The Unwavering Vow: Teachings from Namo Amituofo

Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe

March 28, 2026

Namo Amituofo’s discourse:

The Foundation of the Bodhisattva Path

Maintaining an unwavering vow is the most essential condition for any practitioner walking the Bodhisattva path toward Buddhahood. It is a commitment that must remain steadfast, regardless of the obstacles you may face. You must not allow your heart to retreat, even when you encounter attacks from demons or when the heavy karma of your past lives manifests as various physical or mental barriers.

To keep your vow unwavering means that no matter how much time passes or how many spaces you traverse, your determination remains firm. The most vital element in sustaining this vow is the cultivation of a heart of compassion. A compassionate heart is one that deeply understands the suffering of all beings. It is this very compassion that fuels your vow to save them, ensuring that you do not turn back until you have realised your true nature and attained Buddhahood.

Navigating the Age of Dharma Decline

We currently live in the age of the Dharma’s decline. The world around us is in a state of constant flux, defined by the nature of impermanence. As the environment and the era shift, the hearts of people have become untethered. Because they do not understand the True Teachings, they often fall into deep confusion, mistaking the false for the true and the illusory for the substantial. This leads to the rise of endless, insatiable desires, and the suffering caused by heavy karmic burdens and the constant pressure of external forces.

These challenges only serve to highlight how critical it is to maintain an unwavering vow during this great era of change. You must hold fast to your original vow, for this is the natural heart and action of a Great Vehicle Bodhisattva. By acting with a spirit of no-self and selflessness, and by focusing entirely on the welfare of all beings, your vow and your actions will come into perfect sync with the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss established by Namo Amituofo.

The Power of the Two-Power Dharma Gate

Namo Amituofo spent five eons establishing the Forty-eight Great Vows and creating the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. When you act in accordance with the profound vows of the Universal Buddha, and when you follow the instructions laid out in The Infinite Life Sutra, you are walking the path of the sages. If you practise with sincerity and follow these teachings, you will receive the blessings of Namo Amituofo, which will empower you to keep your vow from ever retreating.

The Pure Land Dharma Gate is known as the Two-Power Dharma Gate. In this age of the Dharma’s decline, realising your true nature and attaining Buddhahood is not something you can achieve through self-power alone. Instead, it requires the combination of your own diligent practice and the supportive power of Namo Amituofo’s blessings. This Two-Power approach exists precisely because Namo Amituofo understands the immense suffering of beings and wishes to support them through His compassionate vow power.

A Rare Opportunity in This Lifetime

When a practitioner faces various tests and difficulties, it is easy to become lost in the vast ocean of karma. If you do not encounter a Buddha, a Bodhisattva, an ancestral master, or a teacher who has realised their true nature, you may easily lose your way and allow your vow to retreat. If you fall back into the cycle of rebirth, no matter how fiercely diligent your practice was, you will have only planted a seed of Dharma affinity. If you fail to complete the path and realise your true nature in this lifetime, you will enter the cycle of rebirth once more, and it is unknown when you will again encounter the great Dharma of the Pure Land.

Fortunately, you have the opportunity to chant Namo Amituofo. By doing so, you plant the Vajra Seed of Bodhi. Once this sound enters your ear, it becomes a seed for the Path forever. Today, Namo Amituofo truly abides at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. This is an opportunity that is difficult to encounter even in millions of years.

To the fourfold assembly of disciples who have encountered this and felt its presence: have you truly realised the significance of this moment? This is no ordinary situation. The events you are witnessing and the environment you are in are truly magnificent—they are not circumstances that an ordinary practitioner could easily encounter. Since this is the reality of your practice, you should be even more fiercely diligent and ensure that your vow remains unwavering.

Namo Amituofo