DHARMA IN EVERYDAY LIFE

By Nhat Quan

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Perhaps you already know the consequences of the two-way tongue, the retribution of bad speech, the retribution of more and less speech, and the retribution of lying, and have seen the danger of oral karma. That gives you the concept. According to the Buddhist point of view, oral karma is one of the extremely heavy karmas. And although people often refer to the phrase oral karma as the type of karma that comes from the mouth, not everyone understands what it means. Therefore, as a Buddhist, you should learn about oral karma as well as the types of oral karma.

Normally speaking, karma is the word that comes out of the mouth, but the mouth can also have good words or good intentions, it can also say gentle and cute words to comfort people, it can also have harsh, cruel words, harm humans. So when you hear about oral karma, you must understand that bad karma is created from the mouth. The bad karma from the mouth is divided into different degrees and the cause and effect of the oral karma are also different. Oral karma according to the Buddha's teachings is divided into four types, and in order to show you that the meaning of the heaviest is continuous oral karma, I would like to remind you of the four sources of heavy oral karma:

1- Lies

It's a matter of words, things not saying yes, things yes saying no.

In real life, those who make up stories and tell lies are often considered the embodiment of the devil, and when they die, they will have to go to hell. These people are also the cause of conflicts and discord. Hence the saying:

- The brightest intelligence is the truth.

So even if you think that your innocuous lie does no harm to anyone, that is your thinking, only you understand that you just said that you did something wrong contrary to nature.

2- Evil words

Cursing, saying cruel words

Evil words come from wounded souls, lacking in affection. Any words spoken, whether in self-defense or attack, that damage the honor and character of others means that you have accumulated more karma for yourself. Therefore, be more careful in your daily speech, because killing a person with a sword is not as scary as killing a soul with words.

3- Two-way speech:

Teasing, hooking, two-way tongue talk

A person who does not have the right views, and speaks two words, will be in an internal contradiction, the purpose of which is for their own benefit. If you meet these types of people, you should stay away. At the same time, you also need to train your own will and decisiveness. If you have made a choice, you must be responsible for those choices, do not let your mind waver lest you bring disaster to your body.

4- Embroidered words:

It is words that make up a story and add words to your way of thinking.

This is a half-truth, but not the truth. If you think you're still saying what you already have and just adding a few more humorous or thrilling situations to make the story more interesting, don't do it.

Words should only be heard enough, understood enough and sincere enough, just passed on to the next person to know. But if you add your own opinions, the story becomes something else. Is called:

- Three times recording, the original is lost.

This is also one of the mistakes people make in everyday life.

Those are the four main karmas, in addition to verbal karma, there are:

5- The fussy way of eating

This may sound strange, but in fact, fussy eating is also one of the oral karmas of modern life. The waste of food, money, and effort is one of the consequences of fussy eating habits such as:

- Eat monkey brains,

- Eat grilled duck legs

And many other exotic dishes….

Not to mention, the ways to prepare and use a variety of animals to create sumptuous, complex dishes that are also the shortest path to illness and bad luck in life

6- Praise and criticize

From young to old, you always live in an environment of being judged and judging others. Children who go to school are judged by their grades, and adults who go to work are judged by their ability, salary, and status... In general, these things will generate comparison and envy in the heart. Over time, it will accumulate into the habit of greed, competition, and evil that you do not know.

To avoid this, it is best to pay attention to observing, learning, and drawing conclusions for yourself. Learn from your own experience, instead of meddling in meaningless comments.

7- Proclaiming other people's mistakes

This is a consequence of the criticism mentioned above. So when you're talking to a group of people, it's best to only say things that are relevant to those who are present in the conversation and avoid mentioning the absent person. Because of the rule of necessity:

- If there is praise, there will be criticism

Words will sometimes precede thoughts, making it difficult to avoid bad words. Even though it's criticism, you forget that it's also a form of verbal karma that needs to be avoided.

Through the above statements, it can be said that oral karma is understood as a kind of karma, originating from your own words and eating. The venerable ones often teach:

Oral karma is one of the four heaviest types of karma in human life.

Because the spoken word is like a bowl of water thrown away, it cannot be picked up. If it's normal speech, it's okay, but if it's a bad word that can affect the listener's thoughts, actions, mind, and soul, it's very dangerous. Therefore, oral karma is one of the heaviest sins that people often commit. There is no knife as sharp as the human tongue. Therefore, before saying something you should think to avoid the consequences of oral karma.

In Buddhism, verbal karma is one of the heaviest, because it leads to serious consequences, leads to brokenness, leads to extreme suffering, leads to all the afflictions that are happening now, but it is the cause of reincarnation after birth and death… Just a word inadvertently can make you and others suffer and torment your whole life. That's why our grandparents used to say:

- Its mouth sues the body.

Or:

- Its mouth harms the body.

If you harm others, you also harm your own. In Buddhism, oral karma is the heaviest type of karma for sentient beings, if you know how to cultivate your mouth, you've cultivated more than half your life. Currently, many people in daily life are still suffering from oral karma without even realizing it. To create happiness, you should begin to eliminate the following types of oral karma. First of all, you must:

1- When looking at a person, you should not judge their good or bad. You don't know what they are like, but quickly conclude that it is karma. That's why you should never judge someone by their appearance.

2- Do not judge the character and virtue of others. Because it is not certain that your qualities are equal to or higher than theirs.

- Do not judge other people's circumstances and families.

First: Because it has nothing to do with you.

Second: None of you have the right to choose your family or life situation, but each has a predetermined fate. Therefore, it is absolutely not advisable to judge people or the living situation of others.

3- Never judge another person's education. Because each person is born with a unique brain and perception is also very different. In this world, there are people who are not well-educated who create miracles that even professors, doctorates, and highly educated people cannot do.

4- Do not judge anyone. Because you can't fully understand them. Maybe in this point, that person is not perfect, but in other points, they are much better than you.

5- Do not be arrogant, proud of yourself to others. Because today, you may be better than others, but tomorrow you may not be better than them. Maybe tomorrow, or in the future, you will have to rely on people you have despised. Let's live and be nice to each other so that you have a way out tomorrow.

6- Absolutely never say words that hurt others. Because today you use bad words to hurt others, maybe tomorrow someone else will hurt you. Words are easy to say but extremely difficult to take back, think before you say something.

7- You should not speak maliciously, because when you speak to your heart's content, you always use harsh words, and insults to others. You should know, if the mind is evil, then speak evil and then do evil, body, speech, and mind are all evil, and the day to go to hell is not far away. Don't curse others, don't say obscene words...

8- Do not say embroideries, ie should not say more or less.

Usually, when you finish listening to the story here, you go and tell it to others, but often when retelling, you often add a little to increase the exaggeration and attraction. It shouldn't be like that.

In addition to the above ways, if you want to practice avoiding oral karma, you can daily read Buddhist scriptures of oral karma, and good proverbs to purify your oral karma. To do so, you should regularly go to the temple to do good deeds.

Thus, with you often use malicious, rough words, scolding, and cursing ... in your daily life. First of all, your own self has shown a lack of quality, ethics, and civilization in speech and communication, leading to low self-esteem, so people around will gradually shun you.

In the tendency to repair oral karma, the Buddhist scriptures also teach, in daily life, there are four types of people you should avoid:

- People who often blame others;

- Often talk about superstition and wrong views;

- Buddha's speech, mind snake;

- And those who do little but tell much.

From the mouth you can know the mind and judge others, to have appropriate behavior. Thus, oral karma from the mouth is extremely related to the life of each person. If you live a good life and always say good words and good ideas, your life is always happy and respected by everyone. If you just open your mouth to curse, say cruel words, lie, and provoke others, sooner or later, you will be in trouble and make people not want to contact you.

In today's society, many people take advantage of social networks such as Facebook, and Twitter... often using cruel, vulgar, insulting words to others has also become a phenomenon. While there are times when they are blunt, and there are times when they don't refer to anyone by name, this is also something you should all avoid. Because even though you don't write bad words, just by clicking on their website you unintentionally endorse and support dangerous hate speech. So whether you like it or not, you have the same negative karma as the other person. Moreover, if you do so many times, no one controls you, no one advises, so over time, you will become a habit just like the others.

Buddhism calls this karma, and if it is karma, it will definitely dominate your life. Therefore, a bad word can lead to unpredictable consequences.

Therefore, in life, if you know how to speak, and often say good words and beautiful ideas, you will be loved and respected by others. On the contrary, if you speak maliciously, speaking evil words is not only hated by the world but also known as oral karma from the mouth. Although oral karma is something that cannot be seen, it can cause damage when offending others. When you create oral karma, there will be oral karma retribution back. In fact, the Buddhist scriptures have said that the person who suffers from verbal karma will be retribution. Those who commit the heaviest karma can also know well, as the person who creates oral karma, later on, it is impossible to avoid punishment and retribution caused by you. Even if you die, you will also be damned to hell, if you become a human in your next life, you will also suffer the consequences, but not many people pay attention to this. As a Buddhist, you need to be careful what you say from your mouth, and think before you speak.

Maybe your words are sincere and true, but not knowing how to express them will also cause people to misunderstand and think differently. In any situation, one should not be self-satisfied, and arrogance makes you become stand out and be extraordinary. The mind must be awake to think before and after, wisdom must be clear to analyze the problem correctly. You must know the limits of your words so as not to cause evil karma. Need to be careful with words, words go to the mind, so life and death also follow the words that come. Only then will you not commit oral karma.

In Buddhism, the most important thing is truth. Therefore, lying is one of the heavy karmas. According to Buddha's teaching, the most serious lying karma is that you yourself are lying without knowing you are lying. Sometimes lies and jokes are not meant to harm someone, just jokes for fun, but that is also a form of harm to the body. In fact, people just think joking is just for fun, but joking is also the karma of the mouth. Jokes can also cause problems. Even joking must be considered, for the karma of the mouth comes in all speech.

It is your jokes that make people cautious, alienated, and no longer believe in you. Therefore, in life, whether a lie is goodwill or malicious, it is bad karma. This is a form of damaging your own honor.

As for those of you who often use harsh words to lash out, and curse to damage the honor of others, the disaster will come from your mouth. This scourge is not only harmful to others but also a retribution for yourself. Therefore, the Buddha teaches that each of you must respect others, which is also respecting yourself. Saying rude words is demeaning you, causing damage to your own merit, and absolutely should not be done.

Especially when someone posts on FB criticizing and scolding someone. It's fine if you don't know it the first time, but once you know it, don't go to that person's website again, because you do this even though it's to satisfy your curiosity to see who that person is still flirting with. It's also a way to empathize with that person. A negative disparaging article may have meaningless words, even false statements, and divisive words... when you sympathize with those words, you will also create equally bad karma with those words.

So when you go to that website you should check what is the motive they say so, and what are the consequences. If the motive is not good, do not enter. Should remember:

-- Don't waste a lot of time on that nonsense,

Participating in something is karmic equal to that. So please join us to support the good, support the deeds that bring happiness to others. Remember to comment, and write on Facebook, when participating in other people's statements... the words that come out of your mouth are the karma of your mouth.

Everyone knows that wounds on the body heal more easily than wounds in the mind caused by words. Evil karma from the mouth, from the words, creates bad consequences, harming the speaker and those involved. The karma of the mouth also affects the whole community, the whole society. So before you say anything, get in the habit of thinking:

- What is my motive for saying this, good or bad?

When you see signs of not being good, you should stop and should not continue. Remember, the wealth you make will be exhausted, but the words, when you speak, will last from generation to generation. The value you give is what you get in return. People who speak beautiful and loving words always feel serenity and peace in their hearts and vice versa.

In short, the consequences of oral karma are terrible. Sooner or later, there will be retribution. In the sutras, the Buddha gives an example of an evil person cursing a good person, and a good person not accepting that scolding, then an evil person is like a person looking up to the sky and spitting. Saliva does not reach the sky but falls right into the face of the spitting person. Therefore, if you receive it, you will be attached to suffering, if you do not receive it, you will be peaceful and happy. From now on, if you hear anything about yourself, good or bad, you should not accept it, you will be happy.

Most of you have the habit of listening to people say bad things about you through the mouth of the second or third person, then you want to find out clues, to receive and then get angry, delusional, and afflicted, which is not good. Of course, not all disparaging words are easy to ignore. There are personal insults, affecting not only you but also creating a wave of public opinion on the psychology of those around you. They may, from negative words, perceive you incorrectly. But no matter what, stay calm, stay calm. Because the disparaging words will only affect those who are superficially evaluating the problem from the mouth. But those who are knowledgeable, and profound, know how to look deeply and widely and only comment when they have carefully appraised. So, if you're right, keep your mind steady, because it's not difficult when you get past untrue, groundless words.

Be careful with your words. Don't create a scandal because you unconsciously carry karma, and don't because someone has made a mistake in the past that you use harsh words to torture them. Because of that, you will bring bad karma. Here, let me tell you a parable.

Once upon a time, in folklore, there was a legend that all animals and humans could understand each other's language.

The souls of sentient beings are peaceful and gentle, everyone does good deeds. In the treasure of our country's ancient stories, there is a story that advises people to speak at the right time.

Story: On the areca tree there lived a family of rats. One day on the anniversary of his wife's death, after going to the market to buy food, cooking and worship were done. The father mouse misses his wife, so he wants to cry, the children are too young to understand the heartache of the father. The father rat was too serious, so no one dared to speak up to share his father's pain. Suddenly, the father mouse looked down at the lake and saw the toad walking leisurely. The father mouse then ran down the areca tree, went to the lakeside to respectfully salute the golden toad, and at the same time also expressed his invitation to the toad to come home and have some wine for fun.

Uncle Toad, who has been away from the mouse for a long time, still misses him, especially seeing that the mouse's body shape is thinner and more haggard than before, so Uncle Toad happily accepted.

But when he reached the base of the areca tree, the toad shook his head and apologized. Thank you, but climbing trees is not my job, please leave it for another time.

Father mouse explains:

- Don't be afraid, just hold my tail tight, when I entered the house, you were already sitting firmly, then released my tail. We are free to eat, when you come back, you sit on my back, hug me tightly, go down to the areca tree, and we say goodbye.

Uncle Toad pondered: This is also an interesting journey. So the toad agreed to do as the mouse suggested

When the mouse carried the toad up to half of the areca tree, suddenly the children in the village saw it and shouted:

- Friends, come here quickly, come here quickly and watch the golden toad bite the tail of the mouse to climb up the areca tree, it's so funny!

Toad got angry when he heard it. Toad opened his mouth to scold the other children, but toad just opened his mouth and didn't have time to scold the children, he fell on the areca tree. Although he did not die, the toad's spine was broken, so the flesh and bones protruded from the back, so he had to squat for the rest of his life. When he walked, he had to do squats and no longer walked as gracefully as before. Every time it rained, he found his whole body aching, he had to cry and groan to relieve the pain in his body.

This story gives you some interesting details:

- The sad mouse asked Uncle Golden Toad to go out

- Uncle Golden Toad listened to the sweet words of the mouse, so he decided to go on an adventure, and not knowing that adventure made the Golden Toad have a lifelong disability.

This is similar to your life if there are people who feel free to do nothing, it means that they are useless people, so they should find someone to confide in, gossip, condemn, and criticize others. This kind of person is like a mouse.

Those who heard something scandalous felt so happy, they immediately jumped in to participate in criticism and ridicule for the purpose of fun. The purpose is to satisfy jealousy, hatred, or injustice, but do not know the consequences. This type of person is like a golden toad who loves adventure.

But they don't know that every time they open their mouth, they sow disaster. The death of the body, the hell, the reincarnation of birth and death, like Uncle Toad, opened his mouth to scold, but just because it was not the right time, the disaster came, and almost lost his life. Therefore, if you speak at the wrong time, and do not know how to control it, disaster will come very quickly.