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*IT IS THE MIND AND NOT THE ENVIRONMENT THAT DETERMINES YOUR INNER PEACE AND JOY*

*Master Jun Hong Lu:* Once upon a time, there was a young monk named Fan Liao who was worried about everything under the sun. He felt that he was way too skinny and he found life at the temple distressing. He was worried that people would have a negative impression of him so he was extremely cautious with his words. Feeling worn out and thinking that a change of environment would do him some good, Fan Liao decided to go on a solo trip to a temple in Jiu Hua Mountain.

Actually, Fan Liao’s Master treated him exceptionally well. Right before Fan Liao embarked on his journey, his Master handed him a letter and reminded him, _“My child, please only open this letter after you have reached Jiu Hua Mountain”._

Initially, Fan Liao liked the environment in Jiu Hua Mountain very much, but with each passing day, he felt even more unhappy compared to when he was at the previous temple. So, he opened the letter to take a look at what his Master had to say. 
 
In his letter, his Master told him, _“My disciple, by now, you should be about 300 kilometres away from our temple, but you still feel the same. Am I right? I believe your feeling is no different compared to before because you brought along with you the root cause of your problem and that is, you yourself. *Your trouble stems from you.* You are healthy, both mentally and physically. Your worries do not come from the setback you encounter in the environment you are in. In fact, *they stem from a host of concepts and impressions that you derive from the environment you are in. You allow them to influence your mind which gives rise to distracting thoughts. You are what your mind thinks!* Once you have grasped the meaning of this, please come back. As long as your mind is free of worries, your worries will be kept at bay”._

Fan Liao was greatly depressed after reading his Master’s letter. He felt that what he needed was sympathy, not a lecture. There and then, he decided never to return to his temple. That night, he passed by a small Buddhist temple. With nowhere else to go, he entered the temple. There, he spoke to an elderly monk for about two hours. During the conversation, the elderly monk repeatedly emphasised, *“Those who are able to conquer themselves are stronger than those who manage to capture territories” (能征服自己的人,强过能占领城池).*

Seated on a mat, Fan Liao listened patiently to the old monk’s teachings. He soon realised that what the elderly monk said was no different from what his Master had told him. He started to miss his Master. He recalled what his Master often said, *_“Everything in this world is a creation of the mind. When your heart is still, everything will be in a state of unmoving suchness, and herein lies the dharma bliss”_ (万物唯心造,心不动,一切如如不动。法喜就在其中).*

For the very first time, Fan Liao felt that he was able to look at things with clarity and rationale. It dawned upon him that he was the foolish one all along. He once thought of changing the entire world and everyone in this world. He finally understood that the only thing that needs a change is his own mental attitude.  

*Your inner peace and tranquillity is not dependent on your surroundings. Similarly, the joy in life is not dependent on the people around you.* As long as you forge ahead with compassion, you will have all that it takes to materialise what you set forth to attain. 

_Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s World Buddhist Fellowship Meeting, Melbourne, Australia, 11 November 2017_
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*OVERCOMING SELF-DOUBT AND HAVING A FIRM BELIEF IN ONESELF ARE IMPORTANT IN BUDDHIST PRACTICE*

Master Jun Hong Lu: *Humans have the tendency to have self-doubt, thinking that they will never be able to accomplish things that others have failed. In fact, the moment self-doubt sets in, your mind state has prematurely entered a stage of powerlessness.*

❓ Why can’t we make an effort to attempt? There are people who are accomplished in their spiritual cultivation through sustained effort and there are others who managed to  make their way to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. *The question is, why can’t we? There are also those who live their lives like a Bodhisattva and there are others whose lives are trouble-free. Once again, the question, why can’t we do that?*  

💡 This calls for the need to have faith, and *faith comes from observing the precepts. Observe the precepts from this very day onwards, emulate the Bodhisattvas, reflect on all your daily actions whether you have been behaving like a Bodhisattva. In this way, you will be inching closer to becoming a Bodhisattva.* ‘This heart is the Buddha’ (是佛是心) means the Buddha is none other than your own heart. Hence, you should use your heart to create the ideal Bodhisattva in the human realm.

💯 We witness many people get full marks in examinations but we fail to see the effort made in doing their homework day in, day out. The same goes with those who tirelessly practise their speaking skills for the TOEFL examinations to the extent of developing throat inflammation. 

🪷 We wonder how so many Buddhist friends have their prayers answered instantaneously? *What we don’t realise is the effort they made* in reciting 49 times each of the _Great Compassion Mantra_ and the _Heart Sutra_ daily, performing meritorious deeds and paying respect to the Buddha. 

👩🏻‍💼🧑🏻‍💼 We see many outstanding young entrepreneurs but we are clueless about the countless nights they spent toiling away, exerting themselves so much more than those of us who, most likely, have already fallen into a deep slumber during those hours. There are also some celebrities who seemingly have achieved fame overnight, but what we do not see is the decades of painstaking effort they made when they were still a nobody, and the list goes on.

🤔 *We have seen none of the endeavours above, yet we tell ourselves that success is beyond our reach.* We have not even taken a stab at it ourselves, and we tell others that it is beyond us. What we cannot achieve, we make others believe that neither can they. The fact of the matter is, what appears to be impossible to us could possibly be attainable by others.

🧎🏻‍♂️ As Buddhist practitioners, we must have faith in ourselves that we too will be able to reach our goals. As your Master, I hope that all of you will put in your best effort in your Buddhist practice. Do not contend with all those mundane matters of this human realm and may we meet again in heaven after this lifetime.

💪🏻 As long as we work hard and put in the effort, nothing is insurmountable. Likewise, *those who do not have the courage nor interest to pursue their goals may end up failing by default in this lifetime.* 

_Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s World Buddhist Fellowship Meeting, Hong Kong SAR, China, 20 June 2015_
The mind is like a filter. Listening to others is simply a process of refining ourselves.
人心如过滤器, 听别人讲话只是一个提炼的过程。
Master Jun Hong Lu, Words of Wisdom Volume 4
⛔*DO NOT OFFEND OR BE HOSTILE TO OTHERS*

Master Jun Hong Lu: All the people around us are our friends due to our similar values. Our encounters with them would not have taken place if not for these shared affinities. *Those who befriend us and those who have come into our lives are predestined beings from our previous lives.* For this reason, we need to avoid being offensive or hostile to others. We have to do our utmost to tame our tempers. *If changing others sounds impossible, we should first change ourselves!*

_Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Melbourne, Australia, 12 November 2017_
*DO NOT LET YOUR SURROUNDINGS FLUTTER YOUR STATE OF MIND*

Master Jun Hong Lu: A person needs to have the Buddha nature that is fundamentally pure. As the Buddha often said, “The mind remains unmoved despite external changes”.

No matter what changes have taken place around you, your mind remains unperturbed. Don’t let the surroundings flutter your state of mind.

The ultimately pure Buddha nature is the Amala-consciousness which is also the ninth consciousness. This is your conscience and your innate nature. Regardless of what happens, your mind remains unmoved.

Once you have Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in your heart, you won’t conceive unwholesome thoughts. This way, you will not be trapped in the six realms of rebirth.

Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s
Buddhism In Plain Terms
Episode 7
4 March 2020
*CONSISTENT DAILY RECITATION OF SHORT BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES IS A MUST*

Caller: Master, how should I perform recitation if someone is jealous of me? Which Buddhist scripture should I recite?

Master Jun Hong Lu: Recite the _Mantra to Untie Karmic Knots._
……


Read further explanation of this mantra here:
https://orientalradio.com.sg/about-perfo...is-a-must/
*CREATE OUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES*

Master Jun Hong Lu: In ancient times, there was a fencing master. When asked who and what was the one unforgettable thing that had benefited him the most in his life, he said it was something his mother once said to him. At that time, he was just 18 years old, young and vibrant and had just started practising fencing.

He used to complain that every time before his sword could touch his opponent, the other party’s sword was already on him. He said to his mother, “It’s all because my sword is too short!”

However, his mom said, “No, son. Remember this. Go ahead, step forward as that’s when your sword is lengthened.”

We should never blame or accuse others as our destiny is actually in our hands. When opportunities knock on our door, go ahead and grab them.

Do not be jealous of others. When we see the success of others, we should know that it is because of their diligence and hard work.

If opportunities do not present themselves to us, we should work hard to create them. When you have the favourable conditions and spiritual foundation to back you up, be diligent so that you can return to Guan Yin Bodhisattva in the future.

Conversely, if you are faced with adverse conditions, you need to recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance to sincerely repent; strive hard to transcend the cycle of rebirth and return to the warm embrace of our heavenly mother this very lifetime.

Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk
Jakarta, Indonesia
12 March 2018
(An Excerpt)
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*DEPRESSION CAN BE TRACED TO ONE’S UNWHOLESOME THOUGHTS IN HIS PRESENT AND PAST LIVES*

Caller: Hi Master, what’s the karmic cause of depression (忧郁症是什么因果)? Has it got anything to do with one’s past lives?

Master Jun Hong Lu: Typically, *it has to do with a person’s habit of deriving devious ways (动坏脑筋) in their past lives.* They must have committed a lot of sinful acts and they were always *scheming against others (经常阴人家).* In consequence, they become a nervous wreck in this life.

Let’s not talk about their past lives. This is also what’s happening in this present life. Take a look at those who are into backstabbing others. *They will have this nagging fear of others taking revenge, so much so that they develop depression.* Nowadays, is it even possible to find anyone who has not backstabbed others or spoken ill of others? That is why depression is so common these days. It is because everyone is living in fear. A person who speaks ill of others will surely be afraid of being a target of slander in return. Just like those who have caused harm to others, don’t you think they’d be worried about being harmed in consequence?

Caller: True!

Master Jun Hong Lu: *It’s natural for someone who lives in fear and distress to either develop depression or become worrisome.* If you are worried about everything that you do, it goes to show that you lack meritorious blessings (功德不够) and hence, nothing that you do will be smooth sailing. When things aren’t going well for you, you start to worry; after you complete certain tasks, you become anxious. This is how depression comes about. It is brought upon by your wandering mind (脑子里乱想).

Caller: I see.

_Source: Wenda20200814 05:15, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program_
Only when we experience pain personally can we feel the pain experienced by others. This is how we can bring forth compassion.
用自己切身的痛苦, 才能体会到别人的痛苦, 才能生出慈悲心。
Master Jun Hong Lu, Words of Wisdom Volume 4
Wisdom is about refraining from squabbling, letting go, and being forgiving, tolerant, accommodating and tactful.
不吵不闹放得下, 包容、宽容、圆融就是智慧。
Master Jun Hong Lu, Words of Wisdom Volume 4