Transforming the Heart: Words of Namo Amituofo

Teachings from Namo Amituofo:

The laws of karma and cause and effect are crystal clear and absolute. They are not something that can be obscured or hidden by our personal ego, our stubborn habits, our resistance to the truth, or our feelings of dissatisfaction and anger. It is not that the Buddha or Practitioner Su have failed to assist you; rather, it is that such assistance becomes ineffective when the heart remains closed. We have reminded you of this many times before.

The Necessity of True Transformation

If your thoughts, your heart, and your vows are not aligned with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and if you continue to ignore our repeated counseling, how can you expect the Dharma protectors to remain silent or the laws of karma and cause and effect to remain hidden? Everything in your life arises from the state of your heart. Therefore, you must:

• Thoroughly transform your heart and change your conduct.Refrain from repeating past mistakes.Prevent the conditions for negative karma from maturing and manifesting in your life.

Only by doing this can you stop the negative consequences that arise from the negative causes you have previously planted.

The Peril of Repeating Negative Karma

If you do not change, even if you appear to be doing well for a moment, the danger remains. If you allow your mind to wander back into old habits, or if you repeat the same negative actions through your Body, Speech, and Mind—especially through the karma of speech—then how can you possibly escape the resulting evil consequences? You must be extremely cautious with every thought and intention.

Lessons from the Demon Realms

You should have already heard the accounts of the demon crowds who have come to seek refuge. Even an old demon who has existed for hundreds of millions of years lives in constant fear that the evil consequences of its past will manifest, bringing forth extreme suffering. Because of this, it hides in dark places, having entered samadhi and not daring to emerge. It keeps its heart perfectly still, fearing that if it moves, the laws of karma and cause and effect will find it. It seeks refuge in a desperate attempt to avoid the retribution that could manifest at any moment. This should serve as a profound lesson that the laws of karma and cause and effect are not empty words.

The Journey to Awakening

Practice is the process of removing defilements and attaining purity, which eventually leads one to see their true nature. However, if you fail to remove these defilements, or if you allow yourself to be influenced by the environment and seize opportunities to create negative karma, then the very moment a negative thought arises, a negative cause has already been planted. If you can turn your heart toward Goodness, then your thoughts will be wholesome, and you will reap good fruit without suffering. Conversely, if you harbour evil thoughts, you will inevitably reap the bitter fruit of suffering. You must be vigilant at all times.

Namo Amituofo

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