The Burden of the Lead Officiant

This is a record of an interview with a high monk from China who lived approximately 800 years ago. He now resides in the spiritual realms and serves as a Dharma protector. This account was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on September 21, 2017.

The Spirit of the Ancient High Monk speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. The human body is difficult to discipline, so what is one to do? What is action, and what is non-action? What is the purpose of one's actions?

The winds of the world blow, and the nature of Goodness is stirred. When the mind is disturbed and chaotic, where do these scattered thoughts arise from? There are so many practitioners on the path of the Dharma today—are you willing to listen to an old soul from eight hundred years ago? My only counsel is this: you must practise with true sincerity!

The Illusion of Practice

You might say, 'But I am already practising!' Yes, you are indeed going through the motions of practice. But what exactly are you cultivating? What have you truly learned? You might argue, 'I have already left the home life to become a monastic!' Again, that is true—you have taken the vows. But if I were to ask you what you have attained, would you have to admit that you have gained nothing at all? If this life passes and you have nowhere to go, then why are you learning Buddhism? Should you not examine why things have turned out this way? Is it truly because your learning is not in accordance with the Dharma, or is there another reason? If you are lost, what should you do? Do you wish to reach a realm that you cannot even comprehend? Is it not true that the realm you understand most clearly is the Demon Realm?

The Heart of the Officiant

The same Dharma rituals, the same liturgical texts, the same procedures—yet the results are vastly different. What does a successful deliverance look like? The original purpose, as stated in the titles of these events, is to benefit sentient beings, deliver ancestors, and bring peace to both the living and the deceased. These are magnificent, auspicious manifestations. But where does the final difference lie? It lies in the heart. If the level of your heart is not pure, how can you possibly accomplish a Dharma assembly? Most of the time, it is a mutation of the heart. With what kind of heart are you participating in the ritual? Whether you are the lead officiant, the one striking the instruments, the cantor, or the attendant, you have been entrusted with a responsibility. With what kind of heart are you handling your duties? Have you truly given your all? What does it mean to give your all? Do you feel filled with Dharma joy? Do you find the entire assembly to be magnificent? Have you ever thought about the actual results of the deliverance?

The Weight of Responsibility

Many people treat Dharma assemblies as mere periodic events, forgetting the meaning that should be embedded within them. Sincerity, compassion, the Great Vow, and the vastness of one's mind-capacity are the keys to deliverance. Many have lost these concepts. Often, after an assembly, all that remains is exhaustion and a lack of spirit the next day. You have gained nothing else. Yet, you convince yourself that because of your labour and energy, the beings you intended to deliver have been saved. A Dharma assembly is a grand gathering blessed by Buddha or Bodhisattva. Under the illumination of the Buddha-light, beings from both the seen and unseen realms are welcomed. If your deliverance were not ineffective, should you not be radiant and filled with Dharma joy? If you are exhausted and require excessive sleep after the assembly, do not doubt it: even though the ritual has ended, you have likely brought some spirits from the ghost realm home with you. If this is the case, should you not consider what to do? Especially if you are the lead officiant, this is a grave matter. I urge you to read this carefully. My counsel comes from a place of kindness. For the sake of peace between the living and the dead, you must set aside your ego and try to see what the true Dharma manifestation looks like.

The Truth of the Unseen Realms

I come from China, from eight hundred years ago. I am a high monk who practised the Dharma. Now, I live a life in the spiritual realms. Having experienced much during these days, I understand the truth of these matters far better than you do. My sensitivity to these things is far clearer than what you can see or know. You may believe what I have written, or you may treat it as a reference. In any case, whether it helps you depends on whether you are willing to be changed.

Years ago, I already saw the flaws in the way Dharma assemblies were conducted in the world. At that time, I was in the Demon Realm outside the universe, and I did not wish to interfere in worldly affairs. However, I understood everything clearly. Now that I have become a protecting Dharma master and have recovered my original identity as a monastic, I believe it is time to tell everyone these things. At the very least, I see these problems clearly and am presenting them for you to consider. Whether you choose to change is up to you. It does no harm to consider, but in your practice, it could lead to much better results.

The Gathering of Spirits

With every Dharma assembly, you summon immeasurable and boundless sentient beings. These beings come to participate in the ritual as a matter of course, to accept your offerings. All the food offerings, the Mengshan ritual, and fire offerings are prepared for the ghost realm. Naturally, it is not strange for the masses to come here to receive these offerings. There are immeasurable and boundless scenes that you cannot see—the ghost realm participating in the assembly you have set up. Perhaps some enlightened spirits know they have come to seek deliverance, but many are just here to eat and drink. They do not understand the depth of this. These spirits are still accustomed to the life of the ghost realm; they do not yet understand the true meaning of deliverance. I believe that even the lead officiant at that moment may not understand how many people or spirits are participating in the ritual. This is the first problem: no one knows the true situation of the assembly. How many have come? Where are they gathering? You have no way of knowing. Do you not think this is somewhat inappropriate?

The Presence of Mara

I also know that many demon crowds love to participate in such places. The reason is to cause trouble and disrupt the proceedings. These mischievous beings have told me that their greedy hearts make them want to teach these leading masters a lesson for their hypocrisy and deception. Have you ever been disrupted in this way? A Dharma assembly is not just an ordinary human affair. Regardless of whether your bodhimanda is large or small, you should know that these rituals can span the living and the dead, and even the ten directions. This is the vast and boundless Dharma realm of emptiness. How can it tolerate your personal misconduct? If you are not repaired, who will be? Perhaps you do not think you are acting improperly. You may even believe you are diligently performing every ritual. You may not know, and so you cannot be blamed. But if you have become aware and still do not change, you are truly in trouble. The spirits of the ghost realm that are not delivered will entangle themselves with you. What kind of assembly can be considered a successful performance? Can the effectiveness of deliverance be truly realised? Have you ever seen the immeasurable and boundless sentient beings? Have you ever heard the sorrowful wailing of the lonely and suffering spirits? If you have the compassionate heart and the boundless capacity to accommodate these wishes of the ghost realm, your Dharma assembly will not find it difficult to achieve true deliverance. But if your assembly is mostly wrapped in greed and personal habits, how can you compensate for the faults of these rituals? It is difficult for me to point out your mistakes, but if you still have a shred of awareness, please look clearly at your own deliverance assemblies. Is there a need for further adjustment? The lead officiant conducts the entire ritual. If you lead well, there is merit; if you lead poorly, the sin is difficult to bear. You must face the respect and reverence shown to you by the lead officiant and the expectations of the attending masses. Do you truly have the attainment?

A Call to Sincerity

The vast number of believers, whether in the human world or in the void, all hope to receive the benefits of the Dharma. Whether the energy field is powerful and positive depends on a heart of immense sincerity and respect. Even if you do not know whether there is a response, this heart of sincerity—respecting all Buddhas and respecting the ghost deities—must be real. A Dharma assembly is not an opportunity to earn wealth. If you collect money for memorial tablets but cannot deliver the beings, you will not feel at ease. This is not a child's game; it must be taken seriously and with solemnity.

Face your own abilities. Do what you can with the capacity you have. Discipline every restless human heart until it is pure and in sync with the Buddha. The human heart is difficult to subdue, and there are endless deluded thoughts that are hard to transform. Lead officiant, do you still think a Dharma assembly is so easy to lead? If you have learned the true way, you will find it easy to lead, and you can greatly excel, improving with each session. But conversely, you will suffer the oppression of the ghost realm because of these forces, and you will become increasingly weak. Well, saying more is useless without an awakened awareness. I hope that those monastics who have karmic affinity can discover this point. You have already been attached to by spirits. Because so many want to seek deliverance, come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. You can see what true deliverance is. I hope that after you learn, you will return to your own place to deliver and save the world. Too many spirits are suffering. I hope you will set aside your own views and, for the sake of all beings, learn what is necessary.

After a Dharma assembly filled with Dharma joy, the energy and happiness are indescribable. If there is no Dharma joy, not only will you fall asleep and become drowsy, but your karmic creditors from countless kalpas will also find it difficult to depart. A Dharma assembly is absolutely not a place where he who pays is the boss. Even if one cannot pay anything, a heart of sincere repentance is enough. Generate a great heart, make great vows, and your assembly will have the greatest benefits and be extremely magnificent. Before participating in a Dharma assembly, you should clarify your motivation and mental note. Do not unknowingly create the wrong kind of karma. It is too great a pity. I hope everyone can find their compassionate heart and mind-capacity again. Only then can you truly help the beings of the ghost realm, have a true deliverance assembly, and send sentient beings to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is an incomparably magnificent benefit of the Dharma. Namo Amituofo."

Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, Australia

Contact: Venerable Hailiang / Practitioner Cao

Phone: +61-456-793-638

Blog: http://purelandstone07.pixnet.net/blog

E-mail: pureland.stone@outlook.com

Address: 120 Gordon Smiths Road, Goombungee, QLD 4354, Australia