for wise reflection, often makes the first temptation of greed, the first wave of anger and the first wave of ignorance. The first burst of mist disappears, and no serious entanglement will be caused." Therefore, when habitual energy rushes out, training the mind to stop and slow down will keep the affliction within its initial scope and not expand infinitely. Of course, from a certain point of view, habits are also good. The "Avatamsaka Sutra" encourages Buddhists to cultivate ten kinds of habits such as Bodhicitta and good roots, and to cultivate "good spontaneous responses", which is a way to cure bad habits!

On the other hand, if the habit of afflictions is allowed to spread continuously, like the echinacea in the forest, the good roots will not be illuminated by the sunshine of the Dharma, and will only gradually wither. Today, in the mountains and forests of Taiwan, Zeilan is multiplying at an incomparable speed. When will it be cleared away?I'm afraid it's as difficult as getting rid of habitual energy?I think. (This picture is provided by Wu Xiaodan)