Discipline

Discipline has a steady power to develop strength or habit in the long-term. It can be bad, neutral, good, or spiritual.

If the intention, direction and goal are wrong, discipline becomes negative. Discipline is the strong power to create causation in this lifetime and karma for the next lifetime, so we must choose our discipline wisely.

Discipline can generally be divided into two different styles: Reacting and Being.

Reacting Style

This is when we see our mistakes – from our intention, speaking, and action – then try to correct them wisely.

Five greedy desires generally lose humans: Money, Appearance Form, Fame, Food, and Sleeping.

When people are addicted to these desires, they develop bad intentions, speaking, and action habits. From that, they create bad karma. When they are tied strongly to bad karma, Hell karma appears.

Reacting Style is to clean out these negative desires before they become too strong. To do this, we need discipline. Just as we get dirty each day, we also need to shower every day.

Until we reach perfection, we need Reaction Discipline to observe: how we are suffering; where it comes from; what kind of blindness intention, speaking, and action we have. Then we must develop precise wisdom to clean out each case and change them into good or spiritual habits.

Before we reach bodhisattva level ability, Reacting Style is a practical and important discipline for us.

Being Style

This is to see through the truth of life and let our intentions, speaking, and actions all happen by following the eternal truth of wisdom.

Because bodhisattvas can live with the eternal truth of life in their natural heart, their discipline no longer requires observation to correct their negative habits. The five greedy desires will be purified and become Convenient Wisdom Desires, to enjoy life, share with others, and develop spirits.

Nature Being

This is the highest style. It’s also called Discipline without Forcing Discipline. A bodhisattva’s heart is joyfully and naturally living in the eternal truth of life. Because of this, they do more than simply follow the discipline; instead, they can create higher and higher discipline to help them become unlimited and perfect.

To develop bodhisattva discipline, we must practice Reacting and Being styles. When we reach the bodhisattva level, we will no longer need the Reacting system.