The Art of Passing Days: A Path to Awakening

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

14 June 2025

The Illusion of Mundane Existence

There are many ways to pass the days, and how one spends them reflects the state of one's heart. For whom do the people of this world spend their days in such confusion? They are caught in the relentless cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. Old karma and new karma manifest in turns, and they pass through one lifetime after another without pause. They do not know the suffering of the six realms of rebirth, nor have they heard the sound of the Buddha’s teachings. They take this way of living as the norm, residing in suffering without even realising they are suffering. Or, if they do realise it, they find themselves unable to leave it behind, lacking the strength to break through the cycle for yet another lifetime.

The Crucible of the Bodhimanda

For the students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, how do you pass your days? If you simply let one day follow another, thinking that merely getting through the day is enough, you are missing the essence of practice. Without a great vow or a great aspiration, when karma manifests, you will simply suffer the consequences as they arise. If you only participate in the Dharma assembly because it is time to sing, or if you recite the Sutras and chant the name of Namo Amituofo merely as a matter of routine, you are still living within the cycle of rebirth. The sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death will continue to manifest according to your karma. It is a great pity to be here at Hsiang Kuang and yet not truly practise.

Being at the bodhimanda is, in truth, a process of polishing your personality. Everyone here has their own duties, and you are all willing and happy to serve the community. However, you each have different personalities, different opinions, and different ways of doing things. Whether you can pass your days with a calm heart, without complaints or grievances, is a test of your compassion, Wisdom (Prajna), and capacity for tolerance. If you can use this environment to smooth out your personality until your egoic traits disappear, and even the beings within our bodies have their personalities smoothed out, then your practice will surely make great progress.

The Path of Uninterrupted Chanting

For the students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, the true way to pass your days is to chant one Buddha's name to the end. You must ensure that every thought follows the previous one without interruption. This is the practice of chanting to leave suffering behind, driven by a sincere and earnest hope. It is also the practice of chanting to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, putting your vow into actual practice.

• Cultivating Concentration: When you chant with the wish to attain a state of deep peace and wisdom, your meditative concentration will succeed, and you will enter the state of total mastery.
• The Power of the Buddha-name: This is the true Wisdom (Prajna) of the Buddha-name. When Awakening manifests before your eyes, you have achieved success in self-salvation.
• Saving Others: Once you have achieved this, you can continue to follow Namo Amituofo, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and Practitioner Su to save all beings who have karmic affinity and guide them into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Namo Amituofo.