Every being possesses a different capacity to endure suffering. Those who have grown through hardship often develop a higher tolerance for pain. However, we must understand that these experiences of suffering are all part of the continuous operation of the laws of and cause and effect. Unless your vow power is strong enough to counteract your karmic force, and unless you put this into practice through your daily actions, your vows will remain mere words. If the vow power does not manifest, you cannot truly transform your karma, and the force of your past actions will continue to unfold.
The cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death is a journey that everyone in this world implicitly accepts as inevitable. Yet, the true weight of the suffering associated with aging, illness, and death is something that only those who have personally experienced it can truly understand. It is a profound and often overwhelming trial.
The Spirit Remains Unbound
In truth, your spirit does not have to suffer alongside your physical body. When your body is in pain, your spirit can remain undisturbed. It can stay clear, bright, and calm. To achieve this state, you must:
Maintain your Discipline by upholding the .
Cultivate meditative concentration to keep your mind steady.
Develop wisdom to see through the illusions of the material world.
Most importantly, hold firmly to the six-character name of without interruption.
Only by maintaining this continuous practice can you truly leave suffering behind. This level of skill requires diligent practice and purification. You must come to understand the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, as well as the distinction between what is illusory and what is real. Only then can you truly transform your thoughts and adjust your body from within, which in turn provides the opportunity to transform your karma.
Beyond the Limitations of Medicine
People are naturally afraid of suffering, so they constantly seek ways to alleviate it. The most direct method people turn to is medical intervention. We can see the depth of human suffering simply by observing the ever-increasing number of people seeking help in medical institutions. When faced with the helplessness of aging and illness, people often hope that medical treatment will be the sole solution to their pain.
However, we must realise that medicine can only treat the surface symptoms; it addresses the branches but not the root. The Buddha’s teachings, on the other hand, can truly resolve deep-seated, fundamental problems. You must put in the work from the heart, and only after that should you adjust . This is the only way to resolve the root of your illness, allowing the foundation to heal so that new stems, branches, flowers, and fruits can grow once more.
The Path to True Liberation
Whether you can achieve this depends entirely on whether you encounter the guidance of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and true spiritual friends. Your ability to meet such guidance will directly influence the outcome of your life. Even if the method is perfect, if you do not walk the path with your own two feet, it remains nothing more than empty talk.
How, then, can you ensure that your physical suffering is not in vain? You must follow these steps:
Repenting: Feel deep shame and remorse for the negative karma you have created in the past.
Listening to the : Regularly listen to sutras and hear the Dharma so that you can clearly understand the nature of suffering and the laws of karma.
Taking Refuge: Make Namo Amituofo your ultimate refuge and the of Ultimate Bliss your true destination.
: Invite spirits to hear the Dharma so that they may be resolved and saved.
Refraining from Attachment: Stop dwelling on thoughts that attract to manifest before you.
Most importantly, you must change your ways—truly change from the heart. By doing so, you will give rise to all and achieve the fruit of . This is the only way to truly resolve suffering and ensure that your physical pain is not in vain. By continuing this practice, you will eventually cease to suffer altogether and enter the state of an awakened being.
