Today, I’d like to talk to you about the power of the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance. Why is reciting this text so effective? Some people have asked me why I haven’t taught certain parts of the Ten Small Mantras. Can you guess why? It’s because Guan Yin Bodhisattva hasn’t instructed me to, and I wouldn’t dare teach something without her guidance. In the past, I didn’t teach you to recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance, but now that the Bodhisattva has instructed me to, I’ve started teaching it to you. Do you feel its power when you recite it? The Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance has an incredibly powerful effect.
Many people ask, “What are the benefits of reciting the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance?” Let me give you an example. Let’s say I stole something today—wouldn’t that be a bad deed? When you do something bad, a cloud of dark energy forms in your mind and consciousness. For instance, if you steal something, it creates a small cloud of dark energy. But if you kill a dog or a person, it creates a much larger dark cloud. When this dark energy attaches itself to your body, it allows spirits or negative entities to enter because the dark cloud becomes a space where ghostly energy can reside. Every time you commit a bad deed, a cloud of dark energy enters your body. When I perform Totem Readings, I often see people surrounded by dark energy, indicating that they have done many bad things, possibly even in their past lives. The more dark energy someone has, the worse their health will be.
As you know, gunpowder is black, right? Let’s compare karmic obstacles to gunpowder. The more karmic obstacles you accumulate in your body, the more they build up. Once they reach a critical point—after committing too many bad deeds—that’s when you’ll face the consequences. At that point, the karmic obstacles are activated as a spirit, and your entire body “explodes.” It’s like when someone suddenly gets diagnosed with cancer, dies in a car accident, is murdered, or experiences great misfortune at home—troubles just keep coming. I have done many Totem Readings, and I rarely come across people with clear energy. Have you listened to my radio programs? That’s why I am really surprised when I see someone with a bright aura. This indicates that many people today are carrying a lot of karmic obstacles. People have too many negative thoughts—they spend their days thinking about how to harm others, make money off others, or take advantage of others. They don’t know how to give or be kind, and that’s the biggest problem. The karmic obstacles from both past and present lives accumulate in the body like gunpowder. For example, if you did something wrong in your teens, by the time you’re in your fifties, the consequences may manifest as back pain or other issues we often associate with ageing.
Menopause is essentially a period of karmic retribution. Generally, between the ages of 45 and 55, aspects like your career and health start to decline. When a person’s “gunpowder” accumulates more and more, all it takes is for a spirit to attach to the body. The most powerful spirits are the Black and White Enforcement Officers (also known as the Black and White Impermanence). When they see that your body is covered in darkness, and your lifespan has reached its end, a small spark from them can ignite the gunpowder, causing an explosion. I want you to recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance to help you dispel the dark energy in your body, bit by bit. This is to remove the “gunpowder” from within you. Remember, the more gunpowder you clear, even if there’s a small amount left in your old age, it will only cause a mild spark, and you’ll still be able to get through those critical moments. However, if there’s too much gunpowder in your body, one small spark could cause you to explode entirely. That’s how things work in this world. Sometimes, when I see that your body is completely covered in dark energy, I have no choice but to ask you to recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance.
When reciting the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance, you must say: “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, [your name], and help me eliminate the karmic obstacles in my liver,” or “eliminate the karmic obstacles in my lungs,” or “eliminate the karmic obstacles in my lower back.” If you simply say, “eliminate the karmic obstacles in my body,” it will take longer and be more difficult to clear. If your body already has many karmic obstacles and you don’t specify the location, how will the “medicine” know where to apply? For example, if you fall down a flight of stairs and are covered in injuries, and you have just one bandage, where would you apply it? When you recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance, focus on one specific area at a time and clear the dark energy bit by bit. That’s why many Buddhist practitioners who call into my radio programs are very clever. The first question they ask is, “Master Lu, do I have a lot of karmic obstacles?” I reply, “Yes, a lot.” Then they ask, “Master Lu, can you tell me where they are located?” I tell them the specific area, and they then recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance to target those areas, clearing the karmic obstacles piece by piece. Another common question is, “Why does a certain area that didn’t hurt before start to hurt after I begin reciting?” That’s because the karmic obstacles are being activated early. For instance, when the karmic obstacles in your liver are being cleared, it’s like a doctor treating a patient—of course, the patient will feel pain. It’s like the last bit of gunpowder; once it explodes, it’s gone, and that area will be clean. By clearing it now, your liver will be preserved in old age. That’s how it works.
Recently, a Buddhist practitioner from Canada made an appointment to speak with me and mentioned that he recites all the mantras from the Ten Small Mantras. I told him, “You’re treating all your ailments with every kind of medicine—do you think you’ll get better that way?” It’s like going to a Chinese medicine shop and grabbing every type of herb. You must remember that each medicine has its own ingredients and dosage, and different medicines treat different ailments. The Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance is specifically for eliminating karmic obstacles and clearing possessing spirits. When you recite this text, it works to clear the dark energy, and the karmic obstacles may start to surface early. For example, if I carelessly steal something today and then recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance, the dark energy will disappear, and I won’t feel any pain—that’s it, the issue is resolved. However, if someone kills another person, simply reciting the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance won’t be enough because the karmic obstacle is far too great. Early-activated karmic obstacles are powerless, like a premature baby—it doesn’t have much strength. Early activation requires reciting Little Houses immediately, and the number needed is much smaller compared to when the karmic retribution period has fully arrived. When the karmic retribution period hits, sometimes even reciting a lot of Little Houses won’t be enough to prevent disaster. That’s why it’s important to address problems early. Everything I’ve explained to you is based on Buddhist principles that are applicable in the human realm.
Some people have dense dark energy, while others have only a faint trace. I’ve also seen people with dark energy that looks like thick, rolling clouds, and when I ask, it turns out they have cancer. What I see is that clear. Those of you who are able to call into my radio programs now must cherish this opportunity. If, while reciting the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance, a certain part of your body starts to hurt, it means the karmic obstacle in that area has been activated. Activation is a good thing. Once the karmic obstacle is activated, recite a few more Little Houses, and the karmic obstacle can be cleared. This approach means addressing the karmic obstacles before they fully develop. It’s like discovering a uterine fibroid—if you remove it when it first appears, isn’t that easier than waiting until it grows larger? It’s the same principle.
I’ve seen many people with tumours on their necks, so large that they can’t even move their heads, and they can’t turn their heads when they sleep. When Ji Gong Bodhisattva was in the human realm, he saw many people with this kind of illness, and with just a point of his finger, their illness was cured. That’s how Bodhisattvas save people. I’m now teaching you how to save yourselves because I can’t possibly save everyone on my own—it’s too exhausting. You reap the results of the seeds you sow. If you change the bad seeds, you’ll have good results. If I interfere with your karma, it’s interfering with your cause and effect. That’s why I’m teaching you the method. I’m not giving you a watermelon; I’m teaching you how to grow a watermelon—how to choose the seeds, how to select the soil, how to fertilise it, and so on. The watermelon you grow will be your own. If I hand you the watermelon directly, I’ll get into trouble myself.
In the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance, there are many Bodhisattvas’ names. Do you know how many Bodhisattvas are in the Heavens? Many people are curious and want to know what the Heavens or the Underworld are like. Today, a Buddhist practitioner told me, “Master Lu, I’ve been to the Underworld, and they even have modern technology down there.” Sounds amusing, doesn’t it? What kind of modern technology? Things we consider modern in the human realm have existed in the Underworld for a long time. For example, computers—down there, they appear as beams of light. With just a touch, an image appears, or when you think of something, it shows up instantly—there’s no need for keyboards. A computer expert once called into my radio program and asked, “Master Lu, why does it take us so long to find someone’s information in a database, but when you look up, you can see everything instantly?” I explained to him: if you think about your family in China right now, you can recall their situation in less than a second, right? That’s what we call information. That’s how I access information. In fact, this ability is something you all should have, but it’s been clouded by the defilements of your karmic obstacles from many lifetimes—things like wealth, fame, power, and lust.
All the Bodhisattvas mentioned in the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance are responsible for the various departments in the Heavens that monitor our wrongdoings on Earth. Many times, we sow the seeds of karma without even realising it. By reciting the names of all these Bodhisattvas, we seek their forgiveness for our karmic offences and sincerely repent for the wrongs we have committed in our past lives. Who hasn’t made mistakes? I always tell people, it’s okay to make mistakes in life, but it’s essential to correct them with sincerity. People need to learn how to say, “I’m sorry.” Once you genuinely apologise, your level of spiritual development rises. Those who refuse to admit their mistakes are easily looked down upon. The fewer karmic obstacles and dark energy you have, the clearer your eyes become. Blocked energy channels are often the result of a negative energy field. The purpose of reciting Buddhist scriptures is to remove the karmic obstacles from our bodies. One must act with a clear conscience. When someone’s karmic obstacles accumulate, the first organ to fail is the heart. Heart attacks often occur in those with deep karmic obstacles, usually due to feelings of anger, resentment, or frustration that they can’t let go of. It’s up to you whether you want to create positive or negative connections with others. If you make a mistake, you must have the moral integrity to say, “I’m sorry” and correct it. Similarly, not repenting will lead to a poor energy field, making it easier for spirits to attach to your body. In this world, you need to learn to observe and reflect. The more you recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance, the calmer and happier you’ll become. Eventually, the recitation transforms into sound waves and beams of light, connecting you with the Bodhisattvas.
If someone in your family doesn’t believe in Buddhism, write their name and date of birth on this piece of paper (Application for Convincing Family Members) and place it on the altar of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Then, kneel and recite the Heart Sutra seven times. Over time, you may notice if this person begins to believe. This method is much more effective than simply reciting the Heart Sutra for them at home, as it carries some Dharma power. However, don’t use this method immediately. If your husband is somewhat open to believing but not fully convinced, you can recite the Heart Sutra for him three or seven times each day, praying to Guan Yin Bodhisattva to help him awaken his wisdom and come to believe in the Bodhisattva. On the other hand, if your husband is stubborn, makes inappropriate comments, or interferes with your spiritual practice, you can use the Application for Convincing Family Members. This isn’t a form of punishment or a way to treat him poorly; it’s using a bit of Dharma power to encourage his belief. This power comes from the Dharma Protectors. Do not burn the application form—after you’ve finished reciting for the day, put it away and take it out again the next time you recite.
Nowadays, if one person in the family recites Buddhist scriptures, the whole family benefits. However, if someone doesn’t believe and makes careless or inappropriate comments, it affects the entire family’s wellbeing. For example, imagine a pot of clean porridge—if you drop just a little bit of black ink into it, the whole pot will be spoiled. The best approach is to first recite sutras for them. If they remain unwilling to listen, then you can use this method. Many people ask, “Will this harm the other person’s health?” No, it won’t. However, they may feel a bit of pressure. This pressure comes from the fact that if they continue to speak negatively, their karmic retribution will be greater. Reciting sutras to help them believe gives them the power to change their thoughts. It might help them see certain things, shift their mindset or spiritual energy, or send them a strong message.