Buddhism in Plain Language (I) 1. Learning the wisdom of harmony in Buddhism
07/06/2020 | Back
First of all, I want to tell you that the purpose of Buddhist education is to restore our inherent wisdom and virtue. You should know that cultivation is not a simple matter. You should cultivate with your true heart and your own behavior. You should learn to eliminate the ignorant habits in yourself. Don’t keep those bad habits in your heart and in the world. You should learn to fight against selfishness, get rid of selfish thoughts, and correct your wrong thoughts, statements, views and practices about the universe and life. To cultivate the mind, you must cultivate a pure mind. A pure mind is more important than anything else. When the mind is pure, all delusions, attachments, evil knowledge and evil thoughts will be eliminated. A pure mind can generate wisdom. When the mind is pure, the body is pure. When the body and mind are pure, the human realm is pure.
Equality for all: The basis on which this equality is built is very important. There is no such thing as absolute equality in this world. On the surface, it is difficult to achieve equality for all. In fact, this equality is based on the original mind, and it must be balanced with the heart. The equal mind must be adjusted and compensated with the acquired psychology, and we must learn to use wisdom to resolve psychological obstacles. For example: in society, some people are very lucky, while others are very miserable and poor. In the family, in a family, whether the husband and wife contribute less or more is actually a test of the equal mind.
Filial piety and respect for teachers: Why should filial piety and respect for teachers be put together? Once a teacher, a father for life. You all need to understand this principle. Why should filial piety and respect for teachers be put together? You should know that the master is using his spirit and soul to look after you, and using his aura to help and protect everyone, which is really not an easy thing. There are some things that even our parents cannot do, but the master has done it. Although our parents raised us, it was the master who led us to the Buddhist path and saved our souls and lives. Many people have spiritual diseases, and their parents may not be able to save them, but the master can save them, just like Guanyin Bodhisattva saves sentient beings. The master here does not only refer to my master, Lu Junhong, but to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who guide us on the right path.
“Filial piety” is a natural virtue, and only natural virtue can open up our nature. “Teacher’s Way” is the Buddha’s education, and “Teacher’s Way” is based on “filial piety”. Without “filial piety”, there is no “teacher’s way”. Everyone must respect teachers, and only by respecting teachers can we achieve the Tao.
Sharing the same views and understandings: This is to establish a consensus. People should get along with each other with their true hearts, not with their delusions, because people’s delusions are changeable. Only when the true heart is activated can there be a sharing of views and understandings, and there are no delusions in the true heart. We must learn to let go of all our attachments. For example: Today, two disciples have different views and opinions in their speeches. So how should we achieve sharing of views and understandings? We must use the wisdom of Bodhisattvas to resolve differences. If you learn this well, you can resolve different conflicts no matter where you go. This is a very profound knowledge. In fact, it is to reach a consensus. When you encounter something, you can achieve reconciliation only when you have a consensus. Here I want to emphasize that “reconciliation” does not mean that you should suppress yourself. Do not suppress any anger, but learn to resolve it.
Resolving conflicts is the highest state, not restraint or suppression. There is a Chinese character called “忍”, which means to endure everything. In fact, endurance is temporary and is not the highest state. Everyone has seen the movie “Ninja Turtles”. In the end, he put a knife on his heart, and one day he will use this knife to break his heart. When you have different opinions, you must learn how to resolve them. First, you can express your opinions, and then resolve the contradictions with wisdom.
Now let me explain the word “和” in “和为贵”. “和” means “peace”. “和” means that everything should start from “和”. Many people don’t know this and think that “和” means that you and I should live in harmony and peacefully. If you have a very good starting point to solve a problem, then everything can be solved easily, so the starting point is very precious. Only “和” can gradually bring our thoughts, views and lifestyles closer.
It is hard to hear the Buddha’s teachings: It can also be said that it is hard to meet a good teacher and it is hard to hear the true Dharma. In this period of the Dharma Ending Age, many people go around to worship Bodhisattvas, burn incense or worship teachers. Do you know how many people in the world believe in Buddhism now? But how many people really know how to recite the sutras? You know that many people say that they worship Bodhisattvas, I believe in them, etc. You have all heard Master say before that worshiping Buddha without reciting the sutras (to put it more seriously) is equivalent to not worshiping Buddha. If you don’t even know the name of the Bodhisattva and don’t understand anything, how can you get the help of the Bodhisattva? I often tell you an analogy: I like and admire this school very much, but I don’t study or read, so how can I get into the university? So you have to understand this principle.
The Dharma is hard to hear. In the Dharma-Ending Age, if you want to get the true meaning of Bodhisattva and be blessed by Avalokitesvara, you should find the true Dharma. It is difficult to learn Bodhisattva now, and it is even more difficult to learn Buddhism. Bodhisattva is a realization, wisdom, while Buddha is awakening, great enlightenment. When you are enlightened and have attained the right enlightenment, you are a Bodhisattva. To become a Buddha, you must attain the supreme right enlightenment.
Many people think that they have smelled the Dharma just by kowtow and reading a little. What kind of books have you read? What kind of Dharma have you smelled? You need to understand the reason. I often tell you that when Sakyamuni Buddha was preaching in India, he often brought his disciples with him and asked each Buddhist to take a bowl and knock on every door to beg for food, so as to cultivate the Buddha’s heart. The principle is: first, to enable lay people to give alms and develop compassion. When you knock on the door, oh! The monk is here, Amitabha, and you give the monk something. This is called cultivating the heart of giving alms. Second, many monks are royal nobles and businessmen. When they figure it out, they shave their heads and wear robes. The Buddha is cultivating their compassion, letting them let go of their ego and arrogance, and letting them feel that they are just ordinary people, equal to all living beings. Now, which temple can you still see monks begging for food on the street together? Don’t think that because a certain old master in the past said this, or a certain old practitioner practiced in this way, we must follow their path. In fact, the purpose of practice is to find our true self and Buddha nature.
The cultivation of the mind nowadays needs to be changed. You should know that what needs to be changed is not the Dharma but the method. The cultivation in the human world needs to be done with the heart. In the period of the Dharma Ending Age, we should learn Mahayana Buddhism—saving people. Only when you save people can you gain true wisdom and true power. Why was Master able to save so many people in such a short time after opening his third eye? And gain such great power? These are all cultivated, and are given by Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. As long as you go about saving people well, and spread this righteous path and Dharma to everyone, the Bodhisattva will double your energy. You must understand these principles. In the period of the Dharma Ending Age, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will transform into various human bodies to save everyone. Now Master is also doing this, asking everyone to recite the sutras, so that every family can be transformed for the better, saving people and spreading the Dharma to benefit sentient beings.
Supreme Enlightenment: It is Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The method that Master is teaching you now is to learn Supreme Enlightenment, which comes from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and is the highest realm of cultivation. Guanyin Bodhisattva often speaks to me and teaches me how to save people on the radio. You know that many methods are being spread secretly now. I want to open up the wisdom of each of you and let everyone know how Guanyin Bodhisattva saves the world and saves people. If a small island is flooded and planes and aircraft carriers come, will they only save a few people? Or will they save everyone? However, when saving everyone, many problems will be encountered. For example, some old, weak, sick and disabled people accidentally fall into the water when they step onto the aircraft carrier. Some may induce heart disease, etc. These are very pitiful people who have no affinity, just like those who have not heard of the Dharma. The real way to save people is to face everyone. The real way to save people is to listen to, think about and practice the Dharma. Think about whether those great masters are saving sentient beings? They are saving people openly.
So remember what is “righteousness”? “righteousness” is the harmony of yin and yang and the five elements. Now I will explain this word “righteousness” to you. The horizontal line on the top is “gold”, the horizontal line on the bottom is “water”, the vertical line in the middle is “wood”, the vertical line on the left is “fire”, and the horizontal line on the right is “earth”. So the true supreme enlightenment, that is, the ultimate perfect wisdom, is to let you find a true path.
You must remember that in the Dharma Ending Age, the “positive” things must be able to withstand the test and work every time, so you must promote the Dharma. If you have the energy to accept it, you can understand these Dharmas. If you don’t have the energy, you can’t understand them, even if they are passed on to you secretly. The power is different, and the cultivation in the previous life is also different, so the energy you accept is also different. You must find the most positive, most practical, and most capable way to solve your own problems in the Dharma Ending Age. If a person does not allow Guanyin Bodhisattva to protect and save him in the Dharma Ending Age, and does not allow his fate to change for the better, we can only say that this person is very pitiful.
Ultimate perfect wisdom means not having any confusion about the truth of the universe and life. To be realistic, if we can think and observe calmly and then resolve problems perfectly, we have perfect wisdom. If wisdom is not perfect, the success rate is only half. If wisdom is perfect, everything can be successful.
Remember, whether it is for children or elders, if you are filial to elders, respect the elderly and love the young, your children will also be filial to you in the future. This is called retribution. This is called retribution in this world. Many people think that retribution will only happen after death, but in fact, retribution in this world has already begun when you are alive. Look at those beggars lying on the side of the road, their bodies are dirty, isn’t this retribution in this world? Isn’t it called retribution? You must know that retribution in this world is very fast, like a shadow following you, anything that is done too much will be retribution in this world. If the bad things you do are within the limit, you will be punished in the next life. If the bad things you do exceed this limit, you will be punished immediately. Therefore, you must not exceed the limit in doing anything, otherwise there will be disasters.
Some people cultivate their mind, are sincere, have a very good conscience, and worship the Buddha in any temple they go to. If you cannot find a good master and a goal in this life, you can only be a Buddhist believer. For example: you worship Guanyin Bodhisattva every day, but you do not have a correct understanding of Guanyin Bodhisattva, do not know how to learn Guanyin Bodhisattva’s wisdom, and receive Guanyin Bodhisattva’s aura to cultivate yourself, and you suffer every day in the world, but you never understand why. There are also many people who only know to worship Buddha when disasters come, and they cram for Buddha at the last minute. If you cannot find a good master and a correct goal, how can you solve the problems you face in this life?
To cultivate, you must cultivate both blessings and wisdom. Doing good deeds is cultivating blessings, and wisdom is wisdom. Wisdom is not something that ordinary people can cultivate. This is the most important issue. With wisdom, any problem can be solved. To open wisdom, you can only recite sutras and do good deeds. Only by precepts can you gain concentration, and only with concentration can you gain wisdom. You must be physically and mentally stable. So it is said: concentration is gained through precepts, and wisdom is gained through concentration. Buddhism has five precepts: do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not lie, and do not drink alcohol. Don’t think that only those who study Buddhism are subject to the five precepts. As a normal person, you cannot kill, commit adultery, steal, etc. at will. I hope you can understand and comprehend the truth. Why do Buddhas and Bodhisattvas not advocate drinking? Because drinking too much can cause great harm to people, make people lose their rationality and mind, and make people depressed. Many government departments have posted: Drinking and causing trouble is a crime. This shows that Buddhism is the right way. Why can Buddhism be deeply rooted in people’s hearts and be understood by people? Because only right things can be supported and loved by the public.
Breaking through delusion and attaining enlightenment: What is delusion? Fame, wealth, alcohol, sex, money, anger, greed, anger, and delusion. If a person is greedy, his desires will never be satisfied, and he will end up in the realm of hungry ghosts. Greed is the root of all evil. If you cannot get what you want, you will become angry and troubled, and eventually fall into hell. If a very foolish person only knows how to make money or harm others, but does not know how to help others, he will be reborn as an animal in the future. Animals are attached to their true nature and have been reincarnating in the animal realm. Ignorance is the lack of wisdom. What I tell you are the right Dharma, the right path, the right faith, the right mindfulness, and the right time, so that you can break through delusion and attain enlightenment, learn to leave your own suffering, and find your true happiness.
Disciples’ heartfelt insights: It is difficult to meet a good teacher. Today, we can meet Master Junhong Lu. This is our great blessing in this life. It is also the result of the good roots and blessings accumulated over many lifetimes. The cause and conditions have matured. It is very rare. This is an opportunity. We must cherish this fate, practice well, learn from Master’s immeasurable compassion, eliminate afflictions, develop bodhi mind, break one level of ignorance, realize one part of the Dharma body, follow Master to promote Buddhism, save all sentient beings, and everyone will be filled with joy. Everyone can achieve true achievement and complete merit.