Today, I’d like to discuss two ideas: ‘wealth adorning the home’ and ‘virtue nourishing the body’. While wealth may grant our homes grandeur, it can’t guarantee health. This is what I mean by ‘wealth adorning the home.’ Indeed, it’s only through virtue that a person can achieve physical and mental wellness, which is referred to as ‘virtue nourishing the body.’ Therefore, we should strive for virtue over wealth.
Living in this world can be compared to two ships sailing aimlessly on an ocean, one named Fame, the other Fortune. Just like these vessels, people often find themselves lost in a sea of suffering, consumed by the pursuit of fame and wealth. As the saying goes, ‘birds die for food, and humans perish for wealth.’ While many may agree with this sentiment. In reality, it’s a complete misunderstanding. Indeed, two kinds of desires exist in this world: one for fame, the other for wealth. These pursuits may appear reasonable and logical, but they can also surpass reason and logic. In the former case, seeking fame and wealth seems reasonable; in the latter case, when a person reaches a higher level of understanding, these pursuits diminish to the insignificance of dust. At such a level, neither fame nor wealth matters; your soul becomes your most precious possession.
Now, I want to delve into the concept of ‘Dharma Joy.’ Dharma Joy pertains to both the body and the mind. On a mental level, it involves reaching specific states that surpass ordinary joy. Ordinary joy is fleeting, like the laughter triggered by a joke, not the kind of joy that comes from deep within the heart. Genuine Dharma Joy requires the unblocking of the body’s energy channels. For example, when someone shares a dignified joke, your energy is lifted. To truly unblock these energy channels, you need to concentrate on the channels in your head. The energy channels above your chest are referred to as the upper channels, while those below your chest are the lower channels. As I said before, when a person dies, the last body part to cool decides their destination. If the head cools last, they ascend to Heaven; if the chest cools last, they are reborn as humans; if the lower body cools last, they reincarnate as animals; if the feet cool last, they descend to Hell. This phenomenon is observable in the human body. I instructed you to focus on unblocking the upper channels, as Dharma Joy stems from these channels and emerges from a specific state of cultivation. When a person achieves this state, their speech reflects Dharma Joy. For instance, if someone joyfully tells you, ‘Thanks to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, my child has recovered from illness,’ this deep joy is Dharma Joy. Only those who practise Buddhism can experience Dharma Joy; without it, they won’t find fulfillment. If one doesn’t adopt the right mindset to unblock the upper energy channels, it can’t be considered Dharma Joy.
Dharma Joy has its distinct pace and rhythm; its breath is slow. When a person imbued with Dharma Joy speaks, wisdom radiates from them, their breath is steady, and their energy flow is smooth. Once the energy channels are unblocked, Dharma Joy manifests as Dharma Bliss and the Taste of Dharma. Dharma Joy is synonymous with Dharma Bliss, which equates to the Taste of Dharma. ‘Taste’ refers to the residual joy that lingers in your heart upon reflection. The best way to cultivate this is to let it flow freely; only then will Dharma Joy fully manifest.
To expand on the concept of Dharma Joy, when this joy courses through the meridians of your body, it elicits a sensation of happiness, known as Dharma Bliss. Dharma Bliss mirrors Dharma Joy – it’s a blend of happiness and pleasure. It’s an intangible joy, an unseen happiness. For instance, if tomorrow is a holiday, there’s a form of invisible joy, a delight because you can rest. This subtle joy brings you happiness in your interactions with others. This profound, internal and invisible happiness permeates your being, opens your meridians, and allows you to experience an unparalleled joy you’ve never felt before. This indescribable and incomparable joy is imbued with wisdom.
The taste sensation we experience when eating is referred to as flavour, and what our eyes perceive is termed visual appeal. Both are forms of Dharma Bliss. Eating vegetarian food can bring immense joy as it doesn’t involve killing, and being all-natural, it imparts a sense of Dharma Bliss. If our eyes focus on virtuous people and avoid offensive things, such sight, which only perceives proper things, brings visual appeal. This is another form of Dharma Bliss. Conditioning our eyes to see only proper things helps our minds cultivate proper thoughts. Conversely, frequent exposure to improper things can cultivate improper thoughts or ill intentions. I explain Buddha’s teachings in plain terms, speaking directly to your hearts to clarify the concept of Dharma Joy. Once understood, you’ll immediately be filled with Dharma Joy.
When the meridians are unblocked, a continuous, subtle joy emerges, but it’s important not to become attached to this joy. Even after experiencing Dharma Joy, avoid clinging to it, as this attachment can lead to delusion and derail your Buddhist practice. For example, if someone says: “I have learned Buddhism; I used to be this or that,” such a person becomes attached to their learnings, which then consume their entire soul and body. How can they then absorb new insights? Attachment can lead to deviation in practice. Clinging to this kind of joy, which is merely an illusion appearing after a minor attainment of concentration, can cause a sudden, misguided awakening. For example, if one starts to believe that reciting sutras could secure them a good job, they might also think that reciting the Cundi Dharani could help them win the lottery. This is a deviation after minor concentration. The person becomes attached, and their direction and purpose veer off course. Can they win the lottery this way? Such an illusion isn’t real; it will fade quickly as it’s neither permanent nor lasting. In the Zen (Chan) School, this transient state is referred to as the ‘first absorption.’ The first absorption occurs when one begins to experience illusions after meditation, such as seeing Bodhisattvas or other spiritual entities.
There are four methods of reciting the Buddha’s name:
1. Holding the name: One should invoke the name of the Buddha before reciting, as in “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva bless me with this and that.”
2. Observing the image: Recite Buddhist scriptures while gazing at an image of Guan Yin Bodhisattva to purify the mind.
3. Visualisation: Visualise Guan Yin Bodhisattva in your mind. However, visualisation is challenging, and beginners in Buddhism and recitation can easily deviate and stray into demonic paths if not careful.
4. Ultimate reality: This refers to what you genuinely perceive. In other words, you don’t allow other thoughts to intrude – what you see is what it is, and you remain thought-free. The meaning of “ultimate reality” is natural; it doesn’t affect your heart. Avoid forcing thoughts like “I want to see Guan Yin Bodhisattva.” Cultivate your mind by way of ultimate reality. As long as you persist in reciting sutras, in the end, you will see the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva will appear before your eyes, not because you wish to see them, but even when you don’t wish to, you will.
The principle of ultimate reality is both subtle and wondrous. It suggests that your mind shapes the reality that you perceive: the moment you conceptualise something in your mind, it transforms into that thing accordingly. This is known as the wondrous mark, which then becomes the wondrous principle, also referred to as the wondrous principle of ultimate reality. I often speak of offering the ‘heart incense,’ which exemplifies this wondrous principle of ultimate reality. If you face the sky thinking of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas whom you pray to at home, and bow to them, an image of these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will manifest in the sky. This envisioned image is the wondrous mark. When you witness this mark personally, it’s referred to as the personal realisation of ultimate reality.
Lastly, I want to remind everyone that false speech is at the root of all evil deeds. When a person starts to commit wrongdoings, they often begin with lying. False speech lays the foundation for your misdeeds and negative karma. When someone transgresses, their first instinct is typically to engage in false speech or lies.
So, how can we eliminate distracting thoughts? One method to dispel these thoughts is to partially close your eyes, akin to the moments just before deep sleep, when your mind is void of recollection and empty. This technique can help remove distracting thoughts. However, this state should not persist for too long. Therefore, use this method of partially closing your eyes while reciting sutras to help dissolve these distractions.
