Quote of The Day (184)
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.
Recite the Mani mantra as often as you can; make it such that it is part of your being, and whether you are breathing in or out, the Mani is your Life Stream. (D-840125-1)
Always remember that once you walk the Compassionate Path, once you accept Me as your Guide and Teacher, you have chosen your Dharma door. It is an easy way, and it will be a pleasant way even though it is not a smooth way. But life cannot be smooth, and people are suffering from moment to moment; you too must learn to accept such sufferings when they come. But with your understanding of the Way, you will not blame heaven or others for any such sufferings that come your way. You will understand that some sufferings and hardships will be necessary for you to polish your character, to purify your nature, and to keep you understanding what they meant to you. And you will wish to get rid of your own sufferings and those of others by reaching Me. (D-820118-1)
Walk the path by your own effort, and you shall attain the goal the correct way. Do not rely on others; do not rely on Me to lead you all the time. Only when you have tried and tried and then stumbled, only when your faith is still there and your mind is still yearning to continue the journey, do you cry for Me, and only then may you feel My presence once more. (D-820111-1)
It is not right thinking to expect your problems to be worked out by mere praying. You will lose your interest in no time, and you will also become a helpless and hopeless being. The Gods cannot help in your cultivation; the Buddha only points the way, and unless you make every effort to practise and to learn from your experiences of cultivation, you are not ready to walk the Spiritual Path. (D-820109-2)
Each good thought that you have for others and each good act that you do—all these are but the results of the opening of your compassionate nature.
Know that each day of your life will be an opportunity to further develop your spiritual understanding and to practice selflessness as well, and you should be the happiest man on earth! (D-840320-1, 840317-5)
Faith is the first essential virtue to cultivate. With it, one does not abandon the Way and lose faith no matter how many obstacles cross the Path. The beginning is always difficult because there are so many things that one does not fully understand and there are too many changes to one’s life. But this is to be so because to develop a stronger character and to gain further insight into religion, one must practise and be engaged in relentless efforts so as to gain true understanding. (D-820109-1)
It must be remembered that before achieving what you want, they are wonderful to possess, but after having attained them, they are not as you have expected them to be. And this is the pattern of human wants and thoughts. And this is the cycle that will repeat itself again and again, and that is why those who are ever seeking for greater things will suffer the most in life. (D-820105-1)
This will be a year of changes. It will be a difficult year for many, and so what is better than learning to calm the mind and to understand the reasons for this existence. Guidance will be given to those who seek. Protection will be given to those who act in a righteous manner, and Faith will be experienced by all who practise devotion and walk the Path! (D-820102-1)
The Law of Cause and Effect is unbendable: “Good produces good and evil produces evil.” The wrongdoers are enjoying their wealth and health because the bad causes they have generated have yet to be ripened! Eventually, the change will come! (STQ-96-p48)
The year may be said to be filled with problems and pitfalls, but that is only a general prediction made by unenlightened ones, though they may be famous. Yet there is no way to know who will be affected by them and what their outcome shall be. Such a question will only arise in the minds of those who have not truly understood the workings of karma. It would well be a good year for many people too! (STQ-96-p47,48)
Do not only perform deeds that you consider are worth your while performing. It is the small drops of water that make up a bucketful. And charitable or meritorious deeds come from the heart. It is not judged by material things that you give away. A sympathetic smile, some comforting words, a sincere prayer—these are ways of giving too, and these little acts can give greater comfort to those who receive than the material things that you can offer. (D-820205-3)
Today is the Birthday of Amitabha Buddha. Namo Amituofo! Om Ami Deva Hrih!
Life is a process of learning, which is the way to gain wisdom. Do not wish only for the pleasant things in life, or you will never wake up to reality. Accept all pains as natural to life, as lessons whereby you can see the truth better. (840125-3, D-820205-4)
This is a year of practice, a year for practice, and a year of attainment. The past 18 years of endeavour should bring you to a peak of spiritual living and awakening. So, there is no need to worry about what the year will be. Take all opportunities to be lessons to learn from and to practise. (STQ-97:96-p46, D-820205-4)
Each day is a good day. If you have a Buddhist mind, you will look forward to understanding the happiness of each day, and you will welcome the thousands of opportunities for you to perform some worthy deeds that are wholesome in nature. Without a day there is no more life left in you, so you should never reject the call of the morrow; you should get up with a happy frame of mind because you are alive and there will be vast opportunities again for you to cultivate and to practice your Buddhist Way of Life. (D-820205-1)
You must not give only when there are people around you. Helping others in front of witnesses does not qualify it to be a good deed because that would be easy to do. But that does not mean that you should not be kind to others just because there are other people around. It all depends on your intention, your sincerity, and your mental attitude at that moment. It is always good to help others at any time. But it is better for one to be charitable when no one is around, when there is no one to see you helping a poor fellow. (D-820205-2)
Happy New Year 2026! May 2026 bring opportunities that inspire spiritual growth and transformation. Let’s step into this year with gratitude for the experiential learning of the past that provides one the knowledge and courage to take on the coming lessons for self-cultivation!
This is meant to be a year of cultivation of self-reliance so that you need not learn to depend on others too much. No one may be able to give you much spiritual training unless you train your mind to be ready. You are your own guru if you have the capability to dwell within. Much knowledge will be brought forth from the Alaya consciousness so that you will marvel at what self-training can do. (D-840113-1)
The years ahead will require much strength and perseverance; there will be periods of greater activity and stricter discipline. You have to learn and practise patience; you will need to be even-minded first before you can develop other great virtues. (D-840113-2)
As the years move on, you will be introduced, gradually, to the ways of reducing desire, developing affinity, accumulating merit, examining the cause and conditions, understanding the Law of Karma, collecting knowledge, and so forth! This should explain why time is needed to impart these teachings to you if you are to grasp them well! (STQ-87-p3)
How you behave, in and outside a temple, at home or at work, with people or alone—is it really consistent? If it is so, then you are truly practising; if not, you are only cheating yourself and living a double-life. (D-840120-4)
One should act and respond spontaneously, be able to feel as those who are suffering, be ready to pray for their well-being, and be truly compassionate towards all creatures; that is the mental attitude to hold. Look at each situation calmly and without being immersed in the problems, just knowing that you are lucky to be able to do something to better a bad situation—that is the right attitude. (D-840317-1)
Be gentle with your mind, and you are being gentle with the self. Tension and stress are the causes of all kinds of sickness and pains in life. Those who do not spend time daily to understand themselves will become miserable in the future because they have no gentleness even to themselves. (D-840310-1)
(1) Life is meaningful, and life is real. Get on with the practice of goodness and see happiness and joy in the faces of those who are on the path of goodness! (D-840310-2)
(2) Life is good and happy for him who is able to live for the sake of others, aiding his own spiritual growth, and then the practice of Buddhism will not only be in the mind! (D-840120-5)
Merry Christmas!
Each meeting is a benefit for all, so you must not try to avoid meeting those whom you consider should be avoided because each meeting with someone can bring forth some meaning. Life cannot be a lesson if only selected people are to be met with. The good and the bad, the rich and the poor, the nice and the ugly, and all who have a place in this world, within samsara, must be met with. There must be no rejection, or grasping and clinging will come about; one must be even-minded. Keep the mind free from all kinds of likes and dislikes and avoid forming any kind of judgement. (D-840125-6)
Be gentle with all; be patient with those annoying ones; be ready to be forsaken and face the tests of life and watch how one reacts to each test. Whenever you are going through an unpleasant situation, be strong and learn from this situation and benefit by it. (D-840125-2,4)
Every bit of action and situation in life is for the purpose of self-awakening and self-improvement. Life is meaningful and exciting only when you can accept it to be thus, otherwise, there will only be dissatisfactions and unhappiness. (D-840120-2)
(1) Learn at all times. See things and situations with awareness and become wise to the ways of life. (D-840101-2-1)
(2) Only when you can conquer yourself may you be able to help others. (D-840101-2-2)
Many seem to find their way, but lacking the energy, they will get lost again. The journey to ultimate bliss is never easy. Throughout this journey, all must expect the process of purification of body, speech, and mind, and not until all negativities of the mind have been cleansed will anyone be able to realise the joy of being a purified being. (D-840101-1)
There is no need to follow the habit of seeking to know the future. It will not help in cultivation but will only excite the mind when good and bad situations are foretold. This is the habit of the ignorant ones, which practising Buddhists should not adopt. Just have faith in yourself and your Deity and live according to the doctrines, causing no harm to self and others but making every effort to improve your life - this is the way to advancement, whether spiritually or materially. (D-840120-1)
Try reducing the “ifs” and “should haves” in your current of thoughts for the negative emotions of regret and despair to be uprooted! Start doing what you have left undone with courage and patience, and the happier you will emerge! (STQ-1987-p2)
Kindness, patience, and compassion—these are the qualities that the Path shall be teaching you as you traverse it. Acquiring them will mean that you are well on the road to receiving the higher training of the Path, which speaks of selfless service to all without exception! (STQ-1987-p3)
(1) Mindfulness is about being aware that you are aware.
(2) Contemplation is the foremost practice for those who are in the esoteric Paths of Practice.
(3) The greatest good you can do is to help others find goodness in themselves. (STQ-2006-p100,102)