A Buddha is the Great Awakened One, one who has achieved self- and the awakening of others. To be awakened is to possess a clear, profound understanding of reality. To be a Great Awakened One is to have attained a state of complete, thorough, and absolute . Many often ask, what is the work of a Buddha? What does the Buddha actually do?
The work of the Buddha is defined by two primary pillars: self-awakening and the awakening of others. The Buddha has realised the ultimate truth of existence. Having achieved this state, the Buddha naturally and compassionately extends this light to all sentient beings. One cannot truly awaken others if one has not first awakened oneself. Therefore, the Buddha’s work begins with the perfection of his own nature, which then naturally overflows into the service of all beings.
Revealing the Universal Principle
The Buddha naturally understands the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. He manifests in this world to teach and reveal these eternal laws. He walks the path of righteousness without deviation, and because he has realised his true self, he remains perfectly aligned with these eternal laws. Consequently, those who have become awakened beings also naturally walk upon the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.
The Buddha’s mission is to widely save sentient beings with karmic affinity, helping them leave suffering and gain happiness. This is the essence of the Buddha’s actions. While the suffering of beings is vast and without limit, the happiness that the Buddha offers is equally infinite. The happiness referred to here is true happiness; it is the true, eternal that radiates from within when one attains liberation from the cycle of birth and death or realises one's true self. It is not the fluctuating joy found within the cycle of , birth, and death, which shifts between happiness and sorrow.
The Path to Purification
Sentient beings have been sinking in the ocean of karma for far too long. We have been surrounded and deeply influenced by negative habits and wrong views for countless lifetimes. Today, the Buddha wishes to save everyone. He desires to help you become just like him, so that you, in turn, can go forth to save even more beings. However, for this to occur, you must be willing to be saved by the Buddha. You must be willing to listen and to follow the Buddha’s teachings. Only then can you break free from the ignorance and habits that have bound you for countless kalpas, and resolve the karmic debts that manifest when sentient beings appear before you to settle past accounts.
You must undergo purification to cleanse your body, mind, and spirit, and find your way back to your original, pure, cool, and liberated true self.
The Buddha Abides at Hsiang Kuang
My children, please understand that this is not a task that can be accomplished in a single day or two. However, at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre, this goal is entirely achievable because the Buddha is truly present here. The Buddha has descended into the human world not only to help beings leave suffering behind but also to lead sentient beings with karmic affinity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, or to enter the celestial or human realms, allowing them to escape the dark and gloomy life of the evil realms.
The Buddha has never changed. It is we, the children, who continue to turn endlessly within the cycle of rebirth, never finding a moment of rest. To subdue demonic enemies and bestow the subtle, profound is also the heart and the action of the Buddha. The Buddha does not fear demonic forces, for he trusts that every being possesses the Buddha-nature. He knows that all can be educated, transformed, and encouraged to turn back toward the light.
The Buddha is here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, residing within the heart of every child who keeps the Buddha in their mind. As long as you keep the Buddha in your heart at all times and never forget him, the Buddha will always be by your side. .
