Venerable Yongning, a monastic who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre and currently resides there, shares insights on the nature of the human body and the spiritual spaces within. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on October 24, 2022.
Venerable Yongning speaks:
". I am Yongning. Why is it that during the process of practice, the heart still cannot fully open? It is a question that has puzzled many practitioners. Now, I clearly see that within the human body, there exist bound inner spaces. These are not physical rooms, but rather spiritual dimensions that have become constricted and trapped.
This may sound abstract and difficult to grasp at first. However, I invite everyone to look within their own hearts. Consider how many desires still linger there, and how many negative thoughts have yet to be severed. These are all spaces. They are not empty; they are filled with the remnants of our past and the weight of our attachments."
The Complexity of the Human Interior
"The human body is incredibly complex. It is precisely because of this complexity that we must engage in the process of purification through our practice. During this purification, many sentient beings who were originally about to manifest in our lives are instead calmed. Because of the purification, they are not awakened. Even if they do not leave the spaces within , they remain in a state of deep slumber, which prevents them from causing interference to the human body.
Ultimately, the goal is to guide them all to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is a truly perfect and complete ending for all involved. The human heart and chest can contain an uncountable number of these spaces and sentient beings. The breadth and depth of these inner spaces are beyond what the human mind can easily imagine. Because the spaces within this region are so vast, there are a great many sentient beings hidden within them."
The Depth of Emotional Imprints
"A past that one cannot let go of forms a space of longing and attachment. When this space is awakened, a wave of uncomfortable sensations immediately surges from the chest. It contains thick, concentrated emotions and sorrowful , all wrapped within this space. They are usually suppressed deep in the heart by the sheer force of our mental notes, so they do not easily reveal themselves in our daily lives.
Similarly, a personality prone to jealousy also forms a space within the heart and chest. If we look at the depth of such a space, we realise that this tendency has been entangled for many lifetimes. This means that the personality of jealousy is not something that exists only in this lifetime. Over many past lives, this same personality has existed, and all of these instances have formed spaces within the body. Therefore, when one sees others who are more capable or successful than oneself, this space is triggered once again. The mental notes of jealousy from the past, combined with the jealous personality of this lifetime, strongly interfere with the human heart, causing a sense of intense jealousy to arise."
Breaking the Chains of Attachment
"The spaces within the body are countless. Matters in the heart that are difficult to let go of, personality traits that are hard to change, or habits that are difficult to sever—all of these have spaces existing within the body. These spaces can be singular, or there can be many. When they are all awakened within the body, the body must inevitably suffer the torment of illness. This is because within these spaces, there are spiritual attachments and , all of which can exert a profound influence on the physical body.
The human body is bound precisely because of the existence of these spaces. Conversely, these spaces are held tightly because the human heart has not yet learned to let go or change. Those who feel trapped should learn to let go—let go of the matters in the heart that are difficult to release. Only then can you purify the spaces within your body and no longer be tightly bound by them.
