SHOULD I TELL SOMEONE IF I DREAM OF THEM IN A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION? Question: I dreamed that a fellow practitioner was faced with a situation concerning life and death. Can I tell him about my dream? Answer: You should tell him, otherwise you will regret it. The fact that you had this dream is because […]
IS IT FINE TO WATCH BUDDHISM-RELATED DRAMAS? Question: A Buddhist practitioner has made a vow to stop watching drama series. In that case, can he watch the drama series about the biographies of the Buddha and Guan Yin Bodhisattva? Answer: This is simply a rigid interpretation. Drama series in this sense refers to those that […]
DO NOT SEND INAPPROPRIATE EMOJIS Question: Are Buddhist practitioners allowed to send emojis such as people hugging in online chat groups? As we don’t know the gender of the group members, will there be any karmic obstacles for doing so? Answer: Buddhist cultivators should never do such a thing. Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse […]
GREED TRAPS US IN THE WEB OF ENDLESS SUFFERING Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva: Suffering, sickness and vexations of sentient beings are the consequence of causes and conditions planted in their past and present lives. If a person’s soul constantly experiences punishment or imprisonment in hell, though their life has not come to an end, they are already […]
A TRUE STORY OF THE INFALLIBLE WORKING OF THE LAW OF KARMA – THE COW SHE BRUTALLY KILLED IN HER PAST LIFE REINCARNATES AS HER HUSBAND, WHO RUTHLESSLY TORTURES HER IN THIS LIFE Question: Can you verify the authenticity of this anecdote? Here’s how the story goes: I rang my youngest aunt today and from […]
MASTER LU’S PORTRAIT ON THE BUDDHIST ALTAR An Enquiry to Secretariat of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, 12 November 2021 at 22:48 Dear staff, Many Buddhist friends hold such fond memory of the late Master Lu that they don’t want to remove Master Lu’s portrait from the altar. May I seek clarification on the following […]
SETTING UP A BUDDHIST ALTAR IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN OBSERVING FENG SHUI Question: From a metaphysical perspective, I think feng shui holds a great influence on people. Nowadays, there are many different schools of feng shui with varied opinions; perspectives can differ widely on the layout and arrangement of feng shui objects. In light […]
THE IMPORTANCE OF BED FROM THE METAPHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE Question: As most housing units nowadays are generally not spacious, when it comes to interior decoration, multi-functional furniture is preferred. This is because it is both convenient to use and space saving. For example, there is a type of bed that looks like a desk or cupboard […]
THOUGHT THAT IS ELIMINATED WITHIN 5 SECONDS WILL NOT GENERATE KARMIC OBSTACLES Question: Master Lu, you mentioned that our evil and unrighteous thought would not generate karmic obstacles within 5 seconds of its arising if the thought is controlled and suppressed quickly at that moment. Even though it hasn’t formed any negative karma, would the […]
WHEN BEING SCOLDED OR BULLIED, ONE REPAYS HIS KARMIC DEBTS Question: Is it true that being scolded by someone else has the effect of repaying one’s karmic debts? If that’s the case, does it mean that the person being scolded may recite fewer Little Houses? Answer: When a person becomes a victim of scolding or […]
REPENT IMMEDIATELY WHEN NEGATIVE THOUGHTS ARISE Question: Master, you mentioned that when there’s excessive arising of negative thoughts, we should practise repentance within 10 seconds. May I know if we are supposed to pray for the withdrawal of the thought or to empty the thought concerned? Answer: It’s good if you are able to empty […]
REASONS FOR RECURRING DREAM TESTS RELATED TO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND METHOD TO EXERCISE SELF-RESTRAINT Question: There is a Buddhist practitioner who keeps having dreams tests related to sexual misconduct almost every night despite having persistently repented his past immorality in this aspect. He may have passed a dream test but the test keeps evolving and […]
WEAR PROPER ATTIRE WHEN OFFERING INCENSE Question: When offering incense and paying respect to Buddha, is it alright to leave our outer garment unbuttoned or unzipped? Answer: That is improper and disrespectful. How can you leave your clothes unbuttoned when you pay respect to the Buddha? Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse (Question 197), 28 […]
DO NOT GIVE AWAY TROUSERS OR WALLET Question: I have heard that trousers should not be donated because, in the Cantonese dialect, the word ‘trousers’ is pronounced the same way as the word ‘prosperity’. On this ground, it has been recommended that trousers not be given away. Is there such a belief? Answer: Yes, there […]
DO NOT OFFER SUNFLOWERS WITH BLACK DISC FLORETS TO BODHISATTVAS Question: Master, you mentioned that we must not offer sunflowers with black disc florets (centre of the flower head) to Bodhisattvas. Today, I saw a type of sunflower with light green disc floret in the flower market which looked very bright. Can this type of […]
NOT RECOMMENDED TO STERILISE OR KEEP PETS Question: From a Buddhism standpoint, is it wrong to sterilise my pet cat? Answer: We don’t recommend this. Neither do we recommend keeping cats as pets because they have ‘Yin’ (negative) attributes, which can have a negative impact on one’s wealth. Source: Reply from 2OR Secretariat to a […]
WHAT IF GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA PENDANT FALLS ONTO THE FLOOR Question: When changing clothes in my bedroom to get ready for a shower, my Guan Yin Bodhisattva pendant slipped through my fingers as I was removing it, and fell onto the floor. I picked it up immediately and repented to Guan Yin Bodhisattva. The pendant […]
SETTING UP BUDDHIST ALTARS FOR OTHERS WILL ACCUMULATE ENORMOUS MERITS Question: Setting up Buddhist altars for others can accumulate significant meritorious blessings; does it encompass the Giving of Wealth, Dharma and Fearlessness? Answer: If you make monetary contribution towards the costs of the Buddhist altar, it is considered a Giving of Wealth. As Buddhist altars […]
CAN ONE OFFER THE SAME TYPE OF INCENSE BUT WITH DIFFERENT LENGTH? Question: A fellow Buddhist has more time in the morning to perform recitation. Hence, she opts for incense that burns for 60-70 minutes. However, as she finishes work rather late in the evening, she has a relatively shorter time to offer the incense […]
DO NOT MAKE NOTES ON THE BUDDHISM IN PLAIN TERMS BOOK Question: I dreamed that I was holding a foldable card of the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance with a line of wordings written by me in black. I thought to myself, “Master Lu has mentioned before, it is alright to write notes in the Buddhism […]
CHERISH OUR AFFINITIES WITH BUDDHISM AND CULTIVATE DILIGENTLY Master Jun Hong Lu: Time flies and it’s October already. Christmas and New Year are around the corner, I hope that everyone will develop more self-consciousness and be more disciplined, practise Buddhism diligently, and understand that being safe and well is a blessing in itself. Cherish your […]
AVOID LISTENING TO THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS WHILE LYING DOWN Question: It is said that if someone listens to the Buddha’s teachings while lying down, they will reincarnate as a snake in their next life. Is this true? Answer: If one makes it a habit to listen to the Buddha’s teachings while lying down (as this […]
DO NOT USE SEAT CUSHION WITH LOTUS DESIGN Question: Can we use seat cushion with lotus design on chairs? Answer: No. It is not proper to use cushions with lotus design as seat cushions. They can only be used as a prayer cushion, designated for the purpose of prostration. You are not allowed to sit […]
OFFERING OF BOTTLED WATER ON BUDDHIST ALTAR Question: Master has previously stated that if we would like to offer bottled mineral water to Guan Yin Bodhisattva (in addition to the usual offering of the Great Compassion Water in a cup), the bottled water has to be placed on a separate small table in front of […]
DO NOT WEAR SLIPPERS WHEN PROSTRATING TO BUDDHA Question: Master Lu has mentioned before we should not wear slippers when paying respect to Buddha. Is it proper if we wear slippers while offering incense, and remove them later when we prostrate before the Buddha on a praying mat? Or we should refrain from wearing slippers […]
GRAND INCENSE MAY BE OFFERED MANY TIMES IN A DAY Question: How many times a day are we allowed to offer the grand incense? Are we permitted to offer grand incense in the morning, noon, afternoon and at night? Answer: Yes. If you offer grand incense, Bodhisattva and Dharma Protector will be present. If you […]
TOO MUCH HUMILITY IS PRIDE Question: How should we understand the saying, ‘Too much humility is pride’? What kind of situation is considered being overly humble? Answer: Being overly humble is when one has the ability to do something, but he refuses to do so by giving an excuse that, ‘I can’t do it, I […]
RELATIONSHIP OF MERITS AND HINDRANCES Question: Is it true that hindrances will increase in tandem with more merits accrued by a person? Answer: The greater the desire to attain enlightenment, the greater the demonic hindrances will be. The more a person is being respected, the more jealousy will be invited. If you are to become […]
THE JOURNEY TO GUAN YIN HALL COULD HELP TO ELIMINATE KARMIC OBSTACLES Question: Due to work commitment, I am only able to go to the Guan Yin Hall during my off days. Once, when I was racing against time to go to Guan Yin Hall, there was a voice in my head telling me, “You […]
DO NOT COMPARE BETWEEN MERITORIOUS DEEDS Question: Similar to setting up of Buddhist altars for others, performing life liberation also encompasses the three forms of Dana (the practice of giving). What then are the differences in merits accumulated from both deeds? Answer: Do not make such a comparison. With so many Bodhisattvas in heaven, which […]
