The Stillness of the Heart: Teachings from Namo Amituofo

The Foundation of a Steady Heart

Words of Namo Amituofo, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

20 July 2024, First Session.

Namo Amituofo’s discourse: As a practitioner, you must put in the work deep within your heart. Do not allow your heart to fluctuate; maintain a state of calm and stability, which will in turn bring calm and stability to your body and spirit.

The Path of Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom

The diligent practice of Precepts (Discipline), Concentration and Wisdom, and the extinguishing of greed, anger, and ignorance, is the path that all those who have achieved spiritual success throughout history have had to walk. As a practitioner, you must put in the work to truly master these skills; only then can you achieve spiritual success.

Upholding the Precepts without violation is a powerful aid in the purification of the Body-Mind-Spirit. If you do commit a transgression, you must immediately change your ways. If you allow the transgression to persist over time without stopping, the longer you remain in that state of violation, the more painful the resulting negative karma will be.

The Gravity of Upholding Precepts

It is often said that the gates of the hells are crowded with monastics. This is because many monastics fail to truly understand the Precepts and thus fall into the trap of violating them. The operation of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way is a natural occurrence. One does not escape the consequences of breaking the Precepts simply by claiming ignorance.

If you know the Precepts but choose to ignore their importance, and you continue to violate them until old age or illness arrives, you will suffer greatly in body and heart, and your spirit will eventually enter the hells to undergo punishment. If you know the Precepts and violate them intentionally, the sin is even heavier, for you are knowingly committing an offence. This is doubly true for monastics, who are meant to be teachers for celestial beings and humanity.

Taking the Precepts as Your Teacher

Therefore, you must always remember the Precepts. By upholding them, you assist your heart in achieving meditative concentration. Once the heart is settled, Wisdom (Prajna) can manifest. When Wisdom is awakened, you will clearly understand the principles of cause and effect. You will recognise the vital importance of the Precepts, which in turn will help you to uphold them more strictly. This is why we say: take the Precepts as your teacher!

What exactly are the Precepts? According to the teachings from Namo Amituofo, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and Practitioner Su, the Precepts are defined as the commitment to refrain from performing, speaking, thinking, or creating any negative karma through your Body, Speech, and Mind.

The Vigilance of the Mind

Do not let your heart fluctuate or allow your every thought and intention to be stirred simply because you witness something evil. If you allow your mind to be moved, you have already violated the Precepts and created negative karma. Once the karma is formed, when the conditions mature, the result will manifest, and you will inevitably experience suffering.

The rules of the temple must be upheld, and those who hold responsibilities within the temple must fulfil their duties with diligence. Therefore, do not let your heart fluctuate; keeping the Precepts and maintaining a steady heart to awaken Wisdom is the most important task of all. Namo Amituofo.