Transforming the Personality: A Path to Awakening
Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju
Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
September 28, 2024, Second Session.
The Mirage of
Your personality is not who you truly are; it is merely a product of the cycle of rebirth. Within your original nature and your true self, there is no such thing as a fixed personality. Have you ever wondered when this personality began to form? It has been cultivated over countless lifetimes, appearing whenever you encounter similar situations. Because you have not yet realised your true nature, you continue to identify with these habitual patterns.
Bound by the Chains of Cause and Effect
Within the laws of and cause and effect, your personality has sown countless negative causes and tasted countless evil consequences. When you encounter similar situations in this life, your old personality manifests once again, causing you to repeat the same patterns of cause and effect. You must understand that everything in this world operates through the process of conditions arising and ceasing:
- Conditions arise, bringing forth the manifestations of your past habits.
- Conditions cease, yet the karmic seeds remain stored within your .
- Nothing in this world is permanent, yet your attachment to these patterns keeps you bound to the cycle of rebirth.
If your personality manifests within these changing conditions, you alone must bear the consequences of the causes you have created. No one can take your place in this karmic process. Do you still wish to suffer for the causes created and the consequences reaped by this temporary personality?
The Path of Purification
The most important task for practitioners in this life is to wash away the dust and impurities that have accumulated upon your true self. You must truly change your ways. When you have changed to the point where not even a single trace of impurity remains, the bright light of your true self will naturally manifest. This is what it means to achieve spiritual success.
If your personality remains unchanged, you will have no opportunity to become an awakened being. The existence of a rigid personality will only serve as an obstacle to your . If you do not change your personality in this life, it will surely follow you into the next.
Awakening the Boundless Spirit
Your spiritual life is without beginning or end. You may be transformed, appearing in different bodies and as different people, but in truth, the spirit remains the same. If you continue to create difficult karma within the cycle of rebirth, when will you ever be able to escape it? You must be diligent in your practice:
- Chant Namo Amituofo with every breath.
- Invite the Buddha into your heart through constant recitation.
- Be a wise practitioner who keeps the name of Namo Amituofo at the forefront of your mind.
- Let every thought lead you closer to the of Ultimate Bliss.
Namo Amituofo
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