The Magnificent Dharma Affinity

The Nature of Law and the Supreme Dharma

There are immeasurable forms of law in this world, and each manifests differently depending on the causal conditions one encounters. Why do laws exist at all? They are established to respond to the needs of the time and to resolve the various problems faced by sentient beings. These laws serve as guidelines that everyone must follow to maintain order. Whether we speak of the Buddha’s teachings, the Precepts, national laws, military regulations, family rules, or school codes, they all exist to regulate the behaviour of individuals and groups. These laws are typically formulated by those with expertise or significant influence at the time. Once they are reviewed and accepted, they become the standard for the community. If one violates these laws, causing harm to people, things, or the environment, one must naturally accept the consequences or penalties prescribed by that law.

Causal conditions are incredibly complex and intertwined. Among all the various laws and conditions one might encounter, meeting the Buddha’s teachings is the most magnificent Dharma affinity of all. The Buddha’s teachings encompass eighty-four thousand doors, representing an infinite variety of methods that cover the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. Depending on the different spiritual capacities of individuals, these teachings guide everyone to walk the path of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, to refrain from creating negative karma, and to help everyone rediscover their true self and achieve liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

The True Purpose of Precepts and Practice

Once you have achieved a deep understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, all other laws become clear and easy to comprehend. The Buddha’s teachings explain a fundamental truth to us: all phenomena are created by the mind. This includes both worldly and transcendental laws, as well as those of this world and others. Within the Buddha’s teachings, the various precepts established according to different people, times, and places are not meant to be restrictive. Rather, they are intended to help all beings by providing a clear direction for self-restraint, ensuring we do not create negative karma. If one violates these, according to the natural laws of the universe, one will inevitably face negative consequences or retribution.

Throughout the history of the Buddha’s teachings being passed down to future generations, many different sects and schools have developed, and many have already vanished into the currents of history. Regarding the Buddha’s teachings that you may have encountered in past lives—even those you studied with great diligence and effort—nothing you have seen or known is ever wasted. Even after passing through the cycle of rebirth for countless lifetimes, these experiences remain stored within your Alaya consciousness. As you cycle through life and death, your Dharma affinity changes accordingly. The True Teachings of the Buddha have developed into various sects to meet the diverse needs of people. Regardless of which school or method one chooses to practise, none of them ever depart from the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.

Why We Seek the Dharma

People seek the Dharma for many different reasons. Often, it is because they are suffering from the following:

• Physical illness and pain, which make it difficult to maintain control over one's own body.
• Deep-seated sorrow, anxiety, and unhappiness that weigh heavily upon the heart.
• A desire to have their wishes fulfilled or to find peace in a turbulent world.
• The passing of family members or friends, which leads them to be guided toward chanting the name of Namo Amituofo.
• The maturation of their Dharma affinity, allowing them to listen to the sutras, hear the Dharma, and make the vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
• A need to awaken their wisdom and rediscover their true self.
• A desire to find inner peace when the heart is restless.
• A wish to help family members resolve their suffering and worries.

The Rarity of the Pure Land Path

In today’s society, the Pure Land school and the practice of chanting the Buddha’s name are well-known. However, how many people truly understand the essence of this practice? Many only know the external appearance of chanting, yet they fail to receive the true benefits. They are unable to rediscover their original nature, cannot escape the cycle of rebirth, and are very rarely able to be truly led by our compassionate Father, Namo Amituofo, into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Dharma affinities differ for everyone. Many people search tirelessly, yet they cannot find the True Teachings, or they encounter teachings that deviate from the Truth without even realising it. Consequently, they are unable to follow the True Teachings to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. If you miss this opportunity in this lifetime, how long must you wait? In which future life will you finally regain a human body, hear the Buddha’s teachings again, and continue your Pure Land affinity? Only then might you have the chance to focus on practising and propagating the Pure Land teachings to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Precious Opportunity at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre

To all the virtuous practitioners who have a connection with the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, you have this magnificent Dharma affinity today to hear the True Teachings. You must know that Namo Amituofo truly abides here, and you are all currently receiving the Buddha’s grace. By hearing the Dharma voice of Namo Amituofo, you can resolve the grievances with your karmic creditors. Through the Thrice Yearning Ceremony and the Chao Du Dharma Assembly, you can help your karmic creditors and immeasurable, boundless sentient beings be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss or in the realms of humans and heavens. What you have seen and heard here is something you have experienced personally; this is an opportunity that is difficult to encounter even in millions of years.

Regardless of how the outside world views these events, you must maintain your faith. Do not let the words of those who do not understand or who misunderstand these teachings cause your faith to waver. Instead, you must strive to practise diligently, make the vow, and put into action the same heart and the same vows as the Buddha to save the world, chanting Namo Amituofo to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The power of the Holy Name is vast and boundless. Do not waste any more time without learning or achieving results. You must rely on the True Teachings of the Pure Land, rediscover your true self, inherit the Dharma lineage, and make it your priority to save yourself and others, leading them to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Eternal Seed of Awakening

Dharma affinities and methods are all phenomena of arising and ceasing; they arise according to the needs of sentient beings and disperse when the conditions are exhausted. If you can use the Pure Land chanting method to resolve your doubts, clear your obstacles, and help your karmic creditors be reborn in the Western Pure Land, you should make the vow to save them. Integrate your own process of practice into the problems faced by the masses, helping all beings leave suffering behind and find rebirth in the West. If you can do this, it is considered a good causal condition.

If you have not encountered the True Teachings or are learning other methods that cannot directly lead to liberation from the cycle of rebirth, you may be working hard and dedicating all your energy, yet you will still fail to find the method to truly leave suffering behind. You will remain an ordinary person trapped in the cycle of life and death. If your Dharma affinity ends and you have not achieved liberation, you will still enter the six realms of rebirth upon death, which is truly a pity. A human body is difficult to obtain, and the Buddha’s teachings are difficult to hear. In this age of the Dharma’s decline, the Pure Land chanting method is the supreme Dharma among all teachings. This affinity with the True Teachings is magnificent and rare; if you encounter it, you must grasp it firmly and never let it pass in vain.

Broadly cultivate Dharma affinities; do not refrain from doing so just because your connection seems shallow. The affinity of the Pure Land extends from the highest Bodhisattvas down to those in the hells. It reaches as far as the vastness of the Dharma Realm, the sentient beings in the Milky Way, and as close as the smallest insects, the soil, the dust, and the spirits in the air and space. As long as they hear a single utterance of the supreme and virtuous Holy Name of Namo Amituofo, they have established a connection. Perhaps they may not achieve liberation and leave suffering behind in this one lifetime, but there is always a beginning. One day, because this Vajra Seed of Namo Amituofo was planted in their Alaya consciousness, no matter how many lifetimes pass, when the Dharma affinity matures and they encounter the Pure Land again, this Vajra Seed—nourished by the water of the Dharma, the sound of the Dharma, and the Buddha-light—will sprout, grow strong, and eventually lead them to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, where they will truly save the world and rescue all beings. Namo Amituofo.

This interview message was recorded by the Buddha’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.