Buddha’s Birthday Dharma talk

Happy Buddha’s Birthday! I hope you are all having a great day. Here’s a Dharma talk given by Daehaeng Kun Sunim several years ago on Buddha’s Birthday. It’s fairly deep, so take your time and let it soak in. Just take one piece that clicks with you and work at diligently applying that. Seriously. Application of only one small part will lead to the other parts opening up, but understanding without application will only fade. So focus on just one thing and put that into practice!

Dharma talk on Buddha’s Birthday

The Buddha’s mind is so vast and vast, so deep and deep,
through its blossoming, through its fragrance,
it’s given us everything.

This flower of mind is unimaginably subtle and profound
And can cover the entire universe.
For this flower is the flower of your Buddha-nature.
Your Buddha-nature exists throughout the world, in every part of the world,
this foundation is your true nature, One Mind.
In this Dharma net, where everything is connected to each other thing,
if we firmly grip the light of our true nature, the one that’s doing everything,
then as we go through life, we give light to all the beings around us,
and can know the mind of all.

An entire country is just one family living under the same roof.
All people in the world are living together in the same barrel,
sharing the same fate.
In essence, all beings are sharing the same mind and the same body.
Don’t get caught up in thinking that some things are large and important,
and others small and trivial.
In front of your foundation, Juingong, they are exactly the same,
both are equally responsive to the thoughts we entrust to our foundation.

Thus, it’s possible to take care of any of the problems that are arising in the world,
they can all be controlled and managed.
This practice that allows us to change things for the better
is precisely what the Buddha taught.
Even in unseen realms, there is consciousness and life,
in seen realms as well, there is consciousness and life,
so thoroughly know both sides and spend each day brightly.
Through this eternal, ever-present brightness,
beings of this middle realm have to raise themselves to higher realms.
Do not allow yourself to slip into lower realms.
The lanterns we’re lighting here today don’t give light for just this one day.
If we can keep the light within us bright,
then today becomes not just celebration of the Buddha’s birthday,
today becomes eternal.