I recently came across a story online from an overseas Buddhist friend. She mentioned that she hadn’t had her period for over 70 days. I advised her to recite a few Little Houses. Shortly after she burned them, everything returned to normal, and she was overjoyed. There are many stories like this, where people experience miraculous results.
Let me tell you, having faith is essential when practising Buddhism. If a person loses faith, the world around them becomes bleak and colourless, devoid of hope. Living in this world requires faith. When you make mistakes, you need to reflect on yourself and cleanse your mind. If you do good deeds, you should persevere. If you do wrong, you must correct it. A person who constantly strives to improve themselves is someone who is truly cultivating their mind and practising Buddhism. If someone finds that nothing in their life is going smoothly, there must be a reason behind it. In Buddhism, we call this cause and effect, or karma.
Today, I want to talk to you about Prajñā. You’ve probably heard the phrase Prajñāpāramitā—it means “reaching the other shore.” In Buddhist teachings, Prajñā refers to wisdom. However, in the Human Realm, Prajñā can also be understood as a form of “non-knowing.” What is this “non-knowing”? In reality, this “non-knowing” is actually knowing everything. It’s because you’ve seen through everything that you come to realise the empty nature of this world. You understand it all. Therefore, when you reach this state of omniscience, that is Prajñā. In Buddhism, Prajñārepresents a very high spiritual state, a level of profound understanding in the human world. When someone doesn’t understand anything, their state of being is low. When someone understands everything, their state of being is high. If you can comprehend all matters in this world, what is that? That’s wisdom. If you go beyond worldly wisdom and attain a comprehensive understanding of the universe, that’s called Prajñā wisdom. For example, we live in this universe, and if you deeply understand the universe and nature, you might call it “understanding.” But in truth, you’re only grasping certain aspects of life in the universe. If you can use your wisdom to eliminate afflictions and break free from ignorance, that is Prajñā. What does “eliminating afflictions” mean? It means that when worries arise, you can break them down and let them go. And what does “breaking ignorance” mean? It’s about shedding your habits of ignorance. If someone pretends to know everything but actually understands nothing, or if they carry over bad habits from past lives, these too can be considered forms of ignorance.
I have been elaborating on the same idea from different perspectives. What I’m really teaching you here is to cultivate “fundamental wisdom”—to gain the core wisdom needed for life in this world. Prajñā wisdom has the power to eliminate worries. There is a distinction between “wisdom” and “Prajñā.” Worldly wisdom can evolve into the ability to eliminate afflictions and break through ignorance. For example, imagine a child who is particularly intelligent. If this child not only excels in studies but also understands why they are learning, for whom they are learning, and how that knowledge will be applied, then this child possesses wisdom. It’s already remarkable to have wisdom. But to reach the level of a Bodhisattva’s wisdom—that is calledPrajñā.
The Bodhisattva teaches: “Among all forms of offerings, offerings of the Dharma are the highest.” Offering money is referred to as “material offering.” Among the three types of offerings—gift of material goods (amisadana), gift of Dharma (dharmadana), and gift of fearlessness (abhayadana)—the gift of Dharma is the most meritorious. Dharma giving involves encouraging others to cultivate their minds and recite sutras. If someone doesn’t yet believe in Buddhism, guiding them to have faith is Dharma giving. It is highly recommended to engage in Dharma giving as much as possible. When material giving, Dharma giving, and fearlessness giving are practised together, the resulting merits and virtues are boundless. Let me tell you this: guiding and awakening someone with merits and virtues to cultivate creates even greater merits and virtues. For instance, a doctor is considered someone with merit and virtue, so guiding them generates more merits and virtues. Similarly, if you guide and awaken someone who is already practising Buddhism, the merits and virtues are greater. If someone prays to the Buddha but doesn’t know how to recite sutras, teaching them how creates immense merits and virtues as well. We shouldn’t wait until we’re old and filled with regret for not taking action. Life is fleeting—while we still have time, we should guide and awaken more people and accumulate more merits and virtues.
While practising Buddhism, don’t fall into the false impression that we can control the world. In reality, the world often controls us, leaving us spinning in circles. Our destiny is not entirely in our own hands—it is rooted in our foundational causes, which we call root causes and conditions. These are the conditions we created in the past. This is why we often emphasise the importance of seeking root causes and conditions. If we created unfavourable conditions in the past, we now experience negative ones. If we cultivated favourable conditions in past lives, we now receive positive ones. The seeds we plant determine the karma we reap—unwholesome actions in the past lead to negative karmic consequences in the present.
If you can eliminate afflictions and break ignorance, you attain Prajñā. When Prajñā and wisdom combine, you can overcome afflictions and ignorance. This is what we call “fundamental wisdom.” It is the deepest and most essential wisdom that explains the phenomena of the universe and all existence. There is also what we call “acquired wisdom”—knowledge gained in the human world. Hence, it is also called “worldly wisdom.” For example, scientists, physicists, and mathematicians possess acquired wisdom. They are intelligent, skilled in research, and can understand the workings of the universe, but they may not have fundamental wisdom; they cannot eliminate afflictions and ignorance, which human beings are born with and carry over from previous lifetimes. Some scientists, despite their brilliance, argue with their bosses over housing or salaries. While they may understand nuclear energy, many focus solely on research without considering its consequences. Some are even manipulated into advancing technology without questioning how it might be used. Would you call that wisdom? They have knowledge, but they may lack fundamental wisdom. In truth, acquired wisdom is born from fundamental wisdom. Think of fundamental wisdom as the father and acquired wisdom as the son. Just as a son is born of his father, acquired wisdom originates from fundamental wisdom. The principle is the same.
The essence of wisdom, when reflected upon, is wisdom itself. Wisdom in the human realm has a tangible form. However, as long as it retains a form or essence, it cannot be considered the highest form of wisdom. For example, when we want to accomplish something, we come up with ideas—that’s cleverness. Let me give you an example: if the price of mung beans suddenly drops from the usual $9 to $3, a clever person might quickly buy ten packets. But a person with wisdom would think, “Why are they selling it so cheaply? Are these mung beans expired?” That’s seeking the root cause. Wisdom has a form, but if wisdom is applied solely to external forms, it is not true wisdom.
You need to appreciate “non-wisdom”—acknowledging that you lack wisdom. By following my teachings, diligently cultivating your mind, and reciting sutras with dedication, you accept your lack of wisdom and commit to learning wholeheartedly. Without preconceived notions, you gradually achieve “non-wisdom,” which, in reality, is omniscience—knowing everything. On the other hand, if you believe you have already attained wisdom and are full of knowledge, would you still be eager to learn? You wouldn’t. You would stagnate, limited to what you have already acquired. This is why we must embrace “non-knowledge”—recognising our lack of wisdom—so that we may ultimately reach omniscience. From there, we attain Prajñā, and through Prajñā, we realise the great perfection of wisdom. This is the ultimate fulfilment of our inherent nature. By attaining the highest Prajñā, you achieve the ultimate perfection of your inherent nature.
Let’s delve deeper into the concept of the ultimate perfection of great wisdom. What does this mean? It means having a comprehensive understanding of the universe, human existence, the heavens, the earth, and humanity. It goes beyond these realms—transcending the Three Realms and the Five Elements, surpassing even the highest state of the universe. This is referred to as “unsurpassed, complete, and perfect enlightenment.” What does “unsurpassed” mean? It signifies the absolute pinnacle, like Guan Yin Bodhisattva or Shakyamuni Buddha. Why, then, do we hear about figures like Princess Miaoshan in Chinese Buddhism or the tales of Jigong, the Living Buddha? Today, I want to talk about Jigong Bodhisattva’s journey. He underwent countless lifetimes of cultivation before becoming a Living Buddha. Similarly, some say Guan Yin Bodhisattva originated in India, while others associate Guan Yin with China’s Princess Miaoshan. Many people find this confusing because they only see one aspect of Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s previous incarnations. At one point, Guan Yin Bodhisattva was indeed Chinese, which is why depictions often portray a Chinese appearance. Meanwhile, in India, Guan Yin Bodhisattva is represented in an Indian form. These variations reflect lifetimes of cultivation. It’s like when one of my disciples dreams of having been an empress in a past life. I tell you, these things are real—they exist. But they belong to your past. How do prodigies come into being? They don’t achieve greatness in a single lifetime.
The merit and virtue of Dharma giving is the greatest, and so is the merit and virtue of saving people. Reciting sutras can help you develop wisdom, but not fundamental wisdom. Through this Dharma Door, I use worldly wisdom to guide people, but behind that worldly wisdom lies fundamental wisdom. Without fundamental wisdom as the foundation, how could I possibly save you? Sometimes, when the foundation is shaken, my wisdom might manifest as worldly wisdom. However, when supported by fundamental wisdom, the wisdom I express is undoubtedly that of the Bodhisattvas.
I always maintain a humble approach. When speaking to our young practitioners, I often criticise myself to show them that we all have faults and must strive for self-improvement. It’s like falling ill—can anyone claim they’ve never been sick from childhood to adulthood? If someone never falls ill, they are not truly human. Those who never experience illness are spiritual beings; they do not possess a physical body. Without the balance of yin and yang and the Five Elements, they cannot exist in human form and therefore do not suffer from physical illness. However, they do endure sensory suffering and emotional distress. For example, if someone scolds you or you worry about your child being out late, the mental pain you feel is comparable to hearing, “You have a serious illness.” Even before physical pain manifests, emotional and sensory suffering has already begun. This, in essence, is spiritual torment.
I’m explaining this thoroughly because I don’t want you to suffer spiritually or emotionally. Many people with mental illnesses are actually tormented on a spiritual level—their bodies no longer register physical sensations because their souls have lost control over their physical form. They’re unaware of their own pain. Without a soul, a person is no longer truly alive. This is the reality of a vegetative state.
What I’m teaching you now is advanced Buddha-dharma—how to apply wisdom and your soul to govern yourself and navigate life. Life must be lived with wisdom and purification so that you can complete your journey. But it’s not easy. Since you have taken human form, you must endure the injustices, suffering, disasters, and unfairness of the human world. You might ask, “Why is my family like this? Why is my husband like this? Why? Why…?” Someone once joked about turning my teachings into A Hundred Thousand Questions. Not a very wise idea. Do you think the profound Dharma—the teachings on liberation and spiritual awakening—can be reduced to a collection of simple questions and answers? These are not matters of ordinary knowledge. True understanding requires the capacity for enlightenment. You must cultivate your inherent nature and reach a certain spiritual level before enlightenment becomes possible. Otherwise, how can you attain awakening?