THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS Master Jun Hong Lu: The basic doctrine of Buddhism is to show us the way towards liberation from Birth, Ageing, Sickness and Death, by understanding The Four Noble Truths: “Suffering, The Cause of Suffering, The Cessation of Suffering and The Path towards the Cessation of Suffering”. There is a tremendous amount […]
KNOWING WHEN NOT TO ACT, YOU CAN LIVE YOUR TRUE SELF Master Jun Hong Lu: Buddhist practitioners need to understand that all things on earth are unperturbed. As long as the heart stays unchanged, all things will stay put. No matter what, you are still that kind to others, and likewise, others remain as kind […]
THE PURPOSE OF THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS IS TO TRANSFORM ALL WRONG THOUGHTS INTO RIGHT THOUGHTS Master Jun Hong Lu: There are two sides to every coin regardless of one’s point of view and their pursuit of things. You can say that something is good but for the very same thing, you can say it is […]
DO NOT LET YOUR SURROUNDINGS FLUTTER YOUR STATE OF MIND Master Jun Hong Lu: A person needs to have the Buddha nature that is fundamentally pure. As the Buddha often said, “The mind remains unmoved despite external changes”. No matter what changes have taken place around you, your mind remains unperturbed. Don’t let the surroundings […]
THE NOTION OF SELF Master Jun Hong Lu: The “Notion of Self” is when you make yourself a priority where you always go, “This is what I think…” “This is what I believe, etc”. Everything revolves around the word “I”. This is a typical case I often come across when I answer questions from the […]
RIGHT THOUGHT – TO SEE ALL PROBLEMS IN A POSITIVE LIGHT Master Jun Hong Lu: Let me tell all of you, when looking at a problem, we must see it in a positive light, which means we should steer our mind towards the positive. For example, you have a fight with someone today, and you […]
EFFECTIVE METHODS TO OVERCOME OUR SHORTCOMINGS Master Jun Hong Lu: Many people are confused. For example, when others are greedy, they will tend to be greedy; if others are out to harm others, they, too will do the same. In a group of children, if one child is hit by a person, others will secretly […]
ONE SHOULD NEITHER HOLD TO THE WRONG VIEW NOR BE OBSESSED TO THE IDEA OF HOLDING TO THE RIGHT VIEW Master Jun Hong Lu: To unleash your Buddha nature, you should not hold to the wrong views, neither should you be obsessed with the idea that you are holding on to the right view. When […]
APPLY BUDDHISM IN DAILY LIFE Master Jun Hong Lu: The Dharma is hard to come by and the chance to be born a human is rare. Even though we have such a good opportunity to be a human, it is only for a limited time. Those who fail to let go will definitely suffer. Therefore, […]
ERADICATE THE THREE POISONS WITH THE RIGHT VIEW Master Jun Hong Lu: When you allow greed, hatred and ignorance arise in you, you welcome the devil into your heart. These Three Poisons will then continue to reside in your heart. When this happens, you will start to hate everything that you see. “Why is he […]
BREAK THROUGH IGNORANCE AND DELUSION WITH PRAJNA WISDOM Master Jun Hong Lu: I want you to study Buddhism so that you can correct your wrong views and to eliminate your worries and ignorance with the Right View. What does that mean? It means you are to look at situations and things in the right way […]
THE RIGHT VIEW Master Jun Hong Lu: We need to have the Right View to properly see through all the wrong views and thoughts, our vexations and ignorance. To give a simple example, today, you are told your neighbour is spreading a rumour about your family. Upon hearing it, you immediately give rise to the […]
THE THREEFOLD TRAINING OF MORALITY, CONCENTRATION AND WISDOM IS THE KEY TO NON-OUTFLOWS Master Jun Hong Lu: Perfection and non-outflows are tantamount to the cultivation of morality, concentration and wisdom. Only with a mentality that is always perfect, you are able to free yourself from outflows. In other words, when you do not allow any […]
CONTEMPLATE FEELINGS AS SUFFERING Master Jun Hong Lu: Let me tell you about: “To Contemplate our Feelings as Suffering”. We have to constantly contemplate and recognise that our feeling is suffering. For example, you had a lot to eat today. It was all bliss when you were eating. You just wouldn’t want to stop. What’s […]
THE THREE DHARMA SEALS – UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF EMPTINESS Master Jun Hong Lu: “All dharma is devoid of self” means you do not own any of your undertakings in the human realm. You have no idea where you would go ultimately. If not for the name that was given to you at birth, you […]
CONTEMPLATE THE DHARMA AS DEVOID OF SELF Master Jun Hong Lu: Let me tell you about: “To contemplate the dharma as devoid of Self”. The word ‘dharma’ in this context refers to the dharma realm. To “contemplate the dharma as devoid of Self” means we should hold the view that “I do not exist in […]
THE ABILITY TO MANAGE ONE’S TIME IS A FORM OF WEALTH AND WISDOM Master Jun Hong Lu: The ability to manage one’s time is in itself a form of wealth and wisdom. You may not understand this. Don’t you think a person who makes good use of their time reciting Buddhist scriptures and performing good […]
YOU ARE STILL WHO YOU ARE. IT WAS ONLY YOUR PERTURBED MIND Master Jun Hong Lu: All these bickering in this human realm has only to do with one thing, and that is your mind. You feel unhappy today, sad tomorrow, broken-hearted the day after tomorrow and emotionally moved the day after. You are made […]
CONTEMPLATE DEATH Master Jun Hong Lu: To Contemplate Death. This may not sound too pleasant to many people. No one would even entertain negative thoughts like, “Gosh, I am going to die!” as they are deemed to bring bad luck. However, if you are constantly contemplating the impermanence of life, don’t you think you are […]
KNOW THE WORLD THROUGH UNDERSTANDING ONE’S INHERENT NATURE Master Jun Hong Lu: We need to understand the reality of impermanence and recognise that our desires are ever fluctuating. Think about it – did you stick to what you set forth to accomplish? You opt for this today and that the next day; you think this […]
BOUNDLESS MERITORIOUS BLESSINGS COME FROM THE BODHI MIND Master Jun Hong Lu: I hope that everyone understands that, in the course of our Buddhism practice, we must always perform wholesome deeds. When we do so, our worldly blessings will naturally proliferate. Therefore, performing kind deeds is of utmost priority, and it’s important to do so […]
PRACTISE CONTEMPLATION OF IMPURITY AND GENEROSITY TO QUELL GREED Master Jun Hong Lu: First and foremost, to quell greed, you must practise contemplation of impurity as well as generosity. What is contemplation of impurity? “Contemplation of Impurity” is an important method in the Zen tradition. Through contemplating the impurity of all things in this world, […]
ABIDING NOWHERE, THE AWAKENED MIND ARISES Master Jun Hong Lu: “Abiding nowhere, the awakened mind arises”. This verse is cited in the Diamond Sutra and it refers to a state of mind that is equivalent to the Bodhi Mind. When you are not concerned about your self-interests in all of your undertakings; when you have […]
HAVE BUDDHA AND BODHISATTVA CLOSE TO YOUR HEART Master Jun Hong Lu: Be it performing recitation, mind cultivation or Buddhism practice, we should hold Bodhisattvas in reverence. You have to feel that you are physically in front of Buddhas with a constant sense of closeness to Them. If you often feel that you are right […]
DO NOT SEEK THRILLS Master Jun Hong Lu: Humans are not made to experience too much thrills. Each time the body is stimulated, parts of the soul leave the body. When the thrills become too intense for some people, their souls would leave their bodies indefinitely. Although the soul would be able to find its […]
THE THREE FIELDS OF BLESSINGS In Buddhism, there are three types of blessings and collectively, they are termed as the Three Fields of Blessings. The Field of Blessings is capable of generating the conditions for good fortune. The first Field of Blessings comes when you make offerings to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and this […]
DO NOT LET GREED CONTROL YOU Master Jun Hong Lu: As humans, we are filled with greed for pleasures our entire life – wanting this today, and that tomorrow; desiring this today and that the next. Essentially, this is the damage that we inflict on our minds every single day. Therefore, no matter what it […]
CONTEMPLATE THE THOUGHTS AS IMPERMANENT; CONTEMPLATE THE BODY AS IMPURE Master Jun Hong Lu: Bodhisattva urges us to contemplate our thoughts as impermanent. Many of our shortcomings are centered in our bodies. Hence, Bodhisattva wants us to know that our bodies are impure and our minds are always in a state of flux, that is, […]
QUIT GRASPING; BE FREE FROM DESIRES Master Jun Hong Lu: The human realm has always been a place that taints our inherent nature; a realm where all the contamination takes place that causes our innate nature to be clouded. It is not that our Buddha nature is lost. In fact, its presence can be likened […]
STAY ROOTED TO THE REALITIES OF THIS WORLD Master Jun Hong Lu: If you detach yourself from the realities of life in search of the dharma, you are in reality setting yourself farther apart from the dharma. This is because ‘The Path’ is in one’s heart. Many people like to say this: “I must find […]
