Practising Buddhism requires firm faith. Faith is absolutely essential in Buddhist practice. If someone lacks strong faith and conviction, they won’t be able to succeed. Practising one day and giving up the next—how could anyone like that expect to make progress? Moreover, when it comes to spreading the Buddha-dharma, one must uphold righteousness in order to gain support from all sides. You’ve probably heard the saying, “A just cause enjoys abundant support.” It means that when someone genuinely upholds and shares the Dharma, many people will come forward to help—and only then can the Dharma truly flourish. But if you’re doing it in secret, like some kind of covert mission, how can that be considered propagating the Dharma?
Think about it—who shares the Dharma the way I do? I’m able to share Buddhist teachings on radio programs that reach people all over the world. That brings me so much joy! With such a wonderful Dharma Door, why would I need to keep it hidden or spread it in secret? Take the admission scores of the world’s top universities—regardless of which prestigious university it is, their scores are never kept secret. They’re made public so that anyone with the ability can apply. The Dharma is the same. If you practise diligently, you’ll be able to reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and the Four Sagely Realms. That’s the benchmark.
So I encourage all of you to truly learn and practise Buddhism. Walking the Buddhist path means walking the right path. And whatever is upright naturally attracts widespread support. But if something is not upright, it will be difficult to promote or sustain. That’s why you must uphold righteousness to gain support from others. When a Dharma Door appears and gains the support of many people, that’s a sign that it is a proper, correct teaching. But if it struggles to earn recognition, then something about it may not be quite right.
I want to remind everyone that in our spiritual practice, we must increase our blessings and virtue. If a practitioner lacks sufficient blessings and virtue, it’s truly unfortunate. Many people have already come across the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door—yet why is it that their progress is slow? Why do their prayers go unanswered? It’s because they don’t have enough blessings and virtue. In other words, it’s like building a house without a solid foundation—you won’t be able to build it very high.
Why is it that people who are wealthy in this life tend to have greater blessings? It’s not by chance. It’s because they accumulated blessings in their past lives by performing wholesome deeds and sowing seeds in the field of merit. That’s why they enjoy wealth in this lifetime. If a wealthy person and someone struggling in hardship were to cultivate together, who would more easily succeed? It’s not that the Bodhisattvas are unfair. Rather, that wealthy person may have suffered just as you did in a past life and earned their current circumstances through diligent practice and by accumulating great merit and virtue. You shouldn’t judge them based only on what you see in this lifetime. So, for anyone practising Buddhism, having blessings and virtue is essential. In the past, you may have heard that people with physical disabilities were not permitted to become ordained monks or nuns. Why? Because it was believed that such impairments were karmic consequences of unwholesome actions in a past life, and as such, they could not become bhikkhus or bhikkhunis. A person must accumulate both blessings and virtue to qualify for learning and practising Buddhism. If someone lacks moral conduct—constantly criticising others and speaking harshly—how can they possibly learn Buddhism well? That’s a lack of virtue.
If someone is always suffering, pitiable, and struggling financially—even unable to afford a computer—how would they ever find my blog? That’s what we call a lack of positive karmic connections—a lack of the right conditions. Do you understand? Let me tell you—whatever we do, the heavens are watching. The blessings and virtue we have are the direct result of the good we’ve done in the past. You must understand this: when we have blessings and virtue, we gain an invisible force of support—what I call “karmic assistance.” This is the force that helps you fulfil your conditions and realise your goals. For example, say you’re meant to do well, but things aren’t going your way. What do you do? You build more merit and virtue—accumulate blessings through good deeds—and this karmic assistance will help you succeed and bring your efforts to fruition sooner. Got it? Suppose you want to buy a house but currently can’t afford it—so you work hard, earn money, and eventually buy it. That is karmic assistance at work. In the same way, your heart may be kind, but others misunderstand you. If you continue to be kind, help others, and sincerely work to resolve negative karmic ties—over time, people will come to understand and accept you. And when that happens, you succeed. Isn’t that also karmic assistance? Virtue is essential—and blessings are even more important. Blessings arise from virtue, and virtue relies on blessings. Where do blessings come from? Only those with virtue will have blessings. And how could someone with blessings not also possess virtue? It’s because they had virtue in the past that they enjoy blessings today. Isn’t that right? So, remember—keep cultivating your blessings and virtue.
In this world, everything is created by the mind. Everything that happens in life arises from the mind. If you’re happy today, it’s because your mind has opened up. If you’re unhappy, it’s because your mind is closed off—and that inner state gives rise to suffering. When you’re unhappy, your actions reflect it, and your face shows displeasure. But when you’re joyful, you experience Dharma bliss, and your face lights up with happiness. Everything revolves around the mind—this is why we must cultivate the mind. When your mind is well-cultivated, everything becomes a source of joy. But if your mind is poorly cultivated, you’ll struggle to see things clearly or let go. Do you understand? Remember: when our minds are pure, external evils cannot invade. If your mind is clean and pure, no crooked or deviant paths can enter your heart. Why do so many people lose that purity of mind? Take someone who has just started learning Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. For the first month or so, they may do very well—but as time goes on, if their mind becomes impure, they’ll no longer be able to resist harmful influences. When your own mind is impure, you become vulnerable to intrusion by unwholesome energies. Do you understand?
Let me tell you—you must diligently cultivate mental concentration. Among the three pillars of discipline, concentration, and wisdom (śīla, samādhi, and prajñā), the most crucial is “concentration”. If a person cannot remain mentally steady, they will lack wisdom. Concentration is essential. And where does it come from? From discipline. Discipline means refraining from unwholesome behaviours. Even if I strongly desire to do something, discipline reminds me that I must not. For example, I see money that doesn’t belong to me, and I have the urge to take it—but I uphold the precept and do not. Or I feel attracted to someone, but I restrain myself and avoid acting on that desire. That is discipline. And once you uphold discipline, wisdom begins to grow, and your mind naturally becomes calm and focused. Imagine something that everyone knows should not be taken, but you think, “I’ll just steal it.” If you go through with it, you break a precept. Once that happens, your mind becomes unsettled—and how can wisdom arise from that? Without wisdom, how can you truly learn and practise Buddhism?
Let me leave you with a few final words of guidance. First and foremost, you must cherish your connection to Buddhism. This Dharma Door is truly extraordinary, and it only appears in the Age of Dharma Decline. If you miss this Dharma Door, you may miss it for a lifetime. This is what we call an opportunity—a precious affinity with Buddhism. I hope you will treasure it.
Secondly, if you’ve had the karmic affinity to formally take me as your Master, you must not do so just for the title. Simply sitting here as my disciples doesn’t automatically mean you are more diligent than other practitioners around the world, or that you are cultivating better than they are. You must practise diligently and apply sincere effort in order to learn Buddhism well and realise the wisdom of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. My hope is that you attain that wisdom. The one you are taking refuge in is Guan Yin Bodhisattva—you are not taking refuge in me. I believe you all understand this clearly. You must cultivate wholeheartedly, study earnestly, and truly take refuge in the Triple Gem: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. What are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha? The Buddha dwells in your heart; the Dharma is expressed through your actions; and the Sangha is upheld through discipline. Taking refuge in the Buddha means taking refuge in the Buddha within your own inherent nature. When you discover the Buddha in your heart, you have found your true nature. And if your thoughts, speech, and behaviour already reflect those of a Bodhisattva, then that is what is meant by: “when one perfects what it means to be human, Buddhahood is attained.” If you are living as a Bodhisattva, then you are a Bodhisattva—who else would you still need to seek or follow? Got it?
Today, I’ll leave you with one word: “cherish.” I want you to know that many Bodhisattvas have come today, and many Dharma protectors are present—it all depends on how sincerely you pray. Cherish every karmic connection. Once it’s lost, it may be gone forever. But while the connection still exists today, you still have the chance to grow in wisdom and find your spiritual path under the compassionate guidance of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. I congratulate all of you on becoming my disciples today. No matter the circumstances under which you took this step, I hope you will now walk the path with sincerity and dignity. Live up to the expectations of me, your Master, and of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Never do anything that dishonours the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the heavens are all aware that you’ve become my disciples today. You must cultivate sincerely. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will protect and bless you. Thank you, everyone!