The Illusory Nature of the World

The Fleeting Nature of Existence

What does it mean to say that this world is illusory? It is like a dream, like smoke, like dew, or like a flash of lightning. It appears for a moment and then vanishes instantly. You cannot grasp it, and you cannot hold onto it. As the Diamond Sutra teaches, all conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows; they are like dew and like lightning. You should view them in this way. These illusions are composed of every passing moment, and in every one of these moments, we act with intention and dwell in our attachments.

This world is constructed entirely from these illusions. Because nothing here is permanent, everything is subject to impermanence and constant change. We are carried along by the currents of our karma, unable to control the flow of events. Our lives pass through the cycles of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and then they come to an end. Yet, people take all of this to be real. We take the self to be real, the body to be real, the home to be real, our emotions to be real, our interpersonal conflicts to be real, our karma to be real, and the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death to be real.

The Chains of Attachment

Because we believe these things are real, we cannot break free from our attachments. We are bound by:

• Our attachment to the self, which keeps us trapped in a narrow perspective.
• Our clinging to the physical body, which is merely a temporary vessel.
• The constraints of our family life, which often serve as a source of emotional bondage.
• The entanglements of our emotions, which pull us in every direction.
• The heavy weight of our karma, which dictates our future experiences.
• The relentless vortex of birth, aging, sickness, and death, which consumes our energy.

People are thoroughly bewildered by this illusory world. We believe that this is the ultimate reality, and because of this, we fail to see the truth of the facts. What is the truth of the facts? Whether it is the self, the body, the family, our emotions, our karma, or the cycle of life and death, all of these things exist only because of specific causes and conditions. When these karmic conditions manifest, the results appear, but they are never permanent. When the conditions arise, things gather; when the conditions cease, things disperse. Everything is subject to change.

The Theatre of Samsara

If you treat these illusions as real and try to grasp them tightly, hoping they will never change, you are chasing an impossibility. This mindset only brings suffering, bitterness, and helplessness. It leads only to desires and pursuits that can never be satisfied. It is much like a dream in which you are performing a scene in one of the six realms of existence. Every time you dream, it is like a single act in a play. Even after the curtain falls and you prepare for the next act, the audience—which is also part of the dream—weeps at the tragedy or laughs at the comedy on stage.

If you can realise that you are merely an actor in this dream, you will understand that these things are illusory and not real. You will no longer be deceived or suffer because of these phantoms. You must understand that this life is not meant for you to repeat the cycle of birth and death once more. Instead, it is an opportunity to use the false to cultivate the true. It is a chance to find the real you—the true self.

Awakening to the True Self

This true self is the awakened being, the self-nature. It is the state of permanence, joy, self, and purity. In this state, the inner heart remains eternally unchanged. It is still, settled, and unmoved, yet it can adapt to all external conditions and circumstances. It is perfectly pure and perfectly good. To the outside world, there is nothing it does not know and nothing it cannot do. It is perfectly clear, knowing the past, the present, and the future. Such a self possesses immeasurable wisdom, virtues, and auspicious characteristics. It has a boundless capacity for compassion, with a heart that encompasses the vastness of space and a mind that reaches every corner of the universe.

The true self is the appearance of the self-nature seen by an awakened being. It is Shakyamuni Buddha, who attained Buddhahood under the Bodhi tree. It is Namo Amituofo, who built the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This true self is Shakyamuni Buddha, it is Namo Amituofo, and it is the immeasurable and boundless assembly of all Buddhas. This true self, this Buddha-nature, is possessed by everyone. However, it has been covered up by the false self of this illusory world of reincarnation. It has become a grey, false image that cannot emit its true light or reveal its authentic appearance.

The Path of Return

Finding this true self is easy to speak of, but truly difficult to accomplish. It is the natural ability and sensitive awareness that every practitioner must recover through the purification of the Six Roots. You cannot find it by seeking externally; it cannot be found outside. You must be unattached, without dwelling in the mind. If the mind is originally empty, how can there be a mind to dwell upon? If you can think this way and act this way, you have achieved the purpose of practice and purification.

Look inward, search within your own heart, and recover the eternal. It has always been within the heart. This heart is the same as your heart and the heart of others; there is only one heart, which is the true self-nature. Although your body may reside in this illusory world, your heart can be real, eternal, free, and cool. Why do we do all of this? We do it to save ourselves and to save others, so that we may be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is the only path that holds true and ultimate meaning.

Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

Namo Amituofo