22/5/2026 Zhongfeng Thrice Yearning Ceremony, Noon Offering: Teachings by Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju on "Life Force"

Teachings by the Teacher. Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe

22 May 2026

Teachings by Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju:

Where does life force come from?

It comes from the heart, from the body, and from the spirit.

Life force is manifested in the body, whether in the human world, in sentient beings, or in insentient beings.

What are sentient beings? All beings in the six realms of rebirth are sentient beings,

such as animals and insects like chickens, ducks, pigs, geese, cats, dogs, cows, sheep, etc.,

and marine life such as fish, shrimp, crabs, clams, etc.

These sentient beings are able to manifest their life force because they possess a physical body.

Insentient beings, such as mountains, rivers, the earth, flowers, plants, trees, the blue sky, white clouds, and air molecules,

all have the existence of spirit.

Different beings have different ways of manifesting life force,

and the human world is able to manifest its life force because of this body.

The life force of a practitioner is manifested in achieving oneself in order to save beings and help them leave suffering behind,

and in being fiercely diligent and active and persistent to ensure spiritual progress is guaranteed to grow;

and the parents, teachers, family members, karmic creditors, and attached spirits from our beginningless past lives who are upon our bodies,

are the primary ones to be saved.

The life force of a practitioner is manifested in compassion, Wisdom (Prajna), mind-capacity, and tolerance,

manifested in stability, harmony, composure, and peace,

and manifested in the four virtues: "utilising conditions wonderfully, maintaining dignified deportment, being gentle and straightforward, and bearing suffering on behalf of beings"

within.

Those who have realised their true nature have a heart that is firm and unmoved, living for the sake of saving beings,

and the manifestation of their life force is boundless, "following the minds of beings and responding according to their capacity".

One must allow life force to manifest in a stable manner, rather than in states of dullness, anxiety, restlessness, depression, or manic-depression.

Especially those who enjoy applause must understand that applause is a part of karma,

it is impermanent and ever-changing,

and it changes according to the people one encounters, the time, the location, and the external environment.

No one can live in applause forever,

impermanence is inherently changeable; there is no unchanging impermanence.

If this heart is not mastered by oneself, but by karmic creditors,

if the meaning of life and life force are dependent on applause and praise,

then how can this heart be grounded and at peace?

Pure Land practice can manifest life force within the true self.

The true self is inherently possessed by all beings,

yet it is covered by the confusion, afflictions, and the "self," personal ego, and selfishness that have existed since beginningless time.

If one can remove confusion, afflictions, and the "self," personal ego, and selfishness,

then the life force of the true self can be manifested.

Life no longer exists for this false body or for the applause of others,

but exists to rediscover the value of life—to save oneself and save beings, to leave suffering behind, and to attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

If one can truly do this, then life is priceless, and life force is infinite.

Namo Amituofo