It requires great blessings to have both partners in a marriage or even the entire family to perform recitations and practise Buddhism together. If you have already started practicing Buddhism, you can gradually introduce it to your family members. You can show your family members some of Master Lu’s books and ask them to listen to the radio programs if they understand Chinese. You could tell them “These books and programs are really interesting, let’s study them together”. If your family members are not interested, do not force them. It is best to act in accordance with karmic conditions, not cling to them.
You can recite the Heart Sutra 7 times per day for each of your family members. Before you begin your recitation, you can say the following prayer “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless , help to gain wisdom, believe in Buddhism and start performing recitations.” You can continue doing this for as long as necessary.
When you recite the Heart Sutra for your family members, it is best not to tell them so as to prevent them from feeling uncomfortable or offended, which can easily lead them to
create the karma of speech. If your family members still do not believe in Buddhism after more than a month of reciting the Heart Sutra (7 times per day) for them, you can lodge an application to Guan Yin Bodhisattva and state your prayer.
- Download the Application for Convincing Family Members from www.GuanYinCitta.com (A sample can be found in Appendix D). Print the application form on a yellow A4 piece of paper (Caution: Do not burn this application form).
- Use a black or blue pen to write the full name and date of birth of your family member (according to the Gregorian calendar), and your full name.
- Every day during the daytime (the best times are 6am, 8am, 4pm and 10pm, but it is best to avoid night time), light oil lamps and make incense offerings at your home altar.
- Read out the text on the application form once, and then place the application form on the altar. If your altar is small, you can place the application form underneath the incense burner.
- Kneel and make a full bow (with your forehead touching the floor) to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
- Recite the Heart Sutra, generally 7 times or more.
- Once you have completed your recitations or the incense has finished burning, it is best to fold the Application for Convincing Family Members and put it away. The Application for Convincing Family Members must not be left on the altar for a long period of time, as this may cause the relevant family member to have fits of temper and their soul to depart from their body or be incomplete.
- The above procedure for lodging the Application for Convincing Family Members can be performed once a day.
This is a very serious Buddhist ritual and it is best performed after you have recited the Heart Sutra 7 times per day for your family members over a long period of time (usually longer than one month). It is best to perform this without informing the relevant family members so as to prevent them from feeling uncomfortable or offended, which can easily lead them to create the karma of speech.
Once the application has been successful, the application form can be put aside for 1 to 2 months. After this time, you can place the application form in an envelope and then dispose of it. Caution: Do not burn the application form.
