Upholding the Great Compassion Mantra, Contemplating Emptiness

Guan Yin (Avalokiteshvara) teaches that the most expedient and effective method for transcending samsara is the Great Compassion Mantra (Long Dharani). The aspirational power of Guan Yin is to guide all beings toward the path of Buddhahood, and the ultimate goal of learning and practicing the Dharma is liberation. One must understand that our very primordial awareness is itself Buddha-nature; however, when awareness becomes deluded, it ceases to reflect this nature and instead becomes entangled in the cycle of birth and death, clinging to greed, aversion, and ignorance. Thus, the first step in Dharma practice is to cultivate proper causes, beginning with each thought of intention. By nurturing wholesome habits from the outset, one will reap immeasurable benefits regardless of how rebirth unfolds in future lifetimes.

Dharma practice requires time and effort. Throughout this process, we need an anchor to stabilize our practice, and this anchor is the Great Compassion Mantra. Regularly returning to the monastery to receive teachings and inspiration allows the root of virtues—the seed of bodhicitta—to be sown in the field of consciousness and to flourish. Bodhicitta is the essential condition for the fulfillment of all aspirations; it is like a wish-fulfilling jewel. When we serve others with bodhicitta, we awaken and benefit others simultaneously. Therefore, we should cultivate a network of virtuous karmic connections with all Dharma friends who visit the monastery—a network rooted in generosity, service, and awakening, which is to say, right mindfulness and right view. In such a network, we generate positive causes and experience positive effects, perpetuating only virtuous deeds in the matrices of karmic causality.

When we come to a proper understanding of samsara and karmic causality, we realize the importance of cultivating proper causes grounded in right view—that is, the wisdom and awareness of emptiness. With this, the mind is no longer attached. Awareness of emptiness requires continual contemplation; every single thought must be observed. Nothing in this world is permanent: all that are conditioned are impermanent; all dharmas are empty and devoid of self; and all perceptions are suffering. All worldly matters are part of a cycle of suffering, while the Dharma resides in the realization of emptiness. All conditioned phenomena arise through dependent origination and are therefore of emptiness in nature.

In daily life, we must apply the awareness of emptiness to situations where we feel stuck or attached, for instance, when we feel impoverished or unsuccessful, we should reflect; when we gain wealth, we should also reflect. This is what it means to be aware of emptiness. Genuine Dharma practice is the ongoing, moment-to-moment awareness of emptiness. So how does one obtain wealth and prosperity? It begins with the cultivation of virtuous causes, for only from good causes can good effects emerge. Prosperity arises from wholesome karmic affinities. When we diligently plant the seeds of goodness—when every thought is oriented toward benefiting others—we create positive affinities and generate prosperity. Moreover, as long as we continue to give rise to bodhicitta, we will remain connected to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout all our future lives.