Terjemahan Indonesia: Sebuah Lagu Cinta Yang Sedih
Came upon this once again.
Even with the sad story, there really is enlightenment.
I think the lower part near the end is really enlightening.
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A Sad Love Song 情愛的悲歌
Grand Master Lu's Article published at World True Buddha Newspaper 450
Translated by Shaun Ho, Edited by Cheng Yew Chung, Proofread by Jackie Ho and Jason Yu
Release Date: December 3, 2009
Release version: Final
I once heard a young lady praying, “Om Guru Lian Sheng Siddhi Hum. Living Buddha Lian-sheng, I have done fire offerings [or homas] 49 times. I shall now call upon Kurukulla to bless me with love and harmony. Act now in accordance to your vow, and grant me my wish to marry my male friend.”
She was praying very sincerely, “Please Grand Master! Please Kurukulla!”
The fire offering of Vajrayana Buddhism is very powerful. That is why I could clearly hear her vigorous plea when I was journeying spiritually.
Answering her prayer, I went to find out about her male friend. I was surprised to find out the man in question was also my student. So, it turned out that a female student of mine was in love with one of my male students. She was madly in love with him.
She would often wait at the front door of his house after he returned home from work, just to say hello and chat with him. However, the man would always avoid her whenever possible.
What astonished me even more was that he too was making fire offerings. His homas involved Ragaraja. He also prayed sincerely, “Om Guru Lian Sheng Siddhi Hum. Living Buddha Lian-sheng, I have done the Ragaraja fire offering 49 times. Please empower me and my girlfriend so that we can get married.”
The problem was that while the girl was madly infatuated with the man, the man was actually in love with another woman, and not this girl.
One day the man took his girlfriend home in his Mercedes-Benz. They were very intimate, holding hands, and kissing each other. When the other girl saw this, she was dumbfounded. Saddened, she watched silently as he put his arm around his girlfriend’s waist and entered the house with her, shutting the door behind them.
Extremely depressed, she could no longer hold back her tears. She had waited for him to return home, only to witness that scene.
She wasn’t discouraged though, and returned home to pray and did a homa again, repeatedly crying out loudly, “Om Guru Lian Sheng Siddhi Hum. Grand Master, don’t you hear me?”
“Namo Kurukulla. I will marry no one but him and he will marry no one but me. Do you hear that?”
The fire burned ever so intensely. Yet, this man remained madly in love with his present girlfriend and he had absolutely no feelings for my female student despite her homas.
He also very diligently cultivated the Ragaraja Practice and chanted the Ragaraja Mantra countless times and knew it by heart.
As a result, I met up with Kurukulla and Ragaraja and we discussed these two disciples doing homas and their wishes.
We looked at four major issues:
(1) The cause and effect of love between the three of them. (2) What results would be seen as fair and equal for all parties? (3) Will their faith [in Buddhism] be increased through the power of fire offering? (4) Would harm be caused to any one of them?
The outcome of the meeting was:
Kurukulla shook her head.
Ragaraja shook his head.
I shook my head.
The entanglement of affection and love never ends as it cannot be resolved. Those who are obsessed with such self-induced love will surely suffer mental anguish and agony. Those who are obsessed with such love are possessive, and are forever trapped in a never-ending cycle, for they are thrilled when things go their way but become infuriated when things don’t go their way. The solution to this issue is simply to let things take their natural course.
I still felt sorry for my female student though. I knew her prayer would not be answered. Even if she did many more fire offerings, Kurukulla could not help her. Even I could not help her.
I spoke into her ear, “My student, you beg me for help, but who do I turn to?”
She heard my voice but couldn’t see me. She looked around puzzled and couldn’t understand me. The only thing I could do was to continue on in my celestial journey.
All love arises from causes and conditions. Some affinities are deep, while others are weak. Some affinities will ripen, while others will not. People can make fire offerings and pray, and though they would receive blessings, it would be very hard to change things if the karma and conditions are already fixed.
When all conditions are complete, then cause and affinity shall ripen. If conditions are not met, then nothing shall result even if you insist.
I’m not saying that Vajrayana practices have no power. I’m saying that attachment to the ego, egotistical views, satkayadrsti [the false belief in a permanent individuality], strong desires, materialistic forms and fixed karma are all very difficult to transform.
I have tried my best to awaken this disciple and hope she would let go, which is the only way to stop her mental afflictions.
One day the man that she adored would get married, and she would not be the bride.
Anger is a very dreadful thing in humans. Once her anger arises from deep within, she would be mad at the man and his bride, and her anger and hatred may even spill over to her parents, siblings and everyone else.
Anger can change everything. Eventually she would completely lose her morals, ethics, wisdom, religious beliefs, and tolerance as her heart would be forever consumed by hatred and dissatisfaction. It would be impossible for her to be happy and experience the joy of tranquility.
She couldn’t maintain emotional balance anymore. She hated Grand Master for not granting her an answer. She hated homas and hated Kurukulla for not helping her.
She got rid of her picture of Grand Master and all the Buddha statues on her shrine, and gave away her fire offering stove. She threw away all of her implements and burned her robe. Hatred. Hatred. Hatred. Her hatred lingered without end.
I cried in vain, as I could not change her mind. She tore up her refuge certificate.
I felt ashamed that I couldn’t help her. I blame myself and I was ashamed of myself that I wasn’t able to help her. I was sad but I couldn’t do anything about her situation.
Sentient beings have desires and many of them take refuge in order to satisfy their desires. In fact, once anyone has taken refuge, the individual must contemplate upon the ways of causes and conditions. Those who constantly dwell on desires may, in fact, easily lose their confidence in the dharma.
Ponder this:
You take nothing with you upon death.
Only your karma shall follow.
When desires are not satisfied,
Your Buddhist practice deteriorates to the dark side.
Once you take refuge, you must develop bodhicitta, pursue buddhahood, and help sentient beings. This is achieved without asking for anything in return and by realizing the “emptiness of the three wheels” [attaining emptiness of the giver, the receiver, and the gift when giving to others] and practice non-attachment. The bodhicitta that is then generated will not cause any harm to others and oneself. A true Buddhist is one who is free of concerns, free from the defiled mind, free from hindrances, free from worries, free from mental afflictions, and free from anxieties.
When we make a fire offering, we request the buddhas and bodhisattvas to bless us as much as possible. At the same time however, we must be aware of all superficial appearances in the world, whether it is success or failure, prosperity or poverty, are in fact momentary phenomena. What we know as “formation, duration, deterioration, and extinction,” “arising, duration, change, and extinction,” “impermanence,” “egolessness,” “suffering” and “emptiness” are the results of causes and conditions (love and romance arise from affinity).
When practicing Buddhism, we should aim to achieve kindness, purity, illumination, and finally, liberation.
We practice Buddhism to learn the wisdom of liberation and the wisdom of bodhi. Practitioners should be filled with dharma joy, a sense of contentment which brings constant delight that attracts health and joy, allowing us to see the beauty in all things, and be grateful for everything in life. Practitioners should spread the joy of the dharma just like the incense smoke that permeates in the air, touching all sentient beings.
A blessed life is attained when greed, anger, and ignorance are eliminated. This is the true view of life. Jealousy and hatred are not right views. Buddhist practitioners must understand that Buddhism is established on the right view that cause and effect do exist.
When you hate someone or something, you are the first to suffer from your own anger.
To those who have taken refuge, I want to say this to you. Do you know Grand Master’s heart? Upon taking refuge, your heart must be in oneness with mine. Do you know my vows? Upon taking refuge, you must abide by these vows. Do you know the teachings of my True Buddha Tantra? Upon taking refuge, you must understand these dharma teachings. Do not let romantic feelings run your life.
I hope those who practice homas (the fire offerings) will focus their minds single-pointedly on making offerings, doing charity, persevering, chanting mantras, being thankful and taking refuge, instead of praying, praying, and praying. How can praying ever satisfy anyone?
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Comments:
There are many basic keys here.
Taking refuge means what to Individuals?
Yoga - must synchronize with Root Guru
Affinity & Cause - karma
Will to change for the better and also cultivate to save self & others
love hate thingy is not a requisite or priority to anyone!
:)
Well, many take refuge for the purpose of Self Enhancement.
Some to learn practices to make them Rich, Powerful, with Resultant Goals to Feed Ego, Satisfy Desires, ....
Shizun's Thubten Guru said that Have a student like Grandmaster Lu is enough, because GM Lu has millions of students!
This means One Genuine Student is enough!
Instead of I Pray for this and that, why don't you Cultivate and "Give" Blessing to All or your fruits of cultivation to all?
Deities and Divinities can't help you if your goals are too obsessive like the above.
When your wishes are not granted, hatred and anger from your Ignorance Burn you like Hell Fires.
You become destructive!
In this case, it it best that you don't take refuge; don't do anything!
I said to students often: if you don't do it right, best don't even start at all.
In practicing Qi-gong, anyhow do will cause harm to your inner system and do not benefit you at all!
Likewise the practice of 9-steps breathing techniques, don't do it right, you can hurt yourself too!
One's Mindset is the Crucial key!
When you don't have the Right Energy, you won't cultivate well!
I have seen some students starting off with much enthusiasm, and some that start to "feel" things beginning to smoothen. Then the Greed factor sets in, they are consumed by the other poisons of Aversions and Ignorance.
They think they are Entitled to More!
That is Adulation, Prestige, Wealth, Power to Dictate and Control, ......
Just like Grandmaster Lu's article, these people get consumed by all the negatives attributes when things don't turn out to their desires!
Dear all, please let this be a Wake-up Call and reflect upon the teachings shared.
Cheers all.
Om Guru Lian Sheng Siddhi Hom
Lama Lotuschef
