The Keys to Boundless Meritorious Blessings (Part 2)

< Buddhism in Plain Terms < 白话佛法共修分享    

Time : Saturday 2pm-4pm
Platform : ZOOM Cloud Meeting
Topic of Discussion : The Keys to Boundless Meritorious Blessings (Part 2)

 

Master Lu once said, “Detachment from the perception of self and form leads to the accumulation of merits”.

On 5 March 2022, Guan Yin Citta, Singapore held an online English sharing session to delve deeper into the topic on Meritorious Blessings with strong emphasis on the importance of perfecting our merits and virtues, and ways to prevent their outflows.

In an insightful opening video, Master Lu revealed the prerequisites for Complete and Perfect Merits: Seeing, Cultivation and Conduct. 

Immeasurable merit and virtue stem from:
1. Faith: Believing in Guan Yin Bodhisattva and yourself.
2. Sympathetic joy: Seize every opportunity to perform good deeds and do it to your best capacity.
3. Gratitude: Be grateful to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, be it good or bad times.

A perfection of merit and virtue is something that all of us aspire to achieve, but ever so often, this is not the case. On this front, the participants were advised to unceasingly practise Morality, Concentration and Wisdom, which will help elevate one’s state of mind and embody the mind of a Bodhisattva.

In the upcoming session, scheduled on 19 March, we will explore some of the day to day issues that one way or the other we are bound to face in our spiritual practice.

 

Join us in our next session 

Please contact Loh SX (96978356) / Woan Yi SX (82182248) for more information

 

 ⏰ Date and time:
Saturday 19 March 2022 (2pm – 4pm)

 

Please click here to download the Summary Slides shared during the Group Study:

   Summary Slides_An Introduction To Guan Yin Citta’s Bodhisattvas & Medicine Buddha Dharani 

 

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WHAT ARE WE LEARNING TODAY?

Key Messages: 

The three guiding principles in Buddhist practice are of one whole (三位一体), namely:

1. Seeing (见) – seeing the truth of Buddhism, understanding its theoretical principle

2. Cultivation (修) – cultivating realisation – a validation that comes after cultivating your mind 

3. Conduct (行) – carrying out your vows through your conduct

 

“Merit and virtue must be complete and perfect.
Otherwise, there are bound to be outflows.”

Master Jun Hong Lu’s Daily Words of Wisdom
2 April 2021 (An Excerpt)

 

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< The True Meaning of Perfect Merits >

 

Buddhism In Plain Terms Volume 1 Chapter 13
SOURCES OF IMMEASURABLE MERIT AND VIRTUE (An Excerpt)

Practising Buddhism is like planting trees – the roots must be deep. You must have a foundation when practising Buddhism. With a solid foundation, your trees will be able to grow strong branches, healthy leaves and beautiful fruits. If you pursue only fame and fortune, that’s like walking to the top of a pyramid.

The further you go up, the narrower the path becomes until the very top – where there’s no more road left to walk or stand on.

Buddhism practice grants you wisdom. It teaches you how to lay a solid foundation, which is likened to planting a tree that grows, becomes taller and more bountiful with marvellous fruit. This endeavour should not be likened to climbing a pyramid – where getting to the top marks the end of the road. Buddhist practitioners must plant the trees of merit and virtue extensively, as this represents boundless merits and virtues.

Where does immeasurable merit and virtue come from?
It comes from having faith, sympathetic joy and gratitude. 

1. Immeasurable merit and virtue stems from faith (信心). If you want to perform meritorious deeds, you must first have faith. Believe in yourself and in Guan Yin Bodhisattva.

2. Sympathetic joy (随喜). When you see an opportunity to perform good deeds, you should go ahead and do it, wherever you may be.

3. Gratitude (感恩). If you want to accumulate immeasurable and boundless merit and virtue, you must have faith – no matter what kind of benevolent deeds you undertake. Whether in good times or bad times, at the end of the day, we must be grateful to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, who helps us move through our lives in peace and good health every day. This is all the more true for those who are living in peace, they must be grateful!

The immeasurable and boundless Buddha-dharma, the immeasurable and boundless wisdom, and the immeasurable and boundless merit and virtue are accumulated one bit at a time. This is how we can eventually achieve complete perfection.

 

Wenda20160925B 02:38 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
UNDERSTANDING THE “PERFECTION OF MERITS AND VIRTUES (An Excerpt)

Caller: Master, there’s a Buddhism phrase that says, “the perfection of merits and virtues” (功德圆满). How should we comprehend this phrase? 

Master Jun Hong Lu: When performing meritorious deeds, many people fail to achieve the perfection of merits and virtues. 

Let’s take the example you mentioned just now: By giving a helping hand to others or propagating Buddhism to others, isn’t it a meritorious deed? However, after doing so, if you don’t follow up or keep guiding them, your merits will not be perfected because there will be an outflow, which could diminish all that you have accrued.

Today, if you perform recitation and life liberation without even making a vow, your merits will be imperfect; however, if you make a vow and perform life liberation, but you don’t even recite the Buddhist scriptures, there is no perfection of merits too. 

 

 

So, what is “perfection”? Perfection is to accomplish everything that you set out to do and you do it to your best possible capacity – be it making vow, performing recitation, life liberation, helping others to be awakened spiritually, following up with them and performing good deeds – all of which should be brought to perfection. If you merely support a person by his arm and walk away soon after, the onus is still on you if this person trips and falls subsequently.

 

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< What causes the depletion of merits & how to prevent it? >

 

Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse | Sydney Guan Yin Hall | 29 April 2020
THE THREEFOLD TRAINING OF MORALITY, CONCENTRATION AND WISDOM IS THE KEY TO NON-OUTFLOWS  (An Excerpt)

Master Jun Hong Lu:

Perfection and non-outflows are tantamount to the cultivation of morality, concentration and wisdom (常满无漏戒定慧). Only with a mentality that is always perfect, you are able to free yourself from outflows. In other words, when you do not allow any evil or negative thought to taint your mind, you are essentially practising The Threefold Training of Morality, Concentration and Wisdom (戒 定 慧), which is also known as The Threefold Training of Non-Outflows (三无漏学).

How do you define ‘outflow’? For example, if you have performed 100 kind deeds and only one evil deed, as soon as the misdeed is exposed, others will rule you out as a kind-hearted person. This is referred to as an ‘outflow’ of your deed. If you have performed 100 kind deeds without committing any evil deed, isn’t it obvious that you are a good person?

Why are there so many people being looked down upon by others? It’s because they may have performed three or eight kind deeds, but at the same time, they have also committed one evil deed. Do you think they are any different from those who have performed ten kind deeds and one evil deed? If you wish to perform kind deeds, you should do so consistently all the time. Otherwise, if you perform kind deeds while committing evil deeds, you are not a good person at all.

Not committing any evil deed is Morality	诸恶莫作是守戒
Practising only the good is cultivating Wisdom	众善奉行视为慧
Purifying one’s mind is practising Concentration	自净其意名为定

 

Wenda20191124 55:15 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
ONE WILL NOT ACHIEVE ANY SPIRITUAL STATUS BY MERELY PERFORMING VIRTUOUS DEEDS WITHOUT ELEVATING ONE’S STATE-OF-MIND

Caller: Master Lu, you mentioned that a person’s merit is his ultimate token for admission to heaven, hence it is very important. In the case where one focuses on cultivating himself spiritually, but he doesn’t go out to help others or perform any virtuous deeds at all, he will end up in the Sound-hearer or Pratyeka Buddha realm (声闻缘觉道) because he has a high level of spiritual cultivation but lacks meritorious blessings.

Conversely, if a person puts in a lot of effort in helping others, but he does not pay attention to his state-of-mind nor cultivate himself, will he achieve any spiritual status in the end?

Master Jun Hong Lu: If one does not have a high level of spiritual cultivation, how can he ascend to heaven?

Think about those philanthropists, they will only be an even richer philanthropist in their next life. What‘s the point? It’s meaningless!

Many people in society are doing a lot of good deeds now. Without a doubt, they will ascend to heaven but they will still fail to escape the cycle of rebirth. Their cultivation will come to naught.

Caller: Also, if a person puts in a lot of effort in accumulating merits and does not pay attention to cultivating himself spiritually, he may become troubled whenever things turn out to be unpleasant, hence resulting in his merits diminishing (功德漏).

Master Jun Hong Lu: The diminishment of merits is even worse in this case! A person who does not cultivate himself spiritually and loathes every single person around him, even if he performs meritorious actions, he may still harbour aversion towards others.

Seriously, if you do not have a high level of spiritual cultivation, you can’t survive a single day in this world as nothing pleases your eyes!

 

Buddhism In Plain Terms Volume 1 Chapter 34
THE FOUR OUTFLOWS FROM THE MIND (An Excerpt)

Let me go into greater detail on the four outlets from which our minds are susceptible to outflows (心有四个经常会漏的地方). In our spiritual cultivation, all of us are susceptible to outflow, that is to say, in the course of our undertakings to perform kind deeds, there are bound to be outflows of our meritorious blessings.

 

1. Desires lead to the outflow through sensual channels (爱从淫漏).

If sexual desire arises in your mind, your mental state and line of thought  will produce distracting thoughts, followed by fallacious intentions. When this happens, the mind becomes restless – this is an example of an outflow of the mind. That’s why, the desires that arise in your mind leads to an outflow through sensual channels (所以当你心里有爱的时候，就会产生淫漏).

 

2. Greed leads to the outflow through one’s spiritual being (贪从神漏).

If you are greedy often, you will find it difficult to concentrate. Your mind will be in a confused state, and your soul will become incomplete（魂魄不全). You won’t be able to think straight.

The moment greed arises, your mental faculty will be affected, causing an outflow through your spiritual being. Therefore, do not be greedy because once greed arises, there will be an outflow of the mind, and this is what’s called an outflow of spirit.

 

3. Wrong View leads to the outflow through one’s pores (不正见，从毛孔漏).

What this means is that when somebody encounters a problem, and they’re unable to hold the right views and attain the right understanding about it, their views become deviated. It makes them susceptible to negative temperament and anger, elevating their blood pressure, and this is when their positive energy leaks out of their pores.

That’s why when you are angry, you tend to exhale through your mouth, an avenue for you to release the negative energy that is trapped in your mind.

Here’s an analogy: everybody’s face can change. If someone with a pretty face keeps brooding over issues with deviated views, their face will become uglier. It’s the pores that cause changes to one’s skin and physique.

People with deviant views will leak positive energy through their pores, while contaminants remain trapped inside the body. This will accumulate gradually over time and ultimately forms negative energy of hatred. What I’m telling you is that the Buddha-dharma that can be applied in your daily life.

 

4. Ignorance leads to the outflow through one’s mouth (无明，从口漏).

Ignorance is all about not being clear about something, causing misconceptions to arise. Improper mental behaviour leads to incidents such as scolding people, telling lies, and things like that. Ignorance causes an outflow from the mouth.

You need to realise that outflows from one’s mouth is a serious matter (嘴巴里漏气很厉害). It is because such outflows are the outflows of your merits and virtues as you create karma of speech. Because you don’t understand, and you hold the incorrect views, that’s why you act irresponsibly and inappropriately articulate your words. It’s verbal karma.

Our mouths are the root causes of disaster. There’s an old Chinese saying: “Trouble comes out of the mouth; illness enters through the mouth.” (祸从口出，病从口入) That’s why you need to pay close attention to your mouth, as it can attract fatal disasters. There’s another proverb that says: “A country can either become prosperous or ruined by just one single sentence.” (一言丧邦，一言兴邦)

Remember: the outflow through the mouth is essentially an outflow of the mind (嘴巴漏，实际是心漏).

The four outflows mentioned here all stem from the mind. I truly hope you maintain a pure mind, and you should start by blocking the outflow from these four areas. Prevent your mind from having outflows.

 

Wenda20160715 01:21:55 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
WHAT WILL CAUSE THE BURNING OF ONE’S FOREST OF VIRTUES?

Caller: Master Lu, besides a bad mouth and a hot temper, what other factors would cause the burning of one’s Forest of Virtues (火烧功德林)? Please enlighten us.

Master Jun Hong Lu: The burning of the Forest of Virtues is caused by negative flames within our heart, thus, hating or cursing others behind their back would set flame to one’s Forest of Virtues.

Master Jun Hong Lu: One’s merits will deplete rapidly if he frequently curses others behind their back or bears hatred towards others. In short, it makes no difference, be it scolding others in person, behind their back or within one’s heart; they will all lead to depletion of one’s merits.

Caller: Thank you, Master Lu for your kind explanation.

 

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< Anger never solves problems >

 

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Wenda20180302   01:01:10 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
WOULD REJOICING AFTER PERFORMING MERITORIOUS DEEDS TAINT OUR MERITS?

Caller: A Buddhist friend is interested to know whether rejoicing after performing a meritorious deed, or taking delight after being praised by others would taint one’s merits?

Master Jun Hong Lu: No, it would not as long as you are not haughty and arrogant.

Caller: I see.

Master Jun Hong Lu: To rejoice merely indicates a type of dharma bliss that one feels after a virtuous act. It’s perfectly normal to feel this way. However, being arrogant is a no no, as it taints one’s merits.

 

Wenda20161211A  31:02 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
BEING CALCULATIVE OVER THE AMOUNT OF MERITS GENERATED WHEN PERFORMING VIRTUOUS DEEDS WILL NOT TAINT OR WIPE OUT MERITORIOUS BLESSINGS ACCRUED

Caller: Let’s say I have 100 dollars in my pocket and plan to utilise them for a meritorious deed. In deciding whether to use it for releasing captive lives or printing of sutra booklets, one may opt for the latter since it generates comparatively greater merits. Master, I would like to know whether such a calculative mentality would taint one’s meritorious blessings or there is completely none to be had? 

Master Jun Hong Lu: Not at all. The act encapsulates all the positive energy because here you are thinking, “I want to perform life liberation and print the sutra booklets, but which should I opt for? ” Since all these are positive thoughts, how is it possible for them to expend your meritorious blessings? 

 

Master Jun Hong Lu’sWorld Buddhist Fellowship Meeting (Q&A Session)
Paris, France | 6 September 2019 (An Excerpt)
ACHIEVE PERFECT MERITS AND PREVENT THE DEPLETION OF MERITS BY EMBODYING THE MIND OF A BODHISATTVA

Question: When we persistently perform meritorious deeds for an extended period, we are bound to become physically drained. There are times in the midst of performing a virtuous deed, fatigue may overtake us to the extent that our mind is numbed by it.

In this regard, will it cause a depletion of our merits as we feel physically and mentally drained in the end, despite the initial influx of dharma bliss?

Answer: That’s for sure, and you are regressing in your spiritual cultivation. When anyone is performing good or meritorious deeds, they won’t feel fatigued at all. Otherwise, it is a sign of regression (退转). This is because when one helps others, he embodies the mind of a Bodhisattva, and he won’t feel fatigued.

Just take a look at our Dharma conventions with tens of thousands of participants, particularly in Singapore and Malaysia, dozens of the volunteers will be waiting to clean the toilets after every use.

Just take a look at our Dharma conventions with tens of thousands of participants, particularly in Singapore and Malaysia, dozens of the volunteers will be waiting to clean the toilets after every use.

When a young lad or lass like you tells me that you feel fatigued after performing some meritorious deeds, don’t you think it’s a deviation from the right practice? Do you get me? 

Question: Is it right to interpret it as: I have been performing meritorious deeds for a long period, even though I am exhausted, I must always remind myself to feel the Dharma bliss?

Answer: When performing meritorious deeds, you should remind yourself that, “By doing this, should I be faced with any karmic obstacles or disasters in the future, I will be blessed by Bodhisattvas, and I will be able to utilise these accrued merits to eliminate my karmic obstacles”. Otherwise, you won’t be gaining any merits at all.

Question: So, we must grit our teeth and persist? 

Answer: Yes. 

Question: In the event that we cannot persist in doing so and decide to take a break, never harbour any negative thoughts while performing meritorious deeds, as it will diminish all the merits.

Answer: Are you referring to the scenario where you are doing it unwillingly? 

Question: Yes. 

Answer: In that case, you may continue after straightening out your thoughts. Otherwise, your merits will be depleted. Do you understand?

 

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< How to Make Prayer Requests to Utilise Merits? >

 

Shuohua20130104 02:25 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
MAKE SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUEST TO BODHISATTVA IF WE WISH TO UTILISE OUR MERITS TO ELIMINATE NEGATIVE KARMA

Caller: Hi Master, you often say that the prerequisite for the elimination of negative karma is to have merits. Merits are accumulated when we perform recitations. When we recite the Eighty-Eight BuddhasGreat Repentance, we make wishes to eliminate our negative karma.

My question is, when we perform other types of virtuous deeds, like liberation of captive lives and/or helping others, is our negative karma automatically eliminated or do we need to make a specific prayer request, for e.g. “I would like to utilise this merit to eliminate my negative karma?”

Master Jun Hong Lu: You would have to make a prayer request stating which specific negative karma you wish to eliminate.

For instance, you may pray “Today, I am going to liberate 300 fish. May Guan Yin Bodhisattva help me, <your full name>, eliminate my negative karma” and it will be eliminated accordingly. Otherwise, it will be conserved in your bank of merits.

 

Buddhism Your Questions and Answered (FAQ) | Q&A 72 (An Excerpt)
INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHIST SUTRAS AND MANTRAS (2)

The Gong De Bao Shan Shen Zhou (功德宝山神咒) can help you accumulate positive karma, merits and virtues, and eliminate your acts of misconduct and negative karma.

The recitation of this mantra can help you transform your good deeds into merits and virtues. Merits and virtues can be used to eliminate karmic obstacles.

If you have performed many good deeds during a period of time, and you would like to pray for a specific issue, then you can recite the Gong De Bao Shan Shen Zhou. For this mantra to be effective, the prerequisite is that you must have performed numerous good deeds to serve as a foundation.

Recite as necessary: Generally, 21, 27 or 49 times per day; can be recited during the daytime or at night.

Prayer: Before reciting this mantra, you can say the following prayer: 

“May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, <your full name>, help me transform the good deeds I have done in the past into merits and virtues, grant me success in <specific issue>.”

 

Q&A 72. Introduction to Buddhist sutras and mantras (2)

 

 

Wenda20151220B  24:49 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program) (An Excerpt)
PRAY TO BODHISATTVA TO CATEGORISE OUR MERITS INTO TWO PURPOSES – FOR KEEPING IN RESERVE AND ELIMINATION OF KARMIC OBSTACLES

Caller: Master Lu, in one of your radio programs, you mentioned that after performing meritorious or kind deeds, we may state the following  prayer to Guan Yin Bodhisattva:

“May Guan Yin Bodhisattva have mercy on me, with all the kind and meritorious deeds that I have performed today, please bless me so that I am able to cultivate diligently while paying off my outstanding karmic debts.”

Caller: Master, does that mean after stating such prayer, Guan Yin Bodhisattva will automatically help us retain a portion of our merits in reserve and utilise the remaining portion to eliminate our karmic obstacles?

Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes.

Caller: Master, can we repeat this prayer every day to Guan Yin Bodhisattva if we are performing kind and meritorious deeds daily?

Master Jun Hong Lu: Of course. In fact, it will help to categorise your merits gained into two purposes: one for keeping in reserve and the other one for the elimination of karmic obstacles or helping others.

Caller: I understand now. Thank you, Master Lu for your advice.

 

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< OTHER FAQ >

 

Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse (Question 274) | 22 December 2018
PRACTISING VEGETARIANISM HELPS ELIMINATE A LOT OF KARMIC OBSTACLES

Question: At the point where we vowed to practise vegetarianism, we might have prayed and asked for something, and hence expended the merits accrued.  In such cases, can we have the merits to pray for something else?

Answer: Even though merits have been utilisedat that specific point in time, your practice of vegetarianism earns you merits every single day; all the more so when you take the opportunity to share the benefits of being a vegetarian with others whenever you are asked about this practice. 

Consequently, there will be an accumulation of merits through your consistent daily practice of vegetarianism. 

Why does this practice bring enormous merits? It is because when you keep up with it, your energy and merits will grow, which in turn helps eliminate a lot of your karmic obstacles.

Therefore, you must persistently maintain a vegetarian diet as your merits and virtues will continue to grow. With the merits accumulated, a lot of minor troubles can be resolved, while various minor calamities can be eliminated.

 

Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse (Question 373) | 1 April 2020
TRANSFERRING MERITORIOUS BLESSINGS TO FAMILY MEMBERS

Question: When we transfer meritorious blessings to our family members, under what circumstances will it be effective and vice versa?

Answer: If your parents are in ill-health, transferring meritorious blessings to them is an act of filial piety and a positive gesture. Hence, they will be able to benefit from the transfer.

Conversely, if your parents were seeking success in their undertakings, wealth or to have a successful career as an official, then it won’t be efficacious.

Or, in a case where your father was at fault to begin with, by transferring your meritorious blessings to help him win the lawsuit, do you think it will help?

 

Wenda20191220 40:09 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
WILL ONE SHOULDER KARMIC OBSTACLES OF OTHERS FOR TRANSFERRING MERITS TO THEM?

Caller: Master, you have mentioned that one will shoulder karmic obstacles (背业) for transferring merits to others. May I know what determines the amount of the karmic obstacles shouldered? Is it determined by the amount of the merits transferred or the level of karmic obstacles of the person receiving the merits?

Master Jun Hong Lu: It depends. In fact, you can specify the amount of merits you would like to transfer. However, if you simply say, “I am transferring merits to him”, then the karmic obstacles shouldered will be tremendous.

Generally, you won’t shoulder any karmic obstacles when transferring merits to others. For example, when you say, “I will transfer one-third of my merits accrued from my participation in one of the Dharma conventions to you”, the merits will be transferred straight away.

This is not really considered as shouldering karmic obstacles. It’s just that your merits will be diminished which to a certain degree it is considered you are bearing the burden of it (实际上也叫“背”).

Caller: I understand now.

 

Wenda20190308   38:01 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
SHOULDERING OF OTHERS’ KARMIC OBSTACLES – WHEN IS IT CONSIDERED MERITORIOUS AND WHEN IT IS NOT

Caller: Hi Master, with regards to ‘shouldering of others’ karmic obstacles’ (背业), what kind of karmic obstacles shouldered is considered meritorious in nature (有功德的背业)?

Master Jun Hong Lu: When you propagate Buddhism, you will shoulder others’ karmic obstacles, and this comes about because of a meritorious deed that you perform. Under such circumstances, when you pray to Bodhisattvas, They will immediately help you eliminate the karmic obstacles, because you are helping others.

Caller: What about a meritless shouldering of karmic obstacles (无功德的背业)?

Master Jun Hong Lu: This happens if there is an element of self-interests in it, that is, your self-benefits drive you to propagate Buddhism to others. In such a case, not only do you have no merits, you will also shoulder a hefty amountof karmic obstacles.

For instance, you know truly well that this person lacks an affinity with Buddhism and yet, you choose to propagate to him because he will be of use to you in the future. By doing so, chances are you will shoulder his karmic obstacles, and worse still, you will garner no merits. Why so? This is because you do it with an ulterior motive.

Caller: I see. Thank you, Master.

 

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< The Story of A Young Novice Monk and the Vajrapani Bodhisattva (金刚菩萨) >

https://fb.watch/bBgKerRWE7/

 

Regardless of age, as long as we make an effort, we will eventually succeed. 

Our success depends solely upon whether we are willing to dedicate ourselves to our goal. 

As Buddhists, we need to be diligent.

The other side of the shore is always right before our eyes. 

 

 

< Buddhism in Plain Terms < 白话佛法共修分享