The Boiling World and the Path to Stillness
Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju
First Session of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, 28 February 2025
Teachings from the Teacher. Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
28 February 2025, First Session.
Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju offers these teachings:
The Turbulence of the Modern World
We live in a world that is much like boiling water. It is a place of constant agitation, where the heat of external circumstances keeps everything in a state of flux. If you do not possess the strength of meditative concentration, your heart and mind will inevitably follow the movements of this environment. You will find yourself feeling restless, anxious, and perpetually agitated by the world around you.
In the face of this boiling environment, people often react in one of two ways: some choose to physically retreat from the world, hoping to escape the noise and avoid being disturbed by external interference; others remain within the thick of it, becoming deeply polluted by the environment and eventually becoming a part of the boiling world themselves.
However, there is a third way. If you encounter a teacher who has achieved true , Wisdom (Prajna), and meditative concentration, you will find that it is possible to transform the state of this boiling world. By balancing compassion and wisdom, one can effectively soothe the heat and bring the boiling to an end.
The Metaphor of Water and Fire
Consider the nature of boiling water. When water is heated, the intense temperature causes it to transform into steam. As long as the fire burns beneath it, the water remains in this volatile, boiling state. If you simply turn the fire down, the boiling may cease, but the water remains scalding hot. It is only when you extinguish the fire completely that the water can gradually cool down—first to a warm temperature, and eventually to a cool, refreshing state.
Water itself has no autonomy; it is entirely dependent on the fire to determine its state. It is a passive element, shaped by the external conditions imposed upon it. If you touch boiling water, you will be burned. Because of this, people naturally distance themselves from boiling water, just as they naturally distance themselves from those who are filled with anger or those who are easily provoked into rage.
The Unique Capacity of Human Awareness
Water is inherently compliant; it follows the environment and changes its form accordingly. Whether it is boiling, hot, warm, cold, or frozen into ice, it remains water, yet its state is dictated by the external world. This is much like the six realms of existence. No matter which realm a being inhabits, their true self remains unborn and undying, never truly disappearing. Yet, like water, if we lack autonomy, we are merely controlled by the people, events, and objects around us.
However, human beings possess a unique advantage that water does not: we have the capacity for awareness. We have the ability to look inward and engage in self-reflection. We have the power to change our ways and transform our personality traits. We have the potential to practice and seek the purification that leads to awakened being.
While water can be used for Goodness or evil depending on how it is handled, humans have the power to change the environment itself. If you find that your body, mind, or your surroundings have become a boiling world, you must act quickly to turn back to the right path. You must lower the temperature of your anger and desires immediately. Do not allow the boiling to continue or recur, for when you create negative , the one who suffers the most is ultimately yourself.
Cooling the Flames through Practice
In the Pure Land school, we rely on the Two Powers: our own efforts and the Buddha's . Within the practice of Faith, Vows, and Practice, self-purification is the first priority. We use specific methods to cool the boiling heat of our lives: chant Buddha's name to steady the mind, performing prostrations to humble the ego, and recite the Sutras to align our thoughts with the Truth.
Through these practices, the Buddha's blessings are infused into our lives. By diligently applying these methods, we hope to reach awakened being as soon as possible, so that we may save ourselves and guide all beings to rebirth in the Western Pure Land. Namo Amituofo.
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