Cherishing the Precious Dharma Affinity

The Woven Threads of Connection

Affinity is a concept familiar to everyone in this world. Between person and person, and between individuals and all things, we experience coming together and drifting apart, all governed by the rising and falling of these connections. Among the many types of affinity in this world, we can broadly categorise them based on the nature of our relationships. These include the emotional ties found within families—between parents and children, siblings, and partners—as well as the Dharma affinity that exists between an individual and the Buddha’s teachings or other spiritual paths.

Emotional entanglements often bring with them the heavy burdens of this lifetime. We find ourselves caught in webs of attachment and worry, unable to let go until the affinity is exhausted and the relationship concludes. However, the various ripples and intentions generated during our interactions are never lost. They are recorded within the Alaya consciousness, never to be erased. Whether we meet again in months, years, thousands of years, or even after hundreds of kalpas, these vibrations remain. As soon as a thought arises, it awakens the memories stored within the Alaya consciousness, triggering new intentions and interactions, thus continuing the cycle of karmic conditions and the causes and effects.

The Echoes of Past Lives

Often, we are not even consciously aware of this process. Yet, the memories stored within our inner cells and the related affinities have already begun to stir, giving rise to various feelings, intuitions, and natural reactions. Some of these reactions may feel strangely familiar, even if we have never experienced such situations in this current lifetime. When we find ourselves saying, doing, or thinking things that surprise us, it is because these responses are deeply rooted in our past experiences.

Our past experiences constitute the causes we have sown. Our meetings and encounters in this life are the conditions. The resulting feelings, intuitions, natural reactions, and the dynamics of our interactions are the fruits—the karmic conditions and the causes and effects. All people, all things in the universe, and all sentient beings exist within this cycle of six realms of rebirth, governed by these laws. The relationship we have with the Buddha’s teachings is known as Dharma affinity. Every contact with the Dharma in each lifetime is a reunion of this affinity. Depending on our environment, the people we meet, and our own internal reflections, these connections evolve in different ways.

The Magnificence of the Pure Land Path

In the Buddha’s teachings, the affinity for the Pure Land primarily stems from the Universal Buddha presence of Namo Amituofo. This connection originates from the Forty-eight Great Vows. Every single vow has established an endless Dharma affinity with countless sentient beings. These vows have the power to lead us away from the ocean of suffering, the cycle of birth and death, and the shackles of emotional attachment. When we encounter these teachings again in this life, our actions—shaped by our various relationships—determine our future karmic conditions and the causes and effects. The most magnificent fruit of this path is awakened being: rediscovering our true self / self-nature, saving ourselves while saving others, healing the body, ensuring the spirit never dies, and achieving rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Many who have already reached the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss look upon the sentient beings in this world who are still suffering in the cycle of rebirth. Out of compassion, they make a vow to descend into this world to save those with karmic affinity and guide them back to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is a reconnection of Dharma affinity from past lives, and the most vital force in this connection is the power of our vows.

The Power of Vows and Practice

Vow-power is a form of vibration. When this vibration is selfless, aimed at benefiting all sentient beings and helping them escape the ocean of birth and death, it becomes a powerful force. Because such a vibration is in sync with the Forty-eight Great Vows of Namo Amituofo, and when accompanied by diligent action, it often receives the equal assistance and response of Namo Amituofo. This is the essence of the dual-power method—relying on both self-effort and the Buddha’s power—which is the reason for success in chant Buddha's name!

Many lay practitioners and volunteers travel back and forth between their homes and the bodhimanda. During this process, they may encounter obstacles from family members or karmic creditors, or face challenges in managing their time. Whether one is practising as a lay practitioner or as a monastic, one must weigh the intensity of the energy between emotional entanglements and Dharma affinity. Whichever side holds the greater strength will dictate the choices one makes.

The Courage to Let Go

For lay practitioners studying the Pure Land path, the hope is to successfully be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. To achieve this, one must possess boldness, determination, and courage. Beyond diligent practice in both individual and group cultivation to attain Buddha-Recitation Samadhi, one must:

• Remain unswayed by emotional entanglements and avoid the obstacles of emotional attachment.
• Distance oneself from suffering and worry.
• Resolve the conflicts with karmic creditors.
• Perform Chao Du to help sentient beings reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, thereby preventing karmic creditors from manifesting as obstacles at the time of death.

Many who chant Buddha's name overlook the importance of this. They find it difficult to "see through" and "let go", which leads to an inability to achieve their wish of rebirth, causing them to fall back into the ocean of six realms of rebirth.

Becoming a monastic represents the extension of Dharma affinity. It requires one to "see through" and "let go", breaking free from the entanglements of emotion. Only through the purification of the Pure Land teachings and the power of awakened being can one gain the ability to transform emotional entanglements into Dharma affinity, helping others to make the vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Taking this further, to save sentient beings and guide them to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is no longer just about being led by affinity. It is about realising that all sentient beings and oneself are one entity, transforming Dharma affinity into a boundless, unconditional compassion and a great, shared empathy. This is the radiance of the true self / self-nature and the Buddha's path, illuminating all beings—whether sentient or insentient, whether connected by affinity or not—so that all may enter the Western Buddha Land together.

We welcome all like-minded lay practitioners, volunteers, and monastics to join the fourfold assembly (monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen) of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Let us work together with one heart, doing our utmost to save ourselves and others. Under the guidance of Namo Amituofo, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and Practitioner Su, let us strive together for the goal of rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss for all.

This message was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.