Progress in spiritual cultivation cannot be measured, and it must not be measured. There are no physical signs that one has made any attainment, though a subtle improvement in one’s attitude may be felt or observed. The Way to Purification is slow and long. Patience must be exercised, or it will be impossible to keep at it.
What kind of reward does one expect from practising goodness? If there is a desire for heavenly rewards, if there is any kind of bargaining for the effort expected, then there has been no cultivation. In such a case, the mind’s understanding will not be clear; it is only the building up of the Ego. It is the lowest level of cultivation—the pursuit of self-gratification. It is base, and it is ignoble!
16-May-1984 (1)

The purpose of life is to utilise the mind—to make it alert and wise, to polish away its stains, and to make it mirror-bright! Each day, spend time alone with yourself, with your mind, and relate yourself to your mind. This is a great exercise, a healthy exercise, one that will bring you the greatest wealth: the happy mind that is wise!
12-May-1984 (5)

Emotions must be rid of; empty yourself of all kinds of emotions that will lead to attachments. Follow the Way of the Buddha, walk the Path of Kuan Shih Yin, and be concerned with—but not immersed in—the problems of all. When you can do this, you will have a calm mind which will be beneficial to one and all, and this life will have been gainfully lived because others benefited from you. Do your part then; reach out to those who seek a hand of comfort.
That is the only way that one can learn. You too must learn your own life’s lessons and be ready to live for all. Let your heart be with the world; let there be no selfishness, but generosity. Om Sari Hum!
7-May-1984 (9)

Who is not afraid of suffering? Who looks for pain? Yet who are the ones who try to reduce suffering and pain? Each person has his own mind, his own cravings, and his own store of mental formations, which will determine the ripening and accumulation of karma. Each one knows the value of clean, righteous living—the beauty of a life which is free from anger, jealousy, and all kinds of negativity that lead to further gathering of bad karma, but does he accept such a righteous way of life?
For that, all beings who prefer to be in a state of stupidity must give way to their weak will and allow passions to rule their mind and life. They must therefore suffer and suffer painfully—painfully so that they may be awakened to the desire to escape from it permanently! Painfully not only felt by their own physical bodies, but by their mental faculties as well when they finally see the sufferings of humanity! Om Sari Hum!
7-May-1984 (8)

How can you help others unless you are fully committed to self-cleansing? Can anyone be expected to play this part unless chosen for this noble task—not by preference, but through one’s own past practices that have been noble and good? Not until one is pure will one truly be able to do the work of saving others; not until one is in the process of purifying oneself should one begin to think of leading others to freedom. Therefore, bring forth the spirit of cultivation. Learn from the experiences of life. Accept life’s varied situations as your own causes of awakening and never look backwards whenever you are tested. Om Sari Hum!
7-May-1984 (6)

Each day is an opportunity for self-improvement, yet how many people have the wisdom to improve themselves? Suffering must exist—not for the sake of causing pains to human beings, but to provide them with a means to seek a way out of suffering, the way to salvation!
The way to salvation is long and very difficult. It must be so; otherwise impurities would pervade the pure realms; therefore, it must be expected that only the Pure Ones will find salvation. To cleanse one’s body and mind is the true goal of life. It is not by water or any external agent that body and mind may be purified, but by righteousness and purity of intentions, thoughts, and deeds. It is achieved through love, compassion, kindness, understanding, self-sacrifice, and the perfection of all the virtues that lead to the attainment of Supreme Wisdom. When that is won, life is empty, everything is empty, and one becomes the Truth, transcending everything! Om Sari Hum!
7-May-1984 (5)

How often does someone who is struck down by a painful event cry out, “What have I done to deserve this?” How ignorant his mind, how foolish his words, and how sad it is to see that such a person has not had the great opportunity to learn the doctrines that could provide him with the answer. Yet, how common this scene is in life!
Look deeper and see what it is that you really want out of life, but look with wisdom, and be able to discard short-term gains, temporary gains, and selfish gains. Only when this practice is done seriously may the teachings of the good paths be appreciated and then cultivated. Never cry out at the slightest discomfort, never ask why you are not more fortunate than others, and never blame heaven for the plights that you are in.
12-May-1984 (3)

The qualities of each person's mind cannot be the same; one should never take for granted that others should have the “common sense” not to do this or to do that!
Refrain from having too many expectations in life. Take life as it comes, accepting rain and sunshine, and do not moan that your day is ruined by someone else. It is always oneself that is the cause of all problems in life. Choosing, discriminating, and preferring this over that—these are the very causes of unhappiness and failures in disciplinary practice. How can one ever be happy if so many things, people, and conditions of life are frowned upon? How can one hope to be given the best of everything in life?
12-May-1984 (2)

Blaming fate is the habit of those who have no Path or do not know the Teachings well enough. Many feel they deserve a much better life than the one they are having now. They do not recognise the meaning of life’s obstacles, which are caused by their past karma, by their own selves. No one is satisfied with the conditions they have—even the fortunate ones! How dull human beings can be! How sick are the thoughts of human beings! How desirous can a person be!
All such unreasonable expectations and daily pleadings for worldly rewards are far too many to be counted. They are the prayers of those who look up to the sky, who gaze at the holy images on the Altars, who seek God in their imaginations, and who are totally ignorant! Om Sari Hum!
7-May-1984 (3)

When times are bad, how do you feel? When cheerful times are present, is there time for cultivating seriously instead of spending time enjoying oneself? How many are really true to their aspirations? Weak human minds are plentiful, but what’s is the use of being a human only to possess such an ignorant mind?
Do not sit and hope for the best. Do not wish that this or that will come about just because of some prayers uttered. Move and see to it that the way is set for things to happen. Om Sari Hum!
7-May-1984 (2)

The aspirant of Bodhisattvahood must not fear death, nor be grieved by death, so as to be able to see that death is not an evil in itself, but a very natural law. The Buddha declared that all conditioned things are impermanent and that even He must die, so what more of lesser beings? Take life as it comes, and fill the mind with knowledge of the great many Truths that govern life; be ready to accept the realities of life and never be saddened by the thought of death. Understand well that the human body must wither, even as mountains will be levelled in time to come, but what happens after death is much more important than death itself!
30-Apr-1984 (2)

Requests for prayers and help will be plentiful, and advice at critical moments of life will be sought; their cries will fill your mind with grief, and tears may well up within your eyes! You will feel sad to hear of so much suffering, and you will rush forth to offer prayers, only to become depressed by the sights you have seen and the stories you have heard. Such is the training of one who seriously tries to walk My Path, who places the Bodhisattva Spirit in his heart, and will be ready to make himself available to the world. It will not be easy, but these kinds of situations are there not just to wake you up, develop your feelings and concern for others, or cause you to practise the Bodhisattva qualities, but more to put you on the Path by actually witnessing the truths of samsaric existence.
30-Apr-1984 (1)

Know the noble goal of life, live decently, and live happily and comfortably, according to what you have, and be content with life’s conditions. Earning a living is a necessity in life, and hoping to earn more to provide a better life for oneself and one's family is good and natural. But to make the pursuit of greedy wants as life’s goal in place of freedom from wants—that is the greatest harm that you can do to yourself.
Once you have found contentment, you should concentrate more on spiritual attainment rather than pursuing more material wealth, which will only draw you away from contentment. It will increase your cravings, causing the poisons of the mind to increase instead of being reduced.
21-Apr-1984 (1)

All kinds of thoughts will surely enter the minds of the suffering ones, but no amount of thinking can help lessen their pains or to prevent future pains from arising. Understanding the truth of cause and effect will help put one’s mind in the correct order so that suffering will be endured with patience. However, simply accepting suffering and enduring it with the understanding that it was caused by past karma is not enough; anyone can do that. More importantly, one should see the folly of this chain of suffering that will continue forever and ever until one awakens to the decision that an end to suffering must come, and that this should be the lifetime to pursue it!
7-Apr-1984 (4)

To remove anger from oneself, sincerity and perseverance are necessary before any real results can be felt. Discipline is also required, and time must be allowed for such practices. For the true cultivator who has realised this major fault, he must at once set about removing it from his mind. He must contemplate the evils of anger and the pains that inevitably follow.
However, introducing wholesome thoughts will have a positive effect on one’s mind, strengthening one’s motivation and causing one to become more aware of this fault. It will take time, which requires both patience and perseverance, to achieve positive results.
1-Apr-1984 (2)

I have shown the Way, and the Buddha has given the Way. You need only accept the challenge to adopt it within this lifetime; even though you may still feel quite helpless to give full help, wisdom has been gained, good seeds are being planted, and with patience, they will bring their Reward!
The way to develop the qualities that will certainly give you the ability to help others is to strive for bodhisattvahood. Only when you have succeeded will you be able to understand people—their attitudes, their tendencies, their delusions, and everything related to the people of the world, including why they are what they are today. All the mysteries of the world cannot be solved with a mind that is impure, nor by someone who is himself filled with mental obstructions. Become a Bodhisattva, and all such mysteries will become plain truths to you. Don’t you prefer to have this capability to understand the world as it is today?
22-Mar-1984 (4)

As you pray for the well-being of others, you must be able to feel their plights. Before you pray, always spend a few moments contemplating the sufferings of the world and shift your mind from self to others. Once compassion is felt, the recitations you make will become more meaningful and more purposeful.
Daily contemplate the sufferings of the world and stir your heart so that you are ready to do your bit to make this world a better place and this society a happier one as you walk boldly along the Path of Compassion!
13-Mar-1984 (4), 7-Apr-1984 (3)

A human life is like a bubble that can burst at any moment, even though the ending of a life is simply the cessation of inhaling and exhaling. Past karma, upon ripening, may be the cause of a severe illness; similarly, a good deed in the past can cause others to be concerned and to pray for a person’s well-being. Since past good and bad deeds are countless, one inevitably encounters all kinds of situations each day of one’s life. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot alter the karma of the past, but They can set in motion new causes through which people may benefit from them.
1-Apr-1984 (1)