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.
5.8 Notes on Prayer Mat
Prayer mats can have lotus patterns but not Buddha’s name on them
Wenda 20150403 05:05
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Caller: Can we use prayer mats with lotus patterns?
Master Lu: Yes you can. You will be like a lotus if you are pure. Only pure people deserve a lotus while the defiled ones do not.
Caller: Can we use prayer mats with characters on them, such as “Lotus Prayer Mat”? The characters are yellow and there’s a lotus in the centre.
Master Lu: It’s not a problem. You can’t have Buddhas’ names on them, such as “Guan Yin Bodhisattva” or “Amitabha”.
The colour of prayer mats; black and white must not be used.
Wenda 20130616A 55:17
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Caller: Is there any requirement about the colour of our prayer mat? Can we use red or yellow mats?
Master Lu: Absolutely. Red and yellow are both good choices. Do not use black or white prayer mats.
<Etiquette of Using Prayer Mats>
You should not sit on, kick, or step over prayer mats.
Prayer mats must not be sat on.
Wenda 20130614 18:39
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
The prayer mats mustn’t be sat on. Many people are unaware of that. They would sit on the mats and then perform prostrations on it. However, there are both Yin and Yang on the human body as well. The lower body belongs to Yin while the upper body belongs to Yang, and they should not be mixed on the same mat.
Accidentally kicking, stepping over or sitting on a prayer mat.
Shuohua 20130614 25:33
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Caller: If a prayer mat in the local Guan Yin Citta Centre was accidentally kicked or stepped on by new practitioners, what should we do with the mat?
Master Lu: It wouldn’t be a problem if they accidentally kicked the mat as it is not intentional. Don’t be too worried. Even though they stepped over the mat, just recite some scriptures.
Caller: What scriptures should I recite?
Master Lu: You can recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance once, Qi Fo Mie Zui Zhen Yan seven times and the Xiao Zai Ji Xiang Shen Zhou once.
Caller: Can it still be used?
Master Lu: Yes, you can. There’s no problem.
Accidentally sitting on a prayer mat in the Guan Yin Citta Centre.
Wenda 20131227 01:23:22
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Caller: If young children accidentally sit on the prayer mat in the Guan Yin Citta Centre, should they recite the Eighty-Eight Great Repentance?
Master Lu: The parent can recite this scripture once for the child.
Caller: What if an elderly person sits on it?
Master Lu: Don’t worry, recite this scripture once.
Caller: Ok, what should we do with the mat?
Master Lu: You can keep using it. Wash the cover more often as it creates merits and virtues.
NOTE: Recite the Qi Fo Mie Zui Zhen Yan seven times after accidentally kicking on or stepping over a prayer mat.
How to store the prayer mats after using them
Wenda 20160318 01:23:20
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
An Excerpt
Caller: Master said earlier that the plate used for offering Little Houses should be placed upright when not in use, does that mean we need to put the mat upright as well when not using them?
Master Lu: You can put the mat under your altar if you have been using it. If you put it beside the altar, you have to put it upright. This is for two reasons. First, it will be disrespectful if others step over it. Second, it will be cleaner and therefore more respectful if you put it upright.
Caller: When we put things for daily use upright, does that mean they have stopped working?
Master Lu: No. Flat things such as photos can easily attract spirits when placed upright. They would have an effect. Prayer mats are an exception.
