【Description】
Why do we need to treat our parents well to change our fate? Because what we inherit from our parents and ancestors affects us in many aspects. A blood tie is not the only thing we’ve inherited from our ancestors and parents; we’ve also inherited energy, merit and karma. Our health, wisdom, luck, family, future generations, and other aspects are deeply influenced by this genetic chain.
So, when you’re struggling with ill-health or challenging family situations, and when you feel unlucky, what should you do to turn things around? Start by treating your parents well.
Click on this video and follow Grandmaster JinBodhi’s guidance. Sincerely chant for your parents and provide them with a meaningful free gift. Perhaps one chanting session can bring about a dramatic transformation!
【You will learn】
- Realize the kindness of parents
- Chant for parents with Grandmaster JinBodhi
- The secret method of making families happy, children auspicious, and fate beautiful
- Understand the power of compassion
【Featured aphorisms】
- To children, parents are compassionate buddhas and bodhisattvas.
- Be grateful to your parents, and your children will be grateful to you in the future.
【Content】
If you have listened to my first teaching, you will know how to visualize and enter the state of illumination. This state is the best way to quickly transform our lives, fortune, wisdom and, most importantly, health.
The first teaching, “On the Journey of Cultivation Part I”, will help with any meditation practice and increase its benefits. Buddha’s world is an illuminated, compassionate world. Illumination brings compassion, warmth, peace, love, softness, care, wisdom, creativity, and even endurance. Many good doctors and scientists were inspired by their parents’ ailments. They say, “I want to be the best doctor. I will find a cure for heart disease, cancer or AIDS.” They were inspired by circumstances. This shows creativity arises from compassion and love.
Compassion can create many abilities such as endurance. A mother can carry her baby regardless of weather or other circumstances. Wherever they go, they have to carry their baby. They can’t just throw the baby away. When many young girls become mothers, their potential strong abilities manifest. Their endurance, ability to bear pain, physical strength, and creativity vastly improve. They do this for their children.
Our parents are full of great compassion, so compassion is not far from us. We can learn from our parents. Normal parents are like this. Some parents are unique in not allowing their kids to dress up. Yet the mom in her 60s or 70s puts on heavy makeup every day. This kind of parent does exist. Most parents are kind and compassionate.
Compassion creates many unbelievable positive things. If we can get one of these positive benefits, our whole life will be transformed. Endurance is one of the most important qualities for a successful career. However smart you are, if you can’t persevere, you won’t succeed. Compassion can create endurance and creativity; it also enhances internal cohesion and leadership power. It supports boundless positives including communication skills.
Through cultivation, many become compassionate and start teaching despite shyness. If a teacher doesn’t speak, their students won’t understand. Teachers have to speak well so that students can understand. If you don’t like to speak or can’t express yourself well, we won’t understand you. Compassion helps us express ourselves well.
When we have the illumination arising from compassion, we will gain illumination in body, mind, heart and consciousness. True illumination in consciousness or understanding is great wisdom. In the process of learning Buddhadharma, when we reach illumination in our consciousness or illumination in our spiritual views, our mental state of life truly starts changing and elevating. This is the true difference between people, especially those more successful or capable and those less capable. The difference lies in our spiritual level. When our consciousness begins to illuminate, we first become a person with a big heart. We are broadminded.
The irritations or frustrations we couldn’t let go of and daily sufferings are gone. Some broadminded Northern Chinese people are regarded as insensitive. Yesterday I scolded them, today they still greet me: “Hello, good morning.” They have good social skills and should be good in sales and marketing, right? If I fought with my neighbor, I would feel uneasy about selling to them. That is not good. Broadminded people fought each other yesterday but are good friends today, continuing to dine together. Many outstanding people are like this. So a broad mind is very important. If we understand great compassion, our spiritual world will naturally expand. Thus, we become broadminded people.
Yesterday I discussed how this great mind transcends time and space. Few people can tell whether a youth will transform from an ugly duckling into a swan or Prince Charming. It is unknown. Anyway, he is ugly as a toad. Will he achieve success in the future? Ordinary people don’t think about this. They only care about present good or bad experiences or perceptions and feelings. Normally, we care about perceptions and feelings, such as cold or hot and good or bad. We compare only these extremes.
When we transcend space-time to see if it is good or bad, the perception may be different. Our wisdom is too limited. What we believe today is bad may be good in the future. Some children’s dad or mom passed early. It may be considered an unfortunate thing. Look, no mom or dad, what a pity! However, most of these children are exceptionally capable at surviving. They have nobody to rely on. They have to be independent. If they don’t work, they have no food to eat. So, they work hard. In contrast, if both parents are living and love them very much, especially if the father is very good at making money, the children seem to have useless hands and feet. They don’t work.
So, we should view matters with a spiritual perspective or reasoning that transcends space-time. We call this a broad mind. With it, we can see the future clearly. Many Chinese Buddhists have read a book called Liao-Fan’s Four Lessons. Some of you have read it, right? Some have, and some haven’t. When a person named Liao-Fan was little, his mother asked a fortuneteller about his fate: He wouldn’t live long and would die in his 30s. Be it fate or disease, he wouldn’t live long. To change his fate, he had to accumulate merits.
Though his fate didn’t look good, he was smart and did well in school. He passed the imperial examinations and became an official. With his authority, he started to accumulate merits by benefiting people. When natural disasters occurred, he used government resources to help people and free them from poverty. He thus accumulated great merits. Not only did he not die in his 30s, he lived into his 70s, and had a son and a daughter. This is a way to transform fate.
Having great compassion, we need to act. He did good deeds to accumulate merits. Several good fortunetellers said he would die early. That frightened him. This is a good case. I don’t think it is a made-up story. I believe it is real. We have seen many people like this.
Today we are discussing the concept of 3 kinds of illumination in our cultivation. The source of the illumination is compassion that can create many exceptionally excellent abilities and qualities. Today we discuss having a broad mind that transcends space-time with which to view people and matters.
We have pity for children whose parents passed early, but they mature much earlier. It is impossible for them to be still in bed when the sun is out. They are definitely up and working. Whether or not they can achieve great things, at least they are capable of adapting to this world. They are creative. If some people survive, these kids must be among them. They have a great ability to survive.
But kids from some wealthy families don’t. They waste their hands, feet and brains. They don’t need to use their brain, right? All the hard work, like making a living, is done by the dad and house chores by the mom. Even their homework is done by someone else. They collapse when tiny stresses come. So, children from wealthy families easily become unemployed. Their divorce rate is high too, as they are very fragile. They have many bad habits, and don’t accommodate their partner. After getting married, they are very likely to get divorced. They always find their partner’s faults. They have many faults themselves. Just because they are rich.
Children from poor families also have defects. They may be pennypinching. When it comes to giving roses to a girl, they just give half a rose. They would feel pain if they gave 3, as they would’ve used a whole day’s salary. Even the half-rose had been discarded on the ground by someone. It sounds like a joke, but it is real. If they wish to give a diamond engagement ring, they buy a fake one. If the couple has true love, they might be fine. So, this kind of child is very frugal, but very hardworking, capable, simple and plain. They tend to stint. Do you understand “stint”? They are stingy. Do you know what “stingy” means? It means he doesn’t want to spend money, not even for his girlfriend. Never in his whole life will he invest. He will just tie all the money to his body. Some people are like this.
Let’s return to the topic of illumination. During our practice, we need to truly perceive these 3 kinds of illumination. Ordinary people don’t have the Divine-Eye. If you do, you will know what my teaching looks like. When we look at a healthy person with the Divine-Eye, we don’t see how his internal organs or bones look. We see if he is pure and transparent. If so, usually he is very healthy. Surely I don’t mean a dead person, but a live one. Looking through the Divine-Eye, a baby’s body is pure and transparent. If you raise the baby’s hand to look toward the sun, it is so beautiful. But if we see him with the Divine-Eye, the red color shown through the sunlight doesn’t exist, which enhances that kind of beauty.
The illumination of the body I discussed is this: We practice till our bodies become transparent like those of babies. Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, also spoke about babies’ characteristics. What are they? The purest and healthiest, like our origin and true nature. He has not been affected by emotions or diseases. Not polluted by anything. He hasn’t formed any bad habits. That is why a baby’s eyes are so bright, shining with purity.
Let’s look at our eyes. Check each other’s eyes. Some people have bright, shifty eyes, like a mouse. Shifty eyes indicate restlessness, like mercury on ice. But if we look at each other, most of our eyes are blurry. Where are the eyes? Too much of their vital energy has been consumed. Through practice, if someone’s eyes have a baby’s light and color, we know this person’s heart is pure and simple. Not at all like they are wounded. Instead, they are crystal clear, pure and transparent, as beautiful as translucent jade.
It reminds us of the Medicine Buddha from the Eastern Lapis Lazuli World. What does Medicine Buddha’s world look like? Glass. This Lapis Lazuli World is a glass world. Is it colorful? No, it is a transparent world. When someone has cultivated their body to be glass-like through dharma practices, then when they leave the world, even if the body has no lifeforce, we see that their skin and fingers, though not as plump as a baby’s and quite dried up, are almost translucent like glass.
The concept of illumination and the transparent body matches that of the Lapis Lazuli World. The illumination of body means it is transparent like pure, undefiled glass. Mind and heart illumination means no distracting thoughts, freedom from the 5 poisons of the mind. Not polluted by any worldly impurities. This heart is glass-like. There are no messy impurities in our mind, no greedy pursuit of materials or lust. Our mind is pure and immaculate.
Immaculate means transparent, undefiled and pure. This purity is absolutely clean and transparent. Our mind and heart are glass-like. The consciousness is free from greed. We don’t care about external forms. Beautiful looks, skin or eyes have no effect on us. We don’t have greed and are not attached to sensations.
I discussed this in the last class. Today, I will add more. We aren’t affected by what we see, be it beautiful or disgusting things, or pleasant or boring sounds, or praise or blame. We aren’t affected by the 8 Worldly Winds, including the 4 favorable ones such as praise and the 4 kinds of slander or abuse. So, we don’t listen to or look at these, as it’s useless to listen or see. Our heart is still. We don’t smell, touch or sense, as it is useless and unwanted. Whether it is beautiful or not, say, today we look at someone, we may feel good or not, or as some Buddhists say, “This lady is like a bodhisattva, I love and respect her…” We need to let go.
These teachings are a bit advanced. For beginners, it might not be easy to understand. But I believe some people have the foundation of cultivation. We call it inherited and accumulated capacity. Their ancestors accumulated merits. Or they cultivated in their previous lives. So, in this life, when they hear my teachings, they can get it quickly. I am teaching for these people.
The higher state is: I don’t even pursue good feelings, let alone bad ones. But will the sensations happen in our body? I would like to ask you, do you like this orchid here? (Yes.) Are you tempted? Do you like this bodhisattva statue? (Yes.) Your heart moved again. Whatever we see or hear today, be it good or bad, like or dislike, we need to empty ourselves of them all. Shall we push them away, or should we invite them? A concept that no masters have taught before: Neither push away, nor invite them. It is as if they do not exist. I hope you can understand this state.
Say, this flower is very beautiful. It doesn’t mean that I should take it home, or buy one more. I will neither buy one nor bring this home. I will not reject it, either. If a lady is too pretty and so to avoid temptation, you must leave, you lack fortitude. We should neither invite them, nor push them away. We don’t want to hear more pleasant words nor less scolding. If we hear it, we don’t care.
Yesterday, I said that as ordinary human beings, when we hear abuse or blame, don’t get into detail. Do you understand? If someone says you are like a tortoise, then you think, “Am I a tortoise?” You shouldn’t go into detail; otherwise, afflictions arise. Right? Actually, you look like a snake. Do you like hearing this? No. Thus, don’t get into detail. No one chooses a pleasant analogy when abusing, right? They don’t choose good ones but choose exceptionally unpleasant words for you.
If you listen to it when they curse your mother, you are in trouble. You will be unable to sleep the whole night. If you dwell on the details, you will be mad. Narrow-minded people construct a mental prison for themselves. Your narrow mind constructs the prison. That is why many people die by suicide when they can’t get through something. A serious person will kill himself. If more serious, they even kill others. “If I die, I will die with you all.” That is the worst.
Actually, many murderers don’t really have that much hatred. They are just unable to cope with a small issue. Some high school students put too much weight on their first love. When his girlfriend left him, she wasn’t abducted, but attracted by others and fell in love with somebody else. He was outraged and said, “OK, then, I will kill you and kill myself.” In the United States, people can own guns. There are so many shootings on school campuses. He was actually narrow-minded, whether it was true love or not. Whether it is for love or for money, one needs a broader mind. You need to have that bearing capacity.
Many youths use modern mobile phones and computers. Cellphones with the same look may vary in storage capacity. I’d like to remind middleaged or older friends: The cellphones with the same look or brand have varied capacity. Internal storage capacities differ. Some have 2GB, some 4GB, 8GB or 108GB.
Some phones’ storage space is too limited. Some girls take pictures of whatever they see but don’t delete unnecessary photos each month. Then their phones don’t function. Phones look the same but vary in their storage capacities. With small storage space, they will be stuck with many issues. Someone complains that the phone is so slow, it takes a long time to receive a message. Your cellphone is stuck. It is the same for our stomach. 1kg of water and food will fill your stomach, but if you eat 10kg and are too full, the food will come back out as you bend down. How can you do anything? You can’t, actually. You are too full. Mobile phones are like this.
Same as the human mind, heart and wisdom. We need to learn to expand our mind and heart. The way is to learn and practice compassion. Then our mind and heart will become broader. One tip for the Way of compassion: Anybody want to become a person with huge capacity? Please raise your hand, let me see. OK, you want to learn? (Yes.) Start with giving. You are all smallminded people. Sorry for saying that, you may curse me back: “You are smallminded too.” That is OK. We can do this to each other, just because we have karmic connections. For all who want to expand their mind and heart or become richer, where should they start? Start with giving.
Everything we do is in order to gain, right? You go to university and then law school since lawyers make lots of money, or dentistry school since dentists make even more. Trading stocks makes good money, I want to learn about investments. Before you enter university, your parents and you are asking where the most money is, right? All we do is take and obtain.
You want to get, but you may not have that fate. You wonder why he is so heavy and ugly, but still makes lots of money. Well, he has big internal storage. Maybe because of his past merits or huge mind. These are invisible to our eyes. We only see what he gets. You only know those big buildings are his. You don’t see the hardship he experienced. In any era, such outstanding people are great and heroic. The difference between a heroic figure and others is that he has a broad mind.
So, as ordinary people, how can we become wiser? Let me go a bit further. How can we become wise and have a big capacity so we will be more prosperous and auspicious, and have a developed brain? It starts with generosity. This is the key. This was not invented by me, but taught by Sakyamuni Buddha.
All we do is get. Maybe we are not getting right now, but the aim is still to get. Say, I pay tuition for school. I spend $10,000 for the whole university program. But after graduation, I will make $10,000 a year. I will think it is worthwhile. I learn the knowledge for the purpose of getting. We have never thought about giving to others for free.
Give all good things to others: money, labor, helping a friend to move, working or painting. If you know how to cut hair, you trim the hair of a friend’s son. You help others without pay. These acts are against normal human behavior. The first benefit is popularity. If politicians are popular, they get more votes. If artists are popular, they have more fans. If salespeople are popular, they get more money! Do you want to be against money? No. So please learn to give.
Heavenly deities are watching the human world. Everybody wants to get. Who will they give wealth to? To people who are willing to help others and have a broad mind. So, I hope you can get this. Before, you wanted to get things, so your heart was tight. Now you give out, so your heart is relaxed. You will naturally have this feeling. When you give to others, you yourself are excited, aren’t you? Think about how you feel when you give gifts to friends. Are you sad or happy? (Happy.)
Anyone feel sad when giving gifts to friends? Men may be saddened when they lose their girlfriend to another. But normally, when we give gifts, we are happy. When you truly give and help the poor, your inner joy is more than that of getting married. More specifically, when you get married, are you happy? You don’t want to admit it? Some say, “Not necessarily. I was forced to.” Most people are happy when they get married.
When we give to others, especially to the poor, actually the giver is full of joy. A joy that has never been experienced before arises from the bottom of the heart. Some Buddhists call it dharma bliss. True dharma bliss is the wondrous joy we get in meditation. It is the joy that arises from compassion and when you have unknotted your afflictions. This is called dharma bliss. We can also call this “giving dharma bliss”.
It is the first step toward liberation for an ordinary person. Thus, we also call the joy “dharma bliss.” This dharma is the one that transcends Natural Laws. It is a joy that transcends worldly laws. People who gain this bliss will get health, remove their illnesses, dispel calamities and obtain auspiciousness. When the wondrous bliss arises from their constant giving, deities will come to praise them. Someone might otherwise die from a traffic accident, but after he gave compassionately, gods thought: “This person is promising, let me protect him.”
After a car accident, the car was entirely damaged, but this person crawled out of it. A fellow practitioner from Vancouver traveled in the States 3 months ago. Their story became local news. They drove a strong German car. The car rolled over, then exploded and burned. A few seconds before the explosion, the last person stuck in the car was pulled out. It became local news. The passengers only got some scratches. The most serious injury was a bone injury, not significant. Local people said, “In such a serious accident, all people in the car should have died.” There were 3 people, and only one had a bone injury, and she is fine now. They are cultivating and also doing many good deeds.
When we are practicing giving, we are full of dharma bliss, and Heavenly gods will protect us. Our giving is the best way to dispel our bad karma and calamities caused by bad karma. Regarding dharma bliss in our practice, when our compassion truly arises, and we visualize our mind and body being illuminated, and watch our arising intentions, or when we are immersed in compassion and illumination for some time, we will also feel joy, which is the beginning of dharma bliss.
Dharma bliss is one of the most important physical sensations in our practice, though we don’t pursue it. I have just said we need to let go of all these. We don’t go for or reject them — good or bad, like or dislike. We don’t care. See through them. Only in this way can we be liberated from reincarnation and create a brand-new life. While we are practicing, illuminating ourselves with such compassionate light creates a very warm, compassionate and detached scene that can be viewed by Heavenly gods, buddhas and bodhisattvas, not by ordinary people.
Every human being has an aura that varies in thickness. The aura varies according to emotions; so does energy. You may have heard the phrase “full of killing energy”, it is used often in ancient Chinese books. A general came with some soldiers to seek vengeance. Full of killing energy, he wanted to kill. The thoughts and energy field he emanated were combative.
When different nations or cultures celebrate New Year, victory or holidays, common activities are dancing and singing, and lighting fireworks that create beautiful pictures of celestial maidens scattering blossoms. Wondrous colors fall from the sky like beautiful flower petals. Pleasant fragrances make us happy. These are common joys the whole world shares.
So, when we enter such a happy, wondrous state of joy, then in our spiritual world, it is as if deities are scattering beautiful flowers or petals upon us. The happiness varies. Sometimes, we can smell fragrance. When our compassion truly arises, and we sincerely chant, our heart and hands will emit fragrance. Our body starts to transform. We know genes are hard to change. However, according to scientists, all our emotions, food, diseases and the movies we watch can be recorded by our DNA. Our joy, chanting and wonderful visualizations are also recorded by DNA. If this is passed down, our children will be very happy and fortunate.
Many parents are kind, always self-cultivating and helping others. Their offspring are very well-behaved and capable at crucial points. Normally, they go to college, get married, have children and build their careers. Children of those who aren’t cultured end up bad-tempered and always fighting or even worse. Besides genes and habits, these fiery and harmful traits will also go to your next generation and they will be intensified.
The miraculous result from 3 kinds of illumination practice leads to our swift transformations in body and mind. If we sing for 2 hours, we may lose our voice. From yesterday to today, has anyone chanted more than 6 hours in total? Raise your hand. After chanting, your voices are still fine, right? (Yes.) Your chanting time is even longer, right? More than 8 hours. Why so? Because you are chanting Buddha’s name or mantra. When you are chanting, your sincerity makes buddhas, bodhisattvas, or the dharma protectors care for you. They have already started protecting you.
After singing 3 songs at karaoke, someone lost his voice. After chanting here for so many hours, or if we chant here for a month, normally, no one loses their voice. As long as we chant normally not crazily, there will be no problem. Also, after chanting, we feel sweet nectar in our throats. It can even make our voice more pleasant. (Got it.) Chanting with joy and reverence gives us a more beautiful heart, a healthier body, and a more beautiful appearance. (Got it.) When we become compassionate and gentle, our body, hands, feet and language will all become compassionate and soft. Compassionate and soft limbs indicate great prosperity. (Got it.)
If we practice in this state, we progress at a tremendous speed. We improve very fast. Yesterday I taught 3 kinds of illumination. When practicing them, you can calm down easily, as they rapidly transform our body and mind. So, we can calm down. Also, sitting here to practice, we experience so much pain in our back, and especially our legs. You never thought legs could be so painful. Taking this class, you have found your legs can be really sore, right? Some have already felt this, right?
Actually, this pain is beneficial and a must in our practice. One hour of pain here will eliminate 10 years of calamity. Isn’t it worthwhile? (Got it.) Every hour of chanting increases your wisdom by 100 points. (Got it.) After we finish this chanting class, each of you will notice your temperament has changed. The hot-tempered surely become compassionate and gentle. Everyone hated you before, but now they love you.
Many don’t have a happy marriage, or they aren’t married due to their character. Not due to their appearance, but to their unpleasant personality. Your personality changes now. Before people excluded and avoided you, now they are willing to approach you, right? Everyone loves you. How wonderful. (Got it.) You aren’t charming others, they just like you, for you are a good person. You have many friends. People don’t want to run from you. Thus, this pain changes our life greatly.
As to the pain here in practice, if you don’t bear these pains, I worry that afflictions from your karma will occur in your life like in movies. Many who are fated to die in an accident or of cancer will still die. Too many. Check at mortuaries or crematoriums. Many dead youths were cremated. So, this bodily pain in practice is very necessary. Only blessed people can come to experience this pain. After bearing this pain, you get so much auspiciousness and good luck. (Got it.) It eliminates our bad karma and dispels calamities.
So one hour of pain here will offset sins in the previous lifetime. This is really worthwhile. Have I told you this before? Actually, the pain in the practice is eliminating our bad karma from past lives. (Got it.) Not only do we persist in practicing, we should also joyfully accept the pain. If you’re brave, truly aspire to kneel while chanting. When you kneel to chant, the intense physical pain makes you shake. Such results are good. (Got it.) It is true, I am not joking. If the pain is too much, sit down and chant, but don’t be sleepy.
If you kneel and can fall asleep, I will give you a prize. It would be very hard to sleep while kneeling. Try it, OK? Or put a spicy pepper in your mouth. That works too. To stay awake, an ancient scholar hung his head up and pricked his thigh. In ancient times, people grew their hair long. With a rope, he tied his hair to a beam; the painful pull kept him awake. If he was about to fall asleep despite the pain, what did he do? He used an awl to prick his thigh and stay awake. Only by studying hard could he do his best in imperial examinations.
When we practice, we need to work harder. It israre that I am in a happy mood, so I have taught you a lot. I also hope that in our practice we will think of our family, parents and friends, wishing them auspiciousness, health and wish fulfillment. (Got it.) I will chant for those offended by me over the years and dedicate the merits to them. May they calm down, transform misfortune to fortune, and be happy every day. May all the karmic creditors from my past lives be led to the Pure Land and not make trouble in the human world. I wish them all well. Wish the world peace: no wars, natural disasters, earthquakes, fires or traffic accidents. Wishing everybody peace, safety and auspiciousness. (Got it.)
All the items here are blessed by our compassion. The floor will be valuable. If you carry it with you, it may prevent accidents. It is true. Everything will become auspicious. It is an auspicious energy. Auspiciousness is like an energy. It can manifest as many things such as charisma, compassion and public-speaking skills. The more you chant, the more pleasant your voice will be. I hope everyone loves you. OK? (OK.)
Let’s kneel and start chanting.
Alright, you all chanted conscientiously. Please be seated. (Thank you, Master.) Many were kneeling on the hard floor. I am sure that solemn, great and loving-kind compassion arose in their hearts. They were chanting for their loved ones, maybe husband, children or parents. Only with a great wish could they bear the pain. When I asked some to kneel on a cushion, they insisted on kneeling on the floor. This is because of their compassionate wishes. With compassion, we will have infinite power and potential.
Half of human diseases are genetic. So please thank your parents and ancestors. You wonder why you should thank them, given so many diseases. All have illness. In the genetic chain, our diseases were passed down through hundreds of thousands of generations. We can hardly trace the origin of the human race. Slowly, it has evolved to become us. Human beings have existed for hundreds of thousands of years, over 800,000 years. It is such a chain of genes.
Parents can’t decide their children’s looks, they don’t know their names, they only give birth to them. It is hard to give birth, but it is even harder to raise kids. All parents know this. The gestation and delivery process is hard and painful. But to raise and train them to be truly useful, talented people is harder than “climbing up the sky”. One’s innate qualities are determining factors. What is an innate quality? It is physical health, basic intelligence, and a complete body. These aren’t guaranteed.
Some are physically healthy and intelligent, but do many bad deeds, such as taking drugs, abusing alcohol and fighting. They have no interest in doing anything positive. This common issue of human beings is called karma. Some children are better and correct themselves, given some guidance. Even at 60, some people are still engaged in wrongdoing. Don’t think that all people who reach 50 are good. Old hooligans, bandits and gamblers abound. All are bad, some even worse. The older they are, the worse they become, with much experience and no morals.
Experienced cheaters are harder to deal with than novices. Senior thieves are much more skillful at stealing wallets, very hard to counteract. Sometimes it is like magic. He only holds your hand, pats your shoulder and leaves, but your wallet and watch are with him. He is skillful like a magician. He has already reached the state of stealing as he wishes. So, not all seniors become good people. The key is having the chance to learn kindness, to become a good person.
It could be hard for parents to guide a child to the right path and become even just a normal person. I believe many parents here are worrying about their children, right? Before age 45, you suffer from marriage and relationship. After age 45, you worry about children. Before age 13, a child listens to you, as he can’t rebel or live without Mom, right? After 13, he starts to rebel. Very wild and hard to teach. Anyone have these afflictions? How do you eliminate them? Do you have a way? I have a way. You may try it. Go back home and respect your own parents.
Your parents brought you up; now your children are grown up. Have you respected your parents? Have you practiced filial piety? Do you love them? Think about this. Don’t shout. Those who shout might not have truly loved them. Parents would die of hunger in order to give everything to their kids. In the process of raising you, if they didn’t take care of you for 3 days when you were a toddler, you might have died. While you were growing up, if they had taught you a little less, you might have gone astray. If your dad had punished you a little less, you might have become a gangster. We need to be grateful.
If you are not, look at how your children do; look at your bad health and almost disabled, ignorant and suffering brain. So start with respecting ancestors. Who are your ancestors? Your parents. You might not have seen your grandfather, nor great-grandfather. Our parents gave us our lives, so we thank them. A role model is powerful. If you thank your parents, your children will thank, respect and support you in the future.
Otherwise, look at many young people. They are considered good even if they only visit their parents on holidays. Nobody knows filial piety. They think it is outdated. If they want to be modern, they should have nothing to do with their family. Society is like this now. If you wish to be healthy and for everything to go smoothly, to have a happy family, parent well, and give your children a bright future, please start with respecting parents. To become a person with great compassion and great ability, start with giving. If we wish to transform our fate and our children’s, start with respecting parents.
While I am talking about this, let’s put our palms together. From the bottom of our heart, let’s say to our parents, “Thank you, I love you!” Whether they are alive or not, you should love and respect them. If they are still alive, it is a rare fortune. If parents have no money or authority, you are ashamed and despise them. But they raised you. If they are still alive at 88, it shows genes of longevity. Don’t you ever curse them to death. If they die one year earlier, you will die 10 years earlier. Where is your compassion, respect and gratitude?
Your parents raised you. Are you grateful? You think it is a matter of course. He is just supposed to treat you well. If a friend is kind to you, you will remember it for life. Your parents are kind to you daily, and you take it for granted. You are ungrateful. We can’t make friends with such people. Why do we have so many calamities? We are not kind, let alone compassionate. We are creating this karma and these calamities. In front of others, in a suit, you think you are cultivated. But your heart is icy cold like a piece of ice or steel. If you want your children to be good, first learn to be a good child. Learn to be a grateful person who repays the received loving-kindness.
So, I hope that after the class, when you go home, if your parents live far from you, you will call soon to greet them and show your love and respect for them. It’s not about giving them $100,000. Money is good, but the act seems disingenuous. Thank and respect them from your heart, don’t imitate others. On New Year’s Day, others buy their parents things. You follow suit and show off. No need. Treat your parents genuinely and express your respect and love. That is enough.
Only this way can we be well, and our children be well. Don’t forget that energy, merits and karma are transferred. It is beyond genes. If you are doing evil deeds, the energy will be passed to your blood relatives. That is how it is transmitted, like our wireless phone. Many people misunderstand illnesses or genetic transmission to the child. Actually, after the child is born, our merits and bad karma can also be transmitted to them.
If you want to learn compassion and Buddhadharma, my way to start dharma-learning is easy and simple. How should we learn? Today, we can give our parents a very precious yet free gift: Chant for them. Wishing them health, longevity, auspiciousness and wish fulfillment. If your parents have passed away, may they be guided by Amitabha and Medicine Buddha to stay in the Buddha’s world, never suffer from cyclic existence, dispel all calamities and be liberated from hell. Visualize that your parents are standing right in front of you. They are looking at you with anticipation: “My child, please quickly wake up and become a sensible and compassionate person. We all love you.”
Get ready to chant. You decide whether you will sit or kneel.
If our parents are alive, a single chant of utmost sincerity will allow them to gain health and happiness. We can see our parents are smiling with contentment because of our sincere chanting. Our sincere chanting brings them joy. This is the most precious gift; it expresses thanks for raising us. If some parents have passed and are suffering in hell, then they don’t have food to eat, they are lying on beds of nails, they are beaten and bullied by evil ghosts, and torn to pieces by wolves. With each chant, they get healthier and better. Only the most sincere chanting results in the guidance of buddhas on leaving suffering, gaining happiness and going to Paradise.
What are you waiting for? This is the best chance to repay their lovingkindness. Be more sincere.
Thank buddhas, bodhisattvas and parents for raising us. During our sincere chanting, our parents will get health, happiness and joy. (Got it.) Our deceased parents and ancestors will be guided and liberated to the Western or Eastern Pure Land (Got it.) and be freed from the sufferings of reincarnation. (Got it.) Only in this way can our children enjoy health and good fortune. (Got it.) Our offspring or children will be peaceful, auspicious, well-behaved, intelligent, wise, easygoing, healthy and long-lived. (Got it.)
All of these good fortunes are absolutely related to our parents and ancestors. So, when we sincerely chant Buddha’s sacred name or mantra for them, actually all the benefits come to us. Parents treat us like true bodhisattvas on Earth. To others, they may not be, but they are surely buddhas and bodhisattvas for their children. So you must know to be grateful.
After today’s class, when you get home, or if your home is not in this city, call, greet and say to them, “Mom and Dad, I love you.” It is difficult for Chinese people to say this, but I suggest you say it. They will be very happy. It is like they see light. Sometimes we are not thoughtful, and they are unhappy or get stuck for 7 or 8 years, like being in hell. Some parents are seriously sick, but their children don’t even visit or care for them. They even die earlier due to our shameful behaviors. This is heavy sin. How can we still live in this world?
Now that you are alive and listening to my teachings, you should know to repent. Go back home tonight to repent and correct your mistakes. Buddha is compassionate and forgiving. He told you to correct your mistakes. This is repentance. Do right, sensible things. Only in this way can we be healthy, happy, wealthy, and live long with a harmonious family. Our offspring will have smooth-sailing lives and their wishes fulfilled. They will listen to you. What a rare fortune!
It is most difficult for today’s children to be like this. Various wrong paths entice and mislead them into going astray. But if ancestors, buddhas and bodhisattvas protect and guide them, they will naturally go to the right path. You will see them become obedient and listen to you. It matches your message and energy. Sometimes, these miracles happen right after we truly repent or become sensible. Your children suddenly become sensible. You need to understand this transmission.
We are all children. In the future, we might be parents. We have the same feelings. I may be mean when speaking to ungrateful children. I feel like I should whip ungrateful children, so that I can vent my anger for all the harm they have done to their parents. But in my spirit, I whipped myself for you so I am very heavy. I hope we will become sensible people. Whatever wrong things you have done, from today on, be a truly compassionate son or a kind daughter. Let’s make our parents happy; then we will have auspiciousness and our wishes fulfilled.
As the friends in this class cooperated well with me, I taught a lot so that you know more. This morning someone told me that while he was in class chanting yesterday, an important family issue suddenly got solved. Is this a coincidence? Based on our previous experiences, it is not. During this period, some issues of the friends in this class, unrelated to practice, suddenly got resolved. This is auspiciousness and the fulfillment of your wishes. (Got it.) It is due to our practice. Buddhas and bodhisattvas blessed us.
So, offer lights for parents’ longevity, for releasing deceased parents to the Pure Land. Buddha taught us in The Medicine Buddha’s Sutra: For parents to be liberated from hell and go to the Pure Land, we must offer lights for them. To solve a big problem, issue or affliction, we need to light 7-colored candles for 49 days to fulfill one wish. Buddha taught this in the sutras. We have this opportunity, so offer lights for them. Actually, our debts are huge. I will teach on this later. That is all for today’s teaching. Thank you, all. (Thank you, Master.)