Today, the 19th day of the 6th lunar month (Saturday, 5 August), is the Enlightenment Day of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Let us celebrate this important day with a very special pack of discourses – Master Lu in conversation with Guan Yin Bodhisattva from which you will get insights into some of the very important questions you have:
- In developing your spiritual well-being through this dharma door of Guan Yin Bodhisattva, do you know what should be the focus of your practice?
- Could prayer be in any way effective? How can you have Guan Yin Bodhisattva be more responsive to your prayers?
- What did Guan Yin Bodhisattva say about sentient beings’ vulnerability to illnesses, including those with seemingly incurable diseases?
- Does Guan Yin Bodhisattva hear the prayers of those with hefty karmic obstacles?
- The Great Compassion Mantra (大悲咒) is famous for its benefits of healing, protection and purification, but did you know that it is the very core of Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s compassionate mission? Find out more in the opening video in this pack!
We invite you to read on to plant the seeds of enlightenment in your heart and may you be encouraged to cultivate the compassion of Guan Yin Bodhisattva on this special day.
< THE GREAT COMPASSION MANTRA >
BEING A DHARMA DOOR OF GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA, WHAT SHOULD BE THE FOCUS OF OUR PRACTICE?
EMULATE THE GREAT WISDOM AND COMPASSION AS WELL AS THE GREAT VOW AND STRENGTH OF GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA
Master Jun Hong Lu: The Buddha Way as practised by Guan Yin Bodhisattva, is where great compassion is the focus of the practice (大悲为道场); purity and peace are at its heart’s core (清净为心), and all Buddhas are held in high esteem (皆佛在心).
A person who emulates Guan Yin Bodhisattva will have great compassion, which brings about purity and tranquillity of the mind. This is because such a person only has concern for sentient beings, and none of his self-interests and hence, his mind is peaceful and it is in this heart that the Buddha resides.
With loving kindness and compassion towards all beings, this person is one and the same as Guan Yin (慈悲济物即观音). If you often help others and frequently perform charitable acts, you are Guan Yin Bodhisattva. So, where is the practice place of Guan Yin Bodhisattva?
In reality, wherever there are pious believers of Guan Yin Bodhisattva, or where the great compassion of Guan Yin Bodhisattva thrives, that is the place of practice of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. It can be found everywhere for as long as there is great compassion and great loving-kindness in one’s heart, therein lies the place of practice of Guan Yin Bodhisattva.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse on the Commemoration of Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s Enlightenment Day, 2020
FOUR IMPORTANT QUESTIONS MASTER LU POSED TO GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA
Question 1: Why do prayers go unanswered?
WITH A CALM MIND, EVERYTHING WILL NATURALLY GO SMOOTHLY
Master Jun Hong Lu: First question: I asked Bodhisattva in my mind, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, nowadays many people often ask me this question: Why does my prayer go unanswered?”
Guan Yin Bodhisattva said, “With a calm mind, all prayers will naturally come true (心静则自然灵)”. Are you able to calm your mind when you are reciting the Buddhist scriptures? How about when you are studying the Buddha’s teachings? From now on, calm your mind before you pray to Bodhisattva, and see for yourself whether your prayer is efficacious.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Sydney, Australia, 8 April 2012
Question 2: Why are sentient beings plagued by ill-health?
MYRIADS OF ILLNESSES STEM FROM A MIND THAT IS DEFILED
Master Jun Hong Lu: Second question: I said to Bodhisattva, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, nowadays people are ridden with illnesses, and what’s more, many of these illnesses are medically unknown. As I go about helping sentient beings daily, the stack of phone recordings is filled with names of people who are dying from terminal illnesses such as the likes of cancer, cerebral palsy, brain tumour and all sorts of other illnesses”.
Bodhisattva said, “Myriads of illnesses stem from a mind that is defiled”. A person with an evil conscience will contract all sorts of illnesses. Do not take these few simple words lightly because the meaning behind is extremely profound. Take a look at those severely-ill people. You may claim that your sick mother has never done anything evil and she is someone with a good conscience. The fact of the matter is, a person with a good conscience in this life does not necessarily mean she was someone of moral excellence in her past lives.
Bodhisattva continued, “The soul (Citta) is the lock, while the dharma door is the key. The dharma door that unlocks your soul is known as ‘Citta Dharma Door’ (xin ling fa men, 心灵法门)”.
It is because of this lock that bolts the mind that humans fail to think things through. When you get upset with the many troubles in life, it is because you do not undo the lock to your soul. Those who choose to take their own lives are the ones who can’t rise above their vexations. Generally, a troubled person is one who fails to get over life matters.
Just yesterday, I was telling our Buddhist friends at the Oriental Radio station that having vexations is a telltale sign that one lacks wisdom. A wise person will not have vexations because the moment a problem arises he has the wisdom to overcome and solve it. Do you think someone who exclaims, “Gosh, this thing is driving me crazy!” possesses any wisdom? People who are able to cultivate wisdom are definitely worry-free and those who are bogged down by worries have no wisdom. Buddhas and Bodhisattva are the greatest philosophers, that’s why I am telling you to put in your best effort to learn Buddhism.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Sydney, Australia, 8 April 2012
Question 3: Will Guan Yin Bodhisattva hear the prayers of those with hefty karmic obstacles?
A MOTHER WILL SURELY HEAR WHEN HER CHILD CRIES
Master Jun Hong Lu: Third question: I asked Guan Yin Bodhisattva, “Many people, who were not spiritual cultivators in their past life, have this question about praying to You.
They often ask, “When we pray to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, would She know?
Many of those who are accomplished in their spiritual cultivation, are able to have Guan Yin Bodhisattva manifest Her powers as and when they put forth a prayer, it is truly efficacious. This is just like how many people only need to call upon me and my dharma body will visit them in their dreams.
But what about those people who have hefty negative karma, people who are plagued by various illnesses, or those who are still committing misdeeds and have just come to their senses and are looking for instant rehabilitation, when they call upon Guan Yin Bodhisattva, would Guan Yin Bodhisattva hear their implorations?”
Do you know what Guan Yin Bodhisattva said?
This is a direct quote from my conversation with Guan Yin Bodhisattva, and I shall now reiterate word for word to all of you. Guan Yin Bodhisattva said, “A mother will surely hear when her child cries”.
Immediately, I teared up and felt sorry. This is a mother’s love for her child. Imagine the extent of suffering that we have to endure in the human realm? Tell me is there a family who is spared from suffering? One minute, your child falls ill and next, your parents are unwell; one minute you lose your job and the next minute something happens to your family. You take on a task and the next thing you know, someone snatches it away right under your nose and sabotages you. Knowing that anything can happen in life, who else can we pray to, if not Guan Yin Bodhisattva?
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Sydney, Australia, 8 April 2012
Question 4: Why do some people fail to accrue meritorious blessings despite great effort?
WHERE WEEDS ARE OVERGROWN, NO FRUIT GROWS
Master Jun Hong Lu: Fourth question. Don’t get too anxious. So brilliant are the words of Bodhisattva. My question to Guan Yin Bodhisattva was, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, while many people are able to accrue meritorious blessings, there are others who, despite having performed many good deeds, don’t seem to have accrued any merits?”
Guan Yin Bodhisattva replied, “Where weeds are overgrown, no fruit grows”. This explains why we should not let ‘weeds’ take root in our mind, that is, our mind should be free from distracting thoughts. Having distracting thoughts is when you brood over those unhappy episodes day in, day out. In this case, do you think you will be happy or will your exertion bear fruits? Basically, what Guan Yin Bodhisattva is saying is that a soul overwhelmed by distracting thoughts will never be able to accrue any merits. This is because on one hand, you may be performing merits but in essence, you are up to no good and doing something bad on the other.
So finally, I asked Guan Yin Bodhisattva, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, can you teach us a method that will help make our prayers more efficacious? You have earlier mentioned a ‘calm state of mind’, how do we achieve this state for our prayers to be answered?”.
Guan Yin Bodhisattva replied, “After completing your prostration before the Buddha and Bodhisattvas but, right before you put forth your prayer, enunciate, “The Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva, silence…”.
When you say the word ‘silence’, your mind will be emptied, without any thought whatsoever. You should sincerely express your deepest gratitude to Guan Yin Bodhisattva.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Sydney, Australia, 8 April 2012
DOES BLESSING 祝福 REALLY WORK?
WHEN YOU LOVE SENTIENT BEINGS AS GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA WOULD, IT WILL NEVER GO UNNOTICED
Master Jun Hong Lu: During the era of Northern Zhou dynasty, there was a monk who went by the name of Shi Chan (实禅) lived in the capital city. He was a monk with high moral standing and supernatural powers. One afternoon, out of the blue, he walked up to the bell tower and rang the bell, instructing everyone to prepare to offer incense. When asked about the reason, he divulged, “Somewhere in Jiangnan, the hall of a temple is about to collapse and thousands will perish. I hope all of you will piously recite the Buddhist scriptures as means to quell the karmic grievance such that the impending karmic calamity can be averted”.
Sure enough, a month later, news broke out from Jiangnan that over a thousand people were gathering at the Zhongzhen Temple in Yangzhou to listen to the dharma teaching. Out of a sudden, an impeccable scent and the sound of Buddhist chant wafted through the north gate, before diffusing in the hall and out it went through the southern gate. Spellbound, they followed the path of the sound which led them out of the temple hall. Right as everyone got out, the hall caved in and everyone managed to escape unscathed.
How can recitation performed at one place have the effect of preventing calamities befalling people in another? It is because of the compassion of the Buddhist practitioners. All phenomena come from the heart. As such, when the hearts of Buddhist practitioners come together, they have the ability to bestow peace upon their families and the world – such is the power of blessings. When hearts meld into one, sympathetic resonance of blessing is obtained.
When a child leaves for a business trip, the mother will naturally know the child’s whereabouts, succinctly encapsulated in the Chinese idiom ‘When the child is away, the mother will pray’ . This goes to show that human beings possess intuitive feelings.
When you help others wholeheartedly and you use your heart to love others, they will be able to feel it. Buddhist practitioners should emulate the boundless love exemplified by Guan Yin Bodhisattva towards all sentient beings because when the warmth of your love is felt it will spur them to be more dedicated in their Buddhist practice and you will be loved in return.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, New Zealand, 27 April 2014