We recite Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva every day, but what does Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva mean? "Ava" is to observe all the sounds in the world. "Ava" is also looking, but it is not looking outwards, but looking at the hearts of sentient beings to see which sentient beings have no delusions in their minds. Empty, you gain enlightenment. Therefore, it is said that "when the ten directions gather together, they all learn A-saṃskṛta-dharma together." Good men and women from all directions gather together to practice the A-saṃskṛta-dharma together.
Reciting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is also a kind of A-saṃskṛta-dharma, doing nothing but doing everything.
This inaction method tells you not to have delusional thoughts. You recite "Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva", and Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva also recites you, reciting each other. Just like you miss your relatives, your relatives miss you. We and Guanshiyin Bodhisattva have been Dharma dependents and relatives since countless eons. Where to start? Let's start with Amitābha Buddha. Amitābha is the leader of the Western Sukhāvatī and the master of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is the assistant who helps Amitābha spread the Pure Land Dharma.
We and Guanshiyin Bodhisattva are Dharma brothers. Guanyin Bodhisattva is the elder brother of all living beings who have not yet been born in the Land of Sukhāvatī, and all living beings are younger brothers. In this way, we are very close relatives, so we miss our brothers and our brothers miss us. We are the younger brothers of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Guanyin Bodhisattva is our elder brother.
Some people say, "How can Guanshiyin Bodhisattva be our elder brother? Then isn't our relationship too high?" Guanshiyin Bodhisattva not only treats us as his younger brothers, but also treats all sentient beings as his younger brothers. Otherwise, why would he look for the voice to save those in distress? Why does he want to help sentient beings when they are in trouble? Because he sees all sentient beings as if they are his brothers and bones and flesh.
That is why he is not afraid of all difficulties and hardships and saves the suffering sentient beings in the Saha world. So don't forget your Dharma brother. When we recite one sound "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva", Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will also recite us. When we call one sound "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva", it contains the elder brother. Then Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva calls us future Bodhisattvas and future Buddhas little brothers one sound. If you can see Guanshiyin Bodhisattva in this way, you should be more sincere and recite your own Dharma brother caressingly, and don't miss it in vain. When we recite Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, we should not lower our heads while reciting them, but raise our heads to express a spirit of bravery and diligence, and do not appear to be dispirited. Seeing how energetic you are, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will immediately say to you: "Hurry and hold my hand!" and then walk with you to the Land of Sukhāvatī.
Someone else is delusional: "Why does Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva look around all day long? Why can't I watch it?" Your way of seeing is different from Guanshiyin's way of seeing. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva looks inside, you look outside. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva looks at his own Svabhāva, and his own Svabhāva and every sentient being have electric waves. He knows what delusions every sentient being is having. He is looking at his radio waves, which is different from what you see. Because some living beings are far away from him, even though he has thousands of hands and eyes, it is not enough to see countless living beings, and he cannot see them. Therefore, he should return the light and reflex-shine, listen to his own Svabhāva, and see the sentient beings of his own Svabhāva, which one is suffering what kind of suffering? Then he went to save this sentient being. But you look outward and forget your own fundamental wisdom. So, your "see" is different from his "see". Someone else had another delusion: "Master! I don't believe this teaching no matter what you say. Why don't I believe it? We and Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva are brothers, but Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is a saint and we are ordinary people. How can ordinary people be brothers with saints? This doesn't make sense, so I don't believe it. " Ok! Even if you don't believe it, what you say makes sense, but your theory belongs to ordinary people's knowledge. Because you have not gone deep into the sutras, so your wisdom cannot be like the sea. Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra says: "Bodhisattva thinks this. Since time immemorial, all sentient beings and I have been brothers, parents, sisters, and husband and wife to each other." You say you don't believe it, because you don't understand the principles of the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra. Furthermore, not only does the Bodhisattva see us as brothers; after becoming a Buddha, he sees all living beings as all men are my father and all women are my mother. Since the Buddha sees all living beings as parents, then I say that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sees all living beings as brothers and sisters. What is unreasonable about this? You say you don't believe it because you don't have this kind of wisdom or knowledge. Otherwise, you have seen too little, so you become so stupid. You don't believe anything I say. Why does Buddha want to save all sentient beings? Because he sees that "all men are my father, and all women are my mother." His parents suffered in the six paths of reincarnation, so no matter what, he has to save sentient beings, hoping that his parents can escape suffering and obtain happiness.
We recite Guanyin Bodhisattva and worship Guanyin Bodhisattva every day. But Guanshiyin appears in front of you, and you don't recognize him. Therefore, we sentient beings are in great distress. Why don't you recognize Guanshiyin Bodhisattva when he appears in front of you? It's that face-to-face test, which is your test. When you recite Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, you must imitate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has great kindness, great compassion, great wishes, and great power. When we think of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, we must also learn from his great kindness, great compassion, great wishes, and great power. No matter who treats us badly, we should not be moved. We must endure whoever scolds us; we must endure whoever beats us; and even if anyone kills us, we must endure it, and acknowledge the debt. Why admit the debt? If I had never scolded anyone in the past, he would not scold me; if I had never hit anyone in the past, people would not hit me. Why do people scold me, beat me, and kill me? Because when I was stupid in the past, I also scolded, beat, and killed people, so when I encountered this state in this life, I had to pay off the debts I owed in the past. When I didn't understand it before, it was like defaulting on a debt; now that I understand it, I should honestly admit the debt. If we can acknowledge this debt, we will be able to see Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and have a true Dharma-dependent relationship with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Therefore, when we recite Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, we should not think wrong about others whenever we meet them. If you make trouble for others, your own suffering will not end and the roots of suffering will not be eliminated. Therefore, you must understand the state and thoroughly understand the source of the Dharma. To learn Buddhism, you must be able to apply it. If you don't know how to use Buddhism, no matter how long you practice it, Buddhism will still be Buddhism, and you will still be yourself. If you can use it, you will be integrated with the Dharma and cannot be separated.
Patience is the most important thing. It means to endure things that you are not willing to endure. For example, I don't want to be scolded, but I am happy when someone scolds me. I don't want to be beaten, but if someone hits me, I'm even happier. I don't want to be killed. Life is very precious, but if someone wants to kill me, this will get rid of my life's karma and become my true good teacher. So everyone! To study Buddhism, you have to learn it backwards, and to cultivate the Tao, you have to practice it backwards. How to turn it upside down? Even if you don't want to do something, you still have to be willing. But what you don't want to do doesn't mean you have to give it to others. If you are like ordinary people, unable to see through, unable to let go, holding on to the self and the Dharma, and having the four Lakshana of self, people, sentient beings, and longevity, then trouble will appear. If you can take a step back and think about it, then everything will naturally be as broad as the sea and sky.
When we study Buddhism, we should not go to abstruse places to learn. As the saying goes, "A normal mind is the way, and a straight mind is the Bodhimaṇḍa." Practice with a straight mind. When you recite Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, don't be greedy. Don't say, "I will make money by reciting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva." This is impossible. If you are not greedy, you will get it. Once you are greedy, you will not get it. When you recite Guanyin Bodhisattva, you don't need to publicize it to the outside world: "I went to such-and-such a place to practice Guanyin Seven, but you haven't practiced it, so you are not as good as me." Don't have such delusions. Don't be greedy for fame, profit, or enjoyment. When you recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, you should recite it normally and don't ask for everything. Don't be like someone who recites Guanyin Bodhisattva and says, "I don't have a son, so I ask Guanyin Bodhisattva to give me a son." Someone also asked for a daughter. Some boys recite Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in order to get a beautiful girl. Some girls just ask for a boyfriend, which is not allowed. When reciting Guanyin Bodhisattva, you should get rid of these dirty thoughts and don't have greed, anger and delusion. For example: when you dress every day, don't worry about whether it's good or not, just make sure it's not cold; when you eat every day, don't be greedy for delicious food. If you have such delusions, then you do not sincerely recite Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. If you really recite Guanyin Bodhisattva, why would you still want to eat well? Dress well? Have already forgotten everything. Only by forgetting everything can you become one with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
In the heart of every living being, there is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. What you are reciting now is to recite Guanyin Bodhisattva in your heart. Some people say, "I'm looking in my heart, but why don't I even have a heart?" If you don't even have a heart, then don't recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva. Because that is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has no mind. He does not have any delusions, nor is he greedy, angry or delusional. He does not plan to wear good clothes, eat some good food, or enjoy some good offerings today. He has no attachment to anything and seeks nothing. What he does is save sentient beings. He wishes all sentient beings to be free from suffering and achieve happiness, to escape from life and death, and to achieve Buddhahood, without asking for anything from any sentient beings. He hopes that all sentient beings can truly understand Buddhism and be free from greed, anger and delusion. When we recite Avalokitesvara, we should not have delusional thoughts all day long: "No food in the morning and no tea in the evening. This is too painful! I can't stand it, run! " This is really an unpromising practitioner!
