The Compassionate Heart of Namo Amituofo
Teachings from Namo Amituofo
Recorded by Venerable HaiZe on June 25, 2023
The Compassionate Gaze of the Buddha
All beings find great in seeing the Buddha, and they find even greater joy in being illuminated by the Buddha-light. This is because the Buddha manifests with the thirty-two physical marks and eighty secondary signs of excellence. When beings behold this glorious form, they naturally give rise to faith and a heart filled with profound happiness.
When you, as a child of the Buddha, look up at the Buddha, you see the compassionate, gentle eyes of the Enlightened One. As you gaze into those eyes, which are lowered in infinite mercy, no words are necessary. There is no need for expression or explanation. The Buddha already knows and sees everything—all your suffering and every trial you have encountered in your life.
However, the Buddha does not possess a physical body in the way you do, and therefore, the Buddha cannot take your suffering upon Himself to bear it for you. Your suffering arises from your own physical sensations, your , and the complex web of and the causes and effects that exist between you and other beings.
The Source of Our Inner Turmoil
All sensations originate from the heart. The heart then transmits these messages to , causing the body to react in various ways. These reactions form the basis of our experiences, leading to:
- The manifestation of Goodness or evil.The expression of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.The arising of greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, and doubt.The pursuit of wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep.
Because these thoughts and hearts and actions are rooted in the heart, you must learn to adjust your heart and transform your thoughts. When you do this, the sensations of your body will naturally follow and transform as well.
Who Truly Masters Your Life?
This brings us to a vital question: Is this heart truly your own heart, or is it the heart of the and attached spirits residing within your body? Whether you are the true self that acts as master of your life or whether your life is being directed by these karmic creditors and attached spirits depends entirely on who is in control.
The hearts and actions of these two forces are vastly different, and they lead to entirely different . For the majority of people, life is spent following the arrangements dictated by karmic conditions and the causes and effects. They live their lives according to the momentum of their past deeds.
The Universal Principle of Cause and Effect
To the Buddha, however, the perspective is entirely different. Whether it is a child of the Buddha, a karmic creditor, an attached spirit, or even a member of the demon crowds, the Buddha sees every single one of them as a Buddha. The Buddha treats everyone with the utmost respect.
When the Buddha provides teachings, whether through the act of listen to sutras and hear the or through direct discourse, the Buddha treats all beings equally. The Buddha speaks to everyone with the same level of , wishing for all beings to leave suffering behind and find happiness as soon as possible.
The laws of karma and cause and effect are the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. Everything operates according to this standard. Your body carries the memories and the karmic retribution from accumulated lifetimes. Some of these seeds are activated, while others remain dormant and still.
The Path to True
Those seeds that remain dormant will eventually manifest as karmic retribution when the conditions mature. As the saying goes, if you plant a good cause, you will reap a good fruit; if you plant a negative cause, you will suffer evil consequences. When these conditions mature and the results manifest, it is simply the natural progression of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.
If the conditions never mature, the result will not manifest. However, even if it takes hundreds of thousands of kalpas, the karma you have created will not simply disappear. This is why Bodhisattvas fear the cause, while ordinary beings only fear the result.
Because the activation of karmic retribution begins in the heart, Buddhist education must start by adjusting the heart. This is addressing the problem at its root. Furthermore, through diligent practice, you can adjust your heart and transform karma. You must be persistent and work hard. Only then will you have the possibility of moving far away from birth, aging, sickness, death, escaping being reincarnated, and finally realising your true nature as an awakened being.
Namo Amituofo
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About the Author
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
Contributed to Pure Land Buddhism knowledge library