Each false thought is like a speck of dust, floating in space. Like the numberless particles of dust in the atmosphere, they bob up and down in disorderly fashion as you sit there trying to make them stop. But why do you have so many scattered thoughts? It is because of the many germs in the body-young germs, old germs, big germs, and little germs. There are germs with spiritual penetrations, germs with people penetrations, those with divine penetrations and those with earthly penetrations. All those germs permeate your hair pores where they display their spiritual penetrations, causing you trouble. They also have a kind of radar, and with their radar they try to get at your mind. Every time they send out an electric current, you have a false thought; and so your false thoughts are endless. As soon as one false thought ceases, another immediately arises. All of this results from those germs within your bodies. Although they appear as bugs, they act like spies. The bugs with divine penetrations are the heavenly spies. The bugs with earthly penetrations are the spies for the earth. Those with people penetrations are the spies of the human realm, and those with spiritual penetrations spy for the spirits. The ones with ghostly penetrations are the ghosts' spies. There are also some who spy for animals-they have animal penetrations.

All of the myriad things-to the ends of heaven and earth-are represented in our bodies. Some bugs help you to cultivate the Way and to bring forth the Bodhi resolve. They are the ones with Buddha penetrations. Some of them want you to do good deeds and to cultivate the Bodhisattva path. They are the bugs with Bodhisattva penetrations. The big bugs are supported by the small bugs. If this isn't true, then why do you feel the need to eat so many vitamins? Vitamins feed all those bugs; you nourish the bugs with vitamins so that they become plump and robust. Although you may not eat meat, they will eat your flesh. So in the Avatamsaka Sutra it says, "People are like big bugs made up of many smaller bugs.', A bunch of tiny bugs come together to make up a person. When you think about it in that way, you will realize that all those bugs are very filthy. Yet you still want to feed them; you want to find good food for them to eat and find

clothes for them to wear and a comfortable house for them to live in. You do all this just for them! You become an ox or a horse, a slave, just for the sake of these bugs. Sometimes those bugs get together in a meeting and cause you to get sick-to develop an incurable or chronic disease. Then the bugs clap their hands and laugh and say, "This time we've really subdued you and you must surrender!"

Moreover, usually we people don't like to perform good deeds, nor do we wish to take a loss. We would rather take advantage of others. That's also because of those rotten bugs and their antics. They convince you not to do good deeds, and they undermine your Bodhi Resolve. They lead you into the evil world of the five turbidities. You don't believe this? Then cut off a piece of your flesh. After a while you will see the bugs come out. After a few days, they'll squiggle around and run off. You regard this as such a treasure; you treat it like a jewel, as if it were something important. How meaningless!!! Every day we feed those bugs. How truly tedious, how dull! And when I tell you about this, you refuse to believe it. But even though you don't believe, I must still tell you. I'll tell it like it is. I want these bugs to listen and understand that in this world there's someone who can recognize them for what they are.

Is there anyone who has a question? Is there anyone who doesn't believe? If there is someone who doesn't believe, then he should be courageous and speak up. The bugs want you to speak out and say, "Dharma Master, what you say is groundless." But you're afraid.
Certain passages of the Avatamsaka Sutra very clearly state that people are merely big bugs made up of a myriad tiny bugs. What I have told you here is also based on the Eight Enlightenments of a Great Person Sutra. Somebody says, "Dharma Master, now that you have brought up that Sutra, I half believe and half doubt what you said. In the Eight Enlightenments of a Great Person Sutra there's no reference to 'bugs,' is there?"

The reason you can't enlighten to these bugs is because this particular Sutra doesn't mention them specifically. When one becomes aware of those bugs one becomes enlightened. Enlightenment itself is just becoming aware of those bugs. But since you are incapable of reading between the lines, what can be done?