Transcript
The three doors of liberation are the three doors that lead to freedom, to leisureliness. Over here, “freedom” is termed “leisureliness”. Leisureliness means not being bound up with anything — be it afflictions or work to do. Even work for the sangha. The three doors of leisureliness are Emptiness, Signlessness, and Aimlessness. Today we’ll cover the basics of Aimlessness.
Aimlessness — in Sanskrit, “apranihita,” means we don’t put an object in front of us in order to run after that object. It’s called “aimlessness.” In our daily life, we usually put a wish, or a desire, in front of us to be an object. And we run after that object of desire. That’s going against the spirit of aimlessness. Aimlessness means we see that all the conditions for happiness, all that we wish for, are already here, in the present moment. And for that reason, we can really stop, we stop running after, or pursuing, an object — that’s aimlessness.
Aimlessness, or wishlessness. They mean the same. The person who aims for nothing, the person who realizes aimlessness, the person who realizes wishlessness, is someone who starts having happiness. But if they haven’t realized aimlessness, haven’t realized wishlessness, they’re still pursuing, they’re still running after objects of craving and desire, thinking “if I can’t have that object, that condition, I can never be truly happy.”
Let each of us look deeply to see if we’re pursuing anything. Are we able to dwell peacefully in the leisureliness of aimlessness? Or are we thinking, “As long as I’m not finished building this temple, I can never feel happy“? Or, “As long as I haven’t got that degree, I can never feel happy“? Or, “As long as I haven’t got these conditions, or those conditions, happiness will never be possible“?
Let us look at ourselves again to see if we’ve really stopped. It means, to see if we have the peace and leisureliness of aimlessness yet? Are we someone who’s already stopped? Or are we someone who’s still running after something? If we’re still running after something, it means there’s not peace and leisureliness of aimlessness yet.
Each and every one of us must contemplate this. Today, we’ll spend twenty-four hours contemplating if we’re someone who’s still running after an object, or someone who’s already stopped. A person who’s just been ordained as a novice can also have as much happiness as their elder Dharma siblings. Don’t think that only when we’re fully-ordained as a bhikkhu, can we be happy. A person who’s just ordained as a bhikkhu, meanwhile, should think, being ordained as a bhikkhu is already a great happiness. They don’t need to move up to a Dharma teacher position to be happy.
In the social ladder, people never feel fulfilled or satisfied with what they’re having. And they’re always looking toward and running after the next thing. So the running and competing never end. And because of that, people never have happiness. So, if you aspire to follow the Buddha and practice his teachings, receiving the Five Mindfulness Trainings proves to be more than enough to make you happy. Or receiving the Ten Mindfulness Trainings also proves to be more than enough to make you happy.
Don’t wait to be happy. Waiting. Searching. Pursuing. These actions demonstrate that we haven’t attained the third kind of leisureliness of the three doors of liberation, which is the leisureliness of aimlessness. The term that Thay have found, the new term that Thay have just found to translate the word “aimlessness” more precisely is “non-expectation.” Because before that, we translated the Vietnamese term for this, “vô tác,” as aimlessness. Which means, “no need for an aim,” “no need for an object to run after.” Or “wishlessness” — with “wish” meaning longing, or yearning. Wishlessness.
But after Thay found the term “no expectation,” we see that the term “vô tác” has a… It encompasses a very big object of meditation. “No expectation” means don’t wait for anything. Let’s say, we love someone. We do everything we can for them… Whatever they need us to do, we’ll do. But we’ll do it in the spirit of “vô tác,” not expecting anything. Zero expectation.
Whether that person is grateful to us, or not grateful to us, we don’t need that. Whether that person is nice to us or not nice to us, that’s not important. What’s more important is whether we’re nice to that person, whether we do whatever we can for that person. When we’re done, that’s it. Don’t expect anything in return. It’s called, “no expectation.” Which is “not expecting anything in return,” “not anticipating a result.”
We usually hear people say that Bodhisattvas are those who only focus on sowing wholesome seeds, or causes. On the other hand, living beings don’t focus on sowing wholesome seeds but on the fruiting, the consequences. What does “focusing on sowing wholesome seeds and causes” mean? It means, we know that there are things we can do right away, today. If we do what needs to be done today, if we do all that we can today, tomorrow, blossoms and fruits will come and serve us well.
For that reason, whatever we can do today, we’ll do. We just do our best. And we don’t expect anything. Tomorrow, blossoms and fruits may come. But they may also have yet to come. Or they may never come at all. Why is it so? Because the seeds that we have sown may not be enough. Probably it also needs other seeds that are completely out of our reach. It also needs other conditions that are completely beyond our reach. So, if it hasn’t come to fruition yet, don’t be sad. Don’t suffer.
On the contrary, we should be content because whatever we can do on our part, we’ve already done to the best of our ability. We should only regret or blame ourselves when we haven’t done our best. But if we’ve already done all we can, we can now rest assured. And if that blossom and fruit hasn’t come along yet, it’s because it lacks one, two, or three conditions that are utterly beyond our reach. That’s all.
Let’s say, we start a sangha. We do our best, putting our heart into building a sangha, making sure the sangha is happy. Meanwhile, that sangha is showing signs of lacking happiness. We demand that this person be like this, that person be like that. If they aren’t as we expect them to be, we’ll suffer. For that reason, we know that as long as there’s still anticipation, as long as there’s still expectation, there’ll be suffering. For that reason, “non-expectation” or “no expectation,” meaning “not anticipating,” surely is the true spirit of aimlessness, the third kind of leisureliness.
[Touching the bell once]
[Bell]
When we bring up a child, as a parent bringing up a son or a daughter, we expect them to grow up to be a good person. We do everything we can to make sure that child grow up to be a good person. Well, of course, we do expect them to be like this, or like that. And because we have expectation, we get disappointed, or we suffer.
But if as a parent we’re well aware of what our children need most, and we’ve already done everything we can for them, if it happens that they aren’t up to our expectations, it’s because it lacks some other conditions, some causes, that are beyond our reach.
If we do our best to find out what the other conditions are in order to provide for them, it’s fine. But if we find that, there’s literally nothing else we can do for them, we have to be patient and wait. Because time, space, and the final conditions that can bring about the expected fruition are not sufficient — they’re simply not sufficiently gathered. With that in mind, we don’t suffer.
When we have disciples who are practicing and living the teachings in happiness, the happiness of those disciples nourishes us. It brings more happiness into our life. But sometimes, there are some disciples whom we’ve invested a lot into, whom we’ve cared for, whom we’ve looked after, whom we’ve loved, and whom we’ve mentored to the best of our ability. However, those disciples still haven’t reached certain level in the practice, still haven’t had happiness. But we hold a lot of expectations for them. That’s what makes us suffer.
For what reason do we suffer? Because we still have expectations. Because we still demand that they be different, because we still expect. If we think, “I do that, I’ve done this, this, and this. And I have the right to see that, that, and that results,” when those expected results haven’t come yet, we suffer. That’s because we haven’t fully realized the third kind of leisureliness, called “leisureliness of aimlessness.”
[Inaudible sound]
What’s that?
[Inaudible sound]
Hmm.
Can you be able to hear us from over there, dear Venerable Nun?
Hmm.
As long as you can still hear us, Thay will keep going, dear Venerable Nun. Probably among the ninety one disciples of yours, there must be some whose practices aren’t up to your expectations, right? So if that doesn’t make you happy, please don’t be sad. That is called, Aimlessness. Non-expectation. And that happiness, that kind of leisureliness, will help those disciples in turn.
On the contrary, if we ask them to be like this, or to be like that; impose this condition, or lay down that condition; use this measure of punishment, or impose that measure of punishment; then chances are the desired results will take longer to come. Or they will never come.
For that reason, the third door of liberation which is aimlessness, or non-expectation, is a practice we should do on a daily basis. Let’s say, Elder Brother Nguyện Hải has to perform an abbot’s duties in the Upper Hamlet.
Of course, he would expect his younger Dharma siblings, like The Eldest, Meditation Hall team, Transportation and Vehicle Maintenance team, and Guest team, to do this, or to do that. If they were not up to his expectations, he would feel a bit sad in the morning, a bit sad in the afternoon, and a bit sad in the evening. And with that, he would last only a couple of years till he can’t get up. [audience laughing]
That’s why if we want to be an abbot for long, we have to practice what we call Aimlessness, or Non-expectation. With that, we’ll have light-heartedness, we’ll be at ease. And we’ll be able to help others in turn. But if we have an idea, “This person has to be like this, and that person has to be like that,” doing an abbot’s duties that way won’t last you for long. Perhaps Elder Sister Trung Chính in the New Hamlet should do the same. Only with the practice of non-expectation can you last for long.
Well, right now, Thay’s practicing the same. And of course, Thay suggest that his disciples practice the same, too. Don’t ask for things to be different. Don’t set out any condition. Just do the best you can whatever you can do today. And don’t expect anything in return. As a matter of course, we won’t suffer. We will be flower-fresh.
🌷
