The Truth About a Normal Life
The Eighteenth Letter of Venerable KaiLin
September 2, 2017
We live in an era defined by an explosion of information. Every form of knowledge is updated with incredible speed. If you wish to learn a new skill or master a technique, you can simply search the internet, read the comments of others, or watch tutorials to find the answers you seek or learn how to use a particular object.
The Stillness Within
The Buddha’s teachings are often shared in this same way across the digital landscape. Many people share their personal experiences online, hoping that others who encounter similar problems will have a guide to follow. However, one must realise that learning the Buddha’s teachings cannot be done through mere intellectualisation or by relying on one's own limited thinking. Have you truly examined your own heart? On the surface of your inner sea, everything may appear calm and tranquil. Yet, when you are stimulated by the words of others or when your emotions are stirred, do you possess the awareness to maintain that inner peace? Can you remain unmoved, refusing to let the slightest disturbance shake your foundation?
If you are gradually developing the awareness to notice that your more obvious personality flaws are beginning to change, then I congratulate you. You are truly engaged in practice. Every day, your life acts as a test. When you are stimulated by the external environment, if you can still maintain your composure, you have begun to develop the initial stages of meditative concentration.
The Weight of Suffering
In this age dominated by material desires, it is easy for your initial meditative concentration to be shaken by the external environment, causing you to lose your resolve to continue your practice. If you wish to achieve success in your practice, you must first understand suffering. You must understand the suffering of being human, the suffering of all beings, and the suffering of not being able to be the master of your own life. If you had not come to the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre, you would not know the suffering caused by your . You would not know the Truth of the universe, nor would you realise that you are not in control of your own destiny. You would simply feel that everything is normal, thinking that birth, aging, sickness, death are just the way things are, and that living this way is perfectly acceptable.
Transcending the Physical
This is a mistake—a grave mistake. A human being can avoid sickness, and a human being can master their own destiny. We can use this body to explore and break through space, to travel throughout the realm of emptiness. We can communicate with:
- The patriarchs and venerable masters who have come before us.
- The Buddha or who watch over us with infinite .
- The physical world—wishing to be as free as the wind, mountains & rivers.
- The flowers, trees, and all forms of vegetation.
- The birds, beasts, and all living creatures.
All of this must be achieved through purification. You must allow your thoughts to become purely good, aligning them with the the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. When you do not violate these principles, you can utilise the entire universe as you wish. This is a truly magnificent achievement, far more inconceivable than any technology or internet network.
The Magnificent Path of Namo Amituofo
However, the prerequisite for all of this is that you must possess this physical body, overcome the constantly fluctuating cells and thoughts within it, and bring them to a halt. You must transform them. Use the holy Buddha-name of —the name of infinite light and infinite life—to focus your mind. This is a skillful means set down by the compassion of Amitabha. It is simple and direct; it does not require any external force or specific environment. You must chant one Buddha's name to the end. It may seem simple, but have you truly tried it? The simpler a practice is, the more your ability to persist in it demonstrates your true skills.
Understand your goal and clarify your path so that you can move forward with courage. Break through delusion and attain , transform from an ordinary person into a sage, escape the cycle of the three realms, and realise a life of great freedom. Are you still hesitating? Why not give yourself a different kind of life and a different kind of experience? Come here, broaden your horizons, and expand your life.
Written by Venerable KaiLin at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Recorded by the chief writer, Buddha's disciple Shi Facie.
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About the Author
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
Contributed to Pure Land Buddhism knowledge library