The Crucial Choice: To Change or Not to Change

The Heartbreak of Ignorance

Beings are often mired in ignorance, and despite being counselled time and again, they remain deaf to the truth. When one refuses to change after being advised, it is as if they have not heard the advice at all. But what happens when there is no one left to offer counsel? This is the state of many beings today. We must recognise that every member of the fourfold assembly is a being, and even the teachers are beings. Furthermore, the immeasurable and boundless suffering beings who are connected to us by karmic affinity are also beings. It is truly heartbreaking and causes one to sigh with deep sorrow to see those who strive to save the world and liberate beings faced with such persistent resistance.

I invite you to reflect deeply within yourself. Do you suffer from this same problem? If you do, and if this is a common trait among the majority, then it is no wonder that ignorance remains so prevalent. Ignorance is one of the Five Poisons that cloud our true nature: greed, the insatiable desire for more; anger, the fire that burns away our peace; ignorance, the lack of understanding of the Truth; arrogance, the pride that prevents us from learning; and doubt, the hesitation that stops us from trusting the Right Way. This poison seeps into the heart of a being and manifests through the body, leading to actions that are inappropriate and in violation of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. If a practitioner is burdened by these issues, how can they speak of diligent practice or improvement? How can they ever hope to realise their true nature?

The Non-Dual Gate of Repentance

Repentance and changing one's ways are the only path—the non-dual gate—to resolving the grievances held by our parents, teachers, and karmic creditors from our many past lives. This is called a non-dual gate because there is no other method that can replace it, and it is a truth that does not change regardless of the passage of time or the shifts in space. From the beginningless past, the moment a being first gave rise to a thought and created a negative cause, the cycle of karmic creditors and the laws of karma and cause and effect began to operate. Repentance and changing one's ways have been the necessary remedy since that very moment.

It can be said that even after immeasurable eons, repentance and changing one's ways remain the only effective solution. Many people have successfully resolved their conflicts and seen their karmic creditors depart because they truly repented and changed their ways. However, many others remain trapped in a cycle of mutual consumption, where they continue to harm and be harmed by their karmic creditors throughout their many lives. This is not a problem that affects only one or two people; it is a widespread phenomenon occurring everywhere. As we accumulate more ignorance and karma, we carry heavier and deeper burdens with us. Those who are unfortunate do not understand this situation, nor do they have a true spiritual friend to inform them. Consequently, they create many regrets that can never be undone.

The Consequences of Ignoring Guidance

Today, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, Practitioner Su and the Venerable ones are interviewing spirits of young people who have suffered due to the internet and those who have met with untimely deaths. Most of them are in this very situation. Another group of unfortunate individuals are those who refuse to listen to any advice. At first, they suffer only minor consequences, but as they become more deeply lost, their karmic retribution intensifies, leading them to reap the bitter fruits of their own actions, sometimes even costing them their precious lives.

Those who are fortunate are able to encounter a true spiritual friend the moment a problem arises. They repent and change their ways immediately. Through this process, they not only gain the understanding of their karmic creditors but also elevate their own spirituality. This generates a new strength that allows them to practise even more diligently. If they make a mistake again, they repent and change once more, and their spirituality is elevated again. Our practice is a continuous process of changing and advancing. As the saying goes, do not fear the arising of a thought, only fear being slow to awaken. Being slow to awaken means having no true spiritual friend to remind you, or failing to awaken yourself, thereby missing the opportunity to stop the thought and change your ways. If one still refuses to change even after being reminded by a true spiritual friend, how can they avoid the evil consequences? All of this unfolds as time slips away, second by second.

The Fairness of Karma

Those who still have some remaining blessings may continue to live despite their mistakes, but once those blessings are exhausted, they will inevitably taste the bitter fruits of their actions. Some lose their lives while still in the midst of their errors. Once life ends, they must face the consequences of those errors. It is easy to imagine how they cannot avoid the hells. The torture they endure in the hells after death is the direct result of their actions. Many of the young people interviewed by the Venerable ones are suffering in the hells, and they are not exempt from this torture simply because they did not understand or because no one told them. Many were advised, but because the advice was ineffective, they did not listen, or they were led by the force of their karma and controlled by demon crowds. Those controlled by demon crowds find it very difficult to listen to advice or change their ways, and they must endure the suffering of the hells. Within the Buddha’s gate, some of the most unfortunate suffering and retribution are caused precisely by repeated failures to listen to advice and change.

However, if there is still a shred of conscience remaining, one can break through and change, and in doing so, stop the suffering of the hells. This is the natural principle. Others can advise you, but they cannot take your place in enduring the suffering of the hells. This is the fairness of karma.

A Call to Action

The preciousness of life is not something to be spoken of in words alone; it must be proven through action. At this moment, the teacher must realise that practical action is of the utmost urgency. Every day, how many beings are with the teacher, waiting for the teacher to lead them to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to find Namo Amituofo so that they can go to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss! This is not a dream; it is a reality that requires the teacher to have the boldness, determination, and ability to listen to advice and change. Teacher, do not hold onto yourself; hold only onto the beings. Do not think of your own needs; think only of the needs of the beings. If you can do this, then this great work can be realised.