Today, I’m going to talk to you about making great vows. A person’s vow power is very important. So, what is vow power? It’s the driving force behind the things you aspire to achieve—the energy that helps turn your intentions into reality. Whether someone’s vow power is strong depends on the strength, determination, and perseverance behind that vow. It’s not just about making a vow.
If someone vows to do something but doesn’t follow through, this is known in the Buddhist world as wasted effort. Why? Because you originally made a vow to do something—for example, to become vegetarian—but you didn’t follow through. Isn’t that an empty promise? Isn’t that meaningless? Just like that, the opportunity passes you by. What could have been a good deed ends up becoming a karmic offence. It’s no different from lying to the Bodhisattvas. That’s why I often remind you: when practising Buddhism, you must not speak falsely. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. If you make a vow and don’t act on it, you’ve spoken falsely. Do you understand There’s a saying: “Three feet above your head, there are divine spirits.” The Bodhisattvas are always watching, so you must truly understand this principle.
Reciting sutras and performing meritorious deeds are both very important. Many people know how to recite sutras but don’t understand how to perform meritorious deeds, while others know how to perform meritorious deeds but don’t know how to recite sutras. I’m telling you: reciting sutras is also a form of performing meritorious deeds. So why does reciting sutras accumulate merit and virtue? Many people ask, “I’m just reciting sutras. I’m not actually doing anything—how does that generate merit and virtue?” It’s because when you recite sutras, you’re actually making vows. And the merit and virtue that comes from making vows is immense, isn’t it?
Think about it—when you recite the Heart Sutra, when you chant the Great Compassion Mantra, when you recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance—who is at the centre of those texts? They’re all about the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, right? Whatever you express to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, they know. Isn’t that also a kind of vow?
When you recite the Heart Sutra, you may be thinking, “I vow to purify my mind and develop wisdom.” When you chant the Great Compassion Mantra, you may be hoping to strengthen your spiritual power and cultivate the energy of the Buddhas. As you recite, your intentions carry these very thoughts, don’t they? That’s why it’s so important to understand this principle clearly.
Why does reciting sutras accumulate merit and virtue? Because when you recite, you’re doing so with vow power. Why are your recitations effective? Because they are fuelled by your vow. Sutra recitation without vow power is like a young monk chanting sutras mechanically—with the mouth but not the heart. That kind of recitation has little effect. But if your vow is to awaken and save all sentient beings, your recitation becomes far more powerful. Do you understand?
Today, I want to share this with you: when you use your vow power and think, “Everything I do today is for the purpose of helping all sentient beings with affinity for Buddhism to be free from suffering and attain happiness,” your state of mind becomes completely different. Why? Because when your intention is to help all sentient beings be free from suffering, your mindset rises to a heavenly level—you are a Bodhisattva, you are a Buddha—so naturally, your mental state changes, right? And of course, the effect of your sutra recitation will also be different. You must truly understand this.
Now, when we talk about sentient beings with affinity for Buddhism, what does that mean? It means anyone learning Buddhism is a sentient being with affinity; anyone willing to believe is also a sentient being with affinity. Do you understand? That’s why we help others cultivate themselves. If, while reciting sutras, your intention is to guide and awaken sentient beings, just imagine how powerful that energy becomes. If I didn’t point this out, you might go your whole life without ever realising how profound it is. You might simply think, “I’m reciting sutras for myself—my health is better, my work is going well.” But when vow power combines with sutra recitation, do you know what you gain? If your mind is focused on sentient beings across billions of kalpas, then the energy you receive will match that scale—it will be energy on the level of billions of kalpas. Do you understand?
Let me give you a simple example. Imagine a company chairman who wants to go to work, but his health is very poor. At that moment, if he thinks, “I’m the chairman—if I don’t show up, the company will stop operating, production will halt,” he finds renewed strength. Because he’s thinking of others—of the many people relying on him—he gains a hundred times more confidence to keep going. That energy comes from thinking of others.
Here’s another simple example. During the Wenchuan earthquake in China, several of our charity groups urgently ordered around a thousand tents to be manufactured and shipped from Australia to China. It was a massive order. The factory couldn’t keep up. But everyone worked tirelessly—why? Because they were focused on disaster relief. The moment they thought of those suffering people, their mindset completely shifted—they gave it their all. Isn’t that right? This example shows that when you recite sutras with the thought of all sentient beings in mind, you are a Bodhisattva. In that moment, you are receiving the energy of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and the light you radiate is infinite. That’s why sutra recitation is so important. It’s not something you casually recite for yourself, like reading a novel. It’s about connecting with the energy of the entire universe. If you’re able to receive the energy of the universe, then you can radiate it outward. Do you understand?
Many people only know how to recite sutras for themselves and never help others recite. That kind of person is practising self-cultivation, which is a form of Buddhist practice. But if someone often thinks of others and helps them cultivate too, that’s an entirely different matter.
So how do you help others cultivate? Everyone enjoys hearing me explain the Buddha-dharma in plain language. For example, it’s like me lighting a torch within your heart—that torch lights up your mind. For one person, it’s just a small light—a single bright spot, while the rest remains dark, right? But if you use that torch to light the hearts of sentient beings around the world—if you pass that flame on to hundreds of millions of people—just imagine how bright this world would be.
And what do you lose by sharing that light? Tell me—what have you lost? You are the flame. Not only have you lost nothing, you’ve helped illuminate others while remaining just as bright yourself. Think about it—if everyone around you is shining, how could you not shine as well? Even if your own light dims, the light around you continues, so you’re still surrounded by brightness, aren’t you?
If all you have is a single lamp, a single torch, and you practise Buddhism without helping others, then eventually your flame will go out. And because you didn’t pass it on, no one else has a light either. You’ll be left in complete darkness. But if you’ve lit up many others, you’ll see more and more light from those who are also practising Buddhism. You’ll earn the love and respect of many people, won’t you?
These are the Buddhist teachings I share. That’s why I often tell you: if you practise Buddhism but don’t help others or share the Dharma, then when something truly goes wrong in your own home, there’ll be no one to help you recite Little Houses. Why? Because you never helped others recite Little Houses—so when you’re in need, no one will help you either. But someone who spends their days guiding and awakening sentient beings—when they face a crisis, everyone will come to support them. This is just like the torch analogy I gave earlier: one torch versus hundreds of millions of torches—the concept is the same.
Why do some people only cultivate for themselves? Because they’re selfish and narrow-minded. People who refuse to help others will never receive help themselves. It’s the same principle, isn’t it? How long can one torch burn? Eventually, it will go out. But if you help light up everyone around you, and sentient beings keep passing on that flame, then you’ll always live in light. Even if one person’s light goes out, the others continue to shine—and you’ll always be surrounded by brightness. This is the spirit we should embody in practising Buddhism. So don’t be stingy and say, “Oh, I can’t help others recite sutras anymore.” What I mean is: unless someone is heavily burdened by yin (negative) energy or serious karmic obstacles, they’re not beyond help—and they’re not incapable of helping others either. If someone is overwhelmed by foreign spirits or serious karmic debt, then yes, they truly may be unable to help others—because their own “boat” is already damaged. It can no longer carry anyone else. Do you all understand? That’s why I say: if you want to accumulate great merit and virtue, you must also develop a big heart. Many people don’t realise that in this human world, tolerance and merit and virtue go hand in hand. Those with great merit and virtue always possess great tolerance. Why? The logic is simple. The more merit and virtue you have, the more you’ve given—and that kind of giving requires a big heart. On the other hand, those with little merit and virtue have given very little, and naturally, their hearts are smaller.
Next, I’d like to share this with everyone: it’s very common for people to be unwilling to let others benefit. This is a human shortcoming. Many people only care about benefiting themselves and don’t want others to gain anything. That’s why, throughout history, many Dharma Doors have faded over time—because many Masters passed them on to only a select few. In the end, not even a trace of the original teachings remained. And many Masters deliberately held something back.
But today, I’m here to tell you: I share everything with you without holding anything back. I’m passing on the complete teachings of the Guan Yin Dharma Door. Whatever Guan Yin Bodhisattva tells me, I pass on to you. I keep nothing to myself. When something comes to me, I share it with you. If there’s something to teach today, I’ll teach it. If not, I won’t. Do you understand?
When practising Buddhism and paying respects to the Buddhas, it must come from the heart. Your practice must be sincere—genuine from within. Today, everyone looks so joyful, as if celebrating a festive occasion. On the surface, it may look like you’re bowing to me, but in reality, you’re bowing to Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Do you understand? I am always the Dharma body of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. It is Guan Yin Bodhisattva who sent me to do these things. That’s why all of you must understand this clearly.