WISDOM OF PERFECTION SHOULD BE YOUR GOAL
Master Jun Hong Lu: Always think and give rise to perfect wisdom in your heart. Ask yourself, “Why is it that others are capable of doing so and not me? Why is it that others are able to achieve perfection in the things they do and not me?” You should think, “As a Buddhist practitioner, in all my endeavours I am willing to bring them to a perfect outcome”. If you constantly think like this, a type of perfect wisdom will arise in your heart.
This can be likened to a child who strongly believes that he can complete his assignment, regardless of how difficult it is. Conversely, if a student is already anxious before he even starts doing it, and he keeps thinking, “Would I be able to manage today’s assignment? What if it turns out to be something that I don’t understand?”
By now, when the teacher hands out the assignment, somehow he will not be able to do it. It may even be a topic that he has learnt before, but he would have problems doing it because he lacks self-confidence. The loss of self-confidence will result in the loss of one’s original nature. Where there is no original nature, how can you find self-confidence?
We must attain the realisation of emptiness, which means we must prove and awaken to the understanding that all our thoughts and nature are empty, that they do not inherently exist. So, what are the specific manifestations of emptiness? They are compassion, a compassionate person spares no thought for himself as his sense of self is void, and gentleness, a gentle person is ready to make peace with othersand will not harbour any selfishness at heart.
A person of humility has no ego. As he respects everyone without any notion of self, he is a happy person; it is when he forgets about himself, he gets a taste of happiness.
Instead, if you are so filled with selfishness and you are full of selfish thoughts such as,
“How am I doing today?”
“How will I be doing tomorrow?”,
“What have I gained from this thing that I did today? I am not happy at all because I gain nothing out of it!”,
“I have been kind to others today and yet my kindness is not reciprocated.”
And you are saddened again.
With this mentality, there is no way that you would be happy. This is because selfishness is the thief of joy.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 8 Chapter 11