Recorded and transcribed by ’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
During the second session of the held on May 23, 2025, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provided profound guidance on the nature of human experience and the path to true liberation.
The Fleeting Composition of the False Self
Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju explains that all our and sensations originate from this physical body. This body is merely a temporary combination of the Four Elements and the Five Aggregates. The Four Elements consist of earth, water, fire, and wind. The Five Aggregates consist of form, feeling, perception, impulse, and . All of these are phenomena in the cycle of cause and effect; they arise through the combination of multiple and dissipate when those conditions scatter. Because they are constantly changing, they are fleeting and vanish in an instant.
The aggregate of form refers to the material aspect of our existence, which includes this physical body. We often refer to this as our physical form or our false body. If you mistake this false body for your true self and cling to it tightly, you will inevitably become obsessed with its various changes and sensations. When you overprotect this body and its feelings, you deviate from the right path. This attachment makes you a slave to your , unable to be the master of your own life, and leaves you vulnerable to being controlled by your .
The Turbulent Trap of Emotional Experience
The aggregate of feeling encompasses all the sensations we experience. These include a vast spectrum of emotional states, such as suffering and happiness, deep pain and fleeting , worry, sorrow, anger, excitement, and disappointment. These feelings are constantly shifting and have no fixed duration. Whenever your heart experiences these fluctuations, you create ripples in your consciousness. This turbulence is precisely what causes the manifestation of karma and invites attached spirits to enter your field of awareness.
People often mistakenly believe that these feelings are real and permanent. Because of this delusion, they remain trapped in the cycle of rebirth, suffering endlessly for something that is, in reality, transient and illusory within the cycle of cause and effect. If you can recognise the truth, you will see that these experiences are not worth the suffering they cause.
Transcending the Illusion of
A wise person understands that feelings arise only because we possess a body. They recognise that these sensations are illusory and lack inherent reality. Therefore, the wise do not allow themselves to suffer because of their feelings. Every sensation is a part of your karma; there is a cause planted in the past, and only when that cause matures do you experience the result in the present. This entire process is driven by delusion, discrimination, and attachment. It is rooted in the concept of having a self—the belief that this body is me, that I am an individual separate from others. If you cling to your personal feelings, you will inevitably suffer.
The Noble Path of
If you can realise the truth of no-self, you will understand that there is no individual entity to be harmed. When the concept of a separate self disappears, the sensations of this body no longer hold power over you. In the state of no-self, you are one with all beings. Your hearts and actions are then elevated to the level of a , driven by the vow to help all beings leave suffering behind and find true happiness. This is the ultimate transformation of your hearts and actions, leading you away from the cycle of rebirth and toward the of Ultimate Bliss.
