We must transform the very root of birth and death. That root is greed, anger, and ignorance—the “three poisons” of craving, hatred, and delusion. To transcend birth and death, we must rely on faith, vows, and practice. In other words, we must believe, make firm vows, and act to correct ourselves—only then can we be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. Faith, vows, and practice have the power to extinguish greed, anger, and ignorance. Since ancient times, every toxic substance has had its antidote, just as every poison has a cure. The best antidote for greed, anger, and ignorance is faith, vows, and practice. I hope you’ll note this down and carefully read my Buddhism in Plain Terms. I have already spoken to you about faith, vows, and practice; about the Twelve Links of Conditioned Origination; and about karmic cause and effect across three lifetimes—all to help you understand the relationship between faith, vows, and practice and greed, anger, and ignorance.
Previously, I spoke about rigid attachment, and I’d like to add something further: it refers to being overly firm in believing or deciding certain things. This arises from three causes—the karma of your past lives, the influence of your parents, and another reason: the state of your soul before birth. If your soul was already fragmented before you were born, you may become obsessively fixated on pursuing certain things. From this perspective, anyone who desperately chases after something is, in truth, a person with an incomplete soul.
Let me explain why many people see light radiating from Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or even from me. Light needs a medium to become visible. For example, if sunlight never reaches the earth, you can’t see where the sun truly is. Or if you shine a spotlight into the sky and it doesn’t hit anything, all you’ll see is a beam of light. Light only becomes visible when it strikes something—an object or surface—that reveals its glow. Take the lamp in this room, for instance: you can see it only because its light is cast upon the walls and surroundings. Likewise, the light of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifests only when it shines into our hearts. When the Buddha’s light enters your heart, you truly absorb it into your physical being. Once your body receives this light, you can then reflect it outward again. This is much like solar energy. Think about it—when sunlight reaches a solar panel, it generates electricity that powers your home’s lights. In the same way, when the light of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas shines into our hearts, the energy we absorb is their divine light. The light that radiates back out is the Buddha’s light resonating from within us. These rays of light illuminate your path and your life.
How do you obtain this light? By continually absorbing the Buddha’s radiance. It’s like solar power—why does your house still have electricity on a rainy day? Because on sunny days, it stored abundant energy. It’s just like a battery. If someone doesn’t practise Buddhism, where does their energy come from? How could they possibly receive the light of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? So, matter makes light visible, and light in turn reveals matter. In darkness, a torch allows you to see the objects around you, but without light, even what’s right before your eyes becomes invisible. Matter needs light to be seen. Though we live in a world full of calamities, with the protection of Buddhist teachings and wisdom, we can overcome them. Our spiritual cultivation works the same way: we rely on the light of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to guide our practice, while they enter our hearts with compassion. The principle is the same. Such profound truths of the Dharma! I am explaining them through simple, everyday logic—clear and easy to grasp. That is Buddhism in plain language.
Your wisdom is like a light source, but having a light source doesn’t mean you’re shining brightly. Think of it this way: you might have a battery and a light bulb, but that doesn’t guarantee illumination. The battery allows you to receive and store energy, and when the light source can release or reflect that energy, that’s when it truly fulfils its purpose. In the same way, we must use our inner potential to radiate wisdom and compassion. True light manifests through great compassion and the Four Immeasurable States of Mind—loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. If someone lacks compassion, empathy, joy, or the willingness to let go, what can they gain? Whatever they gain is merely temporary.
Many people practise Buddhism as though they live only by daylight—they practise during the “day” but stop once “night” falls. Why? Because in the daytime, a mirror can reflect sunlight and illuminate others, but at night, that same mirror reflects nothing. The principle is the same. I often compare a single day to a lifetime. You can’t just practise Buddhism well for one part of your life and then give up in old age—that’s like losing your light at nightfall. True diligence means reciting sutras from morning until night, even as you lie in bed. In the same way, Guan Yin Bodhisattva comes to save and awaken sentient beings, yet we must also be willing to understand and accept her compassion. When Guan Yin Bodhisattva reaches out to save us, she also hopes that we will receive her guidance. If you neither pray to nor accept Guan Yin Bodhisattva, how can she save or awaken you? It’s like the relationship between parents and children: children must understand their parents, and parents must cherish their children. Only then can the Bodhisattva’s compassion and care truly manifest.
If light doesn’t shine on something solid, it’s like a beam in the sky—scattered and invisible. A spotlight’s beam can reach far when focused, but if it spreads across the sky, you can’t see it at all. Light needs to strike something tangible to be visible. If it doesn’t, it merely shines into empty space—the realm of the void. If we practise Buddhism without receiving the Buddhas’ and Bodhisattvas’ light, we live in a world of emptiness—like the blind and the deaf, surrounded by darkness, unable to see light or find our way home. Think about it: the runway lights at an airport are dazzlingly bright, but from a plane high above, they appear as tiny specks—easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. When a plane descends, you see the city below, sparkling with thousands of lights—so beautiful. But from 10,000 metres up, you see nothing. Only when you drop to a few thousand metres do those lights come into view. So sometimes the light seems to appear, and other times it seems to vanish, right? It’s like the Buddha’s light—sometimes it feels present, sometimes not. When you sincerely pray to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for their light to shine upon you, the light arrives. But when you stop praying, it’s as if, for you, there is no Buddha’s light at all. If the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas observe that your mind is chaotic, impure, and filled with greed, anger, and ignorance—still chasing after fame, wealth, and gain—what they see is your Five Aggregates not empty. But if your heart is pure, kind, and compassionate, then what they see is your Five Aggregates all empty.
As we cultivate the mind, we must overcome obstacles—we have to. We should also learn to share our experiences and insights with others. Sharing what we’ve learned strengthens our resolve to practise Buddhism, helps us break through the inner barriers we face, and supports others in overcoming their struggles. It encourages faith and deepens our confidence in Buddhism. Each time you help guide or awaken someone, you’re also strengthening your own faith. Every time you share or help to liberate another, your conviction grows stronger.
You’re living in a world full of disasters—do you realise the kind of pressure you face every day? What are you really learning from your Buddhist practice? You’re learning to cultivate conscience, sincerity, and your true nature. If you end up speaking nonsense or boasting, you’re not truly practising Buddhism. As my disciples, there’s no room for excuses. Nothing in this world is absolutely right or wrong—everything arises from the law of karma. You need an inner sense of balance, like a set of scales within your heart. What you say doesn’t always reflect what you truly understand, and what you understand might not match the original meaning. Without wisdom, you can’t distinguish truth from falsehood. It’s like someone without a key—they can’t open any door, so they just keep knocking from the outside. That’s what it’s like to be outside the Dharma, unable to enter the path. I hope you’ll cultivate diligently, cherish your life, and treasure your time. The moments that pass today will never return. Once today’s life passes, it’s gone. So make sure to treasure it well.
That’s all for today.