Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, recorded and transcribed by ’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe:
May 4, 2025
Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju teaches:
Saving beings is saving oneself. This is a profound truth that every practitioner must realise. The problems that other beings face are, in reality, the very same problems that you face yourself, or perhaps they are issues lying dormant in the depths of your , yet to be discovered. When you dedicate yourself to helping others face and overcome their difficulties, you are simultaneously helping yourself to confront and resolve those identical issues within your own heart. Therefore, saving beings is saving oneself.
The Mirror of Our Own Nature
When you serve the public, your Body, Speech, and Mind are naturally placed in a state of Goodness, kind intentions, and virtuous thoughts. This state of being attracts auspicious conditions and creates a positive environment for your practice. Simultaneously, this virtuous conduct helps to dissolve the negative you have created in the past and the harm you may have caused to other beings. By maintaining this state, you ensure that negative karma has no opportunity to manifest in your life. Thus, saving beings is saving oneself.
When you engage in the work of saving beings, you do so without seeking any reward. Your only wish is that all beings may leave suffering behind and find true happiness. This pure intention and the vibration of your virtuous actions can expand to your entire being. This is a vital process for the beings within our bodies, including your , attached spirits, and demon crowds.
Transforming Karma Through Service
When these beings receive the vibration of your kindness rather than the vibration of karmic cause and effect, they are pacified. This prevents the negative karma associated with these beings from manifesting, proving once again that saving others is truly saving yourself.
The ultimate goal of your practice is realising your true nature. You must lead a life of diligent practice, constant improvement, and uninterrupted chanting Namo Amituofo. Through this diligent practice and the constant recitation of the Buddha's name, you receive the Buddha's . You can then guide the beings within your own body to chant Namo Amituofo alongside you. These internal beings also receive the Buddha's blessings, which allows their hearts to become calm, their karma to be dissolved, and their spirits to accept and find liberation. In this way, when they are saved, you are also saved.
The Goal of
Those who have realised their true nature are selfless and free from the ego. Their only vow is to save beings and help them leave suffering behind. Their hearts are pure, kind, and free from any defilement or confusion. They understand that all beings and themselves are one entity. Regardless of the time or space, their resolve to save beings and help them leave suffering behind will never change.
In the process of saving others, you unravel the confusion and pain that beings experience. When you help the public avoid suffering, you are simultaneously unravelling the confusion and pain of the beings within your own body, thereby resolving their suffering as well. By helping both external beings and the beings within your own body to understand the laws of karma and cause and effect, you help them resolve their doubts and leave suffering behind. This ensures that negative karma has no way to manifest. Truly, saving beings is saving oneself.
