Hunter and The Prey

Tzu Chi In Perspective By David Liu
Translated By Lee Ren Hui

We are hunters when overcoming difficulties and difficulties become our prey. If we are overcome by difficulties, difficulties become hunters and we are trapped. Blindly chasing their prey, hunters often fail to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way. When people are fanatically pursuing the five desires: money, sex, fame, food and sleep, they have no time for introspection. Smart hunters can hunt the prey in their soul; smart prey can always escape hunters.

Life is intriguing, sometimes we are hunters and sometimes we are the prey. When overcoming difficulties, we are hunters. When difficulties are upon us, difficulties become hunters and we are trapped like game.

Treat every process like a goal,
Likewise, treat every goal like a process;
Because of the commitment and mindfulness,
What we may reap could be far beyond the expectations.

When we are pursuing our goals in life, we are no different from hunters in pursuit of the goal of hunting. If we enjoy the experience of chasing, we will be more frank and not brood over gains or losses. Because we are not good at letting go, we often complain about the trivial which later turns into a physical and psychological burden. If we emphasize gains and losses we will tend to be fussy and relentless when heading towards our goals. These will become our desires and obsessions, which lead to bitterness.

By treating each process as a goal and every goal as a process, we will not anguish over outcomes that do not meet our ideals, because the outcome has been integrated into the process. Even if the results are not perfect, our dedication to the process has made the learning and growth significantly more important than the results from the harvest. This follows the Buddhist philosophy of, "Focus on the the process; do not be obsessed with results." Such is the wisdom for life.

The outcome is important,
But, the effort is not any less.
The philosophy is to seize every moment
And every karmic opportunity.

Once, Master Cheng Yen was asked: "What is eternity?" and Master replied: "Seize every moment at the present, as it is eternal." If one does not seize the present continuously, there will be no eternity. If we can grasp the process towards every goal, we will not be far from it. Conversely, if we treat the process perfunctorily, even if the goal is small or near, it will be difficult to achieve. The philosophy is to seize every moment and every karmic opportunity.

Prey is the goal of hunters but the process of hunting is also worth focusing on. Without concentration, we will be unable to amass the energy needed to pursue the target. This is like football matches, fans will be euphoric and full of expectations of scoring which becomes the target at the time. The same principle applies to basketball where frequent scoring is the necessary process towards winning. Life is the same, the results are important but the efforts during the process are even more crucial, as "A miss is as good as a mile off."

Drop the attitude of being self-centered.
Show care for others.
Focus on others and not just on one self.
Life would then be more meaningful.

Pursuit of fame, wealth, position is the same as a hunter chasing prey. Blindly chasing its prey, hunters will fail to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way. Similarly, fanatical pursuit of the "five desires" of money, sex, fame, food and sleep and "six senses" of sex, body, aroma, taste, touch, and dharma leave no time for introspection. Hearts that fail to appreciate beautiful scenery lack wisdom. To enjoy external beauty or a beautiful soul, it is necessary to appreciate life and slow down, calm your mind and soul. Deviate your concentration onto nature; transform selfishness into care for sentient beings. Then, we can truly understand the depth and meaning behind "Inside one grain of rice, the sun and moon are hidden; inside a half-litre pot, mountains and rivers are cooked".

A hunter, who emphasizes outcome, will always be fraught with tension, irritability and restlessness during a long hunting process. In fact, we often play an exhausting role, the more we struggle the deeper we get into the struggle. This is like a drowning person, the more he struggles, the deeper he goes under. Same as hang gliders, when encountering turbulence, the more we shake the airborne wings, the more risky. The bitterness of a "struggling trapped beast" and "snake-ridden trouble", are portrayals of troubles in life. This is because we have become the panic-stricken animals pursued by hunters; restless, failing to see the situation, fleeing without direction and eventually we fall into the trap set by hunters.

Life is like a big net, we are like birds caught within the net. To be able to fly within the net, it is necessary to choose one's mate wisely and sincerely, cohabiting with each other in harmony, in love and care, working towards mutual achievements, as this is the only way to fly farther and higher. Only by flying far and high, we can escape hunters' sights and find peace and tranquility in life. "Hunters with wisdom of life can hunt the prey they want; prey with wisdom of life, can always escape the hunters."

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