In this world of illusions, we often lose our way. Although the accumulation of merit and the cultivation of Goodness are actions performed within this illusory realm, they serve a profound purpose. These actions are the very tools that help you rediscover your true self. Therefore, you must be diligent and active in accumulating merit.
The Necessity of Merit and Service
If your merit is insufficient, it becomes difficult to resolve the conflicts you have with other beings. Your remains heavy, and it becomes even harder to realise your true self. Similarly, serving the public is an act performed within this illusory world, yet it is a vital practice for your spiritual growth.
Cultivating : By serving others, you create vast opportunities to plant seeds of Goodness.
Attracting Support: Through these actions, you attract the assistance of noble people, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas.
Revealing the True Self: This support provides the conditions necessary for you to finally uncover your original, true nature.
Because of these benefits, you must be active and enthusiastic in your service to the public.
The Power of Chanting Namo Amituofo
Chanting the name of Namo Amituofo, keeping the Buddha-name in your heart in a continuous, unbroken stream, is also an action within this illusory world. However, when you chant until your heart is in sync with the Buddha-heart, the Buddha-vows, and the Buddha-actions of Namo Amituofo, you receive the immense power of his .
This Buddha-name contains infinite merit and energy. It acts as a powerful method for purification and the attainment of meditative concentration. It is a skillful means that leads directly to realising one's true nature and attaining Buddhahood. If you maintain this practice until the end of your life, you will be reborn in the of Ultimate Bliss. Therefore, you must be earnest, sincere, and diligent in your practice of chanting.
The Importance of Listening to the
Listening to the Dharma is another practice conducted within the illusion. However, if the one giving the lecture is an awakened being—a Buddha or —the impact is transformative. They can help you understand the truth of reality, break through delusion and attain , and inspire you to change your ways and practise with greater diligence.
By listening with respect and sincerity, you are engaging in a compassionate act of saving yourself and the beings within your bodies. It is a wonderful method to resolve conflicts with others and to help all beings be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Because of this, listening to the Dharma is of the utmost importance; you must make it a priority in your daily life.
The Reality of Suffering and the Urgency of Practice
All the work we do in this dream-like world is intended to help beings leave suffering behind and rediscover their true self. Although the suffering we experience in this illusion is itself illusory, the pain of birth, aging, sickness, and death is felt as a very real existence. This includes:
Physical Suffering: The pain and decay of .
Mental Suffering: The anxiety, fear, and confusion of the mind.
Spiritual Suffering: The deep, lingering unrest of the spirit.
Only by helping beings recognise the truth behind this suffering, and by resolving past karma as conditions arise, can we truly help them leave suffering behind. Therefore, you must perform this work with sincerity and respect. In doing so, you will also receive the benefits of the Dharma and hasten your own path to realising your true nature.
A Final Exhortation
Do not hold onto anything in this illusory world. Do not grasp at anything, for everything is transient. You must act quickly and diligently to find the truth within the illusion and rediscover your true self. If you wait too long, time will run out. When impermanence strikes and the suffering of death manifests, you may find that you have not yet realised your true nature, and this life will have passed in vain.
Therefore, make it your priority to rediscover your true self within this illusion, save yourself and others, and chant Namo Amituofo to ensure your rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
