Monthly’s Inspiration - Between Ignorance and Enlightenment

Jail of the Mind

Grand Master Hsing Yun

When people commit crimes and are taken to court, they will be judged accordingly. If the net of the law misses them, they cannot escape the punishment of their conscience, and they may remain in the "jail of the mind" for life.

If we all reflect, can any of us honestly say we have never done anything unconscionable? If we do something wrong and go to the jail of our minds, it means we still have a conscience, and we are ashamed of ourselves. We are better off than those who are totally shameless, because even though there may not be a jail in their minds, they cannot escape the law of cause and effect and karmic retribution.

Those who break the law and are imprisoned lose their freedom. But if they learn to reflect on their mistakes and repent, they can still find spiritual liberation. Therefore, the prisoners in jail exchange time for space so they can think and repent freely. The physical jail can open the doors of their minds and ignite the lights of their spirits. Conversely, there are people who are free to traverse towns and cities everyday, but their minds are bound by fame and fortune, profit and loss, as well as the troubles and problems from self, others, and their own delusions.

There are different kinds of jails in the world, and offenders are committed according to their crimes. There are juvenile halls, half-way houses for light offenders, maximum security prisons for hardened criminals, and death row blocks for murderers. There are eighteen hells according to the Buddhist sutras. There are eight cold hells, eight hot hells, the solitude hell, and the hell on the fringe. Actually these hells are the jails in our minds. For instance, there are the "jails" of desire, anger, hatred, attachments, guilt, and remorse. In addition, there are jails of fear, hopelessness, sorrow, and vexation.

The many hells are a result of the "self," born of the five aggregates. "Self" is a jail, and the burning of the five components of existence is also a jail. That is why a Buddhist sutra states, "The three realms have no peace. They are like a jail, and those who are not liberated are shackled to the realms, never enjoying a moment of ease."

How do we free ourselves from the jail of the mind? Faith, com-passion, wisdom, and morality are all keys that can unlock the gates of our minds. These keys can bring us to the joy of the heavens, lead us to the ground of peace, guide us to the pure land of brightness, and direct us to the world of perfection.