The Scene of the Spirit: Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju

Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

The spirit and the heart exist as one, dwelling within this physical form. The spirit is composed of three hun souls and seven po souls. When all of these are present and intact, the spirit is considered complete and whole.

The Threefold Nature of the Soul

To understand the nature of our existence, we must look at the three distinct aspects of the hun souls:

• The Main Soul: This is the true self, which corresponds to the eighth consciousness, known as the Alaya consciousness. It is the spirit that enters the womb at the beginning of life. As the saying goes, it is the first to arrive and the last to depart. It remains within the body throughout one's entire life, only leaving the physical form at the very moment of death.
• The Consciousness Soul: This aspect of the spirit is directly linked to our thoughts, our awareness, and our overall mental state.
• The Body Soul: This soul is responsible for managing the physical condition of the body.

The Harmony of Form and Essence

The Body Soul plays a vital role in our daily well-being. It supports the internal organs, ensuring they function correctly and keeping the body in alignment with the natural order. When all three hun souls and seven po souls are present and harmonised within the body, the individual remains calm, free from unnecessary pain, and mentally stable.

The true self possesses an infinite library of memories. It stores every experience, every action, and every destination from all our accumulated lifetimes. This is precisely why Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can perceive the past of all beings. They do not need to guess; they simply look into the Alaya consciousness, where all these records are perfectly preserved and accessible.

The Wandering of the Lost Spirit

When one's mental state is poor or one lacks the ability to master their own life, it is often because the three hun souls and seven po souls have become scattered or weakened. In such a state, the true self becomes trapped and unable to function properly. Consequently, karmic creditors may take control, exerting influence over the body.

When this occurs, the body acts according to the force of karma rather than the will of the true self. The individual loses autonomy and manifests the inevitable cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. This continues until the end of one's life, when the true self finally departs the physical form to begin the next cycle of existence. This is the true scene of the spirit as it journeys through the realms of samsara. We must therefore practise diligently, chanting Namo Amituofo to maintain our clarity and return to our original nature.

Namo Amituofo