Living with Positive Energy: Let Love Flow

By Venerable Master Jing Guang

Why are we always influenced by circumstances, and why do we subsequently fall into negative emotional states? Can life be autonomous and not be affected by external circumstances?

According to the Buddha:
There is only one Bodhi path, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of worry and sorrow, for the eliminating of all kinds of distress, and for the gaining of the true Dharma, that is, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

Venerable Master Jing Guang’s lecture gives us an illuminating guide to the Dharma, and through his comprehensive teaching and by reflecting on our lives, we can transcend our habitual response mode, to improve our relationships with others, to live a life that is free from suffering and fear, and to have a happy life with positive energy—let love flow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Dec 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781504322683

Book preview

Living with

Positive Energy

Let Love Flow

活出正能量 - 讓愛流動

By Venerable Master Jing Guang

淨光法師 講述

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Copyright © 2020 Venerable Master Jing Guang.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-2250-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-2268-3 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 12/04/2020

The Four Noble Truths Global Buddhist Society

Objectives:

To devote oneself to The Original Buddhism.

To uphold The Four Noble Truths towards the path of ultimate liberation.

To promote The Tathagata’s [Buddha’s] Meditative Teachings from the Original Buddhism.

To enhance the quality of life, and to advance spiritual peace.

Venerable Master Jing Guang

Venerable Master Jing Guang graduated with a philosophy major from the National Taiwan University. He is the founder of The Original Buddhism Ming-He Lecture Hall. He currently serves as the guidance master of The Four Noble Truths Buddhist Society.

After twenty years of dharma practise and study, Venerable Master Jing Guang penetrated the overcast that covered the secret of life and re-entered the ancient path of liberation that the Buddha had discovered. Supported by his vows from many past existences, the Venerable Master has worked diligently in promoting the original Buddha’s teaching, looking forward to seeing the Buddha’s wisdom shine on the world.

Over the past ten years, even before he became a monk, the Venerable Master has held over a thousand seminars in the aspect of spiritual growth through radio broadcasting or at community colleges. He has also supervised the editing process of ten volumes of Samyukta Agama in plain Chinese language. He focuses on promoting The Tathagata’s [Buddha’s] Meditative Teachings from the Original Buddhism. He has also held seminars to carry forward the Buddha’s teaching throughout Taiwan and other countries on many occasions.

Also, he has conducted meditation retreats based on the teachings of the Dependent Origination Contemplation (also known as Twelve Nidanas Contemplation in the Theravada Buddhism). His teachings have helped people clear confusion in their minds, transform their psychological mechanisms, develop life potential, and move towards freedom.

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走一步路 點一盞燈

為自己 也為人間

帶來 自由與光明

Every step one takes is lighting up a lamp;

It’s for both yourself and the world;

It brings freedom and illumination.

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CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1 Transformation of Negative Emotions

1.1   Worrisome Life

1.1.1 What Is the Meaning of Living a Life Driven by the Karmic Forces?

1.1.2 Life Can Be Pure and Autonomous

A Clear Understanding—Letting Go of Confrontation

To Reflect with Awareness: Seeking Better Communication

A Transformation with Awareness:Mutual Reconciliation

1.1.3 Empathizing: Letting Go of Obsession

1.2 The Pain Body

1.2.1 Everyone Has a Pain Body

1.2.2 The Negative Karmic Pattern Continues

1.2.3 A Crucial Life Lesson

Self-Perception: Have an Insight into Karmic Force

Practise Dharma to Cease Karma, Regaining Freedom of Life

Truly Know and See—Eradicating Limitless and Boundless Suffering

Self-Saving and Saving Others: The Ultimate Meaning of Life

1.3 The Source of Suffering

1.3.1 Suffering Arises from Desire Due to Ignorance

1.3.2 Desire Due to Identifying with The View of Self

1.3.3 Due to the Arising of Phenomena, the Sense of Self Arises

1.3.4 The Cessation of Suffering

Break Through Ignorance, Eradicate the View of Self (Ego)

Cease the Desires Due to Ignorance

1.4 Perfection of Love

Chapter 2 Living the Life of the Buddha’s Teaching

2.1 The Key to Practise Is Taking Initiative to Learn

2.1.1 To Be Aware of Desires Due to Ignorance; to Cease the Desires Due to Ignorance

2.1.2 Becoming Aware of the View of Self; Letting Go of the View of Self

2.1.3 To Be Aware of Ignorance; To Eradicate Ignorance

2.1.4 Clearly See the Reality; Purify and Eradicate Dukkha

2.2 The Key to Enlightenment Is Living the Moment of Now

2.2.1 Observe Life Experience of the Present Moment

2.2.2 Life Experience Arises Due to the Contact of Sense Bases and Sense Objects

2.2.3 Change Yourself to Change the World

Be Aware and Accept the Present Experiences; Improve Your Reaction Pattern

Understand the Present Experience with Sympathy; Allow Life to Flow

Take Initiative to Live in the Present Moment; Transform Forces of Karma

2.2.4 Discover the Reality of Life

Dependent Conditions Arising and Cessation; Changes Happen Instantaneously

Transcend the Brain; Return to Reality

Respond to the Present Moment with Simplicity and Awareness

2.3 Returning to the Foot of the Bodhi Tree

2.3.1 Siddhartha: His Journey of Exploration

2.3.2 The Arising and Cessation of Cycles of Birth and Death

2.3.3 From Enlightenment towards The Ultimate Liberation

2.3.4 Go beyond Complication; Right Contemplating of the Present Moment

2.3.5 Connect Your Heart to the Buddha’s Heart; Live out the Buddhadharma

Chapter 3 Direct Exploring into the Essence of Liberation

3.1 The Pleasant or Unpleasant Arises at the Moment When Life Experience Occurs

3.1.1 One Who Can Observe the Mind Will Attain Ultimate Liberation

3.1.2 Implementing Practise in Daily Life

3.1.3 Confronting Against States, Suffering Arises

3.2 Follow the Buddha’s Footsteps; Crossing Minefields in Life

3.2.1 Knowing and Seeing the Noble Truth of Dukkha as It Really Is

3.2.2 Knowing and Seeing the Noble Truth of the Arising of Dukkha as It Really Is

3.2.3 Knowing the Noble Truth of Cessation of Dukkha as It Really Is

3.2.4 Knowing the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to Cessation of Dukkha as It Really Is

3.2.5 Clear Vision on Dependent Arising; Right View of Impermanence

3.3 Bring Back the Buddha’s Dharma Wheel—Three Turnings of the Four Noble Truths

3.3.1 The First Turning of the Four Noble Truths—Seeing the Path

3.3.2 The Second Turning of the Four Noble Truths—Practising the Path

3.3.3 The Third Turning of the Four Noble Truths—Realisation of the Path

3.3.4 The Ultimate Exclusive Bodhi Path

The Progression of Practising Tathagata Meditation from the Original Buddhism

The Progression of Learning and Practising Taught by the Buddha from the Original Buddhism

3.4 See through the Earthly World and Transcend the Human World

APPENDIX: SUTRAS

1st Chapter: The Right View of Impermanence

2nd Chapter: No-Self/I in Any Form

3rd Chapter: Not Dwelling in Mental Distortion

4th Chapter: Go beyond the Dread of Birth, Old Age, Illness, and Death

5th Chapter: One Craves for and Delights in Dukkha

6th Chapter: Right Progress towards Cessation of Dukkha

7th Chapter: Abiding in Continuity of Clear Awareness at Every Moment

8th Chapter: The Middle Way

9th Chapter: The Cultivation of the Thirty-Seven Bodhipaksa Dharma

10th Chapter: Contemplating All Forms Are No-Form

11th Chapter: Because of Purified Minds, Living Beings Are Purified

12th Chapter: Right Progress towards Sambodhi (Right Enlightenment)

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FOREWORD

There are different ways of living a human life. The conventional ways of following a path that is filled with the pursuits of wanting, grasping, and becoming are often taught since one’s birth. Living a good life often is associated with the ideas of gaining a lot of material things, power, status, and relationships (spouses, children, etc.).

Yet sooner or later, one will learn that such a path is full of pain, sorrow, lamentation, and distress as well, despite the accumulation of things. In this book, Living with Positive Energy, Venerable Jing Guang cuts through these conventional views and shed lights on how it is possible for one to walk a different path, a path that leads to freedom and love instead of dukkha. This path is not possible without profound understanding of what this life is and how stress/dukkha comes about and ceases, and this understanding is not possible unless one becomes self-aware.

Venerable Jing Guang invites everyone to embark on a completely different journey that is walked by turning inwards to observe and contemplate. Only by doing so can a different possibility arise—a life that is filled with flow of love, compassion, and wisdom. May all beings benefit from this teaching.

—Ying Chen

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PREFACE

Buddhadharma Spreading on Mainland China,

Nourishing and Blessing the Entire World

Three days before the spring festival of 2015, I was invited to give a lecture on the Buddha’s teaching under the statue of the Thousand-Hand Guan Yin Bodhisattva (also known as Avalokiteśvara) in Yuanjue Temple in Hengyang, Hunan Province. In front of me, I saw many sad faces with affliction and confusion, I deeply felt their sorrow, and it saddened me. At that moment, I firmly believed in my heart that this trip back to China would carry a profound meaning with a sense of mission for the homeland.

Thanks to the trust of Venerable Master Da Zhi, the sangha, lay disciples, and all dharma participants. Together, we completed this three day Dharma conference.

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May the Buddha’s teaching deeply penetrate the hearts and lives of the people of this great country of China, and may the people learn the Dharma and therefore develop the joy of life to abandon suffering and obtain happiness, to improve their quality of life, and to live in a peaceful society, with increasing prosperity of the nation. Ultimately, they will inspire and lead the collective human consciousness of this world to a higher dimension.

—Venerable Master Jing Guang

An Introduction for the English Translation of Living

with Positive Energy—Let Love Flow

This is a book about how to live a life with positive energy. It is also a book about teaching the path of cultivation that leads us from how to be kind to the world to further transcending the world. It involves relying on Buddhadharma, practising the Buddha’s teaching, living the life of brightness and wisdom, no more descending in the worldly life, and being able to live the flows of life and having a real connection with the heart of the Buddha!

Without the Buddha’s teaching, it would not be possible to live in a positive energy of life; hence, the contents of this book are centred around the teachings of the Four Noble Truths. It relies on the right view of the Four Noble Truths: be kind to the relationships in the mundane world and to walk on the path of human-heavenly realm. After seeing clearly, one may enter the Dharma-stream. Relying on the teachings on the Four Noble Truths, one may be able to lessen the sufferings, further eradicate sufferings, and walk towards the path of liberation. Finally, one may rely on the teachings of the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths to reach the total cessation of dukkha, attain the liberation of mind, accomplish perfect enlightenment, and thus reach the ultimate perfection of Buddhahood.

This is a path of cultivation or practises for self-improvement, improvement of Dharma understanding, and finally enhancing of the entire Dharma realms.

We are grateful to the teachings of Venerable Master Jing Guang, to all these wholesome Dharma affinities, and to everyone who has contributed to the publication of this book in Chinese.

For the English translation, we are very grateful to the primary translator, Upasaka Albert Chang (Australia), and Upasika Ying Chen, Upasika Mei-Chi Kuo (United States), Upasika Li Kang (Canada), and Dharma Master Run Xin made various reviews with proofreading and editing.

We are grateful to have this good opportunity to be involved in this translation and compilation work. We wish that those who read this book will benefit from it and know how to live a life in ease and in brightness.

Blessings to all of you, and may you have harmonious worldly relationships. Be kind to our parents and relatives and later transform the worldly relationship to Dharma relationship. Progress towards self-cultivation and walk on the path of Dharma. Meanwhile we wish our parents, relatives and friends, and all living beings to have the opportunity to learn from the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and be able to walk on the Bodhi Path, progress towards Buddhahood, and end the cycles of life and death!

Let the brightness of Dharma illuminate everyone’s life with positive energy!

—The Four Noble Truths Buddhist Society,

English Translation Committee

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CHAPTER 1

TRANSFORMATION OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS

Dear Venerables and Dharma friends, thank you for the opportunity to have me here to share the Buddha’s Dharma at this year-end gathering. I hope that my lecture will make a positive influence to your lives and well-being.

May I ask everyone present here which kind of emotions you