Please explain the meaning of the above
Question
Venerable teacher, I respectfully ask you to kindly and compassionately explain the meaning of “tùy duyên” in both spiritual and worldly contexts.
Answer
The word “tùy” means not resisting or going against something.
“Duyên” refers to things that come to us without our intentional seeking.
Things that we actively seek are not considered “duyên.” For example, if you go outside and accidentally meet someone who offers you a ride, that would be called “duyên.”
For example, earlier when I walked in, the president of the association handed me a basket with six cups of sweet desert, saying, “My wife made it, it’s very special.” That is an example of “duyên.” I didn’t ask for it, nor did I expect it, but he was kind enough to offer. When “duyên” comes, I don’t resist or refuse it. When “duyên” comes, you simply accept it. That is the attitude of worldly people. “Tùy duyên” means accepting whatever comes your way. You don’t select, and you don’t question.
Here’s an example of something I heard on the radio. A man from Orange County flew to San Jose to visit a friend. When he arrived at the airport, the airline offered him $250 to wait for the next flight, which was three hours later. He thought, “I’m just going to visit a friend, there’s no rush, and I can get some compensation,” so he accepted and waited at the airport. When he finally arrived, he got the news that his mother had been hospitalized a few hours earlier in Orange County. He regretted that while waiting at the airport, he hadn’t checked his email or texts to get the news, as he could have visited his mother.
The writer of this passage says that our choices are often mysterious, and we don’t know what kind of “duyên” they will lead to. The man’s choice to change flights was the right one, but not checking his phone meant he missed the chance to visit his mother.
In the worldly sense, “Tùy Duyên” means accepting whatever happens, especially when it brings some benefit to us. However, in the spiritual context, “Tùy Duyên” means accepting whatever happens to the universe (not just to ourselves), and understanding that everything that occurs has a meaning. The most important thing is to change our perspective to accept what happens and not be attached to it.
For example, one day someone invited me to give a talk. When I arrived, I was shown to my seat. After sitting down, I noticed a card with no name on it. I was surprised but thought that since it was placed at my seat, it must be meant for me to look at. I opened it, and inside was an envelope, also without a name, containing a check. The check was from the company, made out to “Cash” instead of a named recipient, and the amount was $17,800. I looked carefully, and under the “Memo” section, it said “With Appreciation”.
While I was still puzzling over it, the MC came to greet me and want to schedule my talk. I asked him, “Did the organizers leave this envelope for me?”
The MC asked, “What’s in the envelope?” I handed it to him to take a look. He said he would make an announcement to see if someone had accidentally left it behind. He called one of my disciples and found out that this appreciation check was actually meant for a woman who works for the company that had invited me. It was unclear why she had left it there!
So, what is “Tùy Duyên”? “Tùy Duyên” means that everything that comes our way carries a meaning that can help us change our perspective and elevate our view. Clearly, that envelope arrived to help me shift my view, reminding me that not everything that comes to me is necessarily meant for me. Things that come our way may carry a different significance. If I saw it as a challenge, as the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua often taught: Everything is a test to see how we change our perspective. If we don’t have the right perspective, then we fail the test, and the challenge will come again. I saw this lesson and smiled: Don’t let thoughts arise that lead to greed, because then, you are no longer practicing “tùy duyên.”
“Tùy Duyên” is infinitely transformative. If we accept the events that happen as opportunities to change our perspective, that is the “tùy duyên” of the spiritual path. If we simply accept whatever happens to us without reflection, that’s the “tùy duyên” of the worldly life. This is where the spiritual path and the worldly life differ.
The more we follow “tùy duyên” in the worldly sense, the more our ego grows stronger. In contrast, following “tùy duyên” in the spiritual sense allows us to see through the ego and diminish the strength of the ego.
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