OM MANI PADME HUM
(1) To be in a state of prayer is to be in a state of concentration. To be in a state of concentration is to be able to pray with single-mindedness so that vagrant thoughts do not surface and cause the mind to flounder, to lose its concentration, for even in prayers can the mind be immersed in all kinds of thoughts. This is a weak state of mind which must be corrected by the practice of mindfulness, awareness and meditation.
(2) To be in a state of prayer is to be able to hold the meaning of the prayers within; to be able to realise the meaning of the prayer; to be able to feel the response of the prayer; to be able to develop devotion to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Divinities whom you are praying to, and to be able to have true faith in the words that you are uttering.
(3) To be in a state of prayer, all sense of time and all sensations of the five senses must be removed so that you are truly immersed in your prayers.
(4) To pray even for your own self is a good habit, a good beginning and the journey has begun.
(5) To pray for the ones that you love will indicate that you are able to feel for others besides your own self. This is the beginning of the development of compassion through emotion.
(6) To pray for those you know, or are merely acquainted to you, is to have realised limited compassion which will stir your heart and set you on the way to the path of worship, of faith, of devotion, of selflessness and bodhisattvahood.
(7) To pray for strangers, for other beings apart from human, is to have gone into the true realm of compassion which is developed out of loving-kindness that has been developed.
(8) To be able to pray each day, with meaning, with faith, with devotion, with dedication, with concentration, with a mind which is set to work to set other beings free from suffering through good practices, the transferring of your merits, and the propagation of the Dharma to the lives of all those you come in contact with, is the sign of My true disciple. It therefore qualifies you to call Me your Teacher and I shall be your Guardian, Protector, Saviour as well as Teacher.
(9) To pray is to be in a state of cleansing of body, speech and mind, for the process of praying, the body commits no foul deeds, the words uttered are pure in nature and the mind, is immersed in deep concentration for the practice of compassion and wisdom. This state of being must be developed conscientiously daily and lived from moment to moment so that life then will become a state of prayer. Body and Speech actions will be much easier to control once the Mind has been calmed, subdued, conquered, and the very weapon to conquer the Mind is by fervent prayers which are recited with concentration.
(10) Praying must be treated with great reverence, must be done in all seriousness. If this is not so, then the ego will disturb the mind and consciousness will be felt, meaning will be robbed, dedication will disappear, and you will feel silly to be praying whether alone or in a group.
(11) Giving way to the mind will set you backward and you will lose the urge to pray for other and even for your loved ones, and then you will then be lazy to pray even for your own well-being. This, then, is the danger of a mind which is weak, which is filled with fleeting thoughts that can draw your attention away from your words of prayers. This then, is what you must watch!
(12) Therefore, to be able to reach Me, you will only need to develop your mind by getting free of worldly desires and unwholesome desires. You will need only to be able to feel that all beings are related to you, are part of your existence and therefore to see anyone in a state of suffering is to suffer yourself. This is the quality which is the passport to the Path of Bodhisattvahood.
(13) The mind, therefore, is the most important part of life which must be understood, must be controlled, must be cleansed, and must be pure. Only in this state can Wisdom arise, only in this state of wisdom may the other virtues of Giving, Morality, Patience, Vigour, and Meditation be perfected.
(14) There is need to discipline the mind which will require one of much discipline, effort and sacrifice. But to be able to free oneself from the shackles of Ignorance, the root cause of Greed, Aversion and Defilement, by the removal of the Hindrances of life through the practice of Loving-kindness and Wisdom, you are able to cut through the chains that bind you to eternal wheel of life and death and causing you to be free, to be another Being of Perfect Wisdom, is worth all the efforts, sacrifices, disciplines, etc. that needs to be practised.
(15) To be able to attain the goal of bodhisattvahood, is then the highest reward of all those who follow My path and I shall have yet another assistant to help in the alleviation of suffering beings in the world!
Friday, 25th March 1983 (2nd Moon 11th Day)