The Essence of Purity: Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju

The Clarity of the Heart

What is the true meaning of purity? It is clarity, brightness, luminosity, and the complete absence of defilement. If a substance is not turbid, it is clear; if it is not stained, it is pure. Consider the metaphor of water: when the water is perfectly clear, you can see all the way to the bottom. The sunlight pierces through the surface, reaching the very depths, and the light within the water illuminates all directions. This radiant purity allows all beings to attain their own clarity and receive its profound benefits.

No matter what external environment you may find yourself in, purity must always arise from within your own heart. When your heart is pure and free from the stains of defilement, you can understand all things with absolute clarity. In this state, nothing from the outside can control or disturb you. You must awaken to this truth and strive to return to your original, pure state.

Guarding the Six Roots

To maintain this state, you must purify your Six Roots. This is a vital daily practice for every practitioner:

• Purify your eyes: Do not look at anything that is not pure.
• Purify your ears: Do not listen to anything that is not pure.
• Purify your nose: Only inhale that which is pure and wholesome.
• Purify your tongue: Do not speak words that are not pure or kind.
• Purify your body: Do not engage in actions that are not pure.
• Purify your mind: Guard your thoughts and keep them pure, always seeking to return to your original nature.

You must guard your Six Roots as if you were guarding your own life. Through your own diligent practice, you will receive the Buddha's blessings. When your Six Roots are pure and luminous, your innate abilities will naturally manifest. These abilities are not something that comes from the outside; they have always been within your own home, waiting to be rediscovered.

The Path to Awakening

When you realise your pure self-nature, you will see the Dharma Body. If you merely grasp at the conceptual meaning, you are not truly seeing. To be pure and at ease is to experience true coolness. This is the ultimate goal of our practice: to leave behind the confusion of the world and return to the clarity of our original, pure heart.

Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.