3) The third line is ‘returning to and relying on sangha’. What is sangha? Practitioner who disseminate Dharma, i.e., scriptures, or Buddha’s teachings, or the wisdom of self-nature. We have a scripture in front of us and we read it, but we cannot understand it. So we need to invite these practitioners to explain it for us, to provide us with initial guidance. They have experience in practising Buddhas’ teachings. Therefore, they are able to share their experience with us and, consequently, we gain better understanding from it. That is why they are called ‘sangha jewel’.

Listen to my teacher’s original lecture in Chinese: The True Meaning of Returning to and Relying on the Triple Jewels.

Listen to my podcast: Coming soon…

Subsequently, we truly return from all the contaminations and rely on the pure mind. Only in this way can we truly reap benefit. Buddhist Patriarchs and true practitioners in ancient times had an analogy. They likened Dharma or Buddhas’ teachings to tihu (醍醐 in Chinese) or manda (मन्द in Sanskrit). Tihu was the best drink in ancient India.

This is the scenario. We would like someone to give us some tihu and give them our cup. But our cup has a poison in it. When they pore the tihu into the cup, the tihu becomes a poison.

The tihu is Buddhas’ teachings. The cup is our minds. The poison is all the contaminations in our minds. Our minds are dirty, filled with poisons. So how can we truly enjoy the tihu? We need to clean our cups properly first. And then, we use the clean cup to receive the tihu. We will then truly enjoy the tihu, truly benefit from drinking the tihu.

This analogy is very meaningful. It is also easy to understand. What are the poisons in our minds? Greed, anger, arrogance, ignorance of sages’ teachings, and doubts. These are the Five Poisons 五毒. If our minds have these five poisons, even if Buddhas give us the utmost wisdom with both hands, we will not . Even if there is just one drop of poison in the tihu, the entire tihu becomes poisonous. There must not be any tiny bit of poison mixed with the tihu. Only in this way can we truly enjoy the ultimate, profound Dharma.

The first line of the Opening a Scripture Verse goes, ‘The ultimate profound Dharma 無上甚深微妙法.’ That’s why the very basic attitude to learning Buddhism or Buddhas’ teachings is the pure mind. Our minds at the moment are not pure, filled with all sorts of thoughts, e.g., greed, anger, arrogance, ignorance of sages’ teachings, and doubts.

So what should we do when listening to a Dharma lecture? We should at least temporarily let go of our contaminated minds and return to our pure mind (singular, as there is no differentiation in the pure mind, everyone’s pure mind is the same). We listen to Dharma lectures with the pure mind. Although it is only a short span of time, perhaps only an hour or even just half an hour, we can truly benefit from this one hour or half an hour.

If we listen to Dharma lectures/talks with a contaminated mind, we will not reap any benefit. So in that case, wouldn’t it be futile to deliver Dharma lectures? No, it is not futile. What does it mean? When a person listens to a Dharma lecture, whatever they hear is a seed, and the seed is immediately stored in their alaya-consciousness. Whichever the case, the seed is true, not false. But at the moment, they cannot understand what they have heard. That’s why at present they cannot benefit from it.

When will they benefit from it? Whenever they return to their pure mind, they will benefit from it. This is truly returning to and relying on the Triple Jewels. That’s why it is not at all easy to return to and rely on the Triple Jewels. So, when we first started learning Buddhism and accepted ‘returning to and relying on the Triple Jewels’, to be honest, that was done by name. In other words, we only talked the talk, but have not walked the talk. The ritual was done, but the substance is missing 有形式無實質.

Many people who have attended the ritual of ‘returning to and relying on the Triple Jewels’ do not know what they return to and rely on. They would tell you, ‘I’ve returned to and relied on the Triple Jewels.’ You ask them, ‘What are the Triple Jewels?’ They reply, ‘Buddha, Dharma, and sangha.’ You then ask them, ‘What are Buddha, Dharma, and sangha?’ They reply, ‘I don’t know.’

Buddhist scriptures record clearly that, when we truly return to and rely on the Triple Jewels, there are 36 Dharma-protecting beings (they are mostly from the celestial realm) protecting us day and night. This is not fairy-tale talk. This is a truth. With their protection, we will be protected from disasters. But if we do not truly return to and rely on the Triple Jewels, those Dharma-protecting beings will not come and protect us.

Dharma-protecting beings only protect those who walk the talk. Some people think, ‘I have precept-protecting beings protecting me because I attended the ritual of receiving the Five Precepts’ or ‘I have Dharma-protecting beings protecting me because I attended the ritual of receiving ‘Returning to and Relying on the Triple Jewels’.’ They are totally wrong. There is no such a thing. But if we walk the talk, truly practise Buddhas’ teachings in daily life, even if we have never attended any ritual, the Dharma-protecting beings will still protect us.

So we must understand all of the above. They are the truth of the Universe. They are definitely not superstition. We must walk the talk.

Wishing whoever reads this post good mental and physical health, peace, harmony, auspiciousness, happiness, long life and infinite wisdom. Thank you

DEDICATION

The effort and gains of explaining, transmitting and listening to Buddhas’ teachings are dedicated to:

the entire Universe and all beings of all dimensions and all existences. May they all listen to Buddhas’ teachings, awaken to the truth of the Universe, be mindful of the name ‘Amituofo’ (Amitabha Buddha),

aspire to go to the Pure Land, and become Buddhas. (Read the above three times)

I pray to Buddhas and bodhisattvas for unconditionally solving all man-made and natural disasters around the globe.

For all of those who died in man-made wars and natural disasters across the world,

and for all of those who are related to me in all kinds of ways in this life and previous lives, may they listen to Buddhas’ teachings. May they awaken to the truth of the Universe, aspire to unearth their innate and most sincere, pure, equal and awakened mind, be single-mindedly mindful of Amituofo, aspire to go to the Pure Land so as to see Amituofo and listen to his teachings, removing all their delusions and unveiling their innate wisdom, gaining the real peace and happiness, instantly escaping from the cycle of birth and death, speedily becoming Buddhas, and helping all beings (in the entire Universe) like all other Buddhas.

The effort and gains are dedicated to the leaders of all countries on the Earth. May all countries be prosperous. May all disasters be solved. May the world enjoy eternal peace. I use the effort and gains to return the help from the enlightenment of Buddhas, by the correctness of Buddhas’ teachings, from the purity of sangha, from all beings, from my parents (in this life and previous lives), and from my country(ies). I also use the effort and gains to help alleviate the suffering of those who are already in and will be reborn into the animal realm, the ghost realm and hells as the result of their bad thoughts, speech and deeds. For anyone who sees and hears me chanting or being mindful of Amituofo and doing other good deeds, may they aspire to unearth their most sincere, pure, equal and awakened mind so as to go to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, together with me, at the end of our present lives.