THE IMMENSE WILLPOWER AND GREAT FILIAL PIETY OF KSITIGARBHA BODHISATTVA Master Jun Hong Lu: As Buddhist practitioners, we must know how to practise filial piety. In Buddhism, we have this saying. “The fortunate live in a fortunate land; a fortunate land has fortunate people living in it”. In relation to this, there is a Buddhist […]
EVEN VOWS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN FULFILLED HAVE KARMIC REWARDS Master Jun Hong Lu: One must understand the importance of the power of vows. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has once vowed, “To not become a Buddha until all hells are emptied”. Although hells have not been emptied, the power of His vows has helped Him accomplish His […]
THE POWER OF VOWS IS THE ENGINE THAT SETS OUR INHERENT NATURE INTO MOTION Master Jun Hong Lu: Remember, regardless of your endeavour, it must be geared towards fulfilling the needs of sentient beings, enhancing your wisdom and ultimately benefiting all sentient beings. When troubles of life and death are cast away, the foundation for […]
IT IS MOST EFFECTIVE TO OFFER 78 LITTLE HOUSES TO THE DECEASED ON THE BIRTHDAY OF KSITIGARBHA BODHISATTVA IN ONE SITTING Question: Master has previously mentioned that offering 78 Little Houses to the deceased on Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s birthday can help them ascend to a higher spiritual realm. If we were to break the offering of […]
ALLOCATION OF LITTLE HOUSES FOR THE DECEASED ON THE BIRTHDAY OF KSITIGARBHA BODHISATTVA Question: Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s birthday is just around the corner. Based on Master Lu’s guidance, we can offer 49 or 78 Little Houses to the deceased, who have descended to the underworld. As we have only a limited number of Little Houses, can […]
MAHASTHAMAPRAPTA BODHISATTVA: WHEN LOVE TURNS INTO HATRED, KARMIC CAUSES TO THE THREE LOWER REALMS ARE SOWN Master Jun Hong Lu: Just like many other Bodhisattvas, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva (Great Strength Bodhisattva) is most concerned about a particular type of love, that is, the desire for interpersonal affection. This is not solely confined to the romantic love […]
THE GREAT WISDOM OF MAHASTHAMAPRAPTA BODHISATTVA Question 51: On the night of 13 June 2020 as I was deep in sleep, my soul was taken to the Pure Land of Guan Yin Citta. Guan Yin Bodhisattva told me, “Like me, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva (Great Strength Bodhisattva) is one of the Three Sages of the Western Paradise, […]
SHOULD ONE DECIDE TO CONTINUE RECITATION AFTER OFFERING THE FIRST INCENSE ON BUDDHAS’ BIRTHDAYS, CONTINUOUS OFFERING OF INCENSE IS NECESSARY TO AVOID ATTRACTING FOREIGN SPIRITS Question: On several occasions after offering the First Incense on Bodhisattvas’ Birthdays or Enlightenment days etc., I continued to recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance (LIFO) throughout the night without […]
THE IDEAL NUMBER OF LITTLE HOUSES TO BE OFFERED FOR A TODDLER ON USUAL AND SPECIAL DAYS Question: For a toddler around one year old, what is the maximum number of Little Houses that can be offered daily, on the 1st and 15th days of a lunar month and on Buddhas’ birthdays? Answer: You may […]
IS IT ADVISABLE FOR CRITICALLY-ILL PATIENTS TO RECITE ADDITIONAL EIGHTY-EIGHT BUDDHAS GREAT REPENTANCE (LIFO) ON SPECIAL DAYS? Question: On special occasions such as the Buddha’s Birthday, we are recommended to recite 27 times of the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance (LIFO), can critically-ill patients do the same? Answer: First and foremost, the terminally-ill person should make […]
OFFERING OF THE FIRST AND SUBSEQUENT INCENSE ON A MINI BUDDHIST ALTAR ON BUDDHAS’ BIRTHDAYS Question: A Buddhist friend does not have a typical Buddhist altar at home, but he does own a mini altar that he uses to perform recitation. With this mini altar, if he offers the First Incense at 12 midnight on […]
WEI TUO BODHISATTVA’S WORDS OF ADVICE FOR VOLUNTEERS AT DHARMA CONVENTIONS AND OTHER RELATED QUESTIONS Caller: Greetings to Master! The Singapore Dharma Convention is just around the corner and Wei Tuo Bodhisattva has a word or two of advice for those volunteers at dharma conventions. Let me share it with you, Master. Wei Tuo Bodhisattva […]
MASTER LU’S WORDS OF ADVICE ON WEI TUO BODHISATTVA’S BIRTHDAY Caller: Hi Master, I hope you are well. Tomorrow is the third day of the sixth lunar month, which happens to be the birthday of Wei Tuo Bodhisattva, one of the dharma protectors, it would be great if you could give us a word or […]
THE BUDDHA WILL LEAD US FORWARD, WITH OUR HANDS IN HIS Master Jun Hong Lu: The Lord Buddha will lead us forward, with our hands in His, He will never let go of His grip just because our hands are filthy. Neither will He turn His back on us just because our imperfections are aplenty. […]
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PRACTICE OF ALMS ROUND Caller: In the past, the practice of begging for alms by monks was also known as ‘the conditions or opportunities for transformation’. A fellow cultivator would like to know whether the ‘opportunities for transformation’ in this context means to sprinkle the seeds of dharma onto sentient beings […]
THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT IS IMMUTABLE, WISDOM CANNOT BE BESTOWED, THE TRUE DHARMA IS INEXPLICABLE, AND SPIRITUALLY AWAKENING WILL NEVER COME TO THOSE WHO LACK AFFINITY WITH BUDDHISM Master Jun Hong Lu: A disciple of the Buddha asked the Lord Buddha, “You have such immense divine-supernatural powers, boundless compassion and wisdom, but why […]
LET GO OF FAME AND FORTUNE OF THE MATERIAL WORLD, RENOUNCE THE WORLD AT HEART BY PURIFYING THE MIND OF IMPURITIES, AND EMULATE THE BUDDHA’S UNIVERSAL LOVE FOR SENTIENT BEINGS Master Jun Hong Lu: Today is the Buddha’s Renunciation Day. Renunciate means avoid being contaminated by the worldly filth, to gain wisdom and attain liberation […]
HUMANITY IS THE FUNDAMENTAL BASIS FOR THE BUDDHA’S PATH OF SALVATION Master Jun Hong Lu: Humanity is the fundamental basis for the Buddha’s path of salvation, which explains why the attainment of Buddhahood takes place in the human realm. How are you able to attain Buddhahood if there is no mankind? This is why those […]
OUT OF HIS UNIVERSAL LOVE FOR SENTIENT BEINGS, THE BUDDHA RENOUNCES THE WORLD TO FIND THE PATH TO LIBERATION Master Jun Hong Lu: Some people say, “After practising Buddhism, we interact less with our parents, and as a result, there is less room to show our filial piety towards them”. Do you agree with this? […]
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LANTERN FESTIVAL FROM THE METAPHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE Caller: Hello, Master. As we celebrate the Lantern Festival (also known as the ‘Yuanxiao Festival’) on the 15th day of the first lunar month, would you please share with us the significance of this special day? Master Jun Hong Lu: The first day of Lunar […]
EXTRAORDINARY SCENES OF HEAVEN ON THE LANTERN FESTIVAL Question: The depiction below is the extraordinary scenes that unfolded right before my very eyes on the Lantern Festival on 8 February 2020: On the eve of the Lantern Festival, innumerable Heavenly Dharma Protectors were guarding the paths that led to a myriad of Buddhist altars of […]
STAY STEADFAST IN YOUR BUDDHIST PRACTICE Master Jun Hong Lu: Guan Yin Bodhisattva has always been showering us with blessings. Put in your best effort to perform recitation and practise mind cultivation. Being safe and well is a blessing. Time is running out. I hope none of you waste your time. You must be strict […]
THE SAYING ABOUT “DO NOT HAVE HAIR CUT IN THE FIRST LUNAR MONTH” Caller: Master, there’s a saying, “Do not cut hair in the first lunar month, as it may cause the death of one’s maternal uncle”. Is this true from the metaphysical perspective? Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes. “Do not cut hair in the […]
IS IT FINE TO WASH HAIR ON THE 1ST AND 15TH DAYS OF THE LUNAR MONTH? Caller: Master, there is a belief that we should not wash our hair on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar month. Is this true? Master Jun Hong Lu: Have you done so? Caller: Yes. Master Jun Hong […]
QUESTIONS REGARDING THE RECITATION OF THE EIGHTY-EIGHT BUDDHAS GREAT REPENTANCE ON THE EVE AND FIRST DAY OF CHINESE NEW YEAR Caller: How many times of the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance (LIFO) can we recite on the eve and first day of Lunar New Year? Master Jun Hong Lu: 87 times. Caller: Is it right to […]
WHICH PERIOD OF A MONTH SHOULD LITTLE HOUSES TO RESOLVE CLASHES WITH TAI SUI BODHISATTVA BE OFFERED? Caller: Should Little Houses meant for resolving conflict with Tai Sui Bodhisattva be offered at the beginning, middle or the end of the month? To be exact, should we base it on the lunar or solar calendar? Master […]
IN THE YEAR WHEN YOUR ZODIAC CLASHES WITH TAI SUI BODHISATTVA, THE WEEKLY OFFERING OF LITTLE HOUSES TO PRAY FOR SAFETY SHOULD CONTINUE AS PER NORMAL Caller: To resolve conflicts with Tai Sui Bodhisattva, we are advised to offer either a certain number of Little Houses that matches with our age, or at least 27 […]
THE RECITATION OF LITTLE HOUSES FOR KARMIC CREDITOR AND TO RESOLVE CONFLICT WITH TAI SUI BODHISATTVA SHOULD BE PERFORMED ALTERNATELY Caller: For elderly Buddhist practitioners who need to recite a larger number of Little Houses, should they focus on completing the recitation of Little Houses to resolve conflict with Tai Sui Bodhisattva, before channelling the […]
CHINESE NEW YEAR: THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT RED PACKETS Caller: Hi Master, Lunar New Year is just around the corner. During this time, there will be occasions when our family members receive gifts such as red packets from others. Master has often advised us to ‘think neither good nor evil’. In this aspect, how […]
IN THE ABSENCE OF A BUDDHIST ALTAR, ONE SHOULD NOT RECITE BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES UNTIL WEE HOURS OF THE FIRST DAY OF LUNAR NEW YEAR Caller: Some Buddhist practitioners intend to offer the First Incense on the night of Chinese New Year’s Eve, and are curious to know whether in the absence of a Buddhist altar, […]