During this economic downturn, many followers are affected by financial crisis. A lifetime of savings is gone in the blink of an eye. Not only have they suffered in terms of living standard, but emotionally as well. Those who practice Buddhism can use Buddha Dharma to turn around, but for those who do not practice Buddhism, it is possible that they cannot get out of this difficulty for the rest of their lives.....
I have often told my disciples that there are two type of wealth: material and eternal. Material wealth is short term, not long lasting, and will eventually go away. Only by learning Buddhism can one achieve eternal wealth. Therefore, throughout our lifetimes, we have to accumulate the Wealth of Triratna, the Wealth of Good Karma, and the Wealth of Wisdom. Only these will always accompany us. If we do not learn Buddhism, convert to Triratna, and practice the Bodhisattva Path, then we are living inside of our karma.
Therefore Karma is like Counting on Mother Nature for Nourishment; and the power of vow is to depend on oneself. The power of vow is that as long as we live for the day, we should continuously accumulate good karma, committing the bodhi mind to help oneself through helping others. We only have to spend a little bit of effort, spend a little bit of time by reciting sutra, and redirect the blessing to all sentient beings. By doing so, we can leave this suffering, this economic pressure, behind in the midst of this economic downturn. We can also redirect to ourselves sufficient good karma, and to do our tasks smoothly. As long as we properly plow our body and mind to seed the Buddha karma, and to do things that would benefit others, all this wealth will become real.
We should have Buddha as the core of our belief. Using Buddha as our yardstick, goal, and direction so that throughout our lifetimes, we can accumulate sufficient fortune and wisdom and to broaden our good karma.
We learn Buddhism in order to become Buddha. To become Buddha is to express our Bodhi Mind. Bodhi Mind does not come about through this lifetime of learning Buddhism, but through continuously practicing Buddhism for the benefit of others, and to be reborn in a family that is associated with Buddha’s Dharma throughout numerous lifetimes. We do this so that we can continuous learn about Buddhism, to express our Bodhi Mind, and to rely on Buddha until we ourselves have also become Buddha. We have an appointment with Buddha, therefore, we should constantly remind ourselves to have three thoughts: thinking about Buddha, thinking about Dharma, and thinking about monks.
Thinking about Buddha is about Awakening. Therefore, we should awaken to the fact that this world is impermanent. In an impermanent world, nothing can be counted on, and only through Buddha’s Dharma can we overcome this suffering of impermanence.
Thinking about Dharma is about following five commandments, ten charities, Bodhisattva Commandments, rejecting all wickedness and the pursuit of all goodness. In addition, we have to purify ourselves of such desire, the impure hindrance from our past karma. Through reciting sutra and listening to Dharma can we purify our hindrance; through repentance we can remove the cover to our mind. We can then listen to Dharma and able to understand it; and by understanding we can conveniently use it.
To be able to understand and to use Buddha’s Dharma, we have to think about Monks who provide us with benevolent knowledge through frequent contacts. Benevolent knowledge can lead us through the clean and pure Buddha Path and to distance ourselves from all things malevolent. Therefore, we should also vow to be in constant contact with benevolent knowledge, good karma, and to be away from all those wicked malevolent karma.
Therefore Karma is like Counting on Mother Nature for Nourishment; and the power of vow is to depend on oneself. The power of vow is that as long as we live for the day, we should continuously accumulate good karma, committing the bodhi mind to help oneself through helping others. We only have to spend a little bit of effort, spend a little bit of time by reciting sutra, and redirect the blessing to all sentient beings. By doing so, we can leave this suffering, this economic pressure, behind in the midst of this economic downturn. We can also redirect to ourselves sufficient good karma, and to do our tasks smoothly. As long as we properly plow our body and mind to seed the Buddha karma, and to do things that would benefit others, all this wealth will become real.
We should have Buddha as the core of our belief. Using Buddha as our yardstick, goal, and direction so that throughout our lifetimes, we can accumulate sufficient fortune and wisdom and to broaden our good karma.
Thinking about Buddha is about Awakening. Therefore, we should awaken to the fact that this world is impermanent. In an impermanent world, nothing can be counted on, and only through Buddha’s Dharma can we overcome this suffering of impermanence.
Thinking about Dharma is about following five commandments, ten charities, Bodhisattva Commandments, rejecting all wickedness and the pursuit of all goodness. In addition, we have to purify ourselves of such desire, the impure hindrance from our past karma. Through reciting sutra and listening to Dharma can we purify our hindrance; through repentance we can remove the cover to our mind. We can then listen to Dharma and able to understand it; and by understanding we can conveniently use it.
To be able to understand and to use Buddha’s Dharma, we have to think about Monks who provide us with benevolent knowledge through frequent contacts. Benevolent knowledge can lead us through the clean and pure Buddha Path and to distance ourselves from all things malevolent. Therefore, we should also vow to be in constant contact with benevolent knowledge, good karma, and to be away from all those wicked malevolent karma.
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