100 practice quotes from the old monk Guang-Qin(釋廣欽) part 3
2024-07-14
Lecture by Master Guang-Qin(釋廣欽)
53. When something happens, we should consider the situation and deal with it face to face according to the situation at that time. But after the situation has passed, we must let it go. If we bring it up again, discuss right and wrong, criticize good and bad, it is creating language karma, which is ours fault. Whether other people are good or bad is other people's business, we don't have to bring it into our hearts to worry about.
54. Cultivation must progress unconsciously, day by day, with no worries, no fetters, no constraints, no obstacles. If you are still attached to "I" am making progress, or how much merit you have done, you will develop arrogance, which is still very dangerous.
55. Two or three people are not allowed to whisper to each other, form cliques, talk about others behind their backs, etc. Otherwise, it will easily make everyone uneasy and cause a disturbance.
56. Where is the Sukhāvatī? The Sukhāvatī is within you. The Buddha's name must be recited clearly and concentratedly. When reciting the Buddha's name, one must vow to be reborn in the Sukhāvatī and leave the world of suffering. Don't cherish this body too much.
57. Reciting the name of the Buddha and being concentrated is Zen, that's why Buddhism says there is Zen and Pure Land. When reciting the Buddha's name, one should follow Yuanfen, and everything should be done according to Yuanfen while reciting the Buddha's name. I didn't say "how many times I wanted to recite the Buddha's name, I'm chanting Buddha's name, what am I doing...". Keep your mind close to the Buddha, walk, stand, sit or lie down, every move you make is in the name of the Buddha. Crying is also reciting the Buddha's name, and taking a step is also reciting the Buddha's name. The concentrated power of reciting Buddha's name can reach Samadhi, which is not simple. Everyone comes with various karma, don't leave with new karma.
58. Everyone comes with cause and effect, and leaves with cause and effect. Our parents and family members are reincarnated in catur-yoni (the four forms of birth), so we must practice cultivation quickly to save them.
59. What does it mean to receive a precept? It is to endure humiliation, and practicing patience is the foundation. If you follow this, you can inspire people wherever you go. Practicing tolerance is a virtue, so people will be happy when they see you, and you can inspire others.
60. If you really want to practice, it is your own blessing, so you should practice both blessing and wisdom. Everyone should eliminate the karma they have brought before. The method is: worship Buddha, recite Buddha's name, be determined to do temple work, and don't square accounts in every detail. If you square accounts in every detail you will have agony and create new karma. If we don't square accounts in every detail, our blessings and wisdom will increase.
61. Master has been practicing until now, and has always had the feeling that it is very dangerous if I go the wrong way in practice, so chanting the Buddha's name is the best. If you take the wrong path, it will be difficult to obtain human life again. Many people are wrong.
62. It depends on the extent of your practice, let me tell you something: when you are dying, you must have no fetter before you die (Buddhism should be abandoned, let alone things that are not Buddhism). To save sentient beings is also an obsession and a fetter.
63. Let go of this stinky skin bag. Heart is heart. No matter whether your body is round or flat, don't dwell on it. Don't try to get something. If you get something, it's not there yet.
64. We have nothing here (pointing to the heart). They (meaning laypeople) have something here. Nowadays, everyone dreams at night and during the day, as if they are in a movie. Compared to dreams at night, a lifetime just seems longer.
65. Don't be afraid when delusions come, just ignore them. It is what it is, and I will continue to recite Amitabha. Delusion has no Svabhava, and it will naturally disappear in the future. Cultivation requires hardship, and the more hardship you endure, the more you have learned. It is easy for us to learn bad things, but it is difficult to learn good things. If a person eats too much, feels dizzy and sleepy, or sleeps too much, he will turn into a snake in the future.
66. When you have time, read some scriptures. Reading the scriptures is to understand them and know how to practice, not to preach them after reading them. Some people read Buddhist scriptures just like people in society, with no sustenance in their hearts, so many of them get worse the more they read. To make sure time is not wasted, you can read scriptures, recite Buddha's name, worship Buddha, sit quietly, chant sutras, etc.
67. Receiving the precepts is not about receiving the few scars of the precepts. It is about keeping the precepts in your heart. If you know you have made a mistake, you should repent as soon as possible. If you keep the precepts pure, there will be no false notions of men and women.
68. If you have agony, you should find relief by yourself, and apply the words taught by Master to solve them. It's not that the master preached a lot, but that you can apply it flexibly and make changes.
69. When you are troubled or angry, do not persist in searching for where the trouble comes from. If you persist, your heart will not be open and you will not be able to practice Taoism with peace of mind. Moving forward, we must see through and let go of everything, and the most important thing is to keep Amitābha on our lips.
70. If you are happy and joyful, ask who is rejoicing? If you are upset, ask who is upset?
71. There is no need to be angry or sad when others say something bad about us. There is no need to be happy when others say something good about us. There is good in the bad, and there is bad in the good.
72. Buddhism is most afraid of disputes. People who gossip are people with problems and are creating verbal karma, so don't gossip. This is how you cultivate. If you don't become a monk and practice spiritual practice, you will be like your parents when you grow old and enter reincarnation with troubles.
73. Do everything patiently, recite Amitabha, and practice slowly in this way. Your mind will be free of worries. In the end, you will be almost as comfortable as Amitābha.
74. When fellow practitioners and brothers order others to do things, they should follow the Buddhist teachings and be polite to each other. It is not an imperative like a father commanding his son, and it is not a show of temper.
75. If you become a monk, you should do things and recite Buddha's name all the time to adjust your mind.
76. Be careful when doing things. Everything has a cause and effect. Even if something edible is thrown away or spoiled, there will be cause and effect. The cause and effect are that there will be no mistakes even in the subtleties. No one can replace anyone. Escape from life and death is your own business, and no one can help you. If you eat, others will not be full either.
77. If these karmic obstacles are not eliminated, they will appear at the end of life. From the outside, it seems that monks just eat three meals and do some things. In fact, the purpose of becoming a monk is to get rid of greed, anger, and ignorance, and to eliminate our karma. For example: when cleaning the chair, Master told you to wipe it more cleanly, you will think: I have already wiped it very well, why do you still say this? This kind of thinking belongs to the common people's knowledge. In practice, one must have a straight heart and say: 'Okay! good! I'll wipe it again.' This is also a test of your heart, so the most important thing in practice is to have a straight heart.
78. Don't cherish this illusory body too much. It will rot one day. Don't indulge it too much. The more we cherish it, the worse it will become. If we have this thing, it will become bad. Don't be used by it. What we want is something that spiritual awareness is immortal.
79. The more straightforward you are, the easier it will be for you to develop wisdom.
80. When you have cultivated to the point of going to the Pure Land, don't worry about anything, and just go to be reborn spiritually and consciously.
81. Every Dharma Master has his or her own method of saving sentient beings. Do not slander and criticize casually to affect other people's confidence in the Dharma.
Yuanfen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuanfen