佛言佛語（七）

We must remember wholesome things and forget all unwholesome things.
However, once our level of spirituality has advanced, we should forget both wholesome and unwholesome things.

People’s minds are their most important feature.
They are the products of the external influences that we are exposed to.
The nature of one’s mind is one’s own nature from within.
Only when the nature of one’s mind is wholesome will their fortunes be good.
Once they have eliminated their weaknesses, the mind and the Buddha nature become one.
If the nature of a person’s mind is good, everything they wish will come true;
thus, if a person’s wishes do not come true, it is because their mind is not yet pure enough.

To applaud others for their excellence is compassion.

Those without wisdom will bear grudges forever.

When people pray to Bodhisattvas with a sincere and respectful heart, their prayers will be answered;
when people pray earnestly, their prayers are the most effective.

When people gather, their human energies also gather.
When the resulting energy field is positive, the gathered people are at ease spiritually.
When many people are together, the resulting energy field will be positive.

Reciting Buddhist scriptures is essentially reciting one’s heart.
Buddhist scriptures reflect the experiences of the inner heart:
the heart is the scriptures.
The Heart Sutra connects our hearts to the wisdom of Bodhisattvas;
hence, it is the divine jewel of all scriptures.

Those who cultivate their minds well feel like they are in a good dream.
They are actually already living a heavenly life.

Remember:
When fathers have affairs, their daughters will suffer, and when mothers engage in sexual misconduct, their sons will suffer.
This is direct karmic retribution.

Those who have truly become Buddhas all possess a high level of spiritual development and a broad, generous and balanced mentality.
They possess compassionate wisdom.

With a single thought corresponding to wisdom, one’s inner heart begins to depart from afflictions and defilement.

When one practises to the point where they become free of the ‘five poisons’, they have reached the Bodhisattva’s fruition of merit and virtue.

Buddhist virtue is a combination of three elements:
character, inner nature, and morality.

Just as when a child thinks of their mother, to think of Guan Yin Bodhisattva naturally reduces the three poisons of greed, hatred and delusion.

To see a reflection of oneself in another person is wisdom;
those who can draw lessons from the experiences of others are wise.

Wisdom is the ability to solve any problem, and to calmly go about resolving matters with a sense of humour.

Cultivating the mind and virtue involves a kind of awakening and realisation.
It is a person’s own nature that awakens them, and their own positive energy that makes them attain realisation.

Only when a person uses their mind to reflect on their faults and shortcomings can they illuminate the emptiness of the five aggregates, and reform themselves.

To let go is to liberate ourselves, and to liberate ourselves is to be enlightened.

Only by ceaselessly scrubbing away defilements in their heart can a person become clean and pure.

To understand what one has done wrong is progress;
to know that one is wrong and being willing to correct oneself is realisation;
to know and accept that one is wrong and to show willingness to change oneself without reservation is spiritual awakening.

True Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do not come to the human realm to be worshipped, but to constantly travel through the world and help sentient beings to awaken spiritually.
Simply by observing their fruit of cultivation, it is possible to determine whether a person is a true Buddha or Bodhisattva.

Buddhist practitioners must understand that life is impermanent, longevity is impermanent, the mind is impermanent.

Recalling the past is painful.
When are memories not painful to revisit?

When you suffer, you must think of the brightness of tomorrow.
When you succeed, you must keep a low profile and be humble.

Buddhists who bring joy and cheer to others will have merit and virtue.

To correct one’s faults is to have wisdom;
learning to repent begets Prajna wisdom.

The term ‘Master’ (Shifu in Chinese, consisting of Shi ‘teacher’ and Fu ‘father’) can be construed as representing the role of ‘teacher’ coming first, while that of ‘father’ comes second.
A teacher guides and illuminates the road ahead like a light, whereas a father cares for and tends to sentient beings.

Buddhists must act in accordance with the purity and kindness inherent in their nature;
only then can they earn the compassion and blessings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Those who practise Buddhism and cultivate their minds must find the light in illusion and use the Dharma wisdom to walk out of the confusion and afflictions of the human realm.

The Master’s Dharma joy comes from seeing his disciples mature and progress.
To the disciples, what matters most is their potential for enlightenment and their respect for the teacher and the Buddhist teachings.
Do not indulge yourself in worldly enjoyments.
Only by elevating your level of spirituality can you be free and let go of your ego.

The teachings of the Buddha are like the ocean;
they are vast and boundless.
One’s thoughts should not linger in this human realm.
When one possesses positive energy, the mind and Dharma become one, and the mind and Buddha also become one.
In emptiness there seems to be existence and non-existence.
When one becomes free of this illusion, they possess true wisdom, which is a sense of spirituality.

Learning Buddhism involves seeking ourselves in true emptiness;
only then can we achieve the state of ‘neither self nor non-self’.

Compassion is established on a foundation of right faith and right thought.
It is to be directed towards sentient beings, not demons.

For those who wish to attain enlightenment in one lifetime, a pure and clean energy field is of vital importance.

Precepts give guidance on using rationality to fulfil our potential for enlightenment.
Those who abide by the precepts will be respected by others.
We must guard our inherent nature.

One can only become a Buddha when they consider themselves a Buddha.
How can one possibly achieve Buddhahood without thinking of themselves as a Buddha?

Those who aim to achieve enlightenment in one lifetime must first be diligent and strive to attain all six Paramitas.
If they are not diligent, they cannot possibly practise all six Paramitas;
thus, they are essentially making false speech.

Everything in the human realm is impermanent and we must not try to hold onto such things.
Everything will pass and disappear into memories.
To make the most of today is to live in the present.

Life is there for us to obtain understanding, to comprehend, and to realise greater insights.
If understanding occurs quickly, it becomes sudden enlightenment, while if it occurs too slowly, errors will ensue.

Being able to correct one’s shortcomings is to have Prajna wisdom;
knowing to repent begets Prajna wisdom.

Admitting wrongdoings is of exalted quality;
repenting of wrongdoings is noble.

If a Buddhist’s compassion is like water and their inner wisdom is like steel, strong as a boulder, they are a Vajra Bodhisattva.

Buddhists must speak in a way that brings happiness to others and act in a way that warms the hearts of others.

People must live with great care, as if treading on thin ice, to make successful accomplishments.

A person must perform tasks befitting them.
If they choose unsuitable tasks, they will only bring trouble upon themselves.

Practising Buddhism and achieving Buddhahood requires cultivating the six Paramitas, which are the six paths to Buddhahood.
Those who are able to continuously practise one Paramita well will be able to ascend to heaven, while those who can practise three Paramitas well will be able to become a Bodhisattva.

To correct weaknesses is painful, and to cultivate the mind is difficult.
As one lives, one must work to be a Bodhisattva and help sentient beings to become spiritually awakened.

One must cultivate themselves constantly;
only then can they smoothly sail through when the time of reckoning arrives.
One has succeeded in cultivating the karma of speech when they frequently praise others.

To be great, one must sacrifice themselves to save others.
Self-sacrifice is truly noble.

Any love that causes no grief or vexation to others is a noble form of love.

Every person and thing in this world is part of the cycle of causes and consequences.
Buddhists must transcend this cycle before they can ascend to the level of Bodhisattvahood.

The Master is a person who possesses the Buddha nature, who learns to embody the Buddha’s nature and walks the path of the Buddha.
People must know their own limits and not regard themselves as lofty gods or heavenly beings.
They must learn to consider all Buddha natures and sentient beings to be equal.

In life, happiness comes after bitter suffering;
karma of actions committed in the past and present causes untold suffering.
Only by learning Buddhism can one transform the mortal into the divine.

Learning Buddhism elevates one’s moral sentiment;
cultivating the mind corrects one’s mentality.

Actions in accordance with karmic conditions must be based on spiritual awakening.
Without true awakening, one is unable to break free from the cycle of rebirth.
Only those who can truly act in accordance with karmic conditions can enjoy spiritual awakening.

A wise person has great inner substance.
Those who desire wisdom must take a moment to let their mind settle.
In doing so, they can attain clarity and purity of thought.

Freedom has boundaries;
only when it is based on a foundation of spiritual awakening can one enjoy a true sense of freedom and the beauty of nature.

In the current era, learning Buddhism depends on the awakening of the self.
The Buddha is the awakened one, an awakened sentient being.
How can a practitioner transcend the six realms of existence if they fail to be self-awakened?
Only by attaining spiritual transcendence can the mortal be transformed into the divine.

To be awakened is to spare no effort to perform meritorious and virtuous deeds without being supervised, directed or compelled.
Those who are not awakened are generally of inferior quality.

Life is impermanent and the sea of suffering has no bounds.
We must elevate our spiritual level, let go of our attachments, and break away.

People in their twilight years develop a fear of many things.
When people are consumed by inner fear, they have no way of escaping from affliction.

When seeing anything, one needs to help others;
when hearing anything, one must benefit others;
when considering anything, one must practise kindness.
This is how people can make progress.

As Buddhist practitioners make such lofty vows before Bodhisattvas, how can they face those Bodhisattvas if they are unwilling to correct their own deep-rooted bad habits?

For all matters in this world, it is important to smile when one understands them.
This is called ‘looking at your life with a smile’.
If one cannot comprehend things, they will feel troubled and worried.
This is called ‘affliction with no end’.

Those who are unable to liberate themselves from their afflictions are not fully awakened.
Any solution that one can think of to achieve liberation should be regarded as an expedient and wondrous measure.

Our hearts must be as bright as the sun and as clean as water.
We must see through the impermanence of life, let go of unending wandering thoughts, and progress with consistent diligence and determination, so we can always be young at heart.

When practising Buddhism, one must guard against obsession.
When reciting Buddhist scriptures, one must not fall asleep.
It is important to be neither arrogant, nor overly humble;
to live life and cultivate the mind in accordance with karmic conditions, and to act in accordance with karmic conditions in all matters.
With regard to the notion of acting in ‘accordance with conditions’, it is necessary to understand it, reconcile it, conquer it, and break from it before emptiness can be realised.

Speak of Dharma happily, and speak of the Way of Zen cheerfully.
Whenever possible, help sentient beings to awaken and discuss the path to enlightenment.

When one has Zen within their heart, they can practise Zen anywhere.
When one has the Buddha in their heart, they see Buddha Dharma in everything.

Obtain salvation from your past through repentance, obtain salvation in your present through practising vegetarianism, and obtain salvation for your future through performing recitations.

In the Age of Dharma Decline, the elements of the social fabric are changing, and no family is happy.
Negative affinities abound, while positive affinities are few.
People must constantly perform good deeds to become kind and improve themselves.

In the Age of Dharma Decline, all people are becoming selfish and unable to tolerate others.
Only Bodhisattvas are able to tolerate us, and so we must learn from them.

Those who cling to a false sense of pride are obsessed;
they are caught up in the idea of ‘self’.
No one can cultivate themselves effectively if they are self-centred.
Only by completely eliminating the notion of self and knowing that nothing exists can one let go of attachments.

Open your minds and hearts, do not close them.
Accept all karmic retributions that come from society, energy, spiritual life, and everything that we have done.

Only through self-awakening can one arrive at self-realisation.
We must first perceive that we are becoming awakened before we can have the potential for enlightenment, which will eventually lead to the realisation that even our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are empty by nature.

Buddhist monastics are role models, and the Buddha Dharma is power.
One must have an open and upright character to possess a luminous mind.

Acting in accordance with karmic conditions is wisdom;
it is the spiritual foundation.
One is free if they understand what is meant by acting in accordance with karmic conditions, otherwise they are fettered by attachments.

Those who know the purpose of life are admirable;
those who do not will not be respected.
To change is the only path forward.
Only when one understands nature can they live with ease.

People must learn to nurture and regulate their bodies and minds;
any wandering thought comes from attachment or a deviation from spiritual practice.
Such an attachment or deviation demonstrates that one has not awoken to the Bodhisattva’s fundamental enlightenment.

The crisis in spiritual practice is obsession, so it is important to completely let go.
Any person’s opinions or advice can be contributory factors to our betterment;
any attachments (be they within the mind, body, or the way we deal with other people and matters) in the course of spiritual practice will cause harm to our spiritual life.
We must remove all trifles of daily life and must not harm our spiritual life due to our selfishness.

Buddhists who fail to respect their teachers and the Dharma are essentially betraying their teachers.

A person must think far ahead, otherwise they will find sorrow near at hand.

With persistent faith and a strong spiritual foundation, Buddhist practitioners can surmount any difficulty, danger or obstacle, even in the face of predestined calamities.

If one takes what happens in the human realm too seriously, they will not be able to laugh, which will eventually result in depression.

What matters the most in life is to cultivate the mind and attain liberation;
there is nothing more important than this.

One must regard the help of sentient beings as compassion, the criticism of sentient beings as motivation, and the strictness of sentient beings as a contributory factor to one’s betterment.

Do not care too much about what others feel, nor be concerned about what others think of you.
If you are too fixated on these things, you will not be able to ascend beyond the Three Realms of Existence or transcend the Five Elements.

Buddhists must help to awaken those who can be saved, and must let go of those who cannot be saved.

Dharma propagators must strive to become closer to Bodhisattvas above, and to save and awaken sentient beings below.

If one wishes to illuminate others, they must have positive energy.
It is important to regularly recharge oneself, because energy is like a battery-operated torch;
every time it is used, its power diminishes.

Through cultivating the mind, we must make headway towards the level where the right thought, Dharma joy and Prajna wisdom arise.

When learning Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity, one must learn them fully;
only then can they be practised to perfection, and only then will one not be contaminated.
When perfection is attained, attachments will not arise.

One must remember to practise Buddhism diligently, pray to Buddhas sincerely, and strive to attain Buddhahood joyfully.

The Buddha Dharma helps everyone to become spiritually awakened.

Buddhists possess dignity in their hearts and compassion in their actions.
They have no fear;
they let go and attain liberation.

Troubles are present every day;
however, if one does not seek them, they will naturally become absent.

Buddhists must never forget the kindness of others, never bear any grudge against others, never think of the mistakes of others, and give no thought to the resentment of others.

Excessive speech hurts others and fussiness exhausts one’s energies.
Rather than hurting others or being exhausted, it is far better to constantly think of Guan Yin Bodhisattva.

It is important to see through all afflictions and all phenomena in the world.
The ability to understand thoroughly and overcome whatever happens represents a philosophy to live by.
As long as sentient beings exist in the human world, they will be contaminated.
Once a person cultivates themselves to the point of being free of contamination, they will not know affliction, and will have no ‘feelings, perception, mental formations or consciousness’.
They can penetrate the nature of life, gaining insight into emptiness.
This is the enlightenment attained by the Bodhisattva;
they are awakened to the truth of the Bodhisattva.