REPENTANCE WITHOUT FORM
Master Jun Hong Lu: Repentance without form is in reality not repenting in any way.
If ‘the perception of formlessness’ is felt deep in one’s mind, this is in itself one method of self-correction. This is a seamless self-transformation process, a type of repentance that cannot be seen because such an act of repentance comes from deep within.
For example, upon seeing your aged mother lying in a sick bed, you are overwhelmed by remorse beyond words. All that you yearn for is to take genuine action to treat her better. This is called repentance with no form. Staring at your bed-ridden mother’s frail-looking hands and the needle tubing that criss-crosses her body, deep down, you cry out, “Mum, I’m sorry to have let you down.”
This is referred to as formless repentance. We must delve deeper into our souls when repenting of our shortcomings, that is, right before Guan Yin Bodhisattva, we must express our deep penitence for all of our past misdeeds.
The phrase, “to repent piously”, is a natural type of repentance equivalent to intuitive self-correction, something that Buddhist practitioners should cultivate.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse, Guan Yin Hall, Sydney, Australia, 19 July 2013
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