Why should we endure hardship in our spiritual practice? Because it elevates your state of mind, allowing it to reach higher levels. You often talk about improving your spiritual state, but how exactly do we achieve that? And what do we mean by “spiritual state”? It’s something intangible, something you can’t see or touch. For […]
Today, I’m going to discuss spiritual practice—specifically, practising in hardship and practising in joy. Do you find cultivating your mind challenging? Does it bring you joy? What exactly do we mean by practising in hardship? And what does it mean to practise in joy? When I set strict expectations, it might seem tough at first, […]
I am now teaching everyone several methods to let go and forget. The first method involves engaging in spiritual practice. Engage in spiritual practice to help you forget and let go of entanglements and worldly troubles. What I am discussing here are real-life issues that require immediate solutions. The second method is repentance, which includes […]
I will now talk about the thoughts before and after settling into concentration. Thoughts before settling into concentration arise when we are not yet calm; for example, when something happens, we might feel anxious, sad, or have many thoughts and associations, and the thoughts that emerge at this time are immature and likely to lead […]
Deepest gratitude to Namo Shakyamuni Buddha! Deepest gratitude to the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva! Deepest gratitude to all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Dharma Protectors! Deepest gratitude to Master Jun Hong Lu! Standing before all of you today, I would like to share how my Buddhist practice has helped resolve the karmic grievances […]
Deepest gratitude to Namo Shakyamuni Buddha! Deepest gratitude to the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva! Deepest gratitude to all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Dharma Protectors! Deepest gratitude to Master Jun Hong Lu! Standing before all of you today, I would like to share how the course of my entire family’s destiny was transformed […]
Many people ask, “Master, what does visualisation mean?” Visualisation involves thinking while using your eyes to see. As you know, “to observe” means using your eyes to see, and “to think” means using your mind. So, “visualisation” means constantly observing and constantly thinking. What should you think about? It’s not about thinking of yourself, how […]
Next, let me explain the importance of pursuing the Buddha nature, perceiving the Buddha nature, and witnessing the Buddha nature. Buddha nature involves seeing the Buddha’s inherent nature. First, you pursue it, then you are able to see it, and finally, you witness it. Here’s a somewhat imperfect analogy: it’s like pursuing a romantic relationship. […]
ADVERTISING CONTENTS RELATED TO DHARMA PROPAGATION IS AN ACT OF THE THREE TYPES OF GIVING Caller: Master, when making monetary donations, there are some people who would focus on channelling their funds into advertising contents that aim to help people awaken spiritually. Such advertisements usually attract more than 100,000 clicks. Would such giving be considered […]
NURTURE A HEART OF COMPASSION BY ADOPTING A VEGETARIAN DIET Master Jun Hong Lu: Today, I’d like to reiterate that as Buddhist practitioners, why it’s so important to be a vegetarian and avoid committing the act of killing. As a matter of fact, Bodhisattva has long told us that all sentient beings have the inherent […]
THE MEANING OF “LIBERATING 10,000 LIVES HELPS AVOID THE EIGHT DIFFICULTIES; LIBERATING 50,000 LIVES HELPS AVOID FALLING INTO THE LOWER REALMS OF EXISTENCE” Caller: Master once cited a quote from Guan Yin Bodhisattva that goes like this “Liberating 10,000 lives helps avoid the Eight Difficulties; liberating 50,000 lives helps avoid falling into the lower realms […]
SUCCESS COMES TO THOSE WHO ENDURE HARDSHIPS Master Jun Hong Lu: Once, up in a mountain, there were two identical-looking stones which experienced very different endings after a few years. One of them was carved into a Buddha statue and was regarded with veneration by many; while the other was made into a stone step […]
FOLLOW-UP EFFORT ON NEW BUDDHIST FRIENDS SHOULD ONLY BE DONE BY BUDDHIST PRACTITIONERS OF THE SAME GENDER Question: Hi Master, you have long emphasised that we should not propagate Buddhism to the opposite gender. In the course of my work, I tend to have more interactions with men. As and when I cross paths with […]
LESSONS FROM TWO BUSINESS MINDS: TURNING WEAKNESSES INTO STRENGTHS Master Jun Hong Lu: Two bosses were eagerly exchanging insights about managing their businesses when they met. One of them grumbled, “I simply can’t tolerate incompetent employees. I currently have three such useless individuals in my company, and I’m planning to fire them in a few […]
WHEN INTRODUCING BUDDHISM TO OTHERS, SINCERITY IS KEY Caller: Master, in the effort to propagate Buddhism to others, some fellow practitioners may not have the skill to do so. I was just wondering whether it’s alright to compile a guide that can help one’s sharing to be more focused. Just like in speech delivery, we […]
WHEN YOU LOVE SENTIENT BEINGS AS GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA WOULD, IT WILL NEVER GO UNNOTICED Master Jun Hong Lu: During the era of Northern Zhou dynasty, there was a monk named Shi Chan who lived in the capital city. He was a monk with high moral standing and supernatural powers. One afternoon, out of the […]
WHERE WEEDS ARE OVERGROWN, NO FRUIT GROWS Master Jun Hong Lu: Fourth question. Don’t get too anxious. So brilliant are the words of Bodhisattva. My question to Guan Yin Bodhisattva was, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, while many people are able to accrue meritorious blessings, there are others who, despite having performed many good deeds, don’t seem […]
MYRIADS OF ILLNESSES STEM FROM A MIND THAT IS DEFILED Master Jun Hong Lu: Second question: I said to Bodhisattva, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva, nowadays people are plagued with illnesses, and what’s more, many of these illnesses are medically unknown. As I go about helping sentient beings daily, the stack of phone recordings is filled with […]
EMULATE THE GREAT WISDOM AND COMPASSION AS WELL AS THE GREAT VOW AND STRENGTH OF GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA Master Jun Hong Lu: Guan Yin Bodhisattva practises the Buddha Way, where great compassion is the focus of the practice, purity and peace are at its heart’s core, and all Buddhas are held in high esteem. A […]
EXERCISE DISCRETION WHEN SHARING THE DHARMA AT NIGHT Caller: Some Buddhist practitioners are still eagerly sharing depictions of Journey to Heaven that illustrate scenes in the underworld even though it is past 10pm. In the view of certain Buddhist practitioners, such sharing would invite considerable amount of Yin (negative) energy, but they are hesitant to […]
THERE IS NO NEED TO OBSERVE TIME-GAP BETWEEN POSTINGS OF DHARMA TEACHINGS ONLINE Caller: A fellow practitioner dreamt of Bodhisattva reminding him, “Do not send dharma teachings consecutively on social media. Leave some buffer time so that other practitioners get to read them online”. Master, could you advise as to how we should pace our […]
MINDFUL USE OF VISUALS IN DHARMA GIVING Question: Should we avoid using photos of real individuals, including those of novices, monks and nuns, in all dharma materials? Answer: It is advisable to avoid using such visuals. Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse (Question 379), 27 April 2020
IS IT APPROPRIATE TO PIECE TOGETHER MASTER’S TEACHINGS FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF A DISCOURSE? Caller: There are fellow Buddhist practitioners who will extract Master’s discourses or Buddhism in Plain Terms quotes that they consider timeless. When they go about doing so, they will pluck a phrase or a few words from a paragraph or the […]
IT IS BEST TO CITE THE SOURCE WHEN SHARING MASTER’S DISCOURSES Caller: A fellow Buddhist practitioner used to come across a statement on blogs that says, “Secretariat, please verify whether this is a discourse from Master”. Seeing this, the Buddhist practitioner thought he should indicate the source when sharing Master’s discourses in the future to […]
WHAT IS CONSIDERED A ‘TESTIMONY SHARING’? Caller: If we make a vow to share our testimony, does it refer to the mere act of posting it on Master’s blog, or does it also include sharing it with our circle of friends or on other social media platforms? Master Jun Hong Lu: A testimony sharing can […]
AVOID DEVELOPING NEGATIVE KARMIC AFFINITIES WITH ANIMALS BY ADOPTING A VEGETARIAN DIET Master Jun Hong Lu: Those who cultivate their minds should always know that it is like having a driving licence. Those who drive can’t go without a driving licence because it is a must to have one in order to drive. Similarly, only […]
PATIENCE ENDURANCE: A PREREQUISITE TO ATTAIN A HIGHER SPIRITUAL STATE Master Jun Hong Lu: Spiritual cultivation requires a great degree of patience. There would be no accomplishment without patience. A calm person is a patient person. Without patience, one is not able to advance to a higher spiritual state. Patience is like a ladder that […]
PATIENCE IN SPIRITUAL CULTIVATION Master Jun Hong Lu: The third type of forbearance: both mind-cultivation and Buddhist practice require patience. It is never too late to be accomplished in your spiritual practice, as long as you are diligent. All of you who are sitting down here listening to me, are you experiencing any discomfort? You […]
ENDURING WEATHER CHANGES IS ALSO A TYPE OF FORBEARANCE Master Jun Hong Lu: The second type of forbearance is being patient in enduring the changes in nature. This includes changes in the weather, whether it’s cold or hot. When you can’t bear the cold or hot weather, it means you have not cultivated well. When […]
SUCCESSFUL SHARING OF THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS IS EQUIVALENT TO HAVING LIBERATED A HUGE AMOUNT OF FISH Question: I saw the following statement on the official account platform which goes like this, “Every sharing of the Buddha’s teachings online will result in meritorious blessings equivalent to the merits of liberating a fish”. Is this statement appropriate? […]
