The Path of Positive Transformation

Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe, during the third session of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony on 26 January 2025, these teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju illuminate the path of true change.

The Essence of Positive Transformation

A positive transformation is one that allows your heart and your actions to move toward what is good, virtuous, and free from suffering. Any change that assists you in your practice is a change worth making. This begins with the transformation of your own personality. You must strive to turn the Five Poisons—Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt—into their opposites: contentment, patience, wisdom, humility, and unwavering faith. This is a matter of great importance. If you can truly execute this change, you will experience a profound and positive shift in your life.

Refining Your Relationship with the World

To achieve this, you must examine your attachments. Let us look at how to address the greed that often clouds our nature:

• Do not be greedy for wealth: Instead, uphold the Precepts and practise Generosity. By letting go of the desire for material gain, you create space for spiritual growth.
• Do not be greedy for sensual pleasure: Distance yourself from those people and situations that cause your heart to fluctuate or your mind to become agitated. You must be vigilant and guard your senses.
• Do not be greedy for fame: If you attain fame, you will easily fall into the trap of arrogance. This pride invites karmic creditors to manifest, attracts attached spirits, and brings demon crowds that will obstruct your practice and distance you from becoming an awakened being.
• Do not be greedy for food: Aim to eat until you are eighty percent full, and gradually move toward seventy percent. This is a practice for physical health. Balanced and moderate eating is a way to treat your body and the countless cells within it with kindness and respect.

Overcoming the Obstacle of Sleep

Greed for sleep is a challenge that many practitioners are urgently in need of overcoming. Many of you believe that allowing the body to sleep and wake naturally, or ensuring you have what you consider to be enough sleep, is simply a way to relax. You have allowed this to become a habit. However, you do not realise that this has a negative impact on both your physical health and your spiritual practice. It acts as a barrier to your clarity and purity of mind. Furthermore, it is often the very time when karmic creditors seek to collect their debts.

Moving Toward Awakening

You must learn to listen to advice and follow the teachings. Do not be foolishly caught in the cycle of creating karma and repeating past mistakes. You must change your personality, overcome the state of being drowsy, and enter into the vast space of the Dharma. When you see your own suffering, you will realise that all beings are suffering even more. Therefore, you must become more compassionate and more diligent. Make the Ultimate Vow to save all beings. Only then will you be able to transform your current situation, achieve a positive change, and advance steadily toward diligent practice and the realisation of your true nature. Namo Amituofo.