In the previous lesson, we spoke of how life and death are like changing clothes — the body perishes, yet the spirit endures. But then, we must ask: what kind of “clothing” will we wear in our next life? If our hearts are filled with anger and hatred, the gates of hell open beneath our feet. If we can let go of resentment, the Pure Land of lotus blossoms appears before our eyes.
In today’s lesson, we explore how to free ourselves from anger, how to transform hatred into compassion, and how, with one turn of the mind, to step from darkness into light. 🌸
💫 Life is short — at most a hundred years.
Within the countless eons and innumerable lifetimes we have lived, this span is indeed extremely brief.
Whether one’s life is long or short, whether one dies young or old, whether one enjoys blessings or suffers misfortune, whether things go smoothly or go against our wishes — all of these are contained within the boundary of life and death.
🪷 When we reach this stage of practice, in the realm of all opposites, whether favorable or adverse, whether praise or insult, whether good or evil, we can remain at ease.
When someone praises me, slanders me, or insults me — if I can still remain peaceful and undisturbed in mind, then I have truly entered this realm.
🙏 If someone mistreats me, deceives me, humiliates me, or harms me — I should respond with gratitude, seeing it as an opportunity to dissolve my own karmic obstacles and repay past debts.
If I still feel resentment in my heart, still harbor thoughts of revenge, then my practice has not yet advanced; I have not yet attained true compassion.
🌺 He mistreats me, but I do not retaliate; instead, I offer him a place at my altar and sincerely bow to him three times each day, thanking him for helping me eliminate my karma.
Wouldn’t that be true practice?
☀️ When you can regard everyone with gratitude, even those who harm you, and when others are in difficulty you give your utmost to help them without calculation —
that is the principle of being a human being.
If you can truly do this, you are already walking on the path of the Bodhisattva.
🌿 Reflection by the Editor:
💖 Let Go of Anger — and Hell Disappears
🔥 Anger is a blazing fire that burns away virtue and wisdom.
A single thought of hatred opens the gates of hell;
a single thought of compassion extinguishes all suffering.
⚖️ Revenge only deepens the cycle of pain —
you harm me in this life, I harm you in the next.
Thus hatred grows without end, trapping us in the endless wheel of rebirth.
📜 Many stories remind us: the killer and the slain have exchanged roles before.
If we do not release anger now, the chain of vengeance will never cease.
🪞 Those who hurt us reveal our weaknesses.
They become the mirrors that force us to grow,
the challenges that push us to rise above the ordinary mind.
🌼 When the mind turns, the world turns.
Meet hatred with compassion, transform resentment with gratitude.
Wish even those who wronged you to be free from suffering—
and peace will instantly return to your heart.
🌈 The moment you let go of anger,
the gates of hell close beneath your feet,
and the path to liberation quietly opens.
🕊️ [End of Editor’s Commentary]
📜 Cultivating Body and Mind While Awaiting Heaven’s Decree
至修身以俟之。乃积德祈天之事。曰修。则身有过恶。皆当治而去之。曰俟。则一毫觊觎。一毫将迎。皆当斩绝之矣。到此地位。直造先天之境。即此便是实学。
✨ If one truly wishes to cultivate body and mind while awaiting Heaven’s decree (in harmony with the Way of Heaven),
one must begin by accumulating virtue and refining conduct.
This is the only correct way to seek divine protection and blessing.
🌙 The word “cultivation” (修)
means to examine and correct one’s faults and bad habits —
once discovered, they should be immediately amended and completely eradicated.
🌿 The word “await” (俟)
means to remain utterly free from greed and flattery,
harboring not the slightest trace of desire or intent to please.
Even a subtle craving or a single thought of self-interest
must be severed entirely.
💎 When one’s cultivation reaches this level,
one enters the Primordial State of Heaven —
a realm beyond human desire, perfectly natural and pure in accordance with universal principle.
This is the essence of true learning —
authentic cultivation and genuine realization.
🌸 On Eliminating Evil and Cultivating Virtue
⚔️ If one commits evil deeds, they must be cut off forever.
When cultivating virtue and moral integrity, one must not harbor even the slightest trace of wishful thinking or a desire to take chances.
If a single thought of self-deception or indulgence arises, it must be “completely severed.”
This is true cultivation.
🪶 If one can truly practice in this way, innate virtue will naturally be restored — this is the realm of great bodhisattvas, the genuine study of self-cultivation.
📖 Mencius said, “The Way of learning is nothing other than seeking the lost heart.”
To “seek the lost heart” means to eliminate delusion, discrimination, and attachment — this is true learning, where one’s original pure nature is fully recovered.
💫 Our true nature inherently possesses infinite wisdom, virtue, and blessings.
By following this principle and method of cultivation, both worldly and transcendental endeavors will be fulfilled — this is the true law of cause and effect.
🕉️ The Method of Recitation Practice
🌺 Even if you cannot reach a state of “no thought,”
simply recite the Cundi Mantra continuously, without counting, without interruption.
When your recitation becomes pure and natural — “holding while not holding, not holding while holding” —
when the mind no longer stirs, you will see its miraculous effect.
🪷 Ordinary people cannot reach the state of “no mind.”
Therefore, to control our wandering thoughts, we must rely on a method.
Chan Master Yungu taught Mr. Liao-Fan to use mantra recitation.
💬 Some may ask, “Should we recite the Cundi Mantra, or continue reciting Amitabha Buddha’s name?”
The answer is: all methods share the same purpose and principle.
Whether one draws talismans, meditates, recites mantras, or practices Buddha-name recitation — though the means differ, the essence is identical.
He recited the Cundi Mantra; we recite Amitabha Buddha.
The Stages of Recitation
🔹 “Without record and without counting” is a shared principle,
yet it must be applied according to one’s capacity.
Those of higher ability may not need counting beads;
for those of moderate or lower capacity, counting with a rosary is useful for discipline and focus.
🌞 Fix a certain number of recitations each day and persevere without laziness —
this helps eliminate scattered thoughts and is the foundation of true practice.
After years of diligence, delusive thoughts will fade,
and the mind will become clear and tranquil.
💭 At that stage, counting is no longer needed, for counting itself is still a form of distraction.
When recitation flows continuously, without gap or calculation,
delusive thoughts naturally cease.
💎 The key to successful recitation lies in “no doubt, no mixture, no interruption.”
When the practice matures to the state of “holding while not holding, not holding while holding,”
recitation and non-recitation become one —
this is entering the Non-dual Dharma Gate, the mark of mastery.
🪞 Whether one recites a Buddha’s name or a mantra,
the stages of progress are the same.
Counting is the beginner’s level;
progressing beyond counting to “countless recitation,”
and finally reaching “holding yet not holding, not holding yet holding”
marks the third stage of accomplishment.
🌈 Understanding this principle brings about true efficacy,
for “Sincerity brings responsiveness; sincerity brings illumination.”
“Responsiveness” means spiritual resonance;
“illumination” means wisdom arising.
🙏 Here ends Chan Master Yungu’s instruction.
What follows is Mr. Liao-Fan’s personal experience —
how he applied the master’s teachings to his own thoughts and actions.
This is real practice, worthy of our deep reflection and emulation.
✨ Next week in The Four Lessons of Liao-Fan Series #12: we will continue with Mr. Liao-Fan’s remarkable journey — what exactly did he do to break the prophecy that had always come true, and how did he begin to change his destiny through the power of virtue and cultivation? A fascinating story awaits in our next chapter — stay tuned.
✨ Essential Questions & Takeaways
Here are the central questions drawn from this chapter’s teaching. They are designed to clarify the main ideas and help you integrate the lesson into your daily thoughts and actions.
1️⃣🔥 Why does anger immediately open the gates of hell?
Anger is the most destructive of all afflictions—it burns away blessings, wisdom, and merit in a single instant.
One thought of hatred pulls us downward; one thought of compassion lifts us upward.
The moment the mind explodes, we fall into the realm that corresponds to that emotion. This is why the Buddha repeatedly warned: anger creates hell on the spot.
Letting go is not for others—it is salvation for ourselves.
2️⃣🪷 How do we transform hatred into compassion?
Those who harm us are repaying or helping us repay karmic debts from past lives.
If someone deceives, humiliates, or mistreats me, the proper response is gratitude—because they are dissolving karma that would otherwise mature in painful ways.
Hatred binds both sides for lifetimes. Gratitude cuts the chain.
When we bow to the one who wronged us, wishing them freedom from suffering, our own heart instantly becomes light and spacious.
3️⃣🧘 How do we stay calm when praised or insulted?
Practice reaches maturity when praise and blame no longer disturb us.
“Good or evil, praise or insult” are all conditions inside the boundary of life and death.
If the mind can remain steady—no rising, no falling—then the opposites of the world lose their power over us.
This is the beginning of true liberation, the mark that one is stepping toward the Bodhisattva path.
4️⃣🌿 What does it mean to ‘cultivate and await Heaven’s decree’?
To “cultivate” is to correct faults immediately and thoroughly.
To “await” is to cut off even the slightest greed, flattery, calculation, or self-interest.
When both are accomplished, one enters the natural, pristine “Primordial State of Heaven”—a life aligned with principle, unforced, effortless, and protected by virtue.
This is the essence of true learning and the foundation of changing destiny.
5️⃣📿 How do mantra and Buddha-name recitation help eliminate delusion and anger?
Ordinary people cannot stop wandering thoughts by willpower. A method is needed.
Recitation—whether Cundi Mantra or Amitabha’s name—gathers the scattered mind, purifies emotions, and dissolves anger at its root.
Begin with counting if needed; continue until recitation becomes natural, uninterrupted, and without calculation.
When practice deepens to “holding while not holding,” the mind becomes clear, gentle, and undisturbed—the state where anger cannot arise.
📚 Source: Venerable Master Chin Kung’s lecture on The Four Lessons of Liao-Fan, delivered on April 16, 2001, on Phoenix TV