The Nature of Thought and the Path to Awakening

The Restless Mind and the Cycle of Karma

My child, before you have realised your true nature, your thinking is almost always centred upon yourself. You are preoccupied with your own perspectives, your own emotional states, the events of your past, your current circumstances, and your plans for the future. You are constantly reviewing what has just happened or anticipating what is to come. Your thoughts are never far from the events that occur in your own life. Your head is like a restless machine that never ceases its activity; it is constantly moving, constantly thinking. Because you do not stop this movement of the mind, your karma begins to operate through this very process.

The Distinction Between Good and Negative Karma

When you engage in thinking, you are essentially setting the wheels of karma into motion. It is important to understand the nature of these thoughts:

• Good karma manifesting: This occurs when your thoughts are focused on the benefit of all beings. True Goodness is defined by your selfless concern for others.
• Negative karma manifesting: This occurs when your thoughts are focused on your own gain at the expense of others. Any behaviour, speech, or thought that benefits you while harming other beings is considered negative.

Everything you do, say, or think is a manifestation of this karma.

The Stillness of the Awakened

Those who have realised their true nature possess deep meditative concentration. When they think of what is good, they remain with an unmoved mind. Their hearts are not stirred by feelings, nor are they affected by external conditions. However, before you reach this state of Awakening, your body, speech, and mind are constantly fluctuating in response to your thoughts. Because your heart is not still, you become vulnerable to external influences:

• Karmic creditors: They seek to balance past accounts.
• Attached spirits: They reside within the body and influence your state of mind.
• Demon crowds: They exploit the fluctuations in your heart to create interference and obstacles.

The Power of the Buddha-Name

If you can replace this constant stream of thinking with the act of chanting Namo Amituofo, you will be able to protect your heart from these fluctuations. Furthermore, you will receive the Buddha's blessings. Thinking is merely a habit that people have developed over countless lifetimes. When you process people, events, and things through the lens of ordinary thought, you are simply acting according to your karma. The purpose of your practice is to transform karma and achieve true liberation.

Letting Go of Delusion

In reality, there is nothing to be gained and nothing to be lost, because originally, there was nothing to begin with. The things you cling to now have only arisen within the confusion of your karmic force. It is this confusion that creates your attachments and keeps you trapped in the cycle of rebirth. Once you truly understand this fact in your heart, you will be able to let go. If you continue to fall into the trap of constant thinking, you are merely extending your karma and continuing the cycle of rebirth. Is this truly the result you want, my child?

The Path to Purification

You must stop the manifestation of negative karma and break the path of rebirth. Use the Buddha-name to replace all delusions, attachments, and idle thoughts. If you chant Namo Amituofo with a sincere heart, you will discover something profound. Within the natural state of the Buddha-name, the answers to the questions in your heart will emerge of their own accord. This is the result of purification. It is the moment when your Six Sense Organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind begin to function in their original, pure state, and your spirit’s sensitive awareness manifests. Namo Amituofo.