WEAKNESSES IN CHARACTER – ARE THEY CAUSED BY KARMIC OBSTACLES FROM A PREVIOUS LIFE? Caller: Weaknesses in one’s character, including committing unwholesome verbal act, being petty or getting jealous easily; are these considered as karmic obstacles from previous life? Master Jun Hong Lu: It is related to both the karmic obstacles from one’s previous life […]
ATTENDING ANY OF MASTER LU’S PUBLIC TALKS WILL ELIMINATE KARMIC OBSTACLES, DO NOT HAVE A DISCRIMINATING MIND Caller: Master Lu, you mentioned that there will be 108 Bodhisattvas present at every Public Talk. Will our karmic obstacles be eliminated quickly by attending the Public Talk in Penang, Malaysia? Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes, of course. […]
PERFORMING DHARMA DANA (SHARING THE KNOWLEDGE OF BUDDHISM) Caller: Nowadays, there are many Buddhist friends who upon learning from Master that the virtues derived from Dharma Dana are immeasurable, so they go all out to disseminate various discourses, videos, recordings, and so on, of which they had never seriously listened to, or read. They assumed […]
KARMIC PASSES IN LIFE Caller: Master Lu, you said before that when a person contracted influenza or….is he considered to have ridden out a karmic pass? Take for example, a couple got into very heated argument but reconciled thereafter, is it also considered as they have endured a karmic pass? Master Jun Hong Lu: Of […]
PERSISTENCE SUPPORTS OUR ENDEAVOUR; SELF-DISCIPLINE IS IN ITSELF AN ATTRIBUTE OF PERSISTENCE Master Jun Hong Lu: I hope that everyone can understand one principle i.e. perseverance is the key to success in any endeavour. Be it spiritual cultivation, career or study, perseverance is essential. At times, the loss of perseverance is the reason for us […]
REGARDING LISTENING TO POP MUSICS; DHARMA CULTIVATORS SHOULD NOT LISTEN TO DECADENT MUSIC Caller: A Buddhist practitioner said that whenever he listens to pop music or hums along with it, he would start to shiver down his spine and could sense his own energy depleting. What could be the cause of this? Master Jun Hong […]
RETRIBUTION FOR USING IMAGES OF FAMOUS ANCIENT PEOPLE IN VIOLENT GAMES IS TO BE CONSIGNED TO HELL Caller: Master Lu, nowadays, many people are playing video games that involved fighting or killing of figures. Some of these games are created using images of famous ancient people, such as Xiang Yu, Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Da […]
HOW SOON WILL BAD KARMA BE NOTED AND HOW TO ELIMINATE NEGATIVE KARMA IMMEDIATELY THROUGH REPENTANCE Caller: Master Lu, is there a point when Dharma protectors will start recording the karma residing in our cognitive world? Do they do it at daily at regular intervals? What about the officials from the underworld? How frequently do […]
DISCOURSE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CORRECTING ONE’S BAD HABITS / MISTAKES Master Jun Hong Lu: Dear listeners and friends, please remember, it’s difficult to kick one’s bad habits, but if there’s no pain, there will be no gain. Many bad habits were developed when we were young and it becomes harder to change over time. […]
HOW TO GAUGE ONE’S PROGRESS IN SPIRITUAL CULTIVATION Caller: Master Lu, you always emphasize the importance of spiritual cultivation, as our mental states will determine our conduct. Could Master enlighten us on the guidelines and traits which we can reflect upon to gauge our progression? Master Jun Hong Lu: A person who has progressed well […]
WITH EACH EVIL ACT, MORE MISFORTUNE AND EVIL WILL ACCRUE When one performs meritorious deeds, multiple folds of bliss and good fortune will accrue. Similarly, when one performs evil deeds, more misfortune and evil will accrue. This is why there is saying that goes, “An unfortunate man could be drowned in a tea-cup” and the […]
HOW TO EMBODY THE BODHISATTVA IN THE HUMAN REALM? THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAKING SUCH A VOW AND NOT MAKING IT Caller: Master Lu, please enlighten us, what are the requirements for someone who wishes to make a vow to live up to the role of a Bodhisattva in this human realm? Master Jun Hong Lu: […]
ALWAYS TREAT PEOPLE WITH COMPASSION Caller: A fellow Buddhist practitioner had a notion in his dream that he should tell another Buddhist friend not to be overly compassionate towards certain people. Does this mean that the Buddhist friend has some unrighteous people around him? Master Jun Hong Lu: It depends on whose voice was in […]
WASTING TIME MEANS WASTING LIFE Master Jun Hong Lu: We have to cherish everything, including our time, our relationships with others and our affinity with Buddha. Time is of the essence in the extension of lifespan – when one’s ‘time is up’, one’s life is at an end. Hence, it is said, to waste time […]
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAVING THE POWER OF UNDERSTANDING, WISDOM AND TO BE ENLIGHTENED Caller: What is the difference between these three concepts – the power of understanding, wisdom and to be enlightened? Master Jun Hong Lu: What does it mean by having the power of understanding? The power to understand is the equivalent of coming […]
WHAT IS THE PERIOD OF VALIDITY OF A DREAM? Caller: I have a question. Let’s say I had a dream last month. How soon will the incident in the dream come off? Does it become invalid after a few days? Master Jun Hong Lu: There are many possibilities. Generally, its validity spans from the next […]
HOW SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND THE SAYING: ‘THOSE INVOLVED IN THE MATTER ARE BLINDED TO THE TRUTH WHILE ONLOOKERS SEE THINGS WITH CLARITY’ Caller: What does it mean to say that ‘those involved in the matter are blinded to the truth while onlookers see things with clarity’? Master Jun Hong Lu: This means that when in […]
THE MINDSET OF A PERSON IS VERY IMPORTANT Master Jun Hong Lu: The mindset of a person is very important. A wrong mindset may tarnish your image. With a unique line of thought, others will tend to form opinions about you. Symptoms of mental illness include having trouble thinking beyond oneself resulting in one being […]
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LACKING PREDESTINED AFFINITY AND HAVING AFFINITY THAT HAS YET TO COME Caller: Is there a difference where one is said to have no predestined affinity as compared to one’s affinity has yet to come? Master Jun Hong Lu: They are different for sure! Though it is said, ‘Guan Yin Bodhisattva is not […]
PRACTISE UNMOVING SUCHNESS; REMAIN UNMOVED IN ANY GIVEN SITUATION OR WE WILL BE HURT Caller: Recently while reading Buddhism in Plain Terms, I came across a paragraph in which Master said, “In Buddhism studies, one’s mind should have ‘a flagpole that never topples.’ Typically, a person’s emotions are affected, and vexations arise after meeting with […]
GREAT WISDOM ARISES FROM THE STATE OF HAVING NO-DESIRE Caller: Can you explain this quote you once made, “Great wisdom arises from the state of having no-desire”. Master Jun Hong Lu: When there is no desire, there is purity in you; with purity, wisdom shall arise. Let me quote you an example. Desires are like […]
OUR MIND IS AN IMPORTANT MACHINE; UNMOVING SUCHNESS IS THE KEY Master Jun Hong Lu: Our mind is the most important machine. If the machine stops functioning or malfunction, we will encounter problems with our brain, limbs, as well as the soul. Due to the close relation between mind and body, many people who are […]
RESPECT ARISES FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEART Caller: A fellow practitioner performs 21 full-body prostrations to Guan Yin Bodhisattva every day. He thought that he uses his body movements to express his utmost respect for Bodhisattva. Is it appropriate or not? Master Jun Hong Lu: For the time being, do not act in this […]
HOW DO WE ACHIEVE HAPPINESS? Caller: Master Lu, everyone aspires for happiness. Just how do we achieve it? Master Jun Hong Lu: It’s very simple. As long as we feel happy in our hearts, we have achieved happiness, and vice-versa. What is happiness? This feeling inside of us is a type of contentment, something we […]
WILL WE BE PUT TO DREAM TEST BEFORE ELIMINATING OUR KARMIC OBSTACLES Caller: Performing recitation and life liberation will help us to eliminate karmic obstacles. Will we be put to the test through dream before that? Would karmic obstacles be considered eliminated when we pass the test? Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes, there will be […]
WHAT DO VARIOUS TYPES OF DREAMS ABOUT THE ELIMINATION OF NEGATIVE KARMA MEAN Caller: With regards to the elimination of negative karma, if we dreamt about washing clothes, taking a shower, vomiting or buying new clothes, are there differences in the meanings to take away from these dreams? Master Jun Hong Lu: Certainly, there are. […]
THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS IS IMPORTANT. PAY ATTENTION TO DREAMS FORETELLING THE FUTURE Caller: A Buddhist friend of mine dreamed of someone telling him, ’Stricken with blood disease, prepare to meet your doom”. He now believes that misfortune is imminent and so would like to ask you how many Little Houses recitations are required for […]
A DREAM OF PUTTING ON SHOES WITHOUT SOCKS Caller: I dreamed of being in a hurry to attend Master Lu’s Dharma Convention, and in my dream I put on my boots without any socks. Master Jun Hong Lu: This could mean at certain times during your course of cultivation, you may have handled something inappropriately, […]
AS DREAMS ARE SIGNIFICANT; HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT WE DO NOT BECOME ATTACHED TO THEM? Caller: I heard you mention before that the manifestation of dreams depends on a person’s cultivation and misfortune. With this in mind, are we to note dreams as being significant, but know we’re not to develop an attachment towards […]
HOW TO PASS THE TEST IN OUR DREAMS? – IT IS THROUGH DEEP DOWN CULTIVATION AND FULL OBSERVATION OF PRECEPTS Caller: In the process of learning Dharma and spiritual cultivation, how do we deal with the setbacks that we encounter? At times, though we do our utmost to observe the precepts, however, we are often […]
