Lunchtime Instructional Talk by Dharma Master Heng Gwei on November 25, 2018,
at Gold Wheel Sagely Monastery Emperor Liang’s Jeweled Repentance Dharma Assembly
Fellow practitioners and good knowing advisors, sorry for keeping you seated for so long. Please stretch a little and sit at ease.
What I prepared to say has already been said by Venerable Master, as well as lay people, so I have nothing more to add. Truly, it feels like we just started the repentance session, and yet today we are about to conclude the session. As the saying goes, “As time passes by, our life span is shortened.” Now that we are into our 7th/8th day of repentance session, our lives are 7/8 days shorter. So, we need to cherish our time and make good use of it.
Yesterday, our novice nun said, “This world is full of sufferings”. We all know that very well. When the World Honored One attained Buddhahood, he went to Sarnath (Deer Park) and talked about suffering, emptiness, impermanence and non-self. When he entered nirvana, he likewise spoke about suffering, emptiness, impermanence and non-self. He expounded on the same teaching. Since the Buddha knew that living beings are very lax and forgetful, he told us the truth and reminded us that our time is limited.
Buddhism often talks about impermanence, and it may sound rather negative. But in fact, it is not – it is actually very positive. Being aware of impermanence makes us know that we should make good use of our lives and our time, and not do things that benefit neither us nor others, e.g. losing our temper. It torments both ourselves and others. Hence, we shouldn’t do things that harm ourselves and bring no benefits to others.
The Buddha talked about impermanence. In fact, our Venerable Master said that he experienced many forms of impermanence when he came to the City of Dharma Realm. Hearing this, everyone is feeling scared, right? The fact is that impermanence not only happens in the City of Dharma Realm. Impermanence constantly unfolds before us, but we haven’t used our hearts to discern it.
Take suffering, for example. It afflicts our body and mind. We experience it, and so do others. However, nobody is willing to face it, resolve it or transform it. Hence, the Venerable Master said, “The remedy for ending suffering is reciting the Buddha’s name. People in this world go through so much suffering. How do we resolve it? How do we eradicate suffering? The best way is to recite the Buddha’s name.” I agree with that. Moreover, it is stated in the Jeweled Repentance of Emperor Liang, “Repentance is the only essential to end suffering.” It is only after we have truly repented, that our Buddha recitation can settle deeply in our hearts.
(To be continued …)