Recorded and transcribed by ’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
28 November 2025
Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju:
The Foundation of Spiritual Success
If you wish to achieve true success in your practice, you must begin by establishing the : Faith, Vows, and Practice. These are the essential requirements for your journey toward rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Among these three, the most vital starting point is to have faith in yourself and faith in the Buddha. Without this foundational belief, your practice will lack the necessary strength to overcome the challenges of the world.
The Power of Faith, Vows, and Practice
Once your faith is firm, you must make your vows and put them into action. Your vows should be guided by the great direction of the Buddha’s teachings:
Arouse the mind and single-mindedly recite Namo Amituofo.
Study the Buddha’s teachings, chant the Buddha’s name, and aspire to become a Buddha.
Earnestly seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
When it comes to your practice, you must be diligent and possess great perseverance. You must maintain your efforts consistently, ensuring that your daily practice is never interrupted by laziness or distraction.
Navigating the Path at Home
There is a distinct difference between cultivating at home and participating in group cultivation at a temple or bodhimanda. When you practise at home, you have more flexibility with your time, which can be very suitable for a lay practitioner. If you can follow the path of Faith, Vows, and Practice with unwavering focus, you can achieve great success even at home. This requires you to:
Remain undisturbed by household chores, professional work, or environmental factors.
Stay close to a true spiritual friend or teacher.
Listen to the sutras and hear the regularly.
Engage in long-term, consistent cultivation.
Maintain your daily practice at fixed times without fail.
However, if you allow your household duties, work, or external circumstances to interfere with your practice, it becomes easy to lose your rhythm. When your practice becomes fragmented and inconsistent, it is very difficult to achieve the spiritual success you seek.
The Strength of the Bodhimanda
In contrast, group cultivation within a temple or bodhimanda provides a structured environment. Because there are shared schedules, regulations, and communal activities, the collective strength of the group helps you overcome tendencies toward laziness or laxity. If you are willing to listen and follow the guidance provided, it is much easier to see results in your study of the Three Learnings of , Samadhi, and Wisdom. Within a temple that upholds the True Teachings, and under the watchful care and of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the Dragon and Heaven Dharma Protectors, it is far easier to achieve success in your practice.
Cultivating in Every Thought
It is important to remember that a temple is not your home. When you are in the bodhimanda, you must收攝 and work diligently to change your personality traits and habits. In Buddhism, we understand that the moment an intention arises in your mind, you have already created a cause and a corresponding karmic result. If your actions, speech, or thoughts cause others to develop negative intentions, disturb the quiet environment of the temple, or startle the ghost deities, you are not only creating negative causes that will lead to evil consequences, but you are also creating significant obstacles to your own spiritual progress. You must be extremely cautious with every thought and intention. Namo Amituofo.
