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? It’s precisely the opposite, because only in this way can you save unlimited fathers and mothers out there. Don’t tell me we should not help those parents, who are unrelated to us, and only care about our own? Herein lies the difference between universal and ordinary love.
During His time, the Buddha totally had the choice to remain as the prince with innumerable concubines at His disposal. He could have immersed Himself in all the worldly pleasures, but He chose a different path in order to help us find the way to liberation. Don’t you think his parents and wife would have agonised over His decision? Think about it, aren’t we now so blessed because of Him? Imagine the number of sentient beings who are able to abandon suffering and gain happiness because of Him.
If it had not been our revered Shakyamuni Buddha, would we have had the privilege to be seated here today to learn the dharma? Would Buddhism even have existed in the human realm?
You must know how to safeguard the heart of compassion in you, and let go of your selfish love. It is perfectly fine to help our own parents, but we must do even more for all the parents in this world.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse, Guan Yin Hall, Sydney, Australia, 14 July 2018