I am Teacher-Practitioner Xia Lianju. It is a profound and significant undertaking for the Buddha's disciple, Shi Haiyuan, currently residing at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in the human world, to receive these transmissions and record the preface I am now issuing. This task is truly not an easy one, as it requires a pure and receptive heart to capture the essence of these teachings.
Approximately eighteen years ago, Practitioner Su, moved by a deep sense of , established the Hsiang Kuang Room. Her intention was to introduce the wondrous of the Pure Land to those with the karmic affinity to receive it. Over the past fourteen years, this place has been the site of events so profound and beyond ordinary conception that, had one not witnessed them personally, they would be difficult to believe. The journey of this centre has been marked by extraordinary milestones:
It began when Lay Practitioner Tsai was able to receive messages from and myself.
Following this, I descended from the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss into the Hsiang Kuang Room to watch over all of you.
Later, the spirit of Great Master Hanshan manifested at the Hsiang Kuang Buddha-recitation Hall, marking the beginning of our practice of inviting spirits to the Dharma assemblies, a practice that continues to this day.
The Manifestation of Namo Amituofo
Practitioner Su, having achieved , opened her spiritual eyes. She took upon herself the suffering of sentient beings, which manifested as physical difficulty in her left leg. In response to her sincerity, Namo Amituofo descended to the human world. He transformed the Hsiang Kuang Room into the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, where He now truly abides as the Abbot of the temple. The monastic community was established six years ago. During these six years, Practitioner Su has followed Namo Amituofo, leading the in shouldering the heavy responsibilities of temple education and the of sentient beings.
The teachings provided by Namo Amituofo and myself during the , along with the content gathered by the monastics—who, through the opening of space, have been able to interview demon crowds and beings from other dimensions—have become the primary study materials for Practitioner Su’s lectures. These teachings focus on the path of changing one's personality, purification, and the true way of practice.
The Power of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony
The Thrice Yearning Ceremony, presided over by Namo Amituofo, is particularly significant. Through this ceremony, He leads the of Practitioner Su to perform Chao Du for infinite and boundless sentient beings, helping them to be reborn in the Western Pure Land or to ascend to the realms of humans and heavenly beings. Furthermore, the ability to invite spirits at any time to resolve the karmic knots between the fourfold community of disciples and their is something rarely heard of or encountered in ordinary monastic practice. Yet, this is of direct assistance in developing the capabilities of and is crucial for the elevation of one's spirit.
The Spirit of Cultivation
Today, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, Practitioner Su lectures on the Dharma with the spirit of one who is actively cultivating the Pure Land. She uses spiritual healing methods to help sentient beings remain free from aging, free from illness, and ensures that their spirit does not die, guiding them toward rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Her steadfast spirit in performing Chao Du for countless spirits, and the reality of these deliverances, have caused the demon crowds to tremble in fear. They have attempted to obstruct and attack her, only to be subdued by the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su. These many events are recorded within the Hsiang Kuang Chronicles.
Unlocking the Mysteries of the Human Body
In response to the questions posed by Practitioner Su, I have provided answers and shared insights into the nature of , mind, and spirit. My goal is to unlock the mysteries of the human body so that everyone may recognise the truth of reality. You must understand that the body is illusory, transient, and a product of the arising and ceasing of Causal Conditions—it is merely a vessel within the cycle of rebirth. It is essential to see through this illusion, to let go, and to seek the return to your true nature. By following Namo Amituofo, myself, and Practitioner Su in your practice, you will reach Awakening. To save the world, to save oneself, and to save all beings by leading them to the Western Pure Land—this is the direction and the goal of Pure Land practice.
The Infinite Life Sutra
At the end of this book, I provide a brief introduction to the compilation of the five original translations of the Infinite Life Sutra. The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre uses this compiled version, titled The Infinite Life Sutra (The Buddha Speaks the , Infinite Life, Adornment, Purity, Impartiality, and Sutra), as the text for the morning service. At the beginning of each day, through prostrations, chanting the name of Namo Amituofo, and reciting the Sutra, one receives the of the Buddha and His teachings; this is truly magnificent. The benefits of chanting the Buddha's name are inconceivable! I hope that everyone can have Faith, make Vows, and engage in Practice, so that your wish to be reborn in the West may be fulfilled.
Namo Amituofo is truly residing here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, performing the work of saving the world and leading beings to the Western Pure Land. This is a rare opportunity, difficult to encounter in millions of years, and it is a magnificent chance for Pure Land practitioners to reach Awakening and for spirits to be reborn in the West. This opportunity is hard to come by; I hope you will all cherish and grasp it!
How could such a person be compared to a mere spirit medium? Practitioner Su has remained fearless through every storm and misunderstanding from the outside world. For thirty years, Practitioner Su has never once faltered in the daily practice of prostrations and reciting the Sutras. By following the teachings and guidance provided by Namo Amituofo through messages, Practitioner Su has ensured that no impurities arise, achieving purification, and then further purification. This has assisted Practitioner Su in entering the magnificent rank of an awakened being, making the subsequent work of saving infinite beings even more powerful.
The Beginning of Inviting Spirits at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
Approximately fourteen years ago, Practitioner Su personally selected the land in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, and oversaw the planning. With the assistance of lay practitioners who helped supervise the construction, the small white building was erected over a period of more than two years, from 2009 to 2012. It served as a bodhimanda for fellow practitioners to go into retreat, listen to the Dharma, and chant the Buddha's name together. This was the origin of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.
The daily routine for practitioners began at two o'clock in the morning with prostrations, chanting, and reciting the Sutras. Practitioner Su conducted lectures three times a day—morning, noon, and evening—and held the Thrice Yearning Ceremony once a week. These became the standard practice at the centre.
In 2012, the Great Master Hanshan manifested from the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, marking the beginning of the practice of inviting spirits. This has continued for approximately eleven years. At that time, the spirits were invited to come forward under the blessing of the Buddha's power. The scope of these spirits included:
Patriarchs and venerable masters
Monastic practitioners
Political figures
Entertainers
Historical figures
Karmic creditors residing within the bodies of the fourfold assembly
As Practitioner Su led the assembly in chanting the Buddha-name, these spirits were sent to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. In truth, Practitioner Su had already reached Awakening and possessed the Dharma Body, which provided the necessary ability to lead these beings to the Western Pure Land.
From Fragrant Light Room to Fragrant Light Buddha-Land
Looking back at the situation then, this was an extraordinary undertaking. Among those who heard of it, some believed, while others did not. However, Practitioner Su remained steadfast, following the Buddha's instructions, advancing according to the Buddha's footsteps, and maintaining one hundred percent faith in the Buddha. Following the arrangement of Causal Conditions, after returning to Taiwan from Australia, Practitioner Su began inviting spirits every evening at the Fragrant Light Room in Shiding.
From the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, the thirteen generations of Pure Land patriarchs and many other venerable masters came forward to participate in the invitation and deliverance of spirits; I was among them. Through the mediumship of Practitioner Jiang at that time, spirits were invited out—all of whom were karmic creditors or sentient beings with karmic affinity to Practitioner Su or the fourfold assembly. Many spirits of folk deities, ancestral masters, and prominent figures from political and business circles came to request deliverance to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. On that very day, as Practitioner Su led everyone in chanting, these beings were sent to the West. This situation lasted for about three years, and immeasurable, boundless beings were thus able to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The Fragrant Light Room became a bridge for beings to reach the Western Pure Land. Later, according to the instructions of Namo Amituofo, the Fragrant Light Room was renamed the Fragrant Light Buddha-Land. The practice of inviting spirits has continued for about eleven years now.
Throughout this process, the spiritual realms have come to know Practitioner Su's ability. Because of this opportunity, they have been able to escape their suffering and be delivered to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The beings who come seeking deliverance often arrive in batches, or sometimes as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. During the chanting, they are sent to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, or, depending on their affinity, to the Celestial Realm or the human world. Many inconceivable events have occurred, and many unexpected figures have been invited out, including the Great Sage Confucius and the Sub-Sage Mencius, who appeared and were sent by Practitioner Su to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Subsequently, the seventy-two sages among the students of Confucius were also delivered. If one has not experienced these things personally, it is indeed difficult to believe them based solely on hearsay or records of the time, yet they truly occurred at the Fragrant Light Buddha-Land.
Practitioner Su is clear and certain that these events are absolutely true. Moreover, many beings are still suffering and longing for the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. One cannot stop inviting spirits because the scope of those who can be saved is so vast. Therefore, Practitioner Su silently endured external slander, and even the distrust and departure of fellow Pure Land practitioners and teachers, while continuing to lead the practitioners who remained after that wave of upheaval. To protect those practitioners from external harm, Practitioner Su even severed external connections for a time. Namo Amituofo, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and I have all witnessed and known these processes.
In this degenerate age, this is a method of spreading the True Teachings of the Pure Land that differs from past approaches. By using such a difficult-to-believe method to save beings from suffering and lead them to the West, a new path of salvation has been opened for the Pure Land. This is because Practitioner Su's practice is effective at this time, and due to the Dharma affinity and deep skills from past lives, Practitioner Su is able to know and understand the Buddha-heart and Buddha-vows, and thus walk alongside the Buddha. In the history of the Pure Land and at this present time, no second person could shoulder this heavy responsibility, enduring the various slanders and injuries during this transitional phase of Pure Land salvation. Fortunately, with the spiritual encouragement from the words of Namo Amituofo, "Steady your footing! Steady your footing!", Practitioner Su endured this difficult and painful path of saving beings and continued forward. Only then could the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre exist today, with Namo Amituofo truly abiding at the temple, and Practitioner Su's awakened Dharma Body delivering immeasurable, boundless beings to the West. Throughout this journey, I have been watching and guarding.
Today, the practice of inviting spirits has evolved. Those who are ill or physically uncomfortable first listen to the Sutras and hear the Dharma, then request the Buddha's teachings. Using Body-Mind-Spirit healing, the spirits causing the pain and injury are invited out. These beings are often karmic creditors coming to seek balance, or spirits attached to the body, and some even carry a mandate from the King of Hell to claim a life. In ordinary situations, there is no possibility of resolving such conflicts. However, because Practitioner Su can see and speak of the past lives and the circumstances of the harm, and can open the space of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and the hells, the beings are allowed to see the beauty of the Western Pure Land and the suffering of the hells. Through compassionate guidance, their karmic conflicts are resolved, memorial tablets are written, and they are delivered during the Thrice Yearning Ceremony to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Under this Body-Mind-Spirit healing, the condition of the illness can be improved, which is truly a blessing for both the karmic creditors and the beings involved.
Opening Space and Visiting Beings in Different Dimensions
This includes visiting the celestial beings of the twenty-eight heavens and the Four Sacred Realms, the thirteen generations of Pure Land patriarchs in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, beings who have entered the Borderland Doubt City of the West, and the ten Kings of Hell.
Around 2014, approximately nine years ago, during a Thrice Yearning Ceremony, Practitioner Su opened the space of the twenty-eight heavens and the Four Sacred Realms. Furthermore, Practitioner Su conducted interviews with the celestial beings of each heaven and the sages of the Four Sacred Realms regarding their process of entering those realms. Fellow practitioners who could receive messages from beings in these spaces recorded the information, which serves as precious and rare material for practice. After being compiled and printed into booklets to share with the public, this opened everyone's understanding of the invisible dimensions. This was the first time space was opened for such interviews, taking the first step in visiting beings across dimensions.
Subsequently, the spaces of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and the hells were opened, allowing for interviews with the thirteen generations of Pure Land patriarchs and holy assembly in the Western Pure Land, beings who had entered the Borderland Doubt City, and in 2015, the ten Kings of Hell. These early interview records have been compiled into books, which can further verify that the twenty-eight heavens, the Four Sacred Realms, the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, the Borderland Doubt City, and the hells with their Kings of Hell truly exist in different spatial layers. Today, the monastics at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre can interview beings of the six paths, sages of the Four Sacred Realms, spirits of mountains and rivers, all things in heaven and earth, beings dwelling within the clouds, extraterrestrials, and various animals, plants, vegetables, fruits, and seasonings—all of which possess spiritual nature. Therefore, all beings exist within their own spaces. Only by opening these spaces can they escape their current dimensions and receive deliverance; otherwise, they remain trapped within those spaces, unable to emerge. These spaces have always existed; they do not exist or cease to exist based on whether people believe in them or not. Opening these spaces and having the ability to communicate with the beings within them requires the capacity for purification. This is a natural ability that arises after purification, not an ability generated by external spirits attaching to the body. This is also the mission of the fourfold assembly at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre today: to continuously purify and purify again until reaching Awakening, developing the innate, sensitive awareness of all beings, so that they may communicate with the spirits of the earth and the beings of all dimensions.
Practitioner Su is compassionate; every being who accepts an interview can receive deliverance and have the opportunity to chant the Buddha's name and enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. If their good roots, blessings, and virtues are not yet sufficient, they may also enter the Celestial Realm or the human world, avoiding the Three Evil Realms. This is the great utility of saving oneself, saving others, and saving the world to reach the West. The practice of opening space has been ongoing for about nine years. For Practitioner Su, opening space is now a mandatory task during the morning Dharma Body deliverance. Those whose spaces are opened include every external from the cosmos, Milky Way Bodhisattvas, and new Buddha-disciples within the salvation team. These external Bodhisattvas, Milky Way Bodhisattvas, and new Buddha-disciples are demon crowds subdued by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, who have turned from evil to good, joined the salvation team, and follow Practitioner Su's Dharma Body deliverance.
By opening the temporal spaces where the patriarchs of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, the beings delivered by Practitioner Su to the West, and the 1,162 venerable ones from the West who healed Practitioner Su's left leg and groin (which were injured while bearing the suffering of beings) resided during their lifetimes, they can each deliver beings and family members with whom they have affinity during the morning Dharma Body deliverance. They allow these beings to follow the Buddha-name being chanted, enter the Buddha-light, receive the guidance of Namo Amituofo, and enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss or the human and celestial realms. If one is not a true practitioner of the Buddha's path in the human world, how could one possess such a rare and magnificent skill and compassion? Consequently, the monastics and fellow practitioners at the temple have recorded many situations experienced during the opening of space and Practitioner Su's Dharma Body deliverance through the method of interviewing and receiving messages. The content serves as a warning and teaching for the public. Although these contents were placed on the internet, they also encountered disbelief and slander from those who did not understand the truth and only saw the surface, and they were rejected and shunned by some in the Pure Land community. Practitioner Su remains firm in the belief that this is another path to the West opened by Namo Amituofo to save the masses, and continues to move straight ahead.
The Establishment of the Monastic Community at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
In 2016, Practitioner Su led a group of fellow practitioners from Taiwan back to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia for pure practice.
The fellow practitioners also established a daily routine, beginning their day at 2:15 a.m. with prostrations, chanting the Buddha's name, and reciting one volume of The Infinite Life Sutra. Each day, they attend three sessions of listening to the Dharma, where Practitioner Su delivers lectures, providing teachings on Pure Land practice, the importance of realizing one's true nature through learning from the Buddha, and the mission of inheriting and spreading the Pure Land teachings.
The Infinite Dimensions of the Dharma
During the sessions for inviting spirits to hear the teachings, Namo Amituofo has revealed the infinite nature of the universe and the dimensions within our own body's cells. Through the regular invitation of spirits and the Sunday Dharma assemblies for spiritual deliverance, Practitioner Su's skills in Dharma-Body Visualisation Deliverance have reached an even higher level. Following continuous purification, many young students—under the blessing of Namo Amituofo and the guidance of Practitioner Su—have opened their own dimensions. They are now able to communicate with the beings, flowers, trees, and plants within those spaces, all while bathing in the Buddha's light and learning in a pure, positive environment.
Practitioner Su performs Dharma-Body Visualisation Deliverance for sentient beings daily without interruption, helping immeasurable and boundless beings be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. As a Pure Land practitioner who has truly verified and practised these teachings, he later received the blessing of Namo Amituofo, who truly abides here. Namo Amituofo gave instructions to rename the Fragrant Light Chamber to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Because Namo Amituofo truly abides here, the temple is worthy of the name Great, and as it is located in Australia, its full name is the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia.
Namo Amituofo serves as the Abbot, while Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva serve as the administrators. This is an unprecedented event, yet it has truly come to pass at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. In 2017, five individuals—originally lay practitioners and young students at the Fragrant Light Chamber—vowed to receive the and become Bhikshunis, thus establishing the monastic community. In 2019, six more individuals, including lay practitioners and young students, vowed to receive the precepts and become Bhikshus. Together with Namo Amituofo, myself, Practitioner Su, and the lay volunteers, they dedicate their efforts to rediscovering their true nature, spreading the Pure Land teachings, and saving beings so they may be reborn in the Western Land.
The Buddha possesses three bodies: the Dharma Body, the Reward Body, and the Manifestation Body. The Dharma Body is one of the three bodies possessed by a Buddha; it pervades the entire Dharma Realm. It is the body that manifests the principles of the Dharma, becoming one with the mountains, rivers, the earth, and every blade of grass or tree. The Reward Body is the body of perfect characteristics, which delivers Dharma talks within the Buddha's own land, manifesting the thirty-two auspicious characteristics and eighty secondary marks of a Buddha. The Manifestation Body is the body a Buddha assumes to come into the human world to save beings according to their needs. It appears in human form, following the human path and the natural process of growth, demonstrating the diligence of learning from the Buddha, the achievement of realizing one's true nature, and the extensive saving of beings.
When one walks in the world in a human body and realizes one's true nature to become a Buddha, one can attain the unity of the three bodies. Realizing one's true nature and attaining Buddhahood means that after awakening, one possesses the Buddha's immeasurable Wisdom, virtues, capabilities, and auspicious characteristics, as well as the ability to save the world and deliver beings. For sentient beings, the opportunity to encounter Namo Amituofo and receive Practitioner Su's Dharma-Body Deliverance—thereby being reborn in the Western Land, entering the human or heavenly realms, or entering the Western Land of Dharma Nature within the temple before fulfilling their vow to enter the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss—is a magnificent Dharma affinity, difficult to encounter in millions of years.
For Practitioner Su, the work of deliverance must be carried out diligently; he strives to save as many beings as possible. The Dharma Body exists in a spiritual state. Practitioner Su possesses both a Dharma Body and countless manifestations. These countless manifestations are also in a spiritual state, emerging from the crown of his head to perform deliverance. This type of deliverance is not restricted by time or space; it is a manifestation of spiritual life that can traverse layers of dimensions without being limited by physical form. When Practitioner Su performs Dharma-Body Deliverance, he uses the infinite power of the Holy Name Namo Amituofo to open immeasurable and boundless dimensions in an instant. This allows beings within those spaces to break through their limitations, connect with the space of deliverance, hear the Buddha's name, receive the illumination of the Buddha's light, and be led to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is the practice of performing spiritual deliverance by breaking through the limitations of time and space, benefiting boundless beings.
The scope of this Dharma-Body Deliverance has expanded beyond mainland China and Taiwan to include Hong Kong, Japan, Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, and Australia. It encompasses earthly creatures, the oceans, famous mountains, urban and rural areas, ports, subways, the twenty-eight heavenly realms, and the Four Sacred Realms. It then enters the Milky Way before returning to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, where beings are placed onto the aerial memorial tablets in the temple to receive deliverance within the Buddha's light. Subsequently, during Namo Amituofo's constant deliverance, beings are sent into the Buddha's light to be delivered at any time and place. Such deliverance is conducted daily in the morning and during the Buddha-name chanting and circumambulation in the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies.
The Thrice Yearning Ceremony Led by Namo Amituofo
In 2007, the weekly Thrice Yearning Ceremony began at the Shiding Fragrant Light Chamber. It has continued every week without interruption for approximately sixteen years. Starting in 2018, for about two years, Practitioner Su followed the instructions of Namo Amituofo, travelling between Australia, Hong Kong, and Taipei, Taiwan, to conduct Dharma talks and Thrice Yearning deliverance ceremonies. The participants included the temple's fourfold assembly and local attendees. Namo Amituofo serves as the Abbot of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and leads the Thrice Yearning Ceremony. From the original schedule of once a week, the ceremonies were increased in 2020 to three days a week, a schedule that has continued for about three years.
During these ceremonies, Practitioner Su actively performs Dharma-Body Deliverance. His Dharma Body successfully brought rain to end the drought in Goombungee and Toowoomba, Australia. During the circumambulation in the ceremonies, he also leads the spirits of the fourfold assembly to circumambulate the Earth while chanting the Buddha's name.
Delivering Sixty Prison Guards to the Western Land
Beginning in 2019, about four years ago, Practitioner Su has sent sixty prison guards from the hells to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss during the Amitabha Great Praise in every Thrice Yearning Ceremony. This practice continues to this day. Furthermore, the temple's monastics interview one of the sixty guards to learn about their life before death and the process of how they became prison guards in the hells. The content of these stories is thought-provoking and has been compiled into books, allowing future students to read and understand the laws of and cause and effect.
Subduing Demonic Enemies and the Salvation Team
During Practitioner Su's process of saving the world, he first encountered the spirit of Great Master Hanshan at the Hsiang Kuang Buddha-Name Chanting Hall in Australia in 2012, who came to invite spirits for deliverance. After delivering many beings to rebirth, the Demon King Mara came to interfere. Practitioner Su used a mind of non-attachment to subdue the Demon King Mara and delivered him, along with his demon children and grandchildren, to the Western Land. This was the first instance of delivering demonic beings. Since then, Practitioner Su has successively subdued demonic enemies with sincerity, non-attachment, compassion, Wisdom, mind-capacity, and tolerance.
In 2017, about six years ago, he transformed the external demonic beings from the cosmos, led by Venerable Changren. He helped these demonic beings turn away from evil and return to the right path, surrendering under the seat of Namo Amituofo, and they were renamed External Bodhisattvas from the cosmos. At the same time, Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, also joined; after five thousand years in the Demon Realm, he was transformed by Practitioner Su and renamed Venerable Yongning. The sage from the Four Sacred Realms, Venerable Changgao, also joined. They became the four great Dharma protectors of the temple and Practitioner Su, assisting him in performing Dharma-Body Deliverance. During the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, they accept the surrender of demonic kings and crowds from the Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern, Upper, Lower, and other directions of the cosmos, as well as from the ninth, nineteenth, and twenty-sixth layers of the heavenly realms, and from the Milky Way and beyond. These demonic kings and crowds wish to shed their original identities, correct their ways, and join the External Bodhisattvas from the cosmos to form a salvation team.
Later, he also subdued the demonic beings from the Milky Way who came to surrender; after they turned away from evil and returned to the right path, they were named Milky Way Bodhisattvas. He also subdued the demonic beings who caused the global pandemic; after they turned away from evil and returned to the right path, they were named New Buddha-Children. Thus, the External Bodhisattvas from the cosmos, the Milky Way Bodhisattvas, and the New Buddha-Children became members of the salvation team, performing Dharma-Body Deliverance together with Practitioner Su. This action shocked the Dharma Realm, as such a feat had never been heard of in countless lifetimes. Furthermore, the act of circumambulating the Earth while chanting the Buddha's name has been of immense help in purifying the universe and the Earth's magnetic field, and in correcting the biased and improper hearts of people.
Bearing the Suffering of Beings
Great Master Xianshou proposed four virtues: using the Dharma according to conditions, maintaining dignified conduct, being gentle and straightforward, and bearing the suffering of beings. These are fully manifested in Practitioner Su's daily actions and teachings, especially the act of bearing the suffering of beings, which has truly occurred in his life of saving the world. In 2018, about five years ago, he suddenly experienced severe pain in his left leg and was unable to walk. After inviting spirits, it was revealed that he was bearing the suffering of beings on their behalf. Because he helps the fourfold assembly resolve conflicts and deliver beings, and some beings were unwilling to be resolved, they entered his body at the left groin, causing severe pain.
Restoration by 1,162 Venerable Ones from the Western Land
Consequently, he continuously provided teachings to resolve the conflicts with these beings. He also received the assistance of 1,162 Venerable Ones from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, who entered his left leg to repair the leg and groin. After several years of recovery, although he now walks with a limp, he is able to walk, which is a source of infinite gratitude. As long as his physical body remains, his vow and practice to save beings with Namo Amituofo will never cease.
The temple's monastics interviewed the 1,162 Venerable Ones from the Western Land who entered Practitioner Su's left leg, documenting their process of practice until they entered the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The stories are vivid, brilliant, and thought-provoking; they have also been compiled into books for future students to read and learn from.
Returning to the Western Land and Being Invited Back
Practitioner Su had once promised the countless External Bodhisattvas from the cosmos, including Venerable Changren, the members of the salvation team, the Ten Kings of Hell, Skanda Bodhisattva, and Sangharama Bodhisattva, that they would all save the world together, and that when he returned to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, he would bring them all back with him. Practitioner Su has always held the belief that being human is too painful, and that if one cannot save beings while living in this world, one should return to the Western Land. When he fell ill, due to the incessant, severe pain, he wondered how he could save beings in such a state, and thus he let go of his physical body, and his spirit returned to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
His spirit left his body, just as it does during Dharma-Body Deliverance, taking with him the countless External Bodhisattvas from the cosmos, including Venerable Changren, the members of the salvation team, the Ten Kings of Hell, and Skanda Bodhisattva, back to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. However, he was invited by Namo Amituofo to return to the human world, because the world needs Practitioner Su to continue saving beings. Consequently, Venerable Changren and others followed Practitioner Su back to the temple, while the Ten Kings of Hell and Skanda Bodhisattva remained in the Western Land, fulfilling Practitioner Su's promise to them. Thus, new Ten Kings of Hell took office, and in 2018, the new Ten Kings of Hell were interviewed, and the content has also been compiled into a book. The beings were transformed, and everyone began to call Practitioner Su, Practitioner Su Buddha.
Sentient beings, deeply moved by the compassion and the vast mind-capacity of Practitioner Su, began to address him as Practitioner Su Buddha. This title is indeed fitting. Because of his awakened body and spirit, and his actual conduct in saving beings, he is fully worthy of the name Practitioner Su Buddha. Namo Amituofo, I, and the ancestral masters also follow this karmic affinity and refer to him as Practitioner Su Buddha.
The Western Land of Dharma Nature
Practitioner Su often sighs, saying, "It is difficult to save those in the human world, but it is easier to save those in the ghost realm and the spiritual realms, because they know suffering." Consequently, his Dharma Body performs spiritual deliverance without interruption, day after day. At this time, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre has become a transit point for beings to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. It has received a place bestowed by Namo Amituofo—a place to settle beings before they are reborn in the Western Pure Land, known as the Western Land of Dharma Nature.
Beings can listen to Practitioner Su give lectures here. Through listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma, they come to understand the laws of karma and cause and effect. Gradually, the knots of resentment in their hearts fade away. They come to recognise the Western Pure Land and Namo Amituofo, and they give rise to the aspiration to be reborn there. As long as a being sincerely and respectfully chants the holy name "Namo Amituofo" and is willing to enter the Western Pure Land, they can undo the buckle that holds them to their lotus seat and, through chanting the Buddha's name, enter the Western Pure Land.
Teachings from Namo Amituofo and Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju
In 2019, about four years ago, the temple's monastic, Shi Haize, received messages from Namo Amituofo and myself. During the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, the content of the teachings from Namo Amituofo and Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju became the textbook for Practitioner Su's lectures. The text uses modern, accessible language to teach everyone about the Buddha's teachings and Pure Land practice, further helping them to know Namo Amituofo and the Western Pure Land. It also addresses many blind spots that current Pure Land practitioners face and identifies areas that need to be overcome. In response to current social conditions, it provides instructions on how to practise purification and even methods for realising one's true nature and attaining Buddhahood, serving as a foundational text for those studying the Pure Land path.
Furthermore, during Practitioner Su's regular lectures from Monday to Thursday, he provides detailed explanations of the teachings that Namo Amituofo and I give at each session. This allows the fourfold assembly of disciples at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to be nurtured in a pure environment, under the care and support of many Dharma-protecting Bodhisattvas, enabling their body, mind, and spirit to be purified. As long as one can have faith, understand, and practise, combined with one's own diligent efforts, one can move towards realising one's true nature, attaining the Buddha's path, and fulfilling the way of saving the world and its beings.
Subduing the Pandemic Demon Crowds as New Buddha-Children
When the pandemic spread across various countries in 2020, three years ago, everyone was at a loss. During his lectures, Practitioner Su repeatedly emphasised that if one wishes to resolve the pandemic, one can come to seek Namo Amituofo. Suddenly, during a lecture, the demon crowds responsible for the pandemic appeared. Under the counseling of Practitioner Su, they shed their demonic forms, restored their original, normal human appearances from when they were in the human world, and surrendered. During that period, the demon crowds and Plague Gods related to the pandemic came to the temple one after another. They were subdued by Practitioner Su and entered the Western Land of Dharma Nature.
There were seventy-four of them in total. They accepted interviews from the temple's monastics, revealing their experiences when they were in the human world and the process of why they entered the demon path or became Plague Gods after death. It turned out that each of them had suffered unfortunate experiences in the past and could not receive proper guidance or release. This led them to enter the Demon Realm or become Plague Gods after death, seeking revenge to vent the dissatisfaction and resentment in their hearts. After being subdued by Practitioner Su, each of them expressed a willingness to turn away from evil and return to goodness. Consequently, in the discourse of Namo Amituofo, they were named "New Buddha-Children" and joined the salvation team of external Bodhisattvas from the cosmos and Bodhisattvas from the Milky Way, working together with Practitioner Su to save the world and its beings.
Praying for Rain Successfully During the Australian Drought
The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is located in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. In 2020, a drought occurred, leaving the land parched and the creatures suffering greatly from the lack of water; animals were so emaciated and weak that they collapsed and could not rise. Seeing the suffering of these creatures, Practitioner Su compassionately prayed to the Jade Emperor and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas—the East, West, South, and North—to assist in bringing rain. However, because the lack of water was the collective karma of the local residents, and such is the way of Heaven, rain could not be brought to resolve the disaster.
Practitioner Su then used his wisdom to shift the situation. During his Dharma Body spiritual deliverance, he taught the creatures of the earth, the soil, the flowers, trees, and plants in Goombungee and Toowoomba, as well as the ghost beings in the air, to chant the holy name "Namo Amituofo" together to pray for rain and resolve the disaster. He asked everyone to continue chanting twenty-four hours a day without interruption. After a period of teaching, although only a small amount of rain fell at first, it gave everyone great confidence, and they chanted even more diligently. Under the great majestic power of the Buddha's name and the Buddha's blessings, the collective karma of the local residents regarding the lack of water was transformed. Finally, the sky became covered with dark clouds, and with the help of the Jade Emperor and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, the Wind God, Rain God, Thunder God, and Lightning God arrived.
Amidst the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning filling the sky, large raindrops fell, ending the drought in the area. Everyone felt extremely joyful and encouraged. The Buddha had once promised the Jade Emperor and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas that if they succeeded in bringing rain, he would send them to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. After several successful rains, during the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, Practitioner Su fulfilled the promise and sent the family members of the Jade Emperor and the heavenly soldiers and generals, as well as the family members of the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas and their aquatic troops, to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Therefore, the current Jade Emperor and Dragon Kings are their successors. If Practitioner Su did not have the ability of the Dharma Body and the freedom to travel to and from the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, he could not have made this promise and helped bring the rain successfully. Currently, the new Jade Emperor and Dragon Kings have been invited by Practitioner Su to join the ranks of chanting for rain while circling the Earth. Furthermore, Practitioner Su opened the past spaces of the Jade Emperor and the Dragon Kings so that when they chant while circling the Earth, they can also save beings connected by karmic affinity within those spaces.
Later, because Practitioner Su suffered on behalf of sentient beings in order to pray for rain, he shifted the role of chanting and entrusted the heavy responsibility of chanting for rain to the salvation team of external Bodhisattvas from the cosmos, Bodhisattvas from the Milky Way, and the New Buddha-Children. Every member of the salvation team has taken refuge under Namo Amituofo. They are monastics wearing kasayas, dignified and majestic, chanting "Namo Amituofo" respectfully for twenty-four hours without interruption. They successfully brought rain, transforming the originally hot and dry summer climate into a cool and rainy one. This is a major contribution of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to the benefit of both the living and the deceased in the local area.
Suffering on Behalf of Sentient Beings (II): Skin Damage
At this time, Practitioner Su discovered that his body and head were red, itchy, and covered in rashes and pain, even bleeding and oozing fluid. Upon consulting Namo Amituofo and inviting spirits, he learned that this was because, while praying for rain during the drought in Goombungee and Toowoomba, Australia, he led the beings of the earth to chant. However, the insects and other small creatures, in their ignorance, invaded and entered Practitioner Su's body. These layers accumulated, causing his physical body to become unable to bear the burden, resulting in these symptoms. Furthermore, the intense itching at night made it impossible to rest, so he invited spirits daily. Now, the wound in his left groin is gradually healing, and the situation of Practitioner Su's skin damage continues as he invites out the beings that had previously entered his body. He also discovered that beings delivered through his Dharma Body over the past few years—even those he had resolved and delivered in places he had visited over the past twenty years—who had not entered the Western Pure Land, had entered Practitioner Su's body. However, because of the tranquility and peace within his body, they did not cause harm. During this time of suffering on behalf of sentient beings and inviting spirits, they were invited out together. This process lasted for over two months, with the continuous assistance of Skanda Bodhisattva, Sangharama Bodhisattva, and many other Dharma protectors.
Circling the Earth Chanting
During the pandemic on Earth, while Practitioner Su was performing Dharma Body spiritual deliverance, he discovered that the Earth was running off its orbit, causing a chaotic magnetic field and abnormal human hearts. He then mobilised the salvation team of external Bodhisattvas from the cosmos, Bodhisattvas from the Milky Way, and the New Buddha-Children to surround the Earth and chant. He also invited Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, the Pure Ocean of Bodhisattvas, ancestral masters, and the family members, hell guards, and sages of the Four Sacred Realms who had been delivered to the West by Practitioner Su to participate in circling the Earth and chanting. The scene was grand and dignified. Currently, they are still chanting twenty-four hours a day without interruption, hoping to contribute to the easing of the pandemic, the resumption of international flights, and the correction of the Earth's orbit. By circling the Earth and chanting, they continuously spread the powerful positive energy of the Buddha's name. During Practitioner Su's Dharma Body spiritual deliverance, he constantly spreads the message to "give rise to all and achieve the fruit of Bodhi." By constantly thinking well, chanting well, and seeing well, he hopes that everyone can work together to transform this collective karma.
Unlocking the Mysteries of the Human Body
In the process of suffering on behalf of sentient beings, Practitioner Su discovered that the body is a small universe, or even a large universe. Why can it contain so many beings that can never be fully invited out? In his thirty years of personal experience in studying the Buddha's teachings, he also encountered some questions regarding the beings within the body, and he hopes that I can answer them and unlock the mysteries of the human body. I will answer them one by one later. Before answering the questions, I will first explain some concepts related to the body.
1. True Self and Buddha-Nature
Using the false to cultivate the true is a basic concept that a practitioner must possess. Using this false body to practise and realise one's true nature, and to find back one's true self and Buddha-nature, is the purpose of practice. Every cell in the human body contains the memories of this person from immeasurable aeons ago. That is to say, every cell possesses the and also possesses the true self and Buddha-nature. If there is enough energy to drive every cell to be purified, and to let every cell be pure and good, living in purity and equality, one can transform the Alaya of every cell into the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, allowing the true self and Buddha-nature of every cell to manifest. When the true self and Buddha-nature are all alive, that is when the practitioner realises their true nature and attains Buddhahood. One who has realised their true nature can purify every cell; every cell is a Buddha and can have the opportunity to attain Buddhahood individually, making the spirit of the cell a part of the countless manifestations. The spiritual life within the cells exists in the space of the cells. This is difficult for science to explore, but it is truly real. Those who believe have the opportunity to undergo practice and learning to purify themselves, develop the abilities of their true self, and find back their pure and good true self. If there is even the slightest doubt, their spirit is polluted, and it is difficult to realise their true nature.
2. Those Who Have Realised Their True Nature Have Transparent Body and Mind, Without Fear of Physical Suffering
In the world of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, there is no need for language; everything is within the mental note. I observe the body of Practitioner Su, who has realised his true nature; his space is broader than that of an ordinary person. The reason lies in the heart, for the heart is the master of all things.
The Boundless Heart of the Awakened
The heart of an awakened being is boundless; there is no end to their work of saving beings, and their mind-capacity is infinite. When we look at physical objects, ordinary eyes see only the solid form. However, for those who have realised their true nature, the heart is transparent. Their Six Roots are fully open and transparent, and their physical body is likewise transparent. In this state of transparency, they can penetrate solid matter, allowing the true nature of these objects to be revealed clearly before them, making everything clear at a glance.
The physical body is a solid entity. Within this body, it contains the dynamic movement of cells and many spirits. Through their innate abilities, awakened beings can express what they see through words and language. For an awakened being, the body is merely a tool for saving beings in this world. Since Practitioner Su realised his true nature, he has been working to save infinite beings. He sees the suffering of these beings, and without fearing the suffering of his own body, he continues to move forward directly.
The Test of the Physical Body
This kind of physical test is difficult for ordinary people to endure. For most, the body is the only way to exist in this world. Therefore, they protect it in every possible way, ensuring it does not suffer the slightest damage, let alone hoping for it to endure pain. If they feel ill or sense attached spirits within their bodies, they will try every method to remove or heal them. If they hear that practice requires bearing the suffering of others or that it may bring physical pain, they will retreat, finding it difficult to break through and move forward.
This means they have not passed the test of the body. One must nurture compassion and the perspective of oneness to dissolve -protection of the body. Once the test of the body is passed, one’s practice can take a great leap forward. The test of the body also includes overcoming and entering different spaces. Practitioner Su shares his knowledge, abilities, and the process of his awakening through his lectures. If those listening are beings from the spiritual realms, they can see Practitioner Su’s body and immediately know his level of practice and the stage he has reached.
Those who know Practitioner Su often overlook the fact that his words are the truth because he is so approachable. If they could listen and learn, they would gain immense benefits. Although Practitioner Su’s body currently bears the suffering of beings—and he has invited spirits that have been waiting for as long as thirty years—because they enter a state of quietude and stillness upon entering his body, they do not interfere with his state of awakening. It is like the fifty trillion cells within Practitioner Su’s body; because his body and mind are entirely selfless and dedicated to beings, many of these cellular beings remain hidden. The purer and more virtuous one is, the more the cells become pure and virtuous. The quality of the cells transforms into positive energy. Even if there are attached spirits within the body, they are transformed by the great environment of his body, losing their evil hearts, ceasing evil thoughts, and performing no evil deeds.
Even if these beings initially harbour evil hearts, thoughts, or actions, they are inspired by the righteous thoughts of Practitioner Su’s body and mind. They transform their hearts, thoughts, and actions, entering into right-mindedness, right-thought, and right-conduct. In this way, the heart and actions of the primary body transform the heart and actions of the attached spirits, bringing them closer and closer to awakening, free from the states of birth, aging, sickness, and death. If one’s own primary heart and actions are obstructed by karma, karmic creditors, or attached spirits, leading to birth, aging, sickness, and death, it is because the primary body is being led by the attached spirits, moving further and further away from awakening.
The Nature of Causal Conditions
Causal conditions arise and cease; they are deep or shallow. The continuity of these connections is a profound study. If we look at everything we see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think in this world, they are all false appearances. Everything proceeds within the cycle of impermanence and the arising and ceasing of Causal Conditions. Causal Conditions can arise in a single instant, and they can also cease in a single instant. Unless the connection is continued, the relationship ends. If the connection is exhausted, even if it was deep before, because it is not renewed, the two parties become strangers. Even if they look at each other or pass by, there is not the slightest feeling.
Unless a person with sensitive perception or an awakened being can read the relationship from past lives, in this life, even a brief greeting or a passing moment allows them to read and grasp the relationship from the past—perhaps they were once acquainted, or perhaps not. This is an ability that requires practice to develop. It is what Practitioner Su often mentions: "This person and I knew each other in the past." If this happens among the fourfold assembly, it is not that there is no connection, but rather that they have forgotten the past due to the confusion of the intermediate state. As long as one sentence of the name of Namo Amituofo enters the other person’s ear, this becomes a seed for the Path forever. This allows them to form a Dharma affinity and gives that being a chance for liberation and salvation.
This is why, in the Buddha’s gate, when we meet, we press our palms together and use "Namo Amituofo" as a greeting. The practice of saving beings must be carried out through the body; this is why one must have a body to practise and save beings. The world of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and awakened beings is a world of oneness and constancy. There is no such thing as birth and death, and there are no limitations of time and space. Every moment is the present, and every moment is an opportunity to save beings; the only question is whether the beings are willing to be saved.
Those who have not awakened live in a world of arising and ceasing Causal Conditions. It is precisely because of this arising and ceasing that there are differences in time and space, and in each life within the cycle of rebirth, one occupies a different time and space. The changes of birth, aging, sickness, and death currently manifested in the body are the result of the laws of karma and cause and effect created in different times and spaces. Therefore, those who can resolve the issues of inviting spirits, handling attachments, and managing space—like Practitioner Su—possess a Dharma Body. The Dharma Body has already merged with time and space, and is no longer influenced by them. This means they are not limited by time and space, nor are they restricted by the arising and ceasing of Causal Conditions. Thus, they can see clearly the causes of events and know the methods to resolve them. Those who possess this ability are Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and awakened beings.
This ability is inherent to all beings in the human world, but because we are trapped in the false world of arising and ceasing Causal Conditions, it is difficult to break through the various false appearances of the world, and thus difficult to find our true self. In this difficulty, even if one has only the slightest connection with Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or awakened beings, one can be taught when the Causal Conditions mature, allowing one’s innate abilities to be developed and one’s true self to be found. What we call deep or shallow connections refers to the depth of the relationship, the length of time spent together, and the frequency of appearance within the cellular and spiritual memory of an individual. The deeper and more intimate the relationship, and the more frequent the appearances, the deeper the connection. The more distant and brief the relationship, and the less frequent the appearances, the shallower the connection. Or, if one cannot find any relationship with this person or thing in past lives within one’s cellular memory, there is no connection.
The stirring of these connections happens within these cellular memories, causing the body and spirit to produce a reaction that is difficult to control. This reaction is also an interaction that occurred in the past within the memories of the body and spirit, extending from the final interaction to the present, becoming the most direct reaction when the two meet, as it is the memory closest to the present. In the memory of ordinary people, time and space exist, so the distance of the memory exerts a substantial influence. In the initial meeting and stirring, it is the reaction to the most recent interaction in the cellular memory. For example, if the last interaction with this person in a past life ended in an unhappy parting, then that unhappy parting is the final memory. No matter how much time has passed, if you meet again in this life, even if you do not know each other, the moment you meet, your body’s cells will trigger the most recent memory, producing a physical reaction, and the spirit will also trigger the most recent memory, producing a spiritual reaction. This quickly forms how you will interact with the other person, including your gaze, body movements, and . Regardless, it will always manifest the unhappy tone, gaze, and actions from that past parting. Thus, we can see that the interactions between ordinary people are driven by past karma.
However, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, patriarchs, venerable masters, awakened practitioners, and those with cultivation and virtue, although they can know their connections and interactions with others and all things in past lives, are not influenced by those past interactions. Instead, they interact with others with purity, equality, and Wisdom. The arising and ceasing of Causal Conditions and the depth of these connections are part of the universal principle. The continuity of these connections involves not only past contacts and interactions but also the fluctuations of thoughts. When there is a fluctuation of thought, it creates a vibration in space. The stronger the fluctuation, the more obvious the vibration, which can form a pull of connection, allowing beings with karmic affinity in that space to receive this vibrational force. If these beings are in a state of drifting and helplessness, they will move toward the source of the vibration, orbiting around it, or even entering the body to become attached spirits.
The False Body
What is called "false" is not permanent, not eternal, and has the phenomenon of gathering and dispersing according to the arising and ceasing of Causal Conditions. Everything in the world is subject to the arising and ceasing of Causal Conditions, in a constant state of change. Therefore, we say the world is a false world. The body exists in this false world, and it arises with the arising of Causal Conditions and ceases with their cessation; thus, we say the body is a false body. From the very beginning of life as an individual to the death of that individual, this entire process is a false appearance, including the body itself. Because the body is composed of the four elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—it begins with the arising of Causal Conditions and ends with their cessation. Therefore, the body is a false body. This fact must be clearly recognised before one can accept and agree with the importance of practice, and only then can one truly put practice into action to find the real true self. If one wishes to practise purification, one must let go of the burden of karma and not cling to the false body, nor give rise to any feelings of attachment, aversion, or the like, in order to find the true self. The origin of these feelings comes from karma, not from reality. Anything that changes, moves, has thoughts, and has consciousness, is not constant, and proceeds within the arising and ceasing of Causal Conditions, is called false.
The Formation of the Individual
The combination of the false body and the spirit involves the meeting of man and woman and the subsequent changes, all of which are within the arising and ceasing of Causal Conditions. The life of every sperm cell in the male and every egg cell in the female has different Causal Conditions, which include the causes for every cell that forms the human body, and is also a part of the composition of earth, water, fire, and wind. With this basic understanding, the continuation of life between man and woman involves the collective karma of both parties from past lives. This collective karma relates to the destiny of the embryo and the individual after the combination of the sperm and egg. Therefore, some individuals live to a certain stage, and then the connection with their parents ceases, leading to the end of life through premature birth or early death; this is also part of their collective karma with their parents.
An individual is a combination of a physical body and a spirit. While one might assume the body is composed of fifty trillion cells, in reality, the number of cells is far greater. Each cell is, in itself, a spiritual entity. Every cell contains the genetic information inherited from both parents, as well as the memories accumulated by both parents throughout their many lifetimes, all stored within the Alaya consciousness. Therefore, when collective karma shared with one's parents manifests, the cells react accordingly.
The Architecture of Life and Memory
When the sperm and egg cells of the parents unite, a new individual is formed. Every cell within this new body shares the same essence and carries the same memories, including the causal conditions and collective karma shared with the parents. It is through the transmission of information between these cells that the physical appearance and form of the body manifest, bearing the likeness of the parents. When a spirit enters this body, it drives the development of the physical form and activates the memories within each cell that are relevant to that spirit, thereby creating a karmic connection.
The various encounters and causal conditions a child experiences after birth are all linked to the memories unlocked within each cell. As these conditions mature, the child's life unfolds in specific ways, including their connection with their parents, their growth process, and the opportunity to encounter the Buddha’s teachings and the Pure Land path. Our physical sensations are also part of the arising and ceasing of causal conditions; they are merely illusions. Therefore, a practitioner must learn to distinguish between what is true and what is false. By discerning the truth in the very moment that both truth and illusion appear, one can avoid being misled by illusions and creating further karma.
Breaking Through the Barriers of the Self
The truth is the reality of the Universal Principles. Only by acting in accordance with these truths can one break through the obstacles of one's own personality traits and habits. These traits are also products of this world of arising and ceasing, generated through the illusory body that exists within these same conditions. To succeed in one's practice, one must let go of these traits and not cling to them. Every cell in a child's body contains the Alaya consciousness of both parents, and the spirit entering the body brings its own Alaya consciousness as well. Thus, every cell in the child's body holds the Alaya consciousness of three spirits: the parents and the child.
Throughout the child's life, interactions with the external world will trigger the memories stored in these cells, leading to various reactions, feelings, sensations, and impulses, which in turn lead to the creation of different good or evil deeds. The causes created in past lives manifest as good or evil consequences when conditions mature in this life. Within these consequences, new causes are created, which will eventually lead to further results. Throughout countless lifetimes, regardless of which of the six realms of existence one is in, one spends life cycling through this cause and effect of good and evil. These experiences are all stored in the Alaya consciousness of the spirit and the body's cells. When the sperm and egg cells unite, the memories of the parents' Alaya consciousness are passed on to the next generation's cells. The spirit that enters this body brings its own Alaya consciousness and becomes the master spirit of that body, combining with it to form a spiritual life entity—the human body. Thus, the memories of generation after generation are continued through the union of sperm and egg.
The Manifestations of the Awakened
The individual is composed of the four elements: earth (bones), water (fluids), fire (body temperature), and wind (breath). The spirit within the cells of those who have realised their true nature can manifest in countless ways. The simplest transformation is changing size—becoming very tall or very short. The appearance can be identical to that of the awakened being, but in reality, these manifestations can also take on different appearances to flexibly teach and transform beings. Beings in the ghost realm possess the five supernatural powers; in order to lead the soul of a karmic creditor, they can transform into an appearance or gender that the creditor finds appealing. If even ghost realm beings can do this, how much more so can the manifestations of an awakened being?
Therefore, when Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and ancestral masters come to this world due to their vows, it is either their manifestations or the spirits of these masters that enter the fetus's body. This is why the physical appearance resembles the parents, yet the spirit is an independent one originating from the Buddha, Bodhisattva, or ancestral master. This gives the body's cells both the Alaya consciousness of the parents and the spiritual wisdom of the Buddha, Bodhisattva, or ancestral master. Depending on which energy is stronger, either the parents' consciousness or the wisdom of the Buddha, Bodhisattva, or ancestral master will take effect, leading to different expressions. Because they come to this world due to their vows, these spirits can choose not to enter the mother's womb in the conventional way. By doing so, they avoid the confusion of the
The vastness of the universe and the void is something that sentient beings with physical eyes can never truly fathom. These so-called spiritual beings exist within different dimensions, each according to their own level of purification and inherent qualities, existing side by side without infringing upon one another. Depending on the level of purification or the degree of defilement of their spirits, they reside in various realms. In the context of our Earth, the most defiled spirits descend into the hells, while those who have achieved purification can enter the Four Sacred Realms, thereby transcending the cycle of rebirth.
Beyond the Four Sacred Realms
However, because the sages of the Four Sacred Realms have not yet fully realised their true nature, if they practise within the human world, they can advance even further. They can break free from the shackles of the false body, allowing their spirits to attain complete purity and goodness. When they finally reach the stage of Awakening and Buddhahood, they will have far surpassed the realm of the Four Sacred Realms. It is rare to encounter a Buddha in the human world; such an occurrence is difficult to find and hard to meet. Yet, beyond the fact that such beings are precious because of their rarity, the defilements of this world still require these awakened beings to come and save sentient beings.
The spiritual world exists in different dimensions according to the degree of purification of the spirit. Spirits in lower-level dimensions cannot perceive the higher-level dimensions, whereas spirits in higher-level dimensions can see the lower realms at a glance. This concept is a reality within the spiritual world. The spirits of beings caught in the cycle of rebirth are filled with a complex, intersecting array of information—a state of defilement. Consequently, they cannot contact spirits from higher dimensions or receive their messages. Only by purifying and elevating the quality of one's own spirit can one break through this situation.
Understanding the Unseen
Viewed in this light, we can adopt an attitude of understanding and acceptance toward scientific researchers who, unable to break through the limitations of spiritual conditions, harbour doubts about phenomena they have neither seen nor heard, often dismissing them as superstition. Consider the individual, who is composed of fifty trillion cells. In truth, there are far more than fifty trillion cells; fifty trillion is merely a measurable number. The quality and existence of the spirit, however, cannot be represented by mere digits.
Imagine that within each of these fifty trillion cells, there is contained the memory and experience of immeasurable aeons. These memories and experiences are themselves the accumulation of countless mental notes. Each mental note creates a dimension. If one were to add up all the dimensions contained within every single cell, how could one possibly calculate the total? That space is immeasurably boundless, and it is a case of dimensions within dimensions. This phenomenon exists within the human body. If we consider only the experiences and memories of a single lifetime contained within one cell, there are already infinite mental notes and infinite dimensions. How many dimensions have accumulated throughout our many lives?
The Infinite Nature of the Mind
As Practitioner Maitreya stated, in a single snap of the fingers, there are three billion two hundred million mental notes. If one mental note equals one dimension, then a single snap of the fingers can contain three billion two hundred million dimensions. There are four to five snaps of the fingers in a single second. How many snaps of the fingers occur in a day? Every mental note generated creates a corresponding dimension. How many dimensions exist across the days of a single life, and across our many lives? How, then, can the dimensions within the body be calculated? They can only be expressed as immeasurable and boundless. Thus, it is said that fifty trillion cells represent far more than fifty trillion dimensions.
The concept of space is different from the concept of physical matter. Physical matter has size, length, width, and capacity. However, space cannot be defined or encompassed by size, length, width, or capacity. Take, for example, the well-known Buddhist teaching: The Sumeru Mountain can be contained within a mustard seed, and the mustard seed can contain the Sumeru Mountain. To understand the meaning of this, one must first set aside the physical concept that a mustard seed is small and Mount Sumeru is large. Instead, one must view Mount Sumeru and the mustard seed as two different yet mutually encompassing dimensions. This is the concept of space and mind-capacity.
Within a mustard seed lies a world, a universe—perhaps even more than one world or universe. Mount Sumeru exists within the universe as a spiritual dimension. The spiritual space within the mustard seed is infinitely large, and the spiritual space within Mount Sumeru is also infinitely large; they can encompass each other without conflict. By breaking through the concept of physical matter and accepting the concept of space, one can begin to understand the problems that people encounter which science and medicine cannot solve, including the concept of the laws of karma and cause and effect.
A Turning Point for the World
If the current pandemic is to be improved or resolved, it requires people to accept and respect the many spiritual forces within these dimensions. These forces have the power to influence the development of the pandemic; they form a force of karmic creditors seeking balance, causing people to fall ill and die. If people can be humble and modest, sincerely repenting for the ignorance and cruel mental notes of the past that have harmed the Earth, harmed people, and harmed animals and creatures, this will be a turning point. At present, there is an urgent need for positive counseling and the ability to subdue the resentful hearts of these beings. Namo Amituofo and the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre can achieve this. This is the power of the Buddha’s teachings; it has always existed. It simply depends on whether people have the karmic affinity to encounter it and resolve their disasters.
Mental Notes and Fluctuations
The human body is currently known to be composed of at least fifty trillion cells. While in the mother's womb, each cell of the foetus first carries the consciousness and mental notes of the parents from their many lives. Once the spirit enters the foetal body and combines with it to become the true self, the foetus becomes a complete individual. Beyond the various karma created by the individual throughout their many lives, they also bear the collective karma shared with their parents. As the foetus grows within the mother, the cells transmit information and communicate with one another. At this moment, the cells have already issued mental notes. These mental notes produce fluctuations, which are transmitted from within the mother's body to the space outside, thereby initiating the relationship between the Dharma Realm and the foetus.
Because beings in the Dharma Realm can trace the source of these mental notes through their fluctuations, they know that the foetus has arrived in the human world. These beings can then begin their relationship with the foetus—as karmic creditors or attached spirits—based on their own karmic connections. Some can enter the foetal body and influence its growth; others gather around the mother without entering the body, waiting until the child is born to enter collectively, thus becoming karmic creditors and attached spirits who coexist with the newborn in the world. During this process, the mental notes and fluctuations generated by the cells communicating within the womb are related to the parents. Once the true self enters the foetal body, the information and mental note fluctuations generated by cellular communication relate to both the parents and the true self. After the child is born and exists as an individual in the world, the mental note fluctuations of the true self become primary, and the spirits attracted at this time are those related to the true self.
The Cycle of Attachment
How do karmic creditors and attached spirits appear on one's body? At birth, because the mental notes are simple—having only the needs for food and sleep—the child is relatively pure. As the child grows, mental notes are generated continuously, causing the number of karmic creditors and attached spirits entering the body to increase constantly. Coupled with interactions with the outside world and the process of learning and growth, these mental note fluctuations never cease. This means that the entry of karmic creditors and attached spirits into the body never stops. This results in the situations of birth, aging, sickness, and death, forming a life of reincarnation shared by the karmic creditors, attached spirits, the body, and the spirit. As long as mental notes do not stop, the arrival of karmic creditors and attached spirits will not cease.
There is a phenomenon that is impossible to imagine: some spirits with high sensitivity and awareness possess the five supernatural powers and can transform into the appearance of other karmic creditors, residing within the body. Regardless, there must be a karmic connection to continue existing within the body; otherwise, even if there is a cause for entering, if there is no affinity to remain, they will eventually want to leave. The principles of human interaction are the same as the principles of how attached spirits interact with humans. The principle that connections arise and cease applies to every dimension, every corner of the Earth and the universe, and every living creature, for this is the Truth. Recognising the Truth helps one live in this world with a peaceful heart and ease, avoiding the troubles caused by not understanding the reality of things.
Therefore, we can reach a conclusion: why do those with open eyes see that people's bodies are inhabited by many attached spirits and karmic creditors? Because from the moment in the mother's womb, mental notes never cease until life ends. How many mental note fluctuations exist every day? The answer is countless. These attached spirits and karmic creditors who enter the body exist with consciousness and mental notes within the specific dimension of the body related to oneself. Most karmic creditors come bearing grudges, so the dimension they occupy is the one where the original situation occurred. Because every cell stores the Alaya consciousness of the true self, it also contains the process and situation of the grievance between the karmic creditor and the debtor. The karmic creditor can thus remain within this dimension of the body until the debtor's life ends.
As for external attached spirits, although they may not have had a grievance with the debtor in the past, they are attracted into the body by the current mental note fluctuations. The reason these external spirits can enter the debtor's body is that the combination of these mental notes has already sown the seed of connection, resulting in the fruit of being able to enter the debtor's body. Everything that happens in the world must have and causes and effects to be established—this is what we call having an affinity. Once the connection is established, it enters the cycle of arising and ceasing. If there is no karmic condition, it is called having no affinity, and no subsequent connection or fruit will be produced. In this impermanent and ever-changing human world, it is filled with variables, emotions, and fluctuations of the heart. The amplitude and intensity of general fluctuations can be measured by scientific methods. The human heart is the most direct and powerful source of these fluctuations; often, many changes are driven by changes in the heart, which in turn drive changes in the body. In such circumstances, people easily accept changes in the body, such as the saying that one's appearance changes according to one's heart. However, in terms of practice, this level of understanding is insufficient. It is difficult to break through the trapped situation and achieve true purification and the goal of Awakening. One needs the ability to stop these fluctuations—that is, the ability to have meditative concentration and to stop mental notes—in order to break through the predicament.
Inviting Spirits
Think about how many mental notes people have had from birth until now; there are just as many dimensions. How many beings are attracted by the fluctuations generated by these mental notes? Can the mental notes be counted? Can the spirits be invited away completely? The answer is already clear! The mental notes are countless, and the spirits are endless. Within the endless, there is more endlessness; thus, the spirits can never be fully invited away.
Beyond the fact that you are also one of these beings, the term "beings" encompasses your parents, teachers, and karmic creditors from countless past lives, as well as attached spirits and even beings from the Demon Realm. These beings reside within the specific areas and space of your body to which you are attached. Consequently, there are beings within your pores, on the surface of your skin, in your blood, within your meridians, and throughout your internal organs. From the top of your head to the soles of your feet, every single cell in your body contains space where these beings exist.
Because the thoughts you have generated from birth until now are dense, layered, and countless, the beings attached to you are equally dense and layered. They accumulate upon you without the slightest reduction, and it is this accumulation that eventually leads to the cycle of aging, sickness, and death.
The Anatomy of Attachment
As for where these beings attach themselves once they enter your body, it is important to understand that every cell contains the same memories of your past lives. These memories include the relationships and interactions you had with these beings in previous lifetimes. Therefore, they can attach themselves to whichever part of your body they desire or are drawn to, and there will be no rejection from your physical form.
When the beings attracted by your thoughts and evil intentions, along with the karmic creditors already residing within you, pile up layer upon layer in the same location, they release negative thoughts—such as feelings of injustice, complaint, and resentment. These are invisible, negative thoughts that emit negative energy. These thoughts and energies then attract even more beings from the internal space of your body who share the same emotional state, causing a disturbance to the physical cells in that area. This interference disrupts the normal development, function, and vitality of those cells, leading to problems such as the accumulation of stagnant energy and poor circulation. As this spreads from one or two cells to an entire area, it manifests as visible symptoms like redness, swelling, heat, pain, or bloating.
Aging, Sickness, and Death
You may ask: if we perform Chao Du to invite spirits and save them, why do they still remain? Why are they never-ending? When your body experiences problems, you perform Chao Du to resolve the conflict and save these beings, hoping to alleviate your illnesses. However, if your thoughts do not cease and your habits remain unchanged, you will continue to attract more beings. This is why it feels as though no matter how many you invite, they never disappear.
Therefore, you must stop these thoughts! Do not let your mind wander. Replace your wandering thoughts with chanting Buddha's name. Stop your delusions and messy thoughts. If you must think, then think of what is good, look at what is good, and focus on Goodness. You must not be selfish. The moment a selfish thought, a desire to protect yourself, or an evil thought arises—or when you indulge in your habits—you are inviting beings to manifest and causing your illnesses to recur.
Generally, when you are not actively performing Chao Du, these beings accumulate continuously. Even if their state of existence is as thin as light smoke, their layer-upon-layer accumulation forms a formidable negative force that interferes with the normal functioning of your body. Imagine ten, twenty, thirty, or even forty years passing; every year, the number of beings accumulating within you only increases, never decreases. They truly occupy every part of your body, layer by layer. Because the body cannot bear this burden, it develops a hunched back, becomes shorter, ages, and suffers from various diseases, until the lifespan in this human world reaches its end, the elements separate, and your spirit leaves the body to be reincarnated into the next life.
These beings and karmic creditors that enter your body can influence its structure and function, and even cause changes to your outward appearance. Meanwhile, the true self that governs the spiritual state within your body may end up in different destinations after death, depending on the karmic conditions and the causes and effects created by your actions. Looking at it this way, should you still hold onto your own views, selfishness, delusions, and messy thoughts? Should you still harbour evil thoughts or cling to your habits? The answer is for you to resolve yourself.
The Cycle of Cause and Effect
Every cell contains the memories and experiences of your accumulated lifetimes. After birth, the space containing these memories can be considered to be in a static state. However, as you grow and begin to communicate with the outside world, thoughts gradually arise. If these thoughts touch upon the memories within your cells, the space containing those memories is activated, and the energy within that space is released.
Positive thoughts activate positive spaces and emit positive energy.
Evil thoughts activate negative spaces and emit negative energy.
This forms a field of positive or negative energy within your body, which naturally attracts corresponding positive or negative conditions from the outside world. The beings who respond to these thoughts and energies are inevitably those with whom you have a karmic connection from the past; if there were no connection, they would not respond to this energy. These beings then interact with you. This interaction is a Causal Condition, and within this interaction, the laws of karma and cause and effect manifest as either good or evil consequences. This is the principle of karmic conditions and the causes and effects, forming a state of constant cycle of Cause and Effect. Beings trapped in samsara spend their many lives within this cycle.
Without the guidance and development provided by a true spiritual friend, people cannot know that their own bodies contain the treasure of their true self. If you can rediscover your true self, you will be able to break free from the life of being unable to control your own destiny, which is governed by karma. This is why Practitioner Su, all Buddha or Bodhisattva, and even various folk beliefs all share the same point: teaching people to be good. Buddha’s teachings, however, go further; they do not just teach people to be good, but aim to purify them until they are purely good and pure, thereby helping them find their true self. This is the Truth of the universe, and it is why Practitioner Su repeatedly emphasises the importance of "give rise to all roots of goodness and achieve the fruit of Bodhi."
This "root of goodness" refers to the state where every thought arising from the depths of your heart is good. Only then can you form a positive energy field capable of purifying negative energy. By transforming the negative energy in all your cells into positive energy, you can reach a state of pure goodness and eventually become an awakened being. If even a single evil thought arises during this process, it is a form of pollution; it is no longer considered a good thought or good energy, and you will not be able to become an awakened being. This is something that anyone who wishes to become an awakened being must know. It is of vital importance to keep yourself in a state of purity and goodness at every single moment.
The most common situation in a person's life is to follow the path of karma, living a life arranged by fate—a life created by your own views, thoughts, karmic creditors, and attached spirits. Whether your life is filled with ups and downs or is smooth and stable, it is all contained within the realm of karma and fate.
Resolving Disasters
Another situation occurs when people strive to break through in life, learning various worldly methods to change their karma and destiny, such as fortune-telling, changing their names, or studying feng shui. If the karmic creditors and attached spirits within the body have not left, these external magnetic fields and changes in behaviour will have a limited effect on the body and the actual problems at hand. Often, these methods merely delay the time when the is due to occur, without actually resolving the disaster itself.
These disasters—such as aging, sickness, and death, or difficulties in family, environment, interpersonal relationships, and work—are not truly resolved if you pass away before they manifest. You may mistakenly believe that the methods you used to change your destiny have resolved them, but in fact, they have only been postponed to the next life, where the disaster will still occur. To truly alleviate disasters, relying on external forces is only a temporary measure. You must accept Buddha’s teachings, put in the work from within your heart, understand the laws of karma and cause and effect, and face the occurrence of disasters with a heart of sincerity, repenting, and changing your ways.
Disasters are often the result of evil causes created in the past, leading to the evil consequences of today. This is what is known as the seek revenge and retribution of karmic creditors. Your karmic creditors must be willing to resolve the conflict peacefully for the problem to be solved; otherwise, merely suppressing them with external forces will not truly resolve the issue. However, because this situation involves karmic creditors and the spiritual realm—things that cannot be seen or heard—some people cannot accept it, which prevents the problem from being resolved, leaving them to continue suffering from the retribution of their karmic creditors.
Those who can accept it have a chance to solve their problems. These individuals must be able to accept education on karma and the truth that "good deeds are rewarded with good, evil deeds with evil; it's not that there's no retribution, but that the time has not yet come." In the simple society and hearts of the past, most people could naturally accept this truth. However, in today's complex society, people have become self-protective and suspicious, finding it difficult to trust others and turning instead to believe only in what can be verified by science. Yet, the existence, function, and influence of spiritual life cannot currently be verified by science, leading those with strong defensive barriers to reject it. Consequently, they lack the Causal Conditions to obtain the methods to solve their problems, making it even harder to achieve true sincerity, repentance, and resolution.
This situation does not change the Truth or the facts in any way, but for these individuals, it results in suffering because they cannot solve their problems. They still have to endure what they must endure; the one who suffers a loss is themselves, not anyone else, and certainly not the Truth. Another situation is when people can accept karma and the concepts of good and evil, but whether they have the Causal Conditions to encounter the True Teachings of Buddha’s teachings and use effective methods—such as inviting spirits and performing Chao Du to resolve the conflict with karmic creditors—determines whether they can effectively reduce or avoid further harm and truly resolve their disasters. Furthermore, those with great blessings can hear Buddha’s teachings, encounter the Pure Land, recognise Amitabha Buddha and the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, and make a vow to chant Buddha's name and be reborn there. At the time of death, they will be received by Amitabha Buddha and the Western Land to enter the Western Land.
Entering the Space
Everything in the world has its karmic conditions and the causes and effects. For a being to enter another person's body, the first step is for their thoughts and views to be in sync with the other person's. The moment a thought is generated, it creates a vibration. This vibration forms a message, which can also be described as a path. This path provides a direction for the being who wishes to enter, allowing them to find the source of the thoughts and views. If this source is the energy field of a body, then through the principle of "like attracts like," the being can find the karmic creditors along this path. The body's energy field will then emit an invisible attraction, and because the thoughts are the same, the being can be drawn into the body. These beings are what we call ghosts, souls, or spirits. For example, within forty-nine days after death, the ghost of the deceased person is in a wandering, aimless state, yet their thoughts are filled with attachment or resentment toward a certain relative or another being.
Namo Amituofo
If the thoughts of this relative or being at that time are filled with the same attachment or resentment as the deceased, then through the principle of like attracting like, the ghost of the deceased may be drawn into the body of that relative or being. They become a part of the beings residing within that person, existing in the space of attachment or resentment toward them. They become a karmic creditor to that relative or being, and this space will only be broken when the physical elements of that person's body separate at the end of their life.
Once that happens, the ghost of the deceased is cast back into the vast environment. Unless their attachment or resentment is resolved, they will carry these feelings with them throughout many lifetimes. No matter how many eons pass, as long as the ghost's thoughts of attachment or resentment do not vanish, the cycle continues. When that relative or being enters the human world again and emits the same signals of attachment or resentment, the ghost of the deceased is once again drawn into their body along the path created by those signals.
Although many eons may have passed and the relative or being has taken on a new appearance, their spiritual nature remains unchanged. It is still the same spirit as the original relative or being. Even though they are no longer in their original relationship, because the ghost of the deceased still exists within that past space, once they enter the other person's body, they remain trapped in that past state until the person's life ends. If the space the ghost occupies is not opened or resolved, they are cast back into the environment, still trapped in that same past state. If they encounter another person whose thoughts or mindset match their own feelings of attachment or resentment, a new causal link is formed. The ghost can then follow the path formed by these thoughts to enter that person's body, becoming an attached spirit until that person's life ends, at which point the ghost is once again cast back into the environment.
In such a state of existence, a soul may be unable to escape this space for eons, lifetimes, centuries, millennia, or even ten thousand years. Currently, Practitioner Su is able to open and break through these spaces, allowing the ghosts or the karmic creditors of the fourfold assembly to recognise the state of time and space they are in. This gives them the opportunity to listen to the sutras, hear the Dharma, resolve their conflicts, be invited, receive Chao Du, and be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss or the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This is one of the methods Practitioner Su currently uses to save beings.
The Three Learnings of Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom
The Three Learnings of Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom are the sequence of Buddhist practice: through Precepts, one attains Concentration; through Concentration, one develops Wisdom, until that Wisdom opens and one realises their true nature. Once one has realised their true nature, Precepts and Concentration are practised naturally, never departing from Wisdom or the Truth. However, before reaching the point of Awakening, one must not abandon Precepts and Concentration. Once you deviate from them, you go against the Truth and your own true nature, making it impossible to reach Awakening.
Living in this world, everything is impermanent and constantly changing. Only a wise person can see the suffering and not be deceived by the illusions of the world. The world is filled with karma and the patterns of reincarnation everywhere. Looking around, it is difficult for beings to escape the cycle of birth and death due to their Causal Conditions. Only through practice and by following the Truth of the Buddha’s teachings can one see the reality that the world is suffering and illusory. Otherwise, people cling to their bodies as real and find it difficult to accept the truth that the body is an illusion.
Within the laws of karma and cause and effect, the body is a result of karmic retribution and can change form according to one's karma. However, the spirit is singular. Even after passing through many lifetimes, it remains the same spirit—it does not increase or decrease. Originally, everyone's spirit could manifest its true nature. The true nature is empty, yet from this emptiness, all phenomena can manifest. The true nature is unique and irreplaceable. Before Awakening, everything we encounter is within the realm of phenomena. After Awakening, one can manifest all phenomena from within the emptiness; this is the absolute truth.
In the world, one cannot receive education about the true nature. Only Buddhist education can reveal this truth. Through understanding, acceptance, and actual practice, one can see the reality of the facts. Even those who have studied Buddhism for many years often fail to distinguish between the true and the false, wasting precious time in their practice. Instead of achieving liberation from birth and death or leaving the three realms, they remain trapped in the six realms of rebirth. These outcomes are all within the realm of Causal Conditions and karma. To break free from these forces and end the cycle of birth and death, one must exert great effort.
People in the world fear the Precepts, fearing punishment for breaking them. Knowing that studying Buddhism requires keeping the Precepts, they retreat a respectful distance. If one does not study Buddhism, it is difficult to self-regulate or follow standards; this is human laziness. To indulge this laziness, people often lose many precious opportunities to keep the Precepts and escape their karma. Therefore, laziness is a great enemy. Overcoming laziness is a major breakthrough, whether in the world or beyond it. The more laziness manifests, the more you must face it. Laziness arises from a mindset of fear and avoidance. People are unwilling to admit or face their own fears, so they use avoidance and laziness as a cover. They do not realise that the Truth and the laws of karma and cause and effect will not soften because of your fear, avoidance, or laziness; they are merciless.
The laws of karma and cause and effect are merciless, but the Precepts are established for the sake of sentient beings. You should keep them; they are a form of protection to avoid triggering negative karma, helping you live with peace of mind. Those who know and keep the Precepts have no fear in their hearts, and thus Concentration manifests, and they are not moved by external environments. They know that all beautiful external scenes, people, and things are illusory and short-lived—they are phenomena that arise and cease due to Causal Conditions. They will not let themselves fall into regret and ignorance for the sake of temporary satisfaction. Instead, because they are not moved by external environments and their minds are still, they can gain insight and understanding. Everything becomes clear, and Wisdom naturally manifests, leading to Awakening. After Awakening, one naturally acts in accordance with the Precepts without even trying. This is why the Three Learnings of Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom are the universal path of Buddhism, which must be upheld by all schools.
When the body becomes accustomed to these behavioural standards, they naturally become the norm, and there is no so-called pressure or fear of breaking the Precepts. Thus, one can face everything with composure, lead others, and serve as a model. There are many types of Precepts, such as the Five Precepts for lay practitioners, the Bodhisattva Precepts, the Shramanera Precepts, the Bhikshu Precepts, and the Bhikshuni Precepts. Every single precept is meant to protect you. When Shakyamuni Buddha was in the world teaching the Dharma, the Buddha represented the Precepts. The Buddha’s actions were the practice of the Precepts, and the Buddha’s words were to be upheld. Therefore, the Precepts are the character, speech, and conduct that those who practise and desire Awakening must uphold.
Students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre are fortunate that Namo Amituofo abides here. The Messages from Namo Amituofo’s Heart and the Buddha’s words that are transmitted—what is said to be done should be done, and what is said not to be done constitutes the Precepts. Students must earnestly follow the Buddha’s words and truly practise them. Those who can do so will surely gain great benefits. Namo Amituofo abiding in the world is equivalent to Shakyamuni Buddha manifesting in the world; students must not take this lightly!
Concentration
All Buddhist methods can lead to Concentration through the Precepts, and from Concentration, Wisdom arises, following the sequence of the Three Learnings of Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom. However, for most people, unless they are dedicated practitioners or monastics, the goal is often to repair the body and heal illnesses. They usually practise Concentration directly, using a pure and settled mind to heal the body. Because the mind is limited, the application of Concentration is also limited to the body, whereas in reality, the application of Concentration is infinitely deep and broad, not limited to the body alone.
If one starts from the basic Precepts, the Precepts arise from the heart. If one starts from the Precepts of the heart, the Precepts of the body follow. Practising both the Precepts of the heart and the body is the true practice of the Precepts, which naturally leads the heart into Concentration, and the Concentration of the heart manifests naturally. If one only keeps the Precepts of the body without practising the Precepts of the heart, it is not the practice of pure Precepts, and it is difficult to attain Concentration without breaking the Precepts, let alone entering the Precepts of the heart.
In fact, the Precepts are merely names, used to clearly express that if you keep them, you gain benefits, and if you break them, you receive the evil consequences of your karma. In the natural state, one should be keeping the Precepts. It is only because the spirit has created many negative causes and become stained with many evil thoughts and habits over many lifetimes that these have become habitual. Because they have not been corrected, one violates the Precepts and suffers the consequences. People often suffer in this life because of the
The Nature of Wisdom
For those who have realised their true nature, the Dharma has no fixed form; all laws of the world operate within the realm of Wisdom. This Wisdom is empty in nature and aligns perfectly with the Truth and the Right Way. If a teaching does not align with these, or if it deviates from them, it cannot be called Wisdom; instead, it is known as a deviant path.
Living in this world of the , most people are dim and confused. They rely on limited knowledge—what they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, or discover through scientific research—to establish their place in the world. However, such knowledge cannot solve problems at the level of the heart and the spirit. This is because these problems involve relationships between spirits, and the laws of karma and cause and effect across the three periods of time—realities that the physical eyes cannot see. Because these relationships are difficult to trace to their roots through sensory observation or scientific study, when such issues arise, they are often dismissed by the scientific community as superstition. They fail to realise that the Truth encompasses a scope that is without beginning or end. How could it possibly be captured by limited scientific instruments or the stained Six Roots of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind?
Knowledge is limited, but Wisdom is infinite. It is not hindered by the Six Roots, the , the interference of karmic creditors and attached spirits, or the manifestation of karma. Wisdom transcends the limitations of the body; it is not influenced by the Five Aggregates—form, feeling, perception, impulse, and consciousness—but rather, it has the power to influence them. It is not restricted by time or space, and it allows one to maintain Faith and Practice regardless of changing circumstances.
Consider the example of Shakyamuni Buddha, who taught beings for forty-nine years. We can see the depth of his Wisdom through the Sutras compiled by the five hundred great Arhats, and through the Sutra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma left behind by the patriarchs and venerable masters. The reason these teachings remain relevant for modern practitioners thousands of years later is that the entire emerged from the Wisdom of the true self.
The Education of the Buddha
Buddhist education is one of the most profound systems of learning in the world. It is an education in cause and effect, designed to help beings recognise the universal principle and the reality of the Truth. Its purpose is to help us recover our original face from before we were born. It transcends race, language, national boundaries, and even the divide between this world and others. It is not limited by time or space; it transcends birth, aging, sickness, and death, providing solutions to the problems of the Body-Mind-Spirit. There are no restrictions on who can learn; it is open to all:
Men, women, the elderly, the young, and infants.
Beings in the six realms of existence and the four holy realms.
Spirits throughout the vastness of the Dharma Realm.
Visible and invisible creatures across the Milky Way, the heavens, and all planets.
The content of Buddhist education has no boundaries. It encompasses the past, present, and future; it can be said to be infinite, or it can be said to be empty or existent—it all depends on the present moment. It lies in the heart of the teacher and the mental note of the listener. Whether their hearts are in sync leads to different developments, but no matter how it unfolds, it never departs from the heart, the true self, the Truth, and the Right Way.
Understanding the Heart
From the perspective of the physical body, the heart is one of the five organs: the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. The heart provides the motive force for blood circulation, allowing blood to flow throughout the body and supplying nutrients and oxygen to every cell. We have previously mentioned that the body is composed of fifty trillion cells, though in reality, there are far more. Among these, the heart is a vital organ. Whether the functions and structures of the heart are normal—or whether there are deficiencies—is what people call health, but in truth, these situations are closely related to karma, karmic creditors, and attached spirits.
In the spiritual sense, as defined by Zen Master Zhongfeng in the Complete Collection of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, there are two other types of heart:
The Heart of Affliction: A heart where Goodness and evil are mixed. This is possessed by ordinary beings living within the cycle of cause and effect. For them, this is their spiritual life, and they remain trapped in reincarnated cycles, unable to escape the arrangements of fate.
The Heart of Spiritual Knowing: The heart of those who have realised their true nature. It remains unconfused amidst a thousand differences and does not shift across the three periods of time. It is not limited by the fate of samsara, and the vitality it manifests is one of coolness and freedom.
For most practitioners, the process of transforming the heart of affliction into the heart of spiritual knowing involves constant learning, diligent practice, and purification. Everything is done to recover the original heart—the heart of spiritual knowing. During this transformation, the practitioner must face various tests. When one cannot stop their thoughts and continuous thinking persists, internal karmic creditors and external attached spirits obstruct the body layer by layer. The more obstacles there are, the heavier the karma, and the more heavy and sluggish the body becomes, making it difficult for the heart of spiritual knowing to manifest. This is a burden placed upon the body by beings.
The sensitivity of cells includes the ability to imitate and receive. If the magnetic and energy fields released by beings are filled with dissatisfaction, evil intent, and resentment, the cells will receive messages of conflict and malice. This pulls at the cells in that region or organ, affecting their operation, slowing down growth or metabolism, and potentially leading to abnormal cell division or deterioration, resulting in lumps or tumours. This is the impact of information exchange and negative interference between cells and beings.
Conversely, positive influence can be seen in those who truly perform Goodness, think of Goodness, and act for Goodness. If one's own spirit is mastered by their true self, everything originates from Goodness. Such a person is an awakened being who, beyond changing themselves, can further influence others. If a practitioner has not yet transformed karma and is mastered by karmic creditors—or is in a state where they and the karmic creditors share control—when they perform Goodness, they are releasing the Goodness energy of their own spirit. The more selfless and one becomes, the higher the purity of this Goodness energy. The message broadcast is free of evil and inherently good. Consequently, the cells also release messages of Goodness, which can weaken the negative energy and resentment of karmic creditors and attached spirits. This allows the body's cells to enter a state of calm, reducing illness, mental health issues, and lack of focus.
If one adds sincere repenting, prostrations, reciting the Sutras, resolving the conflict, and Chao Du, the improvement is faster and more significant. Practitioner Su, who has saved many beings by taking on their suffering, has often mentioned that after these beings enter his body, the compassion and purification he radiates allow their original resentment to be eased. They become calm and peaceful, sometimes even resting within his body without causing any harm.
The heart is the root of all laws of the world. Throughout history, the evolution of theories and methods in every sect has emerged from the heart. One must look inward; it can never be found by looking outward. As the saying goes, "You may wear out your iron shoes searching, only to find it was effortless all along," and "There is no Dharma outside the heart, and no heart outside the Dharma." Although times have changed and many sects have become historical terms, or exist only as written texts in the human world, they do not depart from the principle that all dharmas are mind-only. Only the Buddha’s teachings can explain this clearly and provide verification through actual practice.
Realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood is a process of learning, but saving oneself and others to leave suffering behind is the true purpose of learning and becoming a Buddha. Realising one's true nature helps achieve this goal, but it is not the final destination. In all sects, the ultimate goal is to return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is the eternal wish in people's hearts, not just in the hearts of those who chant Buddha's name. If those who wish to learn and become a Buddha have no Buddha in their hearts, it is difficult to attain Buddhahood. Everyone is busy searching for methods to realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood, often forgetting the treasure that is easily accessible right in front of them: the Buddha nature within you. The six-character name, Namo Amituofo, is meant to help everyone purify themselves and let the Buddha nature within you manifest. One only needs to put in the work on the heart, without any thoughts, worries, delusions, or messy thoughts. Just rely on this Namo Amituofo, chanting from beginning to end, without beginning or end, without distraction, and without delusions.
The Buddha is in your heart, not outside of it. If you can chant until the Buddha in your heart is in sync with Amitabha Buddha, you will surely have a day of realising your true nature. This is not a slogan; it requires actual physical practice. It is not something that can be achieved overnight. If you do not put in the work, realising your true nature is merely empty talk, and there is no hope in this life. The method of learning the Buddha’s teachings, if done in harmony with nature, is the method most in tune with the essence of the true self, for the true self is naturally in a state of naturalness. Every blade of grass, every tree, every flower, and every grain of soil in nature is an object of learning. When learning, grass is not grass, wood is not wood, flowers are not flowers, and soil is not soil. At the moment of Awakening, one realises that grass is indeed grass, wood is wood, flowers are flowers, and soil is soil. These are all part of the learning process—to listen, to see, to know, and to learn. Only through actual verification can one clearly understand the truth within. Without actual verification, what one hears, sees, knows, and learns is merely the surface meaning of words, not the true meaning, and cannot encompass the full picture.
Only by verifying it can one know it; this is the deep and true essence of learning the Buddha’s teachings. Even so, given the person’s potential of modern people, language and text are needed to lead everyone to the entrance. See through and let go and purify oneself are the process of realising one's true nature. In nature, being selfless, no-self, and free of biased views—knowing the body is an illusion—one enters emptiness and nothingness, thereby seeing the essence and the truth. People, however, fear loss, fear nothingness and emptiness, and thus generate various attachments, selfishness, and deviance, moving further and further away from the true self and the truth.
Education in cause and effect is a vital part of Buddhist education. Cause and effect operates within nature; it is a part of nature. Whether one believes in it or not, one cannot escape the phenomena of nature. Those who believe in the Buddha must believe in cause and effect; those who say there is no cause and effect cannot believe in the Buddha and cannot obtain the true meaning of the Buddha’s teachings. Therefore, to unlock the code of the body, one must first recognise the true state of the body. Only then can one open the connections between cells, and between cells and beings. Only then can one prescribe the right medicine, unlock the body's code, and solve the problems of the Body-Mind-Spirit. These information codes include the heart, thoughts, reasoning, Goodness, evil, and cause and effect.
The students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, in this pure and untainted environment, are constantly being purified and nurtured, and the beings are also in an environment of purification and nurturing. At this time, the students should diligent practice to subdue delusions, and change personality traits and habits, so that their practice can achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Where Do Demons Come From?
If we say that the Buddha is everywhere, then demons are also everywhere. If we say that the Buddha pervades the entire Dharma-realm and empty space, then demons also pervade the entire Dharma-realm and empty space. The difference between the Buddha and demons lies in the heart, in one's actions, and in one's mental notes. Therefore, regardless of time or space, both coexist simultaneously. This is why the human heart varies and differs, existing somewhere between the Buddha and the demon.
The Transformation of the Heart
If we say that the Buddha is the ultimate in purity and Goodness, then demons can also become the ultimate in impurity and evil. However, it is also possible for one to turn from the depths of impurity and evil, transform the heart, and enter the path of pure Goodness. In the history of the evolution of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, the transformation of Venerable Chang Ren and the formation of the salvation team serve as excellent examples of turning the heart and actions from the demonic realm of impurity and evil to enter the Buddha's path of purity and Goodness. Of course, this is not an easy task.
To subdue demonic enemies, one must possess extraordinary qualities. One must be a person of great power, great vows, and great virtue. Only by having the ability to surpass the demon crowds is it possible to make them sincerely submit. Practitioner Su is precisely such a person. His ability allows him to subdue numerous demon crowds from different spaces and times, even those with formidable demonic powers. Under his transformation, these demon crowds are willing to turn their hearts from extreme evil to extreme Goodness, achieving deeds that are far beyond the ordinary.
In this process, it is necessary to have a virtuous teacher to guide these demon crowds onto the righteous path, and that teacher is Practitioner Su. When many lay practitioners of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre were conducting group cultivation in Australia in 2012, the act of inviting so many sentient beings for Chao Du attracted the arrival of the Demon King Papiyan. Under the equal care of Namo Amituofo and the selfless state of Practitioner Su, the Demon King Papiyan was transformed by Practitioner Su, who then sent Papiyan and his demon children and grandchildren to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This event marked the first contact between the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and the demon realm.
The Nature of Demons
Demon crowds, in truth, are the same as the Buddha and all sentient beings; they all possess the true self and Buddha-nature. However, due to various encounters in their lives, their spirits underwent extreme changes, leading them into the demon realm. They are also a part of the entire environment and space. It is only because of their intense personalities and subjective behaviours that they pose threats to the lives of other beings and cause significant changes in their hearts and actions. People are often powerless to change them, and because they feel fear and defensiveness, they retreat from their presence. This allows the demon crowds to follow their own mental notes, causing interference and negative impacts on individuals or the broader situation.
If we say that when the heart turns, the mental note turns, and the appearance turns, this entire process usually requires time to achieve such a transformation. Yet, with Practitioner Su, it can be achieved in a single turn of a thought or a single word. This brings about an extremely rapid transformation for the other party in a split second, and this transformation must be in accordance with the righteous path. This is the function of the Dharma Body: to do what needs to be done and complete what needs to be completed in an instant, in a single moment, all with the premise of benefiting the masses.
Where Do Demons Come From?
For beings in the cycle of rebirth, demons can arise from one's own heart, which we call internal demons, or they can come from the outside, which we call external demons. Internal demons arise from the manifestation of one's personality, habits, and mental notes, which attract karmic creditors and karma. External demons are attracted by one's mental notes, drawing in corresponding demon crowds from the space and environment. For the karmic creditors, the existence of both is equally destructive. Because one cannot control their changes or the harm they produce, even if one knows the severity of the damage, it is difficult to stop the behaviours generated by the demon nature. These unpredictable developments can cause varying degrees of harm to the karmic creditors, sometimes leading to irreparable situations, causing injury to the body and destruction of life.
Practitioner Su once visited the demon realm heavens outside the ninth, nineteenth, and twenty-sixth levels of the celestial realms to ask why they entered the demon path, and each gave a different answer. Beings from different times and spaces, based on their mental notes and behaviours while alive, naturally find their spirits attracted to the corresponding level of the celestial realm upon the end of their worldly lifespan. This is a law of natural attraction; there is no deviation. Wherever one has cultivated to, one will naturally enter that level of heaven. This attraction is a phenomenon that naturally exists in the universe due to the righteous path. It is a spatial magnetic field formed by the degree of purity of the spirits' mental notes, naturally attracting beings who are in different spatial levels but have similar degrees of purity in their mental notes to enter.
Everything is a natural manifestation within nature; there is not the slightest bit of difference. The demon realm heavens are outside the twenty-sixth level, while the celestial beings are inside the twenty-sixth level. Although both are at the twenty-sixth level, there is a difference between the inner and outer layers. This is because, while their actions while alive may have had a homogeneity of Goodness, their hearts were different. As a result, the celestial beings in the inner layer acted out of sincere, pure, and unstained intentions. The celestial beings in the outer layer, while their actions might have yielded the same results as the former, carried a strong subjectivity in their mental notes, even including tyranny and selfishness. Because this heart differs from the kind nature of the celestial beings, it cannot sync with the magnetic field of the inner twenty-sixth level, forming a natural barrier. This allows these beings to enter the outer layer of the twenty-sixth level, but they are unable to break through this barrier to enter the inner layer. This is not caused by any external force; everything arises from the heart and is created by one's own heart. This is the great natural principle of the universe.
How to Stay Away from Demon Crowds and Demonic Realms?
Whether it is internal demons or external demons, since they all arise from the heart, they must also be stopped by the heart. This is starting from the root. The biggest difference between the demon heart and the Buddha-heart is that demon crowds have intense personalities, and their thoughts and actions of wanting to do bad, seeing bad, and doing bad are also intense. The Buddha, however, is purely pure and purely Good; the Buddha-heart wants to do good, sees good, and does good. These two different types of mental notes and actions will inevitably lead to two different results.
Before one realises one's true nature, the human heart is unsettled and floating, often wandering between the Buddha and the demon. If one is an awakened being, the Buddha-heart is revealed, internal demons no longer appear, and external demons cannot invade or control one. The body and mind become harmonious and fearless, moving straight ahead. With no-self and no mental notes, external demons cannot find one. Even if demon crowds stand right in front of one, if one has no-self and no mental notes, the demon crowds will not recognise one. This can only be achieved by those who possess both meditative concentration and Wisdom. Having not even a trace of a self, this virtue is respected by the heavens, ghosts, and spirits; this is a true practitioner.
For most practitioners, this state is the goal of their practice. In fact, regardless of the situation, as long as the goal and vow are positive, one can receive the blessings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; it is just a matter of whether one has the awareness and ability to perceive it. Many practitioners fail to persist to the end because they lack sufficient faith in the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and themselves. If they give up halfway, they will continue to be controlled by the demon's grasp. Therefore, trust in the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and oneself is a very powerful positive force that can effectively prevent the rise and control of spontaneous demon nature.
The manifestation of demon nature often appears in the backlash of one's own shortcomings or weaknesses. For example, those who lack a sense of security will seek or grab onto objects they can rely on. Once found, they develop an obvious possessiveness. If they lose it or a third party appears, they will react with intense backlash and dissatisfaction; this is a manifestation of demon nature. At this time, if one has awareness, one should stop immediately, because any demon heart or demon action is a harm to oneself and is creating karma. It may even lead to the body being used by demons, causing harm to oneself and those around one. The education of the Buddha's teachings is to put in the work from the heart and not seek outside. If one seeks outside and develops demands, criticism, or jealousy toward others, these are all demonic hearts and actions. One must know when to stop, lest one drift further and further away from the Buddha's path, only to find oneself covered in scars when one finally turns back. This is due to Dharma affinity, and it is because of past causes that this bitter fruit appears; in the end, there must be retribution.
Demons must receive retribution. For the demonic deeds performed and the demon nature manifested by those they control, as long as it violates the righteous path, they must receive retribution; one must be cautious! Where the Buddha is, one can save demons and subdue demons. This is also the clearest manifestation of what Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre has done, which is why the external Bodhisattvas from the cosmos, the subsequent new Buddha-disciples, and the salvation team were formed. Kindness, compassion, serving others, mind-capacity, diligent practice, tolerance, suffering a loss, not taking advantage of others, Generosity, Discipline, Patience, diligent practice, Meditation, and Wisdom, along with no-heart, no-self, and selflessness, and staying far away from wealth, lust, fame, food, sleep, and Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt—these are the Precepts and heart-actions that must be upheld in the Buddha's path, and they are also what the demon realm respects and stays away from. One must constantly reflect and observe oneself. If there is any violation, one should be vigilant, repent, and change one's ways immediately. Doing what should not be done, if one knows it and still does it, is a violation of the Precepts. In Mahayana Buddhism, one should guard against improper thoughts; if a thought arises, it is a violation of the Precepts. If one does not keep the small Precepts, one will easily violate the big Precepts, and then one will suffer. How can one avoid the bitter fruit of suffering?
Students of Hsiang Kuang, every word spoken by the teacher is hoped to be heard and taken into the hearts of the students. Good, virtuous things that should be done can truly be internalised as part of one's own practice, integrated into one's heart and actions. Through faith, one gains understanding; through practice, one gains proof; by realising the Truth and realising one's true nature, one opens another door to practice, gains great cultivation, and follows the Buddha to save the world. Students of Hsiang Kuang are in the Buddha-land, in an environment where the Buddha-name of Namo Amituofo is never interrupted; one must truly hold the Buddha-name tightly in the heart. The Buddha-name of Namo Amituofo is the culmination of the Forty-eight Great Vows of Namo Amituofo. All the merits, awesome power, and great vows of the Buddha are contained within these six characters. A true Pure Land practitioner must never let the heart leave the Buddha, the mouth leave the Buddha, or the actions leave the Buddha. It is like having a living Buddha right in front of one; such learning of the Buddha's teachings is successful. Practitioner Su can be a model for the masses, and the masses must cherish this magnificent Dharma affinity. Affinity also has a time when it ends. If everyone truly cherishes this affinity, they should listen to the teachings of Practitioner Su, truly change, and truly practice! Establish the goal of realising one's true nature and rebirth in the Western Pure Land, move straight ahead, practice it truthfully every day, and never stop until the goal is reached. Those who follow the Buddha have no rest to speak of, because the suffering of sentient beings has no end, and Namo Amituofo's saving of sentient beings also has no time for rest. How can one bear to indulge in a moment of pleasure and let sentient beings fall into a state of suffering! If one stops for a minute for one's own pleasure, desire, or , sentient beings will suffer for one more minute. Students should have such a compassionate mind-capacity. Only with the action of oneness is it possible to realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood, because the Buddha-heart is like this, and the Buddha's vows and Buddha-actions are even more so!
How to Improve the Current Situation
Under the leadership of Practitioner Su, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is growing and becoming stronger day by day. What Practitioner Su, who has realised his true nature, says in his Dharma talks is all based on actual proof and actual practice. The eyes of one who has realised his true nature can see the present, see the past and future, see the causes and consequences, and also know the original nature of things. When problems arise, he can propose methods for improvement. If one's practice has deviations and is pointed out by one who has realised his true nature, one should immediately or in the shortest possible time adjust back to the righteous path; if the mental note has deviations, adjust back to the righteous mental note; if the speech has deviations, adjust back to the righteous speech.
When you realise you have deviated from the path, you must correct yourself immediately. Do not persist in your errors, for the consequences are yours alone to bear. The suffering that follows is a bitter fruit, and it is truly not worth the price.
Transforming Your Personality and Habits
Changing one's personality and habits is a task that every practitioner must face. You cannot escape it. The sooner you correct your ways, the better, as this will reduce the suffering caused by the manifestation of your karma.
When the mind is free of thoughts, nothing remains in the consciousness. Every experience you have in life—every second, every moment—is recorded in your Alaya consciousness. It cannot be washed away. Once a mark is left in the consciousness, karma is generated. These marks can persist for an infinitely long time, stored forever without fading. However, if you are free of thoughts, nothing is left in the consciousness, and no karma is created.
If you attain meditative concentration, you reach a state of
If you act in this way, you are undoubtedly digging your own grave and leaping into it. It is truly a tragedy to squander your precious Dharma Body and Wisdom-Life in such a manner. It would be a waste of the magnificent Dharma affinity you have encountered in this life by meeting Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su.
Practitioner Su has long since perceived the individual problems of all the students. He points them out directly and offers solutions without leaving any room for hesitation. This is something only a highly accomplished teacher can do. However, whether the students can listen, accept the guidance, and achieve a breakthrough depends entirely on their own efforts and destiny. Whether your practice can be effective and lead to success is clearly revealed in this very process.
The Three Hun Souls and Seven Po Souls
A spirit with a body possesses three hun souls and seven po souls, while a spirit without a body retains only the main soul. The three hun souls consist of the main soul—also known as the intermediate state—the body soul, and the consciousness soul. The body soul protects the physical form and is linked to one's health. The consciousness soul protects the peace of the spirit and is linked to whether one's consciousness remains clear and bright.
Generally speaking, if the body soul leaves the physical form, the body easily falls ill. The energy field of the body changes, health is threatened, and resistance weakens. This makes one susceptible to external bacterial infections and diseases, or it may lead to internal organ issues. If the consciousness soul leaves the body, the spirit cannot find peace, resulting in a scattered state, an inability to concentrate, a lack of mental cohesion, and a sense of being lost or absent-minded.
As for the main soul, as long as there is a body, the main soul remains and does not separate. If the main soul—the intermediate state—leaves the body, the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind separate, and the person enters the state of death. A common situation is that while the main soul remains within the body, it cannot take charge. As karma and karmic creditors manifest, the main soul, the body, and the spirit suffer. This can be divided into physical suffering and mental suffering.
In general, the main soul has the capacity to work with the body soul to protect the physical form, and to work with the consciousness soul to keep the spirit and mind in a stable state. If the body soul and consciousness soul are led away from the body due to thoughts, attachments, hobbies, dreams, or the interrogation and punishment in the hells, and if the main soul is interfered with by karmic creditors or spiritual attachments, it loses its autonomy. The body and spirit then lose the support of the main soul, body soul, and consciousness soul. This gives karma and karmic creditors the opportunity to affect the normal functioning of the internal organs, causing illness and interfering with the normal state of the consciousness, leading to mental health problems.
The seven po souls reside in the head, neck, limbs, chest, back, and abdomen, forming the framework of the body. The body is composed of countless cells, and each cell holds its own memory. This memory is the memory of reincarnation, containing corresponding karma and the retribution of good and evil deeds. When the body suffers the retribution of aging and sickness, these states manifest in the corresponding cells, creating various pathologies. This is the reason why every person has their own karmic retribution and cannot escape birth, aging, sickness, and death. Death is a state that all the cells of the body face together.
Why is purification so important for a practitioner? Because the goal of practice is to end the cycle of birth and death and break free from its shackles. When you purify all the cells of your body through practice, you are purifying the memories of reincarnation within those cells. You help transform them into goodness or even resolve them entirely, soothing the damage these memories have caused to the cells. This is the moment to transform your karma and change your destiny. Only through such purification can you transform your karma, free yourself from the interference of karmic creditors, and rediscover your true self. This is why the cells of those who have realised their true nature appear transparent and unstained.
The existence of the hun and po souls is a reality. If you do not believe in this or ignore it, you will lack a primary method when seeking to prescribe the right medicine for pain or problems, which will limit the effectiveness of your treatment. The three hun and seven po souls can scatter due to thoughts, reflections, the manifestation of karmic retribution, or being found by karmic creditors seeking revenge. Even after the souls return to the body, if you do not change your personality and habits, resolve conflicts with karmic creditors, and invite spirits for Chao Du, it is easy for the souls to scatter again due to the same situations.
However, retrieving the three hun and seven po souls is not an easy task. Why is this? Because if you wish to retrieve them later, how would you do it? This is something that capable people throughout history have sought to do, yet they could not find the way in. Consequently, they spent their entire lives lost and scattered, or lived their lives under the control of their karma and karmic creditors. This is the appearance of the cycle of reincarnation. The students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre are incredibly fortunate to know this. With the assistance of Namo Amituofo and the manifestation of Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body, you have the opportunity to retrieve your three hun and seven po souls, gather your spirit, and finally have the chance to practice and realise your true nature. Generally speaking, lost souls are difficult to retrieve. There are countless ownerless souls drifting in space; this is one of the phenomena of this world.
The Path of Practice
In your practice, you cannot allow yourself even a moment of slackness, nor can you allow yourself to find excuses to stop and rest. Once you have a reason to slack off or stop, you must find an even more powerful reason to prevent yourself from doing so, thereby reclaiming that momentum of diligent practice. In the back-and-forth of this process, you have already consumed much time. While you are thinking, you have awakened many karmic creditors and attracted many spiritual attachments.
Practice is different from academic study in the world. Practice has no end and no boundaries. Saving beings is done without selection and is not limited by time or space. Academic study has boundaries, specific subjects, and is limited by time and space; it is constantly changing and can be altered at any moment. Practice is an inward journey. Through purification, you realise the Truth. You strive to rediscover your true self and save yourself while saving others. This is not something that can be achieved through memory, recitation, or academic credentials, nor can it be contained by language or text, yet language and text can be used to express its infinite meaning.
Academic study is learning outward; it is a worldly method based on memory, recitation, and credentials. How much of a person's life is spent on academic study, and how much on practice? Why do we study, and why do we practice? What do we gain from them? If the answers to these questions are positive and fulfilling, rather than helpless and passive, then what you do and what you learn can truly respond to your life, rather than just being a rigid way to get by. If you are just going through the motions, you are truly wasting your life.
People often need to grow after experiencing setbacks and difficulties. Such growth is what truly benefits oneself and benefits all beings. Words can only express a part of the functions of the six sense organs. Whether the six sense organs have been purified determines the two different levels of ability they present. The key is whether the karmic retribution related to the six sense organs can be transformed; purification is the critical factor. A practitioner's six roots are pure only through diligent practice and upholding the Precepts; it is never obtained out of thin air. The more you purify, the higher the sensitivity of your six roots becomes, until at the moment of realising your true nature, the inherent instincts of the six roots are fully revealed. The functions of the six roots that can be exercised after purification vary in depth and breadth depending on the degree of purification.
The eyes can see situations that the physical eyes cannot see. They can see the past, the present, and the future. They can traverse time, seeing layers of space and the spirits within those spaces, such as the six realms, the hells, the ghost realm, the animal realm, the crawling and flying creatures, the heavenly realm, the asura realm, and the conditions of the human body. This is a very important ability for saving oneself and saving others.
The Power of Stability
The power of stability comes from within the heart. It cannot rely on the external; it does not depend on any person, any event, or any object. It does not depend on wealth, fame, or status. These are all variables. If you place the power of stability on these variables, it is a state of extreme instability. Furthermore, there is more than one type of variable; any change in any one of them will lead to the unease of the heart. Is this the kind of life you want? If you do not want this, you must find true stability from within your heart.
Only through practice, by purifying the body, heart, and spirit through the Three Learnings of Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom, by using Wisdom to judge and exclude external interference, and by using the purity of the heart to resist external contamination, can you allow purity to exert its purifying function. Only when the heart is in a state of tranquility and harmony can there be what is called stability. And eternal stability comes from realising your true nature—that is, rediscovering your true self and Buddha-nature.
People often rely too much on external information and technology, thinking they can master and control these things, only to be mastered and controlled by them in return, losing their souls without even knowing it. In fact, your true self originally possesses these instincts; it is just that people do not understand this and do not know how to develop them, relying day after day and year after year on external technology. People are accustomed to living in the midst of countless anxieties caused by countless changes, ignoring the harm these anxieties cause them. By the time they discover it, they have already caused great damage to their body, heart, and spirit. If they have not encountered the right Dharma and a true spiritual friend, it may lead to irreversible consequences.
These processes are within the arrangement of karmic destiny. If you are a Buddhist practitioner, you have the opportunity to break free from the control of karmic destiny and present a completely different situation. This requires effort; it is not a result obtained out of thin air. When a Buddhist practitioner achieves purity through purification, their eyes open, and they can see the past and present lives of beings. They can clearly understand this person's attitude and actions toward life in this moment, as well as the efforts and changes they have made. Although they can recognise this person and offer guidance to help them change their ways, eliminate disasters, and resolve difficulties, it still requires that person to be willing to accept it to receive these benefits of the Dharma.
Facing Death and Saving Spirits
To worldly people, death is a departure, a permanent separation where one can never meet again. When the breath stops and one is declared dead, all the past becomes a memory. If the deceased has too many emotional attachments and cannot let go, their soul after death cannot be reborn in a good realm. They become a ghost in space, or the soul is drawn by mental notes and natural gravitational forces to be reborn in a place corresponding to those thoughts. They might enter the spirits of the earth, or enter the evil or good realms, lost and unable to be found. Worldly people will trace the tracks of the deceased when they were alive as a form of remembrance and mourning. For a Buddhist practitioner, all of this is an obstacle. Before meditative concentration is achieved, this series of thoughts and memories should stop. Transforming these thoughts and memories into diligent, positive power is the only proper attitude for facing the death of a loved one.
The manifestation of pain and illness is the most common thing faced before death. This is the moment to test whether a person who chants the Buddha's name truly believes in the Buddha and truly chants. Pain and illness are often due to the manifestation of spiritual obstacles and the interference of karmic creditors seeking revenge. If one is drawn into the suffering of pain, it is difficult to concentrate on the Buddha-name. If one can encounter a true spiritual friend to provide teachings and guidance during this critical period, it can be a turning point.
Namo Amituofo
It is a great blessing if you can let go of all worldly attachments in time and focus your mind on chanting the Buddha-name. Otherwise, you will find yourself powerless to chant at the moment of death. If your spirit is pulled away by sentient beings into other realms, your hope for rebirth in the Western Pure Land will vanish, leaving only deep regret. All the efforts you have made in this life for the sake of rebirth will dissolve like foam. In which future life, and at what time, will you be able to pick up the Buddha-name again? If you chant in this life but become a wandering spirit in the six realms of existence in the next, how could you bear such a fate?
For a Pure Land practitioner, chanting to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is an achievement of vow-power that should bring immense joy. Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is where Namo Amituofo truly abides; this is a rare and precious opportunity, one that is difficult to encounter in countless lifetimes. Being able to attain rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss from this place is absolutely not something that can be bought with wealth. It depends entirely on whether you have truly seen through and let go of worldly things, whether you have true faith in the Buddha, and whether you truly vow to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. If there is even the slightest attachment or inability to let go while chanting, it will be difficult to be reborn in the Pure Land. This is something every practitioner must know; you must be extremely cautious and diligent!
Fortunately, Practitioner Su has realised his true nature and achieved great meditative concentration. He has performed Chao Du for countless spirits, leading them to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss or into the human and heavenly realms. Furthermore, he can perform Chao Du for the deceased to enter the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. He first invites Namo Amituofo to locate where the deceased spirit currently resides. They may be anywhere within the six realms of existence: perhaps in the ghost realm as a wandering spirit, suffering in the hells, trapped in the animal realm as a dog, cat, cow, or fish, or drifting in other spaces. Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body then guides these spirits and settles them in the Western Land of Dharma Nature at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. He performs Chao Du for forty-nine days, allowing the spirits to listen to the Dharma and participate in the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies. Afterwards, the spirits chant the Buddha-name according to their vows, and Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body guides them into the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. That such a capable master exists in this world is truly a great blessing for all spirits!
Rebirth
Rebirth does not refer to the next life, but to this very life. Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is a precious land for those who wish to realise their true nature and be reborn in the Western Land. Upon entering the temple, whether you are a monastic or a volunteer, you are protected and cared for by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. You must truly cut off, see through, and let go of the past within your heart. Do not let the various events of the past interfere with your practice in the temple; this is what we call rebirth. Only through rebirth can you find new vitality. Only by dwelling in pure Goodness is it possible to rediscover your true self. Rebirth is not merely a rebirth of the heart, but a rebirth of the body, mind, and spirit.
The Buddha saves all beings without discrimination, yet the question remains: does the heart of the person have the Buddha within it? The Buddha has never left us; it is the hearts of sentient beings that have left the Buddha. If you chant with your mouth but have no Buddha in your heart, even if you enter the temple every day and reside there permanently, which fellow practitioner can truly say they have the Buddha in their heart? To be as free as saying, "If the Buddha wants me to leave, I will leave; if sentient beings want me to stay, I will stay," is the achievement of one who has realised their true nature. All disciples should strive to emulate this.
Questions and Answers
1. Why is it that as soon as I sit down, my body is occupied and controlled by sentient beings, meaning I cannot be the master of myself, but rather the sentient beings are in control?
If your body is occupied and controlled by sentient beings as soon as you sit down, it indicates that these beings have manifested and the karma related to them is currently surfacing. Because these beings belong to the yin realm, it also means that their yin energy has overwhelmed your yang body, indicating that your physical state at that moment is also in a yin state, which gives them the opportunity to manifest. You must observe the circumstances under which these beings appear. If they appear while Practitioner Su is giving a Dharma talk, it is the perfect time for these karmic creditors to listen to the teachings and be receptive. If they can take the teachings to heart, it is a wonderful opportunity to resolve your mutual grievances. You should strive to break through, gather your spirit, and perhaps kneel or prostrate while listening to the teachings. This allows your karmic creditors to feel your sincerity in resolving the conflict, leading to the invitation of spirits. Through the power of Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body, he can help these beings return to their past, restore their homes, and reunite with their families. This resolves their suffering and grievances, achieving the goal of reconciliation, and through the writing of memorial tablets for Chao Du, problems can be solved or illnesses healed and alleviated. If you do not break through at this time but instead allow yourself to be led by your karmic creditors into other spaces or fall into a stupor, you not only lose the chance for reconciliation but are instead controlled by them. This is the common situation. Because these karmic creditors have no opportunity to listen to the Dharma or be reconciled through Chao Du, the result is that your karma remains in control. To be the master of yourself and prevent your body from being controlled, besides ensuring your main spirit remains in your body and is not kicked out, you must have right faith, right knowledge, and right . Your body must generate sufficient positive energy; the righteous energy and yang energy within you can resist the yin energy of karmic creditors and attached spirits. If you even realise your true nature, you can achieve the goal of being the master of yourself, ensuring your spirit is not kicked out and your body is not controlled.
2. Why is it that when Practitioner Su kindly tries to resolve these conflicts, sentient beings easily enter his body (taking on the suffering of beings)?
Because Practitioner Su has great compassion and has vowed to resolve the grievances between sentient beings and the fourfold assembly, the moment this vow arises, it becomes a cause, and this cause forms a path. Whether these beings are willing to accept reconciliation is a variable; they may be willing, or they may not. If they are unwilling, they already have the conditions to return to the fourfold assembly. If they are not only unwilling to reconcile but also feel displeasure, unwillingness, or even resentment towards Practitioner Su, they can use this path to enter his body. As for where they reside after entering, it may be at the starting point of the path, or it may be in the part of the body where the sentient beings desire to be. The parts of Practitioner Su’s body that are most vulnerable are where they most easily enter, because the light emitted from these vulnerable areas is weaker than in other parts, with fewer obstacles, making it easier for them to enter. Therefore, these beings who refuse to accept Practitioner Su’s reconciliation may pile up layer upon layer in these vulnerable areas. The yin energy and negative energy of resentment brought by these beings, when accumulated to a certain degree, exert an invisible pressure on the muscles, bones, ligaments, meridians, and cells of the internal organs where they reside, causing symptoms such as soreness, pain, swelling, numbness, redness, itching, or burning—this is the state of a diseased body. At this time, if one can communicate with these beings and invite them to leave that area, one can alleviate the symptoms according to the number of beings invited out. If all can be invited out, the symptoms will naturally be resolved. The situation seen within Practitioner Su’s body is that sentient beings exist in dense, layered piles. Firstly, Practitioner Su’s body is the Dharma-nature body of one who has realised his true nature; according to his vow-power, it possesses an immeasurable and vast space, which is why there has been a layering of beings over the past twenty or thirty years. Secondly, because these beings are within this space, they receive the positive transformation from within Practitioner Su’s body and remain in a calm or even dormant state, not emitting negative energy and thus not causing substantial harm to the body. However, the beings invited out recently have not received this transformation and still harbour emotions such as resentment, emitting negative energy. Only when this accumulates to a degree that causes harm to the body and produces symptoms do we discover that Practitioner Su is suffering from spiritual attachment and taking on the suffering of beings. Generally speaking, the vow to resolve the resentment of karmic creditors is like an invisible thread, a flat and wide road that allows beings who are unwilling to reconcile to enter directly into the body of the one who wishes to help. This is the cause within the law of karmic conditions and effects. The one who wishes to resolve the conflict has no selfish intent and a sincere heart, yet he bears the burden of these beings entering his body. Because Practitioner Su’s vow to resolve the grievances between sentient beings and karmic creditors has always existed and never diminished, the number of beings he has saved has increased over these twenty or thirty years as his skills have deepened and broadened. If he encounters beings who are unwilling to reconcile, do not understand the benefits of reconciliation, or do not understand the magnificence of Namo Amituofo and the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, they can follow the cause of Practitioner Su’s vow and enter his body, creating the situation where he takes on the suffering of beings. This is why, despite Practitioner Su’s kind intentions, sentient beings easily enter his body. Today, Practitioner Su’s body is blessed by the Buddha’s power and protected by a diamond shield, allowing him to be free from beings entering his body and free from the interference of spiritual attachments. Few in this world can practise to such a level. Practitioner Su is able to receive the blessing and protection of Namo Amituofo because he acts according to the Buddha’s vow-power and the righteous path, without violating the Buddha’s vows. The reason Practitioner Su is able to be protected by the diamond shield is also because he has spent his life believing in, accepting, and upholding the , thereby receiving the thirty-second vow, the "Vow of the Diamond Narayana Body," from the forty-eight vows in the sixth chapter. The sutra states: "When I become a Buddha, those born in my land will have immeasurable good roots and will all attain the diamond Narayana body." Practitioner Su exists in this world with a physical body to save beings; his spirit acts as a being of the Western Land to carry out the work of saving sentient beings. Moreover, he practically practises and verifies the forty-eight vows and has already saved immeasurable and boundless sentient beings. Everything manifested by his heart and body is of immeasurable good roots, without a single trace of non-virtue. Therefore, he can receive the empowerment of Namo Amituofo’s forty-eight great vows, allowing this vow to be practically manifested in the world. He is a rare and true practitioner who has verified his vows in the Pure Land tradition.
3. Since the beings currently within Practitioner Su’s body are all those for whom he is taking on suffering, and there are already so many, how many sentient beings must be within the bodies of the fourfold assembly?
Before one who has realised their true nature can do so, their body and mind must reach a state of pure goodness, without the slightest trace of pollution. Only then can they realise their true nature. Since the body is free from the disturbance of sentient beings, it indicates that delusions and messy thoughts are not originally present and should naturally be absent. Without delusions and messy thoughts, the body and mind are pure, and the true self is revealed. Once the true self is revealed, one is free from the cycle of birth and death. With no thoughts and no personal habits, it is difficult to attract external spiritual attachments. Therefore, there must be a cause for any beings that can enter one’s body. This cause is not a selfish thought, but a vow. Sentient beings are boundless; if one vows to save countless suffering beings, can there ever be an end to them? There is no end! Among these suffering beings, how many are unwilling to reconcile? Everything is within the arising and ceasing of karmic conditions. Reconciliation arises with conditions and can also be boundless, because Practitioner Su is constantly inviting spirits out, and they can be invited out at any time. With the protection of Skanda Bodhisattva and other Dharma protectors, they can enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature. With such favourable conditions—conditions that no other attached spirits in the entire universe possess—these beings, whether they know and understand or not, still pile up layer upon layer, attached to Practitioner Su’s body. Now, fortunately, with the protection of the diamond shield, it is possible to invite these attached beings out of the body, and the process is still ongoing. Practitioner Su has already realised his true nature, and his resolve is firm; no matter how many attached beings there are, his heart to save them will never be obstructed.
Namo Amituofo
This is the preciousness of those who have realised their true nature. A practitioner who has realised their true nature takes on the suffering of beings. Because their vow is boundless, the number of beings whose suffering they bear is also boundless. Yet, this does not diminish their vow in the slightest. Therefore, their heart remains unmoved, and they are not threatened by aging or death. Their energy remains undiminished, and they are free in life and death.
The Power of a Pure Heart
Their spirit possesses meditative concentration and is not disturbed by beings. This is the benefit of realising one's true nature. Their heart is pure and free of thoughts; therefore, beings have no cause to attach themselves to them, and can only cling to the surface of their skin or deep within the skin. At Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, we can invite these spirits to leave through the process of Chao Du.
As for the fourfold assembly of disciples, from the moment of birth, as soon as one begins to have thoughts, beings reside within the body. If thoughts do not cease, the number of beings is also boundless. The body is like a vast universe, a great world. Beings can come and go without any obstruction, and naturally, they are immeasurable and boundless. Currently, the fourfold assembly of disciples does not have a protective vajra shield. If one does not practise to stop thoughts and change one's personality traits and habits, there is no opportunity to reduce the chances of beings entering the body. It is easy to imagine that the beings within the bodies of the fourfold assembly are also immeasurable and boundless. Furthermore, because they come to seek revenge and balance karmic debts, the harm they cause to the body is naturally beyond description.
Therefore, if one does not accumulate merit and virtue in daily life, and if these merits cannot manifest in this lifetime, it is difficult to pacify the resentment of these beings. However, this body is, after all, a body of karma. Even if the fourfold assembly serves at the temple daily, if they do not actively change their personality traits and habits, the state of aging, sickness, and death is difficult to avoid. They will still show signs of aging and enter the process of aging, sickness, and death.
The Hidden Causes of Illness
Cancer and tumours are the result of past victims waiting for an opportunity to seek revenge within the internal organs, pores, and other parts of the body. After many lifetimes, they have finally waited until this one. Even if volunteers and lay practitioners serve at the bodhimanda and practise diligently, why do they still suffer from various illnesses or develop cancer? Every being in the past has created karma that can rival Mount Sumeru and is as deep as the ocean. The revenge sought by karmic creditors within the body follows a sequence based on when the karma was created and the depth of that karma. It also depends on whether the vengeful beings have a deep desire for revenge.
Some are compassionate, such as great practitioners who do not pursue the wrongs done to them by others. However, within the laws of karma and cause and effect, once a cause is created, the result will manifest. Even if the beings do not seek revenge at this moment, it does not mean the debt is cleared. This matter has already been recorded in the Alaya consciousness. The negative cause has been planted; if the beings have not appeared, it is only because the conditions have not yet matured. If the thoughts of these beings change, and they desire to seek retribution when conditions mature, the evil consequences will manifest.
If the evil consequences are deep, organ failure or serious illness will occur to compensate for the suffering the beings have endured. As long as the thoughts of these beings have not vanished, the result borne by the karmic debtor—physical suffering—will not diminish.
The Relationship Between Cause and Effect
If karmic beings lack the ability to transform karma or regulate their heart and body, one can generally predict when the conditions will mature and the result will manifest when the cause is created. This is why fortune-tellers can often be accurate with those who are governed by karma; because the causes they have created often follow a clear path, and one can predict when the result will appear. If such a person practises the Buddha's teachings and transforms their karma, the fortune-teller will no longer be accurate. This means the originally predicted result has not manifested, having been resolved or postponed.
If an evil cause has been created and the time for the beings to seek revenge arrives—especially for those with intense thoughts of revenge—they will urgently search for the location of the debtor. If the debtor has already passed away in this lifetime, the beings will follow their thoughts of revenge. If the debtor is in a spiritual state, it is difficult for the beings to find them. Even if they find a debtor in a spiritual state, there is no physical body for the beings to attach to and seek revenge according to karmic conditions. Therefore, this relationship of karmic conditions and cause and effect shows that beings wait in space for the debtor to possess a human body to seek revenge. Some wait for ten, twenty, or even more lifetimes; they are already waiting in space before the debtor is even born.
When the debtor possesses a human body, as soon as a thought arises, vibrations are released into space. The beings can then find the debtor, follow the path released by the vibrations, enter the debtor's body, and wait for the opportunity to seek revenge. These beings waiting for revenge exist within the skin, muscles, bones, meridians, and internal organs of the body. Depending on the number of beings seeking revenge and the depth of the karma, this causes changes in local cells. Some cells have the ability to self-repair after surface changes and recover in a short time. Others, however, are affected because the attached beings release a large amount of negative energy. This negative energy interferes with the internal structures of the cells, causing them to deteriorate, become malignant, and suffer damage.
Initially, a small number of malignant cells, if they divide rapidly, will produce a large number of malignant cells in a short time. These interfere with the operation of normal cells, causing organ disease and the loss of normal function. This is what is known as tumours or cancer cells. Regarding the evil consequences of cancer, from the perspective of spirituality or those with open eyes, the malignant cells and the organs they attach to appear grey or dark due to the large number of attached beings. If one asks these beings why they have come to seek revenge, they all express extreme resentment, hatred, anger, and evil, having come to demand a life. This means that from the time of the incident until now, these beings have been trapped in that specific situation and space, a state of extreme suffering. Only when the debtor falls ill, suffers from pain, or even dies, is this karmic debt concluded.
The Path to Resolution
From the perspective of the Buddha's teachings, this entire process involves both the beings and the debtor as victims of suffering. When both sides created this cause, it might not have been their true selves, but rather their karmic creditors or attached beings acting through them. Yet, both the beings and the debtor must endure the suffering of cause and effect in this process, which is known as consuming one another. At this time, the debtor should quickly repent, change their ways, seek a path to resolve the conflict with these beings, and perform Chao Du for the karmic creditors connected to this illness. By doing so, they hope to stop the progression of the illness, resolve the resentment, and end the suffering of both parties. One should also share the teachings of cause and effect and counsel the beings to chant the Buddha's name and make a vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
If one has not realised their true nature and has not transformed their karma, one remains a karmic being. Even for volunteers and lay practitioners who practise diligently and serve at the temple, if they do not change their personality traits and habits and fail to resolve the conflict with the karmic creditors or attached beings that have already manifested, they will still suffer. Suppose there are one hundred karmic creditors or attached beings; because the debtor is diligent or serves at the temple, ninety-nine may be willing to resolve the conflict, but one may remain unwilling. This one being can still cause the debtor's organs or cells to deteriorate through the negative energy released, resulting in illness or cancer. This causes the debtor to still suffer the pain of karmic retribution, unable to avoid it entirely, because they have not transformed their karma and are still subject to the demands of karma. However, because of their daily diligent practice, they can avoid the retribution of the ninety-nine beings and experience a lighter result for a heavy cause. If cells deteriorate into cancer, it may be discovered and resolved earlier, reducing the suffering of the illness.
This is what the Buddha's teachings mean by the necessity of being pure and Good. As long as there is even a trace of filth or a thread of unreleased emotion, not only will one be unable to realise their true nature, but it also gives karmic creditors the opportunity to manifest and seek retribution. If there is a result to be borne, there must have been a cause created in the past. Many who do not understand this principle, even Buddhist practitioners, often say when they see someone who practises diligently and serves at the temple fall ill: Why do they still get sick after doing so much? The reason is as stated; everyone should learn from this as a warning. The Buddha's teachings are entirely self-created, without any luck involved. After understanding this principle, one must not slander or create verbal karma. Everyone must be careful about this!
The Nature of Attachment
If beings have not yet appeared, can they enter someone else's body? Is it because they grasp the other person's thoughts that they can enter a human body? Because thoughts emit vibrations, they attract external beings with similar thoughts to attach to the body. This is equivalent to grasping external spirits to enter the body and awakening the karmic creditors within. Within the more than fifty trillion cells of the body, cells that resonate with these thoughts are vibrated, triggering the memory within the cells and awakening the karmic creditors who were harmed by such thoughts in the past. Once the karmic creditors awaken, the situation they were in at the last moment of their previous life manifests. The karmic creditors live in this situation, waiting to seek revenge. When conditions mature and the time for revenge arrives, the karmic creditors can seek retribution according to karma or demand a life, thereby obstructing one's Buddhist practice.
Unless one meets someone who can resolve these conflicts and step forward to mediate the resentment between the debtor and the karmic creditors, one can save the debtor from the suffering of retribution. This helps maintain the debtor's peace and practice, avoids disasters, and helps the karmic creditors and attached beings receive Chao Du, allowing them to enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss or the human and heavenly realms. This is a matter that benefits both the living and the deceased.
Returning to the True Self
Is it no longer oneself when one wants to take advantage of others? In terms of the Buddha's teachings, the true self is the original self. When one's heart and spirit are polluted, it causes one's words and actions to deviate from the Truth and the righteous path. The spiritual essence of all beings, in terms of principle, is an equal Buddha-nature and true self. However, in terms of events, it differs due to the degree of pollution. Strictly speaking, if one's words and actions are driven by personality traits and habits, they are no longer oneself. Why is this? The true self is the original appearance of the true self seen at the moment of Awakening. When one begins to have thoughts and vibrations, one attracts external beings to attach to the body. Having thoughts means being polluted; therefore, the attached beings attracted have already caused the true self to be polluted. It is no longer the original appearance of the true self, and one begins to have different words and actions, forming personality traits and habits. Thoughts never cease, and the attachment of beings never stops.
In the human world, where one has a body, it is easier to see that those with personality traits and habits constantly generate thoughts and simultaneously attract attached beings; they are no longer themselves. Personality traits and habits are very broad, including: taking advantage of others, being subjective, attachment, insisting on one's own views, believing that one's own thoughts and words are always correct, insisting on one's own habits regarding food, clothing, housing, and travel, finding it difficult to integrate into a group, and even Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt, as well as wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep are all included in personality traits and habits. In this case, is one still oneself? The so-called returning to the true self means removing these personality traits and habits that have polluted oneself, layer by layer, purifying them, and step by step removing defilements to attain purity, so that one can find the true self. The true self is the real self. Therefore, in truth, except for an innocent newborn baby who has not yet generated thoughts of interacting with others, and who only reacts with natural crying and laughing due to simple physiological hunger or fullness, and those who have realised their true nature, everyone else is no longer themselves!
Namo Amituofo
Furthermore, those who are caught in the throes of anger, those who are trapped in a state of gloom, and those who are crying or throwing tantrums—none of these are truly themselves! They are being controlled by countless external attached spirits and internal karmic creditors from past lives, all of whom have been summoned by the individual's own thoughts. These spirits and creditors, who have been harmed by those very thoughts, now act as the masters of the body, leaving no space for the true self to take charge. This is precisely what Practitioner Su often mentions: if you wish to realise your true nature, the simpler you are, the better. Only by realising your true nature can you truly be the master of your own life.
The Essence of the True Self
Qualities such as simplicity, selflessness, lack of greed, consideration for others, a spirit of service, an absence of calculation, a mind free from the desire for gain or loss, and the absence of anger—these are all inherent, virtuous qualities. They are in sync with your true self. Therefore, when you are sincere, without idle thoughts or attachments, and these virtuous qualities naturally manifest, you are truly yourself in that moment. You are the one in control.
The Cycle of Personality and Attachment
Does failing to change one's personality traits lead to the attraction of numerous internal karmic creditors and external attached spirits? Personality is generated by thoughts, which emit vibrations that attract external spirits to attach themselves to you. These thought-vibrations are collectively produced by the karmic creditors within your body and the attached spirits who are related to those specific thoughts. Personality is often not limited to this lifetime alone; it manifests whenever you encounter similar events or situations, based on the consciousness, emotions, and actions accumulated over countless lifetimes. When you are born as a human in this life, the memory of these traits is already encoded in every cell of your body. When this personality trait is triggered again, the spirits attracted—both internally and externally—are layered upon one another, consisting of all those connected to the manifestation of this personality throughout your past and present lives. When your personality takes over, you are no longer the master of your own life; instead, the karmic creditors from the ghost realm residing within your body and the attached spirits are the ones in control. If you wish to change your personality and habits, you must also educate and guide these internal karmic creditors and attached spirits, persuading them to change their own habits or to stop interfering with you. This is not something that can be easily achieved in a short period, which is why personality and habits are so difficult to change. At such times, Chao Du can be of some help; by resolving the conflict with and saving these beings, you reduce the intensity with which your personality traits manifest. However, the most fundamental method is to start by calming the heart. Once meditative concentration is achieved and you no longer allow these thoughts to arise, these subsequent problems will naturally cease to occur.
The Mystery of Human Sustenance
Does the intake of food also provide energy to the densely packed spirits within the human body? First, we must acknowledge: does the human body truly contain a dense population of spirits? As previously mentioned, every cell in the human body carries memories from accumulated lifetimes. Any action, word, or thought in this life that touches upon these memories will summon karmic creditors, causing karma to manifest. From birth until now, every thought you have had has attracted a corresponding number of spirits. Thus, it is clear that the body is indeed home to a vast number of spirits. As one ages, the accumulation of these spirits leads to the constant emergence of illnesses and physical pain. These spirits are ghosts existing in a spiritual state; they can shrink or expand, and they can be compressed, existing in layers. Spiritual life does not face the problem of death in the human sense. The life of a ghost has a temporal dimension; for instance, in terms of a thousand-year lifespan, one day in the ghost realm is equivalent to one month in the human world. When their thousand-year lifespan ends, it marks the beginning of their next life. If they exist within a human body during this time, they can sustain themselves by absorbing the vital energy of the human body, which increases their activity. The primary source of this vital energy is food. Food is intended to provide the nutrition and energy required for human cells to function and to maintain life. The physical body requires the intake of grains and various foods to sustain itself. A truly purified body, in a state of purification, requires very limited nutrition and energy. However, the more karmic creditors or attached spirits one has, the more vital energy is required; thus, one must provide a greater amount of nutrition and energy. If the intake is insufficient, these spirits will absorb the basic nutrition and energy required for the survival of the body's cells, leading to conditions such as physical weakness, frailty, thinness, malnutrition, and stunted growth. If one wishes to satisfy the vital energy needs of these karmic creditors or attached spirits, one situation is that the body must consume enough nutrition and energy to provide for the spirits while still maintaining the body's basic needs, which can lead to a situation where one eats a great deal but does not gain weight. Another situation is the constant need to eat to satisfy the greed of these spirits, which exceeds the body's capacity. The nutrients from this food, once broken down, cannot be fully utilised by the body and instead accumulate, leading to various diseases and excessive obesity. This is also a form of karmic retribution that one must face. At such times, the desire to eat is not something one can autonomously control; it arises from the needs of these densely packed spirits within the body, which then manifest as thoughts of hunger. Therefore, human eating does indeed provide energy to these densely packed spirits, a phenomenon that is universally present in the human body. The above is an explanation and answer to the mysteries of the human body and the questions raised. Namo Amituofo.
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and the Infinite Life Sutra
This sutra was compiled by me, Practitioner Xia Lian Ju, over more than a decade by gathering five different versions of the text. During this process, I experienced many occurrences of resonance with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that few people know about. Just as Practitioner Su now performs Chao Du through his awakened Dharma Body, saving infinite suffering beings to be reborn in the Western Pure Land, successfully praying for rain, and taking on the suffering of beings, I also experienced many events that are difficult to believe and hear. Because of the timing and Causal Conditions of this era, Practitioner Su manifests in the world with an awakened nature, and he has moved Amitabha Buddha to abide in this world. The process of these difficult-to-believe and difficult-to-hear events experienced by Practitioner Su has been documented through interviews conducted after the Venerable purified the space, and these records have been archived in digital format to be passed on to future generations. This is an act of compassion by Practitioner Su, for if the Causal Conditions in all aspects were not fully met, this undertaking would be difficult to accomplish, and future generations would have no opportunity to see it. These achievements were not obtained from nothing, but those who see and hear them must have faith in order to receive the benefits of the Dharma. Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre stands in this world, providing those who come to learn and practise with the opportunity to purify themselves and realise their true nature, and to follow Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su in the work of saving sentient beings, helping them leave suffering behind and be reborn in the Western Pure Land. These records provide future practitioners with a precious reference for their studies. For those learning and practising the Pure Land path in the future, it is just like the assembly at this time, studying the treatises and manuscripts left behind by the ancestral masters and venerable predecessors. Whether in volumes or collections, these are the essence of the practice of those masters and predecessors. It is hoped that future students can gain assistance from them during their own practice, reduce the experience of groping in the dark and failing, and within their limited lives, walk on the righteous path without deviation, realise their true nature early, and save more suffering beings. For a true practitioner, Awakening is a process of practice, not the final result. However, Awakening cannot be achieved in a day or two. In the process of diligently practising and striving to overcome the manifestation of karma, one must face the test of personality traits and karma pulling at each other. Breaking through these obstacles often consumes a great deal of time and life, to the point where many practitioners end their lives before they have realised their true nature, and even Awakening becomes a goal of practice. These are caused by different Dharma affinities and different karmic conditions and effects. Not every practitioner's path is smooth and unobstructed; the vast majority of practitioners must break through layers of obstacles and tests before they can achieve success in their practice. Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre now uses the Infinite Life Sutra as its daily practice text. Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and Practitioner Su are leaving behind a historical witness for the Dharma lineage and transmission of the Pure Land. This is not only something that predecessors could do, but it is also something that future students can reach—this is a great blessing for the Pure Land! When I was compiling the Infinite Life Sutra, the many difficult-to-believe and difficult-to-hear events I experienced were known only to a few Pure Land masters at the time, including the manifestation of Buddha-light, the wafting of lotus fragrance, and the constant sound of the six-character name of the Buddha in my ears, as well as being blessed by the Buddha to see the realm of the Western Pure Land. All of these were the immense confidence and energy given by the compassionate father, Amitabha, to me, who was sincerely proofreading the text at the time. On this path of compilation, even when encountering difficulties, I remained unyielding and continued to move forward. Just as the compassionate father, Amitabha, now accompanies Practitioner Su and the fourfold assembly at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, on this path of purification, Awakening, and saving beings, they do not fear hardship, slander, or suspicion, and continue to move forward. Namo Amituofo. Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Shi HaiZe.
