Quote of The Day (181)
This section contains short teachings extracted from the messages that Sifu Kuan Ming received over the years, since 1979. The quotes contained herein are a collection of the daily quotes for your contemplation.
Call upon Namo Kuan Shih Yin to be your guide. Stretch out your hands for help, and set aside all forms of pride that bind you to your illusions. Calling Kuan Shih Yin for help is to declare that you are ready for a change in your lifestyle. You must be prepared to be moulded, and your mind must be subject to cleansing.
When you are true and sincere, you will not waste a single moment of life entertaining thoughts that are harmful to yourself or to others. You are walking the Path of Compassion and Mercy, so that even the mosquitoes and cockroaches will cease to be pests you enjoy killing. When this state is attained, you will be ready for greater tasks, and any act of brutality will cause pain within your heart.
You will no longer miss loud company, and you will be content with whatever you have, for the greatest treasure in life will be the ability to think and act like Kuan Yin.
15-Feb-1984 (5)
Many Paths have you tried in the past, yet none have brought real success; that is why you are still within the rounds of existence. I now give you a new Path—one you have not walked before—one that gives you new meaning, new experience, and new hope. It is entirely up to you to take up this Path that I have walked, the Path that many before you have followed and from which they have reaped their rewards. I give you the Bodhisattva Path, which leads you to Nirvana!
8-Jan-1982 (2)
Each time you visit a temple or place of worship, a small bunch of flowers is an ideal offering to add fragrance and beauty to the altars where the most revered images of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas sit. Your flowers remind you that you come with a fresh mind and a beautiful motive of worship, and the next time you come, you will not find your flowers there anymore. This should remind you that spiritual cultivation is like that. Very often you begin with great and noble intentions, but after a short period of time, all is forgotten, and your motivations too are subject to decay—just like the flowers.
15-Feb-1984 (3)
Relax, Rest, and Recharge
In whatever form of action that you do—whether physical or mental—energy is used up. Even allowing your mind to drift into a stream of useless thoughts that keep you half-awake will drain your energy.
Learn to relax, learn to set the mind free, and learn to sleep well so that your body is recharged with energy vital for good health. A tired mind is one of the leading causes of ill health. You will notice that most people who fall sick either do not sleep well or were not sleeping well before their illness arose.
13-Feb-1984 (2)
Let this year be one of learning and gaining wisdom. Avoid useless emotions that cloud the clarity of mind. Look at life squarely and act with vigour in all that must be done, while holding noble motivations. The period of questioning has lasted long enough; set aside intellectual arguments and still the waves of the mind so that awakening may arise.
11-Feb-1984 (6)
Prepare your mind for longer sitting from now on. There is no quick result. How many lifetimes have you lived? Since you are now on the Path of Self-Improvement and Path of Kindliness, be ready to learn without haste, as life’s deeper experiences do not come quickly. It is not necessarily true that only religious practitioners can perfect themselves, though with the right guidance in a wholesome environment, your progress may come sooner.
11-Feb-1984 (5)
When the mind is steady, the afflictions of greed, anger, lust, envy, jealousy, and stupidity will not cloud your mind or cause you to act against yourself and cause harm to your character. Each day should be spent in deep contemplation of these afflictions, for they are poisons to life. Watch the arising of each poison and observe how it affects your body and mind—paying close attention to your emotions and sensations. With patience and the right attitude, you must patiently correct these negativities of life, and that is the essence of cultivation!
11-Feb-1984 (4)
Life should be lived without too many complications. It should be lived in accordance with the conditions that you are subjected to. There is no way to live happily when you are not in harmony with your environment. The wise person knows how to accept and wait patiently for conditions to change—and they will change. In the meantime, he lives with life and not against it, avoiding conflict and refraining from generating ill-will that harms both happiness and appreciation of life’s opportunities.
11-Feb-1984 (3)
While praying for long periods is an attainment, the ability to develop all wholesome qualities is an even greater attainment. Therefore, the purpose of life is to cultivate the right and loving attributes that mould you into someone who is respected and cherished, free from quarrelsome tendencies. This moulding of the character is a kind of inner evolution which the self undergoes. It is a purifying process that elevates one to higher and higher levels of existence until one's true nature reveals itself.
11-Feb-1984 (2)
Having a good nature helps to make one a pleasant person to all. Offering a genuine smile gives others a feeling of friendship. Showing patience with a smile that reflects a gentle nature is one of the finest characteristics a person can cultivate. Furthermore, incorporating generosity and selflessness into your character, you begin to understand what it means to abide in equanimity.
11-Feb-1984 (1)
The disciple of Kuan Shih Yin must not be weak; must not hope and wish only for the easy way of practice. The harder the task, the better the opportunity to improve your spiritual strength, and more unwholesome roots will be removed through such challenges. Bodhisattvas must go through all kinds of experiences in order to understand their root causes, so that you will fear them when you are put into a situation to act foolishly.
This is the year of learning; this is the year of going through unfamiliar experiences so that you may step onto new grounds. Tread carefully and do not rush to conclusions, for outward appearances easily deceive many. Use wisdom, be patient with yourself and with others, and make worship meaningful. 2-Feb-1984 (10)
You must understand well the meaning of suffering through your own experiences so that others’ sufferings are not meaningless to you. Your own sufferings and their causes must first be understood with wisdom. When the day comes that you are put to test, you should not lament like the ignorant ones and wonder why such pain has come to you. You must understand the past causes that you have planted which must bear fruit one day, and you must patiently endure the effects of your own actions, understanding that suffering—rightly understood—can bring an end to suffering. 2-Feb-1984 (9)
When you are able to place your palms together, to bow before the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and to call the name of Namo Kuan Shih Yin P’usa, you are already engaging in the practice of reducing your past bad karma and earning the right to cultivate the Path. Each time you see an image of the Buddha, you gain merit. Each time you place your clasped hands upon your forehead or the crown, you show respect and practise humility—qualities that help create better circumstances and more favourable conditions for your cultivation.
2-Feb-1984 (8)
Everything that happens to your life carries a hidden meaning and a benefit for you, but only if you are able to see it. This is the time for all to sincerely correct their own weaknesses, and none should hold any wrong or negative views of others, even if others hold such views towards them.
Do not see the world with worldly eyes only; do not just be any other person but be one who, having gained some knowledge of the truths of life, chooses to pursue the true goal of liberation.
2-Feb-1984 (7)
My devotees’ prayers need not be lengthy or impressively delivered; they should be to the point, short, concise, and sincere. If they are able to be such, the moment they begin, I shall be there. I shall cause them to learn to be patient, to be kind, and to be wise, so that they will find Me within their own natures. Then, they will realise that I have been with them for a long, long time, and that they only need to realise My presence with them for Me to be there. And then, they will move to a new level of understanding—that all things arise from the mind. Even Kuan Yin arises from their minds, and so they will begin to walk the Path that has always been within them. They will no longer think only of themselves, for their Kuan Yin minds will have opened.
9-Sep-1982 (3)
To pray to Me is to be with Me; to be with Me is to represent Me, and to represent Me is to display your Kuan Yin Spirit. To pray to Me, it must be from the heart; it must be unhurried, it must be meaningful, and the prayers must first of all move your own hearts before they can move Mine.
9-Sep-1982 (2)
To all who come to worship Me, it is not your offerings and prayers that I want, but your pure hearts. You are required to be truthful towards life; to be considerate towards others; to be gentle and kind, so that there is no hate or envy, greed or pride, but just the simple person who lives naturally and in harmony with others, and to be able to understand and forgive those who do you harm.
9-Sep-1982 (1)
When a person is ready to sit, he is on the road to self-improvement, progressing from the small-self to the greater-self, and eventually to the non-self. The cushion then becomes his or her best friend. With right effort, it can be transformed into a seat of wisdom. When a person has attained wisdom, he becomes grateful to life, to all living beings, and to the teachings that the Buddha has revealed. Then he is ready to serve the world with his whole heart.
27-Dec-1988 (4)
The world cannot be changed by wishful thinking. It is easier to change oneself than to hope for the world to change. In truth, the world does not need any change at all. It has given itself unselfishly to all who dwell within it. Only the minds of human beings need to be changed.
Those who are happy will find the world is a beautiful place to live in, that it is alive and bursting with offerings. Those who are unhappy see the world with dread and fill their hearts with despair.
It is the mental states of individuals that make the world appear as it does. Therefore, it is the duty of each being to contribute towards making this world a happy realm for all its creatures.
27-Dec-1988 (2)
Time must be spent beneficially to cultivate and improve the mind. It all begins with keeping the precepts. The fundamental principles of Buddhism must be adhered to daily. Precept-keeping should be followed as strictly as possible otherwise it will be difficult to attain the calm mind necessary for contemplation or meditation.
Without experiencing samadhi in meditative practice, it will not be possible to experience insight into the truths of life. The entire practice is directed towards helping oneself to become an unselfish and caring person.
Spiritual practice does not need to be very complicated. As long as one’s mind is focused on cherishing others, one has lived well, and peace of mind will naturally follow.
27-Dec-1988 (1)
The way to progress spiritually is to be comfortable and independent in learning what life is truly about without making excuses. Spiritual practice requires the ability to endure all kinds of failures and to learn from them with a strong heart. It means being untroubled by setbacks and ready to pursue the Path again after contemplation.
2-Feb-1984 (6)
When one is introduced to the practice of kindliness, one is fortunate if one can uphold it. Those of you who are able to pray for others and to help others should do so very willingly, for you are the fortunate ones who are giving rather than receiving.
2-Feb-1984 (5)
The days of prayer and worship are now and in the immediate future. There is much for all to pray for, whether they stand at an advantageous point in life or not. This is not a golden age in which blessings are easily obtained; it is the age of despair for the great majority of beings. It is an age of worldly abundance and wants; an age of tears to those who lack the benefit of knowledge and faith. Only a limited few will live with sound knowledge and without many fears and sufferings.
2-Feb-1984 (4)
There must be continual effort in improving oneself and purifying one’s heart throughout every moment of the day. It is not just about accepting the good and bad that happen to you. More than that, one must be able to show strength in times of pain and disappointment without gritting one’s teeth and secretly yearning for immediate help. There must be no artificiality at all, but rather the true understanding that since all things and situations are impermanent, one must be able to patiently endure bad times until they are over. Only when this is done can suffering become meaningful and appreciated, ensuring that one is no longer careless with one’s life at any moment. Having suffered and understood what suffering is, a valuable lesson is learned, awakening a yearning to be free from this world or any other realms where suffering exists. One becomes determined to abandon Samsara and is willing to go through strict discipline to live fruitfully and beneficially. The idea of selfishness fades, and the importance of self is no longer stressed.
2-Feb-1984 (3)
People are ruled by habits and emotions; therefore, not many will have the ability to understand the meaning of life. Thus, their engagement in religious practices is often limited to moments when they have problems which they cannot solve. Again and again, this is how each being has behaved and witnessed by others, yet nothing truly beneficial arises from it. Those who hope to gain faith must hold nobler objectives than just thinking well of others or wishing to live a life free of causing harm to themselves and others.
2-Feb-1984 (1)
You must remain strong in mind and constant in practice, lest you fall backwards due to dark forces. Charge yourself with the brilliance of the Light of Love and fortify yourself with daily practice of morality so that their negative energies will not overpower you and cause you to be under their influence.
30-Jan-1984 (3)
Good Character
Life will always be wonderful and fruitful when one has developed a good character. A good character is like the Jewel of Life. It helps one to appreciate and cultivate divine qualities and to avoid unwholesome actions. It is difficult to develop a good character, and that is why it is referred to as a jewel of human life. Human life itself is the result of countless good deeds and should therefore be cherished as a jewel as well. Yet until this jewel is polished by good character, it cannot reveal its true worth.
13-Dec-1988 (2)
Things unfold according to the conditions that arise, and how a person is affected by them depends entirely on their own karma. Instead of fearing what lies ahead, why not start preparing for the future now? Live in ways that promote wholesome actions; live in ways that improve and refine the character. When this is done, only good will naturally follow. Since the present reflects the past, and the present shapes the future, one is fully capable of guiding one’s own destiny.
13-Dec-1988 (1)
Most people do not accept the changes that arise in life and thus make themselves miserable whenever change occurs. How wise is the person who understands Impermanence; how fortunate is the one who walks the Path of Knowledge, abandoning wrong views and superstitions; How calm is the mind of the person who practises the teachings, accepting all changes as challenges and opportunities for experiential learning, from which wisdom may be gained.
27-Feb-1984 (1)
Each night before you retire, contemplate once more the day’s activities. When a day has been especially difficult, look into the causes. Reflect on your behaviour and actions rather than how you fare in your accumulation of material wealth. When you maintain a calm mind, you will find greater success in life. That is how people receive the rewards of material wealth when they pray to Me for it. However, I want you to know there is no need to acquire so much earthly wealth, as it must be returned to the earth someday.
21-Aug-1982 (2)
When the mind is pure, there is peace and serenity. Pureness of mind is what every being wishes for, but only a few will go about attaining it. It is not developed out of intellectual understanding of it. It must be felt through the various practices of purification of the heart.
31-Mar-1986 (1)