The Necessity of Stopping: Teachings on Letting Go

Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

The True Purpose of Practice

The true purpose of your practice is to correct your erroneous perceptions and misguided views. It is about shattering the veils of confusion and the phantoms of illusion so that you may finally perceive the absolute truth of reality. If you fail to do this, you will continue to mistake the false for the real. You will remain trapped within the labyrinth of reincarnation, unable to find your way out, forever held in the iron grip of the cycle of rebirth.

You must reach a state where you no longer weep in agony over the inevitable sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death. For aeons, beings have remained ignorant of the fleeting, illusory nature of this world. You have poured your emotions into these phantoms, even sacrificing your very life for them. The result is that you have only exchanged these attachments for endless karmic debts and rivers of tears.

Halting the Entanglements of the Past

Therefore, you must learn to stop your wandering thoughts. You must calm your heart and mind, and bring a halt to the entanglements of the past. Look clearly at the relationships you hold in this world. Understand that they are not merely confined to this single lifetime. Within the vast, infinite span of your spiritual life, you have encountered these same beings many times before, across different eras and in countless different roles. These connections have manifested in this life as:

• The various roles you play in society.
• The specific identities you hold within your family.
• The complex web of interactions you experience daily.

All these roles, identities, and connections are merely echoes of the past. They are impermanent, they are fleeting, and they are illusions. Where are they now? They have vanished like mist.

Awakening to the True Self

Regardless of the nature of your relationships in the past, in this very moment, you must truly awaken as if from a long dream. Once you have seen the truth, let it all go with a smile. You must be careful not to fall into the following traps:

• Attachment: Do not cling to these things as if they were real.
• Grasping: Do not hold on tightly to the past, refusing to let go.
• Delusion: Do not believe that anything in this world is permanent or unchanging.

You must stop these habits and these distorted ways of seeing. Recognise them for the illusions they are. Only through diligent practice can you truly find your way back to your original, true self. Namo Amituofo.