Acting According to the Vows: Words from the Buddha's Heart

The Essential Provisions for the Journey

Faith, Vows, and Practice are the Three Provisions for rebirth in the Western Pure Land. They are the fundamental requirements that must be possessed by anyone who truly desires to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

On the long road of spiritual practice, if you lack the power of your vows, you are like a blind person who possesses eyes but cannot see. Although you may have the capacity to see, it is as if you are blind; you do not know in which direction you are heading. You are left in a state of confusion, without support, lacking the strength to move forward, and without a clear path to follow. Consequently, it becomes very difficult for you to achieve spiritual success.

If you have vows but lack the strength to put them into action, then your vows will remain as distant and unreachable as the stars in the sky. You must bridge the gap between your aspirations and your daily conduct.

The Sanctuary of Hsiang Kuang

Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is the place where Namo Amituofo truly abides. If you, as students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, have true faith in Namo Amituofo, you must act according to the teachings He provides here. You must be diligent in your self-correction:

• Change what needs to be changed in your behaviour.Stop what needs to be stopped in your habits.Practise what needs to be practised in your daily life.

You must follow the guidance found within the Infinite Life Sutra (The Buddha Speaks the Mahayana, Infinite Life, Adornment, Purity, Impartiality, and Enlightenment Sutra). If you discover actions that are not appropriate, you must change them, stop them, and ensure that you never repeat them again. When you find actions that are virtuous and necessary, you must carry them out with sincerity. This is what it means to accept the teachings with faith and to put them into practice.

Aligning with the Forty-eight Great Vows

The Infinite Life Sutra (The Buddha Speaks the Mahayana, Infinite Life, Adornment, Purity, Impartiality, and Enlightenment Sutra) speaks of the Forty-eight Great Vows. These were the vows made by Namo Amituofo when He was the Bodhisattva Dharmakara, during His time of cultivation. He established the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss based upon these very vows.

If you study the process of His practice, you will naturally receive the blessings of Namo Amituofo. You will gain the benefits and the capabilities inherent in the Forty-eight Great Vows. Consequently, you will be able to act in accordance with the vows of Namo Amituofo.

To act as Namo Amituofo acts is the duty of all students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. To share the same heart, the same vows, and the same practice as Namo Amituofo is to follow the right path. It is the way to save all beings and move forward toward rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Namo Amituofo