100 practice quotes from the old monk Guang-Qin(釋廣欽) part 2
2024-07-11
Lecture by Master Guang-Qin(釋廣欽)
27. You must learn to let go of everything, don't be attached to it, and don't keep everything in mind. Ending the cycle of life and death is the most important thing, and you don't have to pay attention to what others are doing. Otherwise, troubles will arise and you will fall into the three bad paths together. If we covet the blessing of having children and grandchildren, and dream in the six sense-organs dust, without knowing how to turn back and practice cultivation, then when this human life ends, you will participate in the catur-yoni (four forms of lives). In the animal realm, cows, horses, pigs, dogs, etc. are reincarnated by us humans. We are also reincarnated in the hungry ghost realm. Even the hell realm, transformed creatures, and saṃsveda-ja (wet) creatures are all created by our minds. In the Ten Dharma Realms, everything is formed based on the various karma created by our human body. Therefore, we are living through human fate. From this human body, we can cultivate and become Buddhas and ancestors, and we can also create karma and fall into the cycle of reincarnation of catur-yoni (four forms of lives). Now that we have become monks, we should find a way to practice according to Buddhism, see if we can transcend the cycle of life and death and escape the suffering of Saha.
29. Now that you know how to study Buddhism and worship Buddha, you can also make offerings to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. This is also the kind of root you planted in the past. Now that you have learned Buddhism, you should know how to support Buddhism.
It is unavoidable for lay people to study Buddhism at home and live in daily life such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation, but we must know what to do and practice moderation. When eating, only wants to be full; when dressing, be content with keeping out the cold, as long as everything is not very difficult. Use the remaining money to make offerings to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Doing meritorious deeds and being a Dharma protector are what lay people should do.
30. It is impossible for lay people to cultivate well. It is safest to give up everything and recite the Buddha's name with all your heart, hoping to bring your karma to rebirth and not fall into Saha again. Some of us monks, in order to save sentient beings, have vowed to return to this Saha world. However, this wish can only be guaranteed if we ourselves have reached the state of Bodhisattva. Otherwise, we will easily get lost and be dragged into reincarnation once we come. This is very dangerous.
31. Nowadays, when people learn Buddhism, they have not yet succeeded in saving themselves. They are still in a quagmire, and they already want to save their relatives. As a result, instead of saving others, they were changed by others. Buddhist practitioners have no time to save themselves, and they are still tied to and remember their relatives. In this way, it is difficult to change worldly thoughts, and it will be very difficult to complete the cultivation and end the cycle of life and death.
32. Look at this world, everyone is immersed in dreams and chasing fame and fortune. You compete and I rob. If you are good, I will be better than you; if you are strong, I will be better than you. Everyone is competing to see who has the biggest dream. As a result, thesefame and benefits cannot be brought during life, nor can they be taken away in death. They will only create more new bad karma in vain. And if we continue to fall this time, it will be difficult to regain a human body.
33. To learn Buddhism, you must have the power of vows of Bodhisattvas such as Guanyin, Samantabhadra, and Ksitigarbha, do things that others don't want to do, and endure hardships that others don't want to endure. Only in this way can there be Tao to practice. Those who become Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are often those who are considered stupid by others.
34. When someone comes to talk to you about right and wrong, we can just keep saying yes quietly. If we don't participate, then the opponent will retreat on his own, and we will not be changed. Others take the wrong path, don't follow them.
35. Reading sutras and preaching the Dharma, if you don't practice it yourself, Dharma still be someone else's property. It is tantamount to counting someone else's treasure, and you will still be unable to escape the prison of life and death.
36. All dharmas belong to one sect, and in the end, we still have to recite Amitābha. Only by chanting Buddha's name and practicing ascetic practices can we completely end the cycle of life and death.
37. The ancestors of the past always kept low and did not attract attention. The more unknown you are and the fewer connections you have with people, the easier it is to study. If the mind is eager to establish relationships with others, the mind will be scattered, and if the mind is too arrogant, it will be easy to fail. If we don't accomplish our Taoist deeds, it will be in vain for us to become monks.
38. If we truly practice cultivation, the Dragon Heavenly Protector will naturally support us, and we will naturally have nothing to fear physically and mentally, and no external objects can harm us. A person who truly practices cultivation is free from all kinds of attachments. All sentient beings are happy to see him, and everyone is destined to see him.
39. If the heart is sincere, not only will there be the auspicious sign of strange fragrance and light when reciting the name of the Buddha, but even if you use three grasses as incense sticks in the mountains, the fragrance will emit. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will fill the space, not only in the temple, but also in the temple. A sincere heart corresponds to the Buddha.
40. Among all the methods, chanting Buddha's name with concentration has the greatest effect.
41. Now that you know that you have entered Buddhism and listened to the Dharma, you should chant more, worship Buddha, and give alms, so that you can have a good place in the future. When Buddhists recite the Buddha's name, they want to find a way beyond the cycle of life and death in the chaotic six senses. The more they recite the Buddha's name, the more their good roots and their righteous thoughts will grow. Only then will they not follow the flow of delusional thoughts and karma, and will they have a way to overcome life and death. .
42. To become a Buddha is not just to recite the Buddha's name. Chanting Buddha's name can increase the seeds of Buddha's roots. People with good roots will have the opportunity to enter Buddhism and practice in the future. Practitioners who chant Buddha's name will have to endure all kinds of diseases and calamities to eliminate the karma of past lives. Therefore, practitioners will Only by enduring hardship and suffering all kinds of retributions can one achieve Buddhahood. Sakyamuni Buddha did not achieve enlightenment in one lifetime. He also experienced many asaṃkhyeya kalpas and endured many hardships before he attained enlightenment.
43. Only by chanting Buddha's name can the cycle of life and death be ended. If you do not attach any attachment to hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, body touching, thoughts, etc., you will be able to achieve liberation. This is the meaning of practice.
44. After leaving the secular world and becoming a monk, if you cannot give up your secular connections and still care about the people and things at home, you will still be unable to transcend the three realms. Now that you have left the secular world, you have to practice the Six Pāramitā according to the Buddhist teachings. If you cannot endure humiliation and give up the worldly habit of comparing victory and defeat, you will be afraid of losing money in all speech affairs, fear of being taken advantage of, and quarreling with others, and you will still be in the tacky world.
45. In a large monastery, the abbot, the receptionist, and the cashier have the authority to rule. Regardless of what they say, whether right or wrong, you can only obey them without any second opinion.
46. Now that you have become a monk, you should think about the way to liberation in order to end the cycle of life and death. Chant the Buddha's name more often and plant seeds in the Sukhāvatī Lotus Pond. Never change by following other people's karma and agony. Otherwise, the karma will get deeper and deeper, and you will fall deeper in the future.
47. In the kitchen, you are practicing the Samantabhadra practices and vows. In the past, great Bodhisattvas such as Avalokitesvara and Manjushri all achieved success through ascetic practice in the kitchen. Cherish blessings in the kitchen, and don't damage rice leaves easily. Don't say that there is no cause and effect for losing edible food. The god of precepts and the god who monitors and protects the vegan of monks will all record you in your account, and you will have to reincarnate as a chicken, duck, pig, or dog in the future to eat back the food you wasted.
48. If our mind is at peace, nothing will happen to us. We will be calm and content every day and have nothing to seek. Whatever happens, just live day by day, and your heart will naturally be happy and joyful. This is the Sukhāvatī realm. Where to find the Sukhāvatī? The Sukhāvatī is within us. On the contrary, if the mind is not stable, things will often happen and there will be no peace anywhere.
49. Among the four births of fetus, egg, wetness and transformation, each of us has been reincarnated. After receiving the retribution of karma in other realms, we were reincarnated into the womb of our parents and became a human body. Therefore, we don't know from which path the human body we have today comes. Everyone comes with different karma, if we do not know take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, be vegetarian, abstain from killing, and recite Buddha's name diligently, when our body has received all the retribution it deserves, where will we go? Once we leave like this, it will be difficult to keep a human body.
50. Don't say that this physical body is mine. This body is here to suffer the tribulations of Saha. But this heart is to use the Buddha heart to deal with everything.
51. When you are troubled, you should keep remembering a Buddha's name, so that your thoughts can have a home, and the troubles can be cured. If you keep chanting a Buddha's name, your troubles will naturally subside, and your wisdom will be clear, with clear wisdom, you can find a path to liberation and avoid falling into the cycle of life and death again. Only by walking this way in our lives can we have a goal.
52. When you study Buddhism at home, reciting the name of the Buddha should still be the foundation. Don't consider that reciting Buddha's name is very simple. People who have a strong sense of karma will feel it boring and troublesome to recite. Therefore, if you can recite the Buddha's name all the time, that is not a easy thing either.
