Venerable Chang Ren, a dedicated practitioner at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre, offers profound insights into the nature of human suffering. In this interview recorded by chief writer Shi Fajing on August 15, 2023, the Venerable discusses how the torment of the heart can be transformed through the light of the Buddha.
Venerable Chang Ren speaks:
". The suffering of human life is fundamentally the torment of this 'heart.' It is the heart that bears the weight of every agony we experience in this world.
The Sudden Collapse of a World
Consider a family that appears happy and complete, only to have their world shatter in a single moment. The cause? A wife discovers that her husband has been unfaithful. In that instant of discovery, her heart is pierced as if by a blade. She feels as though she has fallen into a deep, dark valley, or as if she is being consumed by the flames of a furnace. In that heartbeat, she no longer knows what kind of world she is living in. Everything before her eyes seems real, yet simultaneously like a cruel, waking nightmare.
Images of their life together flood her mind, and she cannot help but trace back the subtle signs she had previously ignored. The 'Aha!' moment arrives with devastating clarity: she has been deceived. She has been betrayed by the person she held closest to her heart, the one who shared her pillow. What is to become of her future? Is this marriage even worth saving? As she looks at her young children, an infinite wave of sorrow washes over her. She feels she has failed them, yet she is paralyzed, not knowing which way to turn or how to mend what has been broken.
The Darkness of Modern Suffering
How many people in our society today have tasted the bitterness of the situation I just described? The chaos of this world manifests in countless ways, and sexual misconduct is merely one of them. Yet, this single type of event is enough to plunge countless hearts into a darkness so profound that they can no longer see the light.
Depression has become a modern epidemic, wandering through the hearts of both adults and children alike. It spreads as rapidly as a contagion. The medicines of this world are powerless to heal the diseases of the heart. No matter how much counseling or guidance one seeks, it cannot alter the massive, tsunami-like force of that crashes down upon us.
The Cry of the Soul
Human hearts are in such agony; we are all living in a living hell. Every person's soul is crying out for help, yet we remain trapped, limited by our attachment to this physical body and our deep-seated confusion. We are unable to free ourselves from the prison of our own flesh.
But the Buddha has come. Twelve rays of Buddha-light shine upon all beings in this worldly realm. Can you feel the presence of the Buddha's power? I, Chang Ren, see the Buddha waiting with infinite for every being to awaken. As long as there is a chance for salvation, the Buddha wishes to save them all.
The Buddha's Perspective
In the eyes of the Buddha, what we see are individual souls trapped in suffering. Even for the most wicked or malicious person, the Buddha looks past the surface and sees the true self within—the one who is actually suffering, the one who is being controlled by their own karmic forces, unable to clearly understand what they are doing.
Furthermore, the attached to each person are also children of the Buddha. Watching them harbor hatred and seek revenge, trapping themselves in the endless cycle of reincarnation, the Buddha feels a pain that cannot be described, yet there is often no way to intervene until the conditions are right.
The Key to Transformation
I see that the key to changing this situation lies within the 'human heart.' As long as each person's heart can transform—as long as we can let go of our rigid attachments and adjust our hearts to be compassionate and gentle—the power of the Buddha can help everyone find liberation and leave suffering behind.
Every pain encountered in each lifetime is never a coincidence. Take the suffering of the wife I mentioned earlier: when looking into her cycle of reincarnation, it becomes clear that this is the she is due. In the past, she caused others to suffer in this very same way. What she is repaying now is merely one ten-thousandth of that debt.
A Call to Peace
However, the Buddha does not wish for any of you to continue this cycle of revenge. Please, let go of your hearts! The lifespan of is limited, but the cycle of reincarnation is endless. Let your heart dwell securely within the Buddha. Calm that long-unsettled heart, chant Namo Amituofo with single-minded focus, and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Do not let these illusory sufferings consume your soul any longer.
