【Description】
Like spring breezes, positive connections nurture everything, while negative karma, like wildfire, leaves nothing in its path. In one of his incarnations, Maudgalyayana built negative karma with his parents, and therefore he encountered the bad karma of being stoned to death in a subsequent lifetime. As the disciple of Buddha with the mightiest dharma powers, even he couldn’t avoid the consequences of negative karma. The average person certainly can’t escape the consequences of their actions either.
Most of us have made mistakes due to ignorance; we may have cursed at others to unburden ourselves of anger. What happened can’t be changed, but how can we avoid making more negative karma and
instead build positive connections for a better future? In this video, Grandmaster JinBodhi teaches us how to avoid creating negative karma, how to stop negative karma, how to turn negative connections into positive connections, how to turn negative karma into merits, and how to build a smooth and bright future.
【You will learn】
- Understand the truth of cause and effect from the details in life
- Understand why children reject certain foods from birth
- How to deal with a bad destiny
- The best method for management
- Ways to build a good destiny in the future
- A true story about turning bad destiny into good destiny
【Featured aphorisms】
- Feelings or judgments about certain people can sometimes come from past lives.
- Don’t become malicious because others are evil; don’t be intolerant because others are treacherous.
- To build a good destiny is to face the people you meet with compassion.
- Time is a special thing; it can dilute and change many things.
- Appropriate methods, systems and compassion make the best management.
- Think about everything with compassion, and face everything with compassion, and you can have a bright future.
- Compassion can resolve everything.
【Content】
(How many people will you meet in your life? It is said that in a lifetime, we cross paths with about 8 million people. Of the 8 million encounters, every encounter is fated. An accidental meeting in a crowd may be an encounter after a long separation. Growing old together may be a promise from a past life. It’s as if there is an invisible line guiding our life. It leads us to choose our paths during the journey of life. In life’s millions of encounters, we adhere to what we have chosen. Understanding the law of cause and effect helps us nurture future positive connections.)
Grandmaster JinBodhi Talks Karma Series: Building Future Positive Connections
Buddha taught us about the law of causality, teaching us how to act and how to make decisions. Throughout our life, right from our days of seeking education at school, all of us are bound to have connections with people we like and dislike. There were times when I tried hard to befriend a classmate, I treated him well, shared food with him, told him my story, yet in the end, he still told lies behind my back or even ignored me. Such situations will always exist. This is called fate.
This fate is beyond normal people’s understanding of fate. It is why you don’t like a certain person, but you like another person as soon as you see him. At first, you don’t understand why. But when you reach a certain age, you’ll realize people with certain characteristics probably won’t become your friends, while people with other characteristics, or with certain ways of speaking, are more likely to become your friends.
People with round faces are my friends, because I have a round face too. This is what happens. Hence, some would say, “Those with thin faces are my friends”, or “Those with big eyes are friends”, or “People with small eyes are my foes”. I am exaggerating my examples. However, once we have reached a certain age, we will find some rules like these. Once you have gained sufficient experience over time, you will conclude: Those with certain features are friends, while other types of people are not. He may even dislike me; I wouldn’t even try befriending him. Even if we can become friends, we will split sooner or later. You would come to such a realization.
(Every moment, we’re facing different choices. It may be small like choosing a meal, or it is major like deciding your life goal. We’ve grown accustomed to thinking we control our own lives. But somehow we feel that behind every choice we make, there is a force of energy controlling us. Who is piloting our choices?)
I would still ask why you like this sort of person, instead of the other types? After many years, you conclude that this is someone you dislike. You and he just can’t become friends. Why? I can only say this is accumulated karma from past lives. You dislike him upon seeing him; it is due to problems in your past life. He might have been your rival in love. He might have dumped you in your past life. This may be why you hate him. We will notice that among our colleagues, there will be some we dislike. We would always find a reason to dislike them.
Some children naturally dislike a certain food. Some children dislike eggplant. A boy’s mother used a special method of cooking eggplant into a tasty dish. After eating it, his face swelled up like an eggplant. His mother asked, “What is going on? We didn’t say he can’t have eggplant. But he has always disliked eggplant.” The mother said, “While growing up, kids need to learn to get used to the world. That was why I intentionally searched the Internet for all sorts of methods to make eggplant taste delicious. But he had a severe allergic reaction to it. Why is that so?”
I said it was a natural instinct; he has a reason to hate it. This form of hate is expressed from the core of one’s mind. But it stems from biological needs. Our body is like a powerful computer. Before even eating the eggplant, I know it isn’t suitable for me. Especially with regard to kids, they are sensitive and spiritually aware. He firmly believes that he can’t eat eggplant. He may have never eaten one; but he will refuse to eat it. It is a biological rejection of eggplant. It is his body that is rejecting the food. He knows it, even though he has never eaten it.
Like disliking someone upon meeting them; you won’t be friends. From the start, you will form a mental barrier between you and the person you dislike. He will never be my friend, so I don’t need to talk to him. Eggplant doesn’t do it for me, so why should I eat it? I can’t stand the feeling after eating it.
(Our instincts aid us in decision-making during crucial moments. Sometimes, the judgment is inexplicable yet unwavering; where does it come from? What is the foundation for the judgment?)
People aren’t eggplants or chili peppers, nor are they alcohol or vinegar; why then would you reject him? You see a total stranger, he has never lied to you or dumped you in this life, you are only 17, but you hate this person at first sight, why? Everyone has had experiences like this, right? You like some people while disliking others. To find out the reason, you can only trace back to your past lives. Hence, sometimes, not knowing the past is a good thing.
Whether we like or dislike someone we meet for the first time, apart from their appearance, we do have different feelings about them. The law of cause and effect transcends what humans have come to know as this lifetime. It’s like an inherited type of energy. This energy is the karmic result of all past lives. Take note of the law of cause and effect. What we experience, our feelings, are all a mental perception or judgment.
Say, you met a new friend today, or you are a manager looking to hire someone; you would surely open eyes wide and max out your 5 senses to assess the person, right? Apart from his credentials, you are also using your senses to analyze him. Your feelings right then may be correct. However, this feeling is most intense when you are in a natural setting, not when you are interviewing a person. That is the most honest feeling, when both parties are relaxed. When you get the right feeling for someone, you don’t need to ask extra questions. You will just say, “You are hired.”
There was a joke made by a director at our center who wanted to hire someone. This director was a female. She hired a male applicant for the job. A dharma brother asked her, “Hey, sister, how was the applicant I introduced to you?” She said, “He is OK; the process took only 5 minutes.” He asked, “What strengths do you find in him?” The sister joked, “As long as he is good-looking, all is fine.” Obviously, it is not like that. It is because she felt comfortable interacting with him. Their energy fields came together well, and didn’t repel each other. Like this, people are able to become colleagues and work together.
(According to laws of cause and effect and reincarnation, love and hate from past lives are passed onto this lifetime. Meeting positive karmic connections is good, but if we were to meet negative connections, what should we do?)
When you are already grouchy and someone makes a mistake, how do you react? For example, your colleague bought you lunch; you asked for fried rice, but he got you cold noodles. You get mad. “Are you stupid? Are you a fool? I am craving rice, but you bought noodles.” The other person would think, “I bought you food. I didn’t even ask for any money back. Yet you yelled at me.” Even though you are close, criticism can never feel as good as praise, right? Turns out, you are busy the next day too. You asked your colleague to bring you lunch again. He correctly bought fried rice this time. He was delighted that you ate it. He then wrote in his diary, “That fool. Doesn’t he notice it tasted different? It was because I spat in it.”
Hence, I want to tell you about the process of cause and effect and karmic connection. It’s very hard to put it into words. I am trying to convey on a deeper level how karmic connections are created. Don’t refrain from doing good deeds just because another does bad deeds. Always be wary of this. Don’t refrain from doing good deeds just because another does bad deeds. Don’t stop being tolerant just because so-and-so behaves cunningly. If you stoop to his level or worse, the outcome you’d get would be like the person who ate the rice. You may end up eating something that has been tampered with. This is only a made-up example. It may not have happened in real life.
If, say, by fate you have become brothers, even if there is disagreement, you can’t kill each other. You have to learn to accept your brother. If you and he are coworkers, you don’t have the right to make him quit, so what should you do? In the workplace, you are bound to work together frequently. So, what should you do? I think we should be more tolerant in our hearts. We have to learn how to nurture future positive karmic connections. The key is to keep a kind and compassionate heart when interacting with others. Like I said earlier, you can’t misbehave just because others are behaving badly. We should not do that. We need to remain compassionate.
(Don’t refrain from doing good deeds because others do bad ones. Don’t refrain from being tolerant because others are conniving. Use compassion and tolerance to face negative karma. Do good deeds to nurture positive connections, and in turn, nurture positive outcomes.)
Let’s return to the topic of cause and effect. When we come into contact with someone, the feeling we get contains a lot of information. The information could be like the examples I’ve given earlier: You see him today and he makes you feel uncomfortable. But, certain discomforts will pass as time goes by. Some encounters aren’t just uncomfortable; the people end up as enemies. I suggest for us common folks, when you know that you won’t get along with someone, just peacefully separate.
If you get together, and you don’t have a higher state of mind, you won’t be able to resolve the affliction. You’re better off avoiding it. Maybe avoidance isn’t the correct term. Merely going separate ways is the safest option. Because when conflicting characters collide, sometimes the conflict lasts for lifetimes. Why continue then? It is not possible to change it in this lifetime. Use a kind heart when dealing with mistakes, wickedness, cunningness, or stress and other negative things. It doesn’t mean we need to accept it wholly.
I am only giving my students and disciples a way out. I wouldn’t tell you, “When you are dealing with your enemy, you have to persist.” Sometimes, all the actions of a negative person that challenge you are wrong, negative and harmful. If you were to confront him, you couldn’t change him even if you tried from ages 20 to 80. In fact, the conflict would worsen. You may not even live to 80; he has already caused your death. Then your life is destined to be miserable. You will waste your life on such a negative connection.
When you experience huge negative karma and you can’t change the negativity of the other person, since it is indeed a harmful connection, it’s best for you both to go your separate ways. We would first avoid increasing this negative connection. Let compassion fill your hearts, this will at least not bring harm. If you are not compassionate, when you meet negative karma such as foes of past lives, you may want to hit, kill, curse or attack.
This will only make the situation worse, and increase the negative karma and hatred.
(When facing unchangeable negative karma, we can choose to take a step back to avoid direct confrontation and worsening of the relationship. Spend time on nurturing positive connections for the future. Spend more time helping others.)
Some negative connections may be resolved after countless lifetimes. For example, toward the foe who killed your father, when the incident just happened, you have extreme anger during the first month. Your mind is boiling with hatred, and you want to kill that person. Especially for males, sons, you’re spirited and hotblooded; you would want to kill your enemy, right? Then 3 months later, you’d think, “I will see if I can find this foe and kill him.” But the emotions have pacified a bit.
A year later, you would say, “Don’t let me see him. If I see him, I will kill him.” 3 years later, you run into him. Yet you hesitate to retaliate. You see your mortal enemy, yet you hesitate; should you kill him or not? “There are so many people around, if I kill him, I will get arrested, and I might even face a death sentence. What should I do?” While you are hesitating, your foe takes off. What if you see him 10 years later? You would think, “Forget it.” You will resolve your emotions by yourself.
Hence, for hatred as well as gratitude, joy, happiness and pain, time washes away all of these. In marriage, many are initially smitten but then divorce 7 years later. Only when 2 people fall in love will they then get married. But after being married for a few years, they get divorced. Do you know why this happens? It is because the feeling of love has faded. Time is a special thing. It is able to wash away a lot of things. This fading is change.
It changes all emotions, good or bad; It even changes your personality. Everything can change. Your hobbies when you were young will change after 10 years, or even 3 years, no need to wait till you are old. All the loving and hateful feelings you have ever had are just intense psychological phenomena. Even such feelings change, let alone your hobbies. Your hairstyle in your 20s, how many of you still have it when you’re 40? It is not possible. All things change.
(Time is the best medicine. It washes away and changes everything. When feelings of love or hatred arise, take a step back, set them aside and let them go; let time wash away everything.)
We have come to the topic of fated connections. When we encounter negative connections, what should we do? Walking away is the best. This means leaving behind this negative relationship, because it can’t be changed. But we still have compassion, so as not to cause harm. That is why you should avoid it. If it is not a huge negative relationship, and you just feel slight unease and a little discomfort, then you need to use compassionate actions to change it.
So, for relationships that cause discomfort, what should you do? Usually we can change this uncomfortable relationship with tolerance, generosity, care and forgetfulness. I added the “forgetfulness” part. Forget about the mistakes he has made. If you mention it whenever you see him, such as “You scolded me”, you yourself will get agitated. Once your frustration kicks in, you may lose control. Then you will start attacking him. If you don’t have a higher state of mind, both of you will engage in an endless fight.
So, if you encounter a relationship that causes discomfort, being compassionate and tolerant is the best way to turn uncomfortable relationships into comfortable relationships. There may still be mild discomfort, but nothing fatal. It may be difficult to handle, but through your compassionate actions, it will get smoother. The thorns will transform into smooth feathers. The negative connection will change. In the future, it will cooperate with you.
We are compassionate, we want to nurture positive connections; we need to cooperate with others so we can build positive connections. Maybe we can develop a connection into friendship, a good professional relationship, or even a loving romance. There can be discomfort in a marriage. You are quick to marry; after tying the knot, you notice your other half’s imperfections. If it is not a huge issue, first, learn to accept it; second, try to change it slowly. You need to be compassionate, gentle, caring and tolerant to make the change possible.
(When facing negative relationships, learn to step back. Distance yourself, don’t hold hatred or grudges. Then with a mindset of doing no harm, treat others with compassion and tolerance. Only then can you turn bad connections into good connections.)
Your partner with their imperfections is equal to you in status; you can’t scold or punish them like you would a child. That is impossible. If we use stern words or beat them, we’ll only cause a revolt. They won’t accept your teachings or scoldings. This won’t change them. For people equal to us in status, using compassionate methods is more effective. Even though you are the boss, using only harsh orders is not the optimum way. Bosses who lead well are like the great generals. Many use emotions to lead.
In reality, other than paying salaries and setting expectations, one can also show care and concern. Say, if your family has some difficulties, the company will help you settle them. If your child is sick, the company will help send them to hospital. It won’t cost much for the company, but your heart will fill with warmth, right? So, apply compassion to management; this is the best way to lead a team, or change someone.
(Treat them as equals. Don’t lecture, don’t scold, and don’t blame. In leading a team, show more care, understanding, and tolerance. This way, relationships can be improved.)
In dealing with people, we must be gentle and tolerant. As a boss or a supervisor, learn to be tolerant, accept losses and be generous. Let me tell you: If you want to be a good person, be prepared to accept losses. In wealth and power, learn to accept losses. This is a higher state of mind; this is also called wisdom.
From a practical point of view: “Look, they are giving out food!” When we are all starving, this Buddhist temple is giving out food. Wealthy people are also donating food to those in need. Everyone is very grateful. This is the most direct example. Earning money is not easy for anyone. It is not easy for the wealthy either. Just look at how hard it is to manage people. But after one gains wealth, when everyone else is poor, he buys food to feed people and save lives. This is a very remarkable deed.
Some may think this is nothing. I feel that this is great compassion. It is truly remarkable. When many people are greedily trying to get more, some people donate their life savings to help those in need at crucial times. This is really remarkable. This is the opposite of greed. This is compassionate giving. This behavior is also called great compassion.
As the boss, apart from distributing salaries, if you could compassionately help your team in other aspects of life, such as financial issues, mental health and family problems, then you are a great compassionate boss. Such a boss will have a longer life and prosper in their business. Your employees will work diligently, and give their best in their job. It will not matter if the boss is capable or not. Your employees are bound to work hard and help your company grow.
(The wealthy love to gather wealth while the generous actively give. Suffering intentional losses is a great state of mind. Generous giving is great compassion.)
Up to now, all my talk is about the way to nurture positive future connections. The key is being ready to contribute more. You and your family should practice contributing more time and money, give back, show care, help run errands when needed. Everything you do may be at odds with an enjoyable lifestyle. You have a friend in need, but you just want to relax on the couch with some hot tea. You think, “I am tired from work, I want to enjoy life.” You have kids and elderly parents to care for, but you have a friend in need, so what should you do?
This will depend on your compassion. If you are compassionate, you would go to help. “He sees me as a friend, as he is asking for my help. I need to go help him.” Don’t say, “What if I need help later?” That would be very low. This is called a commoner’s mindset. This type of thinking will bring troubles. When others seek help from you, this shows they feel close to you. You, in turn, are happy to help.
You shouldn’t think, “I will help in case I need help one day.” Don’t have such a mindset. So if someone seeks your help, do your best to help them. This is the most auspicious way. Hence, in order to build more positive relationships for our future and for our next generation, we have to sow sweet and beautiful seeds. So we should use kindness, generous giving to help others.
(Help others without asking for anything in return. Do kind deeds to sow plentiful merits, nurture good connections, and even pass this merit on to the next generation.)
The Buddha discovered the laws of Nature, especially the law of cause and effect; I’m just relaying this fundamental knowledge to everyone. If you think all this makes sense, then you should learn and practice it. Some may ask: Why do we need to change the future? That depends on if you are suffering right now. Are you healthy? Are you happy? Do you have afflictions? Are you facing any obstacles?
In our lifetime, we encounter countless afflictions. There will be times when we get stuck and it torments us greatly. Hence, the topic we are discussing today teaches us to accept the things that have happened. We should accept and digest it. However, if we don’t come to a realization, or we lack the ability to analyze, what would our future fate be like? Even going to a fortuneteller won’t help. The future will still have endless troubles.
How do we nurture a smooth-sailing future? This is what I am talking about today. I would like to share with you all how to build a beautiful future. We must incorporate compassion into our every thought and action.
(If we want to know our future, we must start putting in the effort now. If we want to change our original fate, we have to face every encounter with compassion. Be understanding and tolerant in all relationships to build an auspicious and successful life in the future.)
Compassion Changes Lives
About 20 years ago, I met someone who suffered from encephalitis. I remember she wasn’t even 10 yet. Several hospitals refused to treat her. They told her parents to arrange for her funeral. One day, her father came to me. I was his last resort, because he had hurt my parents. He had falsely accused my father, and my father was denounced and beaten. Our families actively avoided each other. We were foes. My father hated him. I knew about their situation.
When he came to me, I didn’t hesitate to help. From the righteous point of view, I would help him if I had the ability to. His daughter had been in a coma for many days. When I met her, the room reeked of death. It didn’t smell like the room of a normal human. After I treated her for about 30 minutes, she woke up. She wanted to eat and drink and use the toilet. She woke up and recovered from then on.
After she recovered, 7 days later, her grandfather got possessed by spirits. He was like a person who had lost his mind, and sounded like a woman when he spoke. The words were from a dead woman. This tormented him for 3 days. He slept without awareness during daytime. At night, he would act up as soon as it was dark, usually after 9pm. His family had no choice but to come to me again.
I hadn’t left that place yet; hence, I agreed to help. He was acting up again. I communicated with the female spirit: “Why are you tormenting this old man?” “I was wronged!” “How were you wronged?” “I am a spirit from a past dynasty. I have been in hell for 100 years. I was killed by the county magistrate because of his corruption. I cannot be at peace, they arrested the wrong person. They beheaded the wrong person!
But the king of hell told me that another innocent person also died because of me. So they punished me, beating me every day. I can never be at peace. Today, when the jailor was sleeping, I found the key and opened the door. This path was brightly lit, so I came here. When I came here, I didn’t know it was this man’s body. I jumped directly into his body without knowing how or why. That was my first time. The second time I jumped, the same thing happened.” This is weird.
There are Buddha statues in hell too. She said she prostrated to the statue and then fell asleep. When she fell asleep, the Earth Store Bodhisattva appeared in her dreams and told her to find this old man, for she would find illumination there. “What illumination?” “Great illumination.” She asked, “But what is this great illumination?” “To find liberation, you must meet him.” I told her that I practice The Meditation of Greater Illumination. She asked if I could save her. I said I didn’t know.
I said I understood how she felt, and asked her to stop talking. “I hope you won’t come find the old man anymore.” I then used great illumination to bless the old man. I placed my hand on his head, and visualized projecting great illumination into him. I prayed for the poor female spirit who was wrongfully killed to receive guidance from Medicine Buddha, to get protection from the Earth Store Bodhisattva, and to ascend into Heaven. About 5 minutes later, the old man no longer looked possessed. He was sound asleep in bed.
When I returned home that day, I meditated. I had a dream that night. I dreamed of Guanyin Bodhisattva telling me that the spirit had committed countless grave crimes. The female spirit who came to me seeking liberation had, in her countless past lives, harmed many people. And in lifetimes after, those who were harmed by her came back to kill her. This happened across countless lifetimes. The Bodhisattva told me it was my first encounter with this spirit, but that they had seen her many times and she had remained the same. “You and she were fated to meet; hence, you have to help her. Your blessing of great illumination helped her tremendously.”
I told the Bodhisattva that I hoped to lead her to the Pure Lands. The Bodhisattva replied, “You can’t.” Why? The Bodhisattva said she had taken countless lives. The death she underwent 100 years previous was an act of revenge, done by someone she had killed. There will be many more. The cycle has to continue. She will be reincarnated again and again. When she reincarnates, she will be killed again. And the cycle continues. Whether she’s reborn a man or a woman, even after having a child, this suffering could still happen; this is how the debt will be paid. It will continue at least 10,000 times more.
Listening to this frightened me. I was jolted awake. I had the same dream the next day. I said to the Bodhisattva, “There seems to be a lot of coincidences. “This old man’s granddaughter almost lost her life from encephalitis; I saved her. Sparing her life was like asking for a favor from the king of hell. Then, this spirit possessed her grandfather. What type of karmic connection is this? Are they somehow related?”
Guan Yin told me that this little girl was the mastermind behind the initial killing. She was the first to have a murderous intent. It was a robbery where the victim struggled to escape; the little girl killed the victim back then. These people kept meeting in endless conflicts. She was the first to kill someone. Hence, time and again, she needs to be killed. She also harmed her grandfather. Throughout this process, she harmed herself and others around her. It repeats endlessly.
In this lifetime, they share a granddaughter-grandfather relationship. Before this, they were once father-daughter and mother-son. They got killed too. They have killed each other in past lives, suffering much negative karma. But, the debt has not been completely repaid yet. They have to endure an eternity of suffering.
In order to resolve this, I did a lot of work. I chanted for them for 3 days, and offered 49 lights for many days. Of course, the female spirit no longer visits the old man. The child has recovered as well. The old man passed away 20 years ago. This child is in a healthy condition now. But, if I didn’t help the spirit resolve this issue, offer lights, chant for it, and help eliminate misfortunes, this child could not have lived more than another 7 years.
She will still face countless challenges, including losing her life in a variety of ways. It will not be a normal death. Doctors can tell you that she died from a certain disease. But in reality, she got killed. The sickness I helped her recover from was created by the female spirit. The girl did not die, I stopped it from happening.
Then, the spirit possessed someone else; she came to me this way and asked me to help her. The best news is that this female spirit is no longer in hell. But she did not reach the Western Pure Land. She is in a kingdom just above hell, due to her immense negative karma. If she did not bear such massive negative karma, but were an ordinary person, she should have reached the Pure Lands when I chanted for her.
It sounds complicated, right? The grandfather and granddaughter initiated the killing, so they will suffer endless lifetimes. For instance, when they are children, their parents will have to witness their death. Their parents will then die after seeing their children die. They will experience various sufferings and killings. They will undergo countless lifetimes of incidents such as losing a child. Their family won’t be an auspicious household. But, they have become more auspicious ever since I helped them.
This is a real story, one where I helped the guy who once harmed my parents. Hence, we need to have a compassionate heart. Compassion can resolve anything. Please remember to use compassion in dealing with everything. The outcome will surely be auspicious. (Yes, thank you, Master). OK.
Since then, every year during the Qingming Festival and the Ullambana Festival, in my mind, as well as in my actions, I will offer many lights, not for my ancestors or common karmic creditors, but for my enemies from countless lives. I hope that their negative karma will be resolved. I hope to eliminate their sorrow and hatred as well as my past frustrations toward them. I want them to gain happiness and liberation. For those who are no longer in the human realm, I hope that they reach the Pure Land and enjoy eternal life. I do this every year.
I also hope that all fellow Bodhi practitioners pray to Buddha to bless your families, and your enemies as well. Offer a compassionate light of wisdom to eliminate their misfortunes. (Got it.) Gain auspiciousness and longevity. (Got it.) In this world, if no one curses or hates you, you will surely gain auspiciousness. (Got it.) Most importantly, you will be able to build lasting positive connections in the future. This allows our current and future lifetimes as well as our blood-bound kids and grandkids to stay healthy, successful, safe and auspicious. (Got it.)
(From Grandmaster JinBodhi’s personal experience, we have learned how scary the law of causality is. Also, we got to more fully experience the power of compassion. Even in dealing with people who have hurt us, we have to keep a compassionate and tolerant heart to help resolve the negative relationship. These negative relationships may precisely be the voyage toward the path of enlightenment; they may be our guidance in attaining enlightenment.)
(In real life, we are hung up on complicated relationships. How do we practice kindness amidst this chaos? Please watch Grandmaster JinBodhi Talks Karma Series Part 3: Interpersonal Relationships.”)
If we can manage our relationships well, one-third of life’s afflictions will be resolved. Hence, I hope that we can build a more beautiful life.