The nineteenth day of the second lunar month is Guanyin's birthday. On this day, Than Hsiang Temple resumed the "Pu Men Pin" On-site Cultivation at 8 PM. The On-site Cultivation took place in the “Great Compassion Hall”, with approximately fifty people participating. Venerable Hui Li and members of the Brahma Voice Group led everyone in chanting the "Universal Gateway Sūtra《普门品》." Throughout the chanting, everyone's heart was filled with Dharma joy. During the circumambulation, everyone was devout and focused. After the circumambulation, Brother Ming Yu shared the Dharma, focusing on "Learning from Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva."

Brother Ming Yu shared that, according to the "Great Compassion Dharani Sūtra," Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva attained Buddhahood countless eons ago, with the title "Righteous Dharma Bright Tathāgata." Out of compassion and vows, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva reversed the journey to this Sahā world to guide sentient beings with karmic connections. Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva is one of the Four Great Bodhisattvas in Buddhism, also known as "Avalokiteśvara." Because Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva attains liberation through " Prajñā wisdom," he observes the sufferings of the human world and rescues sentient beings from suffering and defilement.

The "Universal Gateway Sūtra《普门品》" states that when the fire of anger burns in your heart, reciting the wise name of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva helps extinguish the fire, as it is said, "fire cannot burn." It can even save sentient beings from various calamities such as water disasters, wind disasters, sword disasters, ghost disasters, imprisonment disasters, and thieves' disasters. Therefore, as long as we sincerely uphold the Bodhisattva's wise name, the Bodhisattva blesses sincere prayers with compassionate, wise, and courageous divine power, leading to liberation.

As the saying goes, "a thousand rivers reflect a thousand moons," wherever there is water, the moon appears; wherever there is a request, the Bodhisattva responds. Brother Ming Yu then shared his life experience about his uncle's serious illness and desire to become a Buddhist. So, Brother Ming Yu taught his uncle to recite the wise name of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. His uncle recited the wise name of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva with great sincerity, which helped alleviate the pain of his illness. Later, his uncle passed away peacefully. Therefore, wherever there is a request, the Bodhisattva responds.

The first point we learn from Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva is to "view sentient beings with compassionate eyes": when you see people or things you dislike or are displeased with, do not treat them with angry eyes, but with compassionate eyes.

The second point is to transform all sounds into Brahma sounds. Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva cultivates perfect penetration through the ear; hearing is the reception of worldly sounds. After receiving them, one should listen well, whether they are evil sounds, loud sounds, strange sounds, noisy sounds, or scolding sounds. One should be like Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, transforming all sounds into Brahma sounds, pure sounds. Moreover, one should transform the evil words and language of others into kind praise and encouragement.

The third point is that we should learn from Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva to speak soft words, compassionate words, joyful words, and words of Dharma. A good speaker always says words that make people happy.

The fourth point is that we should learn from Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva to save others from their urgent difficulties with equal compassion, formless compassion, proactive service compassion, compassion without distinction of status, and empty compassion without seeking or greed, and to comfort the pain of others' hearts with compassion.

The fifth point is to learn from Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva to become Avalokiteśvara ourselves. Therefore, "reciting Avalokiteśvara, worshiping Avalokiteśvara, and even more so, becoming Avalokiteśvara ourselves." Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva bestows fearlessness upon sentient beings, allowing them to attain peace and tranquility. Avalokiteśvara inspires our inherent compassion, wisdom, and courageous action, making us willing to be protectors of sentient beings and embodiments of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.

The sixth point is to learn from Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva to observe oneself freely. The so-called "observing oneself freely" means observing whether one's "true heart" is present. Living in the human world, we all hope to live freely and at ease, without being led by others. However, some people, even if wealthy, do not live freely; some feel uneasy when they see people they like and when they see people they dislike; they feel uneasy in crowded places and about unsatisfactory things, unpleasant sounds, and unfavorable people and problems.

If, in the face of unfavorable circumstances, one can be at ease; if one can be at ease when seeing unpleasant things; if one can have faith and the power of compassion to be at ease in any difficult situation; as long as one maintains a free heart, being at ease with things, people, the mind, conditions, circumstances, everywhere, at all times, with reason, and with anything—observing oneself freely means we can make such observations, then we ourselves are Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.

After Brother Ming Yu's Dharma sharing, Venerable Hui Li and members of the Brahma Voice Group led everyone in chanting the Three Refuges and dedicating the merits. The "Pu Men Pin" On-site Cultivation concluded successfully. In the upcoming nineteenth day of the sixth lunar month, the Commemoration Day of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s attainment of Buddhahood, and the nineteenth day of the ninth lunar month, the Commemoration Day of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva’s renunciation, there will be the "Pu Men Pin" On-site Cultivation at 8 PM.

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