Master Jun Hong Lu’s
Buddhism In Plain Terms
Volume 10 Chapter 23
(An Excerpt)
OVERCOMING SHORTCOMINGS THROUGH SPONTANEOUS AWARENESS AND SELF-REFLECTION
Master Jun Hong Lu: Many girls have facial pimples, and the moment they catch sight of any tiny little red inflammation on their faces, they immediately know what needs to be applied on those spots in order to keep the pus under control. In a few days’ time, all will be fine. This is called spontaneous awareness and self-reflection.
In the absence of such awareness, one will end up with a festering pustule. And by the time you discover it, it would have grown to such a large size that it is difficult to get rid of, don’t you think?
Similarly, the moment you become aware of your shortcomings, if you can immediately reflect upon them and get rid of them, then success will be yours. Why do you think you have such a clear complexion on your face?
Take a look at the faces of the movie stars, why do you think their faces look so clear? This is because they have acquired that spontaneous awareness. But, in their cases, instead of reflecting their inherent Buddha nature, the awareness is reflected on their external facade.
Instead of letting this spontaneous awareness be reflected on our facial appearance, we must let it reflect in our minds so that we can immediately correct ourselves the moment any delusion, hatred or greed arises within us.
An enlightened person is one who strictly adheres to the Buddhist precepts; only through constant reflection can one persevere in cultivating his mind.
< Words of Wisdom