I’d like to remind everyone that a person shouldn’t endure excessive stress or stimulation. Each time you experience stress, your spirit slightly departs from your body. When the stress becomes too intense, your spirit can leave completely. Though the spirit can return, it’s a slow process. For example, under anaesthesia, one feels numb and loses consciousness. Upon waking up, one’s cognitive abilities are impaired, thinking becomes sluggish, and reactions less agile. This is due to the impact of the anaesthesia. Therefore, people shouldn’t expose themselves to too much stress. Even the most intelligent individuals can experience delayed reactions after repeated stressful situations. It’s essential to avoid stress in life. How can we achieve that? It’s straightforward: avoid greed, anger, and ignorance. The solution always revolves around these principles, yet we grapple to resolve or eradicate these afflictions.
You need to learn not to become greedy when others are better off, and not to harbour resentment when others treat you poorly. Continually consider others and their well-being, practise giving, and learn to let go. Once you’ve let go of everything, you will depart from this world at ease.
When a person experiences stress, it morphs into thoughts, which then transform into karmic forces. For instance, some people often think: “Why is he treating me this way? Why isn’t he treating me well?” This leads to resentment— “I resent him.” When such hateful thoughts arise, they generate karmic forces. At this point, karmic obstructions come rushing in like a tide, with feelings of self-loathing, such as “I despise myself”, “I don’t want to live”, or “I might as well die”, and so on. At that moment, those people will be swamped by this tidal wave of karmic obstructions. Hence, one must learn to control oneself, utilise Buddhist teachings to resolve their afflictions and eliminate greed, anger, and ignorance.
It’s not a problem if a person chooses not to make a vow; however, once a vow is made, they’ll be observed by beings in both the Human Realm and the Underworld. It’s fine if you’ve made no vow; but once you vow to Bodhisattvas, for instance, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, I wish to do such and such,” all beings, including those in the Underworld and the Human Realm, will seek you out. Therefore, one must be mindful of their words and avoid making vows thoughtlessly. Many people face retribution when they make careless vows as they’ve done something wrong. This holds true in both the Underworld and the Human Realm.
Next, I’ll discuss cultivating the mind and making offerings. The Buddha and Bodhisattvas emphasise the importance of understanding the act of making offerings. Making offerings to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, such as prostrating, offering water, fruits, etc., are all considered acts of making offerings. Serving your parents is also an act of offering because they are future Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
It’s crucial to understand the rules when cultivating the mind and making offerings—that is, to grasp the teachings of the Buddha.
Firstly, the cultivation of making offerings. This means using your own actions and words to make offerings to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. If you cultivate yourself well and act like Bodhisattvas, you are making offerings to the Bodhisattvas. When others observe that you’re as virtuous as a Bodhisattva, this in itself is an act of making offerings to the Bodhisattvas through your actions.
Secondly, making offerings by benefiting sentient beings. This involves helping others. As every individual possesses Buddha-nature, by treating everyone kindly, aren’t you making offerings by benefiting all sentient beings?
Thirdly, making offerings by taking in sentient beings. This involves bearing the pains and troubles of others, shouldering all the adverse conditions, and suffering on behalf of all beings. To awaken and liberate sentient beings, we must employ skilful and expedient means, adapting to the foundation of sentient beings for their transformation. We must endure humiliation through forbearance; we counteract laziness through great diligence, curbing our own indolence; and by employing wisdom, we resist ignorance.
Fourthly, making offerings by enduring suffering on behalf of sentient beings. This means accepting others’ suffering as our own. For example, when disaster strikes, our involvement in rescue and relief efforts will undoubtedly cause us considerable distress, which we bear on behalf of all beings. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, in their mission to awaken and liberate sentient beings, willingly endure eons of suffering on their behalf. Isn’t our current cultivation just like the offering of enduring suffering for sentient beings?
Fifthly, making offerings by diligently cultivating one’s wholesome roots. This involves daily self-reflection on your inherent nature and conscience. Recognise that you’re inherently kind, always ready to help others, and essentially a good person. This essentially means consistently performing good deeds; this is called making offerings by diligently cultivating one’s wholesome roots.
Sixthly, making offerings by not forsaking the deeds of a Bodhisattva. This means never straying from the deeds, the karmic fruits, and the path of the Bodhisattva. To follow in the footsteps of the Bodhisattva and diligently cultivate the mind and practise Buddhism is also considered making offerings.
Seventhly, making offerings by never abandoning the Bodhi mind. This essentially means making offerings through a compassionate heart. When praying to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, or while making offerings of water or fruit, one must never detach from the Bodhi mind. Being a Bodhisattva, you shouldn’t depart from the Bodhi mind. This, too, is considered an offering and it is one of immeasurable merit and virtue.
Eighthly, emulating the Bodhisattva’s practice of the offering of Dharma. In the Human Realm, Bodhisattvas offer the Dharma, providing teachings and protection to us. Today, Guan Yin Bodhisattva uses these beneficial Dharma doors to instruct and assist you through me. So what I’m doing now is referred to as the offering of Dharma. Helping you grasp the principles of the Dharma, urging you to recite sutras thus bringing wellbeing to your families, isn’t this offering of the Dharma? If you learn to practise the offering of Dharma like a Bodhisattva, what you receive is the merit of making offerings to the Tathagata. The Tathagata (one who has thus come), though seemingly not come, is inherently there, just as what’s inherently present in your mind is your innate nature. Remember, making offerings to the Tathagata requires the practice of Dharma offering.
Lastly, I’d like to remind you all to cultivate compassion, strictly follow the Buddha’s teachings to cultivate your mind, and work towards uncovering your true suchness, the inherent nature.