The Path of Fierce Diligence

Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

Fierce diligence is the essential element for a practitioner to realise their true nature. It is the necessary attitude for those who seek the Dharma.

The Challenge of Transforming Personality

To change one's personality traits is a monumental task. These traits have been cultivated over accumulated lifetimes. Unless one puts in the effort to change their ways and maintains constant awareness, it is difficult to truly transform. Therefore, you must first clearly recognise when your personality traits manifest. If you are unable to observe them yourself, you may ask others to point them out for you. If you allow your personality to arise without awareness, you will find it impossible to change. This becomes the primary cause for attracting karma and having your karmic creditors manifest before you.

Subduing the Mind Before Karma Manifests

Do not let your personality traits manifest unchecked. By the time they appear, it is already too late to suppress them. The fluctuations of your mental notes are often faster than the arising of your awareness. Once you have attracted karma and your karmic creditors have manifested, you will suffer greatly. Therefore, please use diligent practice to chant Namo Amituofo. By chanting continuously, you can subdue your personality traits. Then, you must cut off all defilements until they are completely removed. Only then can you give rise to all roots of goodness and achieve the fruit of Bodhi.

The Path of Purification

Practice is not something where you can gain without effort; it requires you to be fiercely diligent. You must be aware in every place and clear at every moment. Walk alongside awareness and clarity, rather than following confusion and darkness. To walk upon the Buddha's path is to embody compassion and Wisdom at all times. No-self and selflessness are your original nature, not the selfish, biased views and actions that stem from the ego. Practice is a process of purification.

The Power of the Holy Name

Be fiercely diligent so that you do not allow delusions and messy thoughts to arise, or at least to reduce them significantly. Use diligent practice to remove defilements with pure Goodness. Chant the six-character name: Namo Amituofo. The holy name of Amitabha Buddha is the purest of the pure, the most excellent of all Goodness. It is the most supreme name. By chanting the Buddha's name, your purification will become effective, and your inherent abilities will naturally manifest. This is the wonderful method to remove defilements and attain purity.

Namo Amituofo