The Boundless Nature of Space and the Buddha-Heart

recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe

On the eleventh of April, 2025, during the noon offering, Namo Amituofo provided these teachings on the nature of space.

The Relative Nature of Boundaries

Space is often perceived by sentient beings as a defined range or a physical boundary. However, this range is entirely relative. It can be as small as the infinitesimal or as vast as the infinite. Even when we speak of a specific range, we must realise that there is always something smaller within the small, and something larger within the large. Our conventional understanding of dimensions is limited by our own perspective.

The Buddha’s teachings shatter our rigid concepts of size, existence, and non-existence. This is how we can begin to comprehend the profound truth that Mount Sumeru contains a mustard seed, and a mustard seed contains Mount Sumeru. When we view the universe as a whole, space has no inherent size; it is singular and unified. The space that one can encompass depends entirely on the depth of one's mind-capacity. Those with a small mind-capacity perceive space as limited, while those with a vast mind-capacity perceive space as infinite.

The Illusion of Time and Space

Space is truly infinite because it is layered; there is space within space, and space within that space again. Because of this, we perceive the following structures:

• The past, the present, and the future, which define our experience of time.
• The ten directions, which define our experience of physical space.

In truth, both time and space are merely illusions. Within the constant changes of the world, the only thing we can truly grasp is the present moment. Yet, even this present moment is fleeting, as it rapidly transforms into the past. If you can learn to merge every present moment into one, the distinctions between the past, present, and future will vanish. It is only because the human heart creates these divisions that we perceive time and space as separate entities.

The Boundless Buddha-Heart

The Buddha-heart is without a fixed centre and without distinctions. When there is a need to know something, that knowledge manifests. When there is a wish to see someone, that person appears. Therefore, what we label as good is not necessarily good, and what we label as bad is not necessarily bad. Right and wrong are also not absolute. These perceptions arise only because our point of entry into the past and present differs, leading us to see different facets of the same reality.

For those who have realised their true nature, their heart is boundless. In this state, all beings are one with the self. The Dharma-Nature Land and the vastness of the Dharma Realm merge into a single entity. This vastness of the Dharma Realm encompasses everything without end:

• All sentient beings exist within it.
• Mountains, rivers, and streams reside within it.
• The heavens and the earth are contained within it.

Therefore, all beings, the natural world, and the self are one.

The Infinite Western Land

This is the concept of space within the Dharma-Nature Land. It is a space that can always expand; no matter how many beings there are, it can encompass them all. The Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is infinite because the mind-capacity of Namo Amituofo is boundless, and the space within that realm reflects this infinite nature. Even the size of the lotus flowers in the Western Land varies according to the mind-capacity of the lotus owner.

Similarly, the Western Land of Dharma Nature is infinite. This is because the mind-capacity of Practitioner Su is boundless, and his concept of space reflects this infinite reality. May you all strive to expand your own mind-capacity, that you may one day perceive the true, boundless nature of the universe.

Namo Amituofo