Research

Holy Teacher Ji-Gong Living Buddha's Merciful Revelations

November 16, 2002

Ci-De Temple, Kaohsiung, Fa-Yi Chong-De

                By being in the temple and listening to the Tao lectures, everyone will learn something from this experience. Although the truth preached in the lectures is easy to understand, the meaning can be viewed as either profound or simple, depending on one’s point of view. Tao is in your daily life. You need to realize it yourself. There’s a saying that goes, “Tao is the Truth; and the Truth is the Way.” As a human being, you need to follow the right way and live your life in the Tao way. Living a life without skipping any meals is Tao, you would damage your health if you don't follow Tao. Work when the sun is up and rest when the sun is down. This is how you can be healthy. To maintain physical health, you also need to pay attention to your mind. Your mind should be calm and broad. If you are narrow-minded, the words coming out of your mouth will cause troubles. Start by taking good care of your mind. The fundamental of being a human being is to become a decent one whom everyone will respect.

                When you try to get along with others, the most important thing is to have mutual understanding, mutual care, and mutual encouragement. There’s a saying that goes, “A good relative is worth thousands but a good neighbor is worth a million.” This shows how close neighbors are more precious than relatives who live far away from you. People can get together only because of affinity. Therefore, the most important thing in maintaining any relationship is the efforts put in from both sides. It is a pity for two neighbors to fight over a shared wall. Some people will get upset and lose a good neighbor whom they have known for over 20 or 30 years over some trivial matters. One’s mind needs to be broadened so you won’t be contentious. It is a waste of time to contend for becoming the winner of an argument. Remember, gains come from losing. Rather than losing something big in the future, it’s okay to have some small losses. Therefore, your mind should be like the broad ocean. Once you take a step back, your mind can become as broad as the sky and ocean. Because of your broadened mind, you will become more popular. Because of your big capacity and great tolerance, you will become more approachable with an open mind. Tao cultivation starts from the mind. The most important step in Tao cultivation is to cultivate your mind and nurture your True Nature. A big mountain is created from the accumulation of sand particles, one stacked after another. A big ocean is a hub for many small rivers. If you want to have a big capacity, then you need to stop being calculative and jealous of others. This is how you can become better and better in cultivation. Your face will make you become approachable!

                Disciples! There are so many things that Holy Teacher would like to say to you but time is limited so as long as we are connected at heart you will get the message. Hope you will plan out your life well because you are your own master. No matter how you are feeling right now, being able to attend the Tao Seminar is due to your affinity. You have cultivated this affinity for a very long time in order to have the chance to sit together, talk with each other, and have a meal together. Be sure to cherish this long cultivated affinity! Instead of dwelling on the past, it is best to focus on the moment. It's no use chasing after the future because it is out of your reach. Let go of these unreachable things so you won’t anticipate gains or losses in life.

                Take good care of your health and hold onto a proper mind. Understand the purpose of your life and dedicate yourself to pursuing it. As long as you have the will, you will have the strength. Tao follows the law of nature. There's no need to worry about the outcome. The most important thing is your sincere heart. This is what Heaven asks from you.

                Hectic as your life may be, remember to come to the Temple whenever you are free. The ultimate goal in Tao cultivation is to attain sainthood so you are here to understand the truth, cultivate yourself well, and be sure to attain sainthood. There's a saying that goes, “If you want to become a buddha, you have to kowtow diligently.” The more you kowtow, the brighter your True Nature will naturally become. If you have faith, you can succeed in everything you do. Be sure to have the courage and be grateful. Life starts at the age of 70 so experience life well. There's another saying that goes, “Experience is the best teacher because it is the mother of wisdom.” Life is a journey so you should take good care of your health and do what you are supposed to do.

                Where is Tao? Tao is everything in your daily life. Everything you do or say is Tao if they don’t go against morality or the righteous Truth. Tao can be very small, like the tiny actions you do. Tao can also be very big, encompassing the whole world and the universe. Where can you find Tao when you want to look for Tao? It is everywhere in you. There’s a saying that goes, “Tao is not far from man. It is man who distances himself from Tao.” Knowing is one thing but putting it into action is what makes it so difficult. But it’s most important. Some people know a lot about Tao but they don’t put it into practice so Tao has no effect on them. Just like when you are walking or climbing up the stairs, you need to take one step at a time in order to reach to the top. The more steps you take, the closer you get to the goal. If you don’t walk and just stand still, then you’re confining yourself in a bubble, unable to make any improvements.

                Don't be satisfied with your current state. You should strive for some growth and achievements instead. Everyone needs to mature and make some achievements. Do you expect to have the same mentality in your 70s and 80s as you have now in your 20s and 30s? Do you want it to remain the same as you grow old? No, right? (Yes.) Set a goal for each decade of your life and work towards it so you can grow. Don't live your life in vain. Some people live for 70 or 80 years in confusion without any purpose while others only live for about 20 years in confusion before realizing the need for change. The sooner you realize the need for change, the greater you will improve. Do you want to wait until you are 70 or 80 years old to realize what a fool you have been for wasting your life away? Life is so short. Depending on how you look at it, life is actually neither short or long. And yet, looking back at your life, there are more hateful and bitter moments than happy ones because you keep bitter memories in your mind longer since happiness is so short-lived.

                Life is full of sufferings because you have to face all the people, matters, and things in this world since birth, including old age, sickness, and most importantly death. Life is such a journey as being impossible for you to avoid these encounters, even if you are very rich or powerful. These are the facts of life that everyone will go through. Therefore, you need to set a goal with a clear understanding of the tasks you want to accomplish. Put your thoughts into action so you won't have any regrets. Death isn’t just for old people. Don't live in confusion day after day. Each day passes by one after another. Who knows how many more tomorrows will you have? You can't even be sure if you will go home safely after you later leave the house, right? There is so much uncertainty. Therefore, life is made up of many affinities. But affinities will come and go. Cherish each affinity while you can because once it's gone, you can’t chase it back even if you want to.

                Think about the classmates from your elementary and junior high school years. Do you still keep in touch with them? Very few of them, right? (Yes.) Just like this class, you have traveled great distance to be at Ci-De Temple today because of your special affinity. But after you have completed this class, you will all walk a different path. Is it possible to gather everyone together again in the future? It would be very difficult. Do you have a chance to get to know your neighbors sitting next to you during the Tao seminar? Take this opportunity to make some friends, look at each other and shake hands. Don’t you feel happy when you smile at each other? Tao cultivation is just like this so be sure to cultivate happily without a frown. Live your life happily every day. Every day has the same 24 hours and everyone has the 24 hours regardless of their wealth or position in society. Then how do you choose to plan and live for these 24 hours? Some spend the day in bitterness, moaning and groaning about everything while others spend the day in joy. Everyone gets the same 24 hours equally. Life is predestined. You are destined to come into this world and leave at a certain time and day. In this lifetime, you are bearing the effects which you have caused in your previous life. Be sure to believe in karma. Life is very fair because everything follows the law of cause and effect without any exception.

                Why do you need to cultivate Tao? Cultivating Tao is to cultivate your True Nature. Get rid of your bad habits and eradicate your ill temper. Change your human nature from evil to kind so you can turn negative into positive in the world. If one person, ten people, one hundred or even one thousand people do the same, wouldn’t the world change for the better? (Yes.) You should all demand more of yourself. The purpose of Tao cultivation is to be able to manifest Tao. Don’t just talk the talk; you have to walk the talk.

                Human nature is inherently kind so everyone has a side in them that’s kind. Even those who do a lot of evil deeds won’t hurt their loved ones. Hence, human beings all have the heart of compassion. It has to be inspired by following the sages’ way. So it is important to set a goal in life and follow in the footsteps of saints and sages. How come saints and sages can attain sainthood? It’s because of the dedication they have made, the history they have changed, and their behaviors and actions. You must follow their words and spirits, okay? (Yes.)

                You are bound to experience some setbacks and difficulties in Tao cultivation. Conflicts between people are unavoidable but how can you resolve them so that you can treat someone you don’t like with a well-rounded attitude the next time you meet? It’s not right to be on non-speaking terms with someone because you dislike him or you are being ignored by him. Don’t do that. Since you are the fellow disciples of Holy Teacher, you should help each other and achieve together. By being in the same boat together, it’s highly likely for the boat to get capsized if you don’t row in unison. If the crew don’t get along with each other, how can you expect the boat to go far? It’s the same when it comes to the journey of Tao cultivation and propagation so you should travel together, hand-in-hand and heart-in-heart. Be sure to find those who had left the group back. It’s uncompassionate to let someone go and just ignore him. The most important attribute of a Tao cultivator is to have the heart of mercy and compassion. With a heart of mercy and compassion, everyone will see you as a bodhisattva, right? (Yes.)

                Disciples! Even if you fall accidentally on this journey, you have to get back up again. Don’t feel hopeless and give up on yourself after a fall. Opportunities are given by you so be sure to seize them. If you don’t give yourself the opportunity, who else will give it to you? Love yourself more and be nicer to yourself. Life is already full of sufferings so why are you still giving yourself such a hard time?

                As children, you need to be filial to your parents. It’s more common for your parents to leave this world before you, right? (Yes.) Your parents had nurtured and took care of you for a very long time. Since they will leave this world before you, you should treat them nicely during the last years of their lives. After you were born, your parents hold you and took care of you by changing your diapers and feed you. Now that you’ve matured, do you disagree with your parents on many issues? Of course, you do! Whenever there’s a disagreement, you have to talk it out peacefully instead of venting it out and lashing it at your parents. Don’t wait till it’s too late to do something for them. Don’t live life with any regrets. What can you do to get them back when you want to fulfill your filial duties without their presence? Can you get them back with money or your life? Impossible! Everyone’s life is predestined. Even if you were to live up to 80 or 90 years old, can you exchange your time on earth for theirs? No, you can’t. Remember to live your life well and be sure to be filial to your parents.

                Filial piety means to be gentle in your attitude and be obedient. Some people are very rude to their parents while others are very loving. How come there’s such a big difference? Be it good or bad, kind or evil, it all depends on your mind because the difference lies only a thought away. Today, it all depends on your thought whether you want to do a bad or good deed. This is what “One thought can create Three Thousand Worlds” means. Only you can get a hold of your intention. Although you may be sitting here right now, but your mind has already wandered off somewhere else. Your wandering thought can travel to your home, United States or somewhere so far away that even an airplane won’t be able to catch up. So being able to tame your monkey mind and galloping horse-like thoughts don’t seem like an easy task. But you have to manage and control your mind by guiding it towards the direction you want to take instead of being led by it. Your mind may not always be righteous so you might make some mistakes, get into an argument, or have thoughts of hurting someone accidentally. Don’t let your unrighteous mind lead you so you have to get rid of any bad thoughts quickly without any delay. Do you understand? (Yes.)

                Disciples! You can’t turn back time. There are a lot of if-I’ve-known-earlier moments in our life. But can these moments change anything? So today no matter where you are in life or how successful you are in society, if you aren’t filial to your parents then your life can’t be perfect and your success can’t be complete. Heaven is watching your every move. Your children will treat you exactly the way you treat your parents.(An excerpt from the Holy Revelation 〈CHARITY〉)