Guan Yin Citta & Master Lu

[Curiousparty]

At the end of life, we leave everything behind. We take nothing with us and gain nothing in the end. Think about it: we can’t truly possess anything. Let me give you a simple example. Life can be divided into three stages: childhood, youth, and old age. In childhood, you might win awards, earn certificates, or receive recognition at school. At the time, you felt so proud and excited, much like the joy of graduating from university. But how much of that excitement do you still feel now? When you started university, did those high school achievements still matter? And as you near the end of your life, will the events of primary school, high school, or even university truly hold any significance? At the end of life, the things you care about most are your family, yet even then, you must leave them behind. You cannot hold onto the money you’ve worked so hard for—you’ll have to let it go. Everything you have is temporary because, eventually, you must part with it all, whether you want to or not. Life is full of such helplessness. Once you leave your body, where will you go? It’s truly pitiful. That’s why you must learn to let go when the time comes. Release attachments when necessary. Show care for those you love from your heart, not just through outward actions. You can love someone deeply without needing to be with them every day.

Many of you come here to learn Buddhism and the Buddha-dharma from me. By sitting here, you’re also bringing blessings and shelter to your families. Isn’t that true? By becoming my disciples, your homes gain peace and harmony. Isn’t that a form of cultivation? Isn’t that what spiritual practice is all about? Do you think sitting here is a waste of time—that you should instead be with your family? On the contrary, because you’re studying Buddhism, practising the Dharma, and reciting Buddhist scriptures, your family naturally receives blessings and protection. Isn’t that a meaningful way of caring for them?

If you want to live a meaningful life and extend your time in this world, don’t waste it. Spend your time reciting scriptures, cultivating your mind, and helping others—that’s how to make life truly worthwhile. Running around aimlessly every day is simply wasting time. What are you trying to achieve? Think about it: if you’re engaging in an activity with me or under my guidance, such as travelling overseas for Dharma events, its purpose is to spread the Buddha-dharma, helping you accumulate merit and virtue. On the other hand, if you’re travelling purely for leisure, it’s simply a way of wasting time. Can you travel to the Heavens? The beautiful scenes I’ve seen in the heavenly realms are far beyond anything you could ever see in your lifetime. These breathtakingly serene and ethereal landscapes resemble scenes from a movie—completely transcendent. Now think about it: when you travel, you spend hours on a plane to visit another country, only to endure another long flight back. Isn’t that exhausting?

When you leave this world and exist as a spiritual being, do you know what you’ll see in the Heavens? Those who have read the Amitabha Sutra know of the Seven-Treasure Pools, the Eight Meritorious Waters, and the golden ground. Imagine a place where everything is made of gold. Would you still pick up a piece of gold to hoard it, any more than you’d bother picking up a pebble on the road? People think the human world is so wonderful, but it’s all illusory and empty. What has the human world truly given you? Has it brought you lasting happiness? No—it only brings sorrow, worry, suffering, and pain. It burdens you with the harsh realities of life: birth, old age, sickness, and death. The hardest truth to accept is that you must die. When you lie in bed, unable to let go of this or that, how do you think that will feel? Stop wasting your time and make the most of it by diligently practising.

Master Jun Hong Lu's Buddhism in Plain Terms, Volume 3 Chapter 22, Abandon Worldly Bad Habits, Focus on Spiritual Cultivation in This Life

[Curiousparty]

*IN THE FACE OF A NEGATIVE AFFINITY, DO WE ENDURE OR AVOID IT?*

Caller: There are both good and bad affinities within one’s relationship circle. In the context of a negative affinity, where deep down, we understand the nature of it is the crystallisation of evil seeds sown in the past, and hence, we must accept and resolve it as it comes. Apart from reciting the Mantra to Untie Karmic Knots, if we choose to walk out from the relationship, would the affinity be considered to have come to an end?

Master Jun Hong Lu: Evade! Evasion itself is also one type of resolution. Once, a caller told me that her husband would get aggressive for no reason. She told me, “I would avoid my husband whenever he loses his mind”. Do you think she should escape or get beaten up by him?

Caller: Certainly escape. But what if the situation is not as bad?

Master Jun Hong Lu: If the situation is not so grave but the negative affinity is overbearing, you should try to avoid it. For example, you can leave home early in the morning and return slightly later at night, can’t you? After all, you are not abandoning your family.

Caller: We are not referring to family relationships. What if this problem crops up, for example, at our workplaces?

Master Jun Hong Lu: That is a little tricky. Try to avoid it whenever possible. Avoidance is also a way to resolve bad karmic affinities.

Caller: What about situations that are unavoidable? We know well that this is caused by negative karmic affinity and we insist on reciting the Mantra to Untie Karmic Knots. If we continue to put up with the situation, would this help eliminate our karmic obstacles or…...?

Master Jun Hong Lu: This helps eliminate your karmic obstacles. When you are putting up with the situation, the issue is in the midst of being resolved. In this context, there is nothing much that you can do but endure.

In fact, practising tolerance constitutes a vital foundation for Buddhist learning. A person without the capacity to tolerate will never be able to cultivate well. Who does not need to exercise tolerance? When you are driving and the traffic light turns red, you will still have to bear with it and stop the car even if you think that it is safe to proceed.

Caller: Yes, agree, but from a different perspective, if we opt to leave, we would be free from worries and it will be conducive to our cultivation?

Master Jun Hong Lu: That will depend. You may be relieved from this spot, but you may not necessarily be better off in another spot. The fact is, karmic affinities follow you wherever you go, so does bad karma.

Caller: Understand.

_Source:_ _Wenda20130419 25:07, Master Jun_ _Hong Lu’s call-in radio program_

[Curiousparty]

❤️ 2021年师父每日佛言佛语
2021年4月15日《愿力》

https://orientalradio.com.sg/chi-daily-fyfy/apr-15/

学佛学得深，在阿摩罗识的佛性就有深般若。每一个心念，都要契合八识田中的佛性，心佛才会合一。所以学佛很重要的一点，就是用崇高的愿力，来指导自己一生的修行方向。

学佛到最后，愿力一定要相应自己目前所修的境界。就相当于，我们人有一个目标，只要朝着这个目标去走，不管时间再长，你也能走到目的地。

只是在发愿后，需要用恒常的定力和信念，去纠正累生累世的红尘污浊之气；用愿力找寻到修行的目标。

其实坚持是一件很了不起的事情，用精进力和忍辱心来完成自己这个愿力。

千锤百炼是金刚，学佛大愿是方向。
念经放生是资粮，不懂愿力修何方。

菩萨说坚持是一件很了不起的事情。

只要让自己的心和菩萨相应，用自己坚强的毅力和佛力的加持，就会让我们在人间，哪怕碰到再多的困难，都不会退转。

经常想想自己曾经发过的愿力，不要忘记自己的愿力，每天向菩萨重复讲自己的愿，会让你心中迸发出更大愿力的正能量，你才能自始至终地在愿力中得到精进和成功。这就是不忘初心，方得始终。

Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Daily Words of Wisdom, 15 April 2021

STAYING TRUE TO YOUR RESOLUTIONS

Master Jun Hong Lu: Bodhisattva said that persistence is a remarkable undertaking.

As long as our hearts resonate with that of Bodhisattvas, coupled with our unwavering perseverance and the blessings of the Buddha's power, we will never regress in our cultivation, regardless of how many difficulties we may encounter in this human realm.

Stay true to your resolutions by always reminding yourselves of the vows you made and repeat them to Bodhisattva every day. By doing so, it will strengthen your resolutions and unleash a kind of positive energy from within, which will motivate you to forge ahead and guide you to success throughout the path of cultivation.

This is what it means by ‘keeping to a beginner’s mind begets success’.

[Curiousparty]

If Buddhism is your choice,
then any miracle can happen and any difficulty can be resolved.
-Master Jun Hong Lu, Words of Wisdom Volume 4

选择了佛法，
什么奇迹都会发生，
什么困难都能解决。
-卢军宏台长佛言佛语（四）

[Curiousparty]

*TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS ALONG OUR SPIRITUAL CULTIVATION JOURNEY CAN ALSO BE A FORM OF BLESSINGS FROM THE BODHISATTVA*

Caller: Oftentimes, we receive blessings from Bodhisattva in our spiritual cultivation journey. There are various types of such blessings, among which are better health, a smooth-sailing career, ability to think things through and these may even include endless setbacks, tribulations and major obstructions.

However, through the application of Buddhist’s teachings of “faith, commitment, action” (信愿行), one is able to surmount these problems, from which, one gains a profound realisation.

Is it right to say that at face value, the problems may seem like an impediment but in reality, it is a form of immense spiritual blessings that the Bodhisattva is bestowing upon us as we advance this path of mind cultivation?

Master Jun Hong Lu: *Anything that gives you stress, or an opportunity for you to get rid of these stresses, is a form of blessings from the Bodhisattva (任何让你心里有压力或者排除压力都是加持).*

It’s all possible. *These stresses are meant to propel you so that you mend your ways.*

Would you change your bad habits if no one puts pressure on you? When you are asked to observe the Buddhist precepts, do you feel the pressure?

Caller: That’s true.

Master Jun Hong Lu: If there is no pressure, how are you going to observe the Buddhist precepts?

Caller: I see. Is it correct to understand it as *trials and tribulations are Bodhisattva’s ways to toughen us up and to help us grow, hence, they can also be considered as a type of blessings?*
Master Jun Hong Lu: That’s correct. That is how it works.

_Source: Wenda20170430A 37:47, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program_

[Curiousparty]

⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️

*RECITATION OF BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES CAN TRANSFORM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND HENCE, THE OUTCOME OF LIFE*

Master Jun Hong Lu: We should always let nature take its course. In many of our dealings in life, we should adopt the attitude of going with the flow. Learn to adapt to whatever environment we are in and start to turn things around (去启动和转动). This means *when faced with challenges, we should turn things around so that they will move towards the right direction, and when things are going well for us, we should strive to make them even better.* Do you understand?

*If you feel uneasy or unhappy at work, you can turn it around. How do you do this? By reciting Buddhist scriptures and making an effort to nurture good relationships with others (搞好人际关系).* For non-Buddhist practitioners, their version of turning things around is through giving gifts, buying others meals, or putting up a smiling face to please others. These are also ways to turn situations around, but they are considered instinctive in nature.

Conversely, through the spiritual approach, there isn’t a need for you to give others gifts, host or even buy them meals. If you can keep reciting Buddhist scriptures, very soon, you will begin to see others in a different light. From sentiments like, “Why do I hate him so much; I simply can’t stand his ugly look”, to “He looks much more pleasant now”. This is made possible through the recitation of the Buddhist scriptures.

When one’s state of mind changes, so too will his consciousness and hence, their perspective of the actual material world in life will thus be altered. Do you understand?

_Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 6 Chapter 9_