WORDS ARE POWERFUL – THEY CAN MAKE OR BREAK A PERSON Master Jun Hong Lu: A group of people went up the mountain for a hunting trip. Unfortunately, one of the hunters fell into a very deep pit. During the fall, he broke all of his limbs except his left arm. The pit was deep […]
GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA’S TIPS ON EFFICACIOUS PRAYER Master Jun Hong Lu: Finally, I asked Guan Yin Bodhisattva, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, can you teach us a method that will help make our prayers more efficacious? You have earlier mentioned about a ‘calm state of mind’, how do we achieve this state for our prayers to be […]
IF YOU HAVE FAITH, YOU WILL RECEIVE WHAT YOU PRAY FOR Caller: Master, could you please give me some advice? Master Jun Hong Lu: Just like boiling water, you can never bring the water to a boil without constant heat. You must persevere in your undertakings. With Bodhisattva’s blessings, your prayers will definitely get answered, […]
VALIDATE THE DHARMA THROUGH YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE Master Jun Hong Lu: All our endeavours in this world must accord with the dharma (the “right way of living” and the “path of rightness”). The viability of the teachings can only be proven through one’s personal experience; only you can tell whether your path of cultivation is […]
STATE-OF-MIND IS KEY TO AN EFFECTIVE PRAYER Caller: When we don’t get what we pray for, how do we rebuild our confidence? Please enlighten us, Master. Master Jun Hong Lu: Let me ask you, is there any prayer that will be answered instantaneously? For prayer to be answered, it must have been your effort, your […]
WHY DO MANY PEOPLE NOT GET THEIR PRAYERS ANSWERED EVEN AFTER MAKING VOWS? Master Jun Hong Lu: Instead of making constant progress, if a Buddhist practitioner regresses in their spiritual cultivation, they become nothing more than an ordinary being. On the other hand, if you are able to free yourself from vexations, your cultivation has […]
IT IS OUR RELENTLESS EFFORT THAT MAKES CULTIVATION, ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERFECTION IN SPIRITUAL PRACTICE POSSIBLE Question: During His time in the human realm, the Lord Buddha practised extreme asceticism for more than 10 years and yet, He failed to come to any spiritual awakening. However, when He meditated with His eyes shut under a Bodhi […]
HOW DO WE BALANCE THE NEED TO IMPLORE THE BLESSINGS OF BODHISATTVA? Caller: Master, you mentioned that we may confide anything to Guan Yin Bodhisattva; however, you also reminded us “not to pray to Bodhisattva for trivial matters, otherwise our prayers for matters of grave concern will be rendered ineffective”. The reason I ask is […]
ARE YOU SOWING DISCORD THROUGH “NON-VERBAL” COMMUNICATION? Question: For a person who does not lie, is not deceitful nor hypocritical in his speech, but chooses to adopt a weird tone when speaking, beating around the bush and seems to be trying to sow discord between others, is this still considered as double-tongue and false speech? […]
AWAKENING COMES TO THOSE WHO SINCERELY REPENT AND MEND THEIR WAYS Master Jun Hong Lu: One must learn to sincerely repent to be awakened. No matter what mistakes you have committed, you must be able to admit “I was wrong”. This is because only when you are able to admit your mistakes will you be […]
LETTING GO: WORLDLY VS SPIRITUAL PURSUITS Question: Hello Master, you once mentioned that the more one gains in his career in the secular world, the lesser blessings he is going to receive in heaven. Master, how can we ensure that while we strive hard at work, we are not placing excessive value on our worldly […]
IS IT ALRIGHT TO TELL A WELL-MEANING LIE? Question: I have a question about not telling lies. Assuming one’s spouse strongly opposes the idea of practising Buddhism. When performing life liberation or other meritorious deeds, if asked by the other half, the Buddhist practitioner may give excuses to disguise the truth. Is this considered lying? […]
HOW TO PRACTISE REJOICING IN THE KIND DEEDS AND MERITS OF OTHERS FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS? Question: How should we cultivate in order for us to be able to truly rejoice in others’ good deeds and meritorious blessings, without feeling a tinge of envy, jealousy or spite? Answer: You feel jealous and spiteful […]
MIGHTY OAKS FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW Master Jun Hong Lu: Performing prostrations in Guan Yin Hall may look trivial but, in reality such an act could protect and bless you, your family, and even whomever you think may deserve it. If you perform prostrations and pray sincerely to Bodhisattva, your wish will be fulfilled. The […]
IS BEING NON-COMPETITIVE AN ATTITUDE OF A NON-ACHIEVER? Question: Our practice of Buddhism has made us easy-going and we are not interested to contend. However, some people feel that this is an attitude of a non-achiever. Answer: It is a matter of one’s spiritual state. For example, when you let go after learning Buddhism, in […]
ONCE YOU TELL A LIE, YOU NEED TEN MORE LIES TO COVER THE LIE Master Jun Hong Lu: Many people are inclined to inject lies to even the short sentences they speak. Once you tell a lie, you need ten more lies to cover the lie. For instance, you tell your boss, “Boss, I’ll be […]
THE MEANING OF ‘KARMIC FORCE IS AN IMPETUS THAT SPURS ONE TO PROGRESS SPIRITUALLY’ Caller: Master, how should we understand ‘karmic force is an impetus that spurs one to progress spiritually’? Master Jun Hong Lu: Do you think people will seek the blessings of the Buddha if they don’t suffer in life? Aren’t they progressing […]
THE KARMIC CONSEQUENCES OF VERBAL KARMA I cannot emphasise this enough. You do not cultivate your mind with your mouth. Just because you have a silver tongue does not necessarily mean that you are excellent in your cultivation of the mind. If you are serious about cultivation, you should try your best to speak less. […]
RESPECT EVERYONE AROUND US Master Jun Hong Lu: We must maintain a respectful heart and have due regard to everyone around us. Through this, we are able to have a thorough understanding of our Buddha nature. A person, who can let go of his ego, is able to show respect for others; while the one […]
THE IMPORTANCE OF REVERING THE BODHISATTVAS Caller: A fellow Buddhist practitioner had the following revelation when reciting the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance: ‘Paying respect to the Buddhas’ statues and respectfully making offerings on the Buddhist altar is an ingenious method to curb one’s arrogance. There are people who have the financial means but are not […]
CULTIVATE ALL GOODNESS WITHOUT ATTACHMENT TO ANY PERCEPTION Master Jun Hong Lu: The “Diamond Sutra” says “To cultivate all goodness without attachment to any perception”. To be detached from all perception means to go away from all the things you like. This detachment is not the kind of detachment on the outside, but rather from […]
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 […]
HOW TO ELIMINATE THE UNHEALTHY MENTALITY OF BEING SAD WHEN SEEING OTHERS SUCCEED? Caller: Master Lu has mentioned multiple times that nowadays people have a bad mentality: they feel sad when seeing others do better than them, and feel happy when others are worse than them. How can one eradicate this kind of unhealthy mentality? […]
MASTER JUN HONG LU’S DISCOURSE ON GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA’S RENUNCIATION DAY Caller: Master, tomorrow is the renunciation day of our great Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Could you give a word or two in commemoration of this special day? Master Jun Hong Lu: Renunciation day is a day when one makes a resolution. To fulfil Her resolution […]
WHAT IS REPENTANCE WITH FORM? Master Jun Hong Lu: Repentance with attachment to form will lead to ignorance, delusion and derangement. After committing a mistake, if you merely say, “I’m sorry, Bodhisattva”, and make no attempt to mend your ways, there will be jealousy in you, and you are arrogant and idiotic. On the other […]
HOW TO BALANCE WORLDLY PURSUITS WITH DETACHMENT IN BUDDHISM? Caller: We live in a world where it is a norm to chase one’s dreams, aspire to get into the best school and find a good job, earn more money, etc. In fact, these ambitions help to propel us forward. Buddhism, on the other hand, teaches […]
BUDDHAS AND BODHISATTVAS ARE ETERNALLY COMPASSIONATE TOWARDS ALL SENTIENT BEINGS Master Jun Hong Lu: The compassion that the Buddha has for all sentient beings is ever-present. As a Buddhist practitioner, bear in mind that as long as you pray to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, be it Guan Yin Bodhisattva, Shakyamuni Buddha, or any other Bodhisattvas, Their […]
DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS WITH EVIL KNOWLEDGE AND THOUGHTS As a true-blue Buddhist practitioner, we must learn to forgive. We must not judge others with our evil knowledge and thoughts because if our view is biased, we will misjudge people. If you can’t take control of your heart and fail to see others with a […]
YOUR ABILITY TO ELIMINATE YOUR KARMIC OBSTACLES REDUCES IF YOU KEEP REPEATING THE SAME MISTAKE Master Jun Hong Lu: There are many people who have the misconception that “It’s alright for me to do some bad things today. I can recite a few times of the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance (LIFO) to repent and all […]
SINCERELY REPENT TO AWAKEN YOUR TRUE SELF Master Jun Hong Lu: When someone apologises to you and you refuse to accept his apology, you are actually breaking the code of morality. Hence, when forgiveness is sought, you must grant it or else, you are deemed not a true Buddhist practitioner who has broken the precepts. […]
