LJM’s Preliminary Puja – Pacifying Obstacles and Accumulating Virtues

On August 23rd, 2020, Ling Jiou Mountain (LJM) held the fifth preliminary puja of Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sutra and Food Offering at the Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology. During the pandemic, everyone’s wish for peace and wellbeing seems to intensify. People wish to be free from anxiety and the feeling of insecurity. By holding the puja, we hope that all obstacles and hostile forces can be pacified. At the same time, may all virtues grow exponentially along with the sutra recitation. May our negative karma be purified and our inner fear and obscurations be dispelled.

When disasters and hefty afflictions are taking place, we’d seek a reliance for protection. Especially, the world is filled with natural and manmade disasters, warfare, and all sorts of tragedies that are constantly reminding us of impermanence with birth, aging, illness, and death. Our only reliance is Dharma and the awakening mindfulness – the recognition of the nature of our mind. The Buddha-nature has no cessation, no increase, and no decrease. Dharma practice is to rest our mind in a state of unarising, unceasing, no impurity, no purity, no increase, and no decrease.

Do not develop the habit to cling or grasp onto the external changes. Keep in mind that everything is none other than karmic effects. With impermanence, suffering, and emptiness, nothing is graspable. Remember to return to our origin of spirituality, our home base of awareness. Such a primordial awareness is nondual from the tathagatas. Take refuge in the: Great Compassion Mantra (Long Dharani), the recitation of Amitabha’s name, virtuous acts, and altruistic activity. Let’s take refuge in the Buddha as he is the most reliable subject. We can find the fountain of life with Dharma pursuit.

This preliminary puja helps to purify obstacles concerning health, disasters, and karma resulted from the three poisons (greed, aversion, and ignorance). We can learn about the working of karma and ways to refrain from nonvirtuous acts. By attending the puja, we can clarify the purpose of life with the refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. We can learn to refrain from non-virtues, engage in all virtues, and purify one's intention. By applying wisdom, we can observe the illusory-like changes of causes and conditions. Most importantly, we must come to recognize our awareness, which is this very mind.

I hope that you’d never lose the faith in the Buddha. He is the embodiment of awakening whom we should follow and emulate. Having this clarity in mind, we would get rid of attachments. Should we persist with our practice, we’d never regress on the path. Furthermore, we’d improve and progress better. I wish you all good health, happiness, felicity, and that all your wishes can come true. Namo Amitabha.