Time : Saturday 2.00pm-4.00pm
Platform : ZOOM Cloud Meeting
Topic of Discussion : A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE RECITATION (PART 1)
The Buddhist scriptures say that performing recitation can result in an unimaginable amount of meritorious blessings.
On 4 September 2021, Guan Yin Citta, Singapore, held an online English sharing session on a guide to effective recitation (Part 1).
In an opening video, Master Lu said, ”One who recites with wholeheartedness will gain resonance with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Performing recitation in the state of mind of formlessness and without expecting anything in return will place one’s mind in total calmness.”
The participants were advised against repeating their prayers with each recitation of a sutra or mantra, and consuming foul-smelling food (e.g. the five pungent spices and durians) before reciting as they would wreck the recited Buddhist scriptures.
A positive attitude, an undivided mind and the willpower to help sentient beings can greatly enhance the quality of one’s recitations.
The session also touch on ways to maintain focus while performing recitations: visualise the image of Guan Yin Bodhisattva and listen to his own voice mindfully.
In the upcoming session, we will explore the right method to perform recitation to greatly enhance the quality of our recitations.
? Let us now look at some comments from participants:
This session reminded me that it is important to perform recitations with a heart of gratitude.
Thanks for sharing many useful tips on the dos and don’ts while performing recitation.
? Join us in our next session
Please contact Loh SX (96978356) / Woan Yi SX (82182248) for more information
⏰ Date and time:
Saturday 11 Sep 2021 (2.00pm – 4.00pm)
Please click here to download the Summary Slides shared during the Group Study:
Summary Slides_A Guide To Effective Recitation (Part 1)
WHAT ARE WE LEARNING TODAY?
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The Importance and Benefits of performing recitation of Buddhist scriptures
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Preparation before performing recitation
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The Reasons for ineffective recitations
< PUT YOUR HEART INTO RECITING BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES >
Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms Episode 35
(An Excerpt)
When putting your heart into reciting Buddhist scriptures, you will gain sympathetic resonance. One should perform recitation in the state of mind of formlessness, that is, one should not be attached to the perception of forms and without expecting anything in return. This is when our mind dwells in a state of total calmness.
LATEST MESSAGE FROM MASTER LU
Master Jun Hong Lu’s Daily Buddhism In Plain Terms – 14 Aug 2021
GUAN YIN CITTA’S ‘FIVE GOLDEN BUDDHIST PRACTICES’
Master Jun Hong Lu: In view of the ‘special circumstances’ in this Age of Dharma Decline, it is my hope that from now on, all Buddhist friends of Guan Yin Citta will apply the ‘Five Golden Buddhist Practices’ (make great vows, release captive lives, recite Buddhist scriptures, study Buddhism in Plain Terms and REPENT). This is to allow speedy elimination of negative karma, so that it will not form part of you.
As your Master, I shall now lead the way,
So that all of you start repenting today.
Make it a habit everyday,
Remove karmic obstacles, and good fortune is here to stay.
Here are the ‘Five Golden Buddhist Practices’ of Guan Yin Citta:
Make great vows, Liberate captive lives, Recitation, Study Buddhism in Plain Terms, and now with the addition of Performing Great Repentance.
< THE IMPORTANCE AND BENEFITS OF PERFORMING RECITATION >
Introduction to Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door
WHY DOES RECITING BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES MATTER?
Buddhist scriptures (sutras) are the sayings of the Buddha. When reciting them, you will benefit from the blessings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Recitation will not only help eliminate your negative karma: it will also bring strength, wisdom and inner peace, so that you can overcome all kinds of obstacles. All it requires is persistence and wholehearted sincerity.
Buddhism Your Questions Answered – Preface
WHY DOES RECITING BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES MATTER?
Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door teaches us to repay our karmic debts by following the “Three Golden Practices”: reciting Budddhist scriptures, making great vows and performing life liberation. These practices lay a solid foundation for improved physical and mental wellbeing. They have also been proven to cure illnesses, resolve interpersonal conflicts and increase one’s spiritual strength and wisdom.
Wenda20160925B 34:01 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
THE FUNCTIONS OF BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES
Caller: The way the foreign spirits inflict harm on humans is by disrupting their neuro systems, controlling their emotions and interfering with their rational thinking. The power of the scriptures of Bodhisattva lies in its ability to clear the flow in one’s meridians (energy channels) by removing blockages in the nervous system. Therefore, we should tap into the energy of the Bodhisattva to help us restore our rationality. This is one of the main functions of performing recitation. Is my understanding correct? Master, please enlighten me.
Master Jun Hong Lu: That’s 50% correct. The energy from Bodhisattvas is transmitted via light, electricity and various waves. It’s like those audio frequencies. In modern technology, it is called the ultrasonic wave. In fact, these waves, pulses and voltages are all a kind of shock wave, which is a form of energy body and light source that is capable of illuminating one’s whole physical body. Let me ask you, why do you feel cold while taking a shower, but when you turn on the light, the whole bathroom becomes warm.
Caller: The thermal energy is produced by the light bulb.
Master Jun Hong Lu: That’s right, this is the principle.
Caller: Thank you, Master.
THE UNBELIEVABLE POWER OF RECITATION CAN TRANSFORM FATE AND DESTINY
The Buddhist scriptures (Sutras) can connect us with the energy of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, tap into Their powers to help us solve both our day-to-day issues and issues concerning life and death.
In fact, we can count on ourselves to change our destiny by focusing on performing recitation and cultivating the mind and behaviour, through which we can receive the powers of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
When we perform recitation, it is not that Bodhisattva will help us eliminate our karmic obstacles. Instead, it is the meritorious blessings generated from our recitation effort that will do the job. The Buddhist scriptures state that the karmic reward from performing recitation is unimaginable and can result in an unimaginable amount of meritorious blessings. That said, recitation of Buddhist scriptures is a speedy way of accruing meritorious blessings that can help eliminate our karmic obstacles.
Perform Recitation of Buddhist Scriptures
< Performing recitation of Buddhist scriptures enhances our energy field (aura) >
A person who possesses a weak energy field (aura), will easily be influenced and led by others. He will not have any opinion of his own. For this type of person, reciting the Heart Sutra will increase his wisdom and hence strengthen his energy field. Reciting the Great Compassion Mantra will help boost his willpower and resolution. The greater the willpower, the greater will be the energy field.
To strengthen one’s energy field, one must perform recitation and also be a vegetarian.
Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 4, Chapter 9
ACCRUING MERITS FROM RECITATIONS
Master Jun Hong Lu: I would like to tell everyone that reciting Buddhist scriptures also creates merits and virtues. Why do I say so? Many people may ask, “I’ve been doing nothing other than reciting Buddhist scriptures. How is it that I’m accumulating merits and virtues?” This is because when you are performing recitation, you are making vows that will accrue meritorious blessings. Am I right?
Think about it: Whose names are you reading when you are reciting the Heart Sutra, the Great Compassion Mantra and the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance? They are all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, am I right? Whatever you say in your prayer, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will know. Don’t you think this is like making a vow?
When reciting the Heart Sutra, you will be thinking, “I vow to purify my mind and increase my wisdom”. When reciting the Great Compassion Mantra, you are making the vow to increase your spiritual power. These are your thoughts when you perform recitation.
That means, when you are performing recitation, you are reciting with a willpower. This explains why your recitation is efficacious. If you are merely performing ‘verbal recitation’ that lacks such willpower, you are just like the little monks in the temple who recite with their lips, not their heart. As a result, the effect of your recitation will not be obvious. By having the willpower “I wish to help sentient beings”, the effect of your recitation will be far greater.
REGARDING PERFORMING RECITATION AND ITS EFFECT ON LAW OF KARMA
Q&A 24. Performing recitations vis-a-vis the law of cause and effect
< PREPARATION BEFORE PERFORMING RECITATION >
Wenda20120506A 11:38 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RECITATION WITH AND WITHOUT INCENSE OFFERING
Caller: Is there a difference in effectiveness when performing recitation with and without the offering of incense?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Needless to say, it’s better to perform recitation when the incense has been offered. That said, recitation is to be done from your heart, not your lips. Furthermore, it also depends on the presence of Bodhisattva during incense offering. If Bodhisattva is aware, with Their presence, your recitation will surely be effective.
Metaphysics Q&A 一命二运三风水– Important Information about Little Houses
INTERRUPTION WHEN PERFORMING RECITATION
Find a quiet place and time to perform recitations. Avoid interruptions from phones or knocking on the door.
If you are interrupted in the midst of reciting a scripture, chant the following mantra once to pause your recitation – “Ong Lai Mu Suo He”. You can resume recitation by reciting the same mantra again and continuing where you left off. However, it would be advisable to start the recitation over in the case of a short scripture or if the interruption is longer than two hours.
SAYING PRAYERS WHEN PERFORMING RECITATIONS
Q&A 101. Saying prayers when performing recitations
Shuohua20170915 13:58 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s Call-In Radio Program)
THE SEQUENCE FOR PERFORMING DAILY RECITATIONS
Caller: Master Lu, in regards to the set of scriptures in our daily recitations, is there any sequence we should observe when reciting them? For example, after completing the Great Compassion Mantra, should we continue to recite the Heart Sutra or the Cundi Dharani, etc.? Is there a specific sequence to observe, or a method of pairing scriptures to make them more effective?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Certainly! You will need to begin with the Great Compassion Mantra, followed by the Heart Sutra, and then the ten short mantras. As for the recitation of the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance, you may do it either at the end or at the very beginning. Generally, our recitation should start with the Great Compassion Mantra and the Heart Sutra.
Caller: I understand now.
Shuohua20180727 22:11 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
AVOID EATING DURIANS BEFORE PERFORMING RECITATION AND WORSHIPPING BUDDHA; TRY TO AVOID FOUL-SMELLING FOOD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
Caller: Master Lu has mentioned that Buddhist practitioners should not eat durians; if we did, what should we do?
Master Jun Hong Lu: I didn’t say you can’t eat durians. Just refrain from doing so prior to performing recitation and worshipping the Buddha.
Caller: If we have eaten it…
Master Jun Hong Lu: There shouldn’t be any foul smell in your mouth. Can you imagine if your mouth is full of the foul smell when you are performing recitation and worshipping Buddha?
Caller: In the event that we have taken some, we should then refrain from performing recitation within an hour?
Master Jun Hong Lu: You can just brush your teeth.
Caller: If we would like to follow the Bodhisattva Path, is it true that we should not eat durians?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Anyway, try to avoid foul-smelling food as much as possible.
Wenda20150830A 20:24 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
CONSUMING THE FIVE PUNGENT SPICES CAN AFFECT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ONE’S RECITATION
Caller: Master, in the case where we have made a vow to become a full vegetarian but we accidentally consume food containing the five pungent spices while dining out, how many times of the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance (LIFO) should we recite?
Master Jun Hong Lu: This is not a big issue; one time of LIFO will suffice.
Caller: Alright.
Master Jun Hong Lu: The main concern here is there will be some foul smell in your mouth after consuming these five pungent spices. How do you think Bodhisattva is going to hear your recitation when your mouth stinks?
Caller: Yes, indeed.
Master Jun Hong Lu: In the past, people said, “The garlic and onion you eat will just mess everything up”. Think about this: In the context of ‘burning incense’, why do we do so? Isn’t it for the pleasant smell? On a similar note, imagine you open your mouth to recite the Great Compassion Mantra and the Heart Sutra and along with it comes the smell of onions, chives or garlic, isn’t that awful? You are literally wrecking the Great Compassion Mantra you recite.
Caller: That’s true. How much would the value be, in terms of percentage, for those Buddhist scriptures we recite after consuming the five pungent spices?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Sometimes, it is not even worth 1%. No one will want them. It will not even penetrate into the heart of the reciter because it’s simply too smelly! Let me ask you a question: would you consume food that looks clean but stinks like anything?
Caller: Definitely not.
Master Jun Hong Lu: Exactly! For those who are fond of stinky tofu do not mind the intense odour that the tofu emits as it is the internal aroma that appeals to them. That said, such people are far and between. The majority will not even venture into tasting it the moment the odour hits them. It is the same for durian which smells terrible, but there are many who find it simply tasty and delicious. Do you know what this is? It’s called “indifference to aroma and stench”.
Caller: I understand now. Thank you, Master.
< THE REASONS FOR INEFFECTIVE RECITATION >
Q&A 154. Reasons for ineffective recitations of scriptures
Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse (Question 188)
09 November 2017
Question: Can I visualise my son when I recite the Mantra to Untie Karmic Knots (Jie Jie Zhou) in order to resolve my negative karmic ties with him?
Answer: It is not advisable to do so, as you will invite trouble if there is a foreign spirit occupying his body. It is through the power of Bodhisattva, and not your imagination, that makes the recitation effective. As soon as you visualise your son, the foreign spirit occupying his body will come over to you.
Wenda20150424 18:25 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
REASON FOR HAVING TOO MUCH DISTRACTING THOUGHT DURING RECITATION
Caller: When carrying out certain tasks, why do we often feel particularly anxious, as though we wish to accomplish several tasks at once? When we perform recitations hastily, our minds are perpetually thinking of other things. Master Lu, is this due to the greed in us?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Those who have too many distracting thoughts and take this mortal world too seriously, will tend to fail in performing good recitations. On the contrary, those who are truly able to transcend worldliness, are able to let go of everything in this world as they are indifferent to it all. These are the people who can cultivate well.
Caller: I see. Thank you Master Lu for answering my question.
< LETTING GO IS NOT ABOUT GIVING UP EVERYTHING >
The concept of ‘let go” from a Buddhism perspective is not about giving up everything, rather it is about what we want and how much we need. Excessive wealth can do more harm than good to our body and soul. As a Buddhist practitioner, we should let go of excessive desires and demands. We must let go of all fixations in order to live a happy and peaceful life.
Wenda20160612B 37:00 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
HAVING DISTRACTING THOUGHTS DURING RECITATION IS A SIGN OF KARMIC OBSTACLES – RECITE MORE EIGHTY-EIGHT BUDDHAS GREAT REPENTANCE
Caller: Master Lu, we have an elderly lady Buddhist friend who has been practising Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door for several years. She mentioned that previously when she performed recitations she seemed to have a lot of distracting thoughts, but now it seems that these thoughts have reduced. When one has a lot of distracting thoughts during recitation, does it mean that the person has a lot of karmic obstacles? If that is the case, can we determine the level of our karmic obstacles by the amount of distracting thoughts we have during recitation?
Master Jun Hong Lu: That’s right. Generally, a person who is unable to calm his mind will have more distracting thoughts, and the more depressed a person is, the more karmic obstacles he has.
Caller: If, on some days, we find that our distracting thoughts are more plentiful than usual, does it mean that our karmic obstacles are more substantial, hence, we should recite more Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes, that’s correct.
MAINTAINING FOCUS WHEN PERFORMING RECITATIONS
Q&A 11. Maintaining focus when performing recitations
One of the reasons for reduced effectiveness of recitations is the lack of focus. For example, if you are thinking about your family members while performing recitation for yourself, then a portion of your recitation may be dedicated to them instead.
How can you maintain focus while performing recitations? Before you recite sutras or mantras, you can first gaze at the sky for one to three minutes and do not think about anything.
Wenda20140126A 34:07 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
HOW DOES ONE GAUGE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ONE’S OWN RECITATION?
Caller: Master, I dreamt of you twice, and in one of my dreams, I sought your advice on my recent fortune. Even though you replied that it was not bad, at present I don’t think that’s the case. Instead, I feel that I am bogged down with hefty karmic obstacles, and I don’t see any chances for advancement, whatsoever.
Recently, I have been reciting Buddhist scriptures, including the Little Houses for my deceased family member. As I am the only one in my family who is practising Buddhism, I have been going all out to perform recitation, to the extent that I have recited about 600 to 700 Little Houses in less than a year.
Master Jun Hong Lu: Well, you have recited so many Little Houses despite being a beginner, it is evident that you are very diligent in your practice. Isn’t that great?
Caller: What do you think of the effectiveness of my recitation?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Do you feel that your recitation is effective? You are supposed to gauge it yourself instead of me. I don’t wish to read this for you. Simply ask yourself: after you started recitation, is your family life going smoothly? Is your child well behaved and obedient? Does your husband quarrel with you? Aren’t you aware of all these?
Caller: It’s much better now.
Master Jun Hong Lu: In that case, it goes to show that your recitation is good.
SUMMARY
- The Three Golden Practices of Guan Yin Citta have been proven to cure illnesses, resolve interpersonal conflicts and increase one’s spiritual strength and wisdom.
- The recitation of Buddhist scriptures is a speedy way of accruing meritorious blessings that will eliminate karmic obstacles.
- When we perform recitation it is not that Bodhisattva will help us eliminate our karmic obstacles. Instead, it is the meritorious blessings generated from our recitation effort that do the job.
- Avoid repeating your prayers with each recitation of a sutra or mantra as your recitation will be negatively impacted. Also if one has too many wishes in their prayers, their recitation will not be effective.
- To ensure recitation is effective, you should include a fixed number of recitations for each of the Great Compassion Mantra, the Heart Sutra, and the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance in your daily recitations. In addition, you should also recite a sufficient number of Little Houses.
- Helping others is a meritorious deed, but it always comes with a cost. We need to know our own capabilities and limitations.
- Do not visualise the person you have a karmic knot with when reciting the Mantra to Untie Karmic Knots.
- When performing recitations, it is best to visualise what you have prayed for, or visualise the image of the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Listen to your own voice mindfully while you recite, to keep your mind from wandering.
< Merits or Good Fortune? It all depends on your state of mind >
Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms Episode 27
When we perform a good deed, we must do it with a joyful heart, just like when we perform recitation, our heart is filled with dharma bliss and when we attend dharma classes, our heart is filled with supreme bodhicitta.
Our line of thought must be aligned with the spirit of compassion of Mahayana Buddhism and that is to help more sentient beings. The higher and farther we pursue this path, the merits gained shall be boundless.
< Buddhism in Plain Terms < 白话佛法共修分享
