Guru's Talk

 Accompanying Each Other Wherever We Are
　

Translated and Edited by True Buddha Foundation Translation Team

While in my retreat at Leaf Lake, I often think of a rather silly question. Before I entered my seclusion, I told my holy disciples, "We can accompany each other wherever we are."

What I meant was that our body is given to us by our parents, and it thus has the desires of the physical body. It is however made up of the four elements and one by one they will break down as we age.

The holy disciples who followed me will know that the body is illusory, and that we are simply taking advantage of this physical body to help us cultivate. And one day this same physical body will be discarded as it grows old and dies. It is false to think that we can avoid entering nirvana, for the physical body will surely disappear from this Samsara world.

While I am alone in seclusion, many emotions well up within my inner heart as I recall the things I have said in the past. My age is similar to many of my holy disciples—you can say we were born at the same time and will grow old together. I think positive thoughts about the good and wonderful things, such as the fact that we can support each other, and accompany each other wherever we are, in the human world or in heaven.

Even though our illusory bodies may be destroyed eventually, and there will be no more life [in our illusory bodies], everyone’s illusory bodies can be together, and everyone’s souls can be together in the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds. We shall live peacefully together; we shall have complete freedom; we shall cultivate together; we shall care about each other.

Together we live.

Together we chant the Buddha’s name and mantra and cultivate the dharma.

Together we enjoy the scenery of mountains and rivers.

Together we return to the world of utmost joy, the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds in the Western Paradise. We share the same drink, and share the same food.

Holy disciples! Do you understand what I’m wishing? When I am living alone in retreat, I often mention these matters in my writings:

We need to build a home for the elderly.

We need to build a hospice to care for the dying.

We need to build a home for the departed disciples (a True Buddha cemetery).

This is the true meaning of "accompanying each other wherever we are."

It is my thinking that our meeting and knowing each other in this lifetime is no simple thing. Holy disciples taking refuge with me are people who have great affinity with me. While it is correct to say that everything is changeable, through the effects of transmigration and the cycles of cause and effect, one thing never changes—and that is our True Heart, the True Nature, the True Buddha, the Truth itself, which will always remain unchangeable.

I look forward to the day when we will accompany each other wherever we are. I hope it will not be just my wishful thinking but a dream that will come true!

I hope we all encourage each other about all of this!

(the end)

《本文譯自真佛報第437期頭版師尊「真佛論劍」文章「天涯共相伴」》
　

--->回目錄