The Self: Both a Dead End and a Driving Force for Liberation

Have you ever wondered: if a person has attained the way and their mind/heart is pure, are they still governed by the law of cause and effect (karmic law)? The answer may not be as simple as you think. The story of the old fox in Zen history will give you much to reflect upon.

The Story of the Old Fox: The Trap of Wrong Views

During the time of Buddha Kasyapa, there was a senior monk who had attained the way. One day, another monk asked him: "Does a person who has attained the way through practice still remain subject to cause and effect (karmic law)?" He replied: "One does not fall into cause and effect (karmic law)." Because of that mistaken answer, the senior monk was reborn as a fox for five hundred lifetimes, never able to find his error.

It was not until he met Zen Master Huaihai Baizhang that the old fox asked the question again. Master Baizhang answered: "One is not blind to cause and effect (karmic law)" — meaning that one who has attained the way understands cause and effect (karmic law) very clearly, rather than being free from it. Upon hearing this, the old fox was greatly awakened and was freed from the fox's body.

"Not blind to cause and effect (karmic law). Blind means deluded, unclear, not understanding clearly. One who has attained the way is a person who understands cause and effect (karmic law) very clearly."

Why Does Great Merit Easily Give Rise to Wrong Views?

The Buddha taught by way of an analogy: a handful of salt dropped into a cup of water makes the water briny and undrinkable; but dropped into a river, it has no effect at all. Likewise, a person of great merit may commit many wrongdoings without seeing immediate retribution. This can easily lead them to believe there is no law of cause and effect (karmic law).

Teacher Chan Quang made this clear: "It is precisely because great merit can give rise to such frightening wrong views. But for those of us with small merit, when we make a mistake, the consequence appears immediately. That means we know there is a law of cause and effect (karmic law) governing everything in this life." Therefore, do not become complacent because of great merit, and drift away from the truth.

"Often, having too much merit makes us complacent. And when we are complacent, we depart from the truth at once. And departing from the truth, we fall straight into wrong views."

The Self: A Dead End and a Driving Force

We practice in order to extinguish the self, yet the self is precisely who we are — we cannot step outside of it. Teacher Chan Quang explained: "The self has two characteristics. It is a dead end. It is also the driving force that allows us to rise above this very self." There is no path other than the one walked by our own two feet — that is, stepping upward from the self itself.

This means we cannot simply abandon the self; we must know how to use it wisely. Each morning when we wake, we still have this "I" with which to practice, to do good deeds, to be diligent. It is precisely the self that serves as the driving force to transform itself.

"All of this practice we are doing is also the self. So it is this very self that leads us into samsara (cycle of rebirth), birth and death, and suffering (dukkha). But it is also this very self that opens for us a path to enlightenment."

Keeping a Humble Mind/Heart So We Are Not Defeated by Our Own Merit

When we possess blessings from merit, wealth, status, or attain many spiritual achievements, it is very easy to become self-satisfied and lose our humility. Teacher Chan Quang reminded his meditation students to firmly maintain three states of mind/heart: absolute reverence for the Buddha, boundless compassion and love for all sentient beings, and the utmost humility of seeing oneself as mere dust. A humble mind/heart is the key that protects us from wrong views.

"Hold firmly to the mind/heart — especially the third one. Hold it tight. Because one day, that third mind/heart of ours could be swept away by the fruits of our own blessings."

Every Day, Every Hour: Weighing Cause and Effect

Though Zen Master Baizhang had attained the way and abundant merit, he still kept the practice of "a day without work is a day without food." He wished to repay what he had received, refusing to eat while sitting idle. As for us, each day that we breathe and eat, have we done anything beneficial for the world?

Let us learn to live responsibly, always weighing every action, every word, and every deed in the light of cause and effect (karmic law). This is how we keep our minds alert and avoid falling into carelessness and irresponsibility.

"A person who understands the way and has wisdom — their head is like a computer weighing sin and merit, cause and effect (karmic law). That is how their mind/heart always is; the law of cause and effect (karmic law) lives within it. Every action, every word, every task is weighed against cause and effect (karmic law)."

Each day, take time to look inward and see that the self is not only a dead end but also a driving force, if we know how to use it. Practice is not about escaping life, but about living life more fully, more humbly, never forgetting that everything we have is being "accounted for" through cause and effect (karmic law). Let us begin today — every step, every breath, is an opportunity for letting go of the arrogant self and opening our hearts to the wisdom of the Buddha.