The True Attainment Lies Within the Heart

Venerable Changren, who now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, offers profound insights into the essence of spiritual cultivation. This interview, which explores the necessity of looking inward to realise one's true nature, was recorded on October 15, 2017, by the chief writer, Shi Fa.

Venerable Changren speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Why is it that practice is so difficult? It lies entirely within oneself. Why can some achieve it, while others cannot? Why do some succeed, while others fail? What was the original intention at the very beginning, and how should the final act be performed to be considered complete? These are the fundamental questions every practitioner must face.

The Internal Roots of Practice

The compassionate teachings of the Buddha and the embodiment of his mercy serve as a model for all practitioners. Even the ancient sages and virtuous ones have demonstrated excellent examples for us all. Yet, have we truly learned from them? It seems that we remain exactly as we were. Take the example of the Yellow Emperor, who passed his position to the virtuous rather than his own kin. Not only did the monarchs of later generations fail to learn from this, but they also committed countless sins. Consider Shakyamuni Buddha, who was born into royalty. He abandoned wealth and status, renounced the secular life to seek the Truth, and travelled everywhere with profound humility. From an ordinary person, he transformed into an awakened being, eventually realising the fruit of Nirvana. Is there any part of the World-Honoured One's experience that differs from that of a monastic? There is! The things the World-Honoured One did not possess, monastics today have gradually acquired: jealousy, arrogance, greed, anger, and ignorance. Even compassion, mind-capacity, and Wisdom are clearly insufficient. There is no reason to make excuses by saying, 'He is the World-Honoured One, and I am just an ordinary person!' These experiences are identical. Why, then, can we not achieve what he did? The reason is that our hearts possess not even a shred of purity; they are still heavily stained with the dust and filth of the mundane world. Even if you were the brightest lamp, you would be unable to see the light if you were covered in such grime.

The Mirror of the Buddha

Shakyamuni Buddha’s ascetic practices, his travels on foot, and his profound humility are the greatest examples for us all. Even when leading a large assembly, his heart remained completely unmoved. He taught according to the conditions of the time, remained calm in the face of change, and observed the capacity of his audience to provide the appropriate teachings. Furthermore, the World-Honoured One never boasted about what he possessed or what he had attained. When it was not needed, he would say he had nothing; when it was put to use, and one asked again, he would say he had nothing once more. The World-Honoured One dwelt only in a state of cool, liberated ease. Between having and not having, he never changed, because the heart of the World-Honoured One never changed. This is the skill that later disciples of the Buddha have never been able to learn. If you were to master this, how would you be any different from the World-Honoured One? If you believe the World-Honoured One is extraordinary, then are you not also extraordinary? What distinction is there between you and him?

The True Bodhimanda Within

To be able to use one's abilities freely, to be all-knowing and all-capable, yet never to think of oneself as 'capable' simply because one can do these things—this is the key. One uses these abilities only when necessary; at all other times, one does not consider oneself capable at all. One remains ordinary, living a simple life, enduring hardship, and walking the path of practice without complaint or regret. To step firmly, one step at a time, on the path—this is practice. This is the 'true practice' demonstrated by the World-Honoured One. How many people have truly understood this? During the era of the True Teachings, the obsession with imitating the Buddha had already begun. People learned to copy his asceticism, his travels, and his daily conduct, but they seemed to fail to learn what the World-Honoured One truly wanted to teach his disciples: the great bodhimanda within the heart. Since that time, only a few have truly been able to focus their minds, while the vast majority have focused on external pursuits. The World-Honoured One could only follow conditions and teach according to the capacity of the audience; there was no other way. The heart-Dharma, formulated with such compassion, is contained within the Tripitaka. To this day, the only ones who can truly realise the heart-Dharma are those who have realised their true nature. Only those who have realised their true nature understand the profound meaning within. Once one sutra is understood, all the scriptures and treatises of the Tripitaka can be navigated with ease. This is the true practitioner, the one with true Wisdom. From the past to the present, how many practitioners have worked hard to emulate the skills of the World-Honoured One, only to overlook the fact that the true attainment lies within one's own heart?

The Path to Liberation

If you seek the Dharma outside of your own heart, how can you ever hope to perceive the True Teachings? Only when the True Teachings are within the heart can one truly act in accordance with them. Search within yourself; only in the sand can you truly find the gold. Anything sought from the outside is not real. Only that which emerges from within is true. True attainment is internal; it is a genuine orientation, never the falsity of external appearances. Hypocritical externalism can only be replaced; it holds nothing else. Those who can be fooled by you are, for the most part, also lacking in true attainment. If they are deeply infatuated with the Buddha’s teachings but use only a heart of obsession without a single moment of awareness, they will never be able to escape the six realms of existence. In this mundane world, how should the many bodhimandas of today conduct themselves? Everyone should see the true essence of practice; it is certainly not about being blind. The true essence and the Truth should be found in the peace of the heart and the purity of the heart. When the heart is empty and devoid of a single thought, that is the moment of the true light of realising one's true nature. I hope that all disciples of the Buddha can understand this principle. Namo Amituofo."