Last time, I spoke about the concept of “the three unattainable minds.” You must learn to let go of anger and resentment because, when you give in to anger, your true inherent nature leaves your heart. Those who are frequently angry drive away their true inherent nature, leaving behind only a heart filled with hatred. Anger can lead to great misfortune, so it’s essential to abandon afflictions. Those who truly cultivate their minds must learn to discard afflictions. As the saying goes, “Afflictions are Bodhi.” From another perspective, while afflictions may seem troublesome and burdensome, they arise from karmic obstacles. Yet, it is precisely through these obstacles that we can transform afflictions into wisdom. With wisdom, we bring forth Bodhi.
Today, I want to share this with you: the mind exists within nature. If you were to ask someone, “Where is the mind?” they might say, “The mind is within the body.” But in truth, the mind is within nature. It is through nature that your mind is revealed. Here’s a simple example: imagine you see someone’s house on fire. Perhaps you’ve had karmic conflicts with this person in the past, and you think, “They deserve this; it’s karma, and they had it coming.” By planting such seeds of thought, you are creating causes that will inevitably bear fruit in the future. If someone has wronged you in the past and is now suffering, their karma is already manifesting. As Buddhists, we should respond with compassion and forgiveness.
Think about this: if your father had been imprisoned in the past, would you carry that shame for your entire life? People must act with conscience. If we feel sorrow for a dog that’s been hit by a car, how much more compassion should we have for another human being? Anyone who commits a crime will face retribution. As Buddhists, we must view others with sympathy and compassion, not with hatred. Hatred will only bring you pain. Imagine a father makes a mistake—why should we hold resentment toward his child? We all share this Earth, so we must learn to embrace universal love. As Buddhists, we must embody kindness and compassion. If someone’s house is destroyed today, who’s to say it won’t be yours tomorrow? If your neighbour’s home floods today, can you guarantee that yours won’t flood one day? This is why we must cultivate compassion. Have you ever wondered why Bodhisattvas weep before great disasters? It is because such calamities are the result of collective karma. So many people have committed harmful deeds that even the Bodhisattvas cannot change the outcome. Do you see now how pitiful this is?
When a tsunami strikes and takes the lives of tens of thousands on an island, doesn’t it make you realise how fragile and vulnerable human life is? Your mind reveals itself through natural responses—when you see others suffering, your inherent nature should emerge. But if you say, “They deserved it; it’s their karma,” you are not a good Buddhist practitioner. You are certainly not embodying the spirit of a Bodhisattva. Instead, you are someone who has not yet cultivated enough. If you remain immersed in hatred, your spiritual state will be trapped in worldly resentment. In your next life, you will still be caught in the cycle of rebirth in the six realms of existence. And if your hatred is too intense, you might even be reborn as an animal. Therefore, one must not harbour excessive anger or hatred in their heart.
When someone is doing well, how does the mind react? And when someone is struggling, how does the mind react? Does it feel schadenfreude, or does it respond with sympathy? When others are thriving, do you feel gratitude and thank Guan Yin Bodhisattva, or do you think, “Why are they doing well while I am not?”
The mind exists within nature. A mind that arises naturally reflects your inherent nature. But if your mind does not arise naturally, it becomes distorted. A distorted mind is no longer your true mind—it is not your natural mind. For example, a person who has never considered killing might change after a loved one is killed. They may seek revenge and learn to kill. In this case, their mind has become twisted. Similarly, when parents harbour discord, their children grow up surrounded by hatred and unhappiness. The same principle applies—the hatred a child feels often stems from the harmful influence of their elders. Even if the immediate elders are not the direct source, it may trace back to previous generations, leaving a lasting imprint on the child. From a metaphysical perspective, karmic retribution often spans three generations, which is why the saying goes, “Wealth does not last beyond three generations.” Poverty, however, can persist indefinitely, creating a vicious cycle. Why? Because those who are poor often do not cultivate their minds or perform good deeds. They remain trapped in greed, anger, ignorance and pride, leading to rebirth into poverty in the next life, perpetuating the cycle of suffering.
It’s crucial for Buddhist practitioners to cultivate their natural, inherent essence. What is this essence? It is the natural expression of your true nature. Think about it: how many people can truly forgive others? A heart filled with hatred creates collective karma. Collective karma, as I often explain, can arise when many people harbour hatred toward the same individual or nation. On a national level, this collective karma may manifest as war or conflict.
Take, for example, the long-standing conflicts in the Middle East. Why have they persisted without resolution? Because of collective karma—a shared karmic force rooted in generations of mutual hatred. These deep-seated grudges, passed down from ancestors, remain unresolved. As a result, this karma binds future generations, perpetuating cycles of conflict and suffering. When ancestors fail to accumulate merit, their descendants continue to create negative karma, which only prolongs their suffering. If both sides could forgive each other, the conflicts would end, allowing future generations to live in peace and prosperity. This embodies the essence of Buddhist teachings. But how many people are truly willing to forgive? This reluctance is a deep-seated flaw of human nature—one that generates karmic obstacles. Hatred exacts a heavy toll—it not only harms the person but also casts a shadow over future generations. This is the cost of carrying hatred in your heart.
Do not hate others—no matter how great the grievance, you must forgive. This is the essence of being a Bodhisattva. Why is it that after you have committed so many wrongdoings, reciting The Great Repentance a few times is enough for Bodhisattvas to forgive you? Because they are Bodhisattvas. But can you forgive others? When a relationship ends badly, you may say, “I don’t hate him/her,” but do you truly feel no hatred in your heart? When you think about it, doesn’t the resentment resurface? Am I right? Don’t the Buddhist teachings apply? What is the natural, inherent essence? It is the mind, which is the most fundamental, innate nature. When you see someone experiencing disaster and feel compassion for them, that feeling arises from your natural, inherent essence—it is the core of humanity. The root of being human is a kind heart. It is a heart filled with empathy, one that rejoices when others are well and feels sorrow when others suffer. That is a Bodhisattva’s heart. This is the natural, inherent essence, the foundation of humanity.
Your foundation is your mind, and your mind is inherently free of demons. Some may ask, “Master, aren’t there inner demons? How can you say there aren’t?” The answer is that these demons are created by your own mind. For example, if you are obsessed with wealth, the desire for money becomes a demon. If you gamble, gambling becomes a demon. If you overeat, it creates a demon of hunger. If you sleep excessively, people call it the “sleep demon.” If you constantly pursue something and feel immense pressure, that pressure manifests as an inner demon. The truth is, your mind is originally free of demons. These demons are not part of your mind’s fundamental nature—they are attachments you have created yourself. Remember: the mind exists within nature, and it should remain free of these self-imposed demons.
As you progress in cultivating your mind, you must eventually reach a state where even sentient beings are no longer in your thoughts. Do you understand what this means? You might wonder, “Didn’t Master teach us to always keep sentient beings in our hearts? How can we cultivate to a point where even sentient beings are not there?” This is because sentient beings have already entered your eighth consciousness; they are deeply embedded in your heart, so you no longer perceive them outwardly. For example, if you hold a grain of rice in front of your eyes, you can clearly see it. But once it touches your lips, you can no longer see it, even though it’s still there. What does it mean to say “even sentient beings are no longer there”? It refers to the external view, not the internal. Deep in your heart, sentient beings remain ever-present. Here’s a simple analogy: When you drop your child off at school, you love them dearly. As the child walks into the school and waves goodbye, saying, “Mum, see you later,” they disappear from your sight. Do you still see them? No. But are they still in your heart? Absolutely. Throughout the day, you might worry about whether your child is doing well, right? Now, do you understand? This is what it means to not outwardly see sentient beings while holding them completely in your heart. Take me, for example. In everything I do, I think of sentient beings first. But you, on the other hand, tend to think of yourselves first. That’s the difference between a Bodhisattva and an ordinary person. A Bodhisattva always prioritises others—this is what it means to truly carry sentient beings in your heart, at the very core, rather than just superficially.
If sentient beings exist where demons dwell, these sentient beings can become a burden to you. Let me explain with a simple example: in your life, your “sentient beings” are your children, spouse, parents, and others close to you. Often, they are your burdens because you cannot let them go. The truth is, while you can do your best to care for these relationships in this human realm, you cannot truly save them—it depends on their own spiritual foundation. For instance, many children refuse to listen to their parents as they grow up. Only when a mother begins to cultivate her mind will the child eventually follow suit. Therefore, you must learn to let go of attachments to sentient beings while still helping them. When you can let go and guide them, they will no longer be a source of karmic obstacles for you. Remember, children can be karmic obstacles, and so can parents. Without karmic connections, you wouldn’t meet; without karmic debts, you wouldn’t be together. These relationships are bound by karmic obstacles and forces from past lives, which is why you are together in this life.
Let me share this with you: the mind is an empty treasury of light. Only when the mind is empty can it receive light. Today, I saw a photograph—a cave with a pool of crystal-clear water. The entire cave was illuminated by a single beam of sunlight entering through an opening. Do you understand the significance of this image? Because sunlight entered through the opening, the entire cave was illuminated. The emptiness of the cave allowed the light to penetrate. But if the opening were blocked by rocks, could the light still enter? Similarly, if your heart is clouded with ignorance, hatred, or greed—if it’s blocked by these afflictions—how can the light of the Bodhisattva shine through? Only when your mind is empty, clean, and free of attachments can the Bodhisattva’s light shine through. This is what is called the treasury of light. When your mind becomes a treasury of light, it will be filled with illumination. But if your mind harbours evil, it will be consumed by darkness. If you hold hatred in your heart, it will be filled with resentment. Isn’t this true? Many people feel unhappy because they carry others’ wrongdoings and mistakes in their hearts. By doing so, they allow their minds to generate hatred and negative energy. To transform this, you must practise patience and diligence, learn to endure, and let go of grievances. Only then will your heart be filled with light, and the negativity of others will no longer affect you.
If your heart is always filled with light, it will endure eternally in the world. However, if your heart is defiled and filled with resentment, it will leave a legacy of shame and negativity. Learn to let go. Only by emptying your mind can it become a treasury of light, capable of encompassing the entire world. This state of mind is the Bodhisattva’s state of mind. When your mind can contain light, encompass the sun, and embrace all things, you will attain true illumination. In essence, you embody the Bodhisattva’s state of mind.