Q: Master Lu, when we are travelling on business trips or on holiday, how should we perform our daily recitations and the recitation of Little Houses?
A:
- Once you have reached your destination, you can pay your respect to the local Bodhisattvas in your mind by saying the following prayer: “I, <full name>, am now paying my respect to all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and deities in <name of the location>. Please protect and bless me, so that I will be safe and well.”
- As soon as you have checked into your hotel room, you can recite the Great Compassion Mantra once facing each of the four walls, in a clockwise direction. You can say the following prayer: “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, <your full name>, and grant me safety.” While you recite the Great Compassion Mantra, you should avoid having the intention of antagonising beings from the spirit world. After you have recited the Great Compassion Mantra and stated your prayer, you can begin your daily recitations in the hotel room.
- Generally, the energy field in hotels is relatively complex. Hence, it is best to avoid reciting the Heart Sutra and the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra in hotels. Before you leave for your trip, you can tell Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that you will perform your recitations of the Heart Sutra and the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra in advance or at a later date. Under urgent circumstances, you can still recite the Heart Sutra and the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra in your hotel room during the day time. Avoid reciting them at night.
- No matter how busy you are, you should ensure that you perform recitations every day, even if you are just reciting the Great Compassion Mantra a few times.
- If you are reciting Little Houses while travelling, you can record the number of sutras and mantras that you have recited, and then put the red dots on the Little Houses when you return to your hotel room.
- Generally, you should not burn Little Houses in hotels, except during emergencies.