Guan Yin Citta Singapore Class date: 29/12/2019. Credit: Ms June Wong.
WHAT ARE WE LEARNING TODAY?
1. Ignorance - how it traps us in the cycle of rebirth.
2. Learn the importance of Self-Awareness - THE KEY to reach the Buddha within our mind and discover our true nature.
3. The karma for Wasting Food.
****************************************************************************
Q1: What is the reason for one to be ignorant?
A1: Ignorance stems from one’s failure to practise self-reflection (反省自己Fǎn xǐng zì jǐ). Everyone should practise self-reflection on a daily basis when they are back at home. Contemplate about what wrong have you done and what others have given up for you.
In today’s world, everyone utters about how many good deeds they have done and how many people they have helped but has never pondered about the mistakes they have committed.
Cross reference 1 <IGNORANCE)>
Wenda20180603A 06:51
不要被人间是非缠绕；如何破无明
台长语：一个人学佛，最重要的还是师父经常跟大家讲的，就是不要把自己缠住。我们在人间总是有是是非非，被是非所缠绕。被是非所缠绕的人就是不懂得珍惜啊，因为你没有珍惜自己这么短的生命，你还在是非当中搞来搞去，想想看，你的生命多短！心胸要怎么样地宽广，像大海一样，那么就要随缘了。是非只能让你增加烦恼，不能让你增加智慧。怎么样能够破无明呢？就是心要正。师父经常跟大家讲，心正佛做主，心不正魔做主。一个人怎么样能够心正呢？正能量永存，就是菩萨的思维在你心中，比方说，菩萨的思维，尽量用慈悲心去对待人家
Wenda20180603A 06:51
DO NOT BE ENTANGLED IN THE RIGHT AND WRONG (是非Shìfēi) OF THIS WORLD. HOW TO BREAK FREE FROM IGNORANCE
Master Jun Hong Lu: Like how I always tell you, the most important thing that a Buddhist practitioner should learn is to never allow ourselves to be entangled (不要把自己缠住Bùyào bǎ zìjǐ chán zhù). Things can be right and wrong in this world. A person who gets himself entangled in the web of right and wrong is clearly someone who fail to cherish. They fail to cherish the brief life they live in this world. That is why they continue to compete against others. Think about how short your life is. You will have to be broad-minded (心胸要宽广Xīnxiōng yào kuānguǎng), just like the sea. To achieve this, you will have to accord with conditions (随缘Suíyuán). The right and wrong in this world will only increase your afflictions (烦恼) not wisdom.
How do we overcome ignorance? You have to be righteous (心要正). Like I always tell you, ‘With the right mindset, you let the Buddha be your guide; with a deviant mindset, you let the demons become your guide (心正佛做主，心不正魔做主). How do we achieve a righteous mind then? You will have to fill yourself up with everlasting positive energy. To do this you will have to have the line of thought of Bodhisattva (菩萨的思维) e.g. treating everyone with compassion.
Cross reference 2 <IGNORANCE)>
Wenda20190203B 05:59（An Excerpt）
如何破除无明
女听众：请问师父，众生有多少种无明要破除呢？
你说呢？（好多）身上的毛病多得数也数不清，八万四千啊，所以才会生出八万四千种法门来救度（明白。现实生活中，众生迷惑吃众生肉，学佛人许愿吃全素、守戒律，破了吃荤的无明；出家法师戒律多达300多条。请问师父，是否守一个戒律就会破一种无明呢？）对啊，你守戒守得越多，破无明破得越多。 所以师父一直说，为什么守戒守得越细，我们越容易破迷开悟）对啊。如果你破无明，实际上就靠守戒啊，因为你不懂好坏，你先守戒再说。因为你的贪瞋痴在你的精神上起作用了，它就会障蔽我们清净的本性，所以让我们对人间的事物不明白，产生种种分别心
Cross reference 2 <IGNORANCE)>
Wenda20190203B 05:59 An Excerpt） (Master Jun Hong Lu call-in radio program)
HOW TO BREAKTHROUGH IGNORANCE
Caller: Master, how many types of ignorance that a person needs to eradicate?
Master Jun Hong Lu: What do you think? The bad habits of a person are innumerable! 84,000! That is why we say there are 84,000 Dharma methods to help them. In our daily life, there are those who are people who consume the meat of sentient beings, while Buddhist practitioner makes vows to practise full vegetarianism in their effort to observe the precepts. This itself had eradicated the ignorance of eating meat. The monastics for e.g. had to observe more than 300 precepts….
Caller: May I ask, is it through observing one particular precept we are able to eradicate one particular type of ignorance (守一个戒律就会破一种无明)?
Master Jun Hong Lu: That is right. The more precepts you are able to observe, the more ignorance you are able to eradicate.
Caller: That’s why Master Lu keep telling us that the stricter we are in our keeping to the precepts, the easier it is for us to break through ignorance and be enlightened.
Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes. You have to rely on your effort in keeping the precepts in order to break through ignorance. When you can’t tell what’s right and wrong in the beginning, you should start by observing the precepts. This is because, at this time, greed, hatred and ignorance in you have obscured your calm inherent nature resulting in your inability to discern and giving rise to a bias mind (分别心).
Cross reference 3 <IGNORANCE)>
Wenda20180427 01:17:10
如何理解十二因缘中的“无明”
男听众：师父，《白话佛法》十二因缘中说到无明，无明真的让人做错了很多很多的事情。请师父您再开示一下，感恩师父。
台长答：实际上，无明因为有它的基础。比方说你上辈子的根基不稳，或者做错很多事情，会造成你这辈子的无明习气。实际上就是一种轮回的意念。师父举个简单例子，对于盲人来说，无明就是看不到光明，对不对？（对）如果他看不到光明，但是别人告诉了他光明，别人告诉他太阳是怎么样的，电灯是怎么样的，你看到前面一片光明的时候，他虽然眼睛看不到，但他的心看到了，那么他就脱离无明了。明白了吗？（明白了。真的很可怕，一个人的无明会断送自己很多很多慧命的）实际上无明就是你把自己的心关闭住了，因为你无明的话，你会堕落，你会阴暗，你就会没有悟性，会没一种光明。无明实际上在我们生活当中时时刻刻都有，很多人执著、不买账，觉得自己是对的，对不对？（对）。所以佛陀说过，一切痛苦都产生于无明（对，因为十二因缘之中的第一个就是无明）人由于无知而产生的偏见和执著，因为我们人不知道、无明，所以才产生了“我对他有看法，因为他怎么样”，你不知道如果你了解他，你会讲他偏执、固执吗？所以苦就由此产生了。实际上这个无明就是贯穿于我们三世轮回，我们不理解，所以我们才在三世轮回当中不停地投胎、所以这个真的是很可怜（是的，明白了）佛教的目的就是要打破无明，见知佛性，要见到自己真正的佛性.
Wenda20180427 01:17:10 (An Excerpt) (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
UNDERSTANDING IGNORANCE IN THE 12 LINK OF DEPENDENT ORIGINATION
Caller: Master, in Buddhism in Plain Terms, it was mentioned that ignorance is the cause for a lot of our wrongdoings in life. Please enlighten us.
Master Jun Hong Lu: One’s ignorance is due to the existence of such state one’s past life. For e.g. your spiritual foundation in your past life was unstable, you committed a lot of wrongdoings - all these would cause you a lot of deep-rooted bad habits (无明习气) in this life. In fact, ignorance is the consciousness that results in rebirth. Let me quote you an example: for a blind person, ignorance to him is his inability to see light. However, when someone tells him about it, for e.g describing to him the nature of the sun, out of a sudden he could see it through his mind-eyes. That is what it means by breaking away from ignorance.
In fact, ignorance is when you shut the door to your mind. Ignorance can cause you to become depraved, your days will be gloomy, you lose your wisdom and the light in your life. You can see the manifestation of ignorance in our everyday life. For e.g. our attachments (执著), our refusal to acknowledge the superiority of others, the thought that we are always right. That is why Buddha says all sufferings stem from ignorance (一切痛苦都产生于无明).
Caller: That’s right. Ignorance is the first link in the law of Dependent Origination.
Master Jun Hong Lu: Due to a person’s ignorance, he develops a lot of prejudice, and opinion about others. Often times, if you understand someone, you will not think that he always had preconceived notions or stubborn? That’s the origin of our sufferings.
In fact, ignorance spans over our rebirths in three lives (三世轮回). The fact that we fail to comprehend this, that’s why we are trapped we continue to transmigrate through three lives. This is indeed pitiable. The objective of Buddhism teachings is to eradicate ignorance to reveal our Buddha nature (真正的佛性)
Disclaimer: Source from the Internet (Not from Master Jun Hong Lu)
INTRO:
Perhaps the most profound part of the Buddha’s teaching is the description of how this wheel of life, death and rebirth continues rolling on. The insight into all the links of the chain of existence is expressed in what is called the Law of Dependent Origination.
According to the Buddha: It is by their not being able to comprehend the Dependent Origination, that people are entangled like a ball of cotton, and not being able to see the Truth, They are born into conditions that are dismal and dreary, where confusion and prolonged suffering prevail. And, they do not know how to disentangle themselves to get out.
EXPLANATION:
There are twelve links in this Law of Dependent Origination.
The first two have to do with causes in the past life which condition birth in this one (Ignorance and Mental Formation).
The first of these links is 1.Ignorance. Ignorance means not knowing the truth, not understanding the Dharma, ignorance of the Four Noble Truths.
2. Mental Formation is conditioned by ignorance; because we do not understand the truth, we are involved in all kinds of actions. The force of ignorance conditions the next link in the chain: volitional actions of body, speech, and mind motivated by wholesome or unwholesome mental factors.
3. Rebirth consciousness; that is, the first moment of consciousness in this life. Because ignorance conditioned the energy of karmic activity in our past life, rebirth consciousness arises at the moment of conception.
Because of the first moment of consciousness in this life arise the whole 4.mind-body phenomena.
Finally, because of the mind-body phenomena arising, the 5.sense spheres develop. This is during the development of the embryo, before birth.
The five physical senses and the mind, which in turn conditions the 6.arising of contact, contact between the sense organ and its appropriate object: the eye and color, the ear and sound, nose and smell, tongue and taste, body and sensation, mind and thoughts or ideas.
Conditioned by the senses, contact comes into being. Because of the contact between the eye and color, the ear and sound, and the other senses and their objects, 7. There arises feeling. Feeling means the quality of pleasantness, unpleasantness, or neither pleasantness nor unpleasantness involved in every mind moment, in every moment of contact. Whether it is contact through the five physical sense doors or through the mind, the feeling is always present.
Because of feeling arises 8.Craving. Craving means desiring, hankering after objects. What is it that we desire? We desire pleasant sights and sounds, pleasant tastes and smells, pleasant tactile sensations and thoughts, or we desire to get rid of unpleasant objects. Desire arises because of feelings. We start hankering after or wishing to avoid, these six different objects in the world. Feeling conditions desire. Desire conditions clinging. Because we have a desire for the objects of the six senses, mind included, we cling, we latch on to, we become attached.
9. Clinging is conditioned by desire. Because of clinging, again we get involved in karmic formations.
!!! Repeating the kinds of volitions, which, in our past life, produced the rebirth consciousness of this life. So, feeling conditions desire, desire conditions clinging, and clinging conditions the continual actions of…
10. Becoming, creating the energy that is the seed for rebirth consciousness in the next life. Because of these karmic actions resulting from grasping, again there is birth.
Because there is birth, there is 11.decay, pain, suffering, and 12.death. Therefore, the wheel goes on and on.
The Buddha’s objective is to help us discover the way out of this cycle of conditioning.
However, there is nothing we can do now about “being” or this mental-body phenomenon. That is conditioned by past ignorance and having taken birth. Therefore, there is no way to avoid contact. There is no possible way of closing off all the sense organs even if that were desirable. If there is contact, there is no way of preventing feeling from arising. Because of contact, the feeling will be there. It is a common factor of mind!!! But, it is right at this point that the chain can be broken.
How???
When pleasant things arise, we do not cling. When unpleasant things arise, we do not condemn. We are free to break this chain, to free ourselves from conditioned reactions. It takes powerful mindfulness in every moment!!! NOT to allow feelings to generate desire.
!!! When there’s ignorance in the mind, “feeling conditions desire”.
If there is something pleasant, we want it; something unpleasant, we desire to get rid of it. However, if instead of ignorance if there is wisdom and awareness, then we experience feeling but do not compulsively or habitually cling or push away.
If the feelings are pleasant, we experience them mindfully without clinging. If unpleasant, we experience them mindfully without condemning. No longer do feelings condition desire!!! Instead, there is mindfulness, detachment, letting go.
!!! So you want to know how this chain is undone??
When there is no desire, there is no clinging; without clinging, there is no mental formation of becoming. If we are not generating that energy, there is no rebirth, no disease, no old age, and no death. We become free. No longer driven on by ignorance and desire, the whole mass of suffering is brought to an end.
Every moment of awareness is a hammer stroke on this chain of conditioning. Striking it with the force of wisdom and awareness, the chain gets weaker and weaker until it breaks. What we are doing here is penetrating into the truth of the Law of Dependent Origination, and freeing our minds from it.
REVISION <IGNORANCE>
WAY TO BREAK THROUGH IGNORANCE:
1. To be righteous (‘with the right mindset, you let the Buddha be your guide; with a deviant mindset, you let the demons become your guide (心正佛做主, 心不正魔做主.)
2. Keeping the precepts
3. Understand the 12 Links of Dependent Origination.
The manifestation of Ignorance:
1. Attachments
2. Refuse to acknowledge the superiority of others
3. Being always right.
Q2: What is your understanding of this verse: “Bodhisattvas are indifferent to the worldly affairs but focus on self-awareness as one with self-awareness would be empathetic and able to feel for all sentient beings”? (菩萨不觉于世，只觉自己 因觉自心者，即为觉一切众生之人Púsà bù jué yú shì, zhǐ jué zìjǐ.Yīn jué zì, jí wèi jué yīqiè zhòngshēng)
A2: To be indifferent to the worldly affairs (不觉于世) is to be oblivious towards things in the surrounding. Self-awareness is to be concerned about one-self (只觉自己) and to focus on attaining enlightenment.
Cross reference 1 <SELF-AWARENESS)>
白话佛法11，35 业障是由记忆开始的
要把心中的“贼”赶跑，六个“贼”——眼耳鼻舌身意。菩萨说人的身体有漏，就是从这六个方面漏掉的。眼睛看到的，气场跑掉了。鼻子闻到了，鼻子漏气了。嘴巴讲话，气漏出去了。耳朵也是个孔，。意念也会漏，脑子中的意念怎么会漏的？ 。身上有多少毛孔，一不守住，气场全部跑掉。要把六个“贼”赶走，才不住色声香味触法。意思就是我才不会对人间一些东西产生感情，对声音也不会产生感情，对香、味也不会产生感情，对触摸也不会产生感情。这六贼，你只要守住，它就不会跑到你家里来偷东西，就是跑到你身体来偷东西。
BUDDHISM IN PLAIN TERMS (Vol. 11 Chapter 35) - An excerpt
KARMIC FORCE STARTS FROM ONE’S MEMORY
Master Jun Hong Lu: Chase away the “thief in our mind (六个“贼”)”- the six thieves - eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and consciousness. When Bodhisattva mentioned about the ‘outflows of the body’ (身体有漏), the outflows are from these six aspects. When the eyes see, nose smells, the mouth speaks there is an outflow of energy. The ears also go with the ears. What about our mind? How does outflow happen in this sense organ? The outflow is in the form of energy (气场). There are numerous pores on our body. If we are not careful in safeguarding it, there will be energy outflow. We will have to chase away the "six thieves in our mind”. Only then we will not be affected by form, sound, smell, taste, touch nor reasoning. When our consciousness is not affected, it means we do not develop any feelings towards material things in the human realm (不会产生感情). Hence, we have to be on guard of these “six thieves” so that they are not able to steal anything from us.
Cross reference 2 <SELF-AWARENESS)>
Wenda20171210B 20:52
如何理解“菩萨不觉于世，只觉自己，因觉自心者，即为觉一切众生之人”
男听众：《白话佛法》第一册第5章里说到：“菩萨不觉于世，只觉自己，因觉自心者，即为觉一切众生之人。”请师父慈悲开示，这个我看不明白。
“卢台长”答：“不觉于世”，不发觉、不去察觉其他的事情，就是说菩萨明心见性，他知道自己的心，自觉；“只觉自己”，就是菩萨不去在乎人间五欲六尘的烦恼；“觉自心”，觉自己的本心，不是只关心自己，是觉悟自心。明白了吗？（明白）
Wenda20171210B 20:52 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
BODHISATTVAS ARE INDIFFERENT TO THE WORLDLY AFFAIRS BUT FOCUS ON SELF-AWARENESS AS ONE WITH SELF-AWARENESS WOULD BE EMPATHETIC AND ABLE TO FEEL FOR ALL SENTIENT BEINGS”
Caller: In Buddhism in Plain Terms Volume 1 Chapter 5, it mentioned, “Bodhisattvas are indifferent to the worldly affairs but focus on self-awareness as one with self-awareness would be empathetic and able to feel for all sentient beings”? Master Lu, please enlighten me on this as I don’t understand this phrase.
Master Jun Hong Lu: “To be indifferent to the worldly affairs” (“不觉于世”) means that Bodhisattva understands the mind, and sees the true nature (明心见性); not concerned about the worries of the Five Desires and its sense organs (五欲六尘).
“One with self-awareness (“觉自心”) does not mean that one only cares about oneself. It means to be awakened in one’s mind.
Cross reference 3 <SELF-AWARENESS)>
2015年4月24日的《玄艺问答》
台长：“不见人过”，就是在自己没有修好的情况下，先不要去管别人的错，先好好修自己，这是小乘佛法里边的东西。
听众：小乘佛法，就是说先把自己修好了，然后……
台长：再去救人家。
听众：就是先确保自己要能解脱自己。
台长：对啊。你想想看，很多人自己就是修不好，为什么修不好？整天看见人家不好，那么这个人修得好吗？这叫“但见人过”。你现在要“不见人过，但见己过”，就是整天什么事情都觉得自己做错的，别人都是对的，那么首先你就在戒律了，守戒了。听得懂吗？
Wenda20150424 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program) - An Excerpt
SEE ONLY OUR OWN MISTAKES, NOT THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS
Master Jun Hong Lu: “Not to see the faults of others means while our cultivation is not up to the mark, we should not focus on the faults of others for the time being. We should focus on cultivating ourselves first. This is the way of Theravada.
Caller: That is to focus on our own spiritual cultivation then…
Master Jun Hong Lu: … then start to help others.
Caller: That is to ensure that we ourselves are liberated.
Master Jun Hong Lu: That’s right. There are many who are sub-par in their cultivation, why is that so? It’s because they focus on the faults of others every single day! This is what it means by “only seeing the faults of others”. Instead what you should be focusing on is “see only your own mistakes, not the mistakes of others”. This means, you always feel that you are in the wrong while others are always right. By doing this, you are observing the precepts (守戒了). Do you understand?
Cross reference 4 <SELF-AWARENESS)>
shuohua20140502 17:53 如何自我反省
女听众：如何让同修们在日常中学会时刻反省和检讨自己，这个也是我自己很需要的，这样就不会过于自我膨胀，不然的话就容易歪了。
台长答：对，这个情况很简单。怎么样自我反省，我问你怎么样让自己干净啊？你每天早上要洗脸吧，要刷牙吧，对不对呀？自己固定一个时间好好地自我反省，每天上香念经之前先反省自己：我今天做错吗？我今天贪了吗？我今天愚痴了吗？我今天心理不平衡了吗？我今天害别人了吗？我今天能不能忍辱啊……所有的自己想一想，我今天像不像菩萨啊？这样就叫自我反省。每天两次，用西方很多的宗教讲就是祷告、忏悔，一样的道理。
shuohua20140502 17:53 (Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
SELF-REFLECTION
Caller: How should we go about encouraging fellow Buddhist friends to constantly examine and reflect upon themselves (反省和检讨自己Fǎnxǐng hé jiǎntǎo zìjǐ)? This is something I need to practise as well to ensure there will not not be any inflation of ego. Otherwise, we may go on the wrong path.
Master Jun Hong Lu: That’s right. It is very simple. How do we practise self-reflection? Let me ask you, how do you keep yourself clean? You do wash your face and brush your teeth every morning, don’t you? Hence, you should allocate a certain amount of time to do self-reflection. Before you offer incense and perform recitation in the morning, reflect upon yourself “Have I done anything wrong today?” “Have I been greedy today”? “Was I ignorant today?” “Did I feel any discontentment today?” “Did I cause anyone any harm today?” “Was I able to practise endurance today?” Think about all these; and ask yourself “Did I behave like a Bodhisattva today? This is what self-reflection is all about. Do it twice a day. Just like in the western religion, it is like a confession and repentance. It is of the same logic.
Cross reference 5 <SELF-AWARENESS)>
wenda20130104 34:49
修心与修行的关系
女听众：还有修心跟修行，到底哪一个先？还是相辅相成？
台长答：很多人都说，哎呀要修行为，行为好了心里也会好。但是有些人说心先要修好了，你的行为才会好。依台长看起来，应该先修心再修行，所以我们现在讲的都叫修心修行。从来没有讲修行修心的.
一个心是最重要。心不好，你的所有的行为、思维、语言都会不好；就算语言、思维、行为都很好的话，但是不一定就代表你这个心就很明白，并不一定代表你就是 明心见性之人（明白）
wenda20130104 34:49
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MIND (修心) AND BEHAVIOURAL CULTIVATION (修行)
Caller: Between mind and behavioural cultivation, which one should come first? Or, does one complement the other?
Master Jun Hong Lu: It is a common belief of many that they should cultivate their behaviour first - when their behaviour is appropriate, their mind transform positively too. However, there are also others who believe that the opposite is true. In my opinion, mind cultivation should come first followed by behavioural cultivation. Hence the phrase “mind and behavioural cultivation (修心修行)” it was never expressed the other way around. One’s mind is of the utmost importance. If your mind is unhealthy, all your behaviour, line of thought speech will be unwholesome. However, in the case where your speech, line of thought and behaviour is virtuous it may not necessarily be that you are able to discern or you understand your mind and see your true nature (明心见性).
Cross reference 6 <SELF-AWARENESS)>
遇到缘则起——卢台长给全世界弟子的开示（2014年2月16日）
一个学佛人、一个弟子，至少要知道自己是否干净，要经常检点自己的心和身体是否干净，很多人至今还不知道自己的脑子是否干净。身和心清净非常重要。就像一个人每天要洗脸一样，感觉身上很脏就要洗澡，而且一定要洗干净，如果一个人不能把身上的污垢洗干净，他很快就不知道什么是干净、什么是不干净了。学佛人一定要每天把自己的思维弄干净、把身体弄干净，当一个人不知道自己干净与否的时候就会出错，就会给自己找很多麻烦，天天杂念四起.
Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse to his disciples around the world (An Excerpt)
Master Jun Hong Lu: As a Buddhist practitioner and my disciple, you at least have to know if you are pure (知道自己是否干净). You will have to frequently examine if your mind and body are pure. Many people are unaware of this. The purity of our body and mind is extremely important. Just like you will have to wash your face every day. If you feel that your body is filthy, you know that you need to shower and make sure that you are clean. If you fail to do so, very soon, you will not even know what filthiness is all about. As a Buddhist practitioner, every day, we will have to ensure that our line of thought is pure too (思维弄干净). When you are unsure, chances are you will make mistakes and you will start to have a lot of troubles and distracting thoughts (杂念).
REVISION <SELF-AWARENESS>
HOW TO PRACTISE SELF-AWARENESS?
1. Chase away the 6 thieves in our mind
2. Focus only on our faults, not on others.
3. Constant self-exam “Did I behave like a Bodhisattva toddy?”
4. Ensure line of thoughts is pure.
Q3: How would you understand “Impartial spirit of compassion (同体大悲)?
A3: Human beings are, by itself, a unification as each and every human body is originated from a primordial soul (由一个元灵出来). If you try to feel from your primordial soul (用元灵感觉), you are are in fact feeling all sentient beings in this world. If you are able to distinguish between the rights and wrongs of your actions, you will be empathizing with all sentient beings. Thus, this is referred to as ’‘impartial spirit of compassion’ ((同体大悲).
Q4: Wasting food will‘diminish’one’s _________!
A4: Wasting food will “diminish” your longevity! There are many wealthy people who are very generous in giving but skimp on their expenditures. By doing so, they are not being stingy but treasuring their blessings. They are well aware that such blessings are hard to come by.
Cross reference 1 <Karma of Wasting Food)>
Shuohua20170804 21:47
给孩子太多不必要的东西会损害福报；浪费粮食会有报应；学佛人要惜福，台长很珍惜弟子
男听众：师父，如果父母经常花钱给孩子买一些不必要的东西，很多东西吃不完浪费了，这样会不会间接地损害小孩子的福报，也会减少父母本身的福报呢？）会的。那就是这个人不惜福，不惜福就用完了。为什么学佛的人非常惜福？吃东西不浪费，你看几个老法师吃到碗里一点点，倒点水晃一晃也把它喝掉。这都是过去丛林制度里边的。佛陀当年教导弟子，人家施舍出来的东西都是来之不易，从人家嘴巴里省出来供养你法师，你怎么可以倒掉、扔掉？你连这点慈爱心都没有，怎么样修心，怎么成佛？是这个概念（明白。那一天上大学里吃饭，餐厅里看到好多学生把好多的饭菜吃剩了一半或者是一半多一点，都浪费了）这个就帮他算命的，帮他记起来了（哎呀）我曾经看过一个人，这辈子吃东西就吐出来，吃东西就吐出来，结果台长就看见他上辈子小孩的时候，一艘运粮的农村的船，放粮食的这艘船吃水很深了，都要靠近边上了。小孩在船上玩，跑过去，颠过来颠过去，结果把一船粮食弄翻了。所以这辈子给他的报应就是什么都吃不下，什么米都不能吃，一吃米就呕吐，结果瘦得像个白骨精一样。这就是我告诉你们的，一个人不珍惜粮食会有报应的，明白了吗？
Shuohua20170804 21:47
PROVIDING TOO MANY UNNECESSARY THINGS TO A CHILD WILL DEPLETE HIS KARMIC REWARD; THERE WILL BE RETRIBUTION FOR WASTING FOOD; BUDDHIST PRACTITIONER SHOULD CHERISH THEIR GOOD FORTUNE; MASTER LU CHERISHES ALL HIS DISCIPLES
Caller: When parents splurge on their children, buying them things that they do not need, will this deplete their child’s as well as the parent’s karmic reward?
Master Jun Hong Lu: It will. This shows that the person does not cherish his blessings and his fortune will be depleted as a result. Why Buddhist practitioners cherish their blessings and never waste their food? Look at those old monastics at the end of their meal, they even pour some water into the bowl, give it a rinse and drink it. This was the forest tradition in the olden days.
In the past, Buddha taught his disciples that “..all offerings they receive from others are hard-earned; they save the food just so that they can offer to you, the monastics, how can you throw it away? If you do not have this bit of compassion, how can you even talk about spiritual cultivation, not to mention attaining Buddhahood!”
Caller: That day I saw at the school canteen that many students threw their half-eaten food away.
Master Jun Hong Lu: All this will be calculated and recorded. I once saw a person who will throw up whenever he ate something. I then saw that once in his past life, when he was a child, he was on a boat that carries a lot of foodstuffs. The boat was about to reach the shore and this kid was playing and jumping around. In the end, the boat overturned. The retribution he received this life is that he cannot take in any food as he will throw up whenever he did so. As a result, he lost so much weight that he looked like a skeleton. This is the retribution that I always warn you about. Do you understand?
Cross reference 2 <Karma of Wasting Food)>
wenda20160403A 10:37
浪费粮食折福又折寿
女听众（同一电话的另一位听众）：浪费粮食的人是折福还是折寿？
台长答：浪费粮食折福又折寿，福没了还有寿啊？
wenda20160403A 10:37
FOOD WASTAGE WILL RESULT IN DEPLETION OF GOOD FORTUNE AND SHORTEN ONE’S LIFESPAN
Caller: When a person wastes food, it will result in the depletion of his good fortune or shortening of his lifespan?
Master Jun Hong Lu: It will result in both. When you do not have good fortune, do you think you will get to live a long life?
Cross reference 3 <Karma of Wasting Food)>
wenda20140615B 00:59
如何消除浪费粮食的孽障
女听众：请问一下台长关于浪费食物的事宜。有新同修说，当我们人往生之后，下去就先算我们生前有没有浪费粮食，那我们在初一、十五跟佛诞日念的礼佛大忏悔文，可以忏悔在没有修心灵法门之前所浪费食物的孽障吗？
台长答：可以。如果你还执著这些事情，说明这些事情已经进入你的八识田中了，所以你就必须要把它消除（请问师父，怎么跟菩萨祈求呢？）很简单了，“消除业障”就可以了，心里想着这些事情就可以了，不要嘴巴里讲的。嘴巴里就讲“请菩萨帮助消除业障”，就可以了（就是针对这件事？）对了。
wenda20140615B 00:59 (An excerpt)
HOW TO ELIMINATE THE KARMIC OBSTACLES CAUSED BY FOOD WASTAGE
Caller: There are new practitioners said that when we pass away and descend, we will be checked if we have the history of food wastage when we were alive. Can we recite the Eight-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance on the first and fifteenth of the Chinese calendar month or special days to repent for the negative karma from wasting food?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes you can. If you are still having concern about it, it shows that it had already entered your Eighth Consciousness, hence you will have to eliminate them.
Caller: How do we go making our prayer request?
Master Jun Hong Lu: It’s very simple. Just mention “...eliminate karmic obstacles.” You just need to speak from your mind on this issue; there is no need to verbalise them. You just need to say, “May Bodhisattva help me to eliminate my karmic obstacles.”
Q5: “Both plants and animals are living beings. Why consuming meat is considered an act of killing while eating vegetables and fruits are not considered so and neither it is considered breaking the precepts?
A5: Though plants are living beings too, but they have neither awareness, feelings nor movement. Hence, they are regarded as non-sentient beings (无缘众生）. When we pick the fruits, cut the branches or leaves from a plant and it will continue to grow. However, this is not the case for animals. When harmed, plants will not dodge but animals will - hence the latter is regarded as ‘sentient beings’; they are lives brought upon by the Five Aggregates (五蕴）; they have feelings, flesh and blood and they are susceptible to the cycle of rebirth. When we talk about not committing the act of killing, it means not killing sentient beings （众生）, namely animals.
-- Source: Master Lu’s Book “Be Vegetarian and Perform Life Liberation” 吃素戒杀放生