Seeing Amitabha Buddha's great vow, I also wanted to turn the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas into a Land of Ultimate Bliss. Even though it hasn't become one yet--the ground isn't yellow gold and a heavenly rain of mandarava flowers doesn't fall in the six periods of the day and night--it will eventually become one. That's why I made a foolish vow, saying, "If any of the disciples who have left home or taken refuge with me have not become Buddhas, I will not become a Buddha either." If my disciples become ants, I will become an ant too; if they turn into mosquitoes, I will become a mosquito and join them; if they fall into the hells, I will follow them right into the hells; if they turn into hungry ghosts, I will turn into a hungry ghost along with them; if one of them becomes an animal, I will become an animal to keep him company. After they have all become Buddhas, then I may or may not become a Buddha. "Why wouldn't you want to become a Buddha?" you ask. It's because I see that so many people still haven't become Buddhas, and I want to give them a helping hand. And so, even when all my left-home and lay disciples have attained Buddhahood, I will wait and see before deciding what to do.

You might think my vow is very stupid, but stupid people have stupid ways of doing things. I don't know how to do things the fast way, at rocket-speed. When I'm at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, I always like to walk on my own two legs rather than ride in a car. Even on this rainy day, I sneaked over here on my own. Guo Wu keeps trying to pick me up, but she always ends up with an empty car! I know that I don't have that many blessings, so I'm willing to suffer a little hardship.

I have tricked all of you into believing my slogan: "Enduring suffering puts an end to suffering; enjoying blessings uses up blessings." No matter what we are doing, we should do it with a true mind, not with an insincere or opportunistic mind. We have to cultivate the Way and perform the Buddha's work with the utmost sincerity. If you have one part of sincerity, you obtain one part of response; ten parts sincerity yields ten parts response; a million parts sincerity brings a million parts response. Therefore, when we believe in the Buddha, we have to truly give up our attachments before we can obtain freedom and ease. We shouldn't take what is wrong to be right.

To truly study Buddhism, we should not covet fame or advantages, but should honestly work at our practice. Only then can we obtain a true response and have some achievement. Basically, we should not hope for any response or achievement in our cultivation, but if you tell ordinary people that, it makes them feel as if they are in a void and they lose interest in cultivation. On the other hand, if you tell them about the advantages and the wondrous functioning of spiritual powers that can be obtained, they will want to cultivate. Their aim in cultivation is not to end birth and death, but to gain empty fame and benefit. They've been deluded by external states. This is a great pity.

I feel very remorseful towards all the people who have come from Hong Kong and all the laypeople and Dharma Masters from Malaysia. I feel I owe each of you a deep apology. I'm not being polite. I really feel that I lack the virtue to teach and transform people. So many of you have come from so far away, but what do I have to offer you? I have no strengths, but plenty of shortcomings. My strengths are as few as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, while my shortcomings are as numerous as the hairs on a cow and the sands in the Ganges. Nevertheless, no matter how few my strengths and how many my weaknesses, I would like to impart to you a teaching that I consider a strength. I'm willing to share it entirely with all of you.

This is a very difficult teaching to receive, however, because it requires that you have faith, patience, and perseverance.

What is this strength of mine? Well, as I said before I don't have any strengths, but Guanyin Bodhisattva has plenty of strengths. Now, before we open the light on the sixteen-foot image of the Thousand-Handed Thousand-Eyed Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, I would like to take this opportunity to transmit Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's Forty-two Hands and Eyes to you, teaching you what I understand of each of the hands and eyes. Whether you believe or not is up to you; I cannot force anyone to believe. But if you can practice this Dharma with total dedication and mindfulness, in the future you will all be able to obtain a thousand hands and a thousand eyes.

Guanshiyin Bodhisattva obtained a thousand hands and a thousand eyes by practicing this Dharma door. In Malaysia I said, "The Forty-two Hands and Eyes are the most secret of secrets, the profoundest of the profound, the wonder of wonders; they are inconceivable and unfathomable." This Dharma door was lost in the past, but now I wish to resume its transmission by teaching it to you. I will be transmitting the Hands and Eyes from seven-thirty to eight-thirty every morning and hopefully will finish in the next several days. All of you are welcome to come and learn. If you do not wish to learn, then simply forget about it.