What are the environmental conditions to elevate spiritual energy levels? How can we elevate our spiritual energy levels? Another point is patience, as I mentioned earlier. In regard to such complete takers, you should let them encounter obstacles, let them suffer in hell, let them suffer in the secular world, and then you can tell them, “You need to change.”
You have always wanted to help them, and you are still willing to do so, but they must accept you and be grateful. You should tell them that for all the efforts others have made for them, they should have a sense of giving back. A person who doesn’t give is hopeless. They never think of benefiting others, and even if they do so, it’s only for the sake of taking more. Many people benefit others in order to take from them more conveniently. This motive is even more greedy. They are just good at pretending. We need to see through these hypocrites who pretend to be kind and grateful, but are actually fake. In the Dharma-ending age, there are many people like this, many scammers. Nowadays, the world is full of scammers, deceiving you in material and emotional ways. Isn’t that so? That’s why many women remain unmarried nowadays — because they are afraid of being deceived. The world is full of such people who deceive you and take material and emotional gains from you. Even in relationships, they also deceive, pretending to be nice, but once married, their true colors are exposed. They can’t hide it forever; once married, everything shows. So, almost all of you are easily deceived. Who has never been deceived? Even I, as your teacher, sometimes get taken advantage of because of my compassion. It’s the same for all of us. There are so many scammers, and we just pretend not to know. This is the situation. Sentient beings are pathetic, so we still need to be compassionate toward them. Have you watched Beating the White-Bone Demon Three Times? In order to save the White-Bone Demon, Monk Tang, out of compassion, was willing to endure hardships. This is the compassion of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. He will not be negatively transformed. He is willing to wait, no matter how many lifetimes, and willing to dedicate himself to you. The bodhichitta of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas — their compassion for all beings — has reached this level, so they are willing to accompany such beings. Some Buddhas and Bodhisattvas save beings in hell, but they do not experience suffering. They patiently wait for the right conditions; it is impossible to instantly liberate all beings from hell. Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha chooses to stay in hell constantly, also waiting for the right timing. When conditions arise, he uses skillful means to guide some beings out of hell. These are blessings from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Without the compassion of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, how could beings in hell find a way out? It would be even more difficult and endlessly prolonged.