Fame, Wealth, and the Emptiness of Self-Nature

The Illusion of Worldly Security

In this world, people often define their worth through external possessions. Wealth, social status, fame, positions of power, land, business assets, and savings are all considered essential components of a successful life. Most people in the world find joy in acquiring these things, using them to validate their standing in society. They believe that by accumulating such assets, they can fill the void of insecurity within their hearts and satisfy their deepest cravings.

Although every individual leads a different life, the pursuit of fame and wealth connects the hearts of almost everyone to some degree. This shared pursuit forms a collective consensus, becoming the primary goal for most people during their lifetime. However, this focus on wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep acts as the five roots of hell. It causes people to suffer the extreme retributions of the lower realms and serves as the negative cause that keeps us trapped in the cycle of rebirth.

The Trap of Endless Desire

There is a saying that a noble person loves wealth but acquires it through the right path. It is true that everyone requires material resources to live in this world. If one acquires wealth in a way that aligns with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and does not deviate into greed or dishonesty, this can be seen as a reflection of the goodness within the human heart. However, the hunger for fame and wealth is truly endless.

For the sake of these fleeting gains, people pay a heavy price. In the process of striving for more, they create countless negative karma. They are caught in a cycle of wanting more, then wanting even more, and believing that better must always be followed by something even better. In this endless pursuit, they commit boundless negative acts. By clinging to the concepts of possession—of mine, of me, and of my own—they create heavy burdens of attachment. They cannot let go, and as a result, their hearts are covered in layers of heavy, suffocating veils. This attachment inevitably brings forth various forms of confusion, suffering, and harm.

The Compassionate Path of the Buddha

The Buddha’s teachings are the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. To correct the various ways in which people deviate from this, and to heal the confusion, suffering, and harm that arise from such deviations, the Buddha has provided various methods. These methods are inseparable from the Truth; they are designed to lead people onto the righteous path and grant them liberation from the cycle of rebirth. We call these methods the Buddha’s teachings, which are categorised into various Dharma Gates, with the Pure Land Dharma Gate being one of the most profound.

This path exists because the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have manifested in this world out of immense compassion. They pity all beings who are suffering through the endless cycles of rebirth. They teach us how to realise our true self, how to understand the nature of emptiness, and how to recognise Namo Amituofo and the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. By following this path, one can leave suffering behind forever. The Buddha leaves behind for the world the supreme, precious merit and Dharma-wealth of Buddhahood, which far exceeds any worldly fame, wealth, or mountains of gold and silver treasures.

The Nature of Emptiness

The law of Causal Conditions dictates that all things arise and perish; they are ever-changing and impermanent. If you can truly let go of everything, without allowing a single speck of dust to stain your heart, and without any burdens or attachments, the state of emptiness will naturally manifest. Within this emptiness, there is no arising or perishing, and therefore, it is eternally unchanging.

Although it may seem like having nothing, and one cannot see its boundaries, it actually contains everything. This is the state that naturally appears after one has realised their true self. It is cool, calm, and free. This is the demeanour of a person who has truly awakened through the study of the Buddha’s teachings. When such a person enters the world, they can see all things and understand everything. They can operate within the world without being controlled by it. They can face whatever conditions arise, transforming the environment without being transformed by it. Because they possess nothing, they actually possess everything. This is why they have no fear and are far removed from all inverted dreams and delusions.

The Purpose of Renunciation

Why, then, does one choose to leave the home life? It is because the home is often a gathering place for karmic forces. It is a place where worldly people place their emotional reliance and where the attachments that fuel the cycle of rebirth are strongest. People are bound to one another by the pull of confusion, linked thread by thread, and their hearts can never find peace. Even if one is wealthy, it lasts only for a single lifetime. Whatever one enjoys in this life is merely the result of limited blessings. Once those blessings are exhausted, suffering follows. To be trapped by these conditions is to live in pain.

Therefore, we leave home to distance our body and mind from emotional entanglements and to escape worldly worries. Only when the six roots are pure and unstained can the true nature and the state of emptiness have a chance to manifest. Only then is there a possibility of realising one’s true self. If one remains stained by fame and wealth, every thought and intention becomes a cause for the retribution of hell. If one is truly attached to the reality of fame and wealth, it becomes extremely difficult to escape those lower realms.

A Rare Opportunity for Awakening

Realising the emptiness of self-nature requires a great deal of work. It is one of the primary purposes of becoming a monastic or a dedicated practitioner. Throughout history, countless monastics and lay practitioners have spent their entire lives striving for this, yet few have truly seen it. Today, the students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre are situated in a Buddha-land. You have the guidance and care of Namo Amituofo, the ancestral masters, and Practitioner Su. This is a shortcut to awakening—a rare and precious opportunity that is difficult to encounter. Faced with the choice between worldly fame and wealth versus the emptiness of self-nature, what will you choose?

Recorded by the Buddha’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.