Teachings from National Master Xianshou: Integrating Understanding and Practice

The Harmony of Understanding and Practice

On the twentieth of September, 2017, I, Venerable HaiZe, had the honour of conducting an interview with National Master Xianshou. After I performed ten prostrations to pay my respects, the National Master spoke with great compassion.

National Master Xianshou began by saying that he was already aware of the interview and that there was no need for excessive formality. In this space, everything is open and there are no secrets. You must understand this clearly if you wish to make genuine progress on your spiritual path.

In the Buddha’s teachings, what we call diligent practice requires that understanding and action go hand in hand. If you only possess understanding, you remain trapped within the confines of words, language, and conceptual thinking. At best, you are merely reading, listening, and contemplating, which only adds a layer of academic knowledge to your life. To truly benefit from purification, you must act. You must put the teachings into motion.

The Profound Art of Prostration

When you use your actions to perform prostrations, you must understand that the purpose is to gather your body, mind, and spirit. By bowing with your body, listening to the Buddha-name with your ears, and focusing your intent solely on Namo Amituofo, you allow your entire being to become supple and soft. As your body follows the rhythm of the Buddha-name, you perform a prostration that is most sincere and aligned with the Buddha-heart and the Buddha-vows.

Such prostrations do not merely move the hearts of other beings; they are a true form of repenting for your spiritual obstacles, which is the only way to resolve the conflicts with your karmic creditors. If you treat prostrations as a mere formality, if you are out of sync with the Buddha-name, or if you fall into a state of drowsiness without any desire to improve or break through, then you are not truly performing your morning service. You are simply wasting time. You are squandering the precious opportunity provided by being in this sacred Buddha-land. You are merely creating a superficial connection with the sentient beings around you, which may even lead them to disregard your practice further.

If you truly wish to resolve your karmic knots, empty words are useless. Even understanding alone will only lead to partial improvement. You must commit to genuine action to resolve the deep-seated grievances between you and your karmic creditors. If you follow the rhythm of the prostrations but your thoughts, intentions, and methods remain unchanged—if you believe you are practising but fail to take concrete actions that benefit other beings—then you are merely maintaining the status quo. You are failing to transform your karma, and you continue to be driven by the force of your past actions. It is a great pity to be in a Buddha-land and miss the chance to grow and rediscover your true nature.

Sincerity Across Generations

Prostration is not limited by age. Younger practitioners may not always grasp the true meaning of prostration, but if you can bow with a heart of sincere repentance, you are purifying your own intentions. This not only dissolves your spiritual obstacles and provides an opportunity to resolve conflicts with karmic creditors, but it also purifies your body and mind, especially by calming the restlessness, agitation, and anxiety that often plague the young.

Older practitioners, having experienced more of life’s hardships and having heard more of the Buddha’s teachings, may find that their physical strength does not allow for long sessions. However, you should be better able to cherish the time you have for prostrations. You can see the sincerity and reap the benefits of the Dharma in every bow. If you can bow without bringing in delusions, then discrimination and attachment will not enter this space. Even if they do enter, if you have the desire to break through your drowsiness or the distractions of this space, you should pray for the Buddha's blessings. In this sacred Buddha-land, if your heart is sincere, it will be responsive. You will surely receive the help of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, the patriarchs and venerable masters, and the Dragon and Heaven Dharma Protectors, giving you the opportunity to break through.

The only danger is if your motivation to overcome drowsiness or mental wandering is insufficient, or if your perseverance is lacking. Even if you are in a Buddha-land, surrounded by the care of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma protectors, they cannot help you if you do not help yourself. They can only watch as you fall into drowsiness or become lost in your own thoughts. Because the Pure Land path is a dual-power method—relying on both self-effort and the Buddha's power—you must help yourself to receive the Buddha's help. All dharmas are mind-only.

From ancient times to the present, those who have truly entered the Buddha-heart, or even those who have a slight understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, know the importance of bowing well. Whether you are at any time or in any place, bowing with a sincere, pure, and undistracted heart—the fragrance of the heart emitted through these prostrations—surpasses any offering of precious flowers or fruits. A truly discerning practitioner can tell the level of a person’s cultivation and the state of their mind just by observing the movement and stillness of their body during prostration. Therefore, in every single bow, you must manifest your true sincerity and purity. Do not let delusions arise. Hold tightly to the Buddha-name so that you do not waste the benefit of the one hundred and eight prostrations that make up your first morning service.

The Wisdom of Daily Sutra Recitation

Regarding the recitation of the sutras, why is it included in your daily practice? It is because sentient beings easily forget the teachings of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, the patriarchs and venerable masters, and even the true spiritual friends beside them. Even if you have a moment of inspiration and a desire to change, your delusions, messy thoughts, and weak willpower often cause those intentions and actions to vanish without a trace. This leads to future regret, followed by more repentance and more attempts to change.

You do not know how quickly life passes, or when impermanence will arrive. Once your breath ceases, how can you be sure you will encounter a Buddha-land again, or hear the true Pure Land teachings and receive the true blessings of the Buddha? This is why you need to be reminded, instructed, and exhorted by the sutras every single day. We hope that by focusing on the text of the sutras, you will not allow messy thoughts or delusions to manifest. In the short, limited time you spend reciting, you can suppress your afflictions. Those with sharp faculties can gain deep insight through this daily recitation, receiving magnificent benefits and using the power of the Dharma to sever their afflictions. This is the compassion of the patriarchs and venerable masters, who passed down this method to benefit those who came after them.

When Shakyamuni Buddha was in the world, there was no such thing as reciting sutras, as the texts did not yet exist. The sutras were only compiled later, when Mahakasyapa led Ananda and five hundred great Arhats to gather the teachings. Sutra recitation was a daily practice established by later patriarchs and venerable masters. Because of different historical backgrounds and the varying capacities of sentient beings, different methods of recitation have evolved. In the past, there was what was called chanting the sutras, where the variation in musical scales was used as a daily practice to more effectively gather the body and mind and prevent delusions from arising. However, this was more difficult, and as it was passed down through generations, the specific melodies were lost due to the differences in how each monastic chanted them. Therefore, monastics now use the most convenient method of oral recitation, often accompanied by Dharma instruments, as their daily practice.

In short, no matter which method is used, the goal is to allow the monastics of that time to receive the benefits of the Dharma and to ensure the teachings are passed on forever. You, the disciples at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, have tremendous blessings. You are able to recite the Infinite Life Sutra as part of your daily practice, and you do so under the care of Namo Amituofo, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the patriarchs and venerable masters, all while bathed in the Buddha-light. Do not take this for granted or neglect the benefits and the magnificence contained within. The sentient beings are reading the sutras, and the patriarchs and venerable masters are protecting the sutras; their sense of reverence far exceeds yours! If you can focus on the words of the sutras every day without letting messy thoughts arise, and if you refuse to follow your own desires or the desires of other beings by falling into drowsiness or becoming lost in space, then reciting a single sutra with complete reverence will bring about different facets and changes in your life. It will also be of great help to your meditative concentration. What we call concentration is the ability to remain undisturbed by the outside world. Being able to overcome drowsiness or the pull of other beings is a major breakthrough. How could this not increase your meditative concentration?

A Call to Diligent Practice

Today, that I, Xianshou, can transcend time and space to have this exchange with you is truly due to the compassion of the Buddha. An endless stream of Dharma flows into this moment. I deeply feel that you have tremendous blessings. Since you are able to receive such benefits of the Dharma, you should cherish them. Use your full strength to break through the limitations of your own physical strength and ability. Let go of your original views, your methods, and your inherent patterns of thinking. Instead, be active and use your heart and effort to do every single thing, especially the tasks assigned by Practitioner Su. This will bring you unexpected benefits of the Dharma. In worldly terms, we call these benefits, but such benefits may not be immediately visible or felt. However, you will certainly not suffer a loss. You must set your sights far ahead. If you are in a Buddha-land and only value the benefits you receive in the immediate present, it would be a great pity. This is all I have to say today. Namo Amituofo.

Spoken personally by National Master Xianshou

Interview message recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe