The Burden of Constant Thought

Venerable Chang Ren is a dedicated monastic who resides at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. This interview, recorded on August 21, 2023, by the chief writer Shi Fa Jing, explores the challenges of the wandering mind and the necessity of achieving a state of pure, quiet awareness on the path to liberation.

Venerable Chang Ren speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. To embark upon the path of practice is to commit oneself to overcoming a multitude of challenges. The ultimate goal is to cultivate a pure heart and a body free from the illusion of self. We must use a heart of compassion to deliver sentient beings, helping all beings to attain liberation and leave suffering behind.

The Obstacle of the Overactive Mind

In my observations of the fourfold assembly and many Buddhist practitioners outside our temple, I have noticed a common obstacle: the tendency to 'think too much.' The human head is accustomed to constant activity. In the secular world, one is required to use the mind to process countless matters, both large and small. Consequently, thinking has become a deeply ingrained habit.

However, in spiritual practice, these complex thoughts become a significant barrier. It is evident that the more a person thinks, the less their heart can remain pure. These excessive thoughts act as obstructions, causing the heart to remain in a state of constant, restless fluctuation.

The Vulnerability of the Thinking Mind

Furthermore, those who think excessively are easily susceptible to spiritual attachment from external spirits. They may also inadvertently awaken the karmic creditors residing within their own bodies, inviting interference. This is especially true when one's thoughts are laced with desires and habitual tendencies. In such states, it is impossible to maintain the purity of the body; there are almost certainly numerous sentient beings simultaneously causing disruption.

When one observes the human head, one finds that within that small space, the karma accumulated throughout your many lives is stored. The head can be described as the gathering place for all karma. Various forms of karmic retribution can be clearly seen within the space of the brain.

The Struggle for Mental Purity

With so much karma simultaneously influencing the head, how can one possibly keep it pure? This is certainly not an easy task, yet in the context of our practice, it is something we must strive to achieve. Whether one is chanting Namo Amituofo, reciting sutras, memorising scriptures, or performing prostrations, one will find that thoughts continue to emerge from the brain. This is a remarkably persistent trait of the human head; thoughts always find a way to slip through the gaps. It is like reciting a sutra while simultaneously having other thoughts running in the background, or having scenes from one's thoughts flash before the mind's eye while chanting. These are common phenomena for many Buddhist practitioners.

But why does this happen? It is because it is still difficult to let go of the myriad conditions of the world.

The Path to Letting Go

Every person we meet and every event we encounter in life is a condition. When we are unable to let go of these conditions, they easily transform into thoughts within the brain, which we then ruminate upon and worry about repeatedly. However, if one can learn to let go of all conditions and live in the present moment, the brain will become a place of absolute silence and emptiness. All the matters that were once habitual thoughts will no longer act as obstacles, because once you have let go, you no longer think of them.

Yet, achieving this state cannot be done overnight. It requires long-term effort. By listening to sutras and hearing the Dharma, and through the various realisations one gains in life, one can help oneself to see through these illusions bit by bit, and to let go, little by little.

The body is false. All conditions only have an effect while we possess this body. Once the body is gone, these conditions are merely conditions, existing only in the void. This spirit still comes alone and goes alone, living and dying in solitude.

To let go of the myriad conditions, to live in the present moment, to sever the complex web of thoughts, and to maintain a pure and bright mind—this is how one gains the greater energy and Wisdom required to help sentient beings. This is something every Buddhist practitioner should strive for."

Namo Amituofo.