The Art of Cultivating a Pure Mind

This interview was recorded on May 6, 2018, featuring Venerable Yongning, a dedicated practitioner who has sought deliverance through the teachings of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Currently residing at the centre, Venerable Yongning offers profound reflections on the nature of the mind and the essential process of purification. This account was documented by the chief writer, Shi Fajing.

Venerable Yongning speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. When you take a pristine, blank sheet of paper and draw a landscape upon it, even if you only use a few simple lines to suggest the mountains and rivers, that paper is no longer pure. It has been altered. In our daily lives, we often encounter trivial matters that seem insignificant—we think we can just let them pass. But we fail to realise that every one of these experiences leaves a mark on the white paper of our minds. Some leave a tiny dot, others a long, jagged line, and some even smear thick, heavy colours across the surface. Whether these marks are large or nearly invisible, they have all left their traces. The original clarity of that blank sheet has vanished, replaced by the clutter of our experiences.

The Accumulation of Mental Stains

Cultivating the mind is the essence of our practice. We are working to restore the mind to its state of absolute purity and transparency. Think of this blank sheet of paper as your own heart. As we age and navigate the complex, often polluted currents of society, we keep painting over it, layer after layer. We dye it again and again until the paper is a chaotic, messy blur. We can no longer see the original, pristine whiteness that was there at the beginning. Purification is the process of carefully wiping that paper clean, bleaching it until it is restored to its original state. When you hold that paper up to the light, you should be able to see right through it—that is the state of true transparency.

When you achieve this purity of heart, you can finally find your original self again. As you systematically clear away the clutter and the impurities that have gathered over the years, the innate abilities you once possessed—those that were buried under the weight of your attachments—will manifest once more, doubled in strength, ready for you to use in your practice.

The Path to True Freedom

The path of practice is not actually difficult. It is simply the process of bleaching the white paper back to its original, blank state. A life that is empty—free from the heavy baggage of the past—is a life that is light, agile, and truly at ease. When you do not store anything in your heart, you create a vast, open space. Only with this space can you truly embrace others. If your heart is already full of your own worries, grudges, and desires, how can you possibly make room for anyone else?

I encourage you to sit quietly and calm your mind. Take the time to clean up the mess within your own heart. Clear away the 'storage items' that have been cluttering your life and causing you such unnecessary trouble. Once you have cleared that space, use your pure, clean heart to help more people. Use that newly released space to embrace everyone around you, for we are all one body. In doing so, you will learn the true compassion of the Buddha and be able to fully exert your abilities to save beings. Namo Amituofo."