Recorded and transcribed by ’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
During the third session of the on the 16th of February, 2024, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju offered these profound teachings on the nature of our existence.
The Fleeting Nature of Our Human Journey
Life is but a single journey. When we arrive in this world, we bring nothing with us, and when we depart, we can take nothing away. How many of us truly reflect on what we are carrying throughout this passage? Many people spend their entire lives in a state of constant busyness, rushing from one task to the next. In doing so, they often accumulate a heavy burden of and transgressions, leaving this world with a heart weighed down by the very actions they performed while alive.
For those who allow their lives to be governed entirely by the laws of karma and cause and effect, existence becomes a repetitive cycle of settling old debts and creating new ones. We spend our days repaying kindness or seeking vengeance for past grievances, trapped in a web of our own making. When we look back at this journey, we must ask ourselves: what have we truly left behind? Perhaps only a legacy of worldly merits and faults, which ultimately fade like mist in the morning sun.
The Path of True Cultivation
However, for the dedicated practitioner who seeks the True Cultivation of the spirit, the perspective is entirely different. Though we must pass through this world, we do not need to be consumed by it. We are here to use this temporary human body to find the eternal truth. By engaging in diligent practice, we can wash away our impurities, attain purity of heart, and eventually realise our true nature to attain Buddhahood.
Consider the work of Practitioner Su, who performs with such profound . Through the manifestation of countless forms and the radiance of the twelve types of Buddha-light, Practitioner Su works tirelessly to save countless beings and spirits. This mission is driven by a singular, compassionate vow: to help all beings leave suffering behind and find happiness, guiding them to chant Namo Amituofo and achieve rebirth in the of Ultimate Bliss. This is the noble effort required to ensure the Buddha’s teachings and the holy name of Namo Amituofo continue to flow throughout the human world.
The Ultimate Choice
As we stand at the crossroads of our existence, we must face the reality of our choices. Between coming and going, what is your destination? Will you choose to enter the cycle of reincarnated life, enduring the endless suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death? Or will you choose the path of practice, where you not grow old, not get sick, and the spirit does not die, ultimately securing your rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss?
Throughout our lives, we encounter many people: our family members, fellow practitioners in the bodhimanda, and even the animals we share our lives with. Every being we meet, including those in the spirit realm, whether they possess emotions or are inanimate, shares a affinity with us. If we are diligent in our practice in this lifetime, we can follow the guidance of Namo Amituofo, our teachers, and Practitioner Su in the work of saving the world.
When the time is right and our spiritual foundations are now fully matured, we will find that all those we have encountered—those who can be saved and those who are waiting to be saved—will have their moment of liberation. Let us walk this path with sincerity, knowing that our efforts to save beings are never in vain.
