The Days of No-Self

The Burden of the Self

Teachings from Namo Amituofo, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

From the moment of your birth until this very day, you have lived in this world under the heavy shadow of the self. You have built your entire life around the needs of this physical body and the desires of the ego. You have spent your years caught in the relentless cycle of Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt. You have been driven by the five desires: wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep. Throughout your life, you have been buffeted by the inevitable tides of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

You have experienced countless cycles of life and death. In each existence, the 'you' was different, yet the underlying pattern remained the same. You have passed through various bodies, different appearances, and unique personalities, yet you have always been tethered to the same worldly existence. This is the common portrait of most people's lives; it is the standard condition for all beings who are still bound by the heavy weight of karma.

Transcending the Worldly Ego

True practice requires you to distance yourself from this worldly 'self.' In the realm of genuine practice, there is no 'self.' The life of a practitioner and the life of a worldly person are two entirely different paths. One who has realised the state of no-self still possesses a physical body, yet they no longer live for the sake of that body or the ego. Instead, every action they take is dedicated to the benefit of all beings.

Consider this: you are but one of many beings. The countless cells within your body are also individual beings in their own right. Originally, these entities were independent, yet due to the presence of the physical form and the force of karma, they have come together to coexist within this single vessel. You manifest through the Five Aggregates: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. You reveal yourself through the Five Poisons and the five desires.

The Path of Liberation

The practitioner of no-self chooses to let go of these burdens. They choose to:

• Release the attachment to the Five Aggregates: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.
• Sever the roots of Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt.
• Abandon the pursuit of wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep.

By letting go of these, you cease to create the causes of good or evil, and consequently, you are no longer bound by their fruits. You do not enter into the cycle of consciousness, and thus, no new karma is formed. This is the true way to stop and extinguish all afflictions.

The practitioner of the Great Vehicle seeks to attain Buddhahood while simultaneously saving all suffering beings. If you have not yet stopped your afflictions, you will have no opportunity to attain Buddhahood or to save others. You will remain trapped, disturbed by the interference of your own karma, unable to reach the clarity of Awakening.

The Power of the Buddha-Name

Chanting Namo Amituofo is the most effective way to subdue your afflictions. For those whose practice is strong, this chanting leads to the total cessation of afflictions. This is the magnificent power of the Buddha-name. If you have not yet severed your afflictions, your ability to save others will be weak, or perhaps non-existent. This is because you are still a being in need of saving yourself; you are still incomplete, and you are easily influenced by the afflictions of others.

If you do not return to the right path immediately, you will drift away from the Buddha's path. You will fail to enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and this body will remain far from the attainment of Buddhahood. Therefore, the state of no-self is the essential condition for becoming a Buddha.

Living in the Light of No-Self

In the days of no-self, you have no rigid personality to defend. You follow the needs of all beings with a gentle heart, free from afflictions and free from the weight of karma. Your Six Roots become clear and pure. You live each day with a sensitive, awakened awareness rather than being governed by the Five Aggregates. You live to help all beings leave suffering behind, rather than being entangled in your own afflictions, waiting to be saved yourself.

In the days of no-self, the sound of the Buddha-name resonates continuously within your body. To chant while not chanting, and to not chant while still chanting—this is the mark of true cultivation. Can the fourfold assembly of disciples find the point of realisation here? You must practise diligently, change your ways, and break through your limitations. Only then will you be able to live a life of no-self—a life that is cool, calm, free, and liberated.

Namo Amituofo