The Path of Compassion
Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju
Delivered at the 2019 World Dharma Assembly for Disaster Relief
The Foundation of a Compassionate Life
is the essential heart of our practice. When you cultivate a compassionate heart that refrains from killing, you allow life to flourish and be preserved. By bestowing upon others, you bring peace and stability to their hearts. Through a heart of sorrow for the suffering of others, you help them leave behind their pain and grief.
To live in a state of purity and non-contention is to find true peace. When you embrace the principle of great compassion—where the suffering of others is felt as your own—you naturally view all beings with equality, without distinctions of high or low status.
Equality in the Eyes of the Buddha
Compassion and Wisdom must walk hand in hand. As you walk your path, do so with sincerity and avoid the trap of forced expectations. Whether it is the impoverished, the sick, the animals, or the smallest of creatures, you must recognise that:
- Every being possesses the inherent Buddha-nature.All life deserves your deepest respect.The differences in our physical forms are merely the result of the different karmic causes we have sown.
The Mind as the Source of Liberation
All the suffering you experience in your body arises from your mental note. Conversely, your liberation from this suffering is also achieved through the heart. When you truly understand that the phenomena of this world are like illusions, you will see that diligent practice and the act of benefiting others are the highest expressions of compassion.
When you combine compassion with Wisdom, you benefit all spirits. You must strive to act without a single trace of deluded thought, remaining selfless and free from the attachment to an ego. This is the state of being truly empty and at peace.
Returning to the True Nature
When you reach the state of an awakened being, you will see that all the laws of the world arise from the same source. All phenomena return to the Buddha nature within you. It is through this self-nature of compassion that you can resolve the conflict of your karmic debts and find true freedom.
By listening to the sutras and hearing the , you will understand the great meaning of life. As you follow the conditions of the world to teach and transform others, you will resolve the conflict of all suffering. Even the very cells of your body will transform, becoming a powerful aid in your practice. Your ultimate goal is to save yourself, your karmic connections, and your family members, alongside the infinite sentient and insentient beings, so that all may leave the cycle of being reincarnated and be reborn in the of Ultimate Bliss.
Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe, as the chief writer.
Namo Amituofo
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About the Author
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
Contributed to Pure Land Buddhism knowledge library