Master Jun Hong Lu’s
Public Talk
Sydney, Australia
5 September 2010
When paying respect to the Buddhas, offering flowers will improve your appearance, and offering oil is good for our eyesight and for gaining wisdom. Some wise people suggest children spend their pocket money in buying a bottle of oil as an offering to the Bodhisattva and to pray for more wisdom. Offering water can ease and calm our mind while also helping us eliminate greed as water doesn’t cost anything. Many people are even attached to the offerings made to Bodhisattva. A novice Buddhist practitioner will feel secure once they offer water to Bodhisattvas. Their mind will be as pure as water. Therefore, if one prays for a sense of security, it’s best to offer water. The water offered on the altar needs to be changed every day. Furthermore, offering fruit can help you to achieve what you wish at a sooner time if you pray for something specific. For example, if you pray for a smooth career path or job security, offering fruit such as oranges and apples could speed things up, so you’ll get the outcome sooner. Offering fruit makes the wishes of a kind-hearted person come true sooner. For evil people, even though they make fruit offerings, karmic retributions come due earlier, too. The severity of the karmic retributions would be reduced if they take place earlier, which is better than suffering harsh retributions at a later stage. This is the law of cause and effect.
5.3 About water offerings
Offering water to Bodhisattva will cleanse our minds and allow us to obtain a sense of security.
<Water cups>
Don’t use glass cups
Wenda20121230A 04:52
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Spirits are transparent. They cling on to transparent materials easily.
Don’t use cups engraved with Buddhist scriptures
Wenda20121109 01:12:45
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
When you are changing the water on the altar every day, your hands would touch the sacred scriptures or Bodhisattva’s names printed on the cup. This is disrespectful. Even when Bodhisattva’s names are not on the cups, Dharma Protectors who are watching us won’t be happy when they see this.
Water cups need to be brand new; best to come with a lid
Buddhism: Your Questions Answered Q132 – Great Compassion Water
(An excerpt)
The cups on the altar need to be brand new. It’s okay to use porcelain ones. Though the lid is optional, it is better for the cups to have lids to avoid dust and insects falling in. It’s advisable to use white cups without the images or names of Bodhisattvas on them. Don’t use ones with animal figures.
Do not offer bottled water directly on the altar
Buddhism: Your Questions Answered Q132 – Great Compassion Water
(An excerpt)
Bottled water should not be placed directly in front of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; it is disrespectful to substitute the cup of water with bottled water. In most cases, do not place bottled water together with cups of water on the altar. Note: It’s okay to pour bottled water into a cup and offer it on the altar.
Great Compassion Water
Wenda20130818B 24:54
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
You can offer hot or cold water that has previously been boiled, mineral water, purified water or any other drinkable water that has no taste, colour and odour. You should not use tap water directly, untreated water or tea.
Do not mix the water offered to different Bodhisattvas
Shuohua20121207 19:10
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Caller: Can we mix the water that was offered to Guan Yin Bodhisattva and Guan Di Bodhisattva in the Guan Yin Citta Centre and distribute to the practitioners?
Master Lu: Better not. (Should we separate them?) I previously advised that before drinking the water offered to Guan Di Bodhisattva or other Bodhisattvas, you may recite the Great Compassion Mantra once. After that, share it with other practitioners. The water offered to Guan Yin Bodhisattva can be distributed to others for consumption.
Do not microwave Great Compassion Water
Wenda20120129 44:27
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Caller: Can we microwave the Great Compassion Water before drinking? Will this change the material compositions of the water?
Master Lu: It definitely will. The microscopic substances that scientists speak about will change, but not the overall structure. For example, once a computer screen gets dimmer and dimmer, can it still be seen? Yes, it can. All of the lighting particles are still there. Therefore, the screen still looks bright. I previously advised not to microwave Great Compassion Water. To make the water warm, you can pour hot water into a container, then pour in the Great Compassion Water to warm it up. You can drink it afterwards.
The water offered to Tai Sui Bodhisattva, Nanjing Bodhisattva and Guan Di Bodhisattva is called “sacred water”. The water offered to Guan Yin Bodhisattva is called Great Compassion Water.
Differences between sacred water and Great Compassion Water
Question:
I make offerings to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, Tai Sui Bodhisattva and Guan Di Bodhisattva on my altar at home. I offer three cups of water on the altar each day. Are they all Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s Great Compassion Water?
Answer:
The water offered to Guan Yin Bodhisattva is Great Compassion Water. The rest of it is called sacred water.
Without an altar, practitioners can’t “bless” the water and call it Great Compassion Water
Buddhism: Your Questions Answered Q132 – Great Compassion Water
(An excerpt)
The water offered to Guan Yin Bodhisattva is Great Compassion Water. It’s blessed by the Bodhisattva. Ordinary people can’t produce Great Compassion Water by reciting scriptures to it.
Effect of Great Compassion Water lasts 2-3 days
Wenda20140727B 37:17
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Caller: How long does the effect of Great Compassion Water sustain in general?
Master Lu: It will be ineffective after a while.
Caller: How many days in general?
Master Lu: Two to three days.
Caller: Okay, I see.
Master Lu: Unless it is bottled water offered to the side or in front of the altar, given that the bottle isn’t opened.
Caller: I see.
Master Lu: If it’s not bottled water but water offered on the altar in a cup, the effectiveness will diminish after three days.
Caller: I see, it’ll be most effective if we drink it right after taking it off the altar, right?
Master Lu: Absolutely. It’s been blessed by Bodhisattva. I’ll give you an example. After getting a massage, do you feel comfortable?
Caller: Yes.
Master Lu: After a day or two, the feeling will be gone, right?
Do not drink Great Compassion Water directly
Buddhism: Your Questions Answered No. 132 – Great Compassion Water
An excerpt
You should not drink the Great Compassion Water directly from the cup used for offering on the altar. The water should be poured into another cup for drinking. Your mouth should not touch the offering cup. As a general practice, you can first face the statues and images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, with both hands holding the cup, then respectfully raise the cup slightly above your eyebrows, and say the following prayer gently: “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, , grant me good health.” At the same time, you can visualise that the pure water of Guan Yin Bodhisattva is gradually being poured onto the top of your head, and then flowing over your entire body. You can then pour the water into another container, and drink it respectfully. For best results, you can place your hand facing down over the cup and recite the Great Compassion Mantra once before drinking the water.
Don’t water plants with Great Compassion Water
Buddhism: Your Questions Answered No. 132 – Great Compassion Water
An excerpt
Any water after being offered should not be used for watering plants.
<Uses of Great Compassion Water>
Why do we call Great Compassion Water “omnipotent water”?
Wenda20150116 06:48
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Master Lu: The energy in Great Compassion Water is phenomenal. What does this mean? For example, if your body is deficient in calcium, iron, phosphorus or other minerals, you can pray to Guan Yin Bodhisattva accordingly. Then the minerals required will be generated in the water. That’s why in the past, many people liked to drink Great Compassion Water and believed that it could heal many illnesses. That’s why it’s called the omnipotent water.
Caller: I see, we can pray to Guan Yin Bodhisattva.
Master Lu: Guan Yin Bodhisattva will bless the water with energy.
Wiping forehead with Great Compassion Water can ease pain
Wenda20151018B 50:32
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
You can wipe your forehead or temples with Great Compassion Water, but not pour it on your head— that would be showering. You can wipe your forehead or temples with it. What’s the reason for this? It’s very simple. Firstly, you can’t see the Bodhisattva’s energy. Let me ask you, is there energy in water? (Yes.) If it doesn’t have energy, why do we have hydropower? Why is there hydraulic energy? The principle is simple. It contains invisible energy. This kind of energy can penetrate your skin and help to relieve pressure in your central nervous system. This is from the medical and physical perspective. From a spiritual perspective, once Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s energy enters your forehead, the spirits will run away when they see the light of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Spirits hide in the darkness. Understand?
Great Compassion Water gives energy and boosts confidence; but don’t regard it as medicine
Wenda20150628A 20:04
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Keep in mind that Great Compassion Water won’t have immediate medical effect. Great Compassion Water is enhanced with energy. Once you recite Buddhist scriptures, the energy will be converted and turned into power. After that, two things will happen. Firstly, Guan Yin Bodhisattva will give you treatment as you would have “registered” yourself for a treatment beforehand. Secondly, the energy in Great Compassion Water will make you feel better. But don’t regard it as medicine, otherwise you’ll become superstitious and ignorant. Great Compassion Water will give you energy and confidence. It’ll also make you cleaner, which is a prerequisite for the Bodhisattva to visit when you make prayers.
Excerpt from Master Jun Hong Lu’s Q&A Session 141
6 January 2017
Question:
I injured the tendon in my foot a few days ago. Yesterday, I dipped and applied Great Compassion Water on the injured area and left a few drops on the floor. I didn’t wipe the floor straight away. Is that okay?
Answer:
That should be okay. But if you apply Great Compassion Water on body parts below the belly button, you will need to inform Bodhisattva and the Dharma Protectors first. It’s fine to apply it on your face but if it’s on body parts below belly button, you will need to say the following to Bodhisattva, “I’m just an ordinary human being. May Guan Yin Bodhisattva bless me and eliminate the karmic debts of my body.” Without saying this, you will have profaned Bodhisattvas. However, never apply Great Compassion Water on your genital area.