Wenda20191124 55:15
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
ONE WILL NOT ACHIEVE ANY SPIRITUAL STATUS BY MERELY PERFORMING VIRTUOUS DEEDS WITHOUT ELEVATING ONE’S STATE-OF-MIND
Caller: Master Lu, you mentioned that a person’s merit is his token for admission to heaven, hence it is very important. In the case where one focuses on cultivating himself spiritually, but he doesn’t go out to help others or perform any virtuous deeds at all, he will end up in the Sound-hearer (Sravakas) or Pratyeka Buddha realm because he has a high state-of-mind but lacks meritorious blessings. Conversely, if a person puts in a lot of effort in helping others, but he does not pay attention to his state-of-mind nor cultivating himself, will he achieve any Fruition in the end?
Master Jun Hong Lu: If one does not have a high state-of-mind, how can he ascend to heaven? Think about those philanthropists, they will only be an even richer philanthropist in their next life. What’s the point? It’s meaningless! Many people in the society are doing a lot of good deeds now. They will ascend to heaven for sure, to Realm of Desire or Realm of Forms but they still fail to breakaway from the cycle of rebirth. Their cultivation will come to naught.
Caller: That’s right. They will still descend after which. Another scenario is – if a person puts in a lot of effort in accumulating merits but does not pay attention to cultivating himself spiritually, he may be troubled whenever things turn out to be unpleasant, hence resulting in his merits diminishing.
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