I have previously explained to everyone that many issues arise after the start of the Year of the Tiger. Why? This is due to what is known as “Heavenly Timing.” The concept of “Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Human Harmony” essentially refers to the interconnectedness of Heaven, Earth, and humanity. The totem of the tiger is incredibly fierce, which is why many men and women born under the Tiger zodiac tend to have a strong and unyielding destiny. The Year of the Tiger often brings numerous challenges for humanity. I have discussed these issues in earlier teachings.
However, we must endure adversity and continue cultivating diligently. Heavenly Timing does not take human factors into account—it simply moves forward. When we cycle into a favourable year, everyone feels joyful; when it’s an unfavourable year, people feel disheartened. Many people have asked me during the radio program: “Master Lu, if someone lives in an unlucky place, does everyone there become unlucky?” Generally, yes. “What about people born under the same zodiac sign? Do they share the same fate?” Generally, they do, though there are variations in degree. For example, during the Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan, hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives, yet there were also many lucky survivors living in the same disaster-stricken area. A similar principle applies to zodiac signs: those born under less favourable signs often face more hardships. This is an unavoidable reality. Although medical advancements now allow people to plan the timing of a child’s birth through caesarean section to avoid unfavourable zodiac signs, do you think this can change the child’s overall destiny? In reality, even if a caesarean birth changes the zodiac sign, that person may still lead a challenging life. This is due to factors such as the specific hour of birth and karmic debts from past lives. I’m simply using this as an example. You must cultivate diligently.
A person’s appearance is very important. Take a look: among my disciples, those who cultivate their minds sincerely and become increasingly kind develop better and better appearances. Conversely, those who fail to cultivate see their appearance deteriorate. Let me tell you: cultivating the mind transforms one’s appearance, as outward appearance reflects the inner mind. It’s simple—a bad person has a bad appearance, and a good person has a good appearance. However, there are two situations where this transformation may not yet be apparent. The first is someone who was originally a bad person but has started learning Buddhism and improving themselves—their face has not yet fully transformed. When you see them, their face may still look harsh, but in reality, they are already changing for the better. The second is someone with a kind face who has begun to turn bad. Their face has not yet fully changed, and this type of person is especially deceptive. They use their clean, innocent appearance to deceive others. This is why appearance is so important. Those who truly understand the principles of life must learn to “read faces”. For example, if someone worries for three hours a day, how many hours do they spend worrying in a year? Eventually, their face will naturally take on a sorrowful look. Similarly, someone who constantly lashes out at others will develop the appearance of an angry person. As your heart changes, so does your appearance. A person with a kind heart develops a kind appearance, while a person with a bad heart develops an unkind appearance.
Many of you disciples eventually learn to “read faces.” You might look at a woman or a man as they walk in and judge whether they appear to be a good person or a bad one. I don’t teach you this because I worry it may foster discrimination. If you let someone’s appearance—perhaps less pleasing or slightly off-putting—stop you from helping them, you lose the chance to guide and awaken them. Don’t judge people by their appearance; focus instead on their true nature. What I teach you now is to observe a person’s heart, not their appearance.
With the New Year just past, many challenges are about to arise—disasters and troubles. Whether my predictions are accurate or not doesn’t require me to say. Nor does the effectiveness of spiritual matters need my explanation. You must take care of yourselves. I’ve told you repeatedly: Heavenly Timing is off, and people’s hearts are too evil. To save others now, we must act quickly, put in more effort, and sacrifice more than we did in the past. If you want to progress, you must give up many things. If you cannot let go, your progress will be slow, weighed down by burdens, and your diligence in cultivating the mind will also slow. For example, if you want to get into university, you must sacrifice some sleep. Cultivating the mind is the same. Without effort, how can you make progress? Every year, I devote all my energy to cultivating my mind and awakening others. To this day, I work tirelessly, giving talks every day. How many people truly empathise with me? Many say, “Don’t push yourself so hard to save others. Your health is poor, and you can’t even eat properly—how can you continue like this?” If a person begins cultivating early, they can settle their karmic debts by their later years and avoid illness and suffering. If someone truly wants the best for their family, they should not focus solely on short-term, minor gains. Monks and nuns make great vows when they leave home to pursue a spiritual life. They embody the spirit of selfless sacrifice, letting go of family and many other attachments. Why are senior monks and Dharma masters so respected? They, too, once had families. Look at them now—they own nothing and live as monks. They even donate the offerings they receive to those in greater need. Who can help sentient beings without making sacrifices? Without sacrifice, you remain an ordinary person. When you give, you truly gain, and you embody the spirit of a Bodhisattva.
But remember, your sacrifices must be on the right path. If your effort is misdirected, it will be in vain. In the past, I used to work tirelessly in community organisations, leaving early and returning late, but all I gained was a hollow reputation and false benefits. Now, guiding and awakening people brings me true joy. When I prepare for a radio program, I feel energised. Seeing you, my “good disciples,” also brings me happiness. Every family has its struggles, but sometimes we must suppress our pain to achieve a greater purpose. In the past, many young people from rural areas worked in the fields during the day and did their schoolwork at night. In the end, they got into university and left their towns. Although those years were filled with hardship, they achieved success through their efforts. How many people risk their lives on the battlefield to earn a position, only to later lose everything—their reputation and status—in a prison cell? Everything in life, whether good or bad, is the result of our own actions. There is no gain without sacrifice.
The Bodhisattva says that the Human Realm is the realm of affliction. From the moment you are born into this world, crying loudly as you arrive, your troubles begin and last until the day you die. Who can escape affliction? You might say, “Once my children grow up, I’ll do this or that,” or, “Once I get a job, I’ll do this,” or, “Once I get married, I’ll do that,” or, “Once life calms down, I’ll achieve something.” But tell me—when will life truly calm down? Just as things start to settle, your health begins to decline. When your children finally grow up and you think you can breathe a sigh of relief, they start preparing for their entrance exams, and you’re stressed all over again. When will the busyness ever end? Even when you become an elderly grandmother nearing the end of your life, you’ll still find yourself helping to look after your grandchildren. Many elderly people come to Australia, living under the watchful eyes of their children and in-laws, eating their meals with a sense of unease, and still end up babysitting their grandchildren. Life is an endless cycle of busyness—a lifetime of toil, a lifetime of hardship. Today, it’s relationship problems. Tomorrow, family disputes. The day after, financial troubles or lawsuits. Is there ever a day when life is truly peaceful? What kind of world are we living in? Yet some people still tell me, “I want to be reborn as a human in my next life.” They think, “I may be poor in this life, but if I can be reborn into a wealthy family in my next life, things will be better.” They still haven’t awakened.
Whether you are my formal disciple or simply sitting in and learning from me, my expectations for you are strict. Even if you don’t cultivate at all, you won’t tarnish even a fraction of my merit and virtue. By not cultivating, it is you who lose the opportunity. A mature person must be open to reason. Reason cannot be forced out of someone, nor is it just empty talk. True reason comes from an honest heart. What’s the point of reasoning if it’s all words? No matter how eloquent your speech, it means nothing if it is not backed by genuine kindness and sincerity. True reason lies in understanding with honesty—that is the essence of truth.
I will now touch on the importance of patience in all dharmas. In cultivating our minds and practising the Buddha-dharma, success depends on our ability to endure. Only those who can endure will succeed. Without patience, you won’t achieve anything in this world. If you can’t understand something today, I’ll explain it to you again tomorrow. If you still don’t understand it tomorrow, I’ll explain it the day after. During wartime, many towns surrendered voluntarily to prevent civilian casualties. To protect the people from the devastation of war, many military leaders and underground workers negotiated repeatedly—today, tomorrow, and the next day—until the opposing side finally agreed to surrender peacefully. This reduced civilian suffering and casualties and spared the generals from disaster. It was only through such persistent efforts that these negotiations succeeded. This is why patience is so important—persistently explaining and communicating without giving up.
As you know, the Bodhisattvas often teach us the Six Perfections (Pāramitās), and one of the most critical is Kṣānti, the perfection of patience. Today, I want to focus on Kṣānti because some disciples struggle with patience. The saying goes, “If you cannot endure small grievances, you will disrupt greater plans.” When the Bodhisattvas talk about the Six Perfections, they particularly stress the need for patience. They teach us about generosity (dāna) and patience (kṣānti), and we must understand both. The key to success in cultivating our minds lies in patience. However, true Bodhisattvas do not view patience as simply enduring or making an effort to endure. When they reach a high level of practice, patience becomes natural and effortless—they no longer feel like they are enduring anything. If you still feel like you are tolerating something, then you are caught up in “attachment to form.” True patience is when you no longer perceive it as endurance—when there is no object for you to endure, where then is the need to endure? Only those who can truly practise patience can progress diligently. Without patience, diligent progress is impossible.
Next, I’ll explain the three main types of patience. As my disciples, I hold you to a very high standard—you must not allow even the slightest trace of distracting thoughts to linger in your mind. Whether you cultivate well or poorly is not entirely under your control, just as a patient cannot diagnose their own illness. You’re not a doctor, so you don’t truly know what afflicts you. My role is to point out your problems and weaknesses so you know how to correct them. Every day, every hour, I work to help you identify and address these issues—it’s no easy task. I’ve always said that anyone who wishes to learn Buddhism will receive my guidance. Every family has its own unique challenges, but you must approach these difficulties properly and act in accordance with conditions. Just because someone sits here without arguing doesn’t mean they have no anger in their heart. And just because someone refrains from swearing doesn’t mean they don’t harbour the urge to lash out. You must thoroughly transform your habits and take refuge in the Buddha-dharma.
Remember, as a Buddhist practitioner, you are different from others. You must cultivate patience; without it, you are not truly practising Buddhism. Acting impulsively and failing to endure shows a lack of willpower, a weak Buddha-nature, and poor cultivation. When someone insults you and you let their words sink in, anger will arise. I’ve repeatedly taught you the method of “blocking the ears.” Don’t let your ears take in unnecessary negativity. Isn’t life easier when you don’t hear such things? Why would you want to hear them? Hearing and seeing such things only lead to affliction. The nose, mouth, and senses—all can generate affliction. But remember, these afflictions arise from your own choices. Ask yourself: what could possibly interfere with my mind cultivation or scripture recitation? Once you choose your path, stay steadfast and cultivate diligently. Over time, the Bodhisattvas will bless you, increase your wisdom, smooth your work, and improve every aspect of your life. Cultivating the mind is like planting seeds. If you sow poor seeds, you’ll reap bad fruits. “Why can’t I grow a watermelon?” You need to investigate the cause. Why can others successfully grow watermelons? Why do others have healthy stomachs while yours is weak? It’s because you eat recklessly. Why do others dislike you? It’s because you speak carelessly and insult people without restraint.