The Teachings of Life: Achieving Body-Mind-Spirit Peace

The Radiant Path of Buddhist Education

What is the true essence of Buddhist education? It is a comprehensive path for all humanity, transcending mere religion to foster the growth of our entire being. The education of our life requires a clear explanation of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. Educating our body, mind, and spirit is a vital process of elevation and growth.

I invite you to come to know Namo Amituofo. Namo Amituofo is the most honoured among all lights and the King of Buddhas. Based on His Forty-eight Great Vows, He spent five eons creating the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. With boundless compassion, He receives sentient beings across infinite time and space, as well as those from this world and others who have the karmic affinity to enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The vastness of the Buddha’s teachings lies in His immeasurable and boundless Wisdom. He uses His capacity for inclusion and His vast mind to receive all beings, compassionately helping our world.

Learning the Buddha’s teachings is not superstition; it is education. The human body is complex, and education must use the right methods. The core of Buddhist education is to change the heart.

Returning to the Purity of the True Self

People often forget to be content and happy because they yearn to possess things, driven by excessive desires and the habits of greed. People pursue things endlessly in this world, which leads to suffering and sorrow, causing them to forget the happiness they once possessed. I now introduce you to truly delving into the Pure Land, finding the purity within your heart, following the footsteps of the Buddha, and receiving the purification of the Buddha-light of Namo Amituofo, which provides a brand-new power for the growth of your life.

Human beings are reborn into physical bodies, enduring the fatigue of life and death. We should be grateful to encounter the True Teachings, which allow us to leave the suffering of the cycle of rebirth forever and find the true direction for our lives. Why, then, should we learn the Buddha’s teachings and follow the Buddha’s footsteps?

Practice is the act of changing one’s own erroneous views and behaviours. In terms of the Buddha’s teachings, this precious life is meant for practice, to find oneself. To find your original self is to radiate a true sense of coolness and ease from the inside out. You can become your true self again and stop losing your way. People do not understand that everyone possesses such a treasure of the true self; they do not know how to look inward, and instead, they mistakenly seek everything externally.

Nurturing the Seeds of Wisdom in the Next Generation

How should we educate the next generation? In today’s society, we often see bodies and minds that are not healthy and behaviours that are misguided. Media reports highlight many social disturbances, and the convenience of technology also causes children’s minds to become addicted. Worldly education seems to be implemented concretely, but why is it that the character of children still cannot be changed? The reason lies in the fact that the hearts and behaviours of the educators are not truly returning to the true self; therefore, they miss the opportunity for the good education and development of the next generation.

As teachers, should we not understand the faults and failures in this regard? Being a teacher is not a difficult task, but maintaining the true demeanour of a teacher is not easy. Without the guidance of a true spiritual friend, it will continue to cause a burden on the future of society.

The Infinite Compassion of Namo Amituofo

My Buddha, Namo Amituofo, also achieved Buddhahood through practice in the human world. With high talent, courage, and wisdom, He surpassed the world with His diligent and effortful demeanour. With great courage and power, He created the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss for all beings and achieved the ability to be the Universal Buddha. Learning the Buddha’s teachings is not superstition; it is about using your own heart and strength to create—to create the achievements of your own life. What the Buddha hopes for is to let children learn the skills of Awakening, which is not what is taught in the world; in fact, as long as the thoughts are Goodness, that is enough.

Various worldly desires and the temptations of the Five Desires and Six Dusts deeply confuse the human heart. Children develop gradually from spaces outside of education, and curiosity takes hold; no one can resist the outside world. The colourful and chaotic world of dust causes the pure spirit to be stained again with the colours of the Five Desires and Six Dusts, making it difficult for life to be clear and bright. In today’s society, information is highly developed, and it is truly not easy to control the healthy information that is taught. The transformation of this world is like the decline of worldly laws; it is already unimaginable and difficult to reverse. Only my Buddha, Namo Amituofo, can save us with great power, and He also hopes that everyone can protect and promote the Dharma. By finding the teachings of the true self, your heart will possess an endless source of compassion, Wisdom, virtue, and auspicious characteristics. You will be content wherever you are and will not seek things externally. This is something that is inherently within your heart; it can be obtained at any time and can manifest at any time. You can obtain a sense of lightness and ease; this is a skill of the true self that everyone can obtain, and you should truly seek it.

Harmonising the Body, Mind, and Spirit

The changes in the human heart have already paid a great price over the years. Walking on the streets, who can truly have stable eyes without anxiety? Where can the sorrow or anxiety in the heart be resolved? Why is body-mind therapy so flourishing in the world today? Worldly civilization diseases are severe, and it is difficult for people to be liberated from the suffering of the body and mind. To untie the knot, one must start from the root. What kind of method can truly liberate one from the suffering of the body and mind? Many people want to find the Truth to solve the emptiness in their hearts, but they do not know that the Truth is inherently within their own hearts.

Many people are afraid of sickness and death; how can one be liberated from sickness and death? Everyone is unwilling to face such a realistic test. Discussing such topics of life and death now seems too intense, but if we do not start from the sickness and death of life, how can people know that life should be lived with ease and without obstacles? My Buddha, Namo Amituofo, has vast teachings, and the core of the Truth lies in no-self, no-mind, and no-thought. A sincere heart lies in the ability to purify and change within, to truly understand the principles, and to realize the direction of life. The preciousness of the human world is that one can become a Buddha in body and mind and save beings in infinite joy. The objects of resonance are not limited to the Earth; they also include beings with or without form in this world and others, the Milky Way, and outer space. Therefore, the state of no sickness and no death is not a dream; it can be truly realized.

If the body is not sick and the spirit does not die, one can go to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and obtain eternal, pure light; that is something no one can replace. Listening to the Sutras allows you to know the principles; chanting the Buddha’s name, performing prostrations, and reciting the Sutras can stabilize the heart and eliminate spiritual obstacles; these are all things no one can replace. You must practise personally, find your true self, be pure and without thoughts, and see your original face; this is something no one can replace.

The Boundless Vow of Compassion

People cannot only think about their own interests; how then can one know compassion for others? The "self" is the role that least needs to be mentioned, because if there is a "self," how can one truly serve? The teachings of my Buddha, Namo Amituofo, are all for the sake of the masses, all to cultivate a heart of compassion, all to be without mind, without thought, and all to be selfless and self-sacrificing. In the standard of educating children, we should lead them to see a broad and vast mind so that they can contact more organizations that save the world in the future. Children should be allowed to experience the joy of having no self; only then will they live in this world without burdens.

How can children avoid the pull of karmic conditions and the causes and effects? Therefore, healing the heart has its own importance—healing the heart that cries silently in the darkness. There is much suffering of the body and mind in society today, with secrets that cannot be spoken, various emotions, and many old memories. Healing the heart means healing all the stuffiness and suffering, untying the voices in the heart, understanding the problems within one’s own heart, and learning to master life without being affected by moods. The world has now turned on a red light. For these symptoms that often appear on the body, especially many illnesses of the heart, healing the suffering of the body and mind—the suffering of the body—means healing the body, healing the form, and adjusting the balance of the body and mind.

The education of my Buddha lies in true stability. It heals the illusion of worldly medical treatment and realizes the hope of being without suffering. How many regrets are there when people leave this world full of sadness because they do not understand the true meaning of life and death? May I ask if there is panic in the child’s heart? Most answers are fear of the unknown space and the impermanent future. No matter how difficult the physical illness is, as long as one recognizes the Buddha’s teachings and adjusts the body and mind, everything can naturally be transformed.

Awakening to the Truth of Life and Death

The "human heart" is the elixir for solving delusional states. It can adjust all worldly delusional appearances, regardless of the reason, back to brightness and purity, so that physical illness will never return. People in the world have many contradictions and sufferings, which are attachments within emotions. Many men and women in the world are currently going through this; that kind of abstract power is difficult to measure, but it deeply pulls each other, creating great attraction and interest, making men feel moved when they see women, and women feel fond when they see men. This is the reason for the operation of cosmic karma; it is a natural principle. Whatever cause you create, you will surely receive the result; the karmic conditions and the causes and effects will not have any deviation.

Namo Amituofo and the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss are the spirit of the Pure Land. You must have deep faith without doubt to exert the two powers of the Pure Land: self-power and the blessing of the Buddha’s power. If you want to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, you must see through and let go. In this world, you can only use things, but you cannot have ownership; how at ease that is! There is no burden at all, and it is incomparably happy. This is called a life of Awakening, a spiritual life.

Practice must have no luck involved; worldly habits must be changed. Do not easily forgive your own mistakes, otherwise, it will be difficult to persist. What is true practice? One should practise purity, the purification of the heart without pollution, treat all beings with a compassionate mind, and cultivate the heart in selflessness, no-self, and no-thought. Naturally, from the inside out, in walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, and in behaviour and speech, one will have dignified demeanour, temperament, and cultivation. This is the true purification of the heart, without a trace of reluctance, natural purity, and the vow to save the world with the Buddha and follow the Buddha.

The Sanctuary of Fragrant Light

Therefore, having recognized the Buddha’s teachings, understood the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and known the suffering of the laws of karma and cause and effect and the six realms of rebirth, and knowing that karmic retribution is endless, one should recognize the dignity of Namo Amituofo and the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and realize the importance of seeing through and letting go. When you are listening to the Sutras and studying the teachings, counsel your karmic creditors and attached spirits to listen to the Sutras together. This can help them leave your body, resolve the grievances, and achieve the effect of treating and alleviating illnesses. Repenting is very important! The patient should understand that the manifestation of the laws of karma and cause and effect and spiritual obstacles is due to the negative causes created in the past, and the karmic retribution received now. You must not complain; speaking words of resentment or having a heart of resentment will make the beings even less willing to resolve the conflict, making the illness impossible to improve and worsening the condition. Therefore, the patient must repent thoroughly.

The invitation of spirits at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre can clearly foresee the dark parts of the body, which is the ability to see which part of the body the spirits are in. Through dialogue with the spirits, the cause of the illness can be understood, giving the spirits an opportunity to reveal their grievances, inviting them to leave the body, enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature to practise, and be liberated from suffering. Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre performs Thrice Yearning Ceremonies and daily Dharma Body Chao Du, using the six-character name—Namo Amituofo—to help karmic creditors or attached spirits be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The six-character name, Namo Amituofo, is the supreme and profound energy of Namo Amituofo. The magnificent merits and the blessing of the vows of Namo Amituofo are all within the Buddha-name. Why use such a method to save the world and treat illnesses? Namo Amituofo sees the suffering of the world. Because Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre shares the same heart and vows as the Buddha, Namo Amituofo truly abides at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, which is why we can use the above methods to achieve the purpose of saving beings. Beings are in the cycle of rebirth, suffering and turning in the cycle, unable to find a way out. At this time, having encountered Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, you should truly follow the footsteps closely and proceed according to the Buddha’s footsteps. Treating illness is only one method; the important thing is to be able to use this process to make beings believe that there is Namo Amituofo and the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and to make the patients who are saved make the vow to save the world with the Buddha, save beings extensively, and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss together.

Sincerity and respect are among the good virtues of humanity. The three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism all mention this, and the Buddha’s teachings, in particular, take the heart as the centre. All dharmas are mind-only. Once there is sincerity and respect, and a heart of respect and reverence for others, one can naturally show a sincere and respectful appearance externally. Therefore, sincerity is an important behaviour for gathering the body and mind, and the subsequent external behaviour is what is generally called cultivation. Therefore, all dharmas are sought through sincerity and respect.

In the Buddha’s teachings, all dharmas return to one; this is to see the original face, the pure true self, and enter the stillness of Nirvana; this is the Truth. It was like this in the past, it is like this now, and it will be like this in the future. To achieve this ultimate goal, seeing the true self and being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is the goal of practice. Therefore, for active practitioners, as in the Thrice Yearning Ceremony of Zen Master Zhongfeng, Namo Amituofo is my heart, and my heart is Namo Amituofo; Hsiang Kuang is the Pure Land, and the Pure Land is Hsiang Kuang.

Namo Amituofo, my Buddha is compassionate.

Respectfully recorded by Practitioner Su