• There aren't any problems that can't be solved in Buddhism.

• There are no doors to the hells; you yourself make the doors.

• Parents are living Buddhas right in your own home, so don't neglect what is near to seek afar.

• With this body of yours, you ought to do some work and make a contribution to the world.

• Practice of the Way requires perseverance, sincerity, and determination.

• If you have no obstacles in your own mind, then outer obstacles will not hinder you or cause you worry.

• The Dharma is spoken; the Way has to be practiced. In order to derive benefit, you have to actually practice according to the Dharma.

• One may not carelessly scold those who study and practice the Buddha's teachings.

• If you wish others to know about your good deeds, they are not truly good deeds.
  If you fear others will find out about your bad deeds, those are truly bad deeds.

• At all times we should vigorously and courageously advance. We must never retreat or become lazy.

• Be gentle and agreeable. Avoid a hot temper. Don't be frightened under any circumstances.

• If you have not reached the state of being able to accord with conditions without changing, you must be very careful not to indulge in idle thoughts at any time.

• Patience means: "If people scold me, I can bear it. If they hit me, I can take it. No matter how badly they treat me, I can endure it."

• The ancient sages always blamed themselves. Modern people, however, look for faults in others instead of acknowledging their own faults.

• Be someone who abides by the rules. If you don't follow the rules, you will have to under go the retribution of being abnormal in the future.

• Always be honest and open in your speech and actions. Don't be sneaky or evasive with anyone. A straight mind is the Bodhimanda.

• The purpose of studying Buddhadharma is to put an end to birth and death.

• If we want to make daily progress, we must become more strict with ourselves each day. We must become more collected and focused by not indulging in discursive thoughts.

• Because of desire for illusory fame and profit, our minds are constantly being traumatized and afflicted. This is where we differ from the Buddhas.

• The reason we haven't obtained a response in our practice of Buddhism is that we have too many doubts.

• The only way we can influence people is to set a good example for them and win their respect for our integrity and values.

• When the Buddha spoke Dharma and taught people according to their needs, he was like a physician dispensing the right medicine to each patient. Therefore, one cannot say of any part of his teachings that they are right or wrong per se.

• Let's use what we have learned and what we understand to universally save living beings in the world.

• If you avoid praising, criticizing, and bearing grudges against others, your mind will be peaceful and free from greed, anger, and delusion.

• Merit is created through deeds that benefit society, such as building temples and repairing bridges and roads. Virtue means having a good conscience and not being ashamed before Heaven or people because one has neither deceived others nor cheated oneself.

• Students of the Buddhadharma should become more energetic, more earnest, more disciplined, and more intelligent each day.

• We should know that nothing in the world comes easily; how can we expect a reward when we haven't put in the work?

• All afflictions are based on selfishness. That's why we have so much anger and so many afflictions.

• If you are truly sincere, the Bodhisattvas will protect you even if you don't offer incense.

• No matter what circumstances or demonic obstacles we encounter, we are determined not to waver in our resolve to study the Buddhadharma. This is the kind of resoluteness and sincerity we must have in studying Buddhism.

• In studying Buddhism, we should "turn it around" and benefit others. Only then do we deserve to be called Buddhists.

• When you are cultivating the Way and a demonic state appears, if you are the slightest bit not in accord with proper knowledge and views, you will be caught up in deviant views.

• How were we born? We were born from ignorance; we came into the world in a muddled fashion.

• Ignorance is the root of afflictions, the root of birth and death, and the root of all troubles and problems.

• In studying the Dharma, we should investigate the principles until we are completely convinced of them, without the slightest doubt in our minds.

• If you can regard the Sutra lectures as being especially important, then you have pretty much fulfilled your duties as a Buddhist.

• To obtain genuine wisdom, we must work hard in our practice and be in accord with the rules.

• In the future, I hope all of you will look after yourselves and supervise yourselves. With such self-supervision, you will certainly succeed one day.

• The Buddha's wisdom and radiance are like the sun, because they shine upon the entire earth, lighting up even the remotest corners of darkness.

• No matter how flourishing the world becomes, when it reaches the height of its glory, it will become dark again. All things in the world, great and small, are pretty much the same; they all go through cycles.

• In listening to Sutra lectures and reciting Sutras, we must be patient and not grow weary.

• If we did not fight, were not greedy, did not seek anything, were not selfish, and did not want to benefit ourselves, we would have no anger.

• People have sharp eyes and will see your good points. You don't need to praise yourself.

• If you want to determine whether a person is genuine or phony, whether he is a Bodhisattva or a demon, you can look for the following things: First, see whether he has any desire for sex; and second, see whether he is greedy for money.

• We should not say things that cause people to entertain thoughts of lust. We should not tell improper jokes or engage in frivolous or idle chatter. In general, we should not say the things we are not supposed to say.

• Students of Buddhist should treat the study of the Dharma as more important than anything--more important than their studies at school, more important than their business and livelihood.

• Clean out the garbage and defiled thoughts in your own mind.

• Jealousy is an evil mental state which is hidden in one's thoughts.

• If you don't develop Dharma-selecting vision--the genuine wisdom to distinguish between the Dharma and what is not the Dharma--you will have studied the Dharma in vain.

• The more you study Buddhism, the more you should understand. You shouldn't become more confused. Recognize the truth and open up your "mine of wisdom."

• What I stress is genuine merit and real practice, not false publicity.

• Don't joke about the Dharma, and don't talk about it frivolously.

• A Bodhisattva is simply someone who advances with great vigor. That's all there is to it. There's no other secret.

• Money is the filthiest thing around. If you stay around it very long, you'll be defiled.

• Through cultivating the Way, you can increase your wisdom, your resolve for Bodhi, the power of your vows, and everything else.

• All good and wise advisors, we should not be unfilial disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha.
  We fellow Buddhists should not stir up trouble among ourselves and try to hurt each other.
  This is my hope for modern Buddhism.

• You should always maintain an attitude of deep respect and make obeisance to the great Bodhisattvas of the ten directions. For every bit of respect you have, you will gain a bit of response. If you are one hundred percent respectful, you will gain the benefit of a response of one hundred percent.

• All the various kinds of precepts are aimed at helping people follow the rules. People who follow the rules can help maintain order in society and resolve the problems faced by mankind. Thus, the moral precepts are the basis for world peace.

• Studying Buddhism is worth more than any amount of money you save up in the bank! In terms of your Dharma body and wisdom life, the Dharma is far more important than money. Don't take worldly wealth so seriously. When you study the Dharma, you amass a wealth of Dharma and meritorous virtue. So, don't look lightly upon this and act in a careless manner.

• Listening to the Dharma is an especially good way to increase our good roots and open our wisdom. An opportunity to listen to the Dharma is worth more than any amount of money you could earn. You all shouldn't think it is a simple matter to be able to come and listen to the Sutras and study the Dharma. You are able to do so only because you have amassed a lot of good roots and virtuous conduct.

• "The spirits and immortals of old had no special tricks; they were simply happy as could be, and they never worried." This should be the motto of all cultivators.

• The proper dharmas are: not fighting, not being greedy, not seeking, not being selfish, not wanting personal advantages, and not telling lies. These are known as the Six Great Guidelines. No matter what dharma it is, you may use the Six Guidelines as a yardstick to measure, judge, and contemplate it. If it accords with the six rules, it can be called a proper dharma. If it goes against them, it is a deviant dharma.

• As human beings, we are close to the demons and far from the Buddhas. We can become a demon king any time we want. If we wish to become a Buddha, however, we must cut through dense thickets of evil views. We have to cast out deviant views and constantly cultivate proper views before we can escape the demons' nets.

• If you really have no deluded thoughts, then you have already been born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. If you are truly free of desire, then you have already taught and transformed living beings.

• When a person is proper, he doesn’t have to give people orders and they will follow him of their own accord.
  But, if a person is not proper, then even if he forces people, they will not comply.

• We must be clear about cause and effect and not make mistakes in cause and effect. When we come to the temple to bow to the Buddhas, we should not try to gain something for ourselves. We should not be afraid to take a loss. People who come to the temple to steal food, money, or other things will certainly fall into the three evil paths.

• Buddhism has just come to the West, and we must staunchly support and propagate the Proper Dharma; we must take the Proper Dharma as our standard in all we do; the Proper Dharma is our goal and purpose. We should all make a great Bodhi resolve and protect the Treasury of the Proper Dharma Eye.

• What are your treasures? They are your very own Treasury of the Tathagata. If you want to regain your Treasury of the Tathagata, you first have to protect your essence, energy, and spirit.

• You should all remember: After you take the precepts, never be deceived by such states of confused belief. Even if a Dharma-speaker displays mighty spiritual powers, you should look him over carefully and see if he is greedy. If he is out for money or if he has lust, then he's not genuine. He's a phony.

• Depressed and melancholy, you roam through the hells.
  Happy and smiling, you enjoy eternal youth.
  Weeping and woe make a small dark room in the hells.

• Although the Buddhadharma has not perished, the Sangha itself has.
  Morality and virtue should be cultivated, but are not.
  The honest and sincere ones invite ridicule,
  While the false and scheming ones enjoy praise.

• Now that you have a chance to leave the home-life and become disciples of the Buddha, you should realize that the causes and conditions for this are hard to meet with in hundreds of millions of eons. Therefore, you should uphold the precepts as you would your very life. For if you don't, then although you may still be in the world, you are like walking corpses and you will be of no benefit to the world. After leaving home, we should have backbone, determination, and integrity. We ought to be useful vessels within Buddhism, establishing merit and virtue, and establishing the teachings.

• If your ideas aren’t working, look within yourself;
  If you are kind to people and they don’t reciprocate, take a look at your kindness.
  If you give people orders and they don’t follow them, take a look at your orders.
  If you pay respect to people and they don’t return it, take a look at your manners.

 

• Be a good example, not a bad one. Make yourselves good models for everyone to follow. If you are proper, then you don’t need to order people around. They will still practise after you and follow you. You won’t need to use all kinds of tricky methods to oppress people so that they follow you. If you are not proper yourself but still greedy and contentious, selfish, and self-benefiting, then you cannot teach others not to be greedy, not to be contentious, not to be selfish, and not to be self-benefiting. In that case, it won’t work. So, if a person is not proper, even if he orders others around, they won’t obey. Then no matter what he tries to teach people to do, they won’t listen to him.

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