..续本文上一页and one”s environment can also have certain effects. With faith, one can be physically and mentally at ease, and also willingly restrain one”s own behaviours. Everyone is willing to be close to this kind of person, and this person”s life naturally becomes more relaxed and pleasant.

　　Thus, faith really is crucial. Otherwise, even if you have house, car, romantic love, and status, none of these can bring inner peace. If your life revolves solely around “I”, always thinking “I want to make more money”, “I want to live a good life”, yet never think of benefiting others nor have any sense of responsibility towards society; then no matter how well you study at school, or how much money you make in society, you will not experience true happiness.

　　Therefore, one who wishes to find happiness should be more far-sighted, more considerate towards others, and cultivate an altruistic mind. In this regard, I suggest that everyone read more Buddhist books – of course, it is not enough to merely read, you should also, with a devoted mind, try to realize its teachings. With this mind, even if you read only one book, one phrase, or just one sentence, the effect would be drastically different from usual. For someone with virtuous roots, the mind would go so far as instantly change; and irrespective of past abominable behaviours, one is reborn in the present moment. It is truly as Chan Master Si Ye said: ““Yesterday the mind of a Yaksha, today the face of a Bodhisattva, between Bodhisattva and Yaksha, there is not a single separating line.”

　　Of course, the nature of the mind requires you to personally recognize and to realize, otherwise, no matter how much and how wonderfully I talk, it is merely words. Guru Padmasambhava also said that without knowing the nature of the mind, even a great Dharma master who preaches on everything could not be free from delusions; knowing the secret of the mind, even an illiterate child shepherd can attain liberation.

　　There is also an incisive advice in the Platform Sutra: “Studying the Dharma without recognizing the original mind is of no benefit.” Without realizing the original nature of the mind, studying and practising the Dharma do not contribute to liberation; they merely sow a virtuous seed.

　　I heard that many of you like to do fire pujas. This may be a very good virtuous deed, but it is not the key. One should understand the Buddhadharma first, and then put it into actual practice to realize the nature of the mind. It is just like being a university student. You can join in all kinds of activities at school to widen your views and develop your abilities, but you cannot abandon studying, which is the most important. Similarly, when studying Buddhism, it is really important to clarify the priorities.

　　Also, I”d like to remind everyone that when studying Buddhism, whether you study the Sutrayana tradition or the Tantrayana tradition, you should co-exist with each other harmoniously. As long as it is pure and genuine Buddhadharma, it should be respected equally. There is no need to argue over some small matters and criticize this and that.

　　A few days ago, I met a Buddhist friend from Chao Zhou (Teochew), I asked him: “I have met many people from Chao Zhou when I visited Singapore and Thailand. They were all nice people, and quite successful. How do you do it

　　” He said: “I cannot speak for the younger generation, but we older people from Chao Zhou are frugal and united. As soon as we hear of a new arrival from Chao Zhou, we all help as one…” Hearing this, I thought: people from the same hometown can be like this, then surely we Buddhists can do better

　　Of course, Buddhists are not uniting to exclude other religions or non-Buddhists. But to better preserve the Buddha”s idea of benefiting others, and to better spre…

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