Exhaustion, Suffering, and Freedom: Teachings from Bodhisattva Asvaghosa

The Choice Before You

Those who read this passage have the choice of what kind of life they wish to lead. In this world, whether one is an adult or a child, people are often exhausted by the pressures of school, the demands of work, and the heavy burdens of responsibility placed upon their shoulders. Many are so tired they can barely catch their breath, and so burdened by suffering that they cannot find the words to express their pain. Yet, they feel compelled to continue, and life must go on. Thus, life flows by, day after day, as we drift along the inevitable current of birth, aging, sickness, death.

This exhaustion persists because we do not know how to "see through" and "let go." Even when we understand these concepts intellectually, we find ourselves unable to truly release our attachments. We do not know how to adjust our state of mind, and even when we try, we are often pulled back by our personal ego and selfishness. It is difficult to transform our hearts and minds, so we continue to follow the arrangements of fate—feeling tired when we are meant to be tired, and suffering when we are meant to suffer. Some may not even know that it is possible to live a life of coolness and freedom. Even if they do know, they often find themselves slipping back into their old, weary, and painful routines. These situations arise because one has not yet encountered the right Dharma, nor received the guidance of the True Teachings and a true spiritual friend.

The Manifestation of Karma

Pressure, responsibility, exhaustion, and suffering are all manifestations of karmic conditions and the causes and effects. If you can understand that this world is illusory, you will realise that everything you do, say, receive, and feel is merely a manifestation of Causal Conditions. When these conditions arise, things appear; when they cease, things disperse. Once a moment has passed, it cannot return, and the original state cannot be restored. If you cling to these pains and worries, they become the very reasons that your karmic creditors find you, that your karma manifests, and that attached spirits interfere with your life. This is the root cause of your daily stress, responsibility, and exhaustion.

How can you understand the truth of these facts? By aligning yourself with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, you can proceed to purify your mind, transform your thoughts, and change your karma. When you allow your true self—which is naturally cool and free—to manifest, you will be able to live without exhaustion or suffering. This is what the public urgently needs at this time.

The Difference Between Physical and Mental Fatigue

Physical exhaustion can be recovered through rest, but mental exhaustion and suffering are difficult to resolve. The education provided by the Buddha’s teachings is designed to help all beings understand the cycle of reincarnation and the laws of karma and cause and effect. When you know the origin of your exhaustion and understand the nature of your suffering, you can begin to leave them behind. Until you realise your true nature, you may still experience external movements, but your heart will remain still and pure. When your mind is without ripples, without thoughts, and without attachment, your karmic creditors will find it difficult to manifest to seek revenge, and you will no longer face the problem of spiritual attachment.

The Source of Your Struggles

To understand the source of exhaustion and suffering, you must realise that you are the one creating them. If you say you are tired, you are tired; if you say you are suffering, you are suffering. However, if you say that exhaustion is not truly exhaustion, and suffering is not truly suffering, then they lose their power over you. All dharmas are mind-only. Whatever your ordinary mind perceives, that is what you experience. You do not realise that these mental perceptions are illusory, without a master, and not real. Because you have not heard the Buddha’s teachings, you cannot distinguish between the illusory and the real. Consequently, you take the illusory as real, and you are controlled by your exhaustion and suffering, unable to find liberation or take charge of your own life.

• The Ripple Effect of Emotions: Your self-pity and emotional fluctuations are also sources of exhaustion. Every ripple of thought sends a clear message into the Dharma Realm, creating an energy that can disturb your karmic creditors. This helps them find you to seek revenge, causing your suffering to manifest.
• The Barrier of Ego: When your ego-attachment and personal views are deep and heavy, it is difficult to accept kind words and good advice. You find it hard to forgive yourself, and because your mental fluctuations remain unchanged, you continue to live according to your old habits. As a result, your physical and mental exhaustion remains impossible to transform.

How to Leave Suffering Behind

To leave suffering behind, you must hear the True Teachings and draw close to a true spiritual friend. They will teach you the right views and help you clearly identify your views and behaviours, giving you the opportunity to improve. Compassion and Wisdom (Prajna) are inherent in your true self. You must use this Wisdom to make clear decisions, knowing how to adjust your mind, transform your thoughts, and put these teachings into practice. By doing so, you will move away from exhaustion and suffering, and eventually realise your true nature, attaining the coolness and freedom that belong to your original self.

Within this space, there are infinite creatures. A spirit without a body suffers greatly from exhaustion and pain. Even if they hear the True Teachings and understand their suffering, they lack the power to resolve it on their own; they must rely on those who have a human body to perform Chao Du so they can be liberated. Human beings possess a body, and while we experience physical and mental exhaustion, we have the unique opportunity to hear the True Teachings, leave suffering behind, and transform karma. We even have the magnificent Dharma affinity to realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood. This is why the human body is so precious among the six realms of existence.

The Rescue of Namo Amituofo

Today, Namo Amituofo is in the world to save us. Sentient beings who have been wandering in darkness can now see the Buddha-light. It is like someone who is about to drown in the vast ocean being reached out to by the Buddha’s hand, allowing them to escape the danger of being submerged. You must know how to cherish this. Do not let this affinity pass in vain. Under the guidance of Namo Amituofo, hear the Dharma, understand the Dharma, and find your way back to your true self. To leave the sea of karma and exhaustion forever, to save yourself and others, reaching the Western Pure Land and finding one's own Buddha nature—this is your most important responsibility in this life.

Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

Namo Amituofo