Sufferings arise due to our unawareness and misunderstandings of our environment and ourselves.
Buddhism is a teaching of wisdom.
It would be wise to be conservative in what we use and be content with what we have.
Everybody is somebody we can learn from. When we see the virtues of others, we should adopt them as our own. When we see the wrongs of others, we should reflect upon ourselves for the same faults.
Buddhism is a teaching that shows us how to live a happy, fulfilling and content life.
The purpose of the Buddha's teachings is to eradicate superstition and clear up people's misunderstandings about life. It would be wise to remember that our lives are getting shorter by the second.
Our goal of cultivation is to attain true happiness. True happiness is undiminishing happiness, withstanding the test of time and conditions.
Love can turn into hate. We may dislike something we adored yesterday. We should see things with eyes of equality and not let emotions control our lives.
Treat people sincerely. We should mean what we say and truly be sincere from the bottom of our hearts.
For the health of our body, we should keep it moving. In taking care of our mind, we should keep it at peace. Exercise and peace of mind are the key to living a happy, fulfilling life.
We must be in control of our body and mind, and not let them hinder our ability to enjoy life.
Wise people do not harbor feelings of gain or loss. In this way, they often dwell in the joy of possessing great peace of mind.
When we encounter a person or a situation we do not like, it is the perfect opportunity for us to practice patience and cultivate a pure and compassionate heart.
If we learn to forgive, we will dwell in peace of mind.
A good student of the Buddha is open-minded.
We show our gratitude to those who have shown us kindness, such as parents, teachers, and even society. Everyone in society is interdependent and interrelated, thus, we practice good deeds to repay them.
Regardless of what we do, it is best to not give rise to anger.
Wisdom springs from Purity of Mind.
Having hearts like still water in a pond would enable us to reflect the teachings properly. The Buddha is constantly teaching, we cannot hear it because our mind is not still. We would do well to soothe our mind by clearing it of scattered thoughts.
True cultivation is reciting Buddha Amitabha's name in modesty. How many people recognize the kindness shown by parents? Usually, people do not realize until they themselves become parents or lose their parents. We show our gratitude through practicing filial piety by being responsible, considerate and compliant to our parents wishes.
We should not simply recite the sutra, but understand the meaning, put it into practice and experience the truth.
We truly benefit from the Buddha's teachings when they are put into practice in everyday life. In Buddhism, love is based on wisdom. This is called compassion.
To be a poor, content and happy person is better than being one who is rich, worried and afflicted with greed.
Wise people do not just see matters from the surface, they contemplate them thoroughly and see to the truth.
A genuine heart is one without discriminations or attachments.
The point of practicing giving and charity is to forsake greed, anger, ignorance and arrogance.
Everything in the Buddha's teachings can be used in everyday life, we would do well to live the teachings and attain true happiness. *** Taking Refuge in the Triple Jewels What is Taking Refuge? Taking Refuge means to"return and rely." From where do we return from and to what do we rely upon? When we take refuge in the Buddha, we are returning from our deluded state of mind and relying upon an Awakened, Understanding mind. When we take refuge in the Dharma, we are returning from deviant views and relying upon proper views and understanding. When we take refuge in the Sangha, we are returning from pollution and disharmony and relying upon Purity of Mind and the Six Principles of Harmony. Taking refuge in the Triple Jewels restores the complete wisdom and abilities of our Self-Nature. We will attain purity, equality, honesty, contentment, compassion and overall, true happiness.
THE BUDDHA JEWEL "Buddha" is a Sanskrit word meaning"Awareness and Understanding." When we take refuge in the Buddha, we vow to return from blind faith and delusion and rely upon Understanding and Awareness as a way of life. We are not relying upon the statues or Buddha-images, but rather the spirit of understanding and awareness they represent.
As students of the Pure Land Teachings, we learn to rely upon Buddha Amitabha's lessons on wisdom and com-passion. The name"Amitabha" stands for Infinite Light and Infinite Life. When we follow his teachings, we will attain wisdom, happiness and longevity.
This is taking refuge in the Buddha.
THE DHARMA JEWEL "Dharma" means"Right Under-standing and Views." Delusion has obstructed us from seeing the true face of people and the reality behind matters and objects. This has caused us to look at life and the universe in a distorted and deviant way. When delusion is cleared and our minds are pure to an extent, we give rise to wisdom. With wisdom, we are able to see all people and matters completely and clearly. When our hearts are pure, we can see the past, present and future. Only when we have clearly seen the whole can our viewpoint and understanding be considered right.
The Buddha's mind is pure without the slightest pollution and therefore sees everything clearly and entirely. We can rely upon the sutras, which are the recorded teachings of the Buddha, because they speak entirely of the truths the Buddha has seen. They teach and show us the way to attain Purity of Mind, to see life and the universe most clearly and become just like the Buddhas.
As students of the Pure Land Teachings, we should rely upon the five Sutras and one commentary of the Pure Land as guidelines of practice: The Buddha Speaks of the Infinite Life Sutra of Adornment, Purity, Equality and Enlightenment of the Mahayana School. The Amitabha Sutra The Visualization Sutra The Chapter of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva's Conduct and Vows The Chapter on the Foremost Attainment of Great Strength Bodhisattva through Buddha Recitation Vasubandhu Bodhisattva's Report on the Way to Reaching the Pure Land This is taking refuge in the Dharma THE SANGHA JEWEL "Sangha" means"purity and harmony." Today's world is full of pollution; pollution of mind, spirit, views and body. Even the earth and atmosphere are hazardly polluted. The Buddha taught,"The environment changes according to our state of mind." We would do well to return from all these pollutants and rely upon Purity of Mind, for it is the key to saving our Earth.
There is also great disharmony in our world today, among spouses, families, friends, societies and countries which has brought us much suffering and many disasters. The Buddha taught us to rely upon the Six Principles of Living in Harmony to establish harmonious relationships between others and ourselves.
As students of the Pure Land Teachings, we rely upon wisdom and compassion as our way of treating others and dealing with affairs. Great Strength Bodhisattva represents wisdom. His choice of the Buddha Recitation method of practice is wisdom in its highest form. Guan Yin Bodhisattva represents compassion; when we help introduce the Pure Land Teachings to others, we are practicing the compassion of Guan Yin Bodhisattva.
This is taking refuge in the Sangha.
To the Buddha I return and rely, returning from delusions and relying upon Awareness and Understanding. To the Dharma I return and rely, returning from erroneous views and relying upon Proper Views and Understanding. To the Sangha I return and rely, returning from pollution and disharmony and relying upon Purity of Mind and the Six Principles of Harmony.
