The Long River of Spiritual Life

The Eternal Flow of the Spirit

We are composed of body, mind, and spirit. The life of the spirit is vast and ancient, stretching across a timeline that defies our limited human comprehension. It has existed for countless eons—trillions of years ago, or perhaps even further back into the depths of time. It originates from a beginningless past and flows toward an endless future. Even now, we cannot truly know when the life of the spirit might reach its conclusion, if such a thing exists at all.

Therefore, the life of the spirit is like a long, majestic river. If you look forward, you cannot find its source; if you look behind, you cannot see its end. This spirit is you, it is I, and it is everyone else. It is the very essence of all sentient beings throughout the vast expanse of the Dharma Realm.

The Boundless Scope of Sentient Life

This spiritual life encompasses a staggering variety of forms and states of existence. It includes:

• Beings of the six paths: Those wandering through the cycles of heaven, humanity, asuras, animals, hungry ghosts, and hells.
• Sages of the Four Sacred Realms: Those who have attained higher levels of spiritual realisation.
• Diverse Life Forms: From the earthly creatures, the insects that fly and crawl, to the microscopic life within the dust, soil, mountains, and rivers.
• Hidden Beings: Those that exist in spaces invisible to the physical eye, including air molecules and beings residing in other dimensions.
• Material Manifestations: Even the objects we use daily—our vegetables, fruits, and household utensils—contain sentient life within them.

The Veil of Ignorance

Every single being possesses the same original, true self. It is inherently perfect and pure. However, this true self has been covered up by the ignorance, afflictions, and the filth of dust that we have accumulated over countless lifetimes. Because of this, the spirit has become lost in confusion. Within the long river of spiritual life, we have taken on many forms. We have been earthly creatures, dust and soil, insects, and animals. We have wandered through the human world, the heavenly realms, the realm of asuras, and even descended into the depths of the hells, the hungry ghost realm, and the animal realm. We have even been travelling to outer space to exist as beings in other worlds. We have visited countless different realms across the universe. This is the journey of you, of me, and of all sentient beings.

The Path to Liberation

Before one finds their true self, every spirit carries the weight of the eight consciousnesses and the fifty-one mental factors, drifting through the cycle of rebirth. The only way to transcend this is to find the true self and realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood. Once you have attained Buddhahood, you are liberated from the cycle of birth and death. You no longer enter the cycle of rebirth. Furthermore, you can see the long river of spiritual life with absolute clarity, no longer subject to confusion. You attain a state of cool, refreshing freedom, able to move between all places without hindrance.

If a spirit has not yet realised their true nature and attained Buddhahood, they can make a vow. By generating Bodhi and focusing one's mind entirely on chanting Namo Amituofo, one can make the vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to practise and attain Buddhahood, so that they may then save all beings. Since you are also one of these sentient beings, you must first ensure your own liberation.

A Precious Opportunity

In the context of this long river of spiritual life, our current human life is like a tiny pebble in the middle of a vast river. Yet, here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, which is the place where Namo Amituofo truly dwells, you have the rare opportunity to practise. To have the chance to realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood in this very lifetime is an extraordinary event that is incredibly difficult to find. You must cherish this precious and limited human life while you still have it. Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable Fa Hui. Namo Amituofo.