Teachings on Surrender: The Path to True Liberation

Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

On the ninth of February, 2024, during the midday offering, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provided the following profound guidance on the meaning of surrender.

The Sacred Essence of Surrender

To surrender is to truly yield and submit one's heart to the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. When you are capable of such surrender, you have already begun to let go of the arrogance and fixed views that reside within your heart. This act of letting go is not merely a passive gesture; it is a decisive shift in your direction and a fundamental transformation of your character.

Because you have declared your surrender, your internal state must necessarily differ from your previous beliefs, environment, stance, or roles. The most vital aspect of this process is the transformation of your heart. Only through this internal change can you truly receive the benefits of the Dharma and walk the path of the Right Way.

The Twelve Lights and the Compassion of Practitioner Su

At the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, Practitioner Su has made a great vow to save all beings, including those who are currently lost in the darkness of demonic influence. To assist in this monumental task, the Buddha provides the Twelve Lights. The extent to which these lights can manifest their power depends entirely on how Practitioner Su utilises them.

In the current situation, the Twelve Lights are actively subduing countless demon crowds and performing Chao Du for infinite suffering beings. Through this, many demon crowds are guided to surrender and enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, finding refuge under the seat of Namo Amituofo. However, because these demon crowds do not yet understand the magnificence of surrender, some have chosen to cast spells to attack the body of Practitioner Su, attempting to obstruct the work of performing Chao Du for the demon crowds. In doing so, they have unfortunately committed the grave sin of attacking the body of a Buddha-practitioner.

The Heavy Burden of Spiritual Life

Spiritual life is eternal, neither born nor destroyed. Because of this, it carries the heavy burden of karma and consciousness accumulated over countless aeons. For the average being, if one is lost in confusion and has not yet encountered a true spiritual friend to provide guidance, one will often fall into the cycle of reincarnation, pulled along by the heavy currents of past karma and consciousness.

This is an immense force, and one requires great strength to break free from such suffering and entrapment. If you find yourself feeling drowsy, entering strange spaces, or noticing that your negative personality traits are becoming more pronounced and intense, it is possible that you are being controlled by other beings or demon crowds, making it difficult for you to maintain your own autonomy.

A Call to True Practice and Liberation

At this time, the Buddha and Practitioner Su are playing the role of helping both ordinary beings and demon crowds escape their entrapment. They are constantly teaching the demon crowds that there is a path to surrender by entering the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, where they may transform their karma. Simultaneously, they are teaching the fourfold assembly of disciples to:

• Change their personality traits, shedding the habits that bind them to suffering.Strictly observe the Precepts, which serve as a foundation for spiritual stability.Let go of attachments, which allows one to escape the confusion of drowsiness and the entrapment of external spaces.

The Buddha and Practitioner Su continuously remind everyone—including the fourfold assembly and the demon crowds—of these truths. However, the question remains: how much of this teaching has truly been heard, and how many have genuinely changed their ways? This depends entirely on the heart and the actions of each individual. It is my sincere hope that all disciples will truly practise these teachings, for only then can one obtain the real benefits of the Dharma.

Namo Amituofo.