Introduction: The compassionate teachings of the old monk Miaofa are often like enlightenment, and those who hear them are all enlightened and filled with joy. Some of the wise words are now compiled as follows:
Question: There is a layman who wants to make more donations for the construction of a monastery in the future. I would like to ask you: How can I gather more money?
Answer: Wealth is like firewood. It is useless to gather too much. It is often burned and can easily cause fire and burn oneself. Firewood can be used for heating and is readily available when needed. Do not be greedy for too much as it may become a hidden danger.
Question: Practitioner Wang, please tell me. A certain divination master said that her husband has had good luck in officialdom in recent years but not in wealth, so it is not suitable for him to hold the position of chairman or general manager in the company. Does this make sense? Please ask Master for enlightenment.
Answer: What she said makes sense, but the fate of a practitioner can be changed. The so-called destiny, three points is fate, and seven points is luck. Luck is fortune, and the so-called timing comes, so seizing the opportunity is very important. How to seize the opportunity? This depends on a person's understanding and his usual practice. Once you have enlightenment, you can seize the opportunity and change your destiny.
Question: There is a layman in Tianjin. A few years ago, a friend gave him a Soviet male dog named Aligki. Since the layman gave up eating meat and became a vegetarian, the dog no longer eats meat. Whenever his master was doing morning and evening lessons, Ali Geji would lie motionless next to his master, seeming to be listening to the scriptures. Sometimes on the street, when a female dog approaches him, he always turns around and runs away. Later it was discovered that there were ring scars on its head. How is this going?
Answer: As a dog, Aligji is not fond of meat, likes to eat vegetarian food, and has no lust. He likes to listen to scriptures and listen to Dharma, be close to good teachers, and has no fighting spirit. He is a practitioner among animals, so he has a head. There will be ring scars showing on it. The Buddha once transformed into the body of a deer, and it is also mentioned in "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's Universal Door" that Avalokitesvara appeared in various forms to transform sentient beings. Therefore, it is not surprising that Ali Geji also appeared in person to preach.
Question: Can I work with people who have bad horoscopes?
Answer: A Buddhist group is a melting pot, embracing everything. The Buddha's Dharma is the most rigid and invincible; the Buddha's Dharma is also the most gentle and has no disadvantages. Therefore, as long as everyone maintains righteous thoughts, we can achieve great things together.
Question: A certain female lay practitioner has been devoutly protecting the temple, often giving alms and attending Dharma gatherings. But she is currently suffering from lung cancer and has died in the hospital. Ask your teacher why this layman is ill.
Answer: People should not be burdened by fame and fortune and develop a arrogant attitude. Man comes into the world naked and leaves empty-handed, taking nothing with him. Fame and wealth are just like passing smoke. You must not be arrogant because of fame and fortune. Because only a pure heart can be blessed by the Buddha's light. If you only donate money to the temple, the temple will be like a palace piled with gold and silver, which will only pollute the pure holy life of the practitioner. If we not only provide financial support but also protect the temple with virtue, then the temple can truly become a solemn place of virtue and enlightenment in all directions.
Don’t be greedy for too much or too fast when reciting sutras, and when reciting sutras, you should also pay attention to your heart, mouth, and eyes, and avoid being lethargic. In this way, reciting one word is like reciting a thousand words and sentences, reciting one sutra is like reciting ten thousand sutras, and all sentient beings in the Dharma Realm can benefit.
Not only must we restrain our words and deeds of greed, anger, and ignorance, but we must also control our hearts of greed, anger, and ignorance. This will be like cutting off the roots without leaving any consequences.
(After I conveyed Master’s teachings to this lay practitioner, she said at that time that Master’s criticisms were right and that they were all about her own shortcomings, and she expressed deep regret. After that, she completely put aside her illness and recited Part 1 of "The Treasured Confessions of the Emperor Liang" at home. , when I recited the Ksitigarbha Sutra for the seventh time, I felt better than most of the time. I went to the hospital for a review and found that the tumor had changed from malignant to benign, and the hospital recommended surgery. The lay practitioner was overjoyed and firmly believed in Master's teachings, not to undergo surgery. She returned I still insisted on reciting the "Ksitigarbha Sutra". By the 49th time, I felt that I had enough energy and could worship the Buddha hundreds of times every day without feeling tired. I went to the hospital for a check-up and found that the original tumor in the lungs had completely disappeared without any trace. , It’s really a miracle. It’s been nearly five years now. In the Spring Festival of 2000, he made a special trip to Tianjin to see me, and he is even healthier and younger than before.)
Question: A young man has a difficult relationship with his mother and mother-in-law. Could you please tell me, Master, how can we handle the relationship between the two mothers at the same time?
Answer: Treat your mother as your mother-in-law, and your mother-in-law as your mother.
Question: Why has Jushi Zhen’s illness worsened again?
Answer: The sea of suffering is boundless.
Question: She has taken refuge for many years and practiced hard. Has she not turned back yet?
Answer: Bodhisattva Cihang saved all sentient beings. When did he leave the sea of suffering? All living beings are suffering and are confused and unaware of it. They are boundless in the sea of suffering. When they turn back, they find the shore, miserable and restless. Bodhisattvas save suffering and are aware without being confused. Even if they are not separated from the sea of suffering, Prajna is the shore and their hearts are at peace everywhere. This is the truth that troubles are Bodhi. It is said that the subtle senses are turned in the void and the great Dharma wheel is turned in the dust. Okay, let it go!
Question: Laymen Meng and Hong are devoted to spiritual practice and do not want to get married and start a family. However, their parents do not agree. The two laymen want to seek the Master's opinion.Answer: It is natural for a man to marry a woman, and Buddhist and lay disciples are no exception. The teacher approved of their marriage, but hoped that they would establish a Buddhist family after marriage and become a model for home practice.
The way of a wife is to respect her husband and love her children, serve her parents-in-law, be diligent and thrifty in running the household, live within her means, share honor and disgrace, and never complain.
The way to be a husband is to pity his wife like a sister, never leave her, bear the burden of the family business, not be afraid of hardship, lead by example, and teach your children to become talents.
If the two lay people can act according to this, their families will be happy and happy, and everything will go as they wish. In the future, when the saha karma is over, we will surely be able to live in bliss and practice meditation together.
Question: The daughter of a layman plans to take the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts exam next year. I would like to ask Master if she can pass the exam?
Answer: As a person, you must be upright, as a child, you must be filial, as a student, you must be diligent, and as a girl, you must be stable. If you work hard to achieve the above four points, your dreams will come true.
Question: I really like to preach the Dharma to others. Is there anything inappropriate? What should I pay attention to when teaching the Dharma? Please teach me, Master.
Answer: It is certainly a good thing to promote Buddhism, but you must pay attention to your time and do not do anything arbitrarily. Eight to eleven in the morning, two to five in the afternoon, and seven to nine in the evening are the best times to teach the Fa. A lecture should not exceed three hours at most. The speaker is energetic and the listener is focused, making it easy for them to deeply understand and understand the Buddhist principles. If you exceed the time limit, your mind and body will be exhausted, and it will be useless to talk too much.
To be a teacher, you must abide by the rules. You must first discipline yourself and then discipline others. Acting willfully and without rules will destroy the way of being a teacher. How can you set an example for others to learn from? Remember!
Question: How can I benefit from practicing?
Answer: Cultivation is painful, even unbearable, just like swallowing poison and trying to vomit it out. But you can never expect to spit out the poison you swallowed from someone else's belly. Don’t rush to achieve success in your practice. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are always merciful and blessing you. But you must first spit out the poison you have swallowed since beginningless kalpas before you can taste the wonderful taste of enlightenment. This is also the principle of letting go of the old and adopting the new. Therefore, when learning Buddhism, we must first break away from self-attachment and not be blind to all right and wrong. You must know that all resentment is caused by your own karma for many kalpas, and only pious repentance can calm it down. Arguing unreasonably can only add fuel to the flames, only increase the resentment, and cannot relieve it.