Greetings are always made on happy occasions which foster goodwill and gaiety as well as a sense of good feelings to the receivers. Greetings are in fact a kind of prayers which should be spoken from the heart so that the wishes are firm and sincere which bring forth a deep joy to everyone concerned. Anyone who is not able to wish others to be happy and prosperous will not be able to practise the Bodhisattva’s Path, anyone who can, and does so each moment of the day, brings joy to himself and others!
For that the bodhisattvas are ever in the cheerful and happy states of mind for they bring cheers and hearts to whoever they may come across! All disciples of the Bodhisattva Spirit must therefore be able to send good wishes to others and radiate happiness to all from their hearts at each moment of the day rather than on special occasions!
May this be a year of cultivation which may be carried out in all methods of practice which result in non-clinging, which result in attaining contentment and peace of mind. This should be a good year for many to take the precepts seriously so that they will try their very best to live by them. Those who have taken the precepts as a kind of burden that they have to carry will find it impossible to follow the way of the Buddha. They are actually suffering from wrong view and therefore tend to complain within their hearts that the Buddha’s Path is suitable for some selected ones only. How wrong can they be!
Since precepts lead to discipline which eventually lead to contentment to live a simple life, free from the stress of greed, anger, lust, and all delusive clingings, bringing them to a state of peace and bliss, which every human being is secretly wishing for, how could the very way that brings about total freedom be distasteful? One must change his wrong view immediately and know that only those who are able to keep the precepts well be rewarded with a happy life which is free from all the negativities that bring one to great suffering! Only those who have learned to live in contentment and with the least of wants may understand what it is to be living harmoniously with others! To be able to live in harmony and peace within this lifetime is to have achieved great spiritual attainment through the keeping of necessary precepts which tame the wild and unruly mind! Let this be the goal of all who sit and pray so that they may drop all further requests that may cause severe pains and regrets in the future. To be able to do so is to have lived according to the Buddha’s advice to cease practising evil, to do what is good for oneself and others, which leads to the purification of the mind! Then whatever has been mistaken as a burden will be adhered to. To live in spiritual practice is not as difficult as it seems, its just the case of the mind ruling you all the time. Control it!
Tuesday, 26th February 1985 (1st Moon 7th Day)