Dear Buddhist friends,
You have come so far in discovering answers to the many questions that you have in our past two packs on the series:
From Baby Boomers to Generation Zoom: Things that Buddhist Practitioners Need to Know, and
we trust this final part of the series that we are sharing today is something you wouldn’t want to miss!
For the younger Buddhist friends, find the answers to your questions like:
- Buddhism and career – can you be ambitious, career-wise, and yet practise Buddhism?
- Stumbling blocks in career – why has your prayer for a smooth career not been answered?
- Feeling burned out in life – how could this be solved? What would be the Buddha’s answer to this?
- Self-doubt – why is it so important to conquer this sense of insecurity?
- Also, can you tell the kind of person someone really is rather than what the person seems to be?
As for baby boomers, we invite you to explore this pack because you will learn about the most-feared condition among those aged 65 and above. Yes, it is none other than dementia.
- Can dementia be prevented? Why is Buddhist practice good for people with this impaired ability?
- What karmic seeds result in dementia?
- Daily bad habits that could possibly put you at risk of memory loss.
- Do you have family members who suffer from dementia? How can you help them?
- Also, we believe you will be inspired by how a Buddhist friend saved her mother from the abyss of dementia in the testimony below.
And many more…
So, join us and discover these insights by scrolling down the page!
WHAT ARE WE LEARNING TODAY:
- Buddhism and career – can you be ambitious and Buddhist?
- Can dementia be prevented? Why is Buddhist practice good for people with this impaired ability?
< A Person’s True Personality Is Reflected In His Subtle Behaviours | 细微处能体现一个人的品质 >
Key Message: To see one’s true colours, more often than not, we need to learn the wisdom of observing this person from the very subtle aspects.
Buddhism and career
BUDDHA EXPLAINS HOW TO SOLVE THE TIREDNESS IN LIFE
Master Jun Hong Lu: At that time, someone asked Buddha, “Life is so tiring, how could this be solved?” Buddha answered, “Half of the weariness stems from our need to survive, and the other half stems from our desire and comparison. If you do not allow too much desire to reside in your heart, there would not be suffering”.
When you first came to Australia, just as many of you when you first came to New Zealand, you might have thought, “As long as I have a house to live in, it would be enough”. But gradually, after a while, you saw things and thought, “Wow! Look at that humongous house; I want one”. Although you are already in old age, you still want to work and earn more money. This will only do more harm to your body.
If a person is not greedy and can say, “It’s enough. I’m satisfied. I’m OK”, that is being content with what you have.
Do not let too much desire reside in your heart. A person only has one heart with two atriums. In one atrium lives happiness, and in the other lives sadness. Do not be overjoyed as exhilarating happiness and laughing too loudly will rouse the corresponding sadness.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Auckland, New Zealand, 3 December 2017
WHY DOES PRAYER FOR CAREER SUCCESS GO UNANSWERED?
Caller: Master, things are currently going well for most of the things I prayed for, except for my career. It is not that there are obstacles in my career, for some reason, I have yet to see any outcome for my prayer. Why is it so?
Master Jun Hong Lu: That’s very simple. A person’s career and state of mind are closely connected. A mind that is cluttered with distracting thoughts will spell trouble for one’s career. Let’s say you often browse through things that are unwholesome such as erotic pictures in the magazines and newspapers, your mind will be stirred. Once stirred, your career prospects will immediately be affected. You must avoid looking at the pornographic section in newspapers at all costs.
Caller: Understood.
Master Jun Hong Lu: If you feast your eyes on such things, your career prospects will certainly turn unfavourable. Many people face challenges at work and this is closely related to their lustful thoughts. After all, sexual immorality invites greatest misfortune. In fact, it can bring doom upon oneself. You can judge for yourself. Misfortune may not immediately befall those involved in corrupt practices, but the moment they get entangled in any sexual infidelity, all hell will break loose.
Caller: I see.
Source: Wenda20120422A 17:22, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUDDHIST PRACTICE AND WORKING LIFE
Caller: Master, lastly I would like you to seek your advice on this matter: I’ve just joined the workforce, and have not been able to figure out the relationship between Buddhist practice and career. Please enlighten me.
Master Jun Hong Lu: With regards to the relationship between Buddhist practice and career, it is alright to perform recitation at work unless your work involves unethical activities which contravene the Buddha’s teachings.
Caller: I was not asking about that. What I meant was Buddhism teaches us to let go of worldly things and accord with conditions.
Master Jun Hong Lu: That’s right!
Caller: But, there are bound to be aspects at work that we have to fight for.
Master Jun Hong Lu: Right!
Caller: Under such circumstances, I am apprehensive about not being able to conform to the standard of morality and virtue.
Master Jun Hong Lu: I know what you mean. The problem is you have yet to apply the right mindset. Frankly speaking, competition does not need to be vicious. In fact, you should foster healthy competition.
Caller: Understood.
Master Jun Hong Lu: A healthy competition is where you perform to the best of your ability with the premise that you do not harm others. This is to say, you strive to do well and not resort to destructive tactics to hinder others from climbing the corporate ladder to make way for your own promotion. Do you understand?
Caller: Yes, I do.
Source: Wenda20111030 55:22, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
OVERCOMING SELF-DOUBT AND HAVING A FIRM BELIEF IN ONESELF ARE IMPORTANT IN BUDDHIST PRACTICE
Master Jun Hong Lu: Humans have the tendency to have self-doubt, thinking that they will never be able to accomplish things that others have failed. In fact, the moment self-doubt sets in, your mind state has prematurely entered a stage of powerlessness.
Why can’t we make an effort to attempt? There are people who are accomplished in their spiritual cultivation through sustained effort and there are others who managed to make their way to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The question is, why can’t we? There are also those who live their lives like a Bodhisattva and there are others whose lives are trouble-free. Once again, the question, why can’t we do that?
This calls for the need to have faith, and faith comes from observing the precepts. Observe the precepts from this very day onwards, emulate the Bodhisattvas, reflect on all your daily actions whether you have been behaving like a Bodhisattva. In this way, you will be inching closer to becoming a Bodhisattva. ‘This heart is the Buddha’ (是佛是心), this means the Buddha is none other than your own heart. Hence, you should use your heart to create the ideal Bodhisattva in the human realm.
We witness many people get full marks in examinations but we fail to see the effort made in doing their homework day in, day out. The same goes with those who tirelessly practise their speaking skills for the TOEFL examinations to the extent of developing throat inflammation.
We wonder how so many Buddhist friends have their prayers answered instantaneously? What we don’t realise is the effort they made in reciting 49 times each of the Great Compassion Mantra and the Heart Sutra daily, performing meritorious deeds and paying respect to the Buddha.
We see many outstanding young entrepreneurs but we are clueless about the countless nights they spend toiling away, exerting themselves so much more than those of us who, most likely, have already fallen into a deep slumber during those hours. There are also some celebrities who seemingly have achieved fame overnight, but what we do not see is the decades of painstaking effort they made when they were still a nobody and the list goes on.
We have seen none of the endeavours above, yet we tell ourselves that success is beyond our reach. We have not even taken a stab at it ourselves, and we tell others that it is beyond them. What we cannot achieve, we make others believe that neither can they. The fact of the matter is, what appears to be impossible to us could possibly be attainable by others.
As Buddhist practitioners, we must have faith in ourselves that we too will be able to reach our goals. As your Master, I hope that all of you will put in your best effort in your Buddhist practice. Do not contend for all those mundane matters of this human realm and may we meet again in heaven after this lifetime.
As long as we work hard and put in the effort, nothing is insurmountable. Likewise, those who do not have the courage nor interest to pursue their goals may end up failing by default in this lifetime.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s World Buddhist Fellowship Meeting, Hong Kong, China, 20 June 2015
PRAYER FOR CAREER SUCCESS, ETC. THROUGH THE RECITATION OF THE CUNDI DHARANI WILL EXPEND ONE’S MERITORIOUS BLESSINGS
Caller: Would one’s meritorious blessings be expended when reciting the Cundi Dharani to pray for career success or to fulfil one’s wishes?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes, it would. When one prays for career success and when there are such merits at hand, the recitation of the Cundi Dharani serves to speed up the process for the merits to be brought forward to a certain point in your present life. This explains why your prayer is so efficacious!
The recitation of the Cundi Dharani is akin to moving out the needful items from a warehouse, or withdrawing cash from a bank. If you have nothing in the bank, it’s impossible for Bodhisattva to conjure up some funds for you. Similarly, meritorious blessings are like your savings, with which Bodhisattva will make use of to expedite the process of crystallising your wishes in the human realm. This is how the concept works.
Source: Wenda20150717 56:04, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
< ON THE PATH OF CULTIVATION, NEVER BE SELF-CONCEITED OR GIVE UP ON OURSELVES AS HOPELESS >
KEY MESSAGE:
The branches of plum blossoms can only stand proud after going through the harsh winter chills (梅花经历严冬之寒才能傲立枝头). Every person has his own destiny and hence, we should not be conceited, nor should we give up on ourselves as hopeless. We should just do to the best of our ability.
DEMENTIA
Q&A 160. Memory Loss
Q: Dear Master Lu, one of our fellow Buddhist practitioners has many family members suffering from memory loss. Please advise why this happened and what sutras or mantras should he recite?
A:
- Memory loss or amnesia, from the philosophical perspective of the spirit world, is due to the soul or spirit of a person being incomplete or separated from the physical body. This happens when one is entangled in certain situations, such as being sued, or having a lawsuit brought against him. He will be in a constant state of anxiety, and thus distracted and fail to remember anything. This is how one’s soul is not fully present.
- Many people’s brains have limited capacity, and their brain cells deteriorate too quickly, which slowly results in memory loss. Moreover, they usually throw a tantrum a few days before they experience memory loss. As soon as they lose their temper, their mental capacity and memory will be completely diminished, and their mind will go blank, followed by memory loss. This is very common.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism: Your Questions Answered, Q&A 160
WHAT ARE THE KARMIC REASONS FOR ONE TO SUFFER FROM DEMENTIA?
Caller: What’s the karmic reason for one to suffer from dementia?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Dementia can be caused by foreign spirits occupying one’s body, hence resulting in a lack of wisdom. Those who often mocked or criticised others in their past lives will develop dementia in this life. When they end up being abused and insulted because of this impaired ability in this life , don’t you think it is karma?
Caller: Is it right that dementia is the consequence of karmic causes that one seeded in this life?
Master Jun Hong Lu: That is right. People who have been really brutal in their speech during their younger days and always get others into trouble will contract dementia in their old age.
Source: Shuohua20180629 20:54, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
TESTIMONY: Dementia – A Buddhist friend’s mother returns from the abyss, through her diligent recitation of Little Houses
My life took an unexpected turn when one night, for unbeknown reason, my mother was screaming on top of her lungs as she tossed and turned in bed. Since that fateful day, she had to be constantly sedated with tranquiliser after being diagnosed with dementia – an incurable illness.
Looking back, we must count our blessings because from the day that I started performing recitation of Buddhist scriptures for her, her condition markedly improved. She stopped screaming and hence, the prescribed dosage of tranquiliser was slashed to one-fourth the maximum quantity of two tablets per intake that she once depended on. The greatest consolation is her ability to hold a conversation with me every now and then. As she is on the mend, we are able to regain life normalcy bit by bit.
Here’s my story:
Q&A 128. Performing recitations for people with dementia
Q: Dear Master Lu, one of my family members has been diagnosed with dementia, what sutras and mantras should we recite?
A:
- Dementia is a physical illness caused by foreign spirits and karmic obstacles. Generally, it cannot be completely cured by modern medical science. Hence, we should make good use of the Three Golden Buddhist Practices bestowed upon us by Guan Yin Bodhisattva by performing recitation, releasing captive lives and making vows.
- As part of your daily recitation for the family member with dementia, it is recommended that you recite the following: the Great Compassion Mantra 21 times, the Heart Sutra 49 times, and the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance 5 times.
- Dementia is, to a large extent, related to the karma of killing (animals). If the patient or family member has killed or consumed countless freshly-killed animals in the past, the recitation of the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra should be added on to the daily homework. Recite this mantra 21 or 49 times per day.
- It is best to offer at least 3 Little Houses per week. Generally, for this type of illness, you can offer 49 Little Houses for the first batch, followed by 7 Little Houses in each of the subsequent batches until the patient has fully recovered.
- Meanwhile, you should also make vows and perform life liberations.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism: Your Questions Answered, Q&A 128
Q&A 172. Making a vow to recite 100,000 times of a Buddhist scripture
The effects of reciting 100,000 times (and above) of the Mantra to Untie Karmic Knots are immense. You may pray to alleviate various types of chronic illnesses, intractable and complicated diseases such as dementia. People of all ages may recite this to treat or prevent any illnesses. You may pray to Guan Yin Bodhisattva or Nanjing Bodhisattva. Nanjing Bodhisattva specialises in treating illnesses and Guan Yin Bodhisattva blesses us with compassion and protection.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism: Your Questions Answered, Q&A 172
Q&A 172. Making a vow to recite 100,000 times of a Buddhist scripture
PRAYER REQUEST FOR MAKING A VOW TO RECITE 100,000 TIMES OF THE MANTRA TO UNTIE KARMIC KNOTS TO ELIMINATE THE RISK OF DEVELOPING DEMENTIA
Caller: Master has previously mentioned that one can make a vow to recite 100,000 times of the Mantra To Untie Karmic Knots to eliminate the risk of developing dementia (老年痴呆) in the future. In this regard, what should the prayer request be?
Master Jun Hong Lu: If you feel that you already have the early signs of dementia, you may say the following prayer request:
“Please protect and bless me, grant me wisdom and help me eliminate the risk of developing dementia in the later part of my life”.
By stating this illness in specific, you can be assured that you will be free from dementia in your old age.
Source: Wenda20200731 57:44, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
< Buddhism in Plain Terms < 白话佛法共修分享