We usually develop certain habits unconsciously, without noticing whether they are consistent with our wish to be reborn in the Pure Land. If not, they may cause troubles for ourselves and create obstacles for our rebirth in the Pure Land.
Habit can be likened to a knife. In itself, there is no good or bad, no good or evil. If you know how to use it to cut things for your convenience, it is a good use of it. If you don't know how to use it, and you cut your hand, causing bleeding and injury, and screaming in pain, it is a misuse of it.
So the knife itself is neither good nor bad, it depends on how we use it, and the same goes for habits. For those of us who chant the Buddha's name, habits that can help us to concentrate and be reborn in the Pure Land without obstacles are good habits and are worth cultivating. Habits that will hinder our rebirth in the Pure Land and increase our worries should be let go.
Don't be a slave of habit
Some people take their habits very seriously, treat them like treasures, cherish them very much and do not allow any changes. For example: some of his things must be placed in a certain place, facing a certain direction; toothbrushes must be arranged at a certain angle; the dishes in the refrigerator must be arranged in a certain style; he must sleep on a certain bed, facing a certain direction, otherwise he will not be able to sleep; he must sit on a certain chair to read; he must chant the Buddha's name in a certain form, otherwise he will not be used to it; the big bowls must be arranged in a certain way, the chopsticks must be placed in a certain shape, the pots must be brushed to a certain extent, the clothes must be washed, dried and put away at a certain time...
Like this, it is good to have a regular life habit, but if others have different habits from him, he will get annoyed and keep nagging: "I am used to this and that! I am not used to this and that!" If others do not follow his habits, he thinks that others are wrong and that they do not know how to do things and have no rules. Although he never said that he was good at doing things, he actually felt in his heart that what others did was not to his liking and that others were not as good as he was. In this way, he is bound by habits and become a slave to habits and a slave to arrogance. Maybe those habits didn't bring him any great benefits, but instead gave him many opportunities to get into trouble, making his life more unhappy and uncomfortable.
Live a regular life without being bound by habits
Let's think about it more deeply: if we die one day, we won't be able to take away our toothbrushes, bowls and dishes, and the leftover food in the refrigerator, and no one else will want them. They may all be thrown away. To be honest, things left by the deceased are somewhat taboo for others. If we were not as great as some eminent monks and virtuous people who devoted their lives to public service and selflessness, and there were many good students who missed us, then no one would build a memorial hall and preserve our living environment for others to visit and study.
In this way, we insist on our own personality habits and cause troubles, and are unwilling to follow the Dharma to improve our awareness and adjust our mindset. What is the value of such persistence and stubbornness over trivial matters?
What value does it have that is worth us cultivating it, emphasizing it, and worrying about it every day? Why don't we concentrate on cultivating our faith and aspiration to be reborn in the Pure Land and the wisdom to let go, but instead desperately cultivate the habit of clinging to the Sahā world? We should know that most of the great masters live very regular lives, but within the regularity they are not bound by habits and have no worries. For example, when others do not follow his habits, he still feels comfortable and not annoyed, and he does not feel uncomfortable or uneasy.
So, when we say "don't be a slave to habit", we are not advising everyone to put things in random places or that there is no need to have rules in life. Please don't misunderstand. We advise everyone to stay within a regular routine and not be bound by the rules and habits that we set for ourselves. We should not often encounter "uncomfortable" and "unsatisfactory" things just because we have all kinds of "habits". We should also not often be dissatisfied with many people and things and feel unsatisfied everywhere just because we have set many rules and habits, which in turn causes us to have unnecessary troubles. This is using your mind in the wrong way, just like holding a knife wrongly and cutting your hand. You use your habit to hurt yourself and hinder your own happiness and freedom.
