The Transformation of the Human Face

This interview was conducted on March 27, 2023, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Venerable Changren, a monastic who resides at the Centre and dedicates their life to the study of the Dharma and the deliverance of sentient beings, discusses the profound and often overlooked spiritual factors that influence the physical appearance of the human face as one ages.

Venerable Changren speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. If you were to look back at your old photographs and compare them to your appearance today, would you not notice a profound difference? As human beings age, it is common to undergo significant physical changes. However, have you ever encountered someone whose face, aside from the natural maturation process, remains largely unchanged from childhood? I have observed that such individuals do exist on this Earth, though they are few in number. For the vast majority of people, the face undergoes distinct transformations—not merely the inevitable signs of ageing, but significant shifts in their overall appearance and features.

The Hidden Influence of Spiritual Attachments

Why does the human face change so drastically as one grows older? A primary factor that cannot be overlooked is the phenomenon of spiritual attachment. These spirits enter the human body, drawn by an individual's thoughts, intentions, and personality traits. They can attach themselves to your hair, your skin, your eyes, your nose, your mouth, and even your internal organs. They can exist anywhere within the physical form, and once they have entered, they rarely find an opportunity to leave.

When I speak of this, it should not be difficult for you to imagine just how many sentient beings might be attached within your own body. Because so many spirits reside within, their very presence alters your external appearance. The areas where these spirits congregate in the greatest numbers are the areas most profoundly affected by their influence.

The Mirror of the Soul

The changes in your face clearly reflect the quantity of spiritual attachments you carry. Your original, pure appearance gradually becomes clouded and tainted, and this taint is what causes your face to lose its initial clarity. A significant portion of this contamination is caused by your own personality, including your personal concepts and patterns of thought. Once your perspective becomes skewed, or if you harbour extreme thoughts, a tendency to view things negatively, a habit of focusing on the faults of others, or a propensity for volatile emotions—all these behaviours and states of mind will cause your face to undergo visible changes.

The Physical Manifestation of Spirits

These spirits often linger within the facial muscles or on the surface of the skin. They can cause the skin to age rapidly, lead to the sagging of facial muscles, or even cause the distortion of one's features. Some of these distortions are quite obvious—a crooked mouth, a change in the shape of the eyes, or a shift in the size of the nose. Others are subtle, minute changes that the individual may not even consciously notice.

Regardless of the nature of these changes, if you were to take out a photograph of yourself as a child and compare it to your current reflection, you would be able to discern just how many spiritual attachments you have accumulated over the years.

An Infinite Space of Spirits

From the perspective of my spiritual space, the human body is truly filled to the brim with sentient beings. Within a single tiny pore, spirits are crowded together, hiding away. There is space within space; it is as if the human body possesses an infinite capacity to house these entities. If human eyes were capable of seeing the internal space of their own bodies, you would be absolutely astonished, for it is densely packed with spirits.

If you wish to prevent your body from being frequently subjected to such attachments, you must make a concerted effort to keep your heart pure. You must strive to adjust your personality, letting go of unnecessary external information and correcting your negative habits. By constantly holding the single thought of Namo Amituofo in your heart, you can help reduce the opportunities for these spirits to attach themselves to you, thereby maintaining your body and mind in a state of purity."