Why did I begin Podcasts about practice and life?

I have always enjoyed sharing with people through sound. I hope that, without having to come in person, people can hear ideas and have an opportunity to learn. When I later encountered podcasts, I felt that this was very close to what I had wanted to do earlier.

In earlier years I wanted to do radio, but had no equipment, station or channel and did not know how to begin. Later I had opportunities to record programmes in a studio and shared regularly on local radio, gradually gaining experience in conversation and explaining things. When internet radio first appeared, I was very interested. As podcasts became more widespread, I finally felt there was a suitable way to continue this work.

The programme is not simply me talking all the time. Listeners’ questions show us what people do not understand and give us more to discuss together. Someone once asked quite a few questions and then politely asked how much to pay. I said there was no charge for answering them on the programme and thanked the person for providing the questions.

Through the programme and exchanges of messages, I learn that people really are listening and appreciate our efforts, which makes me happy. Sharing is more than recording words. It allows us to understand and learn together.

Another wish that supports my continued recording is to preserve this material for a long time. I have said that I hope people thousands or even tens of thousands of years from now can still hear about Sheng Zhen Men’s transmission and what we have learned from deities and Buddhas through the internet or podcasts. This is my wish. As for how long I can keep recording, I also honestly said at the time that I could not guarantee it. As long as I remain able, I will do my best to continue.

To me, sharing one episode after another is also like building a database of spiritual experience. From having no perceptions to learning how to practise and understand the problems encountered, I speak about what I have gone through and come to know. Interested people then have somewhere to refer to and learn from.

Dao Shun described recordings as a kind of spoken diary: listening again later can bring back what happened at the time. Dao Shun also reminded us to write clear titles and tags so that previously discussed cases are easy to find. Preserving the content lets newcomers hear it and also helps us look back over the path we have travelled.

Sometimes I regard the daily recording as a task of practice, like reporting to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on whether I have earnestly shared what I learned that day. In ordinary service, I mostly help one person or a few people. The programme gives people who have not come in person an opportunity to encounter the teachings too. As long as the platform and content remain, someone who hears it only many years later may still gain something. The thought of leaving this kind of sharing behind feels very meaningful.

I also used to share quotations through LINE every day. Later I realised that people already received so many messages that continual unsolicited messages might instead create pressure. Podcasts leave the material available for people to listen when they need it. If they are busy today, they can listen tomorrow. This is another reason I find the format very suitable for sharing Sheng Zhen Men’s principles.