The six things to be minful of
One day, the brother of the Buddha, Nanda, posed a question: " Buddha! You have often told us that only Nirvana is the ultimate state of restful happiness. But how can we reach that state?"
The Buddha replied: " To attain the bliss of liberation and Nirvana, you must practise on being mindful of six things. If you can do this, you will be like a hungry weakling who finally taste of good food to nourish his body and make him strong again."
" Which six things are they? " Nanda further asked.
The Buddha therefore elucidated:
1. Be mindful of the Buddha: constantly chant the Buddha's name, because
the Buddha has great compassion, great wisdom, great brightness, unlimited
transcendental powers, and can liberate sentient beings from suffering.
We should therefore take refuge with him.
2. Be mindful of the Dharma: this refers to the Tripitaka, which are the
words of the Buddha, because what he said is the ultimate truth which can
lead us to the realisation of Buddhahood. We should follow its guidance
to practise and cultivate.
3. Be mindful of the Sangha: the Buddha's disciples attained the ways of
'exhausted leakages', which implies their accomplished achievement in precepts,
samadhi and wisdom. As they can acquire both felicity and merits of this
world, we should respect the Sangha if we aim for pure practice.
4. Be mindful of the precepts: the practice of precepts can induce wisdom,
eradicate evil, and dissolve the defilements brought about by our unwholesomeness.
We must therefore make effort to observe the precepts.
5. Be mindful of alms giving: donation entails extensive merits, and can
mitigate the serious illnesses caused by meanness. We must give alms to
embrace sentient beings.
6. Be mindful of the celestial realms: these refer to the various realms
of desire, form and formlessness. They are realms of natural happiness effected
through deeds of giving and kindness. Therefore if all these merits are
fully accomplished, enjoyment in the heavenly realms is guaranteed.
