DO NOT HOLD GRUDGES, LETTING GO IS THE ONLY WAY Question: Master Lu, you mentioned before that if we hate someone, we will bear the karmic obstacles of the person we hate, and the said party will take away a portion of our merits and virtues. Can you enlighten us on this? Answer: When you […]
WHEN YOU REPENT AND FEEL REMORSEFUL, WISDOM WILL ARISE Master Jun Hong Lu: The Buddha’s teachings tell us, if you are able to frequently repent and feel ashamed of your wrongdoings, you will definitely be able to make progress on this path of spiritual cultivation. This allows you to attain the perfection of diligence as […]
REPENTANCE IS FUNDAMENTAL TO BUDDHIST PRACTITIONERS Master Jun Hong Lu: Be it the Buddha or the Bodhisattvas, all of Them have a common understanding that is, ‘If an evil deed manifests into essence and form, it will not be tolerated by the vast realm of space’ (“若此恶业有体相者，尽虚空界不能容受”). For example, you scold a person so viciously […]
LET GO OF THE PAST AND THE ENTANGLEMENTS Master Jun Hong Lu: Letting go is when you stop reminiscing about the past; disentangle yourself from the memory of those who have left you; stop blaming yourself for things you failed to accomplish and stop thinking about things you couldn’t attain. When you let go, you […]
WHEN YOU HELP OTHERS, YOU GAIN INFINITE WISDOM Master Jun Hong Lu: You need to understand that when you help others, you are the one who is benefitting. Did you know how much you gain when you help others? You gain infinite wisdom! This is how it is – when you reach out to others, […]
HAVING NO MEANS TO HELP BUT REJOICING IN OTHERS’ GOOD DEEDS IS THE CULTIVATION OF SYMPATHETIC JOY Master Jun Hong Lu: I have mentioned before, do not badmouth others, because if you do, you are very far from resembling Bodhisattva. In this case, how can you possibly ascend to heaven? Think about it, is there […]
IT IS THE HEART THAT MAKES THE BUDDHA, THE HEART IS THE BUDDHA Master Jun Hong Lu: If you want to become a Buddha, visualise the Buddha’s image, recollect the Buddha’s virtues, and recite the sacred name of the Buddha. When you do these, there and then you are a Buddha. Many people ask me, […]
WHEN YOU RESPECT OTHERS, YOU DIGNIFY YOURSELF Master Jun Hong Lu: When we respect others, we are in fact dignifying ourselves. The fact that we are worthy of honour, respect for others naturally arises. Sometimes, the truth of life lies in those mundane and tranquil moments. When we are going through the humdrums of everyday […]
DO NOT TAKE YOUR WRONGDOINGS LIGHTLY! Master Jun Hong Lu: If you have an opinion about everything in life, do you think it is possible for you to eliminate your karmic obstacles? Take for instance, someone highlights your shortcomings today and specifically raises an issue about your temperament. If you have yet to realise your […]
FORGIVING OTHERS IS THE BEGINNING OF DEVELOPING COMPASSION Master Jun Hong Lu: To transcend an ordinary person into a sage is to transform ourselves into sages. An ordinary person will have endless worries and insatiable desires. It is a well-known fact that Confucius from China is a sage who taught Chinese Culture. The main characteristic […]
WE MUST HAVE THE IMPETUS TO MEND OUR WAYS Master Jun Hong Lu: If you are oblivious to the gravity of the eventual consequences when you sow the seeds of karma, you are literally living a life of ignorance. For this reason, you will not be able to recognise your spiritual roots and there is […]
LISTEN LESS, SEE LESS, THINK LESS Master Jun Hong Lu: Humans have far too many failings. First of all, they struggle to recollect things that they want to remember and yet, they can’t shake their mind off things that they do not want to recall. Herein lies the problem, the moment something gets stored in […]
WISDOM IS WHEN YOU SEE THROUGH THE EMPTINESS OF THE UNIVERSE Master Jun Hong Lu: When you see through the emptiness of the universe, you are actually in possession of the wisdom and virtue. Therefore, those who can see through the reality of things are in possession of wisdom. You must understand that to become […]
TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN; YOU CAN ONLY DEPEND ON YOURSELF Master Jun Hong Lu: You still have a long way to go. If you are not diligent, you will only have yourself to blame when you suffer in the future. I have talked to you for so many years, how many more […]
BUDDHA-DHARMA IS TO LIBERATE SUFFERING IN THE HUMAN REALM Master Jun Hong Lu: In learning Buddhism, we should treat people with a sense of equanimity. What is equanimity? It is to see everyone as equal and we do things fairly. Equanimity is equivalent to the Four Boundless States: loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity. Equanimity […]
THE FOUR BOUNDLESS STATES Master Jun Hong Lu: We always think that mind cultivation is difficult. In fact, it can be very simple too, that is, by practising the Four Boundless States of loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity. You have to control yourself well with the Four Boundless States. You have to be kind […]
DESIRE IS THE ROOT OF ALL SUFFERING Master Jun Hong Lu: The Buddha once said that human life is fraught with suffering, but do you know the root cause of human suffering? The Buddha says, “Desire is the root of all suffering”. Where is suffering if there is no desire? On that note, covetousness is […]
WHAT IS RIGHT LIVELIHOOD? Question: May I know what is Right Livelihood? Master Jun Hong Lu: Right Livelihood is about being an upright person in this world. You are someone who accords with conditions, you go where your fate and destiny lead you and never go against them. If you insist on going against what […]
FREE FROM GREED IS WHEN ONE IS NOT COVETOUS OF SMALL GAINS Master Jun Hong Lu: To be free from greed is when we are not covetous of small gains. We get what we deserve in life. Predestined affinity will grant us what is rightfully ours while insisting on having something that is not meant […]
THE POWER OF CONCENTRATION Master Jun Hong Lu: What is the power of concentration? When one encounters difficulties, one must be able to stay composed, keep to the moral precepts and be steady. Nowadays, there are many people, when something unforeseen happens to them or their family, they become distraught. How does the Power of […]
THE ELIMINATION OF KARMIC OBSTACLES IS THE PREREQUISITE TO RETURN TO BUDDHA LAND Master Jun Hong Lu: Many people recite the sacred name of Amitabha Buddha in hopes of ascending to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. They think by persevering with the recitation till the day of their demise, they will ascend to […]
A RIGHTEOUS PERSON WILL ALWAYS BE BLESSED WITH WISDOM AND MERITS Master Jun Hong Lu: A constant presence of right mindfulness will enable us to increase our wisdom and merits on this Bodhi path. As long as a person is righteous, not only would he always be blessed with wisdom and merits along the path […]
REIGN OVER THE TWO DEMONS IN OUR LIVES Master Jun Hong Lu: When a person goes into a frenzy, even the Buddha is not able to save him, as he is already in a very different spiritual state. He has lost the right mindfulness and faith. This is when the devil can possess him. This […]
THE FOUR BOUNDLESS STATES Master Jun Hong Lu: In Buddhism, loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity are known as the Four Boundless States. To constantly think about the suffering of others is known as loving-kindness. Compassion is to feel the suffering of others. To give others strength and help them with a joyful heart is […]
THE RIGHT CONCENTRATION Master Jun Hong Lu: “Right Concentration” means to have proper control of one’s mental state and not to be affected by the worldly fame and fortune that cause confusion and derangement in us. This is when you have the right concentration. A truly composed person is able to control his own concentration […]
THE RIGHT EFFORT Master Jun Hong Lu: The word “right” within “Right Effort” means, everything is done right. “Effort” here means putting in the hard work. For Buddhist practitioners, it means promoting righteousness, recognising what’s evil, concentrating on cultivating the mind, being single-minded in our practice and being bold in our ascend to the Four […]
THE RIGHT LIVELIHOOD Master Jun Hong Lu: To have the Right Livelihood, is about adopting the right method to extend one’s life, standing righteous in the vastness between heaven and earth, instead of scheming against others, harming or getting jealous of others. Strive to be an unadulterated person, a person with morality and a person […]
KARMIC OBSTACLES STEM FROM YOUR MEMORY Master Jun Hong Lu: As a matter of fact, karmic obstacles stem from your memory. When a specific unhappy incident dwells in your mind, resentment, apprehension and vexation will arise and from which, karmic obstacles will be formed. To remove karmic obstacles, don’t you think you should erase from […]
THE ACCUMULATION OF BAD SEEDS SOWN Master Jun Hong Lu: Sentient beings do not know the existence of the law of cause and effect, hence they commit evil deeds day in, day out. When you yell at others, speak ill of others, mistreat others or roll your eyes – all these create negative karma that […]
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH Master Jun Hong Lu: The Noble Eightfold Path is to prevent us from doing the wrong thing and creating karma in the many aspects of our undertakings including our career. Based on the law of cause and effect, when a negative cause is planted, it will give rise to undesirable consequences. […]
