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While on secluded retreat since the autumn of 2000, Master Sheng-yen Lu has continued to turn the wheel of the dharma by writing profound spiritual works that have touched the hearts of beings everywhere. Living this Moment in Purity is the145th book written by his Holiness. For those English readers especially who anticipate each translation of Master Sheng-yen Lu's work, this book is a precious gem. Indeed, the faultless elegance, style and simplicity of Janny Chow's translation make it seem as if there was no translation at all! While reading the book, I felt an intimate joy that I was receiving a direct transmission of Master Sheng-yen Lu's words, without any sense of separation by language barrier. These vast and profound teachings are given their proper homage of clarity and power in the translation. The book is a result of instructions given to Master Sheng-yen Lu by the Virtuous Light Buddha, who is also the Lord Wen Chang (Lord of Literature), to write a book that shows the benefits of upholding sexual morality and the negative consequences of indulging in sexual desires and sexual debauchery. If one would be inclined to ask why: it should be pointed out that the book is not simply a pedantic, moralistic diatribe against human nature. Non-students of Master Sheng-yen Lu might make that mistake after glancing at its title and making a hasty judgment. Rather, one quickly realizes the profound wisdom in its contents upon reading through the chapters. It is a book that benefits all: including vajrayana practitioners and those engaged in high level cultivations of mind and body, as well as everyday people with spiritual inclinations who seek a lamp of clarity and virtue in a discursive time of degenerate views and drastic recourses to self preservation. Our innermost true human nature is naturally endowed with pristine clarity and bliss, and nonattached, discriminative awareness. Why do we need to cultivate morality? As any spiritual adept can testify, true morality is true bliss. In the preface of Living this Moment in Purity, Master Sheng-yen Lu writes: 'With a deep understanding of the Buddhas's supreme wisdom, I live totally in the moment, "the present moment of purity and liberation." Each of the thirteen chapters of the book recounts a true encounter by His Holiness, from his many years of giving spiritual consultations, with students who are faced with grave circumstances and dilemmas that are all found to be rooted in karmic causes and conditions. Master Sheng-yen Lu poignantly elucidates how we truly create our own realities. And as much as we create our own prison of sufferings, we also have the potential and opportunity to create a more positive reality and, ultimately, to reach perfect enlightenment. Indeed, it is precisely because of the infallible law of cause and effect that we have an opportunity to turn the light around! Karma is what is so real in our daily lives: it is what we have to work with. Janny Chow's translation of book 145 is inspired and pure. Only a cultivator, from years of patient and devotional practice, who has truly experienced the benefits of the teachings of this extraordinary teacher, could make such a work directly accessible to the hearts and minds of beings with varying tendencies and intellects. The translation of the book marks a sad closing to the end of the publication of the translations of Master Sheng-yen Lu's books by the Purple Lotus Society. In 1990, Master Sheng-yen Lu instructed the Purple Lotus Society to be in charge of translation and publication. Since that time, the Purple Lotus Society has published ten books. All of them have become invaluable treasures for English readers. These books were produced by empowered causes and conditions, and I will pray that Janny Chow continues her immeasurable good works by submitting her translations to the Foundation. However, Janny Chow is only one person. And naturally, we have a great desire to receive and perpetuate any nectar of teachings by His Holiness. Thus, the causes and conditions are such that we have demanded more and are indeed, receiving more! And like a moon reflected in water, our teacher has heard the call and has indicated that it needs to be moderated! At present, there are more than five million students in this extraordinary lineage. More and more of these students are English readers; however, many of these students are not Western/Caucasian by descent or otherwise. There now is a significant amount of Asian students who have English as there first language. And from all the fellow students I've ever met in this lineage, including both Asian and Caucasian who speak and read English as their first language, the translations of Janny Chow have remained the most concise and lucid in presenting the teachings of Master Sheng-yen Lu to the English-only public. As an English-only cultivator in this lineage, I can truly testify how invaluable and paramount is each translation accomplished by Janny Chow. If we can ever hope to match the quality and standards of the Purple Lotus Society's publications, then I strongly feel that we need to accept our karma and give a real effort in organizing and, yes, standardizing high quality translations. Then, to be sure, like a moon reflected in water, the causes and conditions will create more highly inspired translations via the True Buddha Foundation. We asked for this - now we've got it - and our teacher has heard the call and has indicated that our endeavors need to be moderated. My feeling is that Master Sheng-yen Lu wrote his article concerning the translation of his works as a compassionate and natural outcome of the causes and conditions of our immediate desire to receive his teachings. And our desire has been so strong that there is a very immediate and ongoing danger of chaotic translations and distributions of such vital spiritual works. This is a time to bring out the best of ourselves. So we can only proceed with wisdom and patience. Master Sheng-yen Lu's wisdom cannot be viewed by an attitude that only seeks to satisfy our immediate desire to receive the teachings. TBF will surely answer our needs when we truly present the goods. These are causes and conditions coming together, like the moon reflected in water. And in the meantime, and in light of such circumstances, after reading this book, I wish that there were many Janny Chows out there! Or at least, I hope that we can learn from the inspiring devotion and professionalism of her work.
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