When there is the origination of conditions, there will eventually be the ending of conditions. This is a profound truth for the Age of Dharma Decline, a truth you must understand. Why? Because the wisdom of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas can only be manifested when the Dharma is applied to the human world. If the Dharma were confined to classrooms, it would be like someone graduating from university with a wealth of knowledge but being unable to find a job—what use is it? How many university graduates struggle to find work because what they’ve learned doesn’t apply to the real world? In contrast, the Buddha-dharma we are learning can be immediately applied to our lives. This is what we call Humanistic Buddhism. It is inseparable from worldly affairs and teaches us to make use of this illusory world to cultivate our true nature, spreading the Dharma to benefit all sentient beings.
When there is the arising of conditions, it leads to the birth of conditions. For example, today, I have accepted you as my disciples because of these arising conditions. What conditions? It’s because you’re willing to learn Buddhism, isn’t that right? Your willingness to learn Buddhism gives rise to a certain wisdom: “I want to learn Buddhism because I’m seeking clarity, direction, and understanding, and I need a good teacher to guide me.” This signifies the birth of the condition. Over time, as I guide you, some of you will learn exceptionally well, while others may struggle and fall behind. In the end, those who fall behind might leave, while those who excel will continue to progress, ultimately ascending to the Heavens, the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, or reaching the Four Sagely Realms. Even I will leave one day, and that will bring an end to the connection.
This is how all Dharma Doors work: they start with the arising of conditions, followed by the birth of conditions, the maturation of conditions, and finally, the cessation of conditions. Any Dharma Door is simply a path leading you into the Dharma, and once you’ve walked that path and progressed, the condition ends. Do you understand? Think about it this way: if there were no early television sets, how would we have today’s ultra-thin LCD TVs? It’s a process. If our ancestors hadn’t passed down their cultural wisdom, how would we have the rich Chinese culture we enjoy today? Similarly, the laws of the past paved the way for today’s modern legal systems. Were the old laws useful? Yes, but only as references. Most of them are no longer applicable in today’s society because times have changed. Everything follows this same process—from the arising of conditions to their birth, maturation, and eventual cessation. This is why entering into conditions is so important. But the key question is: are you entering into wholesome conditions or unwholesome ones?
For example, you’ve come to me to learn Buddhism. This is entering into conditions. But after the initial arising of these conditions, can you maintain them? Can you truly dedicate yourself to learning Buddhism? If you do, it leads to the birth of wholesome conditions. You may start to feel a deeper connection with Guan Yin Bodhisattva and realise how much better your life becomes through reciting sutras and practising Buddhism. As your understanding of Buddhism deepens and your spiritual state elevates, your conditions ripen, and your connection with me strengthens. Your willingness to perform meritorious deeds increases. With this progress, your spiritual state rises closer to the heavenly realms. Finally, there comes the cessation of these conditions. The connection fades, and the cycle completes. The same applies to your relationship with your children. When they’re born, you hold them in your arms with great joy. As they grow up and start their own families, the bond naturally fades. And when your life ends, the connection with your children ends too. This is the nature of life—suffering gives way to happiness, and happiness gives way to suffering. The cycle of arising and ceasing conditions continues. So, when you’re in pain, remember that happiness will follow. Many leaders express ideas that align closely with Buddhist teachings. For instance, they encourage people to see hope and light even in difficult times. When you’re nearing death, remind yourself that your next life could be better because you’ve done no wrong in this one. Likewise, while you’re still alive, take time to reflect on death. Use wisdom to learn Buddhism.
When conditions arise, ignorance dissipates. The quicker conditions arise, the faster ignorance and bad habits are extinguished. Why? Because when you understand, see clearly, and realise what’s happening, your ignorance diminishes. What is ignorance? It’s not understanding. For example, when you have a strong feeling that someone will enter your life, at that moment, you’re in ignorance—you don’t truly know. Once they arrive and it becomes a reality, you think, “Ah, now I understand.” Not understanding is ignorance, and even your feelings can be a form of ignorance. Got it? When karmic connections or affinities enter your heart and life, that too can be seen as a form of ignorance. This is why we must have a clear knowledge of all dharmas (phenomena). Both arising and ceasing are the essence of conditioned origination. In other words, birth and death, arising and ceasing, are the foundation and true essence of your conditions. How do your conditions come about? They arise and cease. Do you understand? Today they exist; tomorrow, they don’t. For instance, today you have the condition and feel a strong affinity with your partner. A few days later, you may argue, and the condition fades away. Similarly, some couples start out very close and are always seen together in the beginning—this is the origination of conditions. But over time, they begin arguing and drifting apart, and the connection fades—this is the cessation of conditions. These examples demonstrate the nature of arising and ceasing. As the classic Chinese text Romance of the Three Kingdoms states at the beginning: “Long periods of unity are followed by division, and long periods of division are followed by unity.” It’s important to understand that when things go overboard, gaps naturally form.
Learning Buddhism and cultivating the mind gives us clarity—it helps us understand the impermanence of all dharmas (phenomena). Everything is impermanent. People are impermanent. Objects are impermanent. Even the best things will eventually break or decay over time. Can you name a single thing that doesn’t deteriorate after long use? Is there anything in this world that truly lasts forever? Even so-called stainless steel eventually rusts. And isn’t your mind the same? Today, you might understand something clearly, but in a few days, you could find yourself confused again. When you understand, you feel happy; when you don’t, worries overwhelm you. Isn’t that frustrating?
Think about it: why do good deeds sometimes seem to go unrewarded? Why, after reciting so many sutras, do you still face difficulties? Even I dedicate myself to guiding and awakening sentient beings, with Guan Yin Bodhisattva manifesting through me—so why do I still face hardship? And why are there still people who criticise me? The answer is simple: without negativity, goodness wouldn’t stand out. If you think about it this way, it all starts to make sense, doesn’t it? Without contrast, how would we distinguish good from bad? For example, if no one spat on the ground, no one would appreciate that you don’t spit on the ground. But if you visit a place where everyone spits on the ground, you might not even recognise it as an issue. So, when someone criticises you despite your efforts and it causes you inner turmoil, it means you lack internal balance—you don’t have the inner compass to discern what’s truly good or bad. You struggle to distinguish between the two.
When practising Buddhism, you must have a guiding principle—a flag firmly planted in your heart. What does it mean for the flag to stand tall and unwavering? It means that no matter what happens, nothing can truly shake you. So what if things go wrong? What’s the worst that can happen? In the end, nothing is ever as bad as it seems, and life moves on. That’s human nature, isn’t it? Yet when something happens that disturbs your emotions and worries arise, it’s as if your flag has fallen. This shows that your mind is being influenced by external circumstances. Yet it should be the other way around—your mind should dictate your surroundings. However, many of you allow your minds to be swayed by external changes. Why do you feel troubled? It’s because someone says something negative about you or misunderstands you, and your mind reacts to these external changes. That’s why you feel unhappy, unsettled, or upset. Isn’t that letting your mind be controlled by external conditions?
As for me, the more people criticise me, the more determined I become to do better. The more negativity they throw at me, the more I strive to prove the opposite. Do you think I could be shaken by what others say? If I were, how could I possibly spread Buddhism worldwide? To spread the Dharma and benefit sentient beings, I must fear nothing, see everything clearly, and let go of all attachments. So, what is there to be afraid of? Some of you encounter a minor issue and immediately feel as though the sky is falling. Let me give you a simple example: when dark clouds roll in, can you still see the sky? The entire sky seems black, and you might wonder, “How will I manage? How will I dry my clothes tomorrow?” But after a while, the clouds pass, and the sun comes out again. You feel happy, don’t you? Then you realise there was nothing to worry about after all.
Your greatest trouble is this: you only see the dark clouds and not the sunlight behind them. When the clouds pass and the sun shines again, you’re happy. But when the clouds return, you become upset. This cycle of emotions—happy one moment, distressed the next—reveals a lack of stability. When you’re distressed, it’s as if you’ve lost touch with reality, like you’ve lost your mental balance. You convince yourself that the sun and moon have disappeared, seeing only the clouds. But when the clouds clear and the sun reappears, your mind regains clarity. Isn’t that similar to someone experiencing mental health issues or delusions? Know that the arising and ceasing of all dharmas are impermanent. Everything in this world—here today, gone tomorrow—is impermanent. This is the true nature of life.
Next, let’s talk about the birth and death of conditions. When conditions arise, dharma arises. For example, if you decide to be in a relationship with someone, a dharma is created. What is dharma? In Buddhism, everything in the human world is considered dharma. People are dharma, events are dharma, and objects are also dharma. For instance, I have a Dharma body. The Bodhisattva refers to everything in the Human Realm as dharma. So, when you decide to be with someone, that decision creates a condition, and from that condition, something new is born. Let me give you a simple example: say you think about frying an egg. The egg hasn’t been fried yet, right? But in your mind, the thought arises: “I want to create the condition of frying an egg to share with everyone.” So, you take the egg and start frying it. At that moment, the condition is born. Once the egg is fried, the condition is fulfilled, and the fried egg becomes a dharma—a tangible, real thing. This is why we say, “The arising of conditions leads to the arising of dharma.” Do you understand?
Now, when conditions cease, the dharma also ceases. For example, if a married couple shares a loving relationship, what is the dharma in this case? It is the visible bond of affection and attachment—they can’t bear to be apart. But when one of them passes away, the dharma ceases. Why? Because dharma is something tangible, something visible. What was once a bond between two people is now reduced to one, and that condition ceases. So, when conditions cease, the dharma ceases as well.
Even the thoughts in your mind are conditions, and they too are a form of dharma. If you think, “I hope I win the lottery tomorrow,” this thought is a condition arising in your mind. You might dwell on it, and by the next morning, you go and buy a lottery ticket. That’s the condition coming into existence, and the act of buying the ticket makes the event tangible. But when you find out you didn’t win, the dharma tied to that hope ceases—the condition of winning the lottery is extinguished. Do you understand? Even Dharma affinity, as a condition, can fade. In reality, human life itself is formed by the combination of causes and conditions.