TALKS ON DHARMA
It’s because the Way and virtue are a person’s
foundation. Once we have the Way and Virtue, we can stand on our own feet.
practiced, what
use is the Way?
Virtue must be cultivated.
If it is not cultivated,
from where does
virtue come?
(from
page 3 “The Buddhadharma Is in practice, Not in talking”)
One cannot speak
of true advantages. It is just as
someone will know the warmth or coolness of a glass of water only after
drinking from it.
All day long you count the money of others,
But you don’t own half a cent yourself.
If you don’t cultivate the Dharma,
You make the same mistake.
***
Sentient creatures and insentient things,
All proclaim the wonderful Dharma
Of the Mahayana.
(from page 11 “The Great Compassion Mantra Can Dispel
Calamities)
If one is truly
repentant, it can certainly be worked out.
Enlightened, one is a Buddha.
Confused, one is a living being.
***
Regard everything in the past as
if you died
yesterday.
Regard everything in the future as
if you were born
today.
(from pages 25 & 27 “To Repent and Reform Means to Change
Our
Faults and Turn Over
a New Leaf)
No matter in front of whom we are repenting, we must say our
confession clearly. Don’t be vague and
vacillating.
Even in a hundred thousand eons,
The karma you create does not perish.
When the conditions come together,
You must still undergo the retribution yourself.
(from page 39 “Telling Others to Do Something Increases the Severity of
the Offense)
From morning till night, we should bow to
the Buddhas and recite the Buddhas’ names to eradicate our obstructions from
offenses, and we should be busy for the sake of the Dharma.
Rising up early in the morning, going to
bed late
at night, for whom are we busy?
Living beings are hard to save: it’s pretty
sad.
Confused by the wearisome dust,
their natures are upside-down.
Boxing their ears and commanding them
directly,
there is still no way to teach them.
(from page 51 “Rising Early and Retiring Late, for Whom Are We Busy?”)
If you don’t make the call, then who’s
going to answer the phone?
Thought after thought is true and sincere;
thought after thought penetrates.
Working quietly, there’s a response
in the midst of the quiet work.
Go straight to the place beyond the
mountains and streams.
And you will be free to roam the Dharma
Realms,
going east or west as you please.
***
The lights shine upon one another;
The holes mutually connect.
***
When one wish is fulfilled,
all wishes are
fulfilled.
When we are at ease in one place,
we are at ease
everywhere.
***
No one is a Buddha by birth.
A living being must rely on his own
effort to achieve
Buddhahood.
(from pages
59, 61, 63 & 67 “Reciting the Buddha’s Name Is Like Making a Phone Call”)
Who told you to act so recklessly and brashly when you were free
of sickness, instead of cherishing and taking care of yourself?
Only after being sick do you realize
the body is
suffering.
Only after dying do you realize
you applied your
effort wrongly.
***
When the horse is on the edge of the cliff,
it’s too late to
draw in the reins.
When the boat is in the middle of the river,
it’s too late to
patch the leaks.
***
If you don’t want to die,
You must first work “dead hard.”
***
Cultivators should be careful not to doubt.
Once they doubt, they will be lost.
***
When I see someone die,
My heart burns like fire.
It’s not burning because of him,
But because I know it will soon be my turn.
(from pages
69, 71, 73 & 75 “Don’t Wait Till You’re Thirsty to Dig a Well”)
Meditation starts at 2 a.m. and goes until midnight, at which time
people can sleep. During the day there
is only one hour of rest.
Now we come to the year of 1976.
The multitudes gather from the ten directions to
investigate Chan.
Every hour, minute, and second must be cherished.
While walking, standing, sitting, and lying down,
Investigate deeply and carefully.
Empty space is shattered, and you understand the Mind’s
Ground.
The Dharma Realm remains the same, yet you see the Nature’s
Sky.
Where can you find your original face?
Right here at Gold Mountain Monastery!
(from page 103
“The Tradition at Gold Mountain Monastery”)
In every move you
make and every word you say, you should aim to be true.
As if they were the pupils in your own eyes.
***
Our losses will surpass our gains.
(from pages
107 & 109 “In Studying Buddhism, You Must Use a True Mind”)
If you understand,
you can put it down. If you don’t
understand, you will be attached.
the vast, long
tongue.
The hues of the mountains are none other
than the pure body.
***
The emerald-green bamboo is just the Dharma-body.
The thriving yellow flowers are nothing but Prajna.
(from pages
125 & 129 “All the Myriad Things are Speaking the Dharma”)
If the universe is
filled with auspicious proper energy, then the earth will not blow up.
That which is called “good” begins with the mind,
That which is called “bad” also begins with the mind.
***
With one enlightened thought, you are a Buddha.
With one confused thought, you are a living being.
(from pages
141 & 145 “Working Hard For World Peace”)
You must plant
your feet on solid ground, and diligently work at meditation. Only when you attain true skill will it
count!
The eyes contemplates the nose;
The nose contemplates the mouth;
The mouth contemplates the heart.
***
When one is concentrated, there is
An efficacious
result.
When one is scattered, there is nothing.
***
You can’t bring anything with you.
Only your karma will follow you.
***
Sickness enters through the mouth;
Calamity comes out of the mouth.
***
They transcend the three realms and
are no longer in the five elements.
***
Just practice good deeds,
And don’t ask about the future.
***
My destiny is determined by myself, not by heaven.
***
When the mountains disappear and the waters vanish,
you doubt there
is no road ahead.
is another
village.
***
If you can climb to the top of a
hundred-foot pole
and then take another step.
The worlds in the ten directions
will appear in their entirety.
(from pages
151,155,159,161,163,165 & 167 “Chan Sessions Are for Seeking Enlightenment
in a Limited Time”)
Too tight, and it’ll break.
Too slack, and it’ll be loose.
Neither tight nor slight, and it will turn out right.
Too tight, and it’ll break. Too slack, and it’ll be loose.
Neither tight nor slack, and it will turn out right.
***
In cultivation, don’t be afraid to go slowly.
Just be afraid of standing still.
***
The moon appears in the waters of a pure heart;
There are no clouds in the sky of a clam mind.
***
True wealth is stopping the mind and
cutting off
thought;
True fields of blessings are devoid
of all selfish
desires.
(from pages
179,181 & 183 “Doing It Just Right is the Middle Way”)
Cultivating the Way simply means to “turn
ourselves around.”
Truly
recognize your faults,
And don’t
discuss others’ wrongs.
Others’
wrongs are just my own:
Being of
one substance with all things
is called Great Compassion.
(from page 205
“What is Buddhadharma?”)