I am now teaching everyone several methods to let go and forget. The first method involves engaging in spiritual practice. Engage in spiritual practice to help you forget and let go of entanglements and worldly troubles. What I am discussing here are real-life issues that require immediate solutions.
The second method is repentance, which includes bowing to the Bodhisattvas and repenting for your wrongdoings. This act of bowing and repenting is very beneficial. You can say, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, please forgive me for my mistakes. Please save me, and I promise not to repeat them.”
The third method is blessings. Blessings are straightforward. I can bless those who feel an affinity with Buddhism using my Dharma power. You can also pray to Guan Yin Bodhisattva for blessings.
The fourth method is wisdom. This refers to the wisdom gained through cultivation, which only emerges after achieving a state of concentration. You need to reduce your karmic obstacles through cultivation. Reducing these obstacles accelerates the process of letting go. When you have karmic obstacles, it’s difficult to let go of things.
The fifth method involves reaching a certain level of spiritual practice when karmic conditions are ripe. Only when you’ve advanced to a particular level in your spiritual practice can you let go of negative entanglements. When you want to let go of your karmic obstacles and attachments, you should connect with Guan Yin Bodhisattva. When praying for help from the Bodhisattvas or Dharma protectors, you must be pure-hearted and free from any distracting or harmful thoughts.
Connecting with great Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is beneficial. Many people ask, “Is it good to dream of Guan Yin Bodhisattva?” Yes, it is. Many people come to the Guan Yin Hall in Sydney (Guan Yin Citta Practice Centre) and feel immense joy just seeing Master Lu. Truly engaging with Buddhism brings happiness.
If you connect with true Buddhas, great Bodhisattvas, or highly virtuous monks, you will advance rapidly in cultivating your mind. Just like now, you are cultivating your mind; I bless you and teach you about the Dharma and Buddhism, helping you progress quickly, right? If an average person encounters a spirit with a lower spiritual level and seeks their help, that spirit might transform into a Bodhisattva admired by this person to control them. If you encounter an evil spirit, it can possess you.
You should cherish having a good Master. Spirits can disguise themselves as various Bodhisattvas to deceive you. Due to your lack of wisdom, you might believe them. Being unable to discern the truth can lead you astray. For example, if you’re sick and desperately seek treatment without discerning the true from the false, you might engage in wrongful practices and fall into the wrong path.
There are many realms, and it’s easy for people to get lost in them and become possessed. Dealing with the spiritual realm can be very dangerous if you make a mistake. Don’t act recklessly. Thinking you know a little and exploring without guidance is perilous. Lacking a Master is truly unfortunate.
You are all pure and clean now, and I am directly teaching you the best of Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. Isn’t that wonderful? If someone has learned many things in the past, it’s exhausting for them to change now. Sometimes they can’t wrap their heads around it and have many questions. For the same topic, if you follow my teaching, you’ll think along the lines I explain. But someone who has learned different things will consider both my teachings and their past knowledge, creating two paths. If someone has learned from three different places, they have three different perspectives to consider, like a three-way crossroads. They might think, ‘Isn’t this different from Western teachings?” “Isn’t this different from Pure Land Buddhism?” “Isn’t this different from Zen Buddhism different?” The more Dharma Doors you learn, the more considerations you have.
Let me give you an example: when there are too many officials and departments, it takes over a hundred stamps to get approval, and even then, no work gets done, right? With all this thinking and overthinking, when will you ever figure it out? So, don’t practise deviant methods or do wrong things. You must stay on the right path! I teach you not to pursue supranormal powers. It’s okay if you can’t see or hear any spiritual things. “I have been cultivating my mind, and my Master can see and hear spiritual things, but I can’t.” Is that embarrassing? You are my disciples, and you are also helping to protect the Dharma; people respect you very much. Don’t pursue supranormal powers. As long as your heart is calm and peaceful, that’s enough. Once your heart is calm and peaceful, you can achieve a transformation of Dharma joy. Achieving inner peace and tranquillity is not easy. No matter what happens, if you can let it go, you will sleep well.
The most important part of spiritual practice is cultivating your mind. Always remember, practising is about cultivating your mind. You need to achieve tranquillity, harmony, non-greed, and non-attachment. We came to this world to endure hardships, so what’s a bit of suffering? With this mindset, your heart will be harmonious, and you will be free of deep-rooted flaws. Without greed, there’s no trouble. Attachment means insisting on something, thinking you can’t do without it. But think about it, what really happens if you don’t do it? When someone is dying, they might say, “I can’t die,” but what happens if they do die? They just die. Don’t be attached to anything in this world; everything here is an illusion. Why get stuck and not come out? Why insist on getting your head stuck in a dead-end?
Next, I’ll talk to you about Dharma joy and liberation. Dharma joy comes from hearing the Buddha’s teachings and feeling immense happiness. Additionally, discovering the true teachings in the Saha world is something to be very happy about. Dharma joy refers to the happiness that arises when you understand the principles of the Dharma, which reflects the emergence of your Buddha-nature. The happiness you feel after comprehending these truths is Dharma joy. It’s the best kind of resonance in the human world. When you use your most fundamental nature to resonate with everything in the world, you will be filled with Dharma joy. This means if you approach everything with the heart of a Bodhisattva, you will receive all that is Bodhisattva-like. Today, if I treat you with compassion, you will certainly respond positively, right? This is Dharma joy. It’s about giving and receiving.
Liberation refers to freeing oneself from certain levels and ranges of worldly troubles. For instance, significant troubles like losing a job, breaking a leg, or facing death cannot simply be resolved or escaped. Many people say, “I’ve figured it out, I’m liberated.” That’s nonsense. They are certainly mistaken. Can you truly be liberated? When you return home, you see things you shouldn’t, and your troubles come back. At the Guan Yin Citta Practice Centre, while listening to my teachings, you might temporarily let go and feel liberated. But once you return home and face your everyday life, your troubles return. So, this kind of liberation is limited to a certain extent or range.
Let me ask you: Is having supranormal powers a good thing? Supranormal powers can be beneficial, but only if they are the true powers of the Buddha. If they are not genuine Buddha’s supranormal powers, then what’s the use? In fact, they might just indicate possession by a spirit. I have previously told you that 90% of supranormal powers are not genuine. If you’re possessed by a spirit, are these powers any good?
After achieving success in spiritual practice, you can become self-reliant. That is, once you are successful in your cultivation, you can take charge. When your troubles and karmic obstacles are eliminated, you will naturally develop supranormal powers, close to those of the Buddha, because Bodhisattvas have no karmic obstacles, no troubles, and no hindrances. By being free from karmic obstacles, free from troubles, free from ignorance, and practising with right mindfulness, you can ultimately attain the six supranormal powers. In reality, supranormal powers are merely incidental achievements in spiritual practice, and you should not pursue them. When you practise with right mindfulness, supranormal powers will naturally emerge.
Let me explain the four virtues: “loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity.” I talk about these every day, every month, and every year. In Buddhism, these are known as the Four Boundless States or the Four Immeasurable States of Mind. Loving-kindness means being aware of the suffering of others; compassion is feeling their pain; empathetic joy is the happiness that arises when you give strength and help to others; and equanimity is sacrificing your own time, money, and even life. I constantly perform Totem readings and give Dharma talks, tirelessly saving people. I am doing all this at the expense of my health and even my life, right? Many people say, “Master Lu has aged quickly over the past few years.” Isn’t this the “equanimity” in “loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity”? Giving up money, not seeking advertisement sponsorships or profits, and using all my time to save people, even being willing to sacrifice my life—this is the Four Boundless States. Attaining these Four Boundless States allows you to reach a very high realm in the Heavens, the Buddha’s realm. We must persist in cultivating these Four Boundless States.
Next, let me talk to you about worldly wisdom. To become a free person, you must overcome your desires. If you want to be free, you need to conquer your own desires. Being controlled by desires means you can never be free. If you’re driven by the desire to pay off your mortgage, you work every day and spend all your time earning money. Do you think you can be free? If you’re controlled by a boyfriend who dictates your actions, do you have time or freedom? To be a free person, you must eliminate your desires.
When impurities cloud your heart, your path will not be smooth. If your heart is tainted, you will not find a straight or even path. These impurities will trouble your thoughts and actions, leading to missteps. However, with a pure heart, your path will be smooth, bringing you peace and contentment.
Destiny is shaped by our own actions; fortune must be sought within ourselves. Your life is the result of your actions, and you should not depend on others for your fortune but find it within yourself. Whether you are fortunate depends on what you ask of yourself. Isn’t it true that you create your own destiny? Even if a person’s life is full of hardships, if they cultivate their mind, do good deeds, and learn compassion, their destiny can change with the recitation of Buddhist scriptures. Many people are stubborn and refuse to change. I often say: A person’s personality determines their destiny. Some people insist, “This is just who I am.” Then that becomes their fate. Historically, many great generals did not die on the battlefield but because of their stubborn personalities. Although they were brave on the battlefield, their refusal to yield even to a single provocation ultimately led to their downfall.
What is the ultimate spiritual state? We often discuss a person’s state—whether it’s high, low, clean, or pure. But what represents the pinnacle of spiritual development? The highest spiritual state is actually having no state at all. These are profound words of wisdom that require diligent study.
Another point I’d like to share is this: the Buddha epitomises the peak of both emotion and reason. Consider why the Buddha achieved enlightenment, hence the term “Buddha”. His reasoning was exceptionally clear and pure, and his emotions profoundly compassionate. Witnessing the suffering of others, he felt deeper sorrow than anyone else. Thus, the Buddha perfectly blends emotion and reason, serving others selflessly with the Mahayana teachings to help all beings without any selfish motives. Only those who dedicate themselves entirely to others can truly attain Buddhahood.
In simple terms: a selfish person, focused only on themselves, can never achieve Buddhahood. Mere concern for oneself, one’s family, or even one’s country is insufficient. Nor is it enough to think only of all humanity’s suffering. What defines a Buddha? A Buddha saves all sentient beings, including ghosts. That is the highest spiritual state—Buddhahood. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva exemplifies this ultimate state, willing to save even the ghosts in Hell. That represents the supreme spiritual attainment.
Look at your priorities: you focus first on helping yourself, your family, your friends, and your relatives. I’d even go as far as to say that saving the listeners of 2OR Australia Oriental Radio alone doesn’t qualify someone as a Buddha, nor does saving a nation or the entire world. I have now travelled beyond Australia to help those connected with Buddhism. Though I haven’t helped many, my efforts align with those of a Buddha. When you accompany me around the world, aren’t you also helping people? During one of my radio programs, a female listener shared a dream where her child fell into a deep abyss. Anxiously, she asked, “What should I do?” Suddenly, in the dream, I caught the child and brought them to safety. Did you hear about that? That is what being a Buddha entails, and that is what Mahayana Buddhist teachings are about. Now, I’m asking you to sacrifice some of your personal interests, like time, reputation, status, and money. We don’t even need to discuss sacrificing your life. Are you willing to make sacrifices like a Bodhisattva?
I’m telling you, I’ve prepared myself for everything. Have you prepared yourselves? You need to practise Buddhism, learn its true essence, and embrace the spirit of fearlessness. In this world, where nothing truly belongs to you, do you still want everything? Isn’t that foolish? You think you can have everything, but how long can you keep it? Even if you win the lottery and get ten million dollars, how long do you think you can use it for? Can you take it with you when you die? This is what practising Buddhism is about. You need to grasp the concepts of Buddhism and strive for its highest state. The highest spiritual state is possessing nothing—that is the true state.
I dedicate my whole heart to saving sentient beings and have mentally prepared myself for this mission. Each time I bow before Guan Yin Bodhisattva, I vow to help save and awaken all sentient beings connected with Buddhism around the world. I’ll do as much as I can; I might not always succeed, but I will give it my best effort. I hope you, my disciples, will follow my lead and work diligently to save people globally. Now, when I encourage people to cultivate their minds, I challenge all listeners of my radio programs and online practitioners to help save and awaken sentient beings. My expectations for them have increased; simply awakening yourself is not enough. Once you are awakened, you must share this wonderful Dharma Door with others. Practise diligently, as many are lost in our society. Don’t wait for a disaster to realise this truth. When Bodhisattvas save you, they look for a light within you. Last Saturday, a listener described seeing clouds in the sky shaped like hands reaching down to save people. The brighter your inner light, the more likely Bodhisattvas are to rescue you in times of crisis. Cultivate well!