The biggest obstacle in cultivation now is that people only place demands on others, but not on themselves. Why is Holy Teacher asking you to promote your status of mind to a higher level? Know yourself first and be completely clear about yourself. Before asking others, ask yourself first whether you have done, given and devoted or not. You cannot just look outward, you need to reflect and scrutinize on yourself. As your Buddha Nature is awakened, illusions will be extinguished naturally; if not, you'll be always confused by illusions.
From now on, every morning after you get up and every night before you go to bed, recite; "Ji-Gong, Ji-Gong, Ji-Gong (save and help the public)." I expect you all to do this perseveringly. As you recite"Ji-Gong", it is not merely the name and image of Holy Teacher in your mouth and heart. Froms and images will perish. But how do you purity sentiments with Dao? You need to comprehend the truth and to distinguish senses from sensibilities. The froms and images are nothing but tools to help you realize the Truth. And then you are able to transforms your affection, sensibilities, and favoritism into the love of Dao, the great love.
Cultivation and propagation of Dao is to "yield to no one when it's righteous" and to make a prompt decision. Dao is to seize the moment.-------------
Dont take cultivation as a pressure. Take it as your duty. Otherwise, you will cultivate painfully.
Hope you all maintain a heart without any regrets or remorse to set out homeward journey. Shed your tears for the sentient beings, but show youe joy and laughter to them. DEVOTE 0EVERYTHING you have to the public as a way to return the favors to all the sentient beings. This is your duty and mission.
It's not difficult to be a buddha. As long as you are praticing and following the principles of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, you are a Buddha as well. As long as you show you BodhiHEART, ALL of you here in the temple right now are Buddhas.
There are six principles for cultivation: concentration of the heart, utilization of the hands, focus of eyes, articulation of the mouth, listening of the ears, and excrcise of the feet.
Eliminate greed with a heart of mercy and sharing. Eliminate ups and down with an ordinary and peaceful heart. Eliminate vanity with a simple heart. Eliminate carelessness with a sincere and earnest heart.
Cultivation should be based on Truth. As you cultivate and propagate, don't blindly follow others. You have to hold and follow the Dao's disciplines, use scriptures and sutras as the driving force, consider fellow culitivators as friends of Dao, share the same aspirations and help each other on the path of Dao. Don't cling to forms and images. In this age, the more you stress the forms, the more you will be attached to then unnecessarily.
Be responsible to yourself. As long as you fulfill your own duties, it is considered a great acbievement. Having taken care of your own responsiblities, you can extend your helping hand to a greater environment. This is a great achievment. Great achievement is to make a breakthrough, start trying to do what you coulden't do, and try to achieve what you were unable to achieve.
Cultivate according to the dharma and teachings, but don't be confined by them. Purify your heart, but don't get stuck on it. If you cultivate a dharma and become enlightened at each and every moment beyond words' description, it is the right dharma.
"Prioritize holy affairs over worldly matters." Taking good care of one's family is also to "prioritize holy affaires ober worldly matters." "Worldly matters" are personal desires. "Holy affairs" lie in everything, everywhere. "Worldly matters" exits only in selfish desires. The differentiation between holy affairs and worldly matters does not lie in the affairs themselves, but in your heart. Holy affairs do not only exist in Dao society; anything,anywhere can be either holy or worldly.
There is no end to te journey of cultivation and propagation of Dao. After fulfilling vowes, you still need to return to save people again and again. Transcending the cycle of birth and death means that you understand why you are suffering and you know how to terminate it. That's what life all adds up to. True ease of mind means that you are always joyful because of your inner peace, not because of what's happening around you.
Everything is beautiful in the eyes of a person who has a beautiful heart. Therefore, beautify your heart before doing anything. If the state your mind is beautiful, then everything around you becomes beautiful.
In daily life, no matter what you are facing, remember for face it with a greateful heart. Be it a nuisance or compliment, you should always face it with an appreciative heart.
Do not pursue fame or wealth; by doing so you will be trapped by them. Even if it is only one penny, you will become confined by the penny. The more desire you have. the more you will pursue them and it becomes a vicious circle. Onely when you let go can you be released from these traps and become liberated from these traps and become lierated. Only when you are liberated can you you know ow to cultivate Dao and make breakthroughs in your life. Then you can trul comprehend the essence of being at ease and comortable with yourself.
Coming to this earthly world, what would you be seduced by? All kinds of ever transforming attractions and distractions that are around you constantly will seduce you. therefore, be careful about each and every rising throught, because they will influence you enormously. Bad thoughts will lead to bad results. So, be very careful.
When you explicity determine your goal for every second, every minute, and every moment, you should be very serious and reverent. Why? Because you are self-affirming and value yourself highly, yoi don't need others to acnowledge or affirm you.
All the religions will return to the one and only origion. Without Zero, how can there be one, two, and there? How would there be any expansion? So, once you have determined a correct goal, you must choose the right way to carry out the goal, but don't be obstinate and clinging. It's easy for people to cling to and get attached to something. The worst thing in cultivation is being inflexible, obstinate and stubborn. Isn't it wonderful to be a little livelier, more flexible, freer, and essier? Being lively, flexible, free and easy at heart, you will naturally show these characters in you words and behaviors.
