The Practice of Right Thinking

The Unceasing Currents of the Mind

Teachings from Namo Amituofo, recorded by Chief Writer: Venerable HaiZe.

In this world, human beings are never free from the activity of thinking. From the moment you open your eyes upon waking, your Six Roots are in constant contact with the Six Dusts of the external world. There is not a single moment when you are not thinking, analysing, or categorising your experiences. Your Body, Speech, and Mind are perpetually engaged in processing the external environment. Your heart and spirit are constantly reaching outward, caught in a mixture of goodness and evil. Sometimes the good outweighs the evil, and at other times, the evil outweighs the good. Because it is difficult to maintain a state of pure goodness, most of our thinking does not qualify as 'Right Thinking.'

The Compassionate Standard of Goodness

What is the standard for goodness? The simplest and most accessible standard is this: to act for the sake of all sentient beings, rather than for oneself. Conversely, what is the standard for evil? It is to act entirely for the sake of oneself—to think only of one's own interests, to be selfish, and to be self-serving. For instance, when one harms another simply to protect one's own interests, this is the manifestation of evil. Most people exist in a state where good and evil are intermingled.

Therefore, to practise 'Right Thinking' means that your thoughts must be entirely good and free from evil. It means there is not even a trace of selfishness. You must think, speak, and act for the sake of all sentient beings. This is why you must constantly raise your awareness, focus on goodness, and refuse to entertain thoughts of evil.

The Weight of Every Thought

Bodhisattvas maintain constant awareness, which allows them to sustain Right Thinking. However, for ordinary people—and even for those who are practitioners—it is essential to constantly raise your awareness and chant Namo Amituofo. This is the only way to achieve the purification of your Body, Speech, and Mind, as well as your heart and spirit.

Once your thoughts contain evil, negativity, or impurity, you immediately attract the karmic creditors you have harmed in this life or in past lives. These beings may manifest in your life, or they may attach themselves to you as spiritual attachment. If these beings gather in large numbers or if their influence is intense, you will begin to manifest signs of aging and illness, appearing in a state of physical decline. Even if you have not yet manifested obvious aging or disease, it does not mean that all is well. Rather, these negative causes are accumulating, waiting for the right moment to manifest. This is why many people experience few illnesses in their youth, only to see them appear in succession as they reach a certain age.

Awakening to the Light of the Buddha-name

You must understand this principle and act immediately to stop thoughts of evil, negativity, and impurity. Think of goodness, dwell on goodness, and do not be selfish. Act for the sake of all beings, regardless of your age or your status in life. In fact, you should educate the next generation in this way from the moment they are born. This will prevent the future manifestation of karma and the resulting suffering of the Body-Mind-Spirit. Those who have a habit of thinking negatively, seeing the worst in situations, or acting in harmful ways—driven by the "self," personal ego, and selfishness—must be especially cautious. You must change your ways and transform your mind immediately.

For a practitioner of Mahayana Buddhism, the very moment a thought arises, you have already created karma. A thought is a cause; when the karmic conditions and the causes and effects mature, the result will manifest. If you have already created a negative cause in the past, and a current thought provides the necessary conditions for that cause to ripen, you will attract the manifestation of suffering. This is the immutable law of karmic conditions and the causes and effects. You must be extremely careful.

The Eternal Promise of Liberation

Even if you have created negative causes in the past, you can still change your destiny. If you now chant Namo Amituofo diligently and ensure that your thoughts are always good—practising Right Thinking—you can use these positive Causal Conditions to halt the manifestation of negative results and avoid suffering. Generally, old age and illness are the bitter fruits of negative karma. I hope that all my children can understand this principle and put it into practice, so that you may avoid the bitter fruits of suffering.

Namo Amituofo