EXERCISE DISCRETION WHEN SHARING THE DHARMA AT NIGHT Caller: Some Buddhist practitioners are still eagerly sharing depictions of Journey to Heaven that illustrate scenes in the underworld even though it is past 10pm. In the view of certain Buddhist practitioners, such sharing would invite considerable amount of Yin (negative) energy, but they are hesitant to […]
THERE IS NO NEED TO OBSERVE TIME-GAP BETWEEN POSTINGS OF DHARMA TEACHINGS ONLINE Caller: A fellow practitioner dreamt of Bodhisattva reminding him, “Do not send dharma teachings consecutively on social media. Leave some buffer time so that other practitioners get to read them online”. Master, could you advise as to how we should pace our […]
MINDFUL USE OF VISUALS IN DHARMA GIVING Question: Should we avoid using photos of real individuals, including those of novices, monks and nuns, in all dharma materials? Answer: It is advisable to avoid using such visuals. Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse (Question 379), 27 April 2020
IS IT APPROPRIATE TO PIECE TOGETHER MASTER’S TEACHINGS FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF A DISCOURSE? Caller: There are fellow Buddhist practitioners who will extract Master’s discourses or Buddhism in Plain Terms quotes that they consider timeless. When they go about doing so, they will pluck a phrase or a few words from a paragraph or the […]
IT IS BEST TO CITE THE SOURCE WHEN SHARING MASTER’S DISCOURSES Caller: A fellow Buddhist practitioner used to come across a statement on blogs that says, “Secretariat, please verify whether this is a discourse from Master”. Seeing this, the Buddhist practitioner thought he should indicate the source when sharing Master’s discourses in the future to […]
WHAT IS CONSIDERED A ‘TESTIMONY SHARING’? Caller: If we make a vow to share our testimony, does it refer to the mere act of posting it on Master’s blog, or does it also include sharing it with our circle of friends or on other social media platforms? Master Jun Hong Lu: A testimony sharing can […]
PATIENCE ENDURANCE: A PREREQUISITE TO ATTAIN A HIGHER SPIRITUAL STATE Master Jun Hong Lu: Spiritual cultivation requires a great degree of patience. There would be no accomplishment without patience. A calm person is a patient person. Without patience, one is not able to advance to a higher spiritual state. Patience is like a ladder that […]
PATIENCE IN SPIRITUAL CULTIVATION Master Jun Hong Lu: The third type of forbearance: both mind-cultivation and Buddhist practice require patience. It is never too late to be accomplished in your spiritual practice, as long as you are diligent. All of you who are sitting down here listening to me, are you experiencing any discomfort? You […]
ENDURING WEATHER CHANGES IS ALSO A TYPE OF FORBEARANCE Master Jun Hong Lu: The second type of forbearance is being patient in enduring the changes in nature. This includes changes in the weather, whether it’s cold or hot. When you can’t bear the cold or hot weather, it means you have not cultivated well. When […]
SUCCESSFUL SHARING OF THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS IS EQUIVALENT TO HAVING LIBERATED A HUGE AMOUNT OF FISH Question: I saw the following statement on the official account platform which goes like this, “Every sharing of the Buddha’s teachings online will result in meritorious blessings equivalent to the merits of liberating a fish”. Is this statement appropriate? […]
INTENT MUST BE PURE TO SHARE MESSAGES RECEIVED FROM BODHISATTVAS OR MASTER LU Question: A Buddhist friend always receives messages or teachings from Bodhisattvas and Master through dreams and divine connection in front of a Buddhist altar. Without fail, he will painstakingly jot down the divine information received before approaching some fellow practitioners to disseminate […]
DILIGENCE STEMS FROM A COMPASSIONATE HEART Caller: Master, does the strength of one’s diligence emanate from a compassionate heart? Does it mean that the greater a person’s compassion, the more diligent he is? Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes. Having profound compassion for others will directly amplify your diligence. Source: Wenda20160619B 24:43, Master Jun Hong Lu’s […]
PATIENCE UNDER HUMILIATION: DO NOT TAKE IN THOSE WORDS Master Jun Hong Lu: The first type of tolerance is to tolerate man-made harm. You must learn to endure the harm and humiliation when others spread rumours about you. Be strong, you don’t have to believe or take in any of those words that are meant […]
HOW DO WE STAY ROOTED TO OUR ORIGINAL ASPIRATION IN OUR BUDDHIST PRACTICE? Caller: Master, could you enlighten us on how we can stay rooted to our original aspiration in our Buddhist practice and cultivation? If we lose touch with it, how can it be regained? Master Jun Hong Lu: If one loses touch with […]
LEARN TO GUARD YOUR MIND, ENERGY FIELD AND BEHAVIOUR Master Jun Hong Lu: People with impure souls have a lot of karmic obstacles in their consciousness. For this reason, they are not able to ascend to heaven, and can only descend to the lower realms. Strictly speaking, there is no way that they can make […]
THE RAILWAY SWITCH-TENDER STORY: DISCIPLINE IS KEY Master Jun Hong Lu: Once, a television station in Germany organised an activity in its attempt to solicit a “10-second hair-raising shot” and was offering a handsome prize money. The footage must contain a series of terrifying moments. What can we do in 10 seconds? This is precisely […]
THE IMPORTANCE OF OBSERVING MORALITY Master Jun Hong Lu: Observing moral discipline is like having Bodhisattva on top of our head, watching over, protecting and supervising us, so that we do not dare to mess around. If you allow yourself to go crazy as and when you feel like it, or say whatever you want […]
NEGLIGENT DHARMA SHARING COULD HAVE THE EFFECT OF SEVERING THE SPIRITUALITY OF ANOTHER PERSON Caller: Motivated by Master’s comment that the giving of dharma engenders immeasurable merits, many Buddhist practitioners are now going all out to disseminate all types of discourse, be it videos or radio recordings. However, they might not even take a good […]
A MOTHER WILL SURELY HEAR WHEN HER CHILD CRIES Master Jun Hong Lu: Third question: I asked Guan Yin Bodhisattva, “Many people, who were not spiritual cultivators in their past life, have this question about praying to You. They often ask, ‘When we pray to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, would She know?’ Many of those who […]
THE PRACTICE OF GIVING – ACCORD WITH CONDITIONS Caller: Is it appropriate for me to put forth a vow to the Bodhisattva that I will channel a certain percentage of my monthly income for dharma propagation which includes, cash donations, making offerings to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and other virtuous deeds? Master Jun Hong […]
SHOULD WE GIVE TO THOSE BOGUS BEGGARS? Caller: I have one more question on “Compassion”. We are taught that we need to have the same compassion for all beings. Unfortunately, in this day and age, there are many fake street beggars, who just want to make a quick buck. If we give without knowing whether […]
GIVE, EVEN IF NO ONE KNOWS Master Jun Hong Lu: Once, there was a small business owner in the USA who had repeatedly failed in his quest to strike a business collaboration with the owner of a big corporation. One day, as he was walking out from another failed business pitch, he passed by a […]
AN EXPEDIENT MEAN IS ABOUT PLAYING TO ONE’S STRENGTHS WHEN PROPAGATING BUDDHISM TO OTHERS Caller: Every Bodhisattva has His own strengths in terms of dharma propagation. As for us, while practising, we apprehend the truth. In this aspect, I’d like to seek Master’s advice on whether it is appropriate to pray for Bodhisattva’s blessings on […]
TO MAKE DHARMA PROPAGATION MORE PERSUASIVE, LEARN FROM MASTER’S APPROACH OF USING EXAMPLES Caller: Master often uses examples to explain and answer questions from Buddhist practitioners. Should we also use more examples when sharing the dharma with others? This is especially relevant to questions that cannot be directly answered but can be better explained through […]
WITH A CALM MIND, EVERYTHING WILL NATURALLY GO SMOOTHLY Master Jun Hong Lu: First question: I asked Bodhisattva in my mind, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, nowadays many people often ask me this question: Why does my prayer go unanswered?” Guan Yin Bodhisattva said, “With a calm mind, all prayers will naturally come true”. Are you able […]
GIVING WITHOUT PERCEPTION Master Jun Hong Lu: It is essential for the practice of giving not to be attached to any perception. If you become attached, you will be caught up in the scenario where you are fixated on the act of giving. Do you understand? What this means is you anticipate an reward every […]
SEVEN TYPES OF GIVING IN BUDDHISM THAT DON’T COST MONEY A man once went to the Buddha and cried, “I am such a loser; I fail in everything I do”. The Buddha told him, “That’s because you didn’t practise giving”. This person said, “Buddha, I am a poor man. How am I supposed to practise […]
WEALTH IS DERIVED FROM THE GIVING OF WEALTH Caller: Is wealth only derived from the giving of wealth? Can we also derive wealth from the giving of dharma or fearlessness? Master Jun Hong Lu: Generally, it is from the giving of wealth that one derives wealth. Why is it that prayer for wealth tends to […]
SAFEGUARD YOUR BLESSINGS BY EMBRACING A HEART OF GRATITUDE Caller: Master has said that the great virtue of someone who wholeheartedly propagates Buddhism with a noble intention of wanting to benefit all sentient beings, will result in an increase in his worldly blessings. I’d like to ask Master as to how we should handle such […]
IT IS NOT ADVISABLE TO USE GRAPHICS THAT EVOKE FANTASIES Question: In an effort to spread the dharma, some fellow practitioners will match Master’s teachings with a caricature of a beautiful girl. Is this appropriate? Answer: It’s never ideal to use anything that evokes fantasies. This explains why you should always go for a decent […]