By Venerable Master Shen-Kai

Venerable Master Shen-Kai’s teacher once asked him, "Which Buddha attained Buddhahood through reference and research? Which patriarch of Buddhism became a patriarch through reference and research?" None, of course, for they all attained enlightenment through cultivation.That experience awakened the Venerable to realise that being a Buddhist means learning, cultivating and putting into practice what the Buddha taught. This is the only way for us to benefit from the teachings of the Buddha.
In the years to come, Venerable Master Shen-Kai travelled extensively around the world to bring the teachings of the Humanity Vehicle Buddhism or Jen Chen Buddhism to the people, through his voluminous writings and his Dharma talks. He never failed to emphasise that learning and practising Buddhism means putting into practice what the Buddha taught in our daily life. It is about developing the right understanding, the right views, the right practices, unfolding our wisdom, finding our Buddha-nature, and eventually becoming Buddha.
Venerable Master’s Dharma talks are characterised by the question-and-answer approach. He enlightens his audience by expressing the profound Dharma in a manner that it is easy to understand and learn, always relevant to the needs of our daily life, always full of wisdom and always inspiring. For this reason it is called the Voice of Bliss. Originally in Mandarin, the Voice of Bliss is being translated into English. Selected works are published here and will be updated regularly.

( Please Click on the Question for the Answer )
On Jen Chen Buddhism
  1. I only know of Buddhism, can the Venerable tell us what is Jen Chen Buddhism? I have never heard of this before
  2. Is Jen Chen Buddhism taught by the Buddha?
  3. Where is the venue for Jen Chen Buddhists to learn and practise Buddhism?
  4. Why does Master use the question-and-answer approach in his Dharma talk?

 
Be with Buddha
  1. "Be with Buddha" - What does it mean?
  2. Will "Be with Buddha" and "Amitabha" create confusion among Buddhists?
  3. Why do Jen Chen Buddhists greet each other "Be with Buddha"?
  4. How to apply Buddhism in our lives?
  5. How does "Be with Buddha" differ from those used by other religions such as "Be with God" or "Be with the Path"?

 
Buddhism is Bliss Culture
  1. What is blissful culture? Why does humanity need a blissful culture?
  2. What is Human Bliss Culture?
  3. The title of your Dharma talk is Human Bliss Culture; why then when you answer questions from the audience you did not mention Human Bliss Culture at all? Many of my friends here and I would like to know what is Human Bliss Culture.
  4. In this complex society, how should humanity cultivate in order to achieve bliss?
  5. I am interested to learn Buddhism, but I am deterred by the need to observe so many precepts. What should I do?
  6. Why is it that despite being Buddhists, some families are still not blissful?
  7. What is the meaning of life?
  8. What kind of life is meaningful?

 
Learning Buddhism
  1. What is learning Buddhism and what is the study of Buddhism?
  2. I am serious about learning Buddhism and yet I am bogged down by too many things, how can I make a start?
  3. In this pragmatic society, many people are not able to observe the precepts because of their livelihood, for example, having to consume alcoholic drinks when entertaining business associates. How does Jen Chen Buddhism view this?
  4. May I ask what right views one must possess to learn Buddhism, and how one can attain the right knowledge and right views?
  5. How should we apply Buddhism in our daily lives in order to attain bliss and happiness?

 
Making a Start
  1. Why practise Buddhism?
  2. How to be a Buddhist? How does one start?
  3. How to become an authentic Buddhist?
  4. Does one absolutely need to take refuge to learn Buddhism?
  5. Are there any advantages in taking refuge?

 
Cultivation
  1. In cultivation, at what state of the mind does one awaken? What is the state of awakening like?
  2. How do we practise Buddhism when we are so busy with our careers and constantly facing a shortage of time?
  3. How should we cultivate as we learn Buddhism?
  4. How to purify the human mind?
  5. Why do we need to purify our thoughts?
  6. How do we follow the Bodhisattva path?

 
Liberation
  1. What is the meaning of liberation?
  2. What happen to human beings after death?
  3. Human beings need only to do good, why do they need to practise Buddhism?

 
Dealing with Anger
  1. I lose my temper easily, how shall I cultivate?
  2. I get angry over trivial matters, what should I do?
  3. If the anger is suppressed and though it has been endured the anger still exists, what shall I do when it is beyond endurance?

 
On Vegetarianism
  1. Can a vegetarian buy meat for the family?
  2. What merits are there in being a "half-day vegetarian"?
  3. There is an abundance of cattle and if they are not slaughtered then wouldn’t we face an over-population of cattle?
  4. Having undertaken the Bodhisattva Precepts, must one be a vegetarian? Can a non-vegetarian undertake the Bodhisattva Precepts?

 
Understanding Buddhism
  1. What is the significance of offering incense, flowers, water and fruits?
  2. What are merits?
  3. What is the significance of bowing before the images of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas? Is there any merit in doing so?
  4. What are the differences between deities and Buddha?
  5. Is there really cause and effect?
  6. How to be convinced of the cause and effect of the Three Periods?
  7. After learning Buddhism, some people become pessimistic because they feel that all things have already been decided by the causes and effects of previous lives, and since they are empty anyway, therefore there is no need to do anything at all in this life. Can Master enlighten us on this?

  8. Where does ignorance stem from?


© Copyright 2001. Jen Chen Buddhism Centre