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Roving Over The World
- Book 111: Roving Over The World
- Chapter 25:
A Dialog With Master Ke Shu Ling
- Written by Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated by Janny Chow
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I bought some ornaments and gave them to the female disciples while shopping in Port Lucaya of the Bahamas.
I had the following dialog with Master Ke Shu Ling (Lian Miao):
\`Grandmaster, do you enjoy this trip?\`
\`Of course, Life itself is a trip. Through traveling, we can experience the meaning of living. As cultivators, we must get rid of all our troubles, our greed for money and status; the afflictions of greed, desire, ignorance, doubt and pride and reach a stage of perfect enlightenment. This is the meaning of life; this is eternal.\`
\`Grandmaster, what do you look forward to?\`
\`As you know, today is the continuation of yesterday, and tomorrow there will be dreams and hopes. As a cultivator, we must treasure \`the present moment\` i.e. \`now\`. I hope to live each day more meaningful; and I will do everything my best. I do not long for anything because future is the accumulation of present. Do you understand me?\`
\`Yes, I do.\` Master Ke asked again.
\`How do we deal with people who refuse to be succoured? I mean those who do not have good karmic relation with us.\`
\`There are all kinds of people living in this world. The situation can be very complicated. In order to liberate them, we have to influence their minds. If we tried our best, and yet our efforts go to waste, we should keep the friendship and wait for future opportunity.\`
\`Is this what you meant by `Breaking my bones and risking my life for the liberation of others`?\`
\`Nobody should be deserted.\`
\` How do we gain enlightenment through meditation?\`
\`Shakyamuni Buddha taught us the five-aggregate dharma, i.e. viewing:
Form as Vapour
Feeling as a Bubble
Discrimination as Fire
Compositional factors as Palm Trees, and
Consciousness as Illusion.
Since all the five aggregates are illusory and empty in nature, they do not have any real substance. In fact, they are of interdependent origin. When the causes cease to exist, everything will then disintegrate. If we always contemplate on this, all the attachments will be gone, and we will be able to gain enlightenment.\`
\`Grandmaster, what view do you have on misery and happiness?\`
\` I believe an enlightened cultivator has only happiness but no misery. We should treasure our happiness in life. Although life is fraught with all kinds of misery, we must treat them as icing in life. This is because misery is also a form of voidness. If we are able to treat misery as such, we have attained a stage of magnificence.\`
\`Grandmaster , what do you mean by \`sui yan\`- (Karmic dependence)?\`
\`To use an analogy, it is like what was mentioned in the Vajra Sutra - `without any attachment comes the pristine nature`. And in Tantra, it is known as `the expedient use of mystic powers`. In other words, it is `never mind,` `as one pleases` \`. I wrote a poem on this:
Fate will determine whether he will stay or not,
The breeze sending the birds off
Those who do not force any issue and let nature take it own course will be able to follow the karmic relation and always maintain a balancing mind.
\`Grandmaster, what is your philosophy in life?\`
\`None of the wealth in this world really belongs to me, not even my own body. They are on loan to us temporarily. My view is we should lead a happy daily life and seek eternal bliss by means of seeking the truth.\`
\`Such joy?\`
\`Inner world.\`
\`Size?\`
\`Without boundary!\`
I added: \`Never be bonded forever!\`
\`Sweet?\`
\`Transcendent.\`
\`Grandmaster, do you feel lonely up there in terms of spiritual enlightenment?\` Master Ke asked.
\`I can devote myself to mountain and water (traveling), or indulge myself in the inner world. The beauty of this world makes me happy. Moreover, I can have true friendship with those disciples who are able to have telepathy with me. Furthermore, I do not see myself above the rest, as I believe all of us are equal and have `Buddha nature` \`.
In my view, master Ke Shu Ling has both virtue and wisdom.
She is kind-hearted and a fast learner.
She will have great spiritual achievement in future.
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