Feb 10, 2007 – Dharma Teaching

Good evening masters, senior reverends, reverends, and everyone.
 
We have just listened to Reverend Pi Yen talk about how we should not insult gods and ghosts.  Master Lian Wang also talked about his childhood and the relationship between a person and the mirror.  He talked about how finding the person in the mirror is similar to finding your own heart. You will never be able to find it. What he meant was that the reflection of the moon in the water is just like the reflection of you in the mirror.  Even though you can see its form clearly, you will never actually find it.

Let’s talk about how we should not insult gods and ghosts. This is very important, especially for spiritual cultivators.  Everyday when you are reciting the four immeasurable vows, you are chanting your own vows.  Vows are made under various occasions:  to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, initial refuge, ordination, accept Bodhisattva vows, or the five precepts.  However, if you break your vows, then you have insulted the god of precept, vow making god. Some people think that just because gods are invisible and untouchable to them that they can take their vows lightly and forget about the promises that they have made.  Even if you make a causal vow, the god of vow will still record the vow you made.  Thus, if you break your vow, then you have insulted the gods once again. If you are repenting often - when we repent, we are asking for forgiveness, promising to never repeat the same mistakes. However, if you are constantly repeating your mistakes, then what is the purpose of repenting everyday?  All these actions will still insult the gods.

In reality, a person can insult another easily, even without words - sometimes whether it is from one quick glare in the eye, slight movements with your hand and feet, or even behavioral jesters.  So unconsciously without speaking a word, these body languages would be noticeable to the individual and they would then be hurt.  You don’t even need to talk; all of this is shown through your body language. Thus, when your heart produces a thought, when you have insulted the gods and ghosts, they will try to obstruct you. When this happens, no matter how many homa offerings you are doing, how many times you are repenting, or how hard you are praying and begging, it will not help at all.  In reality you have already insulted them subconsciously so when you are asking for Grand Master Lu’s (Shi Zun’s) help, I am also pleading for you.  Of course when you insulted the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, they will always remain compassionate but the gods and spirits cannot be insulted.  Thus, if you want to receive help and support, then you want to make sure the gods and ghosts like you.  Once they like you, everything you do will be perfect and simple.  So, as spiritual cultivators, we must be careful and be sure to never insult the invisible gods and ghosts.

When we do things, we need to follow our heart and use our judgment to evaluate what we should or should not do.  Sometimes when you have insulted a person it may not be so bad. However, when you insulted the formless gods or ghosts, you can hide in the mountains or in the deep valley as it will not matter.  They can follow you wherever you go as they are formless (laughter)!  They can follow you non-stop.  Even when you are sleeping, they can still disturb you.  When you are awake, they can also disturb you.  They can disturb you in anything you do because they do not like you.  If you can let the gods and ghosts be pleased by you, then everything will go smoothly.  So when I said not to insult the gods and spirits, this is what I meant here.
 
Everyone needs to be careful about their vows, promises, and mantras that were made prior because you need to do your best to fulfill them. For spiritual cultivators, we need to try and fulfill everything. Although sometimes these cannot be fulfilled, we have to let the person feel balanced.  If you can likewise, let the gods or ghosts feel balanced and pleased with you, then you would be greatly benefited.

Now when we talk about ‘one moment’, do not haggle (mind) about things because all things are just “one moment” in time.  There is nothing worth haggling or resenting, as all are the same. Everything in this world is from discontent, revenge and greed in which it derives to disputes.  When you have too much greed, love, hate, anger, or ignorance, all of these will cause disputes.  Therefore, as spiritual cultivators, it is very important that we learn to be content as this is the main point.
 
As Master Lian Wang talked about his childhood, my childhood situation is just the opposite of his.  His conditions (Chinese: jing kuang) were good because his name is Zhang Jing Kuang!  So that is why “jing kuang” was so good. (The word Jing Kuang means environment thus the sound to his name was symbolic to his childhood situation).  My fate was pitiful and was the complete opposite when compared with Master Lian Wang’s.  But that was only for a moment; that time has passed, so there is no need to talk about it or fuss over it.  I actually thought of writing about the secret of my birth.  Then again, I felt that there was not much to write about.  Everything is in the past.  My mother has passed away, and my father is no longer healthy.  If I were to write it, is it to gain sympathy from other people?  In fact, there is nothing to gain from it.  I no longer harbor any resentment about my past or my childhood.  We often watch on TV about how some kids are being abused by their parents, or some elderly abusing the younger generation.  Those are all just phenomena of the moment.  Thus,  I did not have a good childhood, while that Jing Kuang (Master Lian Wang) had a great one (laugh). Even though I have a lot of painful memories of my childhood, they were only phenomena of the moment and are now nonexistent.  I think that Master Lian Wang is too fortunate; we should give him a little more challenges.  If he doesn’t understand human suffering, what is the point of cultivating? (laugh)  Isn’t that true? After graduating from college, he was very lucky as he became a monk.  People may have used stronger words with him, but they did not hit him or kick him.  If you were the senator in Taiwan, you may even get hit! (laughter from crowd)  He has always lived in a very good and happy environment and is the truth.  

Master Lian Wang also talked about a person looking into the mirror.  We have mirror in this modern world.  In the ancient times, we can only see ourselves in the water.  Otherwise, one has to polish a copper surface till it’s shiny, in order to use the copper as a mirror.  Your reflection in the mirror is not the real you, but it already shows a part of you.  At the same time, there is also a formless version of you in the heavens.  Thus, the mirror is a dharma reflection in which it combines you in the mirror, you in the inner side, and you in the heavens.  The one residing in heaven is which one of you then? It is Yidam, the personal deity in your spiritual practice.  Your spiritual practice’s personal deity resides in the heavens.  When you look at the mirror, it is only your reflection then, but when you look in the mirror’s inner side is when you are merged with your personal deity.  Then, your own physical body will enter the mirror to be unified with the personal deity that lies within.  This is the unification of three bodies in which personal deity is defined as the dharma practice of the mirror in Tantrayna.  It is the inner-side of the mirror, heavenly, and you in the mirror as they are combined as this is one of the six great attainments of Tantrayana.

As you are looking in the mirror, transform the inner-side to be Western Paradise since  Amithaba Buddha resides in Western Paradise.   Slowly you enter into the mirror’s inner-side and enter Western Paradise and unite with Amithaba Buddha.  In that moment, you have also become your personal deity so that you can be delivered to Western Paradise.  This is how you train your thoughts. 

I feel the worldly materials are impermanence.  Likewise when seeking your mind, this is what the Buddha has taught us as we should view everything in this world as a dream, as an illusion, as a phenomenon of a moment.  This teaching contains a very important meaning. What Buddha Sakyamuni taught us, for example in the Diamond Sutra is exactly this: Everything is just like a dream, like a flash of light.  To understand this is to generate great and limitless wisdom.  Gaining this wisdom is like gaining the wisdom of Sakyamuni Buddha.  If you understand this teaching and know how to let go, then you will not cling to the belief that your body is yours and I don’t believe that this house is mine, or that this temple is mine.

Shi Zun’s tantric quarter is now being used and managed by the True Buddha Foundation (TBF).  Certain reverends are in charge as this is also the correspondence center for the Seattle Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple.  Of course the quarter was built by Shi Zun but it is now being used by the True Buddha Foundation members and reverends to do their office works.  I, personally, do not live there and we don’t ask for rent from the TBF or Seattle temple’s reverends (audience laughs).  It is complimentary as all of it is completely free.  If we think about it from another perspective, we should be very happy that the tantric quarter is being used by the TBF and the reverends.  The tantric quarter is taken care of and we should be thankful that they do not ask us for management fee. They could have asked Shi Zun and Shi Mu for management fees, common area cleaning fees, and maybe maintenance fee.  Actually, they do sometimes ask us for the maintenance fees (laughter from crowd).

Rainbow Villas is the same, uh! Shi Zun would only go there once in a while and when I was in retreat these five, six years, I did not live there.  The villa is managed by Master Lian Ying, other reverends and some practitioners. Master Lian Ying has stayed there for fifteen years already!  The total amount of time Shi Zun stayed there is probably not even half a year and Master Lian Ying has lived there for 15 years.  Thinking about it, I built that house too.  Most of the money came from me, of course with the help of some disciples.  Then again, my money is the offerings from disciples too.  After it was built, then it is for them to live in it. Then, there is the homa hall for fire offering which cost almost $400,000 to build and it is built for Master Lian Ying to do fire offerings.  We do pay for the property tax and insurance as we have paid 15 years of taxes and they have lived there for 15 years (laughter from crowd).   If Master Lian Ying opened his mouth and asked for management fee and maintenance fees, like when the tiles were blown away during the wind storm or to fix the furnace etc.  Please, help me pay for that! (laughing)  He had actually found some generous people who were willing to support the villa with the maintenance costs, instead of asking from me.  I think that is very good that he did not ask me for management or maintenance fees. This way, I do not have to worry about it.

I think that because we are spiritual cultivators, everything that we spiritual cultivators possess will ultimately be returned to the great earth. Our body will return to the soil, all houses will be returned to earth.  We should maintain our purity in the heart and mind in which we will return to our origin along with returning to where we came from.  So, what belongs to you? I have often said this: there is nothing that belongs to you.  Everything is just temporary; it only belongs to you for a short period of time.  Take my watch, for example.  People like to criticize it, so I changed it to another one (audience laughter).  This new one is also very fancy and shiny.  Only when I wear it does it belong to me but if I just place it elsewhere and not wear it, then it is not related to me in any way.  When there is a place for you to lay-down then the place belongs to youhave to return it to someone else.

Once you have reached the level of being selfless is when you wouldn’t care about these things. There is no love, no hate, no relationships, no revenge, no envy, no jealousy, no greed, no spouses, no children, and no grandchildren because eventually these will be gone in the future. Once you have this mind set that things do not belong to you then you will be at true-peace.  The other day, the Director of Broadcasting Corporation came to me and said that I should sue the other TV station.  I replied to him saying I do not have the time or the heart to do that. My heart is thoroughly at ease and at peace.  It does not matter how they slandered me. “No Problem!  I don’t care!”  I don’t care about all those things. I only care about the purity of my mind and my heart.

I hope that all of us will only inquire about your own self if your mind and heart has been purified and set aside what other people say. Once your heart and mind is pure is when everything will be pure. If your heart is not pure, you will see the negatives everywhere.  I hope that all of us learn the spirit of Buddha and purify our hearts to treat others sincerely.  Om Mani Padme Hum.