Phenomena After the Practice Gains Strength

After practicing right effort diligently, if the direction of practice is correct, one will derive benefit: desires become light, attachments and afflictions diminish, and both body and mind undergo certain changes. Knowing the impermanence, non-self, and emptiness of the world, material desires will fade, attachment to material form (rūpa) will lessen, and greed will decrease. As long as material desires are few and one does not crave enjoyment, living in this world basically does not require much money or material things. Those accustomed to depending on worldly material things certainly have blazing greed; their demands for money and material things will be great, and no matter how desperately they make money, they still feel it is not enough. Enough or not enough lies in the mind, not in the amount of material things and money. Only by knowing well contentment and sufficiency can one have peace of mind and happiness.

After right effort in practice becomes effective, in accordance with the need to eliminate karmic obstructions and hindrances, one will encounter adverse conditions. The Diamond Sutra says: 以世人轻贱故，是人先世罪业则得消灭。Once the practice is on the right track, one will attract some adverse conditions, and these adverse conditions are also conducive conditions (adhimātra-pratyaya) for practice. Adverse conditions can eliminate sinful karma for practitioners; at the small cost of being despised by others, grave sinful karma can be eradicated. Therefore one should joyfully accept adverse conditions. Sometimes, even though you have done nothing at all, someone will still frame and slander you. If you silently endure it, the matter will pass and the karma will be dissolved; if you cannot endure it and strike back, not only will you create new karma, but the old karma will also not be dissolved. Therefore the Buddha said that forbearance (kṣānti) is virtue, is merit, increasing both blessings and wisdom. Treating such circumstances well can aid the Path.