On January 4th, 2016, Dharma King Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu performed a consecration ceremony at ''Rushi Chapter'' and bestowed a precious dharma teaching: ''One who thoroughly understands the profound insight of 'rushi (as if real)' will be able to enter the palace of Buddha and realize enlightenment!'' Some say I always wear brand name watches and jewels, but as a matter of fact,

the real jewel is my ''mind!''


【Master Shi Liandian Reporting From Macau, Translated by Henry Wolf, Translation Accuracy Edited by DJ Chang 】

On January 4th, 2016 at ''Rushi Chapter'' in Macau, Dharma King Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu performed a consecration ceremony and gave a precious dharma teaching: ''Recognizing the Profound Secret Insight of ''Rushi'' Enables One to Realize Enlightenment and Enter the Palace of Buddhahood!''
Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu gave his blessings on the future of ''Rushi Lei Tsang Temple'' to grow 50 times bigger than the current chapter!

Living Buddha Lian-sheng first expressed his gratitude to Master Lianxin, two dharma instructors, the chapter president, executive director, and all the many disciples at ''Rushi Chapter'' for their continuous support, which has enabled ''Rushi Chapter'' to widely save sentient beings, spread the True Buddha dharma and always keep incense burning.
Actually, the name ''Rushi Chapter'' is highly significant:
''ru'': as if
''shi'': real
Rushi, as if real; this meaning encompasses the entire universe, our world, one's country, and even one's family.

Rulai (Tathagata), ruqu: seems to have come, seems to have departed.
This applies also to Grand Master, who has sojourned in the human realm for 70 years, which is ''seems to have come.'' Grand Master ''seems to have come'' and when he departs he will ''seem to depart.''

Today I am discussing absolute reality, the deepest, most profound level of the buddhadharma.

''Rushi (as if real)'' refers to ''unreality,'' ''illusion.'' The Buddha says that ''change occurs each and every day.'' Cities transform on a daily basis, as do countries and families; each and every person undergoes changes every single day; the cells of one's body undergo birth and death; one's skin, one's vision, every part of one's physical body are all undergoing change. The mind of each person also undergoes continuous change. Nothing really remains the same or exists forever. ''As if real (rushi)'' is therefore the principle of ''Buddha.''

We know that when a person ''departs'' from this world they can take nothing with them. There is nothing, not a single thing, not money, the physical body, one's wife, one's name or one's social position that a person can take along with them when they depart from this world!
Grand Master is wearing a watch which was a gift from the Indonesian Kalachakra Dharma Ceremony Foundation. The ruby diamond ring I'm wearing was a gift from Master Lianxin. These are all very precious and valuable and have my name engraved on them. Although some commentators have noted that Grand Master Lu wears a famous name brand watch and jewels, actually there is something they don't know: the true jewel is my ''mind!'' It is because Grand Master Lu has recognized ''no mind'' that he has truly attained this ''mind.''
No body - it has vanished.
No mind - mind is nowhere to be found.
No self-nature - self-nature is ever-changing and ever-transforming.
No dharmas - all the phenomena of the entire world are, in fact, empty.
Understanding these ''Four Emptinesses'' enables one to know ''as if real'' and find the true buddha-nature. This is called ''enlightenment.''

Living Buddha Lian-sheng will give an example. There was someone in Taiwan who claimed to be enlightened, who had called himself ''an enlightened practitioner.'' But when I asked him ''to what have you become enlightened?'' he said ''I am...'' I responded to him that actually, his ''enlightenment'' was premature. The truth is that he had not actually attained enlightenment!

All is emptiness, but yet everything ''clearly exists.'' It is because, at this moment, everything ''seems to exist.'' If one can recognize this ''Rushi (as if real),'' one is able to enter into the wisdom of the Tathagata and the palace of the Tathagata. One is thereby able to relinquish attachments to money, family, and one's social position · · ·.
It is due to non-attachment that one becomes ''natural.'' When one understands ''as if real'' one realizes that ''it does not matter if it is gone,'' which is to say, ''Everything has always been perfectly arranged.''

With this understanding, no matter what one encounters one is able to just let it go.
Then one can truly attain the brilliant enlightenment!

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