ALWAYS KEEP YOUR INITIAL ASPIRATION CLOSE TO YOUR HEART
Question: Master, how do we resolve a mental state that oscillates between being tensed up and relaxed that we experience while performing recitation or mind cultivation? For example, under intense pressure, we can recite up to seven or eight Little Houses a day, but we may slack off the next day and the number will drop to one or two, or worse still, none at all.
Answer: Under such a circumstance, you should tap into your initial aspiration, that is, the mindset that you had at the outset. Recall the catalysts that thrusted you into the gate of dharma. At that time, you must be feeling really miserable because things were not going right at home with misfortune on your doorstep. In your despair, you might have implored, “Please help me, Guan Yin Bodhisattva”. So incredibly powerful is such an initial motivation and it is termed as an initial aspiration. Do you understand me?
As and when you feel like slacking off in your practice, you should recollect your bitter past and how you prayed to Bodhisattva for blessings. If you can perform frequent contemplation of your initial aspiration, you will surely become more diligent in your practice. Do you understand?
Similarly for the many couples whose relationships have turned rocky after marriage, they should oftentimes contemplate how miserable those days were, when they were struggling to find their other half. When you do so, you will think twice before demanding a divorce.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s World Buddhist Fellowship Meeting (Q&A Session), Sabah, Malaysia, 19 January 2015
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