Verses of Serenity

Verses of Serenity (I)

By Rev. Jueh Ming (aka Ta Lien Shih)

The best blessing in life is to have a heart empty of negative feelings.
Everyone has a pilot light in him, best, try not to be the fire igniter, but be the extinguisher for the others.
Say good words to extinguish other people's anger. Never have the pleasure of adding fuel to the fire.
A Buddhist need not withhold any bad, unpleasant thought within. Otherwise, the bad thought will linger, become evil in our mind and become a stumbling block in the path to enlightenment.
The temple should be quiet, peaceful, and serene.
While at the temple, try not to chitchat meaninglessly.
We ask the devotees to come to the temple with a clean sense, pure mind, knowing that we are here for Buddhism teaching. Also leave with a peaceful mind.
Our personal character determines life destiny. If we want to change the destiny, we need first to adjust and change our own personality.
People with strong personalities are often controlled by it and often suffered from it. Buddha is the enlightenment one without own personality.
People's own desire often becomes the pressure for the others.
Do not indulge in material enjoyment because it is easy to pass the day in the enjoyment of eating and drinking. But when the uncertainty comes to change our life, then life is not easy to pass by.
It is easy to learn and talk about Buddhism teaching, but it is very important to practice accordingly in our daily, to get rid of bad habits and behaviors.
To have a harmonized group, most important is to have all the group members to be able to give up their personal opinions for the benefit of group harmony.
Members need to know to share the duties but keep the spiritual harmony.

Whatever we do, we must keep our motives pure.
When a person is down and out and depressed, do not indulge in self-pity. But to make sure to get out of this mood and life will certainly be better.
There are many unfortunate people in this world. The most frightened and depressed of these do not know when to stand up and fight to get out of misfortune.
Everything is impermanent, so is affliction and gossips. When that occurs, consider them as impermanent, then they will not affect you.
In the course of Buddhism learning, acquiring good fortune, wisdom, and majesty should be in its nature courses, not to be in the way of the others. Do not make enemies while cultivating these things.
Good fortune, wisdom and majesty should be gained in the condition of harmony, sincerity and selflessness.
Whenever, wherever there is people, there is always dispute of right and wrong. If we want to accomplish anything, we can not escape from this condition. A true Buddhist needs to learn to be indifferent to this situation.
Buddha had taught us to listen, to think and act right. Listen is to listen to right teaching, not to listen and search for gossips. Think is to think through the right thought, with no doubt and imagination.
Knowledge are from learning and thinking; only wisdom can be acquired from actual practice of Dharma study, dispose of bad disposition, habits, illusion can be a true wisdom of concentration that leads us to the path of liberation.

Do not be an eyesore to other people, like the big rock that stands out. Try to be a fragrant little flower along the roadside spreading the aroma silently.
Practicing Buddhism should act like a lively Buddha, alive and full of energy, not to act like a dead wood carved Buddha, emotionless and lifeless, not adapting to any change.
Do not get discouraged when encountering difficulty while you deal with people or problems. Always try one more time or give in a little. Finally, there is always a way to accomplish what you had set out for.
Thinking too much will hurt one's mind and body. A true Buddhist needs to learn to have right thought then to understand with great wisdom.
Give little, gain little comfort. Give big, gain big relief and liberation. Give nothing, gain nothing whatsoever.
Acting with wisdom will often result in good fortune. Wrongfully applying smartness in action will cause misfortune.
A monk can be frugal on food, cloth, and living standards but should not be stingy on spreading the Dharma teaching to benefit living beings.
A Buddhist's greatest challenge is to be undisturbed by one's environment, not the poor living conditions.

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