Witnessing Buddha's nature is merit. In the vernacular, it means that you do a good deed from the heart and do it with the Buddha's nature, which is merit. You can realize that this thing is Buddha nature, that is to say, when you are doing a good deed, I can feel it if you think I am doing it. I can feel that this is done by Bodhisattva, and that is Buddha nature. You have witnessed the Buddha's nature, because you have been rewarded for doing so. Have you ever seen Buddha nature? If you are a Buddha on earth for an hour, what you do is merit. If you spend half an hour on earth as a Buddha and Bodhisattva, all you do is merit. For example, when you told everyone today, it felt like a bodhisattva was saving lives. You sympathize with him from the bottom of your heart I really want to save him. Everything you say and do to him is valuable. However, if you talk to him, because he is your relative or friend or you have selfishness and interests, although you talk hard, it is all good. In essence, your Buddhist testimony and your application mean that when you do anything on earth, being a Buddha and Bodhisattva is merit. Remember, people have reincarnation. If this person has the Buddha's nature, realizes the Buddha's nature, and then practices the Buddha's nature, it is merit. What is virtue? Virtue is equality, and only when a person has an equal heart can he radiate the light of compassion. If there is no equal heart, how can you radiate the light of compassion? If avalokitesvara doesn't have an equal heart, how can she come down to save all sentient beings in the world? It is because of this virtue of compassion, virtue and equality that Guanyin Bodhisattva came down to save all beings. So merit is very important. On what basis did master tell you this equality before? Equality is based on your reincarnation, and it doesn't mean how much merit you did in your last life. This equality means that everyone shares an equal opportunity to learn Buddhism, and everyone shares certain conditions with Buddha nature. From this condition, we began to practice on an equal footing. When you are put into this world, you will have the opportunity to practice on an equal footing. After reincarnation, everything is equal, that is, all beings have Buddha nature. The equality mentioned by Bodhisattva is based on the equality that everyone has Buddha nature. It is not that this Buddha has done good or bad things in his last life. What happened in my life? This is a different concept. Don't think that all people born in this life are equal. How much you studied in your last life and how much you got in return in this life, because they are all the same, so they must be equal.
Seeing sex is merit, and equality is virtue. When you see that nature is called work, you are equal, and your virtues will come out equally.
Inner humility is merit, that is, a person's heart should be humble, that is to say, what comes out of your heart must be modest, and modesty is merit. Appearance etiquette is to pay attention to manners and etiquette, and to show people that they are very polite and polite. That is your virtue. In fact, this is the truth that Bodhisattva is teaching us to be human. Humble inside, polite outside. You practitioners must pay attention to your words and deeds and don't look down upon them.
Understand equality, equality depends on understanding, and you can understand what is the basis of equality. In fact, you realized the Buddha nature correctly, that is, you proved and realized this truth, and realized this Buddha nature in a way that you think is practice. In fact, seeking happiness is not merit, which must be clearly distinguished. People who seek happiness will be rewarded by others. Many people will only seek happiness instead of seeking work. For example, in Kannonji, I asked the Bodhisattva to bless my children, my health, my fortune and so on. , are seeking happiness, but this is not merit. People are blessed, and karma and spirituality go forward at the same time. For example, you have a karma and do a lot of good deeds. You pray for blessings and hope to have a baby. When you have children, it is your blessing. However, your karma has not decreased at all. You can't say that I have done a lot of good things to eliminate my karma, which is impossible.
The real merit is to do everything with Buddha's nature after awakening, which must be after awakening, that is, after awakening. If you are not enlightened, you say that everything I do is Buddhist, which is empty. For example, today, Master helped an old man ask the Bodhisattva to prolong his life. If I am not enlightened, I will ask the Bodhisattva for help because the Bodhisattva is very kind to me and often helps me. At this time, I am not asking for merit, because I don't have the heart and spirit of avalokitesvara to save her, but I feel sorry for her, so I ask for her. This can only be called charity, not merit. This is the mouth saying that I use Buddha nature to help.
The old man begged the bodhisattva to prolong his life, but I didn't do it with the true compassion of a Guanyin bodhisattva. Do you know how Master begged you? When Master asked the Bodhisattva to help the old man prolong his life, because the old man was now practicing, he was old and just started practicing. Please be merciful, give the elderly more time to live, let her know more things, your Buddhism, and more people believe in Guanyin. This requires your own nature, and the true Buddha nature comes out. Put aside all distractions, don't be a little selfish, enlighten your Buddha nature from the heart, and then do anything is called merit. If a person wants to be enlightened, he must have Buddha-like virtue and Buddha-like merit, which add up to the merits of Bodhisattva.
There is no delay in thinking, that is, your thoughts, and nothing in your mind is hindered at all. In other words, your brain can control itself completely, and there is no obstacle in your mind. When you have no obstacles, you will be familiar with nature. When you have no thoughts and distractions, you can often see your own nature. It is useless to see only one's own nature and the application of Buddhism. For example, it is not enough for a person to know that he is doing bodhisattva now. It's not enough for me to protect my own image, my language and my own thoughts, because you didn't apply them, didn't teach you such good scriptures, such good thoughts and such good behaviors of Bodhisattva, and didn't apply Bodhisattva's things to your lives. You are not a Buddha or a bodhisattva. What you have done has no merit.