Like Dreams, Illusions, Bubbles, and Shadows
Teachings from Namo Amituofo, Recorded by Venerable HaiZe
A Discourse on the Nature of Reality and the Path to Awakening
The Unchanging Essence Within
Namo Amituofo asks us to contemplate the nature of existence. What is it that is not merely a dream, an illusion, a bubble, or a shadow? What is it that truly exists for eternity? What is it that never changes, that is complete in every way, that follows us forever without ever departing, that remains constant and unmoved by external circumstances, and that is entirely pure and unstained?
My children, do you have the answer in your hearts? The answer is your true self. Your true self is not a dream, an illusion, a bubble, or a shadow. It is the only thing that exists eternally, remains unchanging, and is complete in every way. It is the only thing that stays with you forever, remains constant and unmoved by the external world, and is perfectly pure and unstained.
The Transience of the Material Realm
The impermanence of this world causes people to experience constant fluctuations in their lives. You feel uneasy, suffering through the bitterness and sweetness, the and anger, the sorrow and happiness, and the painful separations of life. Where are all these experiences now? Even if the exact same scene were to be replayed, the scenery might remain, but the people and the circumstances have already changed. Your heart is no longer the same as it was then, and the people involved are no longer the same. Everything is like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, or a shadow. This is the true reality of the world.
My children, you must recognise this truth clearly. Unless you realise your true nature, everything else is merely a dream, an illusion, a bubble, or a shadow. When a person who has realised their true nature leaves their physical body, their spirit comes and goes with . It remains constant, eternally pure, and unstained. However, for those who have not realised their true nature, when the physical body reaches the end of its life, the four elements separate. The spirit leaves and follows its and its thoughts. It continues to drift within the cycle of reincarnated, which is also like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, or a shadow.
The Call to True Cultivation
Do you now understand the reality and the preciousness of realising your true nature? Consider how many things in your life are merely illusions:
- Suffering itself is a dream, an illusion, a bubble, and a shadow.
- The cycle of birth, aging, sickness, death is a dream, an illusion, a bubble, and a shadow.
- Your emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—are dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.
- Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt are dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.
- Wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep are dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.
- Your , desires, dreams, and even your physical body are all dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.
Because people live within these illusions, all their pursuits and efforts—aside from the goal of realising their true nature—are ultimately in vain. Since this is the case, what are you still attached to? What are you still grasping at? Why can you not see through these things and let them go? These illusions are the very things that cause you to suffer and sink into the cycle of reincarnated for countless lifetimes, unable to escape the ocean of karma.
The Journey Toward the Light of Wisdom
Even when you engage in practice, you are using this false body to cultivate the truth. The various efforts you make to find your true self are also like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, and a shadow; they pass and do not return. However, this is a process you must undertake. You must practise with diligent, unceasing effort. This is because these efforts are the necessary steps to rediscover your true self. Only the realisation of your true nature is real.
To realise your true nature, you must put your full effort into the process. You must overcome every test and difficulty to see the truth clearly. Once you realise your true nature, you will understand everything with absolute clarity. Your Prajna wisdom will manifest, and you will become omniscient and omnipotent. You will be endowed with all virtues and abilities, and you will possess the auspicious characteristics of a Buddha. This realisation is real, constant, and never destroyed.
The Sanctuary of Infinite
Even the work done after to save sentient beings is like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, and a shadow. This is what is meant by a bodhimanda made of water and moonlight, or performing the Buddha's work within a dream. Nevertheless, you must do this work, and you must do it with earnest, unceasing dedication. Everything is for the sake of helping beings leave suffering behind and be reborn in the of Ultimate Bliss, and everything is to help them realise their true nature.
To speak the ultimate truth, even the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, and a shadow, until you practise there and realise your true nature and attain Buddhahood. Although everything in the Western Pure Land is also like a dream, it is the most secure, stable, and direct shortcut to realising your true nature and attaining Buddhahood without ever regressing. There, you can live a life free from all suffering, receiving only happiness, until you realise your true nature.
The Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is the place prepared by Namo Amituofo out of compassion for all suffering beings. It is a land without suffering, a precious land for spirits to practise and realise their true nature and attain Buddhahood. Therefore, being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is of the utmost importance. It is the most ultimate method for leaving suffering behind and gaining happiness. You must put your full effort into being reborn there and into realising your true nature.
A Precious Opportunity at Hsiang Kuang
At the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, the students carry the heavy responsibility of helping people realise their true nature and attain Buddhahood within this human body. You also help spirits from the spiritual realms to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, allowing them to dwell in the Infinite Life and Infinite Light of that land, so that one day they too may realise their true nature and attain Buddhahood.
It would normally take twelve kalpas to progress from the Land where Sages and Ordinary Beings Dwell Together to the Land of Eternally Quiescent Light. Yet, the students of Hsiang Kuang have the opportunity to achieve this in this very lifetime at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. You must grasp and cherish this magnificent opportunity, which is difficult to encounter in millions of years! Namo Amituofo
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About the Author
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
Contributed to Pure Land Buddhism knowledge library