Let me share with you what Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door is about. In this Age of Dharma Decline, Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door is one of the most effective Dharma Doors. Let me tell you now—Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door is about purifying the mind, freeing oneself from suffering and attaining happiness, transcending afflictions, eliminating karmic obstacles, helping those with karmic affinity to ascend to higher realms, repaying karmic debts, widely awakening sentient beings, ascending to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss together, and jointly attaining the Four Sagely Realms.
Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door purifies the mind and helps you attain happiness by ending suffering. When your suffering is gone, happiness arises naturally. It helps you transcend afflictions—because once you start reciting sutras, those afflictions begin to dissolve. It eliminates karmic obstacles—because through recitation, the negative karmic burdens you carry start to clear. It allows you to help those with karmic affinity to transcend to higher spiritual realms, and it enables you to widely guide and awaken sentient beings. Anyone who has a karmic connection can be helped. You can even repay your karmic debts. So I ask you—isn’t this Dharma Door wonderful?
This time, Guan Yin Bodhisattva even added a special line: “Ascend to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss together; attain the Four Sagely Realms together.” This is the essence of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. Isn’t it extraordinary? Think about it—the Four Sagely Realms. Attaining this level means you’ve entered the highest realm of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, doesn’t it?
During a previous Dharma event in Hong Kong, I drew a diagram for some fellow Buddhists to explain this. One monk who saw the chart was stunned. He said, “I never imagined this.” In that moment, he understood. He said no senior master had ever explained it to him this way. I had illustrated the structure of the Western Pure Land and the Four Sagely Realms and explained everything clearly. That monk hadn’t expected me to know this—but in fact, it was Guan Yin Bodhisattva who revealed it to me. Do you now understand where the Four Sagely Realms are located within the Western Pure Land?
Today, you’ve all come to understand the essence of the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. You can help the karmic creditors within your own household to ascend. You can assist others in reaching the Western Pure Land. Isn’t that true? And if you cultivate well, you may enter the Bodhisattva Realm—or even the Buddha Realm—and widely guide sentient beings. Think about it—how many people have you already shared the Dharma with? The more people you help, the more you enable them to leave suffering and find joy. As soon as you begin reciting sutras, joy arises—your heart feels light, your spirit feels uplifted. That’s what it means to purify the mind. To practise Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door is to purify the mind. When you can see clearly and let go, that’s the true purification of the mind.
Next, let me talk about healing greed, hatred and ignorance. These three poisons are the source of much suffering in the human world. It is because of greed, hatred, and ignorance that we experience so many afflictions in life. You’re greedy for something but can’t obtain it—you suffer. You’re full of hatred—furious about something—and you suffer. You act out of ignorance, chasing something completely unrealistic—and suffer even more. The more you cling to these poisons, the more your afflictions grow.
As human beings, we must learn to do wholesome deeds, because they form the foundation of Buddhist practice. Only those who do good are able to enter the path of the Buddha. In other words, only those with a kind heart can truly practise Buddhism. If a person lacks even a basic conscience, they will not be able to practise Buddhism properly. Do you understand Having a kind heart is reflected through outward action—doing good deeds. A person with kindness and a good conscience will naturally begin doing good outwardly, and over time, compassion will arise from within. We must not only do good, but also help others cultivate positive relationships. In fact, these relationships are karmic connections between people. We should continue to nurture wholesome karmic connections, resolve negative ones, and strengthen the good ones. Too many people care only about themselves—shutting themselves away to recite sutras, ignoring the struggles of others—like sweeping only their own doorstep while ignoring the frost on their neighbour’s roof. But think about it: if someone doesn’t even have the intention to help others, how can they truly be said to practise Buddhism?
Disciples, you’ve been studying Buddhism with me for years—so tell me, how many people have you shared the Dharma with? If all you do is recite sutras for yourself, can that be considered practising Buddhism? A true Buddhist practitioner doesn’t cultivate solely for themselves—they also help others. So I ask again: how many people have you helped? Bodhisattvas are always helping others. Only by helping others can you continue progressing on the path of Buddhist practice.
We must realise our Buddha-nature. What does it mean to realise Buddha-nature? It means seeing your inherent nature—recognising your own conscience and inner goodness. You might think, “I’m someone who genuinely wants to help others.” But later, you stop helping people. Why? Perhaps you say, “Because others treated me badly, because they bullied me—so I gave up trying to help.” But that’s not your inherent nature—that’s not your Buddha-nature. That’s behaviour influenced by the defilements clouding your heart. When your mind is no longer pure, unwholesome behaviour starts to appear. A genuine Buddhist practitioner must understand this: your Buddha-nature, your inherent nature, and your conscience are all originally kind and pure. If you’re doing wrong now, it’s because you’ve been influenced by the “six dusts” (the six sense objects): forms, sounds, odours, tastes, tactile objects, and mental phenomena. Once you clean these defilements away, your conscience and inherent nature will return—and when that happens, you will have realised your Buddha-nature.
Buddhism in Plain Terms teaches exactly what Buddha-nature means. In the Human Realm, we call it conscience. If your conscience is present, you are truly human. But if your conscience is lost, then your behaviour is no longer that of a human—you’ve dropped to the level of an animal. Do you understand?
To truly practise Buddhism, you must first see your inherent nature. In this world, that means reconnecting with your conscience. And once you do, you must take care of your body, speech, and mind. You must ensure your body does not engage in harmful actions. You must ensure your speech does not create verbal karma by criticising or hurting others. And you must ensure your thoughts are free of harmful intent. That is what it means to truly regulate your body, speech, and mind. If someone claims to practise Buddhism—reads books every day—but still speaks irresponsibly, lets their thoughts run wild, and behaves without restraint, can that person truly be said to understand Buddhism? Have they really learnt anything?
Also, the Buddha-dharma is empty in nature. I often remind you that the Buddha-dharma is inherently empty—but to widely guide and awaken sentient beings with karmic connections to Buddhism, and to spread the Dharma, that is what makes it wondrous. What does this mean? The Buddha-dharma itself is just a dharma. If, one day, the world comes to an end, then that Dharma too will cease to exist. Just like many other Dharma Doors, they exist for a time and eventually fade away. It’s like many things we learned as children—things we no longer use. When we were young, we learned how to use the abacus, but now nobody uses it—we use computers instead. Once something reaches a certain stage, it disappears. The dharma ceases. Even the various Dharma Doors within Buddhism—once all beings have attained complete and perfect enlightenment—even the Dharma realm itself no longer exists. In truth, if the Earth ceased to exist, then the Dharma would vanish along with it. Isn’t that so?
So the Dharma is empty. But only by developing and spreading the Buddha-dharma can you attain the wondrous Dharma. Do you understand? Back in school, we learned basic arithmetic, but that kind of maths isn’t taught the same way today—it’s outdated. Modern mathematics has changed. But if we continue to innovate and expand upon the original foundations—creating new formulas and equations—then mathematics continues to thrive. Isn’t that the case? The same principle applies here. When you apply the Buddha-dharma in everyday life, it becomes the wondrous Dharma.
That is why Guan Yin Bodhisattva saves and awakens people through wondrous Dharma—through skillful means. Yet many people don’t understand this. Some truths can only be grasped through intuitive insight—they cannot be fully explained in words. That’s why I can only convey them to you through intention and subtle meaning. When you listen to my Dharma talks, you begin to understand the true essence of many Buddhist teachings. You come to understand the level of awareness—the state of mind—that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas wish for you to attain. In the human world, the point of education is not merely to do well in school, but to apply what you’ve learned to real life. It’s not about graduating and still carrying around a pile of university textbooks while having no idea how to use that knowledge in practice. Do you understand? The goal is to awaken. Do you see now?
So we must use skilful means to practise Buddhism and to help awaken sentient beings. When it comes to practising Buddhism and guiding others, there are both external and internal aspects. Externally, we must be able to distinguish between good and evil—to recognise what is wholesome and what is unwholesome. If someone who claims to be a Buddhist practitioner can’t even tell right from wrong, how can they truly practise the Dharma or guide others? Some people approach individuals who clearly engage in negative behaviour, hoping to share the Dharma with them, only to end up being influenced instead—drawn in and changed by that person. Hasn’t that happened before? Many people start off trying to help or teach someone, only to be pulled over to their side. This is why it’s essential to first develop a clear understanding of good and evil.
Internally, a Buddhist practitioner’s body and energy field must be calm, balanced, and flowing smoothly. Ask yourself: is your energy balanced? Is your body at ease? If you’re feeling unsteady, your energy is blocked, or things aren’t flowing well, then you haven’t yet grasped the wondrous Dharma—you haven’t truly cultivated well, and you won’t be able to guide others. Why? Because your heart is still caught up in dualistic thinking—still clinging to distinctions between good and evil. Do you understand?
Some people might ask, “So as Buddhist practitioners, are we supposed to stop distinguishing right from wrong? Should we ignore the difference between good and evil? After all, aren’t all beings children of the Buddha, endowed with Buddha-nature?” The answer depends. You need to assess how deeply buried someone is in their defilements—and whether you have the capacity to help clear them. In modern terms, it’s like needing the right tools for the job. If you were Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, you could enter the Hell Realms and rescue suffering beings. But most of us aren’t at that level. We can only help those who are already doing good—those with positive spiritual energy. We are not yet capable of saving those who are doing bad or committing evil, because we don’t have the strength to do so. Do you understand?
That’s why I say: when a Buddhist practitioner’s internal energy flows smoothly, afflictions begin to dissolve naturally. When your energy is unblocked, it means your mind has let go—and letting go leads to awakening. Once you awaken, afflictions vanish. This is what it means to perceive the emptiness of the Five Aggregates. When a person has no more afflictions, they no longer face obstacles—because the human body is nothing more than a temporary combination of the Five Aggregates. When you perceive them as empty, even the concept of ‘self’ disappears. So if someone insults you, and you no longer cling to a sense of self, then who exactly are they insulting? But if you immediately respond, “They’re attacking me!”, you’ve already walked into a trap of your own making. That’s why many people come to me after a Dharma talk and say, “Master, were you talking about me today?”—because they projected themselves into the teaching. They haven’t yet realised the emptiness of the Five Aggregates and are still attached to a false self. Until that false self is removed, it will continue to obscure the true self—which is your original spirit. Do you understand?
That’s why practising Buddhism requires wisdom—it’s no easy task. Only when you truly realise the emptiness of the Five Aggregates can the light within you merge with the light of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Their light is pure, radiant, transparent, and boundless. To put it simply: if you want to connect with a beam of light, your own light must also be clean and clear—only then can it align and shine in unison with it. If their light is crystal-clear but yours is shrouded in defilements, then the two cannot merge. Your light remains murky and unable to shine through. It’s like the waters of Suzhou Creek where it flows into the Huangpu River in Shanghai—you can clearly see the difference. One side is muddy and yellowish; the other is blue and clear. The contrast is stark. You can’t connect with the Buddha-light because you’re still carrying impurities—because the Five Aggregates haven’t been emptied. That’s why you’re unable to receive the Buddha-light. Do you understand?
Why is it that when you kneel before the Bodhisattva, your prayers don’t seem to be answered? It’s because your body and mind are still filled with defilements, preventing you from resonating with the Bodhisattva’s energy field. But if you kneel with a heart that is sincere and pure, in that moment you are no different from the Bodhisattva—and you can receive their light. Let’s take a modern-day example: many developing countries want to connect with the rest of the world. But to do so, they must first build the right infrastructure. Only when their systems are compatible with international standards can they align and move forward. That’s the condition. If you lack even the basic requirements, how can you expect to connect? Isn’t that so?