Metaphysics Q&A 152 – Issues encountered when promoting Buddhist teachings
2012-12-14
Q152: Master Lu, I have brought forth my mind to promote Buddhist teachings, but I have not been successful in my attempts. I would also have headaches and become ill every time. Is it because my approach is inappropriate, or is it because I should not be doing this?
A152:
There are several reasons for being unsuccessful when promoting Buddhist teachings to others:
Insufficient spiritual energy. If this is the case, then we need to enhance our Daily Recitation and eliminate karmic debts in order to better help ourselves as well as others.
The negative karmas of the other party may be too severe. This can lead to obstacles in realising their true nature.
The karmic condition of the other party is not yet fully mature. It is said that everyone has Buddha nature, however, the karmic condition for some people is yet to arrive.
The karmic connection between you and the other party may not be strong enough, resulting in the other party not agreeing with what you say.
When we promote Buddhist teachings to others, we need to be mindful with our approach. If after half an hour of interaction, the other party still shows limited interest, then it would be possible for the foreign spirits of that person to occupy us. In addition, if the other party had generated negative verbal karmas during the interaction, then we would also share some of the responsibility.
As a beginner with limited spiritual power, you can start by giving out Master Lu’s books or radio program recordings, and briefly describing Master Lu’s transcendental ability. You can also share Master Lu’s website and encourage people to read about the inspirational experiences of other Buddhist followers.
Try to avoid having selfish thoughts when promoting Buddhist teachings. When we help others with the mind of mercy and compassion, we would be able to avoid leakages during the accumulation of virtues.
It would be best to have a sincere heart when promoting Buddhist teachings. We can share our own experience regarding Buddhist practice, even if our experiences may be limited. With a sincere heart, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will bless us with more and more efficacious experiences.
With limited spiritual power, we may experience physical discomforts if the other party has severe negative karmas. However, we always have to give when we help others, and this giving has great virtues in return. By accumulating virtues incrementally in our lives, we would receive positive returns in the end. Nothing comes for free. So we have to continue to help others despite potential complications.
Please also keep in mind that we can sometimes experience discomforts, and it is not entirely because of the negative karmas of others. It could also be our own. When things are uncertain, we can recite more Heart Sutra (Hsin Ching) to improve the condition, as the recitation of the Heart Sutra provides immediate benefits. It would be best to avoid reciting the Great Compassion Mantra (Ta Pei Chou) too many times as it may create conflicts with foreign spirits. We can also recite the Eighty-eight Buddhas Great Repentance (Li Fo Ta Chan Hui Wen), and recite Little Houses for our Karmic Creditor. Please say the following prayer to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, “May the Great Merciful and Great Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, <your full name>. I will offer <number of> Little Houses to the Karmic Creditor of <your full name>. Other karmic debts will be repaid by <full name of the other party>. May Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, <your full name>, grant me safety and good health.” Generally, we can offer 7 Little Houses to our Karmic Creditor.
We can say the following prayer before we promote Buddhist teachings to others, “May the Great Merciful and Great Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, <your full name>. I will be promoting Buddhist teachings to others. May Guan Yin Bodhisattva grant me spiritual power and energy, so that other foreign spirits would not come to me. I will teach people how to practise Buddhism and perform recitations.”
If we experience physical discomforts during or after our promotion process, you can say the following prayer, “May the Great Merciful and Great Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, <your full name>, so that I can help <full name of the other party>. I am promoting Buddhist teachings and performing virtuous deeds. May Guan Yin Bodhisattva have mercy and compassion, so that <full name of the other party> will attain realisation, and the foreign spirits of <full name of the other party> will request Little Houses from <full name of the other party> directly instead of coming to me. ”
It is once said that the Buddha can only help those with karmic affinities. Each person has different levels of cultivation, different experiences in Buddhist practice from previous lives, and different amounts of negative karmas. If we are not able to do something or help someone for the time being, then it would be best to respect the karmic flow and let it go.
http://guanyincitta.com/en/q-a-152/