Start from the heart to truly save all sentient beings

Practice requires pressure. Think about it, how many parents, relatives, and people who are kind to us are suffering in hell, hungry ghosts, and animal realms now? There are also those who are suffering. How can we not remember them and practice hard? Studying does not mean that just reading a book is called studying, or simply learning a few sentences, phases, and numbers is called studying, but it means that you must have the sincerity to save them from the heart.

What we do also has different levels. For example: when you give something to someone else, if you think that they will give something back to you or thank you in the future, there is a problem. If you truly give with the intention of becoming a Buddha, with the purpose of making others become Buddhas, then your donation will be valuable. If you can use your wonderful wisdom to see through and know that all this is an illusion, and not be attached to you who can give, to him who gives, and to the things you give, then you will no longer be burdened by everything. Really practicing hard requires a kind of effort. Why do we chant sutras and do morning and evening classes every day? They are actually to help us improve our concentration and open up wisdom. If we don’t put the Buddha’s blessings into our hearts, we won’t have the power to see through life and understand the universe.

Although we understand it now, when we want to realize it, we must practice it. Why did the Patriarch choose the method of reciting the Buddha's name among many methods? Take Master Fazhao, the fourth ancestor of the Pure Land Sect, for example. One time when he was eating, he saw the scene of the Mahayana Bamboo Forest Temple from his alms bowl. The second time I saw the entire Mount Wutai. Later, he came to Mount Wutai. When he arrived at Foguang Temple, he saw a white light. Following the white light, he arrived at Mahayana Bamboo Forest Temple. In fact, they were all manifested by Manjushri Bodhisattva at that time. At that time, a boy named Shancai and a boy named Nanda led him in. He saw Manjushri and Samantabhadra sitting there on the left and right, speaking to tens of thousands of people. Master Fazhao then stepped forward and prostrated, and asked me, it is far away from the Buddha now, and all living beings have deep karma and obstacles. Among the many Dharma doors, which Dharma door should I practice to achieve success? Manjushri Bodhisattva told him the method of reciting the Buddha's name. The cause and condition of meditating on myself in past lives was accomplished by the cause and condition of observing the Buddha, making offerings to the Buddha, and reciting the name of the Buddha. In fact, all the wonderful wisdom, including Prajna Paramita, meditation methods, etc., are all achieved by chanting the name of Buddha. But how to think about it? Just recite it without interruption.

In practice, we must understand that a thought is a seed. We want to learn precepts because our current strength is not enough, so we must first stay away from karma and give ourselves a good environment. Let us first practice planting these seeds of goodness, liberation, and Buddhahood in the field of eight consciousnesses every day. We study in order to plant these seeds. Cultivation means giving it the power of learning, so it is called using Kung Fu.

Yesterday, I told a layman that if you want to accomplish something, you can only succeed if you persist. Don't make excuses that you don't have time. If you don't have time in the day, why don't you just sit still for 5 minutes and recite the "Auspicious Sutra"? Can’t recite Buddha’s name for 3 minutes? Of course the more the merrier. We should carefully understand that when you can truly think about the death of both of you, what is the difference between this state and knowing one's own nature? It is because we always have a kind of ego and use it to speculate on everything. We have never really believed in what the great ancestors saw and said. So who can you believe?

It is necessary to learn more, increase wisdom, and achieve eloquence, but we should not just stick to one surface. I have said before that even those who have achieved Arahantship still need to learn, because there are still confusions after understanding things, and if you don't learn, you won't understand. Just like if we don’t study this sutra, we will definitely not be able to teach it. But through study, you only understand the principles. If you don't practice it, it will still be difficult to understand the mind and nature. Therefore, we must now truly understand the principles through the method of reciting the Buddha's name, and truly do the kung fu.

I see many people now, when you talk to them, they are still chanting. Let me tell you now, a conversation is a conversation, and you should listen to me carefully when I talk to you; a meeting is a meeting, and you should attend the meeting seriously. Every word you say may be the cause of your enlightenment. The real Buddha's name is not to be recited on the lips, but to be recited in the heart, and reciting it in the heart is dependent on the circumstances, that is, you must first learn to be determined to achieve others.

Let me tell you a very simple truth. If you study Hinayana, you must not harm others. If you study Mahayana, you must help people.

To make this statement more polite is to harm one's own interests and others. Those who truly know how to recite the Buddha's name and can recite the Buddha's name will definitely arouse the supreme bodhicitta. She will cherish fate at any time. She will not miss anyone or anything she encounters, so whether she is a master or a member of the minority, she must arouse bodhicitta. After the person who steamed the buns finished steaming, he went to help pick the vegetables; when the person who picked the vegetables finished sorting, he went to help light the fire; when the person who made the fire finished cooking, he went to help sweep the floor. I want to see if she has finished what I have done. Can I learn to take the overall situation into consideration? Not only does it allow me to get time alone, but I also hope that everyone can join me and finish things early and do homework. If you can develop a desire to help others, you can learn to take the overall situation into consideration. If you really want to get a kind of skill, you must develop a grateful heart.