Master Hui Lü, an esteemed master from Taiwan, possesses profound clarity and insight. He is an awakened teacher who integrates teachings from both Zen and Pure Land traditions and is a lineage holder of both the Caodong and Linji schools of Chan (Zen).

If you understand Chinese, you can watch the YouTube video here. For English speakers, a translation is provided below.

YouTube Video:

English Translation of the Transcript:

Dharma Master Hui Lu, "The Efficacious Guanyin"

Namo Original Teacher Śākyamuni Buddha!  Namo Original Teacher Śākyamuni Buddha!  Namo Original Teacher Śākyamuni Buddha!

Good, please lower your palms.

Dharma Masters, lay practitioners, volunteers, Amitābha to everyone!

Since this Lecture Hall was founded in 1989 until today in 2005, for the Water-Land Dharma Assembly every October 25th, as well as the regular Eight Precepts Retreats, the Three Thousand Buddhas Repentance during the Lunar New Year, and the Emperor Liang Repentance Assembly, we have been greatly indebted to the compassion of all you Dharma-protecting lay practitioners, virtuous ones, and volunteers.  You have given rise to the Bodhisattva mind to help this Lecture Hall.  On behalf of the Triple Gem, I thank you all; thank you everyone!

All you volunteers have sacrificed your time, sacrificed your youth, and contributed your physical strength and everything you have to the Lecture Hall; with such Bodhisattva intent, you will certainly achieve Buddhahood.  Now, because you are doing all the work, the only thing I, the Master, can do is offer this Dharma to everyone.

The Dharma is our true life.  Our life in this current lifetime is very short; however, the wisdom-life of the dharmakāya [Dharma-body] is forever and ever.  Therefore, we must recognize clearly that if you possess prajñā [wisdom], you possess everything; this is a very important sentence.  Without prajñā thought, without prajñā wisdom, everything we possess is called illusory, unsubstantial things.

So, today is the Volunteer Assembly of September 24, 2005, and the teaching I want to give today is "The Efficacious Guanyin."

Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is not unfamiliar to everyone.  Everywhere in Mahāyāna Buddhism is closely related to Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.  Chanting the Universal Door Chapter—Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; the Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra—Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; the Great Compassion Mantra—Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; holding a seven-day Buddha recitation retreat, during the Great Dedication, we still have to chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.  And in China since ancient times, those who have had responses from chanting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva amount to more than thousands of millions of people.  Even I, the Master, have received the compassionate blessing of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.

To give an example: ten years ago, I was at the Clementi Stadium in Singapore.  The response from chanting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva there was very, very intense.  Because the organizers had prepared for half a year and spent a lot of money, but just before the speech, dark clouds gathered, and there was thunder and lightning.  I thought in my heart: "This is big trouble!"  The field is open-air, with tens of thousands of people; if it suddenly rains heavily, what can be done?  At this moment, I prayed; I chanted Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva and prayed, visualizing Guanshiyin Bodhisattva holding a parasol over the entire field. It was inconceivable!  Let me put it this way: regarding the speech... we didn't see a drop; not a single drop of rain fell.  But the moment we finished speaking and the tour buses went outside, there was water accumulated everywhere.  It was just that the Clementi Stadium did not have rain; the whole of Singapore had rain and water accumulation.  I tell you all: utmost sincerity and earnestness can move the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but your intent must not be selfish—it cannot be selfish.

Let me tell of another great response: Zhonghe Stadium, also open-air, which was organized by Dharma Master Wukong in the past.  That day, the rain fell very, very heavily; the whole of Taipei City had torrential rain, from morning to afternoon, the rain never stopped.  I was thinking: "This is big trouble, the rain is so heavy!"  Someone called in the afternoon: "Dharma Master Hui Lu, the rain is so heavy, will you hold it or not?"  I said: "Hold it! Of course we hold it! Right? Even diamond [vajra] is not firm; only the power of vows is firm. Hold it!"  I chanted Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; naturally there was no other way—how could we ordinary beings have a way?  It was overcast with dark clouds, practically impossible—the rain simply couldn't possibly stop.  But, 7:30 was approaching, and with tens of thousands of people on that field, what do you do?  When we went, everyone was still holding parasols and umbrellas. Hold it!  When the time came, my car went there; starting at 7:30, I sat in the car, and when we arrived, the moment the car door opened, the rain stopped; the rain just stopped like that.  7:30 arrived, I went on stage and spoke, just spoke.  Speaking until the very end, it ended, and we did the dedication.  As soon as I slapped my sounding block, torrential rain fell again.  During the lecture there was absolutely nothing; when it ended, it was torrential rain again.  No matter how you calculate it, you couldn't possibly calculate it that accurately.  I also received the compassionate help of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.

There was another time at the university—that response hit home!  Once, I went to the library to read the Excerpts from Great Master Yinguang, and after finishing, I had to rush to Taichung Ciguang Library to hear the teaching of old layman Li Bingnan.  At that time I was only a sophomore, and I recited the Buddha's name very devoutly, so I rushed over hurriedly.  While listening to the sutra I didn't notice, but after listening to the sutra, when taking the bus—oh no!  That bunch of keys... a bunch... that bunch of keys on my person, a whole ring of keys—terrible!  I didn't know where I had lost them!  Now this was big trouble!  I was working part-time at the Department of Water Resources Engineering at Feng Chia University—because my family was poor and my grades were quite good, I went to work part-time.  The laboratory keys, the hydrological observation room keys were gone.  Furthermore, the room keys, the whole ring of keys, miscellaneous ones, the professor's lounge—my keys were all gone, the whole ring was all lost, I couldn't even enter the door.  Finishing listening to the sutra at Ciguang Library, it was already 9:30.  Feng Chia University is so big, such a huge university, so big—a ring of keys, where are you going to find them?  Suddenly I thought: Isn't it said that Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is very efficacious?  There was no other way, without this ring of keys, what do you do?  I can't enter the door, can't enter the hydrological observation room, everything stops—it's terrible!  So I just chanted, just chanted: Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva...  Then, taking the bus back to Feng Chia University, I kept thinking: Where on earth could this ring of keys have fallen?  I thought in my heart: Maybe roughly in a certain place.  But, I didn't dare be certain, because I forgot—I didn't know where I lost them!  I wondered: was I at that place, on the grass, circumambulating the Buddha, and then jumping like this... and somehow... it fell down?  I had an idea.  All right, there was no way, so I kept chanting Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva on the way back, hoping the Bodhisattva would compassionately protect me, because at that time I had no money on me at all, no money.  Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, you know I am very poor, I really have no money.  The keys are lost, I don't know what to do!  Tomorrow I can't go to work either, so what to do?  Now, this very night, I don't know where to go to rest!  No keys, I can't get in!  So I just kept chanting Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, thinking: Where was I roughly?  Feng Chia University, roughly in front of the medical room there is a small patch of turf; roughly in this place—I might have done a somersault then, played around here a bit—roughly in this place.  So chanting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, chanting... arriving at that place, like this—roughly one or two steps here—walking over like this, stepping in, putting my hand down, and grabbing the keys in one go.  Not even a step of error, not even 0.1 cm off!  From then on, towards Guanshiyin Bodhisattva... very responsive.

Another response, not a very good response.  While a freshman, this layman Zhuang, a layman from the Feng Chia University Architecture Department, used a scooter, a Vespa, to carry me from Feng Chia University in Taichung to Master Chan Yun's place.  Because I was first learning Buddhism, meeting Master Chan Yun for the first time, I knelt and prostrated to him.  I didn't know the Buddhadharma either, just starting.  Master Chan Yun said: "Yiqian [Master Hui Lu's lay name]! When you have free time, chant the Buddha's name often; you lay practitioners, chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva more, do you know that?"  Since Master Chan Yun was speaking, we were embarrassed to say no!  All right!  Then we went down the mountain, since we had class on Monday, went down the mountain... down the mountain... Shuili.  Shuili in the past was not like Shuili now; the traffic was not very convenient.  Coming down the mountain, riding the motorcycle... the mountains were very high and steep, and in the past the roads were very winding, the roads were not very big.  Now the roads in Shuili are opened up so big, before it wasn't like this.  Crossing mountains and ridges, riding this Vespa, carrying... halfway I was thinking about Master Chan Yun's words: "Yiqian, you lay practitioners, when free, often chant Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, do you know that? It is very efficacious!"  I kept thinking about this sentence of Master Chan Yun, and then riding down, layman Zhuang was carrying me.  This person of mine, you know, my temper is very eccentric, as a freshman I was also a very arrogant person: Is this possible?  Guanshiyin Bodhisattva—who has seen him?  I just don't believe in this kind of thing!  Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, if there really is a Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, then give a response!  Riding the bike, riding halfway, then I thought: Right!  I don't know how to ask the Bodhisattva to respond?  Right? You don't know how he should respond, nothing was specified!  At that time I said: Otherwise, simply having a car accident wouldn't be bad!  Guanshiyin Bodhisattva... I had just moved a thought—I didn't tell layman Zhuang, "a simple car accident would count as a response too!"  Suddenly the vehicle broke down, the whole vehicle flew out, just like that, one second—one second after moving this thought—the vehicle went Pa!...  Just a few more meters and it would be a mountain ravine.  While rolling: Oh! Response, response, okay, okay, up to here is enough, up to here is enough, any further down and people will die.  It responded, don't go down any further.  I say this response of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva... this isn't a very good response! I know the Bodhisattva wouldn't be like this, I know this was the Dharma protectors punishing me for having no faith in the Bodhisattva.  Guanshiyin Bodhisattva couldn't possibly manufacture a car accident, he is the Great Compassionate Guanshiyin Bodhisattva after all; this Dharma protector was dissatisfied with my thought: "Give you a little color to see [teach you a lesson]."  And a response really happened immediately.

All right, we have spoken of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, the Efficacious Guanyin, giving a few examples first.  Now, in the sutras, sometimes it is translated as "Guanzizai" [Contemplating Self-Ease], sometimes translated as "Guanshiyin" [Contemplating the World's Sounds].  Translating as Guanzizai Bodhisattva refers to self-benefit; the "benefit" of benefit and harm—benefiting oneself.  Translating as Guanshiyin Bodhisattva refers to altruism—altruism, contemplating the sounds of the world, and seeking the sound to save from suffering, this is called Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.

Illuminating the five aggregates as empty is translated as Guanzizai Bodhisattva; Guanzizai Bodhisattva is illuminating the five aggregates as empty—self-contemplation and self-ease.  Because the standpoint is different; standing from the angle of self-benefit is called Guanzizai Bodhisattva.  Our Heart Sūtra goes: "When Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva practiced the deep Prajñāpāramitā, he illuminated the five aggregates as empty."  Form, feeling, perception, activity, consciousness; form is empty, feeling is empty, perception is empty, activity is empty, consciousness is empty; feeling, perception, activity, and consciousness are all empty; illuminating the five aggregates as empty, attaining great ease, this is called Guanzizai Bodhisattva.

Standing from the angle of altruism, the angle of saving the world, it is translated as Guanshiyin; observing the sounds of the world, seeking the sound to save from suffering, this is called Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.  Apart from Guanshiyin Bodhisattva having such great compassionate vow-power, we serve as a model function, persuading us Buddhist disciples that everyone must learn the spirit of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; this is the key point.  Learning the Bodhisattva mind, turning our "what about me" thoughts into altruism.  To be a Buddhist disciple, one must have very correct right view and right understanding, thinking like this: "For I, Hui Lu, to be well alone is not as good as the entire Wen Shu Lecture Hall resident community being well."  "The Wen Shu Lecture Hall being well, the entire Wen Shu Lecture Hall being well, is not as good as the entire Buddhism being well."  "The entire Buddhism being well is not as good as world peace, the people of the whole world being well; only that is called good."  The Bodhisattva's mind must be infinitely expanded, a spirit of selflessness, without any selfishness, without any self-benefit.  To be a Buddhist disciple, simply put: anything that endangers the resident community, the Dharma Masters, or endangers the Triple Gem, must absolutely not be done, because we are disciples of the Buddha.  As long as it is altruistic, charitable, saving people and saving the world, supporting the True Dharma, we must go all out; this turning of thought is the most important.  When our inner mind slowly transforms this thought, it is actually good for oneself, good for oneself.

Once, I went to visit the Old Monk Guangqin.  Old Monk Guangqin said: "What do you do?"  I said: "I am studying at Nanputuo Buddhist Institute."  "What are you studying at Buddhist Institute for?"  Old Monk Guangqin asked: "What are you studying at Buddhist Institute for?"  I told him: "To do a little something for the Buddha in the future!"  Old Monk Guangqin was dismissive: "What are you saying?"  I said: "To do a little something for Buddhism in the future, do a little something for the Buddha!"  Old Monk Guangqin scolded: "Does the Buddha need you to do things? Don't you know the Buddha is the idlest person in the whole world?"  An idle person is not an ordinary idler; the Tathāgata is the suchness of all dharmas; the World Honored One is the person in the whole world who has never had rights and wrongs, never had gratitude and grudges; what does Śākyamuni Buddha want you to do?  Suddenly I realized; the things you are doing now—Old Monk Guangqin said: "Dharma Master Hui Lu, the things you are doing now are all for yourself."

Everyone present!  Old Monk Guangqin taught me like this, and I also want to tell you: all your intentions today at Wen Shu Lecture Hall, all the help, support, and care for the Triple Gem—everyone, all the good karmic results are entirely yours, entirely yours.  Old Monk Guangqin said: "What help does the Buddha need from you? The Buddha has already become a Buddha, what help is needed?"  Helping yourself.  Oh! We suddenly realized, it turns out everything we do and act upon today, whether charity, chanting the Buddha's name, or bowing to the Buddha, is completely for ourselves.  Right? To develop the pure inherent nature, to achieve unsurpassed Bodhi, it is all for oneself.  So, everyone, have no selfishness; learn from Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; who gets the benefit? It is you yourselves who get the benefit.

Furthermore, regarding chanting Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, responses are of two kinds: one is called Manifest Response, called an obvious response; the second is called Hidden Response; "Hidden" (Ming), the Ming of the netherworld, the Ming of Pluto; we have one Yin and one Yang, we say the Yang realm and the Nether realm, right? The Ming of the netherworld.  Manifest Response, and Hidden Response—two kinds of responses.  Simply put: some people chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva and have very intense responses.

In the past there was a lay practitioner, a female lay practitioner, who recited the Universal Door Chapter, held the Great Compassion Mantra, and chanted the holy name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva every day.  She had a little girl; she watched her mother reciting the Universal Door Chapter, reciting sutras every day.  That little girl was only five or six years old, could walk, but wasn't sensible, hadn't started school yet.  The mother was reciting the Universal Door Chapter, chanting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; this little girl didn't walk very steadily, just walked... walked to play near a pond nearby, and accidentally fell into the pond.  Because it was a rural area, she fell into the pond.  Just when she was about to drown, someone saved her.  That pond had some depth; for a five-year-old girl, that was simply impossible; her whole body was wet, still having water.  This little girl was overly frightened, crying while walking, "Wuwu..." crying and slowly walking back to find her mother.  She knew her mother was reciting the Universal Door Chapter in the living room; of course, the child didn't know what her mother was reciting.  Just walking slowly... crying continuously. Her mother was startled by her loud crying: "What happened?"  She came out: "Why are you soaked all over? Dripping wet? Little sister, don't cry, what happened?"  She said: "I went to the pond nearby to play and accidentally fell into the pond!"  "Then how did you crawl out?"  "An auntie saved me, wearing white clothes."  "Auntie? Have you seen her?"  "No!"  "An auntie from the nearby village?"  She said: "Never seen her!"  Her mother held her hand from outside and brought her into the main hall.  That little sister was five years old; she saw a statue of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva in the middle of the main hall, a white one.  "Mom, it was that auntie who saved me."  That five-year-old girl wouldn't tell a lie: "It was that auntie who saved me."  This is a Manifest Response, because you were utmostly sincere and earnest.

There was a Bodhisattva [practitioner] in her fifties, a female lay practitioner, very devout, who recited the Universal Door Chapter every day, chanted Guanshiyin Bodhisattva every day.  Once, a fire broke out at her next-door neighbor's; she was focused on reciting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, reciting the Universal Door Chapter.  How inconceivable; because she recited the Universal Door Chapter and Great Compassion Mantra for years and months, her room became a very good magnetic field, a magnetic field—the mind's thought-power resonating with the Bodhisattva.  As a result, this fire, the tongues of fire burned... burned to her next door; this fire jumped over her house and burned the neighbor [on the other side]; her house was in the middle!  Speaking of fires, burning... burning to her house, by logic it would be impossible to be spared.  Because she prayed very sincerely and devoutly, the tongues of fire jumped over; as a result, the sides were burned completely, but her house was not burned.  The walls were black, black, just like that; this is a response.

So, why does chanting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva have such great response?  This requires understanding the Dharma of Dependent Origination.  Simply put: within the Dharma of Dependent Origination, if you benefit sentient beings with all your heart and strength, it is easier to resonate with Guanshiyin Bodhisattva and Amitābha Buddha.  Remember! Those who are reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss have no selfishness; those who are reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss have no strife; if you want to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, when the mind is pure, the land is pure.  Therefore, if you want responses from chanting Buddha or Bodhisattva, remember! The mind must learn the Bodhisattva's compassion, and forgive wicked sentient beings; chanting the Buddha then easily brings responses.

Furthermore, how many kinds of Dependent Origination are there?  Buddhist disciples must memorize this; Dependent Origination—there are a total of five kinds of Dependent Origination in the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna:  First is called Karma-Induction Dependent Origination (业感缘起).  Second is called Ālaya Dependent Origination (阿赖耶缘起).  Third is called Tathāgatagarbha Dependent Origination (如来藏缘起).  Fourth is called True Suchness Dependent Origination (真如缘起).  Fifth is called Dharma-Realm Dependent Origination (法界缘起).

Let's explain them simply one by one, because our time is limited.

First, what is called Karma-Induction Dependent Origination?  Everyone! Karma-Induction Dependent Origination is what is spoken in the Āgama Sūtras; an important thought theory spoken in the Āgama Sūtras is Karma-Induction Dependent Origination, which is karmic force—if you create good karma, you will obtain a good dharma of dependent origination; if you create evil karma, you will obtain a dharma of dependent origination of evil karma; it just depends on what karma you create.  Therefore, Karma-Induction means karmic force will respond, inducing the dharma of dependent origination.  If we say, in other words: volunteers present here, if every one of you forms good affinities with others; if you see this person, certain volunteers, who indeed have a little bit of habit-energy, you can also forgive them; if certain volunteers have attitudes that are not so good, you can also not mind.  Simply put: even if there is no affinity, do not form evil affinities with them, always form good affinities with sentient beings.  I tell you all! Very inconceivable things will happen.  Today you uphold a very important concept: even if there is no affinity, we also do not want to form evil affinity, always forming good affinity with sentient beings.  I tell you: with your current cause and effect, planting good causes, in the future when you will encounter difficulties is unknown—perhaps this life, perhaps the next life, perhaps life after life—you will resonate with good things manifesting.  In your most difficult times, someone will help you; when you suffer from illness, someone will introduce a good doctor to you; when you have no money... of course it's unlikely someone will just hand you money, but you will find a good boss, find a good job.  When you are burgled, the police will automatically find it back for you, solve the case, returning the property to the original owner—because you did not create this evil karma, the evil karma of theft.  So, our Karma-Induction Dependent Origination—the first, is a very important thought.  Later it slowly, slowly evolved; Mahāyāna concepts and theories became clearer; these patriarchs and great masters transmitted this Āgama thought to China.  China had Vijñāptimātra (Consciousness-Only); Vijñāptimātra was already very prevalent in India, and later transmitted to China, discussing it in even greater detail.

Second, is called Ālaya Dependent Origination.  The so-called Ālaya Dependent Origination discusses the problem of seeds.  So-called seeds, there are seeds of the eighteen realms—six roots, six dusts, six consciousnesses; these eighteen realms each have their own seeds.  Now, the ālaya [storehouse consciousness] is like a warehouse, which is the eighth consciousness we speak of.  This ālaya consciousness stores all the seeds, like in a computer database; the good karma and evil karma you create are all put in, seeds.  Remember! One day they will rise as current manifestation; current manifestation is dependent origination.  So, for everyone to be able to sit here today and listen to the teaching, it is absolutely not good roots planted in one lifetime or one age, impossible!  Everyone present has already cultivated for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas; only with good roots and causes and conditions can you have the way to sit in this place.  Because the ālaya good roots have matured, and you come to listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma again; this dependent origination is good, this dependent origination is just good.  Bad friends outside cannot drag you away; these Dharma friends, lotus friends, these good, kind lay practitioners of the Lecture Hall, pull you in hard.  Your good affinities are complete, evil affinities cannot drag you away, good affinities pull you in; these are your past seeds, what Vijñāptimātra study calls Ālaya Dependent Origination.

Third, is called tathāgatagarbha [Buddha-matrix] Dependent Origination.  This tathāgatagarbha Dependent Origination divides into defiled and pure.  Tathāgatagarbha Dependent Origination is a theory proposed in the later period of Mahāyāna Buddhism; like the Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna which speaks of tathāgatagarbha Dependent Origination—Empty tathāgatagarbha, Non-Empty tathāgatagarbha, Empty-Non-Empty tathāgatagarbha.  Like the Shurangama Sutra which also speaks of tathāgatagarbha thought.  So tathāgatagarbha Dependent Origination is a thought developed in later Mahāyāna Buddhism; some scholars discuss tathāgatagarbha thought specifically.  This tathāgatagarbha separates into defiled and pure; if it is defiled tathāgatagarbha, it transforms into the Six Common States, which is the Six Paths of Reincarnation—Heaven, Human, Hell, Hungry Ghost, Animal, Asura.  If you encounter pure causes and conditions, causes and conditions of purity, it becomes the Four Sages—Arhat, Pratyekabuddha, Bodhisattva, Buddha.  Pure—Four Sages; Defiled is called Six Common States; Four Sages plus Six Common States are collectively called the Ten Dharma Realms.  The Ten Dharma Realms all operate within tathāgatagarbha Dependent Origination.  In other words: all dependent origination cannot depart from the tathāgatagarbha, and all of the tathāgatagarbha will appear within the dharma of dependent origination.  Therefore, tathāgatagarbha Dependent Origination is also named True Suchness Dependent Origination.

So-called True Suchness Dependent Origination means that within the so-called dharmas of dependent origination, all are the display of the True Suchness self-nature.  In other words: for a person who sees the nature, who sees the True Suchness self-nature, all dharmas of dependent origination are seeing the nature.  In other words: all activities of walking, standing, sitting, lying down, and all fabrications of body, speech, and mind, for a person who sees the nature, are all called the truest, the most good, the most beautiful; all are Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.  He is merely manifesting, acting out a play for sentient beings to see; this is called True Suchness Dependent Origination.  The meaning is: the dharma of dependent origination does not depart from the True Suchness self-nature; the True Suchness self-nature turns over and initiates function within dependent origination.  But, if the True Suchness self-nature is defiled, it becomes the Six Common States; if the True Suchness self-nature is purified, it becomes the Four Sages; the Four Sages and Six Common States are the Ten Dharma Realms.

Fifth, what the Avataṃsaka Sūtra speaks of: called Dharma-Realm Dependent Origination.  The Dharma-realm is like empty space; empty space does not depart from dependent origination; all dharmas of dependent origination do not depart from the empty space right at that place.  Everyone, the dependent origination of the Lecture Hall today, the teaching is dependent origination; can dependent origination depart from empty space? Impossible.  The nature of empty space is the nature of the Dharma-realm; the nature of the Dharma-realm is the Buddha-nature.  Because Guanshiyin Bodhisattva realized the perfection of the Dharma-realm; because he used the Perfect Penetration of the Ear Faculty, cultivating to Great Perfection Purity, therefore, he can "manifest in a thousand places when prayed to in a thousand places."  Why can Guanshiyin Bodhisattva manifest in a thousand places when prayed to in a thousand places?  Because empty space is the nature of the Dharma-realm; the nature of the Dharma-realm is the Buddha-nature; where is the Buddha's home?  The Dharma-realm is the Buddha; wherever there is dependent origination, there it appears.  Today you run to the Himalayas, kneel and chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; there is a response on the Himalayas, because you created a dharma of dependent origination.  The Bodhisattva is in the Dharma-realm throughout the twenty-four hours, neither rising nor falling; whenever you have dependent origination, he appears.  Just like one moon reflecting in a thousand rivers; if a thousand rivers have water, there are moons in a thousand rivers.  The Bodhisattva has never come, nor gone; but, wherever there is dependent origination, there he appears.  You run to America, you run to America to chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, there is a response in America.  Today in Taiwan, whether Alishan, Sun Moon Lake, whether Taitung, including you running to Japan, with utmost sincerity and earnestness, remember! Utmost sincerity and earnestness chanting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, there is a response in Japan.  No matter which time you are in, no matter which space you are in, as long as you pray to Guanshiyin Bodhisattva with utmost sincerity and earnestness, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva will descend.  Some are very obvious Manifest Responses, some are Hidden Responses.  So, chanting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva with utmost sincerity and earnestness, what happens next? It depends on your blessings and causes and conditions.

There was a pair of brothers, reported in the news today; a pair of brothers went to steal people's things, rob people's things, robbing women's necklaces, purses, everything.  Why? They needed to take drugs every day, spending ten or twenty thousand; having no money they robbed, the two brothers robbing together.  They robbed a woman's purse, inside which was placed a copy of the Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sūtra.  After robbing the money, what happened? They felt guilty, came back to repent; rob once, copy the Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sūtra once; anyway it's only 260 characters.  Robbing back, conscience uneasy, copy the Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sūtra again.  The result was a response, today the police caught them, caught and sentenced!  Treating the Bodhisattva like this?  Copying the Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sūtra is to tell you to practice the Bodhisattva path, how can you rob people?  Is that right? People who chant the Bodhisattva cannot do bad things.

Yesterday I watched TV; the day before yesterday Li Ao went to Peking University to give a speech, yesterday to Tsinghua University; Peking University and Tsinghua are both in the North.  If I went to Peking University today—because last time Peking University wanted to invite me to give a speech, but conditions were consistently insufficient.  If I went to Peking University to give a speech today, what would be my first sentence? You guess.  What would be my first sentence?  If I went to Peking University to give a speech today, what would be my first sentence? You guess.  The first sentence I would tell him: "I come today, not to preach to you, nor to call you to believe in Buddhism; I come to Peking University to speak today, to call you to know yourself, you must know yourself."  This is what I would tell him on the first day at Peking University, the first time speaking: I come not to preach, nor to ask you to believe in Buddhism, I come to speak to ask you to know yourself.  If you cannot know yourself, how will you live the second half of your life?  You just study like this continuously... what to do at the very end? Make money? Get a wife? Do big business?  There were many such people in the past; in the past people even became Emperors! Right? Isn't that just the same ordinary being?  If I went to Tsinghua University to speak, the first sentence would ask him, what would be the first sentence I say?  Tsinghua University [students] are all very wise, very good at studying. Right? Right!  My first sentence asking Tsinghua now: "Who are you? Tell me."

We often say: Fight for freedom, fight for democracy, fight for equality.  I tell you all: only entering the Buddha-gate do you understand true freedom, true democracy, and true equality.  These scholars are always on TV: "Give us liberty or give us death."  Philosophers say: "If you are not free, you might as well just die." Everyone can talk.  The freedom, equality, and democracy of the Buddha-gate, compared to that spoken by worldly people—the freedom, equality, and democracy spoken by worldly people—are as far apart as heaven and earth!  What is the freedom spoken by worldly people? Freedom is "my movement is very convenient, wherever I want to go I am very at ease, if I want to take a train I take a train, take a plane I take a plane, as long as I don't break the law, I am free everywhere."  Worldly people call this freedom.  I ask everyone: Is this called freedom?  I tell you: that person who says they are very free, you walk over, Pa! give him a slap, give him a slap for no reason; freedom is ease, I tell you: immediately not at ease, immediately jumping up.  So-called freedom is physical freedom; I tell you: the spirit of ordinary common people is not free at all, not at ease at all, not lying to you!  Worldly people don't understand what true freedom is; shouting slogans, that works.

Next, speaking of democracy; Śākyamuni Buddha was the most democratic.  Śākyamuni Buddha spoke like this, what is democracy? Democracy is respect.  Democracy is respect; from which angle do we stand?  All sentient beings on the great earth all possess Buddha-nature, you must respect them.  Everyone present! I dare not look down on anyone among you, because you are future Buddhas.  One must respect absolutely, rejoice absolutely, praise absolutely.  Which thinker, which great philosopher, has the way to speak of democracy like the Buddha?  America talks democracy; how many wars has America had in the past?  America was also like this in the past, people protesting, protesting, focusing on important government places, not dispersing, America opened fire all the same, America also opened fire and strafed.  America had these things happen in the past, challenging the government, opening fire. Right?

America is considered a very democratic country; is it true democracy?  If America were truly democratic, would there be the Iraq War? Right?  Of course he has his reasons! American imperialism, American-style democracy, does not necessarily suit our Chinese people's democracy, not necessarily. Do you know?  Because time and space are different, American-style democracy may not necessarily be able to adapt to Europe; American-style democracy may not necessarily suit Russia.  The whole world, everyone is talking about democracy, I tell you: no one has touched the door [found the way], no one has touched the door.  Democracy, everyone's method of democracy is different. Iraq: I also say: I am very democratic. America: I also say: I am very democratic!  Two concepts of democracy are different, what happens? They go at it; is that called democracy?  The Buddhadharma does not speak like this.  Buddhadharma: Tolerating the existence of dissidents is the only way to achieve one's own greatness; changing others is not as good as changing oneself.  Therefore, for people with different opinions, there is absolute respect.  But, this world is very complex; applying democracy to everything indeed has difficulties.  For example, if we want to build a dam, building a dam in Meinong; if the government wants to build, the people protest.  If a garbage incinerator is to be built somewhere, stinking to high heaven, the government wants to build, the people oppose; who is right and who is wrong is hard to say!  So I believe, the theories established by thinkers and philosophers, actually the original intention was good; but, later human factors turned them into all kinds of misunderstandings, distortions, or narrowness, becoming tools for selfishness, becoming like this.

So, Dharma-Realm Dependent Origination is Ultimate Emptiness; everyone, if you awaken to Ultimate Emptiness, the mind is free, is at ease.  If you awaken to the Dharma of Dependent Origination of the Dharma-realm being ultimately empty, you understand what democracy is.  If you awaken to everyone having Buddha-nature, you know the equality of all dharmas.  Therefore, entering the Buddha-gate is true freedom, democracy, true equality.

So, we must chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, must let the inner heart, the spirit, be thoroughly liberated.

Good, time is limited, let's look at:

"Guanyin Inspiration Song" (Guanyin Linggan Ge)

This is not difficult; let's read the lyrics once first:

"Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, greatly giving rise to the compassionate mind, merit and practice deep as the ocean. Steering the ship of compassion, crossing the deluded ford, transforming those with affinity."  These words are all simple.  "Fourteen kinds of Fearlessness," there is a note at the back, note number 1.  Fourteen kinds of Fearlessness, everyone, must be clarified; it doesn't mean Guanshiyin Bodhisattva has fourteen kinds of not-being-afraid; it doesn't mean that.  It says fourteen kinds, if you chant Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva well, there are fourteen kinds of situations where Guanshiyin Bodhisattva will cause sentient beings' minds to be fearless, make your mind free from fear.  For example: someone cannot give birth to a child, married but cannot give birth, the father-in-law and mother-in-law don't love her, she becomes afraid, fearful.  Chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva well, recite the Universal Door Chapter; seeking a male one gets a male, seeking a female one gets a female, letting these good men and faithful women obtain children, obtain a son or a daughter, and then, the mind has no fear; "Fearlessness" means this.

"Thirty-two Manifestations" means those who should be delivered by a Buddha body, immediately appearing as a Buddha body to speak the Dharma; those who should be delivered by a Bodhisattva, appearing as a Bodhisattva body; those who should be delivered by a virgin boy or virgin girl body, appearing as a virgin boy or virgin girl body to deliver them.  That is Thirty-two Manifestations, in the 2nd note.

"Thousand hands and thousand eyes, subduing the army of demons. Great Kindness and Great Compassion saving from suffering and difficulty, the Efficacious Guanyin. From the Lotus Seat compassionate clouds surge, everywhere manifesting the golden body. Willow branch water, sprinkling on the mortal dust, sweet dew moistening the multitude of beings."  Moistening, moisten.  Because we Singapore... this Guanyin Inspiration Song existed in Taiwan twenty or thirty years ago, it is based on the song "Su Wu Herding Sheep"; the lyrics are changed a bit, the melody is the same, lyrics just changed a bit.  In Taiwan mostly adults sing it, singing very majestically.  This time it is provided by Singapore's Liaoliang Co. Ltd., provided by Liaoliang Distribution Centre; the children singing is lighthearted, lively and cute.  Adults singing is very majestic; well, children singing is very good, just very lively, very majestic, its music arrangement is very good, arranged very well.  Because each person's preference is different, well, it depends on each person's appreciation; I feel the Singapore Children's Choir sings very well!

"Morning chanting Guanshiyin, evening chanting Guanshiyin, thought after thought arising from the heart, chanting the Buddha not leaving the heart, forever departing from the Eight Difficulties,"  Eight Difficulties are disasters, eight places; if you are born in that place, you cannot hear the Buddhadharma, called Eight Difficulties.  Places without Buddhadharma are a kind of disaster, why? Cannot be liberated!  A person who hears the Buddhadharma has the opportunity for liberation, he can end birth and death; without hearing the Buddhadharma, where does he have the opportunity?  So, in the Buddhist sutras it says: the so-called Eight Difficulties are eight places, which are a kind of disaster, precisely because there is no Buddhadharma.  "All disasters, suffering and distress turn to dust."

Good, let's explain simply:

One, [Fourteen Fearlessnesses: According to the Shurangama Sutra Volume 6: Guanshiyin Bodhisattva uses the unproduced wonderful power of the Vajra Samādhi]  What is called Vajra Samādhi? Actually this Vajra refers to the unborn and undying Nirvāṇa, because Guanshiyin Bodhisattva perfectly realized the Nirvāṇa wonderful mind, called Vajra Samādhi, which is the self-nature initiating function.  Unproduced wonderful power; unproduced means not using the conscious mind.  The meaning is Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is a Tathāgata, one who has realized the fruit of Buddhahood, is a former Buddha come again, an ancient Buddha come again, the True Dharma Light Tathāgata come again.  "Unproduced" means not relying on fabrication, naturally manifesting wonderful power, called [(power of function without intent), identical with all sentient beings of the ten directions, three times, and six paths in sorrow and yearning,]  Everyone! What is called Sorrow? What is called Yearning?  Head looking upwards is called Yearning, head looking downwards is called Bowing.  First, Sorrow refers to Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's removing suffering; "Yearning" is longing. Do you know?  Because Guanshiyin Bodhisattva realized the Vajra unproduced wonderful power of the Dharma-realm, the Vajra Samādhi unproduced wonderful power, therefore, sentient beings of the Dharma-realm all long for Guanshiyin Bodhisattva to come and save them, called Yearning.  Then, Sorrow? Guanshiyin Bodhisattva has Great Compassion (Sorrow), and must remove sentient beings' suffering.  [Causing all sentient beings to obtain fourteen kinds of fearless merit.]  Remember! Causing sentient beings to obtain fearless merit.  So, this Fearlessness, Giving of Fearlessness is very important.

In the past we went to Master Chan Yun's place; at that time, I had been learning Buddhism for two or three years; at two or three years, I would guide some beginners in Buddhadharma from Feng Chia University to see Master Chan Yun, to attend the Fasting and Precepts Association at Lian Yin Temple.  There was a person, a freshman, who went in and looked; because in front of the dining hall at Master Chan Yun's place, a statue of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva was placed, and above was written "Giving of Fearlessness" (Wu Wei Shi).  This freshman was Taiwanese; after entering, he looked: Giving of Fearlessness?  He said: "Hey! Yiqian, what does this mean? Not afraid of people eating? Otherwise, why is it called Wu Wei Shi (Fearless Giving)?"  The meaning in Mandarin was: Is it "not afraid (Wu Wei) of people eating (Shi)"? Called Fearless Giving? Not afraid of giving, called Fearless Giving!  I said: "No, no! Giving of Fearlessness is Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's compassion, not letting sentient beings have feelings of fear, called Giving of Fearlessness. Do you know? Causing sentient beings' minds to have no fear is called Giving of Fearlessness, not 'not afraid of giving'."  Wow! Such a big difference!

Next, firstly, [the text explains that] Guanshiyin Bodhisattva enables all sentient beings to attain fourteen kinds of fearless merits. Namely: [1. Not taking the sound one hears and using it to set up an observer of what is observed by hearing.]  This is because Guanshiyin Bodhisattva cultivates the Perfect Penetration of the Ear Organ.  "Not taking the sound one hears" means he will not take that external sound and turn it into a duality of "the Subject who perceives" (neng) and "the Object that is perceived" (suo).  He does not transform the sound into such a subject–object duality.  The meaning is: Guanshiyin Bodhisattva has already realized Vajra Samādhi, which means the mind and the external state are one Suchness.  He does not seize upon external sounds to establish a "hearer" versus "what is heard," because sound is merely the dependent origination of the pure self-nature; there are no two separate appearances—the appearance of dependent origination is the appearance of True Suchness.  Therefore, he does not follow the sound to separate out a self who hears; Guanshiyin Bodhisattva will not take this external sound and reify it into a Subject and an Object.  Sentient beings are all like this: as soon as they hear beautiful sounds, the mind runs away; a "hearer" and "what is heard" are established, and the mind becomes confused and dazed.  Guanshiyin Bodhisattva knows that sound is illusory and extinguishing; this illusory extinction is the manifestation of Reality; dependent origination is Reality.  [Causing suffering sentient beings to immediately obtain liberation,] letting suffering sentient beings obtain liberation, [this is fearlessness.]

2. [Knowledge and views revolving back.]  We usually speak of "establishing knowledge on top of knowledge and views"; "revolving back" means returning to the Nirvāṇa wonderful mind; "revolving back" is turning the light to shine inward—turning over, turning back is called "revolving back."  Therefore, "knowledge and views revolving back": sentient beings possess [discriminating] knowledge and views; the Buddha is without [discriminating] knowledge and without views, which means not establishing knowledge on top of views—this is called "knowledge and views revolving back."  Sentient beings' knowledge and views run outwards; Buddhas' and Bodhisattvas' knowledge and views are all dissolved into nothingness.  Therefore, "knowledge and views revolving back" means returning to no-knowledge and no-views; a person does not place a head on top of a head; [as the Sutra says,] "To establish a knowledge on top of knowledge and views is the root of ignorance"; Buddha and Bodhisattva knowledge and views do not establish knowledge—they do not place a head on top of a head.  So, "knowledge and views revolving back" is no-knowledge and no-views, it is the Nirvāṇa wonderful mind.  Guanshiyin Bodhisattva realized no-knowledge and no-views, not establishing any discriminating knowledge, realizing Vajra Samādhi, thus able to initiate unproduced wonderful power.  [Able to cause sentient beings, if entering a fire disaster, the fire cannot burn them, this is fearlessness.]  Everyone! Guanshiyin Bodhisattva—we must recognize clearly—when you encounter a fire, when a fire breaks out in the city, remember! First dial 119, call the fire department, then chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; this is a very important concept—you can't only chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva and forget to call the fire department! Remember this!  Second, if you are in the wilderness.  There was a farmer burning rice straw in the wilderness, and as soon as he set the fire, it became uncontrollable—uncontrollable, already burning toward the neighboring field.  Suddenly he thought of what I said—to chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva—and began to chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva seriously: Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva...  Because it was about to burn the neighbor's field, he would be beaten by people, or fined money, what could he do?  The neighbor's crops were perfectly fine, and here you are burning, setting fire to the neighbor.  Chanting... later people saw a big column of smoke, and what happened? Others called 119 for him.  Chanting... he kept chanting: Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva... and he even chanted the Great Compassion Mantra; he had even greater power, adding the chanting of the Great Compassion Mantra—the fire kept burning, and he kept chanting the Great Compassion Mantra.  People came with several fire trucks, woo-ee... and this person just chanted the Great Compassion Mantra, and it extinguished!  Water—not even a drop of water had been sprayed yet—and it extinguished!  Isn't that right? Inconceivable, so, you must remember!

[3. Observing the hearing to revolve back; able to cause sentient beings, if drifted by water, the water cannot drown them, this is fearlessness.]  What is "observing the hearing to revolve back"?  Regarding our sentient beings: "listening" implies a Subject-that-listens (the ear faculty); "listening" is listening to external sounds.  Sentient beings listen to external sounds and get confused.  Now what? Turn back, turn the hearing back; where does this sound actually come from?  Does it come from the ear faculty? Can't find it. From the external state? Can't find it either—you can't find the origin.  The ear faculty is soundless, how is it so? The external sound is also soundless; if you try to find a real "sound," you can't find it; but, with causes and conditions, sound manifests, and the ear faculty can hear.  Oh! "Born of conditions is unborn"—it turns out all dharmas are unborn, they are born of dependent origination.  "Born of conditions is unborn," it turns out the pure self-nature is entirely within dependent origination; the six roots are unobtainable, states are unobtainable, body and mind are both like illusions, body and mind are just like illusory things.  Born of conditions, the sound comes out; regarding this sound, if you really look for it, you can't find a substantial entity—you can't find where it comes from, nor find where it goes; with dependent origination it appears—this is "observing the hearing to revolve back," which is realizing the self-nature.  Able to cause sentient beings, if drifted by water, the water cannot drown them, this is fearlessness.

[4. Cutting off and extinguishing false thoughts, the mind has no killing or harming,] Guanshiyin Bodhisattva cut off and extinguished false thoughts, so the mind naturally will not harm sentient beings; we must learn from the Bodhisattva, we cannot harm sentient beings. [Able to cause sentient beings, if entering the realm of Rakshasa ghosts, the ghosts naturally extinguish evil, this is fearlessness.]

5. [Fumigating the hearing to become [true] hearing], everyone!  After this "hearing" (wen) add a word, which means "nature" (xing); the so-called "hearing"—"fumigating the hearing"—is using the fundamental nature to cultivate, using the hearing-nature to cultivate; fumigating for a long time, it all becomes the fundamental nature.  Remember! Use the unborn and undying pure mind to cultivate, do not fall into ideological forms, do not fall into language, do not fall into words.  "Fumigating the hearing to become [true] hearing" is fumigating this hearing-nature, turning it into pure self-nature, [the six roots dissolve and return], the six roots refer to ideological forms—these ideological forms all transform into nothing.  [The same as sound and listening,] that is, they are the same within sound; the True Suchness self-nature is sound, the True Suchness self-nature is the six roots, is within the six dusts; no need to search, it is non-dual; dusts naturally arise and cease, but the self-nature does not move.  [Able to cause sentient beings who are about to be harmed, when blades are applied, to break into pieces, this is fearlessness.]  If someone harms you, [the blade] breaks into pieces, this is fearlessness.

[6. Hearing fumigation becomes refined and bright, brightness pervades the Dharma-realm; although sentient beings are approached by Yakshas and various dark beings, the Bodhisattva's refined brightness can cause the Yakshas' eyes to be dazzled by brightness,]  I explain: "Hearing fumigation" is fumigation; regarding hearing, this hearing-nature is continuously fumigated; "refined brightness" is seeing the nature.  After seeing the nature, "brightness pervades the Dharma-realm"; this great wisdom, light, and pure self-nature pervades the Dharma-realm, which means seeing the nature everywhere—called "brightness pervades the Dharma-realm."  So, wherever you chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva descends.  "Although sentient beings are approached by Yakshas and various dark beings, the Bodhisattva's refined brightness can cause the Yakshas' eyes to be dazzled by brightness," their eyes cannot open; receiving the Bodhisattva's light, the Yaksha cannot see, cannot harm sentient beings, [naturally cannot see, this is fearlessness.]  So, remember! Chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; lay practitioners, monastics as well, I advocate: [for every] chanting of ten thousand times "Amitābha Buddha," you must chant five thousand times "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva"; it is better to chant like this.

[7. Sound and nature perfectly dissolve, observing and listening return inwards,]  What is "sound and nature perfectly dissolving"? "Sound" is the external dust, "Nature" is the inner pure self-nature.  The external dust and the inner nature are non-dual.  "Perfectly dissolve," originally not departing from the very place, True Suchness does not depart from the very place.  "Observing and listening return inwards," this sound does not follow [objects] and run away; it returns to the True Suchness self-nature.  [Able to cause sentient beings to have fetters and shackles not stick to the body, this is fearlessness.]  Sentient beings being bound, trapped—chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva well.  If your marriage is not happy, not happy, your husband beats you every day, you really hope to end a period of karmic affinity, remember! Chant Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva well.  Supposing—the Bodhisattva of course doesn't advocate divorce—but the Bodhisattva naturally will have arrangements, naturally will have arrangements.  Beating every day—beating in the morning, beating in the afternoon, beating again at night, waking up at midnight to beat you as a snack—truly terrible, very troublesome!

[8. Extinguishing sound, perfecting hearing, completely producing the power of compassion,] extinguishing external sound dusts, perfecting the hearing-nature; extinguishing external sounds, external dusts, perfecting the pure self-nature, completely producing the power of compassion, great power of compassion.  [Therefore sentient beings passing through dangerous roads are like walking on flat paths,] so, when you go climbing mountains... remember! Climbing mountains, wading rivers, rowing boats—remember to chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.  [Or encountering evil bandits, naturally cannot be robbed, this is fearlessness.]

[9. Fumigating the hearing departing from dust, form cannot violate,] fumigating this pure self-nature; [with] pure self-nature, dust cannot stick to you.  "Form cannot violate," meaning female form also cannot harm your pure mind.  [Able to cause all people with much sexual desire to not give rise to greed and desire, this is fearlessness.]

[10. Pure sound without dust, roots and states perfectly interfused,] a period in the middle. [Pure sound without dust.] A ".". [Roots and states perfectly interfused.]  "Pure sound without dust"; pure sound, sound is the nature manifesting, sound is the pure self-nature manifesting.  Just like Śākyamuni Buddha speaking sutras; Śākyamuni Buddha speaking sutras, right? That sound, sound is manifested from Śākyamuni Buddha's pure self-nature.  "Pure sound without dust, roots and states perfectly interfused," [Able to cause people harboring hatred to not give rise to anger, this is fearlessness.]

[11. Dissolving dust, revolving to brightness,] dissolving external dusts, recovering the brightness of pure self-nature, called "dissolving dust revolving to brightness"; "revolving" is turning back.  Dissolving external sound dusts, turning back, realizing the brightness of pure self-nature.  [Able to cause all dull and blunt people without good minds to stay far away from delusion and darkness, this is fearlessness.]  So, people who often chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva will open wisdom.

[12. Melting form, recovering hearing,] "Form" refers to the external; melting this external "form", including form, sound, scent, taste, touch, dharmas.  Melting external form, sound, scent, taste, touch, dharmas.  "Recovering hearing": recovering the pure self-nature; "hearing" is the hearing-nature.  Although this "form" refers to sound, it means the six dusts.  Melting external six dusts, recovering the pure self-nature.  With this fearlessness, because of realizing Vajra Samādhi, [With this fearlessness, giving to all childless sentient beings,] those without sons.  [Those desiring to seek a male,] wanting to give birth to a male, [causing them to obtain the birth of a male.]

[13. Six roots perfectly penetrating, clear illumination non-dual,] six roots perfectly penetrating, clear illumination non-dual; eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind, completely penetrating the pure self-nature.  Non-dual means roots and dusts are non-dual, nature and appearance are non-dual, principle and phenomena are non-dual, mind and state are non-dual; non-dual is True Suchness, all dharmas are Suchness, which is non-dual.  [With this fearlessness, giving to all childless sentient beings, those desiring to seek a female, immediately obtaining the birth of a female.]

[14. My one name is equal to and no different from sixty-two Ganges sands of names,] Why?  I, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; you recite Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, this name has such great merit, equal to and no different from sixty-two Ganges sands of names.  You recite the names of sixty-two Ganges sands of Bodhisattvas, it is the same merit as reciting the holy name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; of course we just recite one, saving all that trouble. Right?  So, today we want to sing this "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva"; one is singing Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, one is praising, praising Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.  So, later when singing, must be very emotional, very emotional. Right?  The lyrics are written very well!  [Able to cause sentient beings seeking blessings, merely holding my name, compared to a person holding the names of countless Bodhisattvas, the blessings and virtues obtained are equal and no different, this is fearlessness.]

Then, this section below is simpler,

[Two, Thirty-two Responses: From the Shurangama Sutra; says Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, in past immeasurable Ganges sands of kalpas, there was a Buddha named Guanshiyin,]  That is before Guanshiyin, there was another Guanshiyin Buddha—this must be clear.  Before Guanshiyin became a Buddha, there was another one called Guanshiyin Tathāgata.  "Receiving from that Tathāgata," meaning Guanshiyin Tathāgata, not the Guanshiyin Bodhisattva spoken of now.  That is the one who taught Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, called Guanshiyin Tathāgata.  [Receiving from that Tathāgata instruction in the illusory fumigating hearing, cultivating hearing, Vajra Samādhi,]  What is called illusory? It means all dharmas are unobtainable.  What is called illusory? Speaking more thoroughly, it means the body-mind world is unobtainable, the body-mind world is all dependent origination, then, the body-mind world is all like an illusion.  Today we look and it seems like there is such a thing, actually they are all illusory things, no single thing is substantial, because of instant impermanence, instant change and impermanence; seeking its substantial entity, it is completely unobtainable; where is coming? Where is going? Where is increase? Where is decrease?  Isn't that right? Just like our Layman Chen, my classmate from Feng Chia University called Layman Chen.  Layman Chen once, during the 921 Earthquake, called his son and daughter: "Come! Hurry up and kneel before the Buddha."  Because the 921 Earthquake shook very severely, shook very severely, the whole family chanted: Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva...  His youngest daughter wouldn't chant; he said: "Chant!"  His little daughter, people chanted: "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva." She chanted: "Na you (Where is there) Guanshiyin Bodhisattva."  A difference of one word ["mo" vs "you"], that small tiny bit. One word difference is a lot; the little girl didn't understand.

Below, "illusory fumigating hearing, cultivating hearing, Vajra Samādhi"; this Vajra Samādhi actually refers to Right Concentration, is the Buddha Concentration, Shurangama Grand Concentration, referring to the concentration of our Buddha-nature.  The mind of Great Thorough Enlightenment is in concentration throughout the twenty-four hours, called Vajra Samādhi.  [Same as the Buddha's compassion, removing suffering and giving joy, the body becoming thirty-two responses, entering various lands, transforming all sentient beings.]  Everyone present, if you have a compassionate mind today, giving my VCDs, DVDs, Buddhist books for people to see, I tell you: You are also Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.  There is Guanshiyin Bodhisattva of phenomena, and Guanshiyin Bodhisattva of principle.  Phenomenal Guanshiyin Bodhisattva means: the Land of Ultimate Bliss indeed exists, indeed there is a Guanshiyin Bodhisattva saving the people of the world.  Speaking from principle, sentient beings' Buddha-nature is equal, our mind is equal to the Bodhisattva's mind; as long as you have a compassionate mind, you are a Bodhisattva.  So, spreading the Buddhadharma, the True Dharma, you are Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.  Below, "entering various lands, transforming all sentient beings."  [(Sound and teaching fumigating, hence called Fumigating Hearing; hearing and then cultivating, hence called Cultivating Hearing;]  So, if you can cultivate to attain Vajra Samādhi, you are the same as the Buddha's compassion, able to remove suffering, able to give joy, the body becoming thirty-two responses, entering various lands, transforming all sentient beings.  The so-called "sound and teaching fumigating, hence called Fumigating Hearing; hearing and then cultivating, called Cultivating Hearing."  [Vajra has the capability of firmness and sharpness,] it is the hardest. [Using as metaphor for the power of Samādhi.]  Able to destroy everything, not destroyed by anything, called Vajra.  Indian language is called Samādhi, [Sanskrit Samādhi,] Chinese language is called Right Concentration, [Chinese speaks Right Concentration). The so-called thirty-two responses are listed as follows:]

Those who should be delivered by a Buddha body, [1. Buddha Body Response.] Immediately appearing as a Buddha body to speak Dharma for them.

Those by a Pratyekabuddha body, this "Response" means we sentient beings can affect, and Guanshiyin Bodhisattva can respond.  Everyone, "Response" refers to the Bodhisattva; sentient beings can affect, we chant the Buddha hoping for a response (Gan Ying - affect and response), the Bodhisattva can respond, moved so the Bodhisattva can respond. Right?  [2. Pratyekabuddha Response... appearing in a world without a Buddha, awakening alone without a teacher, hence named Only-Enlightened (Pratyekabuddha).]

[3. Condition-Enlightened Response.] That is when the Buddha is in the world, hearing the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination and realizing, called Condition-Enlightened Response.

[4. Hearer (Śrāvaka) Response.] When the Buddha is in the world hearing the Four Noble Truths: Suffering, Accumulation, Extinction, Path, and realizing the four fruits, called Hearer Response.

[5. Brahma King Response... namely the Lord of the First Dhyāna Heaven of the Form Realm.]  [6. Lord Śakra Response... namely the King of Trāyastriṃśa Heaven.]  "Trāyastriṃśa" is called Thirty-three; the Jade Emperor, because the Jade Emperor's place is divided into thirty-three regions, so it is also named Thirty-three Heavens; not thirty-three layers of heaven, it doesn't mean that.  It means the place of Lord Śakra Heaven King is divided into thirty-two regions [plus the center], called Trāyastriṃśa Lord.  Trāyastriṃśa Heavens has measureless and boundless Trāyastriṃśa Heavens, not just one, the concept must be corrected a bit.  Simply put: Jade Emperors, Lord Śakra Heaven Kings are measureless and boundless.  [7. Comfort/Ease Heaven Response... namely the Fifth Heaven of the Desire Realm.]  [8. Great Comfort/Ease Heaven Response] is responding as Great Comfort/Ease Heaven. [... namely the Lord of the Sixth Heaven of the Desire Realm.]  So, not only we humans chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; this name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is very resounding, all sentient beings, Heaven Lords, all have to chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, not only we humans chant. Lord of the Sixth Heaven of the Desire Realm.  [9. Heaven Great General Response... namely the Great General of Lord Śakra Heaven Lord.]  [10. Four Heavenly Kings Response.] Four Heavenly Kings on the waist of Mount Sumeru.  [11. Four Heavenly Kings Crown Prince Response.]  [12. Human King Response.]  [13. Elder Response.]  [14. Layman Response.]  [15. Official Response.] Being an official.  [16. Brahmin Response.]  [17. Bhikṣu Response.]  [18. Bhikṣuṇī Response.]  [19. Upāsaka Response.]  [20. Upāsikā Response.] Upāsaka, everyone knows: Layman male; Upāsikā is layman female, female assembly.  [21. Female Lord Response.] That is all female assemblies.  [22. Virgin Boy Response.]  [23. Virgin Girl Response.] Young ones, virgin boys and virgin girls.  [24. Heaven Response.] Devas, Dragons, and the Eight Classes.  [25. Dragon Response.]  [26. Yaksha Response... this is Sanskrit: also said as Yecha, Chinese means Brave and Robust.] Brave and Robust means running very fast.  [27. Gandharva Response... Chinese means Incense Skandha, namely the Music God of Lord Śakra.]  He doesn't eat rice, he smells incense, he becomes full by smelling incense, so called Incense Skandha.  When you light incense, the Gandharva arrives.  The Music God of Lord Śakra, unfortunately, we cannot hear the music he plays; he plays this music to offer to the Buddha.  So, I have always hoped, wanted to integrate Buddhist music into Buddhadharma, so today we sing "Guanyin Inspiration Song", just like this.  [28. Asura Response.] Asura, not Arhat, get it clear.  There was a layman who didn't understand Asura, he wrote a letter saying to me: "I often get angry, I am truly an Arhat!"  I marked an X for him, how can an Arhat get angry?  Asura and Arhat, a difference of a hundred and eight thousand miles, misusing Buddhist terms!  "I am truly an Arhat!" Mark X, you are not an Arhat, you are a genuine Asura. Right?  [29. Kiṃnara Response... Chinese means Doubtful Spirit, also said as Human-Non-Human. Because there is a horn on the head, resembling a human but not a human.]  [30. Mahoraga Response... Chinese means Great Belly Crawler,] belly big, head small, walking with the belly, called Great Belly Crawler.  On the left is an "Insect" radical, some have a "Moon" (flesh) radical, Great Belly Crawler.  Some have its side... abdomen, because snakes don't have hands, nor legs or feet, right? Just using the whole body to curve like this... [namely the Great Python Snake.]  [31. Human Response.]  [32. Non-Human Response... Non-Human means the likes of ghosts and livestock.]

Three, [Eight Difficulties: Referring to not getting to meet the Buddha,] meaning not encountering Buddhadharma, not getting to meet the Buddha, [eight kinds of obstruction and difficulty to hearing the True Dharma.]  Everyone! People who don't hear the Buddhadharma have it very hard.  I repeat it again: people who do not hear the True Dharma in this current lifetime are greatly unfortunate, not just ordinarily unfortunate, called greatly unfortunate.  Not knowing what life is? Also not knowing how to arrange one's own life, all day only knowing eating, drinking, playing, having fun.  Right? Like what was reported on TV today: that "Birdman" in Taiwan, made many big tools, turning into a bird, wearing it, then running... falling into the water.  You have seen on TV: falling into the water, then made cars, birds, butterflies, fiddling and fiddling, then falling into the water, seeing who flies a little bit farther, doing this every day.  Making that pizza, how many trucks to make one pizza; making sausage, that sausage big enough to scare people to death, what for? What on earth are they doing?  After making it, isn't it just cut up, everyone eats it, and shits it out? Why bother being so troublesome?  Why do people live so bored? So much time? Why not chant Guanshiyin Bodhisattva well?  I tell you: sentient beings don't understand Buddhadharma, so they will do this, definitely must do a little something so the days can pass!  Below, if we are born into eight places, it's finished, very troublesome!  [Namely: 1. Difficulty in Hell.] This is pronounced Difficulty (nàn), not difficult (nán), not difficult (nán) in hell, must pronounce Difficulty (nàn), eight kinds of obstruction and difficulty (nàn).  In hell, suffering all day long in hell, how can you listen to sutras and hear Dharma? Right? You have no way to listen to sutras and hear Dharma.  [2. Difficulty in Hungry Ghosts.]  [3. Difficulty in Animals.] You are reborn in the Three Evil Paths, finished!  Hell has no way to hear the True Dharma; Hungry Ghosts are in unbearable pain all day long; Animals, people want to kill them all day long, big animals eating small animals, you simply have no time, even if Buddhadharma is spoken, you won't understand.  [4. Difficulty in Long-Life Heavens.] So, I tell you: never be reborn as a deva, reborn as a deva, you shouldn't be happy, you should cry, you will cry miserably.  What is called Difficulty in Long-Life Heavens? It means your lifespan is very long, very long, so long, so long, you want to die but can't die, won't die.  Taiwanese saying: "Why do I live so long and still haven't died?"  "I want to die quickly, reborn to become human, study Buddhism well, become a Buddha, come to the Land of Ultimate Bliss"; but, no way!  You suddenly reborn in Long-Life Heaven, you have big trouble, wanting to die you can't die, having to pass many thousands of kalpas, dying then reincarnating as human, reincarnating as human, the Buddha is long gone, and no one is speaking sutras and expounding Dharma.  [5. Difficulty in Uttarakuru of the Border Lands... Uttarakuru translates as Superior Place,] You can't be reborn in the Superior Place, [Those born in this place, their human lifespan is a thousand years, life has no premature death,]  Uttarakuru, you can't be reborn in a superior place, born in a place with Buddhadharma, a place with good economy, culture, economy and culture.  Someone from the Mainland wrote a letter, he heard the Buddhadharma, very thankful to me, but didn't understand Buddhist terms, so he wrote a letter saying: "Aiya! China is difficult to be born in."  Meaning: I was born in China, too lucky, hearing Buddhadharma again.  Meaning: being born in other countries is nothing special, America is also easy to be born in, Europe is also easy to be born in, just China Mainland is difficult to be born in.  Writing the letter, I marked an X for him, "China" [Middle Kingdom] doesn't mean this, China is spoken in reverse, referring to the center of culture, economy, and Buddhadharma True Dharma, called "China" [Middle Kingdom], not that China of China Mainland; Buddhist sutras are not for you to explain randomly yourself.  So-called "China is difficult to be born in," refers to the cultural center, economic center, center of Buddhadharma True Dharma, very hard to be born in, can't encounter it.  Below, Difficulty in Uttarakuru of the Border Lands: Uttarakuru translates as Superior Place, those born in this place, their lifespan is a thousand years, life has no premature death, [Greedy for attachment to leaving [suffering] and happiness and not receiving education and transformation, therefore sages do not appear within it,]  Europe, America, look, the material conditions are very good, so there isn't much Buddhadharma, Europe and America are just like this, too much enjoyment! [Not getting to see the Buddha and hear the Dharma.]  [6. Difficulty of Blindness, Deafness, and Muteness.] For example: Blind means eyes cannot see, ears are deaf, Mute means dumb, these are all kinds of obstruction and difficulty, cannot see, cannot hear, some are both deaf and dumb, then there is no way, learning is very difficult, unlike everyone present? Right? Able to listen to sutras and hear Dharma, and able to see the Bodhisattva image.  [7. Difficulty of Worldly Wisdom and Eloquence.] Above "Worldly Wisdom and Eloquence" write three words: Obstruction of Knowledge.  That is worldly politicians and scholars who think themselves extraordinary, these all think themselves very terrific, others cannot say a sentence different from their view.  Obstruction of Knowledge means the knowledge known becomes a kind of obstruction to Bodhi.  Saying it again: so-called Obstruction of Knowledge, the various languages, words, and concepts of ideological forms known, some write articles very well, some are very good at speaking, some books are written very well, these are all worldly dharmas, and these worldly dharmas make one self-righteous; this knowledge known obstructs the Bodhi mind-nature, thinking oneself is very capable.  So, Buddhadharma has nothing to do with academic degree, Buddhadharma also has nothing to do with words, the awakened one is liberated.  Buddhadharma has nothing to do with academic degree, Buddhadharma also has nothing to do with words, Buddhadharma has nothing to do with these languages.  [8. Born before the Buddha] Before the Buddha appeared in the world. [Difficulty of after the Buddha.]  Before Buddha and After Buddha; born before the Buddha had appeared, didn't meet the Buddha; after the Buddha's Extinction, "After Buddha" means after the Buddha's Extinction.  Today we are in the eighth difficulty of the Eight Difficulties: After Buddha.  But, our greatest luck today, is that a Hui Lu still appeared, still not bad. (Crowd applauds)  Thank you! It is necessary to encourage me a bit, thanks!

We will rest for ten minutes now, go wash hands, wash hands, go to the toilet, come, we sing it twice.  Buddhist disciples cannot run away, run away, I call Guanshiyin Bodhisattva not to protect you, you try and see.  Good, everyone, rest for fifteen minutes, let's sing "Guanyin Inspiration Song".  The rain is falling so heavily! Telling you cannot leave means cannot leave, the Bodhisattva immediately shows a response for you to see.  Singing this song once takes 13 minutes; tomorrow is Sunday, a holiday!  No need to rush so much! No need to keep looking at the watch.  It is not easy for me to get healthy enough to give a teaching, right?  It is not easy for everyone to gather for a meal, to be able to sing songs like this, rare and commendable!  Don't be in such a rush, right?  Everyone sing once for 13 minutes, when we sing the second time, just stand up, express our sincerity.  When singing the first time, sit; when singing the second time, stand, because one time is only 13 minutes.  Singing "Guanyin Inspiration Song", must learn the Bodhisattva's spirit, do not have the common understanding of worldly people, disputing in a hundred ways, arguing in a hundred ways, self-grasping, self-view.  We must learn from Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, using the Bodhisattva's spirit to serve sentient beings, to do things for the resident community, without any grumbling, without any complaints, doing one's utmost best, creating merit, and also cultivating the mind and nurturing the nature, and learning the Bodhisattva's spirit.

Good! Please join palms, play the music. "Guanyin Inspiration Song".  Everyone! Please stand up to show sincerity to the Bodhisattva, later, the Dantian must be exerted, go all out, remaining 13 minutes, while praising Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, while chanting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's holy name, while learning, remember to transform.  Good! Play music. Join palms, standing up one must join palms. Standing up, lowering palms is not good.  Dedication, read after me: Wishing with this merit, below I read:  Wishing with this merit of chanting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, praising Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, chanting Guanyin Inspiration Song, eliminate disasters for all volunteers and Bodhisattvas who gave rise to the intent present here.  Repaying the fourfold kindness above, and aiding those below in the three paths of suffering.  If there are those who see and hear this, may they all bring forth the Bodhi mind.  Exerting this one retribution body, to be born together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.  Wishing to be born in the Western Pure Land, with the nine grades of lotus flowers as parents.  When the flowers open seeing the Buddha and awakening to the Unborn, with irreversible Bodhisattvas as companions.  One bow to the Buddha, bow again, bow a third time.  It is 10:30, delayed everyone a little time, wishing everyone elimination of disasters and difficulties, mind after mind tied to Guanyin Bodhisattva.  Wishing everyone no obstructions at the end of life, rebirth in the Pure Land.  Respectfully wishing everyone, thank you everyone. Amitābha! Amitābha!

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