This interview was recorded on December 28, 2018, at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. Venerable Changren, a dedicated monastic who sought deliverance through the teachings of the Pure Land school, shares his profound insights on the essence of Buddhist practice and the path to returning to one's true self-nature.
Venerable Changren speaks:
". True Buddhist practice is never an easy path. It requires one to constantly challenge various obstacles and face a multitude of ever-changing circumstances, all while ensuring that the heart remains unmoved by these external fluctuations. Once the 'taste' or state of your heart changes—once you allow yourself to form opinions, judgments, or attachments—your practice will immediately face obstacles. This is the rigorous training of Wisdom and meditative concentration.
The Illusion of the World
In truth, if you observe the world for long enough, you will realise that it is entirely false. It is a world of illusory space and time. However, people have become so accustomed to treating this unreality as reality that they live their lives in a state of exhaustion and suffering. If you can stop being deluded by the world, the perspective from which you view everything will naturally become much clearer and more lucid.
As long as you truly 'see through' and 'let go' of these illusions, there is no need to stir up any unnecessary mental notes. If you treat everything with an ordinary, balanced heart, you will find that your true heart remains calm and unchanged, regardless of the circumstances. This is the very heart of Buddhist practice: learning to maintain a natural, ordinary state of mind. Even when major events occur, the heart remains calm and unmoved. This is a skill that every practitioner must strive to master. Indeed, to have 'nothing to do'—to be free from the agitation of worldly affairs—is the most ideal state of existence.
The Burden of the Past
Do not waste your time tormenting yourself, and do not allow yourself to be trapped in endless, circular thinking. There is truly nothing in this world that requires such stubborn attachment or desperate grasping. Time is constantly moving forward; if your heart chooses to remain anchored in the past, you will never be able to make any progress. A body and mind that cannot progress will forever remain stagnant. While others are growing and flourishing, you will find yourself withering and unable to mature.
Clinging to the past is a false pursuit; it is the most exhausting state one can inhabit. In the end, you cannot take anything with you, so why insist on holding on so tightly? Letting go is the most effective way to live. You must quickly see clearly what is truly real and what is merely a fleeting shadow.
Breaking Through Illusions
The world is filled with too many illusions that require you to break through them one by one. of sadness are false, and feelings of triumph are equally false. Within this illusory space, there are far too many temptations waiting to deceive you. The moment a sense of 'self' arises, you are prone to becoming lost within it, forgetting your original, clear, and awakened nature. When you pursue things for the sake of this 'self,' you are engaging in the most tiring activity of all, for there is nothing in this world that can truly be grasped or held onto forever.
Follow the conditions of the moment with a natural ease. Relax a little, and you will find that your days become much easier to bear. Let go of and put more effort into your practice; that is the only thing that is truly real. Do not allow worldly affairs to interfere with you, for these things only serve to harm your spirit and do not provide any benefit for the purification of your practice. To live each day without being troubled by worldly matters—that is the best condition for practice.
Returning to the True Self
Do not go out of your way to find things that will only compress your spirit and limit your potential. You must commit to changing yourself and finding your way back to your true self-nature. To have encountered the Buddha in this lifetime is the only thing that holds true meaning.
The purpose of learning Buddhism is to recover the innate abilities of the Buddha. To remain troubled by the affairs of this world would be a profound tragedy. I sincerely hope that everyone can achieve this liberation. I am deeply grateful for the of the Buddha, the compassion of the Matriarch, and the grace of Namo Amituofo."
