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.
Look at any image with devotion and reverence, honouring what it is meant to represent. Even if there has been an image which has not been carved or made to the degree of your liking, do not criticise or even comment but realise that even being so imperfect, others have found faith and have chosen it to be suitable for worship. Try to appreciate the effort that the image-maker has put into creating it or be grateful that it is not worse than it can be. Any form of criticism on the effort of others is bad for a cultivator. (D-840120-3)
Learn how to conduct yourself, how to discriminate right from wrong, and how to live by your own free will. The greatest possession in life is a mind that is strong, that is clear, that is calm, and that is able to lead you to the Path of Righteousness. Therefore, whenever you are performing any act that is meant to benefit others, go ahead and do not let others dissuade you from doing it! (D-830308-1)
One must refrain from backbiting and gossip, as these are bad practices that will bring harm to oneself. A true Buddhist must take it upon himself to observe the Five Precepts, which will make him a worthy person for others to be associated with.
Only those who have ignorant minds will fall into the habit of indulging in divisive speech and thereby breaking the precepts that they are supposed to uphold. (D-820601-1)
Refrain from getting involved in debate on religion. This is part of the cultivation; this is learning how to restrain, and this is the training of right speech that argument in religious matters leads to nowhere. Therefore, it is idle chatter, and it is ignoble speech even for the ones who win the argument. (D-820521-1)
There is much to understand about life, but this can only be understood by understanding the teachings of great teachers and practising that which have been proven to be the correct living as shown by them as examples for others to follow.
Getting things through prayers is not the correct attitude, and even if things do happen the way that you wish, will you stop there and be satisfied? Always refrain from hoping for greater blessings just because you pray! (D-820515-1)
Cultivating a Disciplined Mind
Do not be alarmed by the ridiculous thoughts that arise in your mind. Some thoughts may seem enticing and try to pull you into dwelling on them, causing you to lose your control. Whenever you become aware of this, gently guide your mind away from such thoughts, and do not grow impatient with yourself. If you give up too quickly, you have lost the battle before it has even begun, revealing only a lack of discipline. If even the simple habit of training the mind feels too difficult to maintain, how will you uphold the precepts throughout your life? Begin now and set yourself firmly on the path of cultivating a disciplined mind! (D-820511-1)
Happy Kuan Yin Festive Day of the 2nd Lunar Month!
When you are a Kuan Yin Contemplative, your goal in life is to search for the fruition of bodhicitta, without which there can be no goal at all. Anyone who professes to be one from this Order need only be self-reliant, be ever humble, and be prepared to seek and learn from others. No one can help you but your own self, and no one can really discipline your mind unless you are sincere with your practice. Praying for a miracle to change yourself without self-effort is only wishful thinking. (D-831228-2)
The Eve of Kuan Yin Festival of the 2nd Lunar Month.
These messages that I (Niang) give are not only to be read but also to be reflected upon and tested in your daily lives. You must not simply accept them; you must not only agree, but you must put them to the test to verify them. Only then will you arrive at true understanding, and only then will the messages and writings of books be of any real benefit to you. You have this chance of a human life; you have known many Paths, and you had better practise one! (D-820222-1)
Be content with life. Be glad that you are not in a worser condition than so many others. Be happy that you have the realisation that life is but a short journey if you can accept its entirety and that if only liberation from worldly life can be attained, the reward of an eternal life awaits you. (D-820403-1)
Faith, Devotion and Understanding
How you cultivate faith and devotion depends on your own openness, knowledge, and understanding. Understanding cannot be imposed, faith cannot be forced, and devotion must be naturally developed.
Experience shapes your belief—faith grows when something in your life confirms the Path and deepens through lived experience. Openness is the seed of devotion—devotion often arises after practice, not before it. Faith becomes devotion when it stops being about reward and becomes about relationship. Spend your time reading books that offer wisdom, expand your knowledge, and provide the kind of insight that leads to deeper understanding. (D-820430-1)
Life is like the moon, sometimes bright, sometimes dark, and sometimes bright yet obscured, which is just as life is! The fifteenth of the lunar month should also remind you that life is but a cycle, that life must wane after a certain stage of development, that life is impermanent, and that life is as bright as you can make it to be, and therefore life is as depicted by the waxing and the waning of the moon. (D-820208-2)
There will be times when the mind rebels and one will tend to be disinterested or disheartened to practise. At such times, you should make even greater efforts, and if this is quite impossible, seeking the company of other cultivators will help! You cannot achieve real success in life by being idle and wishing for it; you have to go for it, and you have to face all kinds of difficulties before you can attain it. (D-820520-1, 820222-3)
Accepting life in its entirety is to begin to live a life of purity with a developed mind, which will lead you to cease all evil actions and to develop good habits, which will make you into a worthy and beneficent being. In this state of being you will drop discriminations, and you will be able to accept the world as it is, for you have understood! (D-820403-2)
See Your True Nature
Unless the mind is ready to be developed, to be trained, and to be subdued to a state of calmness just like a pond, how can you look into the waters and see your true nature? Clarity of mind must be attained. Let the ripples and waves of the mind be controlled, and you will see that the greatest beauty in life will no longer be that of material glories but that of the mind in its pure nature, which is the source of bliss. (D-820417-1)
Create your own better future by living in the correct manner daily. Complain less and strive towards improving yourself on each new day. Thinking of what you will be in the future will be a waste of energy and time; knowing the future will lead your mind astray. Be one who lives in the present, moment to moment, and finds satisfaction in it! (D-820325-1)
There is no need to fear suffering, and this is not to mean that you should enjoy it. There are so many kinds of fears in oneself that it is impossible to imagine how much sufferings that one has caused. Understanding that life is but a journey through situations that bring about fear and happiness, you will take steps to change your manner of living and do your best not to commit unwholesome acts of body, speech, and mind, which will create pains in the future. The understanding of the Law of Cause and Effect is vital to all, for the intelligent ones will gain much from it! (D-831223-1)
Life should be lived purely, contentedly, and happily, which can only be possible with the cessation of desires. The Mani is the purifier of minds. Recite it with diligence and sincerity and be one with the prayer. Then your mind is no more left on its own to seek for that which is ignoble and evil that will cause you to suffer more pains and delusion. Rely fully then on the Mani prayer daily! (D-831222-1)
To pray for a long life is a natural practice but do not yearn for a long life if you cannot be sure that you will live fruitfully, in harmony with others, and will continue to cultivate for the purpose of attaining enlightenment; otherwise, your long life will mean more opportunities to collect grave demerits or evil karma, which will cause you to be reborn into the lower realms in the future. (D-831207-5)
Do Not Judge
Look within each time you see someone who is evil and see if you too practise the same or not. But do not judge, or you will not be able to practise compassion. When you judge others, you cannot be truly compassionate, so even your advice and teaching to them will be filled with ego, and even your love will not be pure because it is given only out of your judgement. When people judge each other’s words and actions, there will not be any peace; only quarrels and hatred will arise. (D-831207-4)
A place of worship is a holy place, and the entire area is sacred ground no matter how large or small or how clean or unkempt it is. All places of worship must be treated with respect! Whenever you visit a place of worship, show reverence. If Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are installed at the altars, pay due respect with hands in prayer position; better still, offer three bows when you are certain that such places are temples. (D-831207-3)
You must have faith whenever difficulties are encountered. Each time you have an obstacle, be glad and treat it as an opportunity for you to learn. Each lifetime is filled with all kinds of difficult lessons, which, when overcome, will bring more meaning to life; otherwise, the sense of attainment cannot be realised. (D-831207-2)
Show the way by living the Way. Do not speak that which you yourself do not practise. To lead others, you need to win their confidence. Be impartial, avoid discrimination, and remain unmoved by those who harbour ill will toward you. (D-831207-1)
You need a strong, clear, and calm mind to truly see and understand life. Only with a cultivated mind can wisdom arise, guiding you to live meaningfully. That is why you should not waste a single day in idle daydreaming. Life must be experienced by living it. (D-820212-1)
Today is the birthday of Guru Chi Kung. Om Sari Hum!
Respect others if you want others to respect you, but do not put too much stress on the importance of the self. Whether there is respect for you or not should not really be the real concern in life, as long as you remain righteous in your thoughts, words, and actions towards others, you have done quite well in life. This can only be maintained throughout life if your mind is calm and pure and if you will practise the Path that you are now walking. (D-820212-2)
Patience is essential in the practice of meditation. Attaining a peaceful mind or spiritual growth is not a matter of being more qualified or intelligent than others. More often, success belongs to those who cultivate steadily with dedication and endurance, succeeding through relentless effort. Furthermore, such progress is frequently the fruition of cultivation across many past lives. Because the timing of advancement is unpredictable, one must let go of expectations for immediate success and instead learn to be at ease with one’s progress. (D-820129-2)
It is to be borne in mind that arguments will lead to a dead end. Wisdom is indeed silence. But if you must speak, speak with humility, speak with the good intention of passing on your experience, and speak with the purpose of imparting knowledge, but avoid feeling that whatever you have spoken should be listened to. (D-820212-1)
Change your attitude towards life and turn towards the Path that will bring you inner joy and contentment, which no one can steal from you. Spend your time in a worthwhile manner, enjoy each day as it comes, and you will find that your mind is ready for greater things and your life’s satisfaction will no longer be hinged to materialism, and you will be bending toward the Spiritual Path, seeking for the true joy of living and seeing other beings alive and well. (D-820205-6)
Harmony
Live for the benefit of bringing about meaning to others and to yourself, and there will be harmony between you and those who are about you. And those who have experienced such harmony will in turn spread it to others. But do not expect things to be as you hope it to be because not all people have the same kind of inclinations and cultivations, and being unlike in nature, you must expect to live in a world of discord, and not until realisation hits them that a good world depends on the behaviour of each being! (D-820224-3)
Those who think that life is good living and fun at all times will have to end up in grave despair when the realities of living confront them at certain times of their lives. Those who do not spend time to cultivate and to understand the nature of their minds will be as ships without rudders, and they have wasted yet another chance of a lifetime. (D-820209-2)
Conquer Impatience
To dislike others for their bad traits and manners is quite natural and easy; this is a trap for those who wish to conquer impatience. Each time you serve, you will be given opportunities to overcome your impatience only if you are aware of such opportunities. There is much to put up with in cultivating a single virtue, and the list of virtues to be cultivated is very long. That is why you should begin to practise with this virtue—Patience. And once you have acquired it, you will find it so easy to understand and to love others for what they are, and then you will be ready to move on. (D-820224-2)
To allow your mind to direct your activities without control is to live a life without any discipline. To have such a mind, you will find it difficult to understand what life is. To possess such a state of mind is to be ignorant of the joys of a calm and quiet mind. (D-820209-1)