The Trap of the Habitual Body

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Yongning, who reflects upon the nature of the physical body and the subtle, dangerous traps of habitual attachment. He shares his profound insights on how these habits bind beings to the cycle of rebirth and the importance of the teachings provided at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faxin, on April 9, 2019.

Venerable Yongning speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. The void is filled with countless magnetic fields and different spaces from other dimensions. Every single thought we have creates a space; the moment you recall a memory from the past, that space manifests before you once again. There are so many illusory things that flash through our minds. In the present moment, we may feel that everything is normal, but these spaces are constantly drawing our consciousness in. Because of our own preferences and attachments, we have no defence against them. We are completely unaware of how easily we can be pulled into these realms, especially without the opening provided by the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia.

The Invisible Web of Habitual Spaces

Once a soul enters these spaces, it is incredibly difficult to find a way out. In fact, most beings do not even realise they need to escape. They live within these illusions, they find joy in these illusions, and they cling tightly to these illusions. 'I like this person,' 'I love this food,' 'I enjoy using this item'—these preferences are the easiest ways for the net of these spaces to ensnare us. Our karmic creditors are experts at exploiting these desires, tricking us into losing our souls. Everyone has heard of the three hun souls and seven po souls, but most people have only a vague understanding of what they are. We are told that certain behaviours can cause us to lose these souls, and that we should not engage in them or indulge in such preferences. Yet, the natural gravitational pull of the physical body and our own desires quickly drag us back into our old habits.

This is one of the fundamental reasons why the human body decays, ages, and falls ill. We allow these habits to make our physical bodies feel comfortable and pleasant. Think about it—how many habits do we cycle through in a single day? Good habits, bad habits, the constant overlapping of good and evil—most of the time, we are unable to escape the manipulation of our own fate.

The Ghost Realm: A Mirror of Earthly Attachments

When I followed Practitioner Su to perform Chao Du, I could see that the streets of the ghost realm were filled with beings who were still performing the exact same habitual actions they had performed while alive in the human world. It is precisely because of these habits—because they were greedy for the comfort of those habits—that they were unable to leave the ghost realm. Why does Practitioner Su constantly mention the need to let go and not cling? It is because we truly cannot afford to live this way. When you see the vastness of these spaces, filled with so many beings trapped in the ghost realm, you realise that after a moment of relaxation or negligence, you could easily find yourself drifting among them.

The Path to True Liberation

A life that is not burdened by material things is a life that can truly flourish. One can traverse the universe, fly freely, and genuinely help all beings, just as Practitioner Su does. If we are so attached to this physical body, what use is it? Letting go is the greatest lesson we can learn. We must let go; there is no other way. We must remove all the seeds of karma that keep us trapped in the cycle of rebirth. We must learn to go with the flow, to follow the footsteps of the Buddha, and to realise that when we have nothing, we truly have everything. Namo Amituofo."