Dear Buddhist friends,
Is your life stuck in the cycle of “me-first” thinking?
Selfishness doesn’t just hurt others—it keeps us trapped in cycles of suffering. Learn how greed, ignorance, and the “me-first” mentality quietly steal our blessings and suffocate our spirit.
✨ Master Lu’s Timeless Wisdom Will Guide Us To:
✅ The Root of Selfishness
Uncover the root causes of our struggles and learn how to let go.
✅ The Me-First Mentality
Explore how this mindset narrows our life and blocks our ability to show true compassion.
✅ The Silent Thief of Blessings
Learn how selfishness steals our joy and merits.
✅ The Light of Wisdom
Break free from the illusions of ego and see life with clarity.
Don’t miss these videos:
🎥 Why Your “Self” is Suffocating You And How to Let Go
🎥 The Lion & Tiger’s Fight: A Buddhist Truth About the Trap of Selfishness
Join us to transform “me” into “we” and awaken boundless compassion! 🌿✨
< Why Your ‘Self’ is Suffocating You And How to Let Go? >
BEING SELFLESS MAKES ONE FEARLESS
Master Jun Hong Lu: A successful person, one with a good upbringing and good morals, would always put the welfare of others before themselves. However, this might not be the case for us. We always think of ourselves even before we start doing something. Selfishness is when you have only thoughts of yourself every moment of the day.
A selfless person is one who only has the welfare of others in their mind at all times. A selfless person is fearless, that is, they have nothing to be afraid of as their thoughts are filled with concern for others, completely devoid of any egocentrism and hence, there is no fear in them.Selflessness makes one fearless, and a fearless person is not frightened of anything.
Why are there people who constantly live in fear? It is because they are too selfish. They are afraid that others may look down on them or taunted by others, and the list goes on. These are the people who will soon shut themselves down in life.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1 March 2014
WHERE DOES SELFISHNESS COME FROM?
Master Jun Hong Lu: At times, our temperament can be so subtle. We see other people’s flaws, and over-judge others, yet we fail to do self-introspection. In fact, there are people who will start rattling off an endless list of weaknesses they find in others when they are given an opportunity. And, when asked to speak about their own flaws, they will say, “I’m fine — I don’t have any flaws”.
Do you think someone like that is really flawless? Since they can’t even see their own faults, when karma and circumstances come into play, their thoughts and actions will habitually shift into a self-defense mode.
This is when they will always find reasons to disagree with others, and every time something crops up, they will instinctively turn defensive. Being blinded to their own faults, these people will be trapped in a habitual pattern of self-protection (纠结在一种习惯性地保护自己上面).
When karma and conditions come into play, oftentimes their first concern is: “What can I gain from this? What if I make a mistake or incur some loss by doing this?” This occurs because they fail to recognise their own evil thoughts, greed, demonic tendencies (魔性), and selfishness in them. On the contrary, a person who can consistently see their own flaws is one who is on the path of “awakening” (觉).
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Episode 24, 29 May 2020
KEEP PERFORMING KIND DEEDS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN YOUR SUCCESS AND RICHES
Master Jun Hong Lu: A wealthy person who regularly donates, performs acts of kindness, and benefits others will earn the adoration and well-wishes of those around them, leading to continued success and prosperity.
Conversely, a person who is extremely selfish and refuses to assist others despite having the financial means to do so, will only invite condemnation from others. His fortune and health would be impacted by the negative energy field emanating from the endless streams of criticism that others heap on him. In consequence, they will experience a gradual decline in their lives from then on (你就会越越来越衰败).
If we pay close attention, numerous examples are evident. For instance, those “nouveau riche” (newly rich) individuals (暴发户). They perform few to no kind deeds and they exploit opportunities through unethical practices in order to amass wealth. For them, their downfall often comes swiftly. The wealth of these individuals rarely lasts long.
On the other hand, take a look at people like Li Ka-Shing, who started out selling plastic products. After achieving some success in life, he dedicated himself to charitable causes. He took one step at a time and he persisted, and till this very day, he is still standing strong. What about those newly-rich groups? They have all disappeared.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 11 Chapter 6
TO BE ON THE RIGHT CULTIVATION PATH, STEER YOUR MIND CLEAR OF DISTRACTING AND SELFISH THOUGHTS
Master Jun Hong Lu: Say for example, you are a Buddhist practitioner, and you have been tasked to assign volunteering work. Assuming you do not have a cordial relationship with one of the volunteers, you may think of excluding him from the assignment. On the surface, you may be seen as doing your work and your deed is meritorious, but in reality, as long as you bear such a thought, not only have you earned no merits, you are revealing just how filthy your soul is!
You are performing Buddha’s work, yet you have the audacity to abuse your position for personal gain (徇私舞弊)! Can you imagine the severity of this transgression? Do you even think you can hide from Bodhisattvas and the heavenly beings? Do not ever think that you are now learning Buddhism, you are a Bodhisattva. You should know well enough whether your soul is pure or corrupted.
For the many things that you do not wish to get your hands dirty, you will shove to others and you have the cheek to claim that you are giving a chance to this person and that person to perform meritorious deeds. Don’t you think these are nothing but your selfish thoughts?
As for some of you who are hiding many things from me, don’t you think you have distracting thoughts? This is not good because you are essentially establishing all things from your biases(“以任何偏见设立种种法”). You are displaying what looks apparently right but actually wrong only to solicit praise from others, when in actual fact, this mind of yours is already corrupted. You may be seen as someone who is well-cultivated but in reality, your mind is already contaminated (纵有修持，也因此心而污染). You may be always performing recitation of the Buddhist scriptures, but distracting thoughts have already shrouded your mind.
Such types of people will never be able to embark on the right cultivation path (决难得其真所行之道), that is, they will fail to grasp onto the righteous way. This can be likened to driving – you may be driving forward, but if you keep turning your steering wheel, you are bound to eventually veer off the right path.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 7 Chapter 2
A SELFISH PERSON LACKS WISDOM
Master Jun Hong Lu: To quell selfishness, you need wisdom. As a matter of fact, a selfish person lacks wisdom because he only thinks about himself and the welfare of others will never cross his mind.
Do you know that those with a cunning mind (动小脑筋的人) are pitiful because they will end up being an easy target for bullying by others? People with such minds easily reveal their vulnerabilities, making them easy targets. A cunning person will not be well regarded by his manager, who is bound to make life difficult for him. An employer will never mistreat someone who conducts himself with integrity.
A cunning person will be looked down upon by others, they have no wisdom and are selfish. If you are someone who is constantly thinking of gaining advantage at the expense of others, isn’t this greed? If you try to take something that is not rightfully yours, aren’t you bringing trouble upon yourself?
Some people try to take advantage of pretty girls they stumble upon in public places only to be arrested red-handedly and sent to the police station. Don’t you think this is greed? Would a wise person do this?
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 8 Chapter 10
WISDOM OF PERFECTION (圆满的智慧) SHOULD BE YOUR GOAL
Master Jun Hong Lu: It is important to be awakened to the truth of emptiness (要证悟空性). It is when you tell yourself, “I can confirm the truth and I am fully aware that our mind and natures are inherently empty, that is, they are non-existent. So, what is the specific manifestation of emptiness? It is compassion. A compassionate person spares no thought for himself as his sense of self is void. He is a gentle person who is ready to make peace with others. Such a person will not harbour any selfishness at heart.
A person of humility has no ego. As he respects everyone without any notion of self, he is a happy person; it is when he forgets about himself, he gets a taste of happiness. Instead, if you are so filled with selfishness and you are full of selfish thoughts such as,
“How am I doing today?”
“How will I be doing tomorrow?”,
“What have I gained from this thing that I did today? I am not happy at all because I gain nothing out of it!”,
“I have been kind to others today and yet my kindness is not reciprocated.”
You will be saddened again. With this mentality, there is no way that you would be happy. This is because selfishness is the thief of joy.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 8 Chapter 11
A SELFLESS PERSON WILL SURELY RECEIVE BODHISATTVA’S BLESSINGS
Master Jun Hong Lu: On our path of spiritual cultivation and helping others to be spiritually awakened, we should not be afraid of making sacrifices. Sadly, some of us, when being assigned some minor tasks, are so eager to give all sorts of excuses such as, “I don’t have any time for it”, “I’m too busy” or “I’m simply exhausted”.
As a result, the important work will go undone. If you always claim that, “I’m too busy”, you will never ever find time for it. Well, guess what! When you are bed-ridden, that’s when you’ll finally have all the time in the world.
A person with immeasurable merit is someone who goes all-out to dedicate his life for the good of others and is not thinking of their own interests. Bodhisattvas will certainly bestow blessings upon such people and this is the principle. So, as a Buddhist practitioner, we should not be afraid to make sacrifices.
What does it mean by ‘endowed with boundless merits (功德具足)’? It means that, in every situation, you are consistently showing kindness, and you prioritise the well-being of others. When you shift your focus away from yourself and direct it towards others, you will be endowed with boundless merits. In such a case, would the Bodhisattvas not bestow Their blessings upon you? Without a doubt, They certainly will.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 9 Chapter 41
EMBRACING THE GREATER SELF TO OVERCOME THE LESSER SELF
Master Jun Hong Lu: We must learn to fully embrace the greater self. Those who can use the greater self to govern their lesser selves are said to have truly embodied the greater self.These words of mine are deeply philosophical. For instance, when you think of taking advantage of someone, this is when your lesser self arises. But, if it suddenly strikes you, “I shouldn’t take advantage of them — they are struggling too. Why should I exploit them?” There and then, your greater self emerges, right? By inhibiting the emergence of the lesser self, you basically let the greater self take root.
Here’s another example: You want to be a good person, but then you think, “Why should I be the kind one? Why can’t they be kind for a change? They’re always mistreating me — I am not going to swallow this bitter pill”. That is when the lesser self is at work. But then you reflect further: “Why should I struggle like this? We’re all brothers and sisters, all fellow practitioners of Buddhism. There is nothing that we can’t get over with”.
When you recognise your own narrow-mindedness as a flaw to be corrected — that’s the greater self in action. In this way, you use the greater self to transform the lesser self (用大我来成全小我), and by doing so, you become a person of true magnanimity. Do you understand?
When a couple argues, both are acting out of their lesser selves. But when one of them says, “Let’s forget it. I would like to apologise — I was wrong today,” that person is allowing his greater self to triumph over the lesser self, thereby fulfilling the greater self.
The lesser self creates many problems in life. The moment you act selfishly, trouble arises. Therefore, to fundamentally resolve the issues caused by the lesser self, you must rely on the greater self within your true nature. I often say this, “Why is heaven so beautiful? Because it has never been anything less than beautiful. Why is the human realm so imperfect and incomplete? Because it has never been perfect or complete”. Thus, seeking perfection in the human realm is an impossible endeavor.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 9 Chapter 12
< The Lion & Tiger’s Fight: A Buddhist Truth About the Trap of Selfishness >
< Buddhism in Plain Terms < 白话佛法共修分享