Maintaining Stability in Your Practice

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

On the twenty-ninth of March, 2025, during the first session of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju offered these profound teachings to the fourfold assembly of disciples.

The Foundation of a Stable Heart

If you, as a member of the fourfold assembly of disciples, wish to achieve true success in your practice, it is essential that you maintain your mental notes and your actions in a state of constant stability. Many practitioners find that their hearts are easily swayed by the external world. If you find it difficult to subdue your wandering thoughts and notice that they arise with great frequency, your heart will inevitably become restless and unsettled. When the heart is not at peace, your actions will lack the strength of meditative concentration. You will find yourself being pulled by external circumstances and swayed by every passing thought, rather than remaining anchored in the Truth.

Returning to the Right Path

When you practise in such a state, the purity of your original nature cannot manifest. Instead, you only add more layers of impurity to your heart. Therefore, you must return to the right path with great urgency. Do not allow these unstable mental notes and actions to continue. If you persist in this state of instability, you are not only creating negative causes that will lead to evil consequences and cause harm to yourself, but you may also negatively influence other members of the fourfold assembly. This leads to a compounding of karma, which is a heavy burden to bear.

The Power of Letting Go

To overcome this, you must learn to let go of the self and let go of the body. When you truly let go, there is no 'self' or body left to disturb the heart. You must chant one Buddha's name to the end. When you chant until you forget the self and forget the body, you will naturally receive purification and all the ripples of your mind will cease. You should invite Namo Amituofo into every aspect of your life:

• When you have Namo Amituofo in your heart, please chant Namo Amituofo.
• When you have Namo Amituofo in your speech, please chant Namo Amituofo.
• When you have Namo Amituofo in your actions, please chant Namo Amituofo.
• When you have Namo Amituofo in your mental notes, please chant Namo Amituofo.

By doing this, you will be able to maintain the stability of your heart and actions at all times.

The Discipline of Silence

Speaking less, observing silence, and refraining from unnecessary speech are essential duties for any practitioner. Please chant Namo Amituofo to replace any idle words. There is a saying from the ancient masters: 'Speak one word less, chant Namo Amituofo one time more; when you strike down the wandering thoughts, your Dharma Body shall come alive.' This is a teaching of immense practical value. You must put it into actual practice. By doing so, you will avoid committing transgressions through your Body, Speech, and Mind, and you will maintain a state of profound stability.

Becoming a Practitioner of Namo Amituofo

If you can truly believe in the Buddha and believe in yourself, your heart will have a place to rest, and your actions will have a reliable foundation. You must take the heart of Namo Amituofo as your own heart, take the vows of Namo Amituofo as your own vows, and take the actions of Namo Amituofo as your own actions. In this way, you become a practitioner of Namo Amituofo in the human world. Maintaining the stability of your Body-Mind-Spirit is the key to achieving success in your practice. Namo Amituofo.