[The Buddha] preaches his teachings according to the mental capacity of his listeners. This the tactful way of the Buddha’s compassion, coinciding with his words: “Whenever living beings come to me, I behold with a Buddha’s eyes all the faculties, keen or dull, of their faith.”
The words “faculties of their faith” refer to the five organs (pañcendriāni, go-kon) that lead man to good conduct — the sense of belief (śraddhendriya, shin-kon), sense of endeavor (vīryendriya, shōjin-kon), sense of memory (smrtīndriya, nen-kon), sense of meditation (samādhīndriya, jōkon), and sense of wisdom (prajñendriya, e-kon). All five are fundamental to our religious lives.
“Sense of belief” means the mind of faith. … [A] religion, unlike intellectual learning, does not enable a believer to have the power to save others as well as himself if he understands it only in theory. When he believes from the depths of his heart, his belief produces power. His faith cannot be said to be true until he attains such a mental state.
“Sense of endeavor” means the spirit of endeavoring purely and incessantly. Faith alone is not enough. Our religious lives cannot be true unless we maintain our faith purely and constantly endeavor so that our religious spirit does not weaken or lose its power.
“Sense of memory” indicates the mind that always focuses upon the Buddha. Practically speaking, of course, it is impossible for us to completely forget the Buddha for even a moment. When a student devotes himself to his studies or when an adult is entirely absorbed in his work, he must concentrate on one object. Doing so accords with the way to buddhahood. While devoting ourselves to a particular object, we reflect, “I am caused to live by the Buddha.” When we complete a difficult task and feel relieved, we thank the Buddha, saying, “How lucky I am! I am protected by the Buddha.” When an evil thought flashes across our mind or we suddenly feel angry, we instantly examine ourselves, thinking, “Is this the way to buddhahood?” The mind that thus keeps the Buddha in mind at all times is “sense of memory.”
“Sense of meditation” implies a determined mind. Once we have faith in a religion, we are never agitated by anything, whatever may happen. We bear patiently all persecution and temptation, and we continue to believe only in one religion. We must constantly maintain such firm determination, never becoming discouraged. We cannot be said to be real people of religion unless we have such a mental attitude.
“Sense of wisdom” means the wisdom that people of religion must maintain. As frequently mentioned in this book, this is not a self-centered wisdom but the true wisdom that we obtain when we perfectly free ourselves from ego and illusion. So long as we have this wisdom, we will not take the wrong way. We can say the same thing of our belief in religion itself, not to mention our daily lives. If we are attached to a selfish, small desire, we are apt to stray toward a mistaken religion. However earnestly we may believe in it, endeavoring to practice its teaching, keeping it in mind, and devoting ourselves to it, we cannot be saved because of its basically wrong teaching, and we sink farther and farther into the world of illusion. There are many instances around us of people following such a course. Although “sense of wisdom” is mentioned as the last of the five organs leading man to good conduct, it should be first in the order in which we enter a religious life.
