The Path of Swift Transformation

The Foundation of Faith

When you are practising At Hsiang Kuang: A Sacred Sanctuary, the most essential foundation is your faith in the Buddha. Without this bedrock, your practice lacks direction and stability. Faith is not merely a concept; it is the living, breathing heart of your spiritual journey. It is the primary condition that allows all other virtues to take root and flourish within your life.

The Urgency of Correction

If you realise that you have committed a fault, you must correct it immediately. Do not hesitate, and do not allow your errors to linger. We must be vigilant in examining our Body, Speech, and Mind. If we allow improper actions, words, or thoughts to persist, we are actively harming our own Body-Mind-Spirit. By correcting these faults swiftly, you clear the path to enter into the pure and virtuous state of Faith, Vows, and Practice. If you notice that your Faith, Vows, and Practice have become skewed or misaligned, you must transform them just as quickly. Do not allow a distorted path to continue, for it will only lead to the creation of further karma and the experience of suffering. Never harbour the hope that you can escape the consequences of your actions; such complacency only damages your Dharma Body and your wisdom-life.

The Power of Transformation

If you feel fear or unease, you must return to your faith in the Buddha. Firmly anchor your heart in this faith, and you will enter a state of fearlessness and stability. You must understand what it means to transform: it is to transform your heart, to transform your mental notes, and to transform your actions. When your heart and mental notes are transformed, your actions will naturally follow, for the heart is the commander of all that you do. You must constantly reflect on the nature of your heart. Is it the heart of an ordinary people, or is it the heart of a practitioner?

The Master of the Mind

If you are operating from the heart of an ordinary people, you are being driven by a karmic heart, where your karma acts as the master. If you are a true practitioner who has reached the state of an awakened being, your true self can take charge. You will no longer act for your own selfish gain, but for the benefit of all beings, following the Buddha’s actions to save them. However, if you have not yet reached this state of awakening, your heart is often influenced by karmic creditors, attached spirits, and demon crowds. In such a state, it is very difficult to be the master of your own mind. When you act for yourself, out of selfishness rather than for the sake of all beings, you are still operating from a karmic heart, following your own desires. In these moments, the reality is that you are acting according to the intentions of karmic creditors, attached spirits, or demon crowds, rather than your own original intent. Even if you believe you are practising, the result remains the same: you will continue to suffer the cycle of aging, sickness, and death, bound by the weight of your karma.

The Ultimate Path

If you find that you are acting from a karmic heart, you must transform it with all possible speed, for karma is rooted in confusion and is constantly changing. If you wish to transform your karma, you must have faith in the Buddha and listen to His teachings. The most effective way to do this is to chant one Buddha's name to the end. By doing so, you ensure that your Faith, Vows, and Practice are grounded in reality. Namo Amituofo.