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VENERABLE MASTER HUA: Instructions, May 8, 1977 Bowing once every three steps is not the kind of method that anyone wants to do. Why? It’s too difficult. To bow along the road once every three steps is very dangerous. So at all times you want to be very careful. Don’t enter samadhi while you are bowing. If you enter samadhi, the cars won’t and they will come and bump into you, smashing you to smithereens. Without any choice, you’ll be off to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Basically going off to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is a good thing, but we haven’t finished what we’re doing here; we haven’t fulfilled our responsibilities in this land of ultimate suffering. So you can’t be selfish and go off first to the Pure Land. This is very important. Especially on the curves of the road or narrow places where there’s only room for cars and not for pedestrians, you can bow alongside in the grass off the road if the road is dangerous. Also when people ask you questions, you should have one person assigned to answer. Just one of you needs to answer, not two. Now Kuo T’ing (Heng Ch’au) you are the Dharma protector. It would be best if you answered the questions. Kuo Chen (Heng Sure) you don’t need to answer. Don’t get involved with people and they will think it’s even more wonderful. If you explain it all very clearly and everyone understands what you’re doing then it’s no longer wonderful. Inconceivable means just not letting them know. Don’t explain to them. Kuo T’ing you can answer, but don’t talk too much no matter what’s going on. Don’t lecture sutras and speak Dharma for people. Don’t give commentaries. This is important. You should take along a good pair of pants so you don’t end up naked from having them rip to shreds. You should always wear your long robe and then if your pants rip it won’t matter anyway. Don’t be like the one who bowed before, the “old cultivator” whose pants were so old that they weren’t very strong and after bowing for a while on the road he didn’t have any pants to wear. Fortunately there was a response at that point and suddenly in the middle of the road a pair of pants appeared. That is something that happened in the past. And this time you should take along toilet paper; don’t be like the one who used poison oak leaves instead. He got laid up so bad he couldn’t bow; couldn’t even move; couldn’t do anything but cry “Maha!” like a little lamb. This is important too. Other than that, the two of you already have an identical vow not to drink cola. That’s not a bad condition set up. If you drink cola then people will want to give you beer and once they’ve given you beer they’ll want to give you whiskey. And once it’s whiskey it will be brandy. So there’s an interconnection. If you don’t drink cola no one will give you beer, or whiskey, or brandy. That is a good way. The things Kuo T’ing experienced today were very good. You could say that on this first day of bowing he has opened an enlightenment. Having opened an enlightenment on the first day, then on the second day he opens more and the third day, the forth day, and so forth to the end of your bowing and you will have great penetration and enlightenment. When you have great penetration and enlightenment you will be able to propagate Buddhadharma in the world in a useful way. So in doing the most stupid of things you two should obtain the loftiest of wisdom; then you will not have bowed in vain. Now at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the ten thousand Buddhas are still not complete. Kuan Yin Bodhisattva is finished but Kuan Yin can transform into ten thousand Buddhas. And when you arrive there, then thousand Buddhas will welcome you. I know that as you bow there, the ten thousand Buddhas will fly there. They will all arrive so you can see the wonderful adornments of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, matchless beyond compare. In the world the source of Buddhism is about to expand. When you get there the ten thousand Buddhas will rub your crowns and give you predictions. “Good indeed, good indeed, this is called true vigor. You are true cultivators.” They will praise the two of you. Don’t forget when you get to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in the future that the ten thousand Buddhas will rub your crowns and give you predictions. So although this is said to be the stupidest of things, on the other hand the rewards are the very highest. When you grow into a dolt, that becomes the esoteric. When you’ve studied to the point you’re as if stupid, you become rare in the world; then you are a true cultivator of the Way.
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