Thoughts on Purity of Mind

• What is the difference between ordinary people and Bodhisattvas?  Bodhisattvas correct their faults every day until they become Buddhas.  Ordinary people do not yet realize their faults.

• Deep concentration is not being attached to external forms.  It is to remain in stillness and serenity.

• We all want to accumulate merits and virtues. Giving is to cultivate them and patience is to keep them. If we are not patient but give rise to resentment and anger we will constantly be burning up our merits and virtues.

• Our mind needs to remain in serenity.  Our body needs to continue in movement.

• To go along with our true nature, we need to give up trying to control and dominate others.  Then our purity of mind will increase and our afflictions will decrease.

• To be pure and tranquil is not to be separated from all phenomena, it is to not be attached to all phenomena.

• Purity and calmness are the greatest enjoyment of the mind pure.  Where do we start?  First, let go of selfishness, let go of thoughts of controlling others.  All sentient beings have thoughts on controlling others, our environment and infinite objects.  These wandering and discriminating thoughts and attachments block our purity of mind.

• Why is it called the Pure Land?  Because it reflects the qualities of all who live there; kindness, gentleness and purity.

 ~ Based on the teachings of Venerable Master Chin Kung



Curbing Bad Language

A few days ago we were watching a short documentary on Mr. Li Bingnan, one of Venerable Master Chin Kung’s teachers. In the documentary, several of Mr. Li’s students, now in their seventies and eighties, were being interviewed.

One gentleman recounted how he had once spoken to Mr. Li about the Buddhists he, the gentleman, saw who chanted “Amituofo” but whose behavior was far from exemplary. He asked Mr. Li if he didn’t have the urge to criticize these less than stellar Buddhists.

Pausing for just a second, Mr. Li had replied that at least while they were chanting, they weren’t using bad language. The gentleman telling this story laughed as did we who were watching the documentary.

Mr. Li's gentle, but very good reply underlines the reality that chanting "Amituofo" can benefit us on many levels. Ideally, it can enable us to be reborn in the Pure Land to transcend suffering.

At the least, it can keep us from saying words we should not speak.

Isn't it Enough to be a Bodhisattva?

Question: Is it really necessary to attain Buddhahood? Won’t it be enough to become a Bodhisattva?”

Ven. Master Chin Kung's response: Although a Bodhisattva can help beings, he is unable to help a Bodhisattva who is of an equal or a higher attainment. For example, an Equal-enlightenment Bodhisattva cannot help another Equal-enlightenment Bodhisattva. However, a Buddha can help them as well as all others.

Therefore, only when we attain Buddhahood, can we perfectly help all beings in the universe. With such a vow, we can generate the great compassion to help others, to be diligent in severing our afflictions and mastering all methods. 

Yoo Hoooo Debbie!

Recently, I received an email from Debbie asking "I am writing for the enquiry about an access to the transcriptions of . . . speeches conducted by Teacher Wuling. Would that it be possible to download the scripts from this website? Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you."

Debbie, I have tried to answer your question from a few different email addresses at different times, but each time the email has come back as 'undeliverable-no such email address.' Hmmm. This is not the first time this has happened, so I'm trying to come up with a fall back system.

This is it!

Please feel free to download any of my talks, books etc., here, at Amitabha Buddhist Retreat Centre or at Amitabha Gallery. This goes for anyone, not just Debbie. :-)

While my books are copyrighted, I use the phrase "Some rights reserved" instead of the usual "All rights reserved." The reason for my copyright is to legally prohibit anyone from modifying the materials. (I get very cranky when I spend weeks looking for just the right photo for the cover and someone decides to reprint the book and change the cover without asking me first. ;-))

A Heart's Burden

Question: I work in the field.  Most often in bad areas where dogs are abandoned, hurting and abused.  Today I found one who's pelvis had been broken and her little leg.  There is no telling how long she'd been this way, how many people had passed her by.  I had to put her to sleep which has hurt me so much all day.

Please help me to understand why people do this.....why they would let this poor little dog suffer like this, living on the street unable to walk.  I carry each of these homeless and neglected animals with me and they stay in my head burdening my heart and mind with horrible sorrow.  I cannot let them go.

Response:  It is terrible how people can be cruel to animals or simply uncaring when they suffer. What you did for that poor dog was truly compassionate, wanting to alleviate the suffering of others, even though it caused your own suffering.

You asked how this can happen. Obviously there are people whose thinking is so disturbed that they need to hurt others. Then there are those who, unlike you, do not have the courage to become involved. Or perhaps who feel that they do not have the time. I imagine there are many different reasons, but they come down to people being in too much pain themselves to be able to take on the suffering of others. And so they inflict pain or block it out.

You do not block the animals suffering and thus you take on their suffering. But once you have helped, you need to let go or it will haunt you and, as you said, stay with you. May I suggest trying a small ceremony. Light a candle or incense and say something meaningful as a wish for the animals happiness. A Pure Land Buddhist, for example, could chant "Amituofo."

Then speak to the animal, saying it is time to move on to the next birth and that your wishes are for it to have a better next life. Than, knowing that you have helped the animal physically and spiritually, you may be better able to "let go."