Would you like to unlock the keys to a more meaningful and impactful Dharma Giving?
Master Lu once said, “If you emulate the Bodhisattva and you practise the giving of the Buddha’s teachings, you are essentially making offerings to the Tathagata”.
The giving of dharma is part and parcel of our daily lives as Buddhist practitioners but,
- How can we ensure that our efforts in sharing the dharma align with the Buddhist teachings?
- What considerations should we bear in mind before engaging in the giving of dharma?
- What are the consequences if we approach it the wrong way?
Some fellow practitioners experienced “notification overload” due to the massive influx of dharma sharing in their group chat. Is such frustration a reflection of one’s subpar spiritual cultivation, or the sharers’ insensitivity?
Discover the answers to these questions and gain a deeper understanding of the transformative power of dharma giving.
For details, please read on!
< Sowing the Seeds of Dharma Giving >
Unleashing The Power of Dharma Giving
ONE STANDS TO GAIN GREATER SPIRITUAL ENERGY IF HE KEEPS HELPING OTHERS AND PERFORMING MERITS
Master Jun Hong Lu: When you perform acts of kindness today by helping others, wouldn’t you increase your spiritual energy? That’s for sure. Conversely, if you engage in self-cultivation at home, would you claim to have the spiritual energy? In this case, you will also have the spiritual energy, but such energy is derived from within yourself.
The energy that is generated from within is different from the energy gained from the external sources. Let me give you a simple analogy: Imagine a car powered by a battery that is weak and you resort to turning on and off the ignition in order to tap on the limited energy that is left in the battery. Don’t you think such energy is nothing but very limited?
Caller: Yes.
Master Jun Hong Lu: Though you may still be able to restart the car after you stop, however, assuming you are driving outside, the car suddenly breaks down and someone may come along to offer a recharge, wouldn’t the renewed energy be greater than the original energy?
Caller: Yes. Since the mortal body makes it much easier for one to be accomplished in his spiritual cultivation, does it imply that the fundamental of Buddhist practice lies in performing more good deeds? Basically, we should make good use of this mortal body to be more diligent in our practice such as performing more dharma giving because by doing so, we are able to receive infinite energy. Am I right?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Exactly! This is the essence of Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is about helping yourself through helping others, and this is termed as, ‘To help oneself as well as others’ (自度度人).
As you are practising Buddhism, the moment you help others, you stand to receive much greater spiritual energy. On the other hand, if you practise meditation alone in the comfort of your home, the energy derived is very much dependent on the intrinsic energy that you have. You may be able to receive some energy from heaven and earth but, such external energy that you can receive is limited because you are not practising the spirit of Mahayana Buddhism as you are not willing to reach out to help others unlike Bodhisattvas. As a result, you are unable to receive much of those immense external energies. Conceptually, they are very different.
Source: Wenda20190329 10:06, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
THE INTERNET IS THE BEST PLATFORM BESTOWED BY BODHISATTVA FOR US TO PERFORM THE GIVING OF DHARMA
Caller: Hi Master, you mentioned in one of the radio programs that among the three types of Giving, the Giving of dharma engenders the greatest merits. Let’s say, you distribute some Buddhist books to some people, who start reading them, the merits gained are immeasurable.
Assuming seven people read the books, does it mean that the merits generated are as much as seven towers of seven-storey Buddhist pagodas (七层宝塔).
Based on this concept, if our postings of the dharma material on the internet manage to encourage seven people to practise Buddhism, am I right to say that the merits engendered are similarly as much?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Not exactly. As long as one out of the seven people reads your online postings and shows repentance, you are considered to have saved one life – an immeasurable meritorious deed that is analogous to building a seven-storey pagoda.
Saving a person’s life can be likened to building a seven-storey pagoda. As the saying goes, “Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-storey pagoda” (救人一命胜造七级浮屠), which essentially means the act of saving one life generates boundless merits.
Caller: Master, if someone practises the dharma because of our online postings of dharma discourses, is it right that the merits are as much as building a seven-storey pagoda?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Absolutely!
Caller: Come to think of it, the online Giving of dharma is very effective.
Master Jun Hong Lu: It’s terrific! Currently, the internet is the best platform bestowed by Bodhisattva for us to perform the Giving of dharma.
Source: Wenda20160304 01:03:37, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
WHEN YOU SHARE MASTER LU’S WORDS OF WISDOM, YOU WILL REAP IMMENSE MERITS
Caller: Some fellow practitioners are using the internet to propagate the dharma. In their quest to disseminate the teachings, they compile the transcripts of Master’s radio discourses into related topics and get them published online every day. However, due to their carelessness, there are occasional errors in the content shared. Will this create significant karmic obstacles?
Master Jun Hong Lu: No, it won’t. At worst, the karmic obstacles will be minor and very little because the merit engendered is immense. Imagine the number of people they will help to be spiritually awakened by doing so! When they share a single or a few lines of the teachings on the internet, on their mobile phones, or on QQ (a Chinese social media platform), it is as precious as a bar of gold!
I have personally seen someone post a quote from my Words of Wisdom, and as it was being transmitted, something that resembles a shimmering gold bar flashed over. I saw it with my own eyes. Imagine the number of such ‘gold bars’ you have disseminated! It also demonstrates how much wealth you have accumulated and the many opportunities in store for you to perform virtuous deeds.
Source: Wenda20150612 28:58, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
Q: What should I take note of before performing dharma giving?
I. COMPREHEND
THE PATH FROM AN ORDINARY BEING TO A SAGE
Master Jun Hong Lu: Why does dharma giving hold such immense merit? It is because you act from the depths of your heart, a heart that longs to rescue sentient beings (从你心灵当中出来解救众生的). The moment you embark on the noble mission of rescuing others, you ‘renounce evil and turn to virtue’ (弃恶从善), and you transcend from an ordinary being to a sage (转凡成圣). This transformation is of the utmost significance.
How can one make the transition from a bad person to a noble one? To do so, you must engage in acts of kindness and virtuous deeds. How does an ordinary person ascend to the realm of sages? By abstaining from any kind of misdeeds and being unyielding in your quest to perform kind deeds. Over time, this unwavering commitment will make you a sage.
So, how can you ensure your dharma giving is truly impactful? You must first gain a good understanding of the teachings.
Source: Wenda20170623 56:24, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
NEGLIGENT DHARMA SHARING COULD HAVE THE EFFECT OF SEVERING THE SPIRITUALITY (慧命) OF ANOTHER PERSON
Caller: Motivated by Master’s comment that the giving of dharma engenders immeasurable merits, many Buddhist practitioners are now going all out to disseminate all types of discourse, be it videos or radio recordings. However, they might not even take a good look or listen to the content. In their mind, by ramping up the dissemination, they will gain perfection in merits and wisdom.
Master, please enlighten us about the potential retribution from this action?
Master Jun Hong Lu: The consequences will be dire. What would that be? It will not only result in the failure to help others but also causes harm to the other party’s spiritual life. For example, it would be easy for me to help someone. As for you, your wisdom is imperfect and your cultivation is not up to the mark. Furthermore, you still have your own bad habits that you struggle with. So, when you approach others thinking that you have helped him, when in actual fact he disdains you thinking, “How can such a person be called a Buddhist practitioner?”. You have literally ‘pushed’ this person away from Buddhism. The next time, even if I try to approach him, he will not even listen to me. In this scenario, don’t you think you have harmed that person’s spiritual potential? And do you know what retribution is in store for that? You will descend to the animal realm. Do you understand?
Source: Shuohua20170127 01:04, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
TO PROPAGATE THE DHARMA WELL, STUDY BUDDHISM IN PLAIN TERMS DILIGENTLY
Master Jun Hong Lu: If you aspire to propagate the dharma, it is essential to diligently study Master’s Buddhism in Plain Terms. By thoroughly comprehending each chapter, or even memorising it, you will be able to engage in fluent discussions with those you share the dharma with. Isn’t that true?
The objective of sharing the dharma is not to engage in debates, rather, it is to facilitate understanding. The person whom you share the dharma with might have studied various aspects of Buddhism or even explored many dharma doors. This may show that he has some spiritual foundation but it does not necessarily mean that he has grasped the profound aspects of the teachings.
Buddhism in Plain Terms is meant to facilitate your understanding of the universal truth of life and the profound nature of Buddhism, setting the groundwork for you to attain instantaneous awakening the moment you read, hear or understand the teachings.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 7 Chapter 13
II. VERIFY
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE DISCOURSE BEFORE SHARING IT ONLINE
Caller: Master, many Buddhist practitioners post the dharma teachings on the internet However, some of them have been involved in actions that are contrary to proper conduct and teachings (不如理不如法).
Of late, we are seeing some public social media accounts that bear similar names as those commonly used by us, but in reality, they are laced with defamatory allegations. Unfortunately, some fellow practitioners have the habit of forwarding such messages without fact-checking. By doing so they are inadvertently helping the perpetrators disseminate an awful lot of negative information.
In light of this, I hereby would like to remind everyone to examine the content and ensure its authenticity before sharing, in order to avoid creating karmic obstacles upon yourself.
Master Jun Hong Lu: Excellent point.
Source: Wenda20170616 42:30, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
III. BE CONSIDERATE AND COMPASSIONATE
BE TOLERANT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE OVERZEALOUS IN THEIR DHARMA GIVING
Question: We have a dedicated platform primarily to broadcast Master’s latest discourses and notification on the activities of Guan Yin Hall.
In the group, there is an overzealous (很发心) disciple who diligently forwards Master’s discourses that he receives from other social media platforms, including Words of Wisdom and Buddhism in Plain Terms, be it in text or graphical format. On top of that, every now and then, he will share messages related to health and diet. As a result, we receive a massive influx of messages from him daily.
This flood of information has caused frustrations among some fellow practitioners, especially those who only have access to the messages in the evenings. Due to the constraints of their phone capacity, they end up having to continuously delete these messages. In addition, this disciple is mindless in his posting as he does not even read what he posts, resulting in many duplicated posts.
Some fellow practitioners are at their wits’ end and have requested to leave the platform as they can’t even find notices on Guan Yin Hall upcoming activities due to this problem.
Is this sentiment a reflection of our subpar spiritual cultivation that manifests in our lack of compassion and tolerance? Or could the problem lie in the one who causes the annoyance in this regard?
Answer: First and foremost, the content that this person is sharing is not some kind of junk or random things. He may have gone overboard in doing so, but you should not have let it ruffle your feathers (不能起烦恼心). You must have a heart of tolerance.
After all, he is also eager to accumulate more merits. You have the choice to delete the messages on your phone – let this be an opportunity for you to cultivate patience so that you will not get annoyed easily.
We are never short of news that requires constant deletion. There are even occasions when all sorts of nonsense will keep popping up on our computer. In such times, you should not be ruffled because if you are, it means your spiritual cultivation is not up to scratch (起烦恼心说明修行还不够).
The sharer is selfish to speak of. Eager to accrue merits for himself, he bears no consideration for others. As such, he is also at fault. Having said this, you should not get irritated because of his problem. Think about it, human mistakes are aplenty in society and many people are extremely selfish, and if you are troubled by all these, aren’t you setting yourself up for depression?
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse (Question 293), 11 March 2019
IV. IT’S THE HEART THAT MATTERS
ARE THERE MERITS TO BE HAD FOR POSTINGS OF DHARMA TEACHINGS THAT GO UNNOTICED?
Caller: When one goes about sharing Master’s Words of Wisdom, do we garner any merits even for postings that go unnoticed?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes. Bodhisattvas will note it down the moment you undertake such sharing.
Source: Wenda20200209 13:43, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
THE MAGNITUDE OF MERITS LIES IN THE INTENTION
Caller: In your early discourses to disciples, Master mentioned, “Distributing dharma books generates tremendous merits (一书一功德), and even Buddhas and Bodhisattvas praise highly of those who distribute dharma books”. Master, exactly how significant are these merits? For fellow practitioners who perform dharma giving online, should the measurement of merits be based on the purity of intention or the amount of sharing they make, that is, changes in the quantity of effort will affect changes in its quality?
Master Jun Hong Lu: The fact that you raise such a question indicates that your spiritual level is low. If you were already a Bodhisattva, would you still focus on whether your action generates merits? Does engaging in kind deeds accumulate merits? That goes without saying. Even by refraining from wrongdoing when others are doing so, you accumulate merits. Why? If you steer clear of committing an evil deed, while others are all over it or when you continue to do good when others are not interested to do so, wouldn’t these be considered meritorious? The magnitude of merits depends on the purity of your intentions (功德的大与小只是在于你的心).
Caller: It boils down to one’s aspiration (发心).
Master Jun Hong Lu: Let me give a simple example: Suppose you sincerely intend to open the door for some fellow Buddhists, and here you are thinking, “I am a protector of the dharma, I am a Bodhisattva”. With such intention, you will generate significant merits, because they arise from the power of intention (发心为功).
Caller: I got it now, thank you Master for your explanation.
Source: Wenda20170602 18:20, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
EMBRACE THE FLOW OF LIFE
Master Jun Hong Lu: When giving advice to others to cultivate their mind, it’s important not to reprimand them. This is because the reflection of human wisdom is not limited to a specific aspect.
In this world, not every seed can grow into a mighty tree; not every flower can bear fruit; and not everyone gets to enjoy a life of bliss. Not every heart is able to attain inner peace; and not all relationships can stand the test of time. After all, life is far from flawless. In fact, you will never find perfection in this mortal world. Those who want everything perfect will only end up having to suffer the agony brought upon by their own inner flaws (去寻找圆满的人一定会带着自己心的缺陷而承受心的痛苦). This is the norm.
As long as we live on this earth, it is essential to embrace the concept of ‘going with the flow’ (随缘). By recognising the fact that since everything is imperfect, we should accord with conditions and remain composed in times of trouble. Such is a mentality that is life-affirming (积极向上).
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Vancouver, Canada, 27 September 2014
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