Seizing the Precious Opportunity

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

The Wisdom of Timing and Environment

A wise person is one who truly understands their own situation and the environment in which they find themselves. They know how to make the best use of their surroundings, seizing the precious time and the right place to allow their life to reach its greatest potential. This physical body, though limited, can be used to walk the path step by step until the final destination is reached.

During this journey, if one is fortunate enough to receive the guidance of noble people, the speed of progress will be greatly increased. These noble people help the seeker find the peaceful land of liberation, where suffering is left behind.

A Sacred Sanctuary for Pure Land Practice

The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, is such a sacred place for Pure Land practice. Because Namo Amituofo truly abides here, and with the assistance of the Teacher and the awakened being Practitioner Su, the fourfold assembly of disciples is provided with the perfect environment for purification.

Namo Amituofo acts as the ultimate noble person for all beings. Because Namo Amituofo abides here, this place has become a true Buddha-land. Within this sacred space, the fourfold assembly can focus entirely on their practice.

Overcoming the Tests of the Path

Even when faced with demon tests, if one can pass through them, one's practice will achieve rapid success, even leading to Awakening. No matter what form these tests take, one must face them with:

• Compassion: A heart that feels for all beings.
• Wisdom: The clarity to see through illusions.
• Mind-capacity: A vast and inclusive heart.
• Tolerance: The ability to remain steady in the face of adversity.

By remaining undisturbed and continuing to practise diligently to save all beings, one can transcend the self. When one is free from the illusions of the Five Aggregates—form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness—one can see the growth in one's practice.

Walking the Right Way

Compassion, wisdom, mind-capacity, and tolerance are the essential conditions for becoming a Buddha. The Five Aggregates are illusory and empty; when one realises this and stops clinging to them, the mind becomes free from obstacles. Only then can one avoid being misled by illusions and see the truth.

This allows one to walk firmly upon the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. By giving Dharma talks and spreading the teachings, one can introduce Namo Amituofo and the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to others, leading and saving all beings.

May the fourfold assembly seize this precious time, advance in their practice, and achieve success in chanting Namo Amituofo, so that they may attain Awakening and lead all beings to rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Namo Amituofo