How To Become A Real True Buddha Cultivator
- A Sermon Given On Chinese New Year Day 1993 A Building for True Buddha News
■Book 104 - A Plethora Of Scenic Splendours
■Written by GrandMaster Sheng-yen Lu
The five precepts that all True Buddha cultivators must observe are:
1. Refrain from killing.
2. Refrain from taking what is not given.
3. Refrain from sexual misconduct.
4. Refrain from telling lies.
5. Refrain from taking intoxicants.
As a buddhist, we must always ask ourselves this question,
“Are we observing the five precepts?”
Making a vow and having a merciful mind
After taking refuge, a True Buddha cultivator must make vows (Bodhi heart), Why making vows? After we get benefits from True Buddha Tantra, we must not keep them as secrets, instead we must recommend them to others. By making vows, we are introducing Tantra to many more people. We can succour as many people as we can. It is important for True Buddha cultivator to remember this point.
So excellent are the True Buddha Tantra that many human beings will be able to gain enlightenment and become a Buddha. After cremation, ten dead convicts from Singapore's Changi prison had sarira found in their remains. These are excellent testimony that they have gained transmigration to the Western Pure Land.
We must make use of the benefits we derived from the Tantra to succour others so that they can be enlightened. The second thing a True Buddha cultivator must do is therefore making vows.
The third pre-requisite . Do we have a merciful mind? If we think of ourselves only in our work, and we never care about others then we do not have a merciful mind yet. When do we consider ourselves to be merciful enough? - when we risk ourselves and spend our time for the benefits of others. My vow is “risking my life, breaking my bones to succour sentient beings.” In other words, I am willing to sacrifice my life, my time, my energy, and my wealth - everything you name it - This is true mercy, compassion.
People may be risking their lives, breaking their bones in order to make more money, to find happiness for themselves, to achieve their objectives by whatever means in a modern world. As a cultivator, we must not behave like that, we must
show our compassion.
Ci, Bei, Xi, She are meaningful words to me.
Ci (kindness) is to bring happiness to all.
Bei(Mercy) is to soothe the pain of others.
We are not tired of bringing happiness to all and soothing their pain is Xi (happiness). What is “She”? For the benefits of others, we dispose of all our belongings is known as “She” (abandonment)
The last point I want to talk is cultivating samadhibala. (The ability to overcome all disturbing thoughts - mind control) The five directional Buddhas sitting over there have strong mind control. When we praise them, they do not smile. When we point at their noses and insult their ancestors, they remain unmoved. When a cultivator has attained the samadhibala, he will show three signs:
1. When you praise him, he will not be wild with joy.
2. When you harm him, he will not feel bad, he is unmoved.
No matter how you instigate him , he is not confused - set in an unperturbed mind.
3. No matter how you injure him, his body is non-destructive, and he will never recede in his cultivation. The true samadhibala can only be derived from deep meditation.
Please think for a while.
How good is your mind control?
If you are scolded, do you go back and think of a sentence more fierce, vicious, and cynical in order to get even?
If you are insulted, are you able to sleep that night?
If you are bullied, are you feeling bad for months even for years?
To be a real True Buddha cultivator, it is important that you must have samadhibala and have an unshakable confidence - when you hear people taking bad about your Grand master, you must not change your mind and give up to be a True Buddha cultivator.
During Shakyamuni's time, he taught real cultivators the same way:
1. Do you observe the precepts?
2. Do you make vows?
3. Do you have mercy?
4. Do you have samadhibala?
If you can remember these four points by heart, you are a real True Buddha cultivator.
Talking about how to become a real True Buddha cultivator on a Chinese New Year Day, I hope all of you can be one, not just this year,
