The Path to Settling the Heart

The Unceasing Journey of the Spirit

Teachings from Namo Amituofo, recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe. Generally speaking, regardless of where you are, what time it is, or the circumstances you find yourself in, your physical body requires rest. However, your heart and your spirit do not require rest in the same way. They are constantly in a state of flux, which is to say, they are in a state of perpetual motion. Unless a practitioner has attained a high level of meditative concentration, the heart and spirit will continue to wander even when the body is at rest.

To truly settle the heart, one must be able to maintain stability even when the body is sleeping. This prevents the spirit from drifting aimlessly. Instead, one should learn to anchor the heart and spirit within the Buddha-name, ensuring that they remain undisturbed by external influences or the chaotic environment of the world.

The Hidden Reality of Sleep

When one lacks meditative concentration, even if the body has been resting for a significant period, the heart and spirit will still feel a profound sense of exhaustion. Because people are in a state of sleep, they are often unaware of what occurs during those hours. Upon waking, they simply assume they have had a rest, forgetting the experiences that transpired in the interim. In truth, during sleep, the heart and spirit are in an active state. This is similar to when one is listening to the Dharma; even if one appears to be in a drowsy state, the spirit has actually been drawn into another space, where it continues to be active.

Those who possess a sensitive awareness may be able to perceive the circumstances of entering these other spaces. However, most people lack this refined awareness and are burdened by many impure thoughts. They merely feel that they have taken a short nap, unaware that during that rest, their heart and spirit were not in a state of tranquility. Instead, they were in another space, undergoing entirely different experiences.

The Vital Importance of Meditative Concentration

Why must a practitioner strive to cultivate meditative concentration? It is to maintain the stability of the heart and spirit. By doing so, one allows the Body-Mind-Spirit to remain in a state of purification, stability, and freedom from contamination. If one enters these other spaces, the various actions taken and the thoughts that arise are often still governed by the Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt, as well as the wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep. For the heart and spirit, these are sources of pollution. If one wishes to realise one's true nature and become an awakened being, this pollution must be removed. Therefore, entering these spaces without the protection of concentration is of no benefit to one's practice.

The purpose of cultivating meditative concentration is to preserve the purity of the Body-Mind-Spirit. It ensures that one is not led astray or contaminated by the changes in the external environment. There is an exception for the great practitioner: when they are in a deep meditative state, even if their spirit enters another space, they are not turned by the conditions they encounter. Thus, they remain untainted. Furthermore, if they enter these spaces to perform Goodness or to listen to sutras and hear the Dharma, this serves to purify the heart rather than to pollute it.

The Compassionate Work of Deliverance

When Practitioner Su is in a deep meditative state, his spirit leaves the body and manifests in countless manifestations. This occurs within the spiritual space, where he conducts Chao Du to save suffering spirits. This is an active, compassionate practice of saving the world and helping beings leave suffering behind. It is a profound example of saving beings while remaining in a deep meditative state.

All of you should take this as the goal of your practice. You must possess great compassion and a vast mind-capacity, acting selflessly to help all beings leave suffering behind. Only then can you move forward on this path with such unwavering determination. Namo Amituofo.