Recognising the Illusory Nature of Existence

The Fleeting Nature of All Things

What do we mean when we speak of the illusory? To be illusory is to be unreal; it is to lack a permanent existence. Once a phenomenon has passed, it vanishes, never to return. The past is an illusion, for it is gone and cannot be reclaimed. Our emotions, too, are illusory. They arise due to certain Causal Conditions, and when those conditions dissipate, the people involved move on, and the emotions themselves dissolve into emptiness.

Consider the nature of our worldly lives. Our families—our spouses, our children, and our relatives—are all part of this illusion. In this life, we gather together to form a family, yet this is but a temporary arrangement. When the final breath comes and the spirit leaves the body, the spirit and the family members will inhabit different spaces. They will no longer gather in the same way. All these experiences are merely passing shadows in the vast cycle of existence.

The Illusion of Worldly Attachments

We must also recognise that the objects of our worldly desires are equally illusory. Wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep are all illusions. The Five Poisons—Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt—are illusions. The glory of riches, the status of our academic achievements, and the positions we hold in society are all illusions. Even our perception of time—the past, the present, and the future—is an illusion. Everything we experience is unfolding within the complex web of karmic conditions and the causes and effects.

True wisdom lies in the ability to achieve spiritual progress even while navigating this dream-like existence. It is a mark of genuine cultivation to use this practice to rediscover one's true self. Most people in this world invest their time, their energy, and their wealth into these illusions, mistakenly believing them to be real. In doing so, they create various karmic causes—some good, some evil, and some even leading to the hells—becoming trapped within the very illusions they have helped to create. Consequently, they spend their lives, and indeed many lifetimes, drifting through this cycle, unable to find a way out.

Using the False to Cultivate the True

However, the path of practice allows us to find the truth within the illusion. This physical body we possess is a false body; it is illusory. Yet, it is of the utmost importance that we use this false body to cultivate the true self. We must protect this body well, not out of attachment, but because it is the essential vessel for our spiritual work. We rely on this body to practise the Three Learnings of Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom. Only through this body can we cultivate Prajna wisdom and allow it to manifest.

Furthermore, we rely on this body to perform the Six Perfections, fulfilling them completely so that we may attain Buddhahood. Without this body, the Buddha's path cannot be realised. At this moment, your body is a vessel for Awakening. It is also the necessary vehicle for those of us in the Pure Land school who chant the name of Namo Amituofo, seeking rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Cherish this opportunity, for it is the foundation upon which we leave suffering behind and find true happiness.

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

Namo Amituofo