Cultivating at home

Question:

I wish to cultivate at home. Please tell me what books I should purchase and how to recite sutras. I still have a young child and therefore cannot take the time to go to the temple to cultivate. Is it OK to eat vegetarian six days a month?
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LTA

Answer:

Cultivating at home will be good for your family and give you more knowledge to raise your child and to forge a deep, lasting bond with your husband.

I recommend that you resolve to cultivate Mahayana. If possible, go to a Mahayana temple nearby to receive instruction from a sanghan. If that is not possible, I highly recommend that you start by reading Great Master Xuan Hua’s books. You can find some online by visiting their web site www.CTTBUSA.org. Be patient. Start reading and do not “demand” to understand right away. Let it permeate gradually and naturally. You can also get more Mahayana Dharmas from our web site www.ChanPureLand.org.

Starting out, I’d recommend that you bow to the Buddha for an hour every day. You should also recite the Buddha’s name all day long as you do your chores at home. Please get a hold of my book, “The Chan Handbook: The Learner’s Guide to Meditation” to learn the fundamentals of cultivation.

Eating vegetarian six or ten days a month is a good practice.
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After you’ve done all the above, please feel free to contact us for further instruction.