The Path of Enduring Hardship and Grievances

Teachings from the Teacher, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe

May 2, 2025

Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju’s teachings:

The Virtue of Endurance

To endure hardship and grievances is to possess the capacity to shoulder responsibility, to offer one's labour without complaint, and to bear both the physical pains of the body and the criticisms or grievances voiced by others. In the journey of practice, the ability to endure such trials is the hallmark of one who is destined to become a vessel for the Great Dharma.

This physical body we inhabit is a vessel of karmic retribution. It carries the heavy, beginningless karmic burdens of our true self. Within this vessel reside countless karmic debts and karmic creditors. Given the profound weight of this karma, how can we possibly afford to let our personal ego, habits, and selfishness continue to create new negative karma in this lifetime?

The Power of the Buddha-Name

Therefore, we must let go of the past and cease worrying about the future. In this very moment, you must chant Namo Amituofo all the way. If you can truly endure hardship and grievances, if you can practise no-self, if you can set aside your personal ego, and if you can extinguish the fires of anger, you are actively dissolving your karma and clearing your obstacles. This is how you help all beings accept and resolve their own suffering.

By enduring hardship, you grind away the sharp edges of your personality and ego. Through compassion and tolerance, you learn to accept the complaints of others without retaliation. You replace words of complaint and negative expressions with a heart of gratitude. Do not let complaints escape your lips. When you complain incessantly, you disturb and influence others, thereby creating negative speech karma.

Cultivating Wisdom and Concentration

Instead, you should first look inward to reflect upon your own conduct. If you find a fault, correct it immediately. If you find no fault, keep your heart calm and use the situation as a warning to remain vigilant against future errors. Practise this endurance with a straightforward heart. As you serve the community and listen to sutras and hear the Dharma, you are simultaneously cultivating both blessings and wisdom.

If you allow thoughts such as, "I have already done so much, why must I..." to arise, you are succumbing to complaint. These negative mental fluctuations will immediately attract and stir your karmic creditors, causing your karma to manifest and leading to further suffering. It is truly a pity to lose your progress in such a way.

When you encounter hardship, you should instead cultivate the thought: "I am grateful for this opportunity to dissolve my karma and cultivate blessings." By maintaining this perspective and continuing to chant Namo Amituofo all the way, you reduce and eventually cease the fluctuations of negative thoughts. This is how you elevate the quality of one's spirit. This is the practice of meditative concentration, and it is the path of a wise person.

Namo Amituofo.