SUCCESS COMES TO THOSE WHO ENDURE HARDSHIPS Master Jun Hong Lu: Once, up in a mountain, there were two identical-looking stones which experienced very different endings after a few years. One of them was carved into a Buddha statue and was regarded with veneration by many; while the other was made into a stone step […]
FOLLOW-UP EFFORT ON NEW BUDDHIST FRIENDS SHOULD ONLY BE DONE BY BUDDHIST PRACTITIONERS OF THE SAME GENDER Question: Hi Master, you have long emphasised that we should not propagate Buddhism to the opposite gender. In the course of my work, I tend to have more interactions with men. As and when I cross paths with […]
LESSONS FROM TWO BUSINESS MINDS: TURNING WEAKNESSES INTO STRENGTHS Master Jun Hong Lu: Two bosses were eagerly exchanging insights about managing their businesses when they met. One of them grumbled, “I simply can’t tolerate incompetent employees. I currently have three such useless individuals in my company, and I’m planning to fire them in a few […]
WHEN INTRODUCING BUDDHISM TO OTHERS, SINCERITY IS KEY Caller: Master, in the effort to propagate Buddhism to others, some fellow practitioners may not have the skill to do so. I was just wondering whether it’s alright to compile a guide that can help one’s sharing to be more focused. Just like in speech delivery, we […]
WHEN YOU LOVE SENTIENT BEINGS AS GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA WOULD, IT WILL NEVER GO UNNOTICED Master Jun Hong Lu: During the era of Northern Zhou dynasty, there was a monk named Shi Chan who lived in the capital city. He was a monk with high moral standing and supernatural powers. One afternoon, out of the […]
WHERE WEEDS ARE OVERGROWN, NO FRUIT GROWS Master Jun Hong Lu: Fourth question. Don’t get too anxious. So brilliant are the words of Bodhisattva. My question to Guan Yin Bodhisattva was, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, while many people are able to accrue meritorious blessings, there are others who, despite having performed many good deeds, don’t seem […]
MYRIADS OF ILLNESSES STEM FROM A MIND THAT IS DEFILED Master Jun Hong Lu: Second question: I said to Bodhisattva, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, nowadays people are plagued with illnesses, and what’s more, many of these illnesses are medically unknown. As I go about helping sentient beings daily, the stack of phone recordings is filled with […]
EMULATE THE GREAT WISDOM AND COMPASSION AS WELL AS THE GREAT VOW AND STRENGTH OF GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA Master Jun Hong Lu: Guan Yin Bodhisattva practises the Buddha Way, where great compassion is the focus of the practice, purity and peace are at its heart’s core, and all Buddhas are held in high esteem. A […]
A TIP FROM A SENIOR MONK ON PRACTISING SELF-RESTRAINT Master Jun Hong Lu: There is no such thing as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in the human realm, only the law of causality prevails. Let me impart a method on practising self-restraint passed down by a senior monk: If he slanders me, I must tolerate him; If […]
PATIENCE UNDER HUMILIATION: BEING IMPATIENT WILL ONLY UNDERMINE YOUR WISDOM Master Jun Hong Lu: Joe Louis, a well-known American boxing champion, reigned as the world’s heavyweight champion, having defeated numerous boxing experts. Completely unlike his tough-looking appearance in the boxing ring, as a person, Louis had a humble and friendly demeanour. Once, he and his […]
THE GOLDEN PRACTICE TO AVOID NEGATIVE TIES Master Jun Hong Lu: Interpersonal relationships are inevitable as long as we live in this world. Although self-discipline may help spare us from establishing negative karmic affinities with others, we cannot expect the same from the people around us. When others engender negative karmic affinities with us, that […]
TRANSITION FROM EXTERNAL TO INTERNAL FORBEARANCE Caller: At the early stages of cultivating forbearance, we are mostly forbearing on the “outside” as the ability to forbear has yet to be internalised. As such, we may still feel unhappy and unwilling to endure the humiliation when conflict arises. Should we be natural and let our unhappiness […]
COMPASSION IS THE GOLDEN KEY THAT UNLOCKS ALL ‘DOORS’ Master Jun Hong Lu: The act of giving can quell greed, hatred and ignorance. This is one method of cultivation through physical action. At the spiritual level, one must cultivate compassion, as it is the golden key that unlocks the rest of the ‘doors’. Whenever you […]
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “TOLERANCE” AND “COWARDICE” Caller: What is the difference between tolerance and cowardice? Master Jun Hong Lu: Cowardice means the person has no psychological endurance. This person is afraid of everything and dares not stand up against others. Such a person is faint-hearted, not having the unyielding willpower nor determination. Hence, they fear […]
ANALYSIS OF THE CHINESE CHARACTER 忍 (FORBEARANCE) Master Jun Hong Lu: In Chinese, the word “Forbearance 忍” has the character of a “knife (刀)” on top. This “knife” represents worries that are able to cut through our heart each time we let our heart be troubled. Hence, it is important to always bring ourselves to […]
THE MEANING OF REPENTANCE Master Jun Hong Lu: Let me explain the two components of the word ‘repentance’ (忏悔). 忏 (chàn): to express our penitence for all our past misdeeds, which are effectively the causes of our karma; 悔 (huǐ): to be remorseful and regretful for these misdeeds, which resulted in the karmic consequences that […]
LET THE PRECEPTS BE YOUR FOUNDATION Master Jun Hong Lu: When the Buddha was about to enter nirvana, kneeling beside Him, His grief-stricken disciples implored, “Buddha, when you enter nirvana, what shall we do?” The Buddha replied, “Let the precepts be your foundation”. This goes to show that the observance of the precepts is a […]
THE PRACTICE OF MORALITY Master Jun Hong Lu: To observe the precepts is to maintain the purity of one’s body, speech and mind. To maintain such purity, we need to speak less and upkeep a body, speech and mind that is pure. A woman of few words has a dignified appearance; The same is true […]
WHAT YOU GIVE IS WHAT YOU GET Master Jun Hong Lu: Once, there lived two brothers. One of them focused on reciting Buddhist scriptures and he did it diligently, but he never performed any kind deeds nor practised the perfection of giving to cultivate good fortune. The other brother, on the other hand, was fond […]
WHAT IS THE OTHER SHORE? Master Jun Hong Lu: What is the other shore? It is the other side of a pure and untainted world. From the perspective of Mahayana Buddhism, “the other shore” means to be awakened to the truth where there is purity of mind and when one discovers an eternal balanced spiritual […]
THE SIX PARAMITAS – THE SIX CODES OF CONDUCT Master Jun Hong Lu: Let me explain what the “Six Paramitas” are. If you aspire to be a Tathagata, Bodhisattva, or attain nirvana, the six paramitas are what you ought to practise. The same goes with all of the Bodhisattvas who aspire to become Buddhas. What […]
THE SIX PARAMITAS – SIX METHODS TO BECOME A BODHISATTVA Master Jun Hong Lu: All of you know about the practice of giving. All of you also know that you should practise morality – you should not tell lies. How would you feel when your child lied to you? You felt sad, didn’t you? This […]
THE SIX PARAMITAS Master Jun Hong Lu: Please remember, how do you make it to heaven? Those who manage to make their way up cultivate the Ten Good Deeds. Separately, there are six other methods to liberate oneself from the cycle of rebirth. As long as you can specialise in one of these six methods, […]
TO PROPAGATE THE DHARMA WELL, STUDY BUDDHISM IN PLAIN TERMS DILIGENTLY Master Jun Hong Lu: If you aspire to propagate the dharma, it is essential to diligently study Master’s Buddhism in Plain Terms. By thoroughly comprehending each chapter, or even memorising it, you will be able to engage in fluent discussions with those you share […]
EMBRACE THE FLOW OF LIFE Master Jun Hong Lu: When giving advice to others to cultivate their mind, it’s important not to reprimand them. This is because the reflection of human wisdom is not limited to a specific aspect. In this world, not every seed can grow into a mighty tree, not every flower can […]
RECLUSIVE RETREATS HELPS CLEAR ONE’S MIND AND GAIN MENTAL STRENGTH Master Jun Hong Lu: Our minds must always be pure, and in our daily lives, we should frequently undertake brief reclusive retreats. These reclusive retreats help clear and free our mind from all thoughts. By detaching ourselves from worldly matters and dedicating time to recitations […]
ONLY A TRULY GENUINE PERSON IS ABLE TO TOUCH OTHERS DEEPLY Master Jun Hong Lu: Why are the monastics able to preach by example? They instill a sense of dignity in others. Wherever they go, people around them would lower their volume and behave in a dignified manner. In the presence of the monastics, people […]
DIRE CONSEQUENCES AWAIT THOSE WHO SLANDER A DHARMA DOOR THAT IS CAPABLE OF ENLIGHTENING SENTIENT BEINGS Those who have yet to realise the path of the Bodhisattva or have yet to be enlightened, if they were to slander any dharma doors that have helped enlighten others, innumerable karmic calamities will befall them, besides having to […]
A GREAT PERSON IS ONE WHO HAS A BIG HEART Master Jun Hong Lu: Buddhist practitioners should understand that regardless of whom you are troubled by, they should be regarded as a person who toughens your self-cultivation and elevates your state of mind. No matter what others say about you or how they insult you, […]
ALWAYS LEAVE ROOM FOR MANOEUVRE IN OUR INTERACTION WITH PEOPLE Master Jun Hong Lu: Anish Kapoor, a contemporary British sculptor, became famous overnight with his sculpture “Descent into Limbo”. One day, a reporter from the famous British newspaper The Sunday Times interviewed him. The reporter, who was a sculpture amateur, was eager to find out […]