The Nature of Good, Bad, and Impermanence

The Fluctuating Nature of Existence

For those living in this world, the concepts of good and bad are not fixed constants; they are variables that shift with the tides of life. Whether we consider our physical bodies, our fleeting emotions, our complex thoughts, or our daily actions, we find ourselves caught in a constant oscillation. At one moment, we perceive something as good, and in the next, we judge it as bad. This cycle repeats, with bad turning into good and good turning into bad, all of which is absorbed into our consciousness. These experiences weave together within the tapestry of our impermanent lives, constantly transforming and defining the human experience.

Good and bad are merely products of our discriminations, while impermanence is the natural law of the universe. People spend their days, years, and lifetimes caught in this web of judgment. Consequently, they become accustomed to the rhythm of impermanence. They grow familiar with the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, accepting these as the inevitable reality of their existence.

The Trap of Discriminations

When we allow our every thought and intention to be governed by these discriminations, we inadvertently attract karmic creditors and attached spirits. When we allow these karmic creditors to become the masters of our lives, we are essentially allowing our karma to take the lead. In doing so, we lose sight of our original self-nature. We drift further away from the state of cool, refreshing clarity and true freedom. Because we do not recognise our true self, we feel like strangers to our own original nature.

This is the current state of the human world. On this Earth, within the six realms of existence, this is the prevailing condition. It is the same for beings across other worlds and throughout the vastness of the Dharma Realm, regardless of their varying levels of purity or pollution.

Reclaiming the Original Self-Nature

If we wish to help people and all beings leave behind this life of good, bad, and impermanence, and if we wish to help them rediscover their original, cool, and refreshing freedom, we must rely on Buddhist education. We must guide people to recognise the fundamental differences between the world of good and bad, and the state of true clarity and freedom. We must help them transform their familiarity with birth, aging, sickness, and death into something they no longer cling to, and turn their unfamiliarity with their original self-nature into a deep, intimate recognition.

The Path of Constant Chanting

This transformation can be achieved through the practice of chanting Namo Amituofo 24/7, maintaining the recitation without interruption. By doing so, we can shift our state of being:

• We transform our familiarity with delusions, discriminations, and attachments into a state of unfamiliarity, letting these habits fade away.
• We transform our unfamiliarity with the practice of continuous Buddha-recitation into a state of deep familiarity, making it the constant rhythm of our hearts.

When one succeeds in this practice, one is no longer influenced by the fluctuations of good, bad, and impermanence. One attains a state of true, cool, and refreshing freedom. Namo Amituofo.