< An-Hsiang Ch’an> Decoding An-Hsiang Lecturer: Master Geng-Yun Photographer: Richard Chen

Dharma is the salvation for the minds of mankind 。 Offering Dharma to the sentient beings is called “Dharma Offering” ， which contributes the greatest merits and is the origin of bliss 。 1

People who are sharp, vicious, and ungrateful will destroy their own wellbeing. People who are grateful and humble can bear their bliss. 2

People who are always fighting against others defeat nobody but themselves. One who learns to be tolerant can possess bliss. 3

Failing to deal with loneliness is the greatest weakness of a practitioner. “Being sound and safe equals to being blissful” should be the motto of practicing. 4

The whole world is webbed by the interaction of various causes and effects. If one does not believe in causality, one will mismanage one’s life and leave trouble for his future generations. 5

A genuine practitioner will be punished as soon as he makes a mistake. It is a great honor for this to happen. It is good, and do not be frustrated! 6

The time of happiness is now; the location of happiness is where you are; and the way to be happy is to make others happy, that is the truth of the happiness. If you are reluctant to give happiness, you surely have no way to attain happiness. 7

If you are used to making complaints, your worries will be infectious and attract misfortune. This is not recommended. 8

Do not be consumed with anger towards yourself, as fury can never change anything. The only mean is to maintain An-Hsiang through moderating your personality and not holding grudges against anyone. As long as you change your mentality, the whole external world will be changed accordingly. 9

To open your mind and purify yourself thoroughly and seriously. To maintain the clarity of one’s mind is the shortcut to achieve one’s enlightenment. 10

The essential subject of practice is to find the genuine self. 11

“Enlightenment” is only the beginning of the true practice. The karma accumulated from ages ago, the mind dust and the mechanic cycles all are needed to be cleared and rectified step by step. Otherwise, the original brightness of our nature cannot shine again. How can it shine if it is covered by dust? 12

We should abandon the concepts of true or false and duality towards people; then, we can avoid worries and suffering. 13

When “the brightness of one’s Nature” has been covered by the bias and conflicts of one’s “Ignorance”, it equals to a foolish deed of burying oneself. 14

Buddha was enlightened under the Bodhi tree, and realized “the cycle of the twelve affiliations which form our false selves”. Then, he found the beginning and the process of his misled journey, and finally he affirmed his “true” self. 15

< The thought mingled with the essence of Utilitarianism will bring people stress and frustration, which will form a kind of torture and punishment to make our lives decay. 16

The ancient concept of “attaining the origin by means of the fake” does not mean to train our physical body to attain the body of the Dharma. In fact, we should practice on our hypocritical superficial-consciousness. When it has been rectified, recovered and developed, we then can find our original true minds. 17

< Human beings definitely can change and manage their own destinies, as the Buddhist Sutras claim that“The root changes because of the change of the seed.”Only when we are willing to practice, can we become a Buddha and emerge from the sea of karma. 18

The only way for people to realize how their personalities are formed is to confess and rectify their thoughts and deeds. What is the reason why we intend to approach destruction? Only when we do not repeat the mistakes, can we live without worries or pains. 19

< The main objective of practice is to expose the gloomy, shameful and dark sides of our minds. 20

< One must think decently and seriously, but not make illusory thoughts. Otherwise, their minds will lose strength to focus and be inflicted by the modern diseases, such as psychopathy, or even the worse one – psychosis. 21

If you analyze someone’s conversation, you may find that at least six out of ten of their statements are untrue. Whatever comments they make are usually false and hypocritical; however, they deeply believe it and also enjoy it. Consequently, it is said that “Speaking too much must cause trouble.” That will make people lose their mentality of An- Hsiang. 22

< One who overcomes enemies is a hero; one who overcomes oneself is a true saint. 23

< The nature of complaints is in itself a kind of suffering, also a kind of punishment to one’s life. 24

An enormous crime cannot resist the power of “repentance”; therefore, we need to always retrospectively analyze ourselves and repent. 25

< Practice is a journey of self-fighting, not to see what you should not see; not to hear what you should not hear; not to say what you should not say, not to do what you should not do; and not to think what you should not think. 26

All the above statements have been quoted from Master Geng-Yun’s publication –. You are more than welcome to visit the following websites to further understand Buddha Sakyamuni’s genuine Dharma and join us in the march towards the path of bliss. May you always be aware of your mind, conscious of your thoughts, free from the burdens of guilt and regret, and lead a life filled with An-Hsiang.