Why be afraid? Afraid of what? Afraid of whom? If he’s afraid, that’s perfectly normal. What are you afraid of? Are you afraid someone will harm you? If you can reach through heaven and earth, then so be it—you already can reach through heaven and earth. You didn’t even have yourself to begin with, so what are you afraid of? If you become completely empty, perhaps you won’t even have a foothold. What are you afraid of?
Many people are afraid of going astray, afraid of falling into demonic states. What are you afraid of? You haven’t gone astray, and you haven’t fallen into demonic states; we’re all sitting here. Don’t be afraid. Just keep sitting; I’ll see how it goes. There won’t be a problem.
So, throughout the whole process of practicing the Dharma, there are Dharma Protectors. If you truly cultivate the right path, there will be protectors around him to guard you, in different dimensions—to keep him from harming you. Daoism speaks of magical arts and evil arts. Buddhism does not discuss these, but in the past there were Non-Buddhist paths that would also use these evil arts to cause harm. So Buddhist teachings began to include protection and Dharma Protectors, and the Dharma Protectors also protect you.
Also, if your compassion is sufficient, that is powerful. Keep compassion at every moment. Compassion—didn’t I say it is invincible in the Dharma Realm? When you are compassionate, especially when you have attainment, especially when you realize and enter emptiness. Why, then, is the karmic result of harming a Buddha so heavy, and the offense so grave? Because his mind is empty, and his thoughts are empty too. When you curse him, it is like cursing all sentient beings in the universe, because his emptiness contains everything. The mental force of just one person contending with that of all sentient beings in the universe—you are bound to become exhausted.
But for his part, he does not acknowledge it. As far as the Buddha is concerned, he does not acknowledge it, because all sentient beings are his relatives and children. His compassion makes his heart very soft, and he does not contend with you. Whatever you stab at, it is like stabbing into cotton, and then stabbing into empty space.
But you should know: his emptiness is an emptiness that contains everything. Although you cannot harm him, what you strike is emptiness; but you have formed an adverse condition with all sentient beings in the universe, which is why the karmic result is relatively heavy. Harming a Buddha, or causing blood to flow from a Buddha’s body, brings a heavy karmic result. That’s all there is to it. So it is better to have a little more compassion.
《When You Are Compassionate》#10466@20130418
Note: This text was prepared from a teaching video by Yang Ning. If it differs from the video, the video takes precedence. Watch the video.