Aug 3/4, 2002 Merciful Teachings of Venerable Subhuti

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1 Aug 3/4, 2002 Merciful Teachings of Venerable Subhuti Thousands of miles taken to search for the Truth Seize well the precious affinity/ karma and cultivate with true heart Spread the gospel and follow the Five Bonds and Eight Virtues Shoulder the holy mission and march forward with strong faith I am Subhuti, disciple of Buddha, I am taking the order of Eternal Mater and via the opportunity given by Ji-Gong Buddha, coming to this Holy Temple and visit my homeland. I have paid homage to Eternal Mater, then respects to the Buddha. I am asking fair ladies and gentlemen, are you all attentive in class? Pure bright heart to cultivate awe-inspiring righteousness Spacious capacity and unselfish virtue like the Buddhaland and earth People look up and respect the remarkable broad mind Truth essence and performance prevailing everywhere and suit all beings To cultivate and propagate truth with increasing wisdom Co-work of saints hearts to manifest the true-nature Infinite teachings to guide sentient beings the way up to paradise Receiving Tao and being enlightened to honor ancestors and off-springs Stay with Truth persistently though frustrations arise Truth prevails universally to light up the minds Yue-Fei, the Guardian Buddha, guards and helps with the Tao propagation to make things move smoothly. Build up merits and blessings to set up good model of Tao cultivation Be careful with the temper; disaster arises due to sudden anger To succeed the Dharma transmission of the past Saints Talented mind with great vows working for Buddhaland in no time Realizing the benevolence of true nature Develop the compassionate vow as Bodhisattva for the final salvation in Three Worlds

2 Aug 10/11, 2002 Merciful Teachings of Ji-Gong-Huo-Fo Pay respect without ignorance; nurture the benevolence nature Cautiously esteem oneself and keep good integrity Wholehearted efforts to cultivate virtue Fulfill holy mission brings up auspicious omen Cultivate and establish oneself to recover the true nature From oneself to more sentient beings to follow the trend Attentively with all efforts to redeem the degenerated Play oneself role well to make the world harmonious and peaceful. I am Ji-Gong Living Buddha, I took the order of Eternal Mater, coming to this secular world, already paid homage to Eternal Mater as I stepped into the Temple. Now I am asking my disciples: How are you? Holy Revelation I - CHARITY To know and act with Buddhaland s will that brings lotus blossoms Faithfully to shoulder the great mission and benefit sentient beings Light of Truth shines the world as sun and moonlight Rectified to be well learned and behaved with high spirit Be a mainstay to build up merits; bright Nature emits brilliant light Cope with the saint and take lessons from one another Build up merits to develop the path toward the land of Maitreya Buddha Enjoy the successful result and transcend the cycle of life and death March together toward the wide road leading to peaceful world Nurture the virtue and follow saint s steps firmly Sacrifice for righteousness; fulfill duty in tremendous imposing manner Pioneering and opening the new land and set up immortal model Strong vows with well designed plan to work with Bodhisattva s spirit Unique ambition and integrity to spread gospel of Tao in secular world Sky high loyalty and righteousness to fulfill mission without any hesitation Wisdom increased and march toward the goal which carries vast brightness Blessed voyage with holy teaching to sentient beings to realize cause and effect Remarkable deeds to develop holy affair to be well-known world widely Rescue the world cooperatively and golden teaching to unlock the worry Compassionately to save the secular world without being attached

3 Repay the Buddhaland grace by holy deeds as a reborn Buddha Thoroughly realizing and enlightened to be carefree and liberated Go in right way with right character Stick to benevolence, love all beings and nurture by loyalty, forgiving Keep well in mind the principle of Tao and develop the essence Focused message in the Holy Revelations II (Charity): Love,Mercy,Kindness,forgiving/ tolerant,giving Non-conditional devotion to benefit more people Well-united hearts to build up merits and share the success Strong determination to reach the goal of one purpose Rectify human s hearts to stay with righteousness Inspiring teaching to awaken the conscience Realize the Truth to set a good model Develop the road toward bright future and harmonious world Bright heart as sun and moonlight Aug 18, 2002 Merciful Teachings of Ji-Gong-Huo-Fo Ceaseless holy missions to rescue the world To shoulder the responsibility to continue the trend of morality Guide the worried and troubled into the gate of morality and justice Well cultivation to set good model internally and externally Merciful teachings of Venerable Subhuti u What is worthy that you should treasure and cherish? (Class: Cherish the happy moments, family love, and Buddhaland s mercy.) Since you all know what to cherish, do you really do them? Do you manage your time well? Do you utilize your time well or just spend the time on personal affair? Do you help people? (Class replied: Sometimes.) u Each and every one of the Living Buddhas, since the ancient till now, contributed his/her whole live to sentient beings; if you are a current living Bodhisattva, you shall spend your whole life devoting to human beings. When you have Bodhisattva heart, you will be very happy to commit and devote yourself. Today, these people in the front (Tao seniors) are learning to be a Bodhisattva since they are away from home and the family, so as to help and rescue the sentient beings in India.

4 u India has such a wonderful karma it is due to Buddha s preaching Dharma in this area and all of you have deep affinities with Buddha so that you can sit here listening to the preaching of Buddha s. The Tao preaching and the Dharma today is the same as Buddha s time, the only difference is that the Tao cultivators nowadays are very blessed, because there are a good numbers of Tao seniors sacrificing and devoting themselves so that you can walk on the path. Buddha spent lots of time searching for this Tao and Dharma in order to realize the way to transcend life and death and reach the nirvana. But today, Tao comes here to find you (is readily available). u Ji-Gong Living Buddha is so merciful to shoulder the holy mission for the Three World s salvation; all of you should do your best to understand, to cherish and treasure this. Today you can sit here it is due to your deep spiritual foundation and good karma with Buddha to be showered with Buddha s teachings and the Dharma. u Forget the time and rest your hearts here so that you can have a fruitful outcome. You will get nothing even though your physical body is here, because your mind is not here. You will then waste your time and also the time of the people in the front (Tao seniors). In the past, when we were cultivating, we stayed with Buddha all the time and never got tired, we just wished to be with Buddha and listening more of Buddha s teaching so that our mind level could be elevated which helped in our enlightenment. u Today these people are standing in front of you (Tao seniors); they are propagating Tao, this is not something easy; wishing you who are sitting to be able to accept them. Do you accept and welcome them? (Class replied: Yes.) Since you have accepted them then show your heart to let them feel that you welcome them. If you keep quiet without true action, they will be very disappointed and maybe they will not come again which does not do you any good. u Hence, hope you will show your true heart to study and learn; there is no limit on Tao cultivation and propagation; wherever you are, you can apply to the teaching and cultivate Tao and bring Tao with you. Do not forget so long as you recognize yourself as a Bodhisattva, Tao is with you. u When Buddha was preaching the Truth / Dharma, he used different ways and materials to guide all the disciples, because, every sentient being has different ability of realization and affinities. Use different ways when preaching to different people. Buddhaland will add

5 wisdom to you when you are thinking the ways to teaching people. Therefore all of you need to breakthrough, to be attentive and to practice so that you will get a harvest (fruitful outcome). u At that time, Buddha was teaching us this way. We went to have contacts with sentient beings and we also learned from them. We also found individual s good points then reinforced our cultivation and that is to walk on the Way. u Ji-Gong Living Buddha is so merciful to let us receive the precious Tao. Then what have you got? Didn t you say that you already received Tao in the Temple? What have you got? (Class replied: To realize life and the way to transcend life and death.) u There are different kinds of missions to propagate the Truth and your mission are so enormous. Back to the time when we were preaching the Truth, there were very limited areas that we could go; and now, Tao (the Truth) can be propagated to all over the world. Merciful Teachings of Ji-Gong-Huo-Fo u If all sentient beings have a merciful heart, why do some people still do bad things? Don't they have a merciful heart? Yes, they do have a merciful heart, but they have been covered up by bad chi (energy) from the outside world. They come into this dusty world and are polluted. They lost their sense and sensibility; they do not know what is good and what is not good. You, however, are the lucky people; you know how to show your merciful heart and help others. Helping people is the source of happiness. u Don't be discriminating. Offer your helping hand to whomever in need and your will get true happiness. All human beings come from the same origin. They have their respective missions in this world. Respect yourself as well as others. If you despise people, people will despise you. u Union is strength and when separated, people have only limited power. If you work in a group and in perfect unity, you will be more successful. u Show your energy and vitality to demonstrate your thankfulness. Sing out loud and answer with loud joy. The Holy Teacher will be able to feel your heartfelt sincerity and gratitude. u Affirm yourself and have faith in Tao cultivation. Do you believe that cultivation is good?

6 (Class reply: Yes!) Only you know if coming to the Temple benefit you. Don't feel you are forced to come to the temple. Coming voluntarily will bring happiness and you will more likely come again. u How do you feel after these two days at the temple? (Class reply: Very good!) Good things are here! Have you ever heard of some people waiting outside the temple simply to attend the Tao Seminar? They do so because they are afraid they will not be able to hear the wonderful teachings if they are late. They are afraid they would miss the chance of doing holy deeds. u Is Holy Teacher late? Holy Teacher came at the right time. Holy Teacher was scheduled to come at ten o'clock in the morning, but nobody was here. If Holy Teacher came too late, everybody would have been gone. Holy Teacher adjusts His time to suit yours. But, should it be your responsibility to cooperate with Holy Teacher, or Holy Teacher's responsibility to accommodate you? (Class reply: We should cooperate with Holy Teacher!) u These people (Tao Seniors) are worried if you do not come. They all have a great message to share with you; it is a message that all human beings should know. Not only do they want you to get this message, they want you to spread it. Tell everyone! All your fellow people in India will want to understand the true meaning of life. The Buddhas want you to understand the preciousness of Tao and this understanding can help you transcend the life and death cycle. How it will free you from the infinite sufferings of reincarnation. They hope everyone will gain this understanding. u Do you have faith in yourself? (Class reply: Yes!) Great! Only you can do that. No one else can provide that for you. u It is hot in here. Do you feel hot? (Class reply: No.) Why not? (Class reply: Because of joy!) Then why does Holy Teacher feel hot? (Class reply: Because Hoy Teacher is not used to the weather here.) How can it be possible? It can't be, Holy Teacher feels hot because He is hurrying to save people. He never pauses in his steps. The only thing that can hurry and worry the Buddhas is that there are still so many sentient beings still not saved. u What is the population of India? (Class reply: More than one billion.) Even so, it is still difficult to find anyone who has affinity with Buddhas. It is even more difficult to encourage that rare person to come to the Temple. Not much time is left, so Saints and Buddhas are

7 making the most of the limited time. Humans tend to waste their time. The Buddhas want you to cherish your time; spending a lifetime is easy, but living a meaningful and fruitful life is not. u Instead of wasting one day sitting here, why don't you accept to learn how to live a meaningful life? Make today a fruitful and rewarding day. Our lives are short and unpredictable. Make the most of your limited time; nobody knows how long they will live. Buddhas hope is that you will understand their teachings and share with others. u The people who share here (Tao Seniors) could be with their families. Yet, they have taken a respite from their professions and their families to spend time with you. Why are they here? Fate. It is a result accumulated over previous lives. It can't be changed because of differences in nationality, skin color, or language. You have all met here because you, at some point in a past life, promised to come and save each other. u Do you have any doubt why they (Tao Seniors) come and lecture? (Class reply: No!) Do you understand what they are lecturing about? If not, ask them to clarify. If you don't ask, they will believe that you understand and they will continue to discuss things you do not truly understand. u To save sentient beings, basic needs must be first addressed. Tell them something they can easily understand first, and then step by step guide them into Tao. Concurrently let them know you really care about them and are always willing to help. u Being a disciple of Ji-Gong Living Buddha is not easy. Why is it not easy? He is not here to live a fancy life and neither should we. Instead Ji-Gong Living Buddha travels around the world helping and saving all sentient beings. He is especially busy during this time of the White-Sun era. Do you know the meaning of White-Sun era? (The lecturer explains the White-Sun era.) u Now let us proceed in unity; no one should be left behind. In cultivating Tao, everyone advances and no one retreats. It is most important, during this White-Sun era that we work to save all sentient beings. This is an unprecedented mission. It is a huge mission. Do you have the courage to take on it? (Class reply: Yes!) Do you want to personally join them in this holy mission, or do you to be an onlooker only? (Class reply: We want to join them in cultivating and propagating Tao!

8 u This Tao group is like a big family. You will not be rejected if you truly volunteer to join in this holy mission. However, remember that cultivating Tao is not something that can be taken lightly. Look at them (Tao Seniors)! During the times they are not giving lectures, they remain busy. What are the things that keep them involved? (Class reply: Buddhaland things!) u Buddhaland and humans help each other, both sides act in perfect unison. As Buddhaland helps humans, the humans also help Buddhaland. Buddhas have no physical body, they need the Holy Mediums to show compassion and give speeches. But you, you have a useful physical body. With such a gift, you can do whatever is necessary to help complete this salvation mission. u Cultivating Tao is not easy. You first need to cultivate yourself. You need to break your bad habits and evil ways. Replace them with modesty, good thoughts and pure deeds. Arrogance makes people too proud; they need to be modest and rid themselves of all bad habits and thoughts before they can learn the good and righteous path. u Because all humans have their unique strengths, they serve as your teachers; they teach you what is beneficial. But you need to be willingly and humble yourself so that can genuinely learn from their strengths. u These sweets are different from those you purchase in the stores. They are offerings to the Buddhas. These offerings can make you healthy and sweeten your mouth to tell people about Tao and the golden chance for being saved. u There is no free lunch. You need to make an effort before you get your reward. If you don't even have the courage to make the first step, how can you possibly reach the destination? It is the same with all the tasks you do; if you want to succeed, you need to put in your best efforts and focus on what you are doing. Buddhaland will reward you equally to the amount of effort and truthfulness you have dedicated. If you put in 100 percent, you get 100 percent, but if you give 50 percent, you get only 50 percent. u Therefore, in order to get these sweets, you need to step out and extend both of your hands. What else should you do? Do something for the general public. This is a golden opportunity for you to accumulate merits and fulfill your holy vows.

9 u Show your compassionate self. You are all born with mercy and sympathy; show them. In fact, although everyone has a kind heart but not all are given the chance to show it. You may be wondering why it is so difficult to get these sweets. Good things never come easily. If good luck did happen without efforts, you would probably take it for granted and would not cherish it. u You should cherish and be grateful for your being able to propagate and save the general public. Don't be afraid of making sacrifices. Buddhaland will never disappoint you. If you put in effort and are truthful with Buddhaland, Buddhaland will certainly reward you. u Share with people what you have learned here in the Temple. This sharing and unconditional merciful deed will help people. In turn, you will also be rewarded. u These people from afar (Tao seniors) are unfamiliar with the culture and the language here, so you must help them. Help them spread this wonderful message over all of India. u Invite people to exercise in the park and while doing so, share Tao with them. If they don't understand or identify with Tao, do not worry. Even if they consented to receive Tao, they would not necessary devote much effort and truthfulness in helping the suffering people in India. u Follow in Buddha's footsteps. Be merciful and compassionate; keep up with Holy Teacher and propagate Tao all over the world. u Each moment you are learning new things. Learn to be joyful and modest. Remember be willing to extend your hand to help whomever is in need. u Though you are young in age, your ambition should be sky-high. Focus your attention in helping whoever needs you. u Being a good disciple of Ji-Gong Living Buddha is not easy. Why? Because you must be involved in saving the sentient beings all over the world. u How can you refine your temper? Always look at the bright side and remember to control your temper everywhere at all times.

10 u Cheer up and you will maintain your good health. There is no problem that cannot be solved. Try your best to do as many Buddhaland things as you can. Save as many people as you can and you will be healthier. u (A Tibetan monk asks: Is self-attachment an act of greed?) Self-attachment is not an act of greed, but it makes you cling too strongly to something. (A Tibetan monk asks: Then is it an act that causes worry?) Yes, if you cling too strongly to something, you start to worry. However not force yourself to be detached. Simply let things go naturally and smoothly. That is true beauty. u Your students may call you teacher, but remember Buddha is your Holy Teacher. The teacher and the disciples help each other. Now Holy Teacher is helping you. Later, you can help by spreading this wonderful message to your students. You merits will be boundless! u As for today's classes, how much do you understand? Answer loudly. It is the same at school when your teachers ask you questions, you should also answer loudly. Etiquette cannot be over emphasized. In Chinese, the pronunciation of li carries two meanings: One is etiquette and good manners; the other is the right principles. Chinese people have a proverb: With li, one can travel the world; without li, one can't even move an inch. u If your friends are impolite, would you like them? If you want your friends to be polite, you need to be polite first. Here in the Temple, we not only give you an insight into your life, but we also teach the true principles of meaningful life. We teach you how to love and honor your parents, how to be polite and trusting with friends, and how to respect your brothers and sisters. u You can learn a lot of things at the Temple. It is similar to digging out a wonderful treasure from a mountain. The difference is that the treasure here is invisible and you need to stay calm to feel it. Concentration is crucial; you won't be able to feel it if you are distracted. This is a golden opportunity. You sit here for one day and learn the hard-earned principles of life. All of these experiences generally require numerous lectures over a very long period of time. The principles are so precious that they deserve your full attention. Please cherish them. u But what is it in your life that you should really cherish? (Class reply: Do good deeds. Be polite. Cherish time. Mercy. Self-realization.) What is the most important? (Class reply: Being able to go back to Buddhaland.) Is it easy? (Class reply: No!) If you can realize the

11 purpose of life, make the most of your time and do good deeds, you can be a living Bodhisattva. As a living Bodhisattva, you don't need to travel all the way to Buddhaland; you are creating your own Buddhaland! (Class reply: Yes!) That means you are leading a joyful life. People who know how to live a joyful and blessed life are successful in life. u It is because you learn how to think differently and how to turn bad into good. This Tao Seminar is held exclusively for you, it is to teach you that a successful life is not one of wealth or nobility, but rather a life lived in virtue and morality. People may not be wealthy financially, but they can be spiritually rich and abundant. Can you purchase love with money? Love is a kind of selfless devotion to all sentient beings. It transcends nationality, race and skin color. With love, people care for people. So spread your love to the whole world. If you always keep a loving heart, you can earn the world's recognition. Your sacrifices will always be rewarded. u The proverb says, As you respect people a bit, so shall people respect you a lot. Do it truthfully. If you respect your friends truthfully and sincerely, they will love you even more. So being truthful and respectful is one of the principles of life. What are the other principles? To love and honor your parents, to do good deeds, to keep a positive attitude towards everyone, to have compassionate, to be helpful and trustworthy. u Today is the first time for some of you. We hope you will come back often. Definitely come back with friends. You are all sincere and faithful in worshiping Buddhas, right? (Class reply: Yes!) Why do you worship Buddhas? For what purpose? Where are Buddhas? (Class reply: In mind.) When you worship Buddhas, it is similar to watching your reflection in a mirror. You should remain introspective and ask yourself if you are doing what Buddhas would do. Buddhas have a merciful heart; they are saving people all of the time. So while you are worshiping Buddhas, you should identify with them and do what they would do. This makes the worship meaningful. If you just worship Buddhas without behaving mercifully, you are wasting time and effort. What a great pity! We hope you not only worshiping Buddhas sincerely and faithfully, but that you are acting mercifully like a bodhisattva. If you can do this, your life will not be in vain. We hope that everyone comes back to Temple often. It is beneficial to hear and learn from different lecturers. These lecturers can broaden your horizon and help you to keep an open mind. Be persistent in cultivating Tao. It is imperative that you remain consistent from the beginning of your journey to the very end.

12 Profile of the Seminar As we went through customs at the Delhi airport, we experienced the extreme heat of the Indian summer. It seemed as though we were struggling through the unbearable scorching heat. The heat threatened to vaporize everything. The whole city seemed to be frying ; the environment issued steam blurred and twisted our view. All of us were sweating heavily and we realized that we were in the middle of a typical summer in Delhi. This year, the monsoon was late. Despite the intolerable heat, we felt relieved and deeply moved that our participants still came to attend our lectures with such faith and sincerity. Although India may not be a very materially wealthy country, we have witnessed that our Tao brothers and sisters were extremely delighted and keen to pursue spiritual wealth. It is our belief that they will reap an abundant harvest. Answering our great hope, Ji-Gong Living Buddha came at 2:45 in the afternoon. With His coming, we cast away our worry and anxiety-- the typical emotions we experience while waiting for our Holy Teachers. As always, He came and we basked in His holy Buddha light. Although, He seemed hurried and searching. He wants to say that there is not enough time. There are so many sentient beings are drowning all around this suffering world. He asked us how can HE take things leisurely. Suddenly, we understood and saw that Teacher's mercy is the greatest love in the world. We were enlightened and held communion with Buddhaland immediately. Then, Teacher asked us to really show our mercy by offering a helping hand to whoever is in need. We should strive to see through all illusions and respect everyone. All humans come from the same origin; they all have their respective missions, whether they are great or small. We should all affirm ourselves and respect others. We must make the most of our lifetimes. They should be eternal. Toward the end of the Tao Seminar, Teacher passed the sweets down to all the Seminar members. He wanted them to express their resolutions to serve Buddhaland. One of the members said he wanted to share what he learned with all of his friends. Another said that he wanted to invite his friends to attend the next Tao Seminar. One wanted to spread Teacher's love to the whole world. Teacher smiled at hearing these wishes. Lastly, He hoped that all of us could propagate, practice, and preach this wonderful message of Tao everywhere and every moment. We should serve as a light shining through all of the darkness in the world. We will continue to try our very best to help and save all humanity!