Integrating Dharma and the Arts

Use as a basis the Ten Divine Dharmas, with my commentary, together with the four ways to make life most meaningful: kindness, forgiveness, rejoicing, and tolerance. Then, on the basis of these, use your own wisdom. On that basis, however many billions of books you write, they will be extremely beneficial and worthwhile. They will bring peace to children, the world, and sentient beings. Through this, all their wishes will be fulfilled.

By fulfilling other’s wishes, your wishes are fulfilled. This is Dharma/spiritual politics. By harming others, then we receive harm. By benefiting others, then we will receive benefit. From that basis, strive to have a better life and to develop more qualities. If you have realizations, and a healthy body, you can offer deeper service to others.

By controlling your mind, then you can use your body and mind to benefit other sentient beings. Your mind is under your control. With this, you can free sentient beings from samsaric suffering. Otherwise, there will be a lot of obstacles, even to fulfilling your own happiness, and even more to fulfilling others’ happiness, especially ultimate happiness.

The more you have love and compassion, then the wealthier you become, and the more you can give to others. Even though the result is your own happiness, you don’t have to have a selfish motivation. It works that way because that is the natural law of action. It is like planting a seed. When you have planted a seed, and all the conditions are present, then even if you pray for the seed to not grow, still it will grow. Likewise, you will receive happiness, even though you don’t wish it, because it is a dependent arising. When the causes and conditions are there, then the result comes.

The more pure you become, the more highly attained you become, the more you can offer service to others. When you are enlightened, then you make no mistakes, and you can offer perfect service to sentient beings. With time you can become a perfect guide.

You should pray before beginning your recording to have a virtuous motivation. The motivation becomes the thought of benefiting other sentient beings, which allows the action of recording the song to become Dharma, virtue, a cause of happiness, and for it not to become negative karma. This way you are protected from creating negative karma.

Pray like this: “Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, by sentient beings, and me, whoever sees this CD, whoever touches this CD, whoever hears this CD, thinks of it, dreams of this CD, whoever talks about this CD, and also myself, may they never, ever be reborn in the lower realms. May they immediately be liberated from all disease, such as cancer or AIDS, from mental problems, negative karmic defilements, and spirit harm, and may they actualize the whole path to enlightenment, especially loving kindness, bodhicitta, renouncing the “I,” and cherishing others, with each person becoming the source of happiness for all sentient beings, including the sentient beings of other worlds.”

Practice this each time you start work. Then, at the end, when you stop, you can also dedicate the merits in the same way, but especially dedicate so that this CD may offer extensive benefit to all sentient beings and bring them to enlightenment as quickly as possible. If you motivate yourself in that way, it can have this effect, causing everyone to develop a good heart, loving kindness, and compassion for every sentient being. If one person is able to generate a good heart, thousands of sentient beings can receive limitless benefits from that person. On the basis of their not receiving any harm, they gain only peace and happiness. Not giving any harm, that’s the peace you can give. Then, that person specifically benefits others, by giving them the four types of happiness: the happiness of this life, of future lives, liberation, and enlightenment. One person can cause all this for others.