Mastering the Art of Inner Transformation

Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

Mastering the Art of Inner Transformation is the ability to skilfully adjust one's heart, thoughts, and actions. When you embark on the path of practice, you must learn to master this art. It is necessary because the habits and personality traits of this world have already deeply permeated your Body, Speech, and Mind, often becoming so ingrained that they function as automatic, habitual responses.

The Deep Roots of Habit

As you enter the path of practice, you must be able to identify and adjust the erroneous views and behaviours that hinder your progress. This requires both the wisdom and the skill to transform your inner state. You must strive to enter into correct views and behaviours, which means aligning your life with the Universal Principles, Truth, and the Right Path. Furthermore, you must learn to let go of the self, removing the various pollutions that have accumulated in your Body, Speech, and Mind over accumulated lifetimes. Only when you reach a state of purity and goodness can you have the opportunity to realise your true nature and reach Awakening.

The Buddha-name as a Shield

When an evil thought arises, you must have the awareness to immediately invoke the Buddha-name. By chanting Namo Amituofo, you can stop the evil thought in its tracks. Through every single recitation of the Buddha-name, you purify your mental note and prevent the negative causes created by those evil thoughts from continuing. When deviant or biased thoughts manifest, you must rely on your awareness or the guidance of a true spiritual friend to immediately raise the Buddha-name. By doing so, you purify your mind and halt the spread of these harmful thoughts. Through the power of the Buddha-name, you can skilfully transform your mind into an Upright Heart and Right Mind, preventing these deviant thoughts from expanding and obstructing the elevation of your Body-Mind-Spirit.

Transcending the Five Poisons and Five Desires

You must also master the art of transforming the Five Poisons and the Five Desires. These have been deeply embedded in the character of all beings for accumulated lifetimes, becoming so habitual that they are difficult to stop or correct. They are the very causes that lead to the Three Evil Realms. You must transform these as follows:

• The Five Poisons: Transform Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt into their opposites—non-greed, non-anger, non-ignorance, non-arrogance, and non-doubt.
• The Five Desires: Transform the five roots of the hells—wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep—into a state of non-attachment, where you are no longer controlled by the desire for material gain, sensory pleasure, reputation, indulgence, or excessive comfort.

The Vital Importance of Precepts

To practise is to refrain from committing the Five Poisons and the Five Desires; this is the essence of keeping the Precepts. While these Precepts may seem ordinary, they are the very areas where practitioners most frequently stumble and fail. You must be able to transform these habits and cut them off completely; this is where you must truly put in the work. The fourfold assembly must be cautious and diligent, ensuring that you do not commit these transgressions. By doing so, you will maintain the purity of your Body-Mind-Spirit and ensure that your practice continues to advance steadily towards the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Namo Amituofo