Do Not Lose Heart: Between the Buddha and the Demon

The Preciousness of the Initial Resolve

In the life of any person, experiencing highs and lows is a common occurrence. Never allow a moment of confusion or a sense of defeat to cause you to abandon your initial resolve. The value of this initial resolve lies in its purity and lack of contamination; it is the very source of all future achievements.

There is a common saying regarding the path of learning the Buddha's teachings: In the first year, the Buddha is right before your eyes; in the second year, the Buddha seems far away in the heavens; by the third year, the Buddha has vanished like smoke. You should reflect upon your own journey and observe if this pattern has manifested in your life. If you find yourself in a state where the Buddha is still before your eyes, you must strive to maintain this momentum of practice forever. If you do so, the Buddha will always remain before your eyes and within your heart. By advancing with such firm conviction, success is inevitable. However, when the Buddha begins to feel like vanishing smoke, you have strayed far from the path. You must return immediately. Do not allow your heart to wander, seeking refuge in worldly things, for that only leads to creating more karma, suffering the consequences, and falling back into the cycle of reincarnated.

The Obstacles of the Self

Why do such changes occur in a practitioner's heart? It is because the mind has found a place to dwell—it dwells on gain and loss, on success and failure, on the "self," personal ego, and selfishness, and on the opinions and thoughts of others. Most importantly, it dwells on the "self." This is a significant obstacle to achieving success in your practice. When you fail to subdue your wandering mind and chaotic thoughts, your initial resolve becomes covered by the heavy weight of confusion and karma. You lose your true self, leading to anxiety, fear, depression, doubt, and eventually, the regression in practice.

A true practitioner, whether they have been studying for one year, two years, three years, or even decades, always maintains a state of meditative concentration within their heart. This concentration is fixed upon the Buddha-heart and the Buddha-vow. It is fixed upon the initial resolve, remaining immovable, and focused entirely on being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Any matter that contradicts the goal of being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss should not be touched, thought about, done, spoken of, remembered, or contemplated.

The Discipline of the Mind

Do not allow these matters that contradict your path to being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to have even the slightest contact with your thoughts. Even a fleeting moment of contemplation is dangerous. If you notice such a thought manifesting, you must not continue to dwell upon it; you must cut it off immediately. If you cannot achieve total cessation of the thought, you must at least subdue it, ensuring that it does not manifest into action. You may choose various methods to redirect your focus: chant Buddha's name, recite the Sutras, perform prostrations, transform your thoughts, or serve the community.

Be especially wary of memories involving worldly attachments, such as romantic love, family affection, the desire for fame and success, or the pursuit of pleasure. These are the very reasons your practice lacks power and why you lose your resolve. They are also the reasons your karmic creditors and karma manifest to pull you back, providing excuses for you to regress in your practice. You must understand that the opportunity to encounter the Dharma is rare. It can even be said that having Namo Amituofo dwell in the world is an encounter difficult to encounter in millions of years. Even if you encounter a bottleneck, you must strive to break through it. With such perseverance and determination, the Buddha will surely assist you!

Gratitude and the Transformation of Karma

Furthermore, understand that all offerings are not easily obtained; you should hold a heart of gratitude. You must hold the conviction that your practice will be successful, that you will rediscover your true self, and that after achieving awakening, you will be able to save the world. This is the time to turn back and rescue those who have made offerings to you, as well as all sentient beings with whom you have karmic affinity throughout the ages. Although you may have realised your true nature, you must still act according to karmic affinity when actively saving beings. Even with family members, you must have the necessary affinity; save those who can be saved, and follow the conditions for those who cannot.

You must work diligently to accumulate merit and virtue so that you can transform your own karma. Only then will your efforts to teach and save others, including your own family, be effective. If you have not transformed your own karma after practising, you remain a karmic body. Attempting to save and teach others in such a state is merely a continuation of the cycle of reincarnated. Without the guidance of a true spiritual friend, if you have not transformed your own karma, adding the karma of others will only lead to a heavier burden. If you are in a state of lost resolve, it means your karmic creditors have already manifested to take control. You must seek the guidance of a true spiritual friend. If you are one who has realised your true nature and has open eyes, you will see this clearly. You must wake up immediately and not allow this to continue!

The Thin Line Between Buddha and Demon

The difference between the Buddha and the demon lies in a split second. How to keep this thought in a state of purity and Goodness, and not allow evil thoughts to manifest, is of the utmost importance. If an evil thought is not stopped, its intensity increases and it transforms into a demon thought. This transformation also happens in a split second. Often, if that thought is not stopped in time and is allowed to continue, it will turn into demon actions, harming both yourself and others. More importantly, if you are a practitioner of the Pure Land path, you will find yourself drifting further and further away from the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The nature of demon thoughts is not unfamiliar to anyone: selfishness, stubborn personal habits, refusing to yield even when you are in the right, and a strong sense of self-importance. These are contrary to the Ten Goodnesses. The Ten Evil Deeds—killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh words, frivolous speech, greed, anger, and delusion—are indeed evil. However, if their intensity increases and they are repeated without being stopped, they become demon thoughts, which then lead to demon actions. If you remain deluded and do not return to the righteous path, you are walking the demon path. When an evil thought arises, you must have the awareness to stop it and transform it. If every thought is evil, and your Body, Speech, and Mind never depart from selfishness, how can you ever abandon demon thoughts? All of you must be vigilant!

Returning to the Path

Those with stubborn personalities are more likely to let evil and demon thoughts manifest. This is because every demon is stubborn and insists on their own views. Even when a true spiritual friend or one who has realised their true nature offers guidance, they insist on their own opinions, trapped in a narrow perspective, unable to escape. At such times, it is already the demon nature and demon thoughts that are in control, not your own true self. If you can have awareness early, let go of your ego, and stop the thought in time, that is the truly wise choice.

Feeling discouraged and lacking energy is part of the process, but it also means you are being controlled and cannot master your own life. You are being led by sentient beings, karmic creditors, and attached spirits. Only by turning back in time can you save yourself and realise your true nature. Only then can you perform the act of saving the world, and only then can you be a true practitioner and a good disciple of the Buddha.

It is never too late to awaken. The Buddha is always reaching out, waiting for his children to return to their home in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

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