The Trap of Attachment and the Path to Liberation

On August 18, 2019, Venerable Chang Gao shared profound insights regarding the nature of human attachment and the urgent necessity of spiritual liberation. This interview, recorded at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, captures the Venerable's reflections on how sentient beings can transcend the cycle of suffering and return to their true nature.

Venerable Chang Gao speaks:

Namo Amituofo. Many people in this world seem to have wandered into a complex maze. They are so dazed and confused that they lose their true selves, becoming obsessed with the myriad illusions before their eyes. They are caught in the sticky, tangled web of emotion, throwing their own spirits into various realms to undergo karmic retribution. Some might even sell their souls just to secure three meals a day, eventually becoming fruits on trees, birds in the sky, or insects crawling upon the earth. Yet, at the very moment when they are most deeply attached to these things, they fail to understand the importance of becoming a Buddha, and they completely forget that they are, in their original nature, already Buddhas.

The Illusion of Emotional Reliance

Emotion—that deep, clinging feeling—makes people happy, yet it makes them unable to let go. It leads them to believe that these attachments are the ultimate reliance of their lives. But in the end, who can truly rely on whom? Eventually, everyone walks their own path, whether it leads to the underworld, back into the human world, or up to the heavens. Where you go depends entirely on what you have done in your life and the choice you make in your very last mental note. The Buddha’s teachings explain this so thoroughly that one should no longer remain a deluded person. Delusion is the inability to see clearly; it is the stubborn insistence on one's own limited perceptions. Most of our thoughts are rooted in the mundane, judging all things through the lens of worldly views and opinions. With a cluttered mind and habits that are murky and impure, when will we ever be able to find a settled heart and choose to transcend this cycle? I am not a person who is particularly eloquent, but having observed the many forms of existence in this world, I wish to counsel all sentient beings not to hold onto anything.

The Subtle Chains of Attachment

For this physical body, attachment takes many forms: a pet dog is an attachment, a bouquet of flowers is an attachment, and clinging to everything around you is an attachment. Even the habit of sitting in a specific chair or a preference for how your bed is arranged—these are all attachments. The result of such attachment is that it keeps our spirits trapped in this world, confined to the corners of this void, or perhaps becoming a member of the ghost realm. The countless spirits throughout the void are all in this state. Even now, they are still waiting to be saved. As of today, only our Master possesses the Dharma Body, with hundreds of billions of transformation bodies reaching out to the vast number of spirits in the void. Yet, they have not all been saved. This is precisely why the Master is so urgent in wanting to perform Chao Du. There are far too many spirits still suffering in the sea of misery or lost within their own self-created illusions. Every day, the breakthrough of space and time cannot wait. The fourfold assembly of disciples must also be diligent in their practice, reclaiming their innate abilities to join in the work of saving the world. The pace of saving the world cannot be slowed. Cast aside everything worldly and become a true savior of the world. When you are free from excessive mental notes and attachments, you can attain this through a heart of compassion.

Namo Amituofo.

Chang Gao

This interview message was recorded by the chief writer, disciple Shi Faxin.