Riding the Waves: The Teachings of Master Shang Xuan Xia Zhuang

The Unwavering Heart of a Practitioner

Even when strong winds and heavy rain block the path before us, the heart to save infinite suffering beings does not diminish. Even when the ground is covered in thorns and weeds, we lead the way to open a path for others to follow. Even when obstacles make progress difficult, we move forward with courage to break through every challenge. Even when the wind and waves rise like mountains, we chant Namo Amituofo and pray to Namo Amituofo. My heart is firm in the vow to save beings from suffering, whether it is to remain in this world to continue this work or to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

When people in this world encounter difficulties and dangers, they often retreat or abandon their path. This is especially true in the work of saving the world and its beings. This mission requires a completely selfless dedication to others, without seeking any reward. One cannot hold onto personal thoughts, and one must absolutely avoid the Five Poisons—greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, and doubt—as well as the Five Desires—wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep. If a practitioner becomes tainted by any of these, their practice will drift onto a wrong path. It will become difficult to strive for the spreading of the True Teachings, and the moment of realising one's true nature will remain out of reach.

Seeing Through the Illusions of the World

Once you decide to embark on the path of practice, or even the path of monastic life, it is because you have felt the suffering of beings as if it were your own. You have experienced their pain and, in doing so, have given rise to a heart of renunciation. Your heart is filled only with the needs of other beings; there is no longer any room for thoughts of the self. If you still harbour emotional entanglements, attachments to family, or other worldly obstacles, these will act like ropes, binding you tightly until you can barely breathe. It is like falling into a mire from which it is difficult to escape. You must realise that this physical body is a source of suffering. You must see through it and let it go. Only by using this temporary body to cultivate the truth can you derive the greatest benefit from it.

Do not take this illusory world as real. Finding your true self is the only reality. Only when you thoroughly understand the truth can you truly avoid being deceived by various false appearances. When you keep your heart fixed on seeking the Dharma and achieving the realisation of your true nature, no external environment can shake your resolve. At this moment, your will is truly firm, and you have stepped onto the path of liberation.

When you are clear-headed, you can see things as they truly are. Glory, power, wealth, fame, and even various family relationships are all illusory phenomena that arise and vanish due to Causal Conditions. They were never truly yours to begin with, and when you pass away, you cannot take any of them with you. The chaos, the arguments, and the rights and wrongs of this world only increase your confusion; you should distance yourself from them. When you are in a state of delusion, however, you take these things to be real, grasping at them tightly and living within a false reality. A wise person is one who takes these possessions and offers them to the public, transforming them into acts of Generosity, the accumulation of merit, and the virtues that you can actually take with you.

The Essential Conditions for Riding the Waves

Only after you see the truth clearly and put it into practice can you gain the true motivation to move forward. Under the blessings of the Buddha, equipped with right knowledge, right views, right faith, and right mindfulness, and filled with boldness and courage, you will be able to stay on the path of realising one's true nature and attaining Buddhahood. You will be able to continue on the path of saving the world and leading beings to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, unafraid of the wind and waves, charging forward to overcome every difficulty and test.

To ride the waves and charge forward, you must possess the following conditions:

• Faith in yourself: Believe that you and every other being are Buddhas, all possessing the Buddha-nature. It is only because of delusions and attachments that you cannot realise it. Therefore, you must engage in purification, break through delusions, attachments, and discriminations, and remove the ego-attachments and personal habits that hinder your practice.
• Unwavering faith in the Buddha: Especially at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, where we can receive messages from the Buddha and the ancestral masters, you should have one hundred percent faith in the Buddha. Because you believe in the Buddha and follow the teachings, you will naturally receive the Buddha's blessings. When the karma of karmic creditors manifests, you will receive help to resolve it, and you will have greater confidence in your practice of the Buddha's path.
• No-self: Within the Buddha-heart, there is no existence of a "self." There is only the concern for all beings, because the self and all beings are one. Without a self, you can practise; with a self, it is difficult to practise, difficult to live in harmony with others, and impossible to realise one's true nature. Your body is merely a combination of Causal Conditions; it is an illusion. How can you realise one's true nature if you are attached to an illusion? You must align with the state of realising one's true nature to get closer to it step by step.
• Selflessness: People often involuntarily think of their own position, views, and feelings, acting for their own benefit. This is selfishness. In your true self, there is no selfishness; there is only selfless service to all beings. Therefore, you must abandon your own interests and act, speak, and work entirely for the sake of the public. This aligns with your true self and is the appearance of one who is realising one's true nature.
• Wisdom and compassion: The Buddha's wisdom and compassion are boundless. To realise one's true nature, you must learn to have the same wisdom and compassion as the Buddha. Open your mind, tolerate the faults of others, and do not calculate gains and losses. These are essential virtues for a Buddhist practitioner. Otherwise, even if you try to act like a Buddha, you will not be able to realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood. If your mind-capacity is not large enough, your practice will be incomplete and difficult to succeed.
• Boldness, perseverance, and persistence: These are the driving forces that allow you to ride the waves in your practice and in saving beings. Spreading the Dharma is not a task for a single day; it is a life-long commitment that requires sustainable management and continuous growth. You must rely on constant boldness, perseverance, and persistence to respond to the ever-changing world and its people. These are also abilities inherent in your true self; they are always present. For those who have realised their true nature and are dedicated to saving the world, these are energies that will never disappear.
• Resilience in the face of failure: Tests are a common occurrence in Pure Land practice. They are also a way to verify whether your practice is effective, whether you truly know how to correct your mistakes, and whether you continue to improve until you are completely purified—pure, good, and flawless. Only then is the realisation of one's true nature possible.
• Changing personality traits: You must be able to accept the guidance of true spiritual friends and the advice of fellow practitioners. After all, before you realise one's true nature, even if you are practising purification, there will be times when you are still controlled by karmic creditors and cannot act independently. You need the reminders and warnings of true spiritual friends to help you correct your mistakes, stop your faults, and avoid creating negative karma.

A Unified Team for Global Salvation

At the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, Namo Amituofo, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and Practitioner Su lead the disciples, who are ready at any moment to accept the various tests of saving the world. We need super-strong adaptability and execution, striving diligently and persistently, racing against every second. This is a salvation team. Every member carries a different mission. No matter the environment, everyone must remember to practise diligently. When facing the public and dealing with change, we must also work together, support one another, and cooperate with one heart to complete every different task.

The spiritual elevation of the disciples, and the eventual recovery of their sensitive awareness and the realisation of one's true nature, are important provisions for self-liberation and for leading beings to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. In the process of saving the world, the beings, karmic creditors, and spirits we encounter—whether sentient or insentient—all have karmic affinities with the disciples. Only then can we listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma together, resolve grievances and illnesses, and help beings whose good roots, blessings, and Causal Conditions are mature to receive Chao Du and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

All disciples must continue to work hard, and together with the Buddha, the Teacher, and Practitioner Su, ride the waves and charge forward!

Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.