The Source of Suffering

Teachings by the Teacher, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe

19 July 2026

Teachings by Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju:

The source of suffering,

comes from the heart, from karma,

from greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt,

from greed for wealth, emotion, love, lust, fame, food, and sleep.

Once greed is satisfied, the next wave of suffering appears.

If suffering does not cease, if the waves of the heart do not stop, and if thoughts continue, then suffering cannot be stopped.

Children must first exert their own effort before the Buddha can assist,

only when the power of one's vow is greater than one's karma can one have the strength to block karma.

One needs boldness, determination, perseverance, and persistence; these are the strengths required for practice.

Especially when the waves of the heart are like surging tides, if they are not forcefully stopped, the internal beings attracted—karmic creditors—and external beings—attached spirits and demon crowds—will all cause the Body-Mind-Spirit to suffer greatly.

The source of suffering comes from karma,

what stirs the feelings is karma, and the result is suffering.

The feeling of being needed is illusory, it is a delusion; do not have attachment to it.

What is seen, felt, and received in the world all proceeds in the cycle of cause and effect,

once it passes, it is gone; do not grasp and hold on,

if you grasp and hold on tightly, you will attract a continuous series of manifestations of karma.

One must be able to stop and sever this, so as to halt the subsequent arising of karma and pain.

How should one act?

Children, you must have wisdom, be able to discern and let go; this is the boldness and determination that a practitioner must have!

The source of birth, aging, sickness, and death comes from the heart. Only with a heart can karma be stirred;

without a heart, without selfishness, karma has nowhere to manifest.

If the heart has existence, if it is within being,

if the heart has form and consciousness, then within these mental forms and consciousness,

it connects to past karma, experiences, and feelings, and thus the suffering of aging and sickness manifests.

If karma manifests layer upon layer, wave upon wave, it will lead to the suffering of death and the manifestation of karmic retribution in reincarnation.

If one can let go and sever, making the heart empty, then where would there be attachment? Where would there be pain?

This is the time of an empty heart, a heart of nothingness, clarity, and the coolness of being free from suffering.

Namo Amituofo