PureInsight | December 5, 2005
[PureInsight.org] Our brain is like a container; it stores whatever we put in it. If we spend most of our time being absorbed by things related to violence, sex, money and conflicts with other people to fight for our own self interests, this information will form into all kinds of improper thoughts in our mind. These thoughts won't disappear on their own. Instead they occupy permanent spaces in our minds by becoming accepted notions. The best way to eliminate the improper thoughts is by absorbing things that are kind, compassionate and tolerant, and replace the improper thoughts with good thoughts. Any other form of forced human effort won't be able to eliminate the improper thoughts.
A philosopher brought his student to a field of grass and weeds and sat down. He asked them, "What are we sitting on?" To which the students answered, "Grass." He said, "Wild grass is all over the field, I want to know how we can get rid of it."
The students all had their own ideas, some said burn it, some said dig them out, some said pull them out, some said this and some said that.
The philosopher said to them, "Go home, and use your own method and try to get rid of weed on a patch of grass. If you can't do it, I'll see you in a year."
A year later everyone came back. The field that they had met a year earlier was no longer covered with grass and weed. Instead it was covered with crops. But the philosopher didn't show up. Later he passed away. When his students were organizing his stuff, they found the following at the end of his notebook, "There is only one way to get rid weeds in a field of grass. That is to grow crops on top of it. The only way to have a soul filled with ease is to fill it with virtue and goodness." When the students read it, they finally understood what their teacher had meant. Whatever methods they came up with were indeed inadequate.
In order to eliminate the improper thoughts in our mind, the only way is to fill it with kind and virtuous thoughts. No other method will work! Our actions are controlled by our mind, and only a kind mind produces a kind person.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2005/11/24/34713.html
