Suddenly Waking Up from the Dream of Samsara

Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju's teachings. Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

21 November 2025

Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju:

The Endless Layers of the Dream

Suddenly waking up, I discovered that I had previously entered a dream within a dream. Within these layers of dreams, I thought I had awakened, yet I had simply drifted into another dream before truly waking, performing different roles in different scenes.

This dream state feels strangely familiar, as if I have seen it before. In truth, since time immemorial, I have played out these very scenes in my dreams, and they have been recorded and stored within my Alaya consciousness.

At this moment, stirred by these conditions, these scenes manifest before me once again. Startled in the dream, I believed I had awakened, but in reality, I was still deeply immersed in the dream state. It is only through diligent practice within the dream, and the shock of true spiritual insight, that the dream can be shattered.

Suddenly waking up, I realise that all the dust of the past was merely a dream. At this moment, everything becomes empty, and only then have I truly left the dream behind.

The Rare Connection to Awakening

How can one practise diligently within a dream to shatter it? This is where the importance of a rare and precious spiritual connection becomes clear. Those who have truly awakened can enter the dream state to help those who are still lost, breaking the illusions of the dreamers one by one.

The dreamer is often stubborn and deeply attached to their illusions. If the awakened one who enters the dream to save them does not possess great vows and great power, or if their vow is not firm, they will not only fail to wake the dreamer but may even become lost within the dream themselves.

Therefore, if you are in the dream and encounter an awakened being who possesses great vows and great power, you must cherish this opportunity with the utmost sincerity. You must listen to their teachings and follow their guidance. Only then will you have the chance to suddenly wake up.

The Call to Fulfil the Ultimate Vow

At this moment, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia—a place where Namo Amituofo truly abides—the fourfold assembly of disciples are the dreamers. You were originally awakened beings who descended from the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss with the vow to save suffering beings. Yet, upon entering this world, you became lost and fell into the dream along with those you intended to save.

The one who manifests in a human body with great vows and great power to wake you is Practitioner Su. It is my sincere hope that the fourfold assembly of disciples will suddenly wake up. You must quickly rouse yourselves from this dream and, following Namo Amituofo, myself, and Practitioner Su, put into practice the work of saving infinite suffering beings. This is the only way to truly live according to the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.

Namo Amituofo