Going Straight Ahead on the Path to Awakening

Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable Fa Hui.

On the second of August, 2024, during the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, we were blessed with profound teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju. He posed a vital question to all who walk the path of practice: What does it mean to go straight ahead?

The Courage to Advance

To go straight ahead is to practise with fierce diligence. What does it mean to be fiercely diligent? It means that even when you are trapped by difficulties, when you encounter dangerous obstacles, when your past karma manifests, or even when you face slander and misunderstanding, you remain brave and fearless. You do not falter; you continue to move forward on the path of the Dharma.

The Unity of All Beings

Our primary mission is to save beings, and we must do so by going straight ahead. You must realise that all beings, just like yourself, possess the inherent Buddha-nature and the true self. We are all one. It is only because of the rise of confusion, delusions, discriminations, and attachments that we perceive a division between self and others.

Once a practitioner clearly recognises this truth, they can break through the limitations of the ego. By expanding your mind-capacity, you can empathise with others, understand the hearts of all beings, perceive their suffering, and offer compassion to help them leave suffering behind.

Living the Universal Principle

In every moment, 24/7, you must keep your mind focused on chanting Buddha's name, going straight ahead without pause. You must align your actions with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. When you engage in work that benefits the vast multitude of beings, you must ensure it is not for selfish gain. It must be a selfless, no-self endeavour, and you must go straight ahead with this pure intention.

The Path of Service and Purification

There are many essential practices that the students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre must uphold as they go straight ahead:

• Upholding the Precepts: Maintain your discipline without violation, as this is the foundation for nurturing compassion and Wisdom.
• Service to the Community: Serve the public without complaint or regret, never calculating personal gain and never shirking your responsibilities.
• Listening to the Dharma: Regularly listen to sutras and hear the Dharma to recognise your faults, engage in repenting, and perform Chao Du to resolve the conflict with karmic creditors.
• Practising Generosity: Engage in acts of giving and goodness, cultivating both blessings and Wisdom simultaneously.
• Purifying the Three Karmas: Strictly guard your Body, Speech, and Mind, ensuring that your actions are always in accordance with the Ten Goodness.

As you practise with diligence, accumulating merit and virtue, you will inevitably face the challenges of becoming drowsy or encountering different states of space. You must overcome these hurdles until you reach the state of an awakened being. This is the path of saving oneself and saving others, and it is the path upon which you must go straight ahead.

These are but a few of the essential duties that the students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre must carry out in their daily lives.

Namo Amituofo