After respectfully listening to the Dharma discourse “Focusing Primarily on Cultivating One’s Own Dharma and Conduct” imparted by Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, I came to a profound realization: It is time to truly wake up!
I am deeply grateful for the blessings of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!
Although I had listened to this Dharma discourse before, it seemed to have left almost no impression on me. Just as my Buddha Master said, it went in one ear and out the other. As soon as I finished listening, I forgot what I had heard. The teachings neither entered my mind nor touched my heart. I am truly ashamed of myself.
After listening to this Dharma discourse again, I came to understand more deeply the preciousness of Buddha Dharma, the true meaning of liberation, and how I should make use of my limited lifetime.
First, we must understand that Buddha Dharma is extremely precious and difficult to encounter. Why? Because only Buddha Dharma can enable us to end the cycle of birth and death and transcend the six realms of samsara in which we now exist.
In the past, when Dharma Master Nenghai listened to Geshe Jangba expound the Dharma, he could hear only one sentence each day and had to make a round trip of about 25 miles. It took him half a year to finish listening to that Dharma teaching.
There are also many people who learn Buddhism by studying Buddhist scriptures. Because many scriptures are written in classical Chinese, their meanings can be very difficult to understand. Even when someone can understand the words, the scriptures were compiled by the Five Hundred Arhats based on their recollections of the Dharma expounded by Namo Shakyamuni Buddha. Therefore, deviations in the meaning of the Dharma could inevitably have occurred, and what was recorded may not fully convey the perfect Dharma meaning spoken by the Buddha.
Today, we are able to listen directly to the perfect Dharma teachings of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment expounded by my Buddha Master（H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III）. This is truly rare, precious, and extraordinarily auspicious!
When my Buddha Master （H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III）expounds the Dharma, profound principles are explained in simple and accessible language, almost like having an everyday conversation. Deep principles of Buddha Dharma are presented to us clearly and understandably, enabling people of different levels of good roots to gain understanding according to their capacities.
Therefore, we must cherish every opportunity to listen to the Dharma!
Second, we must understand how swiftly impermanence can arrive. How much time do I really have left to waste? Impermanence can take my life at any moment, for death makes no distinction between the young and the old.
Since I have already encountered the true Dharma of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, I must make good use of my time and genuinely cultivate myself according to the Dharma principles taught by my Buddha Master. I must integrate Buddha Dharma into my everyday life.
At every moment, I should recall the Dharma principles taught by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and use them to examine my every word, action, and thought:
Do I truly have compassion?
Have I practiced patience and forbearance?
Have I let go of greed, anger, and ignorance?
Am I still entangled in worldly grievances and disputes over right and wrong?
Are the things I am doing bringing me step by step closer to accomplishment and liberation?
A human existence endowed with the freedoms and favorable conditions for learning the Dharma is difficult to obtain. Even more difficult is the opportunity to hear directly from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III the perfect Dharma teachings that enable living beings to end the cycle of birth and death!
All worldly phenomena are illusory and ultimately unreal. What, then, is there to cling to?
Isn’t that true?
The people and possessions I cherish most, everything I have worked so hard to obtain—I carefully protect them, constantly afraid that I might lose them. Joy, worry, and anxiety accompany me all the time.
But has this attachment really brought me happiness?
Is this truly the happiness I have always longed for?
Have I actually obtained it?
At the very moment I take my last breath, will any of these things still belong to me?
Therefore, I must clearly establish the true goal of my life: to end the cycle of birth and death and attain liberation.
On the path toward liberation, I must not keep looking around—admiring the scenery here one moment and envying someone else’s treasures the next. Doing so only delays my journey and wastes my precious life and time.
Cultivation means cultivating oneself.
I must listen to the Dharma teachings frequently, and whenever I understand even one principle, I should put it into practice through my actions, speech, and thoughts—the three karmas.
I must constantly examine myself:
Have I let go of greed, anger, and ignorance?
Am I practicing the Six Paramitas and the myriad Bodhisattva practices?
I should begin with the people closest to me. It is in front of those closest to us that we remove our disguises and reveal our true selves. In those relationships, all our shortcomings are exposed most clearly.
I asked myself sincerely: Am I truly compassionate toward my family?
Suppose I have just finished mopping the floor, and suddenly a large footprint appears on the spotless surface. At that very instant, anger and irritation arise within me. I glare angrily at the person responsible, only to receive a casual response:
“Just wipe it again. What’s the big deal?”
Not only was my effort unappreciated, but I also felt that it had been disrespected. My anger immediately intensified, and I raised my voice:
“Why don’t you clean it yourself?”
Such a trivial incident exposed the selfishness within me.
First, my effort was not truly selfless. I expected praise and respect in return. Second, I lacked tolerance and understanding. When someone failed to respect the results of my labor, instead of responding with compassion and patience, I gave rise to anger and resentment.
At the root of the problem was my failure to truly understand the impermanence of all phenomena. I had failed to realize that I should be selfless, compassionate, and forbearing, and that I should do only those things that benefit others.
Instead, I had neglected what was truly important while clinging to things that offered no help whatsoever toward my accomplishment and liberation—my pride, my dignity, my boundaries, and so on.
It is truly time for me to wake up completely.
I must make full use of this limited lifetime, take my Buddha Master (H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III) as my role model, establish unwavering faith, rely upon correct understanding and correct views, and diligently cultivate my own conduct and practice my own Dharma.
I will strive to end the cycle of birth and death and attain liberation as soon as possible.
Written by: Qingxin
Edited by: Sayi
Learn more about H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III
Link: https://dharma-hhdorjechangbuddhaiii.org/dorje-chang-buddha-iii-it-is-time-to-truly-wake-up/
#DorjeChangBuddhaIII #MasterWanKoYee #BuddhaDharma #BuddhistTeachings #Buddhism #BuddhistCultivation #DharmaTeachings #BuddhistPractice #SpiritualAwakening #BuddhistWisdom
Peace LiLy 