Words of Our Guru

(1) Practice of the Mind

• Not to attach is not to discard things that you should have, it simply means not to hold onto them.
• We have body and mind, to treat the body is easy, to treat the mind is very difficult, this can only be done via a system and this system includes precepts, meditation, wisdom and persistent practice.
• Reciting a mantra or a Buddha’s name is a criterion on the road of practice, it is the basis for self-transformation.
• The secret to reciting a mantra or a Buddha’s name is: lay your eyes on your nose, and from your nose to your mind.
• When reciting a mantra or a Buddha’s name, get your mind to focus on the mantra or the Buddha’s name, do not place it on your vexation, your vexation will naturally disappear.
• If one is not practicing one’s precepts, meditation and wisdom, one will be practicing one’s greed, hatred and ignorance.
• The result of practicing greed, hatred and ignorance is reincarnation, the result of practicing bodhicitta is the attainment of Buddhahood.
• Practice, in simple terms is to cultivate good habits; to possess right contemplation, right view.
• Letting go of inner vexation and habit does not equate to letting go of outer materials.
• The underlying factor behind fear, is the existence of ‘self’.
• Practice involves a series of attitudes, a series of methods, a series of regular practice and a series of intensive practice.
• The hardest part of practice is to grind away one’s habits.
• A Buddhist’s pure stateliness comes from his faith in the triple gems (Taking Refuge) and his observation of the precepts (Discipline).
• Stinginess is the habit of greed, it can be eradicated through the practice of generosity.
• Real bliss originates from a mind which is forever benefitting others.
• The key to meditative practice is to lock the wandering and cluttered mind into place; the key to wisdom practice is to get rid of, transform the inferior mind.
• Use cause and condition to look at matters, not your feelings.
• Reincarnation is illusory, like a dream.
• There is no success or failure in practice, but one must never lose track of the general direction.
• Real practice will produce different realisations and experiences, continue to accumulate them till you are absolutely sure of your realisations, after your Root Guru checks and confirms them as the correct views, you must remember to live by them.
• There is no need to accumulate negative feelings.
• The time you insist that you are definitely right is also the time when your ‘self-attachment’ is at its greatest.
• The body, speech and mind of a practitioner are calm and peaceful.
• One must cultivate the habit of looking at one’s inner thoughts.
• Since habits are cultivated, they can definitely be changed.
• To become a bodhisattva, one must have magnanimity, to be able to swallow mountains and rivers in one mouth.
• In the continuing mind, when there is vexation arising, there will be reincarnation.
• One (referring to body and mind) will never get tired when riding the bodhicitta horse.
• Persistent practice of the dharma would be better than knowing the dharma.
• Suffering is not given by others, it is sought by us.
• Why let the mistake of others become our suffering? Even if he has done you wrong.
• When meditating, one should smile gently from within.
• Holding back one’s mind is a technique, reciting the name of a Buddha or a mantra is a method, both technique and method complement each other.
• Demons have their family members, they have telepathic ability too; therefore, when one is doing bad things, one has helpers too.
• Practitioners have no extra time to care for other things, they are only busy dealing with their own habits.
• To get rid of root habits, there are three crucial methods, namely: counteract, transform and practice emptiness.
• Death and practice, if one’s practice is good, both will be related.
• To a practitioner, death is just a form of meditation.
• To practice is to transform oneself (to higher virtues, to make progress, to eradicate habits), in the end if there is hardly any change, it is not practice then.
• Meditation and wisdom are types of strength, add on precepts, it is practice.
• Vexation begins from rising thoughts, through speaking with the mouth, it becomes karma.
• Habit is finer than mind, it can defeat you. For example, to spit out phlegm, “Ahem”, before you can hold back your mind, it is spat out, after spitting, you are still unaware, this is how habit is finer that mind.
• Mind is the origin of everything: it can attain Buddhahood, it can also descend to hell.
• The greater the right attitude, the greater will be the blessings received.
• Through visualisation practice, energy can be generated, to break away from materialistic level, to enter spiritual level.
• To know where one is going next life, just look at what one is attached to now.
• To detach is not to dispose, it is not to hold onto.
• To practice, one must detach, not only to detach from everything one has now and in the past, but also the future.
• Practice of meditation can subdue oneself, practice of wisdom can eliminate habit.
• The definition of tolerance in Buddhism is to believe, accept and persist, if one cannot tolerate, one will definitely break one’s precept.
• A great practitioner’s holy attitudes include ‘detachment’, ‘compassion’ and ’emptiness’.
• One must use wisdom to sever attachment to the good.
• To sharpen the knife of wisdom, use meditation to grind it.
• Vexation does not live anywhere, so do not be afraid of it.
• ‘Self-attachment’ is causing mischief when one is discriminating right and wrong.
• When you are nervous, anxious and irritable, look at the force of ‘self-attachment’ behind, is it benefitting you?
• Inner vexation is past karma, yet the immediate action of mouth and body creates new karma.
• First, see if you are stuck in your thoughts or habits, next, ask yourself if you want to make a change?
• Having seen your habits, ask if you want to change them, if you are determined to change, you will see the effect in three months.
• If only we can let ‘thought’ not become our obstacle, can we then use it, can we then have the opportunity to see emptiness.
• Having seen your ‘nervous’ habit, if you are determined to change it, then relax and take in deep breaths
• to relax is not telling you not to do it, just like drinking tea, you do not have to hold the teacup tightly.
• Vexation obstacle and knowledge obstacle, both will obstruct right mindfulness.
• One must see one’s root vexation.
• If the mind is meticulous, the space will be big.
• Practice requires seeing the four obstacles: karmic obstacle, vexation obstacle, knowledge obstacle and habit obstacle.
• If you have a way with your karmic obstacle, vexation obstacle, knowledge obstacle and habit obstacle, nobody can do anything to you.
• A great practitioner is not only responsible for his every word, he is also responsible for his every thought.
• Regarding the concept of ‘stay’: wherever you stay, take care of the place, after you leave the place, do not think about it.
• To break self-attachment, one must rely on Root Guru.
• Do not accumulate negative feelings.
• Behind every thought, there is definitely a self-attachment.
• Before death approaches, get rid of as much karmic obstacle, vexation obstacle, knowledge obstacle and habit obstacle as you can.
• Think about death frequently, you will not attach to the things in this world.
• Suffering and non-suffering lie in the attitude.
• Only Buddha’s teaching can surpass the struggle of love and hatred in this world.
• There is no need to reject negative thoughts, just do not hold onto them.
• Regardless of good thoughts or bad thoughts, all can be transformed into information, the key is not to hold onto them.
• With the support of bodhicitta, one can therefore undertake the mission of helping oneself and others day and night to rediscover their Buddha nature.
• The greed for reincarnation will only bring suffering, to let go of this greed is to renunciate, which is to extinguish suffering.
• The highest demand of renunciation is: to live with a ‘selfless’ attitude day and night, to regard everything before your eyes as cloud, mist and smoke.
• Under the light of Buddha nature, reincarnation is merely a game.
• Forever extend a loving hand to help relieve the suffering of sentient beings, like the moon travelling in emptiness and observing with ease.
• When alive, go after wisdom, loving kindness and compassion relentlessly, till the moment you are truly faced with death, you can then surpass all relativity in the world , life and death, suffering and happiness, love and hatred, right and wrong, without fear.
• Afraid of death, as a matter of fact is afraid of losing; who is afraid of losing
• ? What is ‘me’ then?
• Hiding one’s mistake, is in fact giving oneself a very heavy burden and suffering, only repentance can clean and clear them away.
• Gain with no delight, lose with no pain, causes and conditions arise, causes and conditions cease.
• All matters arise out of causes and conditions, cease due to causes and conditions, the injection of ‘hope’ will not change this principle.
• ‘Hope’ is only a concept produced by inner search and examination, it is redundant.
• ‘Hope’ itself is actually vacuous, it is unnecessary.
• Once ‘habit’ gets out of control, it will produce a chain of knowledge obstacle and vexation obstacle, if serious, it will become karmic obstacle.
• To practice; first, one must see one’s habit, second, see if one is willing to hold back one’s mind, third, with regards to the rising thought, do not like nor reject it, fourth, observe how fast one can hold back one’s mind, fifth, ask oneself what shortcomings must be changed, what strengths must be enhanced and purified
• if one is not willing to change, nothing can be done even if Buddha is in the world.
• Train oneself, not to run with inner thoughts.
• When a vexation arises, there must be a force pushing it from behind, hold back, divert that force, concentrate on another inner thought of chanting the mantra, this vexation will be cut short.
• Practice is to enable one to become a person with high qualities.
• Practice is to make demands on oneself, not on others.
• ‘Hope’ is always accompanied by ‘disappointment’; with the arising of this, that arises.
• In general, though human satisfies ‘hope’, waves of emotion are also aroused; if this is the case, why have ‘hope’ in the first place?
• The frequent thought that others have done you wrong, is habit obstacle; to be able to find reasons in every word or act of others to justify that they have done you wrong, is knowledge obstacle; once the thought of others have done you wrong arises, you are filled with anger, resentment, irritable feelings, and even wanted to take revenge, is karmic obstacle.
• With inner strength, one will be able to face challenges, overcome obstacles and accomplish work that should be done – even if it is a very difficult task.
• Inner strength has two features, the first, like facing unfair issues, enemies and relatives, struggling to get rid of shortcomings and the like, that require tolerance and observance of precepts to neutralize the negativities, is passive inner strength; the other, like diligence in persistent practice, serving the public, working for the good of sentient beings and the like, that require bodhicitta to actualize them, is active inner strength.
• Practice is to strive to gain wisdom, laziness is one of its obstacles.
• Attachment is a kind of restriction; letting go enables one to surpass; surpassing enables one to be freed, unrestrained.
• The unrestrained state of mind is: light, calm, joyous, peaceful.
• In your continuing mind, after being born in the Pure Land, you will also want to learn from the Great Teachers in the Pure Land.
• After committing a wrongful act, one must admit, repent, receive teachings and amend for it. Do not place sin and karma in your mind, only then will your state of mind be bright.
• As the inferior root and sinful nature of human beings living in materialistic world grow deeper and stronger; practitioner must be careful of one’s dharma body and wisdom life, know how to transform skillfully when among them and remain upright, only then will one’s conscious remain clear.
• Outstanding practitioners will try their best to emit radiance from either the physical, spiritual or wisdom levels, to benefit others.
• To do things that benefit others, is precisely practicing.
• The (fundamental) value orientation for seeking merit, virtue and wisdom is to become a Buddha.
• Having a kind heart may not bring fruits of kindness, if one lacks wisdom, one will not be able to see clearly that between them, there is still ‘condition’.
• Attachment to greed, hatred and ignorance will obstruct the possibility of other options. For example, one likes to eat laksa very much, is very greedy for laksa, when one cannot find laksa to eat, one will become very angry
• all these obstruct the possibility of choosing other things to eat.
• To do what one should not be doing is indulgence in pleasure-seeking; not to do what one should be doing is laziness.
• Buddha nature is also simultaneously hidden amid vexations.
• Prostrating to the Buddha – lowers self-conceit; chanting mantra – sees arising thoughts clearly; visualising refuge sanctuary – solidifies faith.
• With strength of meditation, one is able to experience the process of dying when alive, however, one has to practice till few obstacles are left before this can be easily done.
• To affirm the truth of ‘impermanence’, one will be able to eliminate the falsity of ‘permanence’; to eliminate the falsity of ‘permanence’, one has to change one’s way of thinking; to change one’s way of thinking, one must not be stubborn.
• If the thought ‘I may die any moment’ arises, it will eliminate the self-deceiving thought ‘I will not die’.
• Cultivate many good habits, the bad habits will be relatively eliminated.
• If karmic obstacle is already formed, use karmic way to overcome it. For example, see a doctor if you are sick and return the money if you have borrowed it.
• Wisdom applied with precision, is loving-kindness and compassion.
• Practice till you have the qualities of a bodhisattva, you can be assured of being reborn in the Pure Land.
• From the standpoint of benefitting sentient beings, practitioners of bodhisattva way have to pass down Buddha’s teachings.
• Ah, the so-called practitioners, do not think that you are different from others, you must be humble!
• After finding the crux of a problem via right thinking, one has to take a step further to bravely sever, possess or detach, otherwise one’s wisdom will remain at its original point.
• The so-called problem solving, in Buddhism, is to solve the problem of cause and condition of the issue itself.
• Right mindfulness is thinking in the right way; right contemplation is making the right choice; when right contemplation arises, use right mindfulness to protect it.
• Practitioners must be familiar with and counteract the four obstacles, namely habit obstacle, knowledge obstacle, vexation obstacle and karmic obstacle.
• When something bad happens (has turned into karmic obstacle), one must go back to review the other three obstacles, namely habit obstacle, knowledge obstacle and vexation obstacle.
• One who generates bodhicitta, always lend a helping hand to others, will certainly receive praises, this is fame; receive offerings, this is wealth; receive flattery and a higher social status, this is power; these are sources of fame, wealth and power, they are also enzymes for causing dispute and sinful karma, practitioners, be sure to remember this.
• ‘Thought’ is actually conjured by the mind, like a magician making magic, there is no so-called real or fake; however the magician will definitely not lose himself in the magical world that he has conjured up.
• The minds of sentient beings are illusory, yet karma is created base on these illusions.
• As for thought, is it real or fake? If it is real, one will attach to it; if it is fake, one will deny it.
• Thoughts that arise cannot be called fake, but their contents are definitely not real.
• If one knows that thoughts are illusory, there will be no so-called likes, dislikes or fears for people, situations and things in the world.
• Whether karma or cause and condition, to hold onto is to suffer, if this is the case, when it comes let it come, when it goes let it go
• Attitude is not thought; thought has language – like Chinese, English, Dialect and the like; attitude is a kind of force – like respect for the elders and sages, prostrate faithfully to the Buddha; examine it closely at a greater depth, attitude is actually the force behind a thought.
• The purpose of ritual practice, is to cultivate right attitudes.
• Attitude can influence others.
• The so-called ‘Three Vehicles of Emptiness’ is a form of state, not attitude, it is the mental state of bodhisattva of the eighth level.
• When prostrating to the 35 Buddhas, the power of respect, sincerity, concentration and joy must arise, ask yourself if you have produced these powers 35 times.
• The rise of good attitudes will produce counteractions; respect counters disrespect, concentration counters distraction, faith counters conceit, delight counters low energy.
• When chanting the mantra of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, respect and reliance must arise, which means one must immediately evoke the same mind as that of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.
• Bodhicitta is the basis for all kindness.
• Do not specially chase after deep and unmeasurable power, if one realises one’s mind is short of a certain good quality, one practices till it arises, this is enough to garner praises from others.
• Anger can be used but the motivation behind must be bodhicitta, loving-kindness and compassion, and after using it, one must take note of its consequences.
• To learn to be a bodhisattva, one must build causal relationships with sentient beings, the best is to start with good relationships; to start with bad relationships is fine but one must be prepared to face more issues.
• From generation of intention (mind) to spoken word (mouth) to action (body), do they benefit others? Are they benefitting others precisely, in the right place?
• After knowing that one needs to change one’s habits, one must take a step further to upgrade oneself, transform one’s attitudes, concepts, thinking.
• All phenomena arise out of causes and conditions, one is only one of the causes and conditions.
• One has to bear the karma of one’s (body, mouth and mind) reaction to the environment, therefore let precepts and bodhicitta be its underlying motive, this is the right way to react, you will definitely not regret!
• All phenomena arise out of causes and conditions, cease due to causes and conditions; when phenomena arise, even if you have no intention to possess, you may not necessarily lose it finally; when phenomena cease, even if you hold onto it forcefully, it will be of no use.
• Learning the techniques of practice, is to subdue one’s mind, look at one’s bad habits, and not at others’ shortcomings.
• Learning to be a Buddha is learning wisdom, one must be clear about the definition, scope, order and application of ‘dharma’.
• Practitioners will definitely reach such a situation after a period of practice: one should get rid of one particular attitude but one’s sword of wisdom is unable to sever it, as a result it drags on.
• If one can let go, the opportunity and space for change will become greater; to hold onto will only restrict oneself.
• Chanting the mantra of Buddha will produce a firm strength which counteracts dissatisfaction, resentment and fear; chanting the mantra of bodhisattva will produce a gentle strength which is loving, compassionate and docile; chanting the mantra of main deity will enable breakthroughs in the practice of dharma.
• When one’s mind is distracted, cluttered and unstable when chanting the mantra of main deity, one ought to chant the mantra of Buddha for blessing and support.
• If one has the right intention, one will definitely be able to receive guidance from Buddhas and bodhisattvas.
• One ought to make offerings for listening and learning the dharma, do not take them for granted, to take and not give will result in one becoming poorer.
• For one who only hears the words but not practice them, letting him know too much is creating knowledge obstacle for him instead.
• Practice lies in training the mind, to cultivate good habits, good knowledge and good karma.
• The practice of mandala offering is to create inner truth, kindness and beauty; it is to dedicate a world.
• If the result of practice is wisdom, it can be repeated and controlled.
• Is always doing things that benefit others and does not hope for returns, the merit accumulated by this kind of person is inexhaustible.

(2) Practice of Emptiness

• A really enlightened person knows that thoughts are empty, he is able to keep them at arm’s length.
• The best way to train the mind is to use emptiness.
• Greed, hatred and ignorance are originally empty, those who know how to practice live in emptiness, the former emptiness cannot hurt the latter emptiness.
• Emptiness is originally there, it will not leave, if one let go of one’s greed, hatred, ignorance and attachment, it will appear.
• Only emptiness can balance everything.
• Emptiness is not only a state, it is also wisdom.
• Having no thoughts and feeling peaceful is not emptiness, it is at most the root ignorance.
• ‘Self’ originally do not exist, losing is just cause and condition.
• Realising selflessness is leaving suffering, attaining Buddha nature is gaining happiness.
• The so-called ‘self’, broadly speaking, is divided into body and mind, the practice throughout one’s life is to handle these two major issues.
• The nature of ‘self’ is: permanent, unchanging, real, unique, independent and free, but in reality ‘self’ does not exist, it is a mistake, why? The reason being these are only hypothetical assumptions made as a result of one’s attachment to the phenomenon of body and mind.
• To attach (hold onto) a ‘self’ to the functions of body and mind, is simply the function of self-nature.
• Areas of misconception about ‘self’:
• In the subconscious mind, ‘self’ of yesterday, today and tomorrow continues uninterrupted, so ‘self’ is permanent and unchanging.
• Eyes can see, ears can hear, nose can smell, tongue can taste, body can feel and mind can think, therefore ‘self’ really exists.
• Without the need to depend on other factors, ‘self’ can naturally think in this way, that way and also stop thinking; therefore ‘self’ is free and independent.
• No one in the world can replace ‘self’, so ‘self’ is unique.
• What is ‘self’ then? Or is it not anything? Contemplate!
• Practice of ‘no-self’, breaks attachment, it is to negate ‘self’ nature (self-belief concepts like permanent, unchanging, real, unique, independent and free) or its functions, but this is not to say to deny the functions of body and mind.
• There is no self-nature but functions of body and mind, as they are formed by past karmic actions.
• No nature relies on the principle of dependent arising.
• The function of body and mind in itself does not contain the nature of ‘self’, thus it is empty as well.
• The meaning of emptiness is: there is only phenomenon, no essence.
• Since ‘self’ arises out of causes and conditions, it naturally ceases due to causes and conditions, everything in this world is like this, therefore nothing arises and nothing ceases.
• Breaking attachment is to break the nature of ‘self’.
• Emptiness is very lovely, it is an extremely high wisdom, it can surpass selflessness of person and phenomena, bodhisattvas use it to save sentient beings.
• In Buddhism, ‘self’ is empty, this does not equate to saying ‘I do not exist in reality’.
• Mantra whether chanted by mouth or heart will arise and cease, but the person who chant will not arise and cease.
• Before the attainment of no-self and emptiness, one must first practice illusory transformation.
• The most meticulous mind is the mind of emptiness.
• Use ‘no-self’ to eradicate ‘self’, ’emptiness’ to eradicate ‘existence’; bring oneself down to the lowest level, to the extent of non-existence, this will aid in the practice of ’emptiness’.