【Description】
Many people spend their lives searching for the key to a perfect marriage. The secret to a perfect marriage is actually a “make-do-with” mentality. According to Grandmaster JinBodhi, it is not only the mentality required to build a long-lasting marriage, but also one that allows you to love naturally and create a beautiful family.
Do you maintain a make-do-with approach toward your partner in order to create harmony at home? Listen to Grandmaster JinBodhi as he explains how this mentality leads to happiness.
【You will learn】
- The concept of having the make-do-with mentality
- The wisdom in the make-do-with mentality when it comes to choosing and interacting with your partner
【Content】
Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom’s realm is…The Cool and Pure Land Cool and pure means undisturbed, not controlled, and not manipulated by emotions, but remaining pure and serene internally. This is Great Wisdom. Thus, our afflictions wash away effortlessly. This way is the golden key to liberation.
Grandmaster JinBodhi’s Dharma Teachings: The Golden Key
Hello everyone! (Hello Master!) Please be seated. (Thank you Master.) Today is a very very auspicious and special day. Are you happy today? (Yes.) Take a moment to take a selfie for a before and after comparison. Now, as a 50 year old, you look 70. In 7 days you will look 30. (Got it.) Your husband will be happy to have a new wife.
Let’s be serious and stop joking around. When we practice meditation diligently and correctly, with a joyful body and mind, everything transforms. When we meditate, cultivate a compassionate heart, visualize or sincerely chant the names of divinities, using specific mudras, mantras and mindful intentions, we are creating special energy fields. Method + state of mind + time = transformation. The result is unexpected. Health is the easiest to transform. Wisdom arises simultaneously. Is our body or brain more sensitive? I would say brain. In fact, wisdom arises first.
I have learned many schools of meditation. Some use the mind and intention to change one’s life. When one’s mental state is optimal, meditation leads to possible enlightenment. Another school emphasizes dharma in terms of posture, method, sounds, and state of mind. If everything is correct, we’re bound to enter samadhi or a deep meditative state. In samadhi, wisdom is attained, which leads to resilience. Two schools of meditation with the same goal: enlightenment. Enlightenment is the ultimate goal of all meditators.
Before that, our mind, wisdom, body, senses, and interactions with the world change. It is especially important that the feelings we get from our senses transform. No matter the school of meditation, we all get to our goal via meditation. The elevation of our mental realm and our perception of the senses is complementary. For those who don’t know, the senses are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
My vision tells me something is beautiful, precious, poor, good, or bad. Nowadays when looking for a partner, girls want tall, wealthy, and handsome, right? Height is a trait seen with our eyes, as are good looks. A blind person wouldn’t know if someone was tall unless told. So they wouldn’t be preoccupied by looks. Wealth is a mental designation.
A man told me he is very wealthy. We went grocery shopping together. I got $100 worth whereas he got $20 although we have the same size family. “Is your family not eating?” I asked. “We are being frugal,” he replied. So, the less groceries he buys, the less his bill. Still, he was bragging to me about his gold ring, asking me how much I thought it was worth. I said, “I don’t know.” He told me, “It is worth a lot.” It was obvious that it was a copper ring. It is a copper ring with green glass that he got for $2 at a flea market. But mentally, he is very wealthy.
Though he doesn’t have enough to eat and eats pickled vegetables to get by, he is mentally wealthy and feels he is the wealthiest guy on Earth. So he tells everyone he meets that he is wealthy. Remember everyone, some are braggarts because they are poor. This man, though, bragged to everyone, which meant he really felt wealthy. Though penniless, he feels wealthy. Wealth may be part of his past or his future, or future generations. So, don’t look down on those who brag about being wealthy, ok?
So, in the pursuit of tall, rich and handsome, wealth especially is a mental perception. Based on one’s dress, food choices etc., we decide whether they are rich. Why did the penniless man in my story feel rich? Poverty and wealth are not definite states. In real life, he is very poor but mentally very rich. It is hard to say whether he is poor or rich. An accountant would say very poor. He is poor and on welfare, but his mental world is rich. So, they are two sides of a duality. Wealth is a determination made by our minds. When you are too materialistic, you might fool yourself.
Mental perception aside, we also have our 5 senses. Someone says a singer’s voice sounds great. Your ears cause desire. “Wow, his voice is great. I like it. ” “And he is good looking too. I am in love.” “His voice moves me. His looks make me melt.” These feelings result from your 5 senses. To reach a higher realm… Many present today who share a karmic affinity with me may achieve great accomplishments. (Got it.) I can’t promise that I will teach you well and profoundly. Nevertheless, I feel there are many outstanding people present.
What is the starting point according to Buddha? It is changing our consciousness of the 5 senses. The beautiful, though beautiful, does not remain so for long. The same goes for the poor. The poor may become rich. The rich may become poor in the future. Some girls marry the son of a governor, minister, or vice president. 10 years later, the parents are dead. he son loses everything to gambling or drugs. They become poor. There are countless stories like this. Life is constantly changing. Riches are not everlasting. Nor is poverty for a lifetime. The Buddha says we are often fooled by our eyes, ears, other senses, and our thoughts. Yin and yang rotates. What you see as good today may not be good for you. I am not saying what you see as good is always bad. Just don’t blindly assume based on feelings.
Things constantly transform. The Earth spins daily. The philosophy behind the Chinese classic “I Ching” is that of transformation. China’s contemporary art of fortune telling comes from the ancient “I Ching” . Chinese philosophy, government rule, corporate management are all deduced from “I Ching“. So, tai ji, the five elements, and bagua all come from “I Ching“. The original name of this classic was “The Changing World”. “I Ching“, also known now as “The Changing World”, says everything changes.
What is Yin Yang? Let’s say your poverty now is Yin and your wealth is Yang. Yin Yang is constantly rotating. Lady Luck may choose me next year. Your poverty may motivate your entrepreneurial spirit since you must rely on yourself. You must persevere to feed your family. So, eventually you fight your way to wealth. Your son wants for nothing since you are rich. He gets the best in life. The best food, drinks, housing, and clothing. Your son has not experienced poverty and enjoys spending all your money. Wealth changes back to poverty again.
The Yin Yang fish has a fat head and slim tail, right? That is the natural process of things magnifying and then reducing. The Truth of philosophies shall always be connected. I am speaking of Buddhist followed by Taoist philosophies, but Truth recognizes no labels. Labels are man-made. Truth is but the one and only. The Truth is that the world is constantly changing on a daily basis.
Buddha speaks of the impermanence of the human condition. What is impermanence? Whether you wear a real or fake diamond ring, when magnified, you see many facets. For example, the “hearts and arrows” diamond, refers to the way the light reflects off the diamond’s many surfaces, it is all handcrafted. How does one shape a hard diamond? Diamonds are ground with diamond dust just as knives are ground on a whetstone until sharp. The knife eventually becomes sharp because it has become thinner as a layer of steel is removed. So, no matter how hard, slow grinding will change you.
If, after buying a diamond, you put it in your safe deposit box, does the diamond change? Philosophically speaking, yes, it changes. A lady, married with kids, blames her wrinkles on her kids’ disobedience. If she had become a nun and hadn’t married, would she have gotten wrinkles? (Yes.) Possibly more. She says to her kid, “Because I worry about you, I have white hair now.” Single people get even more white hair prematurely. It is a matter of age, unrelated to love and affection.
But excess mental and physical torture will manifest great change in our appearance quickly. Wu Zi Xu’s hair whitened overnight. Have you heard this story? About 2,500 years ago, he was a general during a time of war. Humorous and a character, he experienced joy, sorrow, and exacted revenge with brutal murder. When his family was under threat, he was still young and yet his hair whitened overnight.
This also happens to people today when things are hopeless and there’s no end in sight. So, your hair turns white to reflect that your energy is quickly burning up. Others under immense mental pressure age quickly and die without reason. Those being pursued or fugitives from the law die from the constant, immense pressure. Life’s natural laws, life conditions, and viewpoints are, as Buddha puts it, impermanent. “I Ching” says things change daily. They are the same Truth.
A couple was heading for divorce and asked me to referee. It had nothing to do with me. I didn’t want to get involved in marital issues, which are never clear. Besides, if they got back together, they would come after me together. So, I tried not to interfere as once they tire of fighting, they will stop. In Vancouver – where it would seem lots of horrible things happen – there was a couple in their 50s. The wife dragged her husband to me and told him to repent. Why repent to me? He hadn’t offended me but rather her. I asked her what happened. I knew the wife but wasn’t familiar with her husband. The husband had fallen in love with another. He kneeled before me, silent, head down. I told him to sit, but she said he’s not allowed to.
Then the waterworks started and the tissues came out. The wife asked the husband, “When you proposed, you said until the sea is dry and stone has turned to dust, right?” The husband said, “Yes, I said that.” “Then why did you change?” asked the wife. “I am still me. 30 or 300 years later, wherever I am, I am still the same. You heard wrong.” “I wasn’t talking about love. You interpreted that it was about love.” Huh… That is reasonable. “No wonder you have changed.” said the wife. “I changed a long time ago,” he said.
He said, “Master, she used to be gentle and virtuous, but since our two kids, she changed from a sheep into a wolf. I am afraid to go home after work when she is there.” Since she had kids, she feels she can act like a landlady who will evict for non-payment of rent. “I hand over my salary. Yet she still tortures me. With all I do, do I deserve to be yelled at every day? She used to be great. But now, I want to leave her. I haven’t changed. She is no longer the same person. Even if my everlasting promise was directed at her then, now she doesn’t deserve it.”
It was our first meeting. The husband said, “If you don’t believe me, try it.” I didn’t want to try anything. I also didn’t dare criticize the female practitioner. She had already used up several boxes of tissues that someone had stacked next to her. What a waste of tissues. Should have used a bottle to collect the tears and snot. Ladies cry more easily in difficult situations. Often, men think that ladies who cry must have suffered wrongdoings. Even policemen get tricked this way. Nothing is eternal, especially the heart.
Initially, she disciplined herself to not throw tantrums, offend or badmouth him. When they dated, they treated each other well and coddled each other. She acted like an angel. But 2 kids later, she decided not to restrain herself anymore. She was going to act like a wild wolf. If she had read about wolves, she would know that female wolves are very gentle towards their kids and husband. They are only brutal towards sheep. But the wife hurt everyone around her, especially her family. Her kid was afraid to go home. He went to school in Vancouver and asked me whether he could go to New York instead. “You are only in secondary school,” I said. “If you had a mom like mine, you would understand,” said her kid. That is an obvious problem. Why wasn’t she like this initially? She had a notion of self-restraint.
Want to learn the best trick to quickly stop family feuding? Want to learn? (Yes.) When a couple fights incessantly, an outside attack would unite them to repel the enemy. The moment peace reigns, the couple would be fighting again. You are all deep in thought, thinking about how to utilize this trick.
The world is impermanent, changing daily. Poverty and riches change just as all things in Nature change. Life and longevity change, just as personality and fate change.
Please examine and think about everything you heard, saw, smelled and felt today. Maybe you don’t have the wisdom to see the Truth of the matter, but remember from today that everything is changing.
What does Buddha teach us about wisdom? Our life fluctuates with the seasons. Wow, it is spring and buds appear on trees. You think “Wow, it is beautiful” and take a photo; then again 2 days later when flowers bloom, moms join the young girls to take photos. When fall colors arrive, even old ladies take photos. When winter arrives, no more photos as everyone’s left. You question the point of life, your feelings have turned to this.
Let me remind you of Buddha’s teachings by paraphrasing. See the world through cold eyes. Cold isn’t exactly right. More like with a calm heart. The realm of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, is the Cool and Pure Land. In Buddhist lore, he is the wisest being of all. Why is his realm the Cool and Pure Land? It tells us that what we see shouldn’t stir up emotion.
Spring buds do not warrant emotion. Nor should red blossoms or leaves turning red, although beautiful. Including the falling leaves and the bone chilling winds, these are all external phenomena that influence feelings and emotions. Letting it do so means we’re not the wisest. If an 80 year old were ecstatic to see spring buds, she would most likely be crazy. Most 80 year olds would be unmoved, thinking what is the big deal? Fall leaves fall. They will be back next year. Don’t worry.
So, an old granny sees her 30-year-old daughter-in-law get anxious over her newborn who just peed and is now kicking and crying. The old granny takes a nap, letting the baby cry since it is normal. The young mom is panicked at the baby peeing in the diaper as if it were a water tank explosion. The old granny says, “No need to panic. You know how I raised my sons? They peed whenever and wherever they wanted. Yet they are still exemplary people now.” After an entire life experience of raising kids, the old granny no longer reacted to babies peeing. In the context of a long life, this was trivial and not worth panicking over.
The young mom tells the granny that porridge is not nutritious enough. The doctor says the kid’s lacking in nutrients A, B, C, and D. Nobody knew about the nutrients A,B,C, and D in the past and yet we have all grown old. Why panic? Just let the kid play in the dirt. That is why when it rains, kids love playing in the mud. They absorb the nutrients they need, energy from Heaven, Earth, and Nature. The young mom is upset by how dirty and dripping in mud the kid gets his nice clothes. Are name-brand clothes more important than your kid? He is getting the nutrients he needs.
The young mom wants to buy supplements A, B, C, and D. It is all bogus. The old granny raised her kids on rice porridge and sweet potatoes. That is the natural way in life. A fragmented view says A, B, C, and D are needed. It is like a blind person saying an elephant is like a rope after feeling its nose. Another, grabs the leg and says the elephant is like a pillar. Fragmented views lead to the false conclusion that we are lacking in nutrients A, B, C, and D. If you are told this, let me tell you a trick. Go hoe your backyard and play in the mud. After a month of playing in the dirt, you will find that you are overnourished. Absorb nutrients through Nature.
After experiencing something many times, we are no longer surprised by it. This concept applies to our worries and pressures regarding paying rent, working, buying a nice car and sending kids to a good school. Let it all go. Raise your hand if you are worried about your kid. Hands down. Think of infertile couples. Let me tell you that my parents were most likely worried about me. They were likely very upset but dared not tell me.
Stop worrying. Kids will grow up naturally, like a boat straightening to the current. Life will naturally unfold from childhood to old age. In this teeming sea of humanity, you will be making choices along life’s road, compelled by the manifestation of karma from the past, including past lives. It has chosen your direction for you. Just stop worrying. Your worries are needless. The more you worry, perhaps the deeper your love, but loving deeply doesn’t make you right.
Take the young mom who fusses over the baby wetting his diaper. Meanwhile, the old granny takes a nap unperturbed as wet diapers are normal. If your kid is hyperactive and beats up a classmate, just think that his grandpa probably fought too. It is normal. Just don’t condone his fighting. If your kid is noisy, constantly singing, would you prefer that he were mute? You should understand the patterns I teach. As my student, it would be a pity not to. Once you understand, you will know that you are creating stress for yourself. It is self-deception.
The ancients said, “Mediocrity finds trouble when the world has none.” It is self-torture. If everything was going well in your family, you would fabricate trouble to feel alive and happy. That is for sure. To become enlightened, you must see the truth of the matter. Don’t cause trouble for no reason. Though difficult, learn to be as still as a stone before an avalanche on Mount Tai. When you experience great wealth and prosperity, but can still maintain a simple way of living, that is a truly high mental state. Wealthy but not extravagance; poor but not petty. It is difficult, but you must try your best to achieve this state. If you are cultivated and have a noble pursuit, no matter how poor, you will be lord of the world.
I am reminding you to not consciously look for worries since we create the dramas in our lives. Those stressed out about their mortgage, hands up; almost everyone. Simply put, does your family of 3 need a 3,000 sq ft house? If you moved into a 1,000 sq ft house, you would have no stress, right? If you can’t afford to buy a home, wouldn’t it be great to live in a tent in the best scenic spots? You find it demeaning but how many backpackers find that life glorious, right? Their transcendent state inspires them to travel around the world the way great men have done. But you feel demeaned when you set up your tent. That is a self-destructive and self-negating urge in your own mind.
Once you understand this, apply it to what is troubling you. Are you over what you are stuck on? You might be unfamiliar with this as you have always thought pressure came from the outside world. In reality, you are the one stressing yourself out by creating pressure. Have you noticed that when you are stressed, your kids aren’t even aware of it? Lao Zi says one must return to looking at the world with the mind of a child. I am not sure whether children are just super simple or they reflect the Truth of the world. They are not worried because they don’t understand the worry of a mortgage. So, no stress. Even in middle school, they are still not stressed though mom is super stressed. The kid waves goodbye to mom and heads out.
Where does the pressure come from? If you look inward, you will realize you created the pressure. This even includes heartbreak due to abandonment. How are you to blame when you are the one who has been left? Of course you are responsible. It is because of your looks, morals or behavior. Nobody abandons a treasure as if it were trash. At the very least, your partner discovered your trashy behavior. Sorry for being blunt. Many of you are thinking, “I will stop meditating! I am getting yelled at.” If you dare face the Truth, then ask yourself if you are a treasure, and if money and flattery fail to win you over, then who would dare abandon you?
A 38-year-old man, good-looking, 176 cm tall – about my height – came to see me. “Master, could you please help me get married? Why is it so difficult? Every relationship of mine fails. I have had countless dates. The relationships all end in a short while. What is wrong with my fate?” I feel that if he had had countless relationships, not one lasting more than 6 months, he must have a behavioral flaw that makes women reject him as a life partner.
So, I put down what I was doing and chatted with him about work and hobbies. When it came to hobbies, he was so talkative that he pressed my hand to stop me from speaking. “Master, don’t speak right now. Listen to me.” Everything was about him. When I surreptitiously asked him about what he did with the women he dated, he said, “We would meet at coffee shops or other places. I would take the initiative to pick up the bill. I would order coffee for her.” I asked, “Does she drink coffee?” He said, “I think black coffee is healthy. Fewer eggs and less meat and milk. Nothing wrong in that. So, I ordered black coffee for her since I was paying for it.”
I said, “You are really asking for it. You don’t even know how bad you are going to get it. Who can live with someone with OCD like you? You make decisions for others. What you think of as good, you force on others. You think you are the god of Truth?” Definitely not god. More like deranged. “Master, I am crazy?” “Sorry, my bad. All beings have illnesses.” “So, it is fine.” The severity of illnesses differ. If you force your likes upon new dates, you will scare them off.
If you order a salad and tell her that it’ll help her bowel movements, would she eat it? He continued by analyzing the bowel movements. I told him, “I can’t help you.” “What should I do then?” I said, “Practice for your future lives.” He can’t change his personality. He even compulsively tried to force this and that on me when chatting. He thinks he is the keeper of the Truth. That is the problem.
Look upon the world with a calm heart. Learn to determine the origin of your stress. Don’t create trouble for yourself.
When I was young, I lived with a poor family and didn’t have money to give them. There were no lights. We all sat in the yard under a bright moon in the clear night sky. Everyone got a bowl of very watery rice congee. I was 16 or 17 and thanked the old granny who made the congee. She was taken aback thinking I was being sarcastic and asked why I thanked her. I said, “The moon landed in my bowl thanks to your congee. ” The granny was so happy. She promised to keep letting me catch the moon in my bowl. She gave me a handful of sunflower seeds, which I ate all night. I was quite happy. Be at peace with whatever you encounter. That way, you will enjoy any situation. Otherwise, I would have complained about the watery congee.
But I was penniless, living with her family and eating the same thing as the family. What is there to be picky about? Even if you were a king or prince and fell into difficulty, you would still need to adapt to the lives of the family you are with. Be at peace with whatever you encounter. Though the circumstances are the same, you can adjust your emotions at any time. Like an SUV, it can handle all road conditions. No matter the bumps in the road, the passengers only experience stability. You should transcend and overcome afflictions and learn to adjust your mind and heart. If you have a good mental state, your afflictions and stress will be gone instantly.
Let me tell you another story. I was on the prairies, when this area of my right hand was stung by a poisonous prairie mosquito. The grasslands were vast and beautiful; there was a horse farm there. I lived there for more than a month. One day, 2 mosquitoes came after me. Have you seen mosquitoes with a spotted backside? Beware if you do. They stung me twice right next to each other. 2 days later, 2 soybean-sized white bumps appeared. A week later, it was very itchy but when I scratched it, out came yellow pus. I squeezed it to no avail. When it started itching, I was annoyed and uncomfortable.
The itching lasted for 10 years. Occasionally, when I was very tired, it would get itchy. I would want to scratch it but didn’t. Sometimes I would put tape on it so that I wouldn’t scratch it or touch it. One day, my master asked me whether it annoyed me. “No, I am not annoyed.” “Why not?” He asked. “Perhaps it is like a vaccine for smallpox. Maybe the mosquito is vaccinating me.” Master asked, “How could you not be annoyed by such torture?” I said, “My annoyance is limited to the itchiness. In my heart, I believe it helped me. So, I am more grateful rather than annoyed at the mosquito.” Master responded, “Not bad. It is better for you to be like this.”
Master rarely complimented me. By saying that, he was very satisfied. I didn’t hold anger and annoyance against the mosquito because of this 10-year itch. So even when I was very young, master told me to start teaching dharma. Many things will hurt you and make you suffer. I have encountered many such things. I tell you stories to which you react, “Wow, Master’s life is so amazing!” I am embarrassed to tell you of the silly things.
Once, I knocked on a stranger’s door at night. They had a stubborn Tibetan Mastiff who thought anyone but his master was a thief. The dog was black. It was pitch black as there were no streetlights. I couldn’t see its size but ran when I heard it chase me. The more I ran, the more the dog gave chase, finally biting me before running off. My whole leg went numb from the bite on my right ankle. I still have the teeth marks. If it weren’t for the dog bite, there had been no story afterwards.
My master wasn’t around. I was in great discomfort as I was afraid that I would die from the bite. I had heard of amputations, which scared me even more. I didn’t want to lose a leg. The dog’s owners introduced me to a Taoist. Those who knew me liked me. The dog owner was very sorry that their dog had bit me, a cute kid. So, the family invited a Taoist that they revered to come. In any case, they thought he would know some esoteric tricks. So they invited him to help me.
The old Taoist arrived unkempt. He had flowing robes and an air of immortality, also a runny nose. He was wearing a pair of canvas shoes so full of holes and breathable. Even the sole had 2 holes. Just great. Upon seeing me, he asked, “You were bit by the dog. Why didn’t you run?” I said, “He bit me because I did run.” He asked, “Did you see the dog’s color?” I responded, “In the moment I was bitten, I saw it was a black dog.”
The Taoist asked the dog owner to get some clean dirt from the backyard. He mixed it with well water and rubbed it in his hands until it was mud. The consistency was dense like the dough used to make noodles. He rubbed the mud on the bite. The old Taoist was quite fun and treated it like child’s play. I didn’t dare say anything. What if he really made miracles happen? So, he rubbed while chanting. He was adorable while chanting. His nose was still runny. I thought it was funny.
After rubbing for a while, he said, “See, the dog hair is half yellow and half black. It looks black but the inside layer is yellow. See these 2 dog hairs?” “Why didn’t I see the dog hairs on my leg?” I asked. He said, “The dog’s teeth had poison which entered the body as hairs.” Once I rub the hairs out, the poison is cured.” Dog hairs are long, different from human hair. It had 3 segments of color. Strange, right?
I thought he was very skilled and wanted to learn. The old Taoist said, “No, little kids can’t learn this. Besides, you’re a Buddhist and I am a Taoist.” I said, “Forget the rules. Just teach me. However much money you want, I will manage to get it.” He answered, “It is not about money. Well, you are a good kid. Come visit me at my monastery.” Thus we met and I did manage to get him to teach me the healing method.
Be at peace with all that you encounter. Transcend your troubles. Enjoy all that you experience in life.
So, Buddha talked about the feelings from our senses as applicable in meditation. First, learn to see the true cause or root of the issue, the source of the situation. Second, think about the consequence or effect, which has a long-lasting ripple effect. But try to think 3 steps ahead, like in the board game Go. Advanced players see 5 or 10 steps ahead so that the first moves determine the end. Only Buddha can see what you will be like in 800 years. We can’t. But I would like to remind you that we can think about not only immediate, but also long-term effects. What will happen next? We must contemplate this.
Some entrepreneurs are determined to add employees and products to their factory. Enterprising management doesn’t say that is the way. Sometimes, if you had known the end result, you would have kept your business small. When you don’t expand, it is yours to run as you wish, with products and a culture you like. So, you can decide not to expand and equate glory to size. Instead, you do things your way. A slight difference in approach makes all the difference. Usually, the bigger a business gets, the more likely it will burst like an over-inflated balloon. A small business is yours, but a large one belongs to society. You no longer have control.
As a family business, your wife, kids and brother have a say. You don’t have absolute control. Imagine if 1,000 investors bought into the business, do you think you would have any say? If you mismanaged money, you would be finished. 1,000 investors aside, even if it were just you and your brother after you are both married, how many years of partnership could you expect? No more than 3 years. 3 years, you are good; 5 years, you are enemies; 10 years, you would be mortal enemies.
The true nature of things and what you decide to pursue, are what decides the peace in your heart. This idea can be used on many things and situations, using it to help compare and contemplate. Once you get this concept, you can let go of things. Only then can you enter a samadhi-like meditative state. This is the best state for reaching enlightenment. Your practice will accelerate and your studies with me will not be wasted.
Otherwise, you chant and chant, while thinking of your grandma, grandpa, and the people you yelled at, etc. That is recalling memories while chanting. That is a beginner’s state. A more advanced state is no longer chanting consciously, it is more like a natural reflex. You enter a state of purity without any intentional thought. It is a state that transcends reality and imagination. That is a true meditative state. Only then are you close to reaching Dhyana-samadhi or a deep meditative state, close to reaching universal life-force and the origin of all. That is when you can attain great wisdom.
This state is the ultimate pursuit of many accomplished meditators. To reach this state, we need to let go of the feelings from our senses. Without today’s lecture and its resulting understanding, you will only ever be an amateur meditator. You will only be slightly better than someone who has never cultivated, but you won’t ever reach that compassionate and enlightened state. We must see past the feelings invoked through our 5 senses and our mind.
After listening to today’s lecture, when you experience the good, the bad, the joyful or the annoying, don’t blindly fall into emotional responses. That would be mundane indeed. Then you will never find liberation because you are fooled by mere manifestations. Some describe their circumstances as unfortunate, as if a cold wind has blown off all the leaves. There is a Chinese song “The leaves have turned yellow”. As if one can’t live on in this bleak world.
There are two types of non-hybrid wheat. One hasn’t experienced winter, which is planted in spring and harvested in fall. But the best tasting one is planted in fall and covered in snow for 3 months as a sprout. The frozen sprout appears dead in winter, but in April or May it grows again. This wheat is particularly chewy. Very tasty. Only by experiencing the cold can it become stronger. That is why I enjoy winter’s beauty.
Though beautifully bleak, the trees stand tall, proud and strong. That is why many describe a person’s character as a pine tree withstanding the cold. The plants and crops that can withstand the bitter cold will all turn beautiful. A flower I like, not sure of its name, blossoms in the snow in Canada, the US and Tibet. A little red blossom blooms, especially beautiful and eye-catching, as if it is saying, “I will blossom in the winter for you. See how strong I am.” It is amazing.
Blooms in the summer are commonplace because most flowers blossom in the warmth. Right? Others blossom when it is cold. Can you name one? (Plum blossoms.) Right. Plum blossoms bloom in the cold, and so do other flowers we aren’t aware of. Daffodils too. Chrysanthemums blossom in the fall, when it is relatively cold. There are too many. You can look it up online.
After understanding this concept, we will be more skillful when it comes to facing troubles and problems and the way we treat situations in the future becoming more in accordance to the truth. Then we will be closer to liberation. Even helping others towards liberation will become easier.
Learn to think through the long-term cause and effect of things. See through the pattern. Let go of the feelings from the senses. Only then can we enter the true state of meditation.
This hall is pure and calm now. Before the lecture, its energy and light were foggy and cloudy. Now, it is pure and calm. This means everyone understood my lecture. This way, your troubles will resolve themselves. This is the golden key to access the path to liberation. (Got it.) This lecture shall be called The Golden Key. (Got it.) Only after today’s teachings will you be able to start an enlightened and wise life. (Got it.)
Everyone remember Manjushri’s world is (the Cool and Pure Land.) Cool and Pure Land indeed. Unafflicted by emotions. Unfazed by emotions. Unmoved by emotions. Undisturbed by joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. You remain pure and peaceful inside. That is great wisdom. Naturally, there is no more affliction. So, this is the fundamental teaching of our self-cultivation and to enter an unimaginably profound state of samadhi and wisdom, a state of zero – the origin and source of the Universe. Until the day when our enlightenment is the same as that of Sakyamuni Buddha. Then we will know the Truth of the Universe. That is the ultimate goal of self-cultivation. Only then will we be able to enable ourselves and others to be at ease.
I hope all those with karmic affinity to study Buddhism will listen to this lecture. It is very important. Though not eloquent, I am able to teach you what I have realized so that you understand. Only then can you walk towards liberation. Meditation is vital but without today’s teaching, we will be confine by our hearts, plagued by our turbulent emotions and unable to find liberation. You were unable to recognize right and wrong and good and bad.
Now, you begin to understand. Take what you understood today and apply it to how you think. At home, don’t allow the natural events at home and work to take you backwards. Be very careful not to let office quarrels and the countless family clashes afflict you. You must learn to always assess the state of your body and mind. Have you been sucked back into the loop of being controlled by emotions, back to the state of an average person? Monitor yourselves at all times. Do you have a pure and serene heart and mind? Are you inhabiting the Cool and Pure Land?
In this Cool and Pure Land, you look upon the world calmly. Though you still use your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind to feel the world, you have gained lenses that help you see further, across time and space into the future, to detect the effect of your actions. With so many lenses of wisdom, you will be wiser, more far-thinking, and more far-sighted. Only then will your handling of issues be more in line with the Truth. You will be free and liberated, and be able to fundamentally help others.
Those present in this class, here and online, who have listened to this lecture, are truly fortuitous and fortunate. (Got it.) You have begun your journey on the path to enlightenment. Congratulations everyone. (Got it.)
Maintain a pure and peaceful heart and mind. Stay in the Cool and Pure Land. The golden key inspires an enlightened, wise life.