Magnetic Field Effect

He who stays near vermilion gets stained red; he who stays near ink gets stained black. Infection and permeation happen imperceptibly: first it stains the hair, then the skin, then the flesh, then the sinews, then the bones, and finally the marrow. Once it has stained the marrow, it becomes deeply rooted and can no longer be uprooted—this applies equally to the red and the black. Therefore the surrounding field of influence is extremely important, and the people one associates with matter the most. Do not claim that your own resistance is strong and thus fail to choose good spiritual friends carefully. Permeation ceases entirely only above the eighth bhūmi; absolute immunity to permeation exists only at the Buddha stage. As for returning practitioners shrouded by the mystery of the intermediate state, during the stage of delusion they will still be subject to slight defilement. Although their mind consciousness is stained, it is easily removed, yet it still exerts an influence.

Why does one group have one kind of ethos, and one family one kind of habit? It comes from contagion: imperceptibly, habits are formed; then, again imperceptibly, the habits sink into the marrow and will manifest life after life—this is true for both the wholesome and the unwholesome. May we all be permeated in good groups—staying near vermilion and thereby thriving—and not be permeated in groups with very strong afflictive habits—staying away from ink and thereby living well. In this way, the accumulation of merit will be rapid, and the transformation of one's own field of influence will also be rapid.