Never Retreat: The Path to Awakening

The Foundation of True Success

Success is never a matter of luck, and reaching the state of an awakened being is never something that comes from nothing. It is an achievement that must be earned through consistent, dedicated effort. Many practitioners encounter setbacks along the path of practice and choose to give up halfway. It is truly a great pity when one abandons their own growth, their liberation, and the journey to rediscover their original nature. Such a choice is a profound injury to oneself, for it denies the soul the very progress it seeks.

If you can accept the changes that occur in your life with compassion, you will find the strength to move forward. When you shift your perspective, transform your thoughts toward Goodness, and face your challenges with persistence, you will often find that a turning point appears exactly when you need it most. For those who chant the Buddha-name, this is the perfect moment to test your faith—to see if you truly believe in the Buddha and if you truly believe in your own capacity to overcome these difficulties.

The Vital Necessity of Changing Personality

You must focus on the need to change personality traits, even if you find them difficult to alter. If you do not change, the same situations will manifest repeatedly, leading to endless cycles of birth, aging, sickness, and death. This does not merely cause your heart to suffer; it creates a cascade of negative effects throughout your entire being:

• Your physical cells are constantly subjected to the stress of negative, painful transformations.Your karmic creditors are kept in a state of agitation, perpetuating the cycle of debt and repayment.Your spirit is continuously influenced and interfered with by karmic forces, attached spirits, and the weight of your own past actions.You may find yourself trapped in a state of being drowsy or confused, unable to improve your spiritual clarity.

When you fail to change personality traits, you remain in a state of Body-Mind-Spirit disharmony. You continue to suffer, and your karmic creditors will continue to appear, keeping you trapped in the same painful space where the original grievances were first formed. One must ask: where is the compassion in this? Where is the Wisdom? My children, changing personality traits is a matter of the utmost importance.

Breaking the Cycle of Debt

If you wish to transform karma, to be free from the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and to secure the opportunity for an awakened being, self-mastery, and rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, then changing personality traits is an absolute necessity. If you change your ways early, both you and your karmic creditors will suffer less. If you change late, although you have both endured much hardship, there will finally be an end to the suffering. However, if you refuse to change, the relationship between you and your karmic creditors will remain one of debt and repayment. Both parties will continue to suffer, and if this is not resolved in this lifetime, the relationship will continue into future lives, leaving you with no end to your misery.

The Vow to Never Retreat

My children, because you are here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and have the opportunity to understand these truths and the nature of your relationships, you must change immediately. Even if you know you must change but find it difficult to succeed, you must try again. As long as you still have a single breath, you must never retreat. You must keep trying.

Always remember your great vow to achieve rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and let your faith in the Buddha and in yourself never waver. If you can keep the Buddha-name flowing continuously, 24/7, without interruption, you will prevent delusions and messy thoughts from arising. By chanting the Buddha-name with a focused mind, the Buddha's blessings will merge with your own efforts, granting you the strength to change your ways. Can you, my children, achieve this?

Namo Amituofo