Hsing Yun Quotes

In today's world, technological and medical advances have prolonged the human lifespan. However, such advances have also led to increasing estrangement and apathy among people. More and more people are feeling the lack of happiness and peace in their lives.

Just as we get sick physically, the earth is sick too. When people are sick, they need to be treated and saved. When the earth is sick, it also needs everyone to care for it and save it. To save the earth, we must begin with environmental preservation. On the other hand, the protection of nature depends on humanity to self-awaken, which also starts with preservation of the spiritual environment.

To resolve means to cultivate the field of your mind, which is also the first thing we have to learn as Buddhists. Without cultivating and developing the field of our mind, no matter how good the conditions we may possess, or how much fortune and merits we may have, the sprout of bodhi wisdom will still not grow. This is similar to a seed without a good and fertile land, no good flower or fruit will ever grow out of it. Therefore, if we wish to open up and develop our spiritual wealth or utilize our energy, we must begin by resolving.

I used to divide generosity into four grades: 1) giving of money, 2) giving of labor, 3) giving of language, 4) giving of goodwill. Money will be of no use if one does not know how to use it properly. Sometimes there may not be as many works available, but words of kindness will never be too much. If one offers good intentions and continue to wish others well, or even teach the Dharma to others, one will be practicing supreme generosity.

Develop a true mind that is as vast as the ocean: Not only is the ocean a palace for aquatic animals, it is also a place filled with inexhaustible treasures. Take a look at oil drillers today. Don’t they always dig deep in the ocean for the oil? The ocean’s resources are usually what supports and makes a country wealthy; this is why every country protects its water rights, because to them, they are protecting their national property. Our mind is also like the ocean, it is a womb that nurtures the treasures of compassion and bodhi wisdom awaiting us to uncover.

If you have resentment in your heart, you’ve only got yourself to blame. If you could understand it’s not any outside thing but your own attachment or greed that causes the resentment in the first place, you would be able to let go of the emotion. If you have time to be angry, you might as well use that time to do something good for society, right?

Buddhism advocates that all living beings possess buddha nature; and that both the sentient and insentient possess the potential to attain Buddhahood. As mountains, rivers, grass and trees will all attain Buddhahood, thus Buddhism advocates no killing, thus no deforestation; no stealing, thus no unlawful logging. The Buddhist doctrine of equality views all beings as equals, and advocates that not only do humans and animals deserve love and care, mountains, rivers and the great earth also need to be protected.

In this world, the meaning of compassion is often distorted, leading to excessive indulgence and turning a blind eye to what is wrong. When applied inappropriately, compassion can become the source of crimes and wrongdoings. For instance, the common practice of freeing live animals actually causes harm to more animal lives. Inappropriate and lavish giving of money only nurture greed and corruption. Therefore, true compassion and tolerance must be supplemented by prajna wisdom to prevent traveling down the wrong path, rendering the initial intentions futile.

Our heart is like a factory. This factory can produce joy. It can also produce worry. If you can produce worry to make yourself unhappy, why don’t you produce joy instead? Many of our worries are much ado about nothing.

Just as the Venerable Master once said, “Life is a marathon race; we need to persevere over distance and time.” It is the same with learning Buddhism and cultivation, it is a lifetime undertaking or even life after life till the end of time, all of which needs perseverance. Of course, every lifetime will bring us much wisdom and experiences. Ultimately, if we can combine the experiences we have gained life after life, we will be like the Buddha’s “realization” in fulfilling the meaning of life.

The purpose of work may sometimes be living, for one’s career, for one’s interest, to repay others, for one’s religious belief, or sometimes for a sense of honor and justice. When you volunteer for Buddhism, the Buddha will see your initiative, and cause and effect will never turn against your contributions. To be a volunteer for Buddhism, not only are you serving the multitude, you are also nurturing your own fortune, which can be of benefit to you in many lifetimes, thus its value is formless. Therefore, to be volunteer may look like it is for the benefit of others on the surface, but we are in fact the one who is receiving the most benefits.

Self-Awareness is essentially a form of self education. According to the Buddhist sutras, we must be reliant on ourselves and the Dharma, but never depend on external influence. Similarly, we should teach ourselves to maintain alertness at all times so that we can assimilate and derive global understanding of all events around us. This is what I mean by self education.

Morals and a person’s life are closely related, for instance, if someone praises us for being a person of morals, we will certainly be very pleased. Conversely, if someone says we are an unethical crook, we will be upset for a long time. So we can see that morals have significant implications for every person’s life.

As the saying goes, “a mind without desires makes a character noble.” A person may be without glamorous outfits or sensual enjoyments, but as long as he or she is not greedy for anything, he or she will naturally be noble in character. A person who is detached and without desires does not get jealous or compare himself with others, does not oppose or fight with others, and does not treat people or matters with arrogance and insolence, but follows any conditions with perfect ease. Take the many eminent and virtuous people throughout history, for example. They earned the respect of others not because of their wealth, but because of their moral integrity nurtured through living simple but content lives. They are the true models of living the philosophy of emptiness.

Happiness and peace come from detachment and contentment In this world, some people pursue material happiness and others pursue nature’s tranquility and peace, while some pursue material transcendence and spiritual happiness attained from detachment and contentment. So what type of happiness should we be pursuing? Material life may satisfy our daily needs, but it does not bring sustained happiness; only detachment and contentment allow us to enjoy lasting happiness.