Spiritual Guidance for Dharma Practice

Dharma practice begins with cultivation kindness. By the constant immersion and improvement, we can affirm our kindheartedness and intents. Never lost it! That way, we can emulate the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha. Keep in mind the "rarity of human birth and the precious encounter with Dharma". We've finally walked on the path of Dharma practice. Be sure to cultivate the field of merit between people strenuously. This would enable our lifetimes are always associated with virtues and felicity. Having to cross path with Dharmic wisdom, we must affirm our mind with proper views.

However, our mind fluctuates between improvement and regression. That's why we need spiritual guidance to remind us so the little fire of virtue doesn't extinguish too soon. What is spiritual guidance? The teacher who guides us on the proper course of Dharma practice. Life is a karmic memory drive. Among sentient beings, there’s a continuous expansion of network which connects one another. It becomes a continuation of life. Besides cultivating kindness and merit, we must acquire the wisdom and the “key information” of Dharma practice. What would that be？ The Three Jewels (the Buddha, Dharma, the Sangha). The Buddha is the awakened one with the wisdom of comprehending the truth. Such a realization is our mission and vision for Dharma learning and practice. Dharma is the path that leads us to the ultimate happiness. The Sangha includes spiritual guidance that leads us. By applying the experiences and methods that the Buddha had passed down, we can accomplish the two realizations (realization of others and the realization of oneself). Then, we’d also be capable of influencing others to learn about the Buddha and Dharma. We can become the guidance of others to practice and to realize.

Our life is caught in the turning wheel of samsara, one round after another. After we experience all sorts of cause and effect in one lifetime, we’d take rebirth and forget the past. Only by the virtuous seeds that we sow in previous lives could we cross path with Dharma again. So now, we must sow the seeds for future opportunities to receive Dharma. It is simple, share our happiness of Dharma practice. When we share with others, they can keep the Dharmic knowledge for their future. When we meet again in future lives, they might return the knowledge so we’d have the chance to pick up Dharma again.

We’re very fortunate to take refuge in the Three Jewels in this life. It is also our sincere hope to encounter spiritual guidance in future lifetimes to come. Allow ourselves to be the spiritual guidance to influence others to learn about the Buddha, the wisdom, the two benefits (benefit of others and the benefit of self), and the two realizations (realization of others and the realization of self).