Quote of The Day (182)
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.
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)
Follow the Noble Eightfold Path as taught by the Buddha. Keep the precepts, which bring no harm to any being. Be full of love and understanding for the others and learn to forgive them just as you so often forgive yourself for your own wrongdoings. As long as you live rightly and your conduct benefits others, you are my true child, and your worship in Me is true and sincere.
21-Aug-1982 (1)
Happy Wesak Day!
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma-Sambuddhassa (3x)
Cultivate the Way to cleanse your mind of all the defilements and to get rid of all the evils of the body, speech, and mind. Choose to live a life that is virtuous and wholesome, which does not bring pain or harm to any beings.
21-Jul-1982 (1)
The true power of prayers depends not solely on the number of people reciting, but also on the clarity of their minds and the purity of their motivation. Remember that true cultivation is to be done alone, so that you set the pace of your own practice. However, whenever prayers are recited together, the most important thing to bear in mind is that this offering benefits others as well as oneself. Therefore, everyone must learn to stay in tune and pray harmoniously, ensuring that no one becomes a distraction. When the rhythm is unified, the power of the vibrations will be felt, bringing beneficial effects to all who are present.
22-Aug-1984 (1)
You who have learned to sit and pray, kneel and bow—who have cultivated loving-kindness and compassion, and called upon the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas—are the fortunate ones already treading within the Path, a Path that is pure, good, and righteous. Do not turn away from it; stay the course, no matter how difficult it may be.
15-Feb-1984 (2)
Let wisdom arise within you, and learn to see the world as a kind of illusion; in doing so, your attachment to pleasant things will diminish, for all things are impermanent, ultimately empty, and devoid of self. If this is difficult for you to accept, look back upon your own life: how long did each moment of happiness truly last? And throughout your lifetime, how many great and wealthy men have lost their power and fortune? Where are the great ones who once walked this earth? Guide your mind toward such reflections, and you will understand the true meaning of impermanence. Then detachment will be easier to practise.
15-Feb-1984 (1)
Nothing on earth is truly ugly; all that exists is, in its essence, beautiful. Forms can be deceiving, and only those who have impure minds will see things as they seem to be. Only those who have developed their inner natures will understand that within what seems ugly lies the beauty of existence.
All existence is Truth, and Truth cannot be ugly. Learn, then, not to be put off by what appears ugly at first glance, for once you take the trouble to seek what is within such forms, you will find the true beauty. It is good then for you to associate with persons and things that seem unpleasant, for they become lessons for you to learn. Only when you can find the beauty within do you uncover the treasure. This is the reason for chanting the Mani Prayer.
8-Aug-1982 (3)
To be My devotee is to be My disciple; and to be My disciple is to live a life of love and compassion, grounded in virtue and wisdom. To be My disciple is to receive peace of mind, and to be My disciple is to be one who is helpful to all beings. To embody the Kuan Yin nature is to see no ugliness in this world, for it is easy to deceive oneself by outward appearances that seem ugly when their true nature is pure and beautiful.
8-Aug-1982 (2)
It is to be expected that all who come will one day reach a full understanding of what compassion truly is. Such understanding is both a form of mental development and a kind of spiritual awakening for anyone who makes effort to seek Me. To seek Me is not merely to pray to Me; it is something far deeper. It requires one to realise their pure nature, their true self—the essence that which has been within them since the beginning. It is love. It is all.
8-Aug-1982 (1)
Change your view of the act of praying. Drop all ideas of expectation, and you will find that the mind relaxes easily. You will then naturally enter a state of quiet satisfaction, for your prayers will no longer be selfish in nature, no longer testing in nature, and no longer impure in nature. To arrive at a clean and pure state of mind should be the goal of your worship. (D-820719-3)
When you pray, setting aside all expectations will help your mind settle into calmness. Many people hope for a lot of things to happen, simply because they have put effort into praying; yet most eventually end up frustrated and disappointed. This is a natural consequence. Until they learn to understand this and let go of such expectations, they will continue to pray with mixed motives. Be pure in mind. Entertain no fantasies, and pray not for your own gain, but for the sake of generating merits for other beings. (D-820719-2, 820610-1-1)
There is every need to practise chanting devotional prayers so that all wandering thoughts may be removed. A pure and calm mind will arise when you apply such prayers whenever you find yourself battling with all kinds of wandering thoughts.
Cultivate the habit of using your idle time for devotional prayers, which are pure in nature. Pure in nature means that your thought becomes a true prayer—one directed towards the well‑being of others. To understand the bliss of devotional prayers, you must be able to feel deeply, so that both happiness and sadness are felt. When you pray, pray wholeheartedly and mindfully to the Divine, to the depth that you feel all the senses. That is how it should be. (D-820712-2)
Devotional prayers are necessary to inspire faith and to bring forth the feeling of love and mercy. Devotional prayers are also a means to help the mind develop concentration, achieve one-pointedness, and attain a state of samadhi.
Dedicate this life of yours to devotional prayers, for it is one of the foremost Dharma Doors. It is through this Path that you have come into contact with Me, and it will be through this same means that you will attain much more. (D-820712-1)
The best state of mind is one that is joyful and relaxed. When the mind is relaxed, it is easy to enter a contemplative state. The happy feeling arises and flows forth to others, and even the most miserable people will feel uplifted just by seeing such a kind and joyful face. Joy, then, must be cultivated, for it reflects a relaxed mind and a contented heart. (D-820719-1)
When you are physically tired, you can find easy solutions. When you are mentally tired, that is where problems will arise. If this is understood, then be sure to maintain your daily sitting with a calm mind, no matter how busy you may be. You have to be firm with yourself and gentle with your mind, and in the end, you will find that all efforts have not been in vain. (D-820421-1)
Spiritual development must be a natural response from within. If one who is not pure of heart seeks to go too deeply into it, there are many dangers that can turn such a mind towards a wayward path. One must not be full of desire while hoping to derive much from worship; this allows the mind to avoid craving spiritual powers. To possess spiritual powers is not the most blessed development; to have them is to subject yourself to a host of disciplines. Failing these will mean regression and falling into temptations to abuse such powers, which will destroy all that you have cultivated. (D-820224-1)
Be as you are; be alone every now and then and enjoy solitude. Only when you are truly alone—with yourself and at peace with existence—will you find Me closer to you. There are times to be spent with others, and there must also be time to be spent alone, for it is only in such moments of solitude that the mind reveals itself. Yet most people are afraid to be alone, dislike being alone, and do not appreciate the beauty of being one with the self. (D-820731-1)
Your mind is like murky water hiding the pearl that lies within. This filthy water is like a mind filled with wants, greed, lust, and hatred; because your passing thoughts are bound to such cravings, your righteous thoughts remain obscured. Yet you must find the pearl within these waters, for that pearl is your true nature—the Buddha nature. Seek it with patience and unwavering determination. You can only do so by replacing undesirable thoughts with thoughts that are pure—thoughts of love and compassion, of understanding and of friendship—to reduce the impurities of your mind.
With patient effort, your mind will become calmer and clearer. In such a state, if you continue your pursuit, you will find your pearl—your true nature, your Buddha nature. (D-820222-4)
Act to dissolve that which causes delusions in your mind. Act with right endeavour. Avoid being indolent; move forward and walk the Path by living it. Serve with true dedication—serve no matter how weary you are. Serve to understand the plight of human beings, and serve to understand pain. If you wish to walk My Path, cultivate such a mind! (D-820628-4)
Remove greed, remove desire, and remove lust, and the mind will naturally become purer. Free yourself from these poisons by living an upright life, by rendering help to one and all without discrimination, and by practising the Noble Precepts. Live a life that is beneficial to society and remember that all beings are brothers and sisters—if not in this lifetime, then in the past and in the future. No one is alone in the universe; everyone is interrelated and interdependent. Therefore, seek the mind of love and understanding, seek the truth, and seek liberation. Practise the Way which is pure and noble, and realise the Buddha-nature within to remove Ignorance—which is another poison. (D-820628-3)
Avoid being angry towards those who speak and act against you. Hatred must be removed, for it poisons the mind. Practise generosity in order to remove this poison and pray for those who seek to bring harm to you. With such an attitude, it will be easy to practise the Buddhist Path. (D-820628-2)