Do Not Act According to Your Own Will

The Weight of Accumulated Karma

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

On August 4, 2023, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provided the following teachings:

The true purpose of your practice is to secure your liberation from the cycle of birth and death and to finally break free from the endless cycle of rebirth. Throughout your many lives and across accumulated lifetimes, every action, word, and thought you have produced has followed you like a shadow. Whether these causes were planted in the distant past and have already borne their fruits, or whether they remain as seeds waiting for the right conditions to manifest, every single one is recorded in your consciousness. Nothing is ever truly lost or forgotten.

The Vision of the Awakened

Those who have achieved success in their practice and have become those with open eyes possess a unique clarity. They are able to look into the consciousness of a person and perceive the circumstances of their past lives. The depth and breadth of what they see depend entirely on the individual's level of spiritual cultivation. In any case, their ability to perceive the truth is far swifter and more extensive than that of an ordinary person.

The Danger of Acting on Impulse

Because of this, you must seize the opportunity of this life to practise diligently. You must be cautious in your speech and prudent in your actions. Focus on the purification of your heart and strictly uphold the Precepts. Do not allow your karma to manifest and bring upon you the suffering of aging, sickness, and death. Above all, do not act according to your own will. Do not act according to the self, personal ego, and selfishness. Do not walk hand-in-hand with your karma and your karmic creditors.

Transforming Karma into Purity

If you can follow this guidance, you will avoid creating new negative causes that enter your consciousness to become future karma and future suffering. Instead, you will cultivate a pure heart and engage in pure actions, which provides the precious opportunity to transform karma and become an awakened being. Why must you avoid acting according to your own will? It is because your intentions are themselves a part of your karma. When you act according to your own will, you are simply following the momentum of your karma. In this way, it is your karma that takes charge of your life, leading you deeper into the cycle of rebirth.

The Path of the Right Way

You must uphold the Precepts and act in accordance with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. To truly succeed, you must stop creating new karma and learn how to resolve the karma you have already accumulated. By chanting Namo Amituofo with a sincere heart, you align yourself with the wisdom of the Buddha and find the path to true liberation.

Namo Amituofo