Transforming the Self, Personal Ego, and Selfishness

Often, you come before Namo Amituofo, palms pressed together, to voice your inner suffering, your confusion, and the obstacles you cannot seem to overcome. You ask Namo Amituofo or your Teacher for guidance. Before you do so, I ask you to pause and reflect. Look within and examine your own issues. Consider whether the solution has already been taught to you by Practitioner Su in class. In most cases, you already know exactly what you should do. However, when a situation arises, your habitual reactions take over, and you find yourself repeating the same mistakes unconsciously.

The Shadow of Habitual Reactions

Some of you possess a greater degree of awareness, yet even then, it is often too late to pull back. The negative thought has already arisen, and the inappropriate words have already left your lips. The anger, the fury, the harsh tone, and the distorted expressions are already visible on your face. If there were a mirror in front of you at that moment, you would be shocked to see how frightening you look. It is precisely these moments, repeated time and again, that cause the Blessings and merit you have accumulated through your hard work—your dedication and your sacrifice of sleep—to be burned away entirely. How truly regrettable this is! This is what is meant by the saying that a single spark of anger can burn down the entire forest of merit.

The Burning Forest of Merit

The necessity of changing the "self," personal ego, and selfishness is a topic you have heard many times. Practitioner Su reminds you tirelessly in every single class that you must not give in to anger. You must cultivate a vast mind-capacity, embody compassion, and open your Wisdom (Prajna). You cannot hold onto your physical body and its desires, for if you do, realising your true nature becomes impossible. Often, after the event has passed, you feel deep regret. However, the negative karma has already been created. The beings in the hells begin to file their complaints because they have received the vibrations of your anger. They were originally harmed by such vibrations, and in the law of cause and effect, how could they possibly let you off the hook? When you fall asleep at night, your spirit is pulled to the hells to be judged. Once the charges are established, you suffer the consequences: physical illness in this life or the torment of your spirit in the hells. It is a life of profound suffering.

The Stillness of the Heart

My children, if you encounter such situations, you must learn to pause. When you feel the urge to retort, wait for a few seconds and transform your thought into Namo Amituofo. You may chant the Buddha-name aloud or silently in your heart. When you feel the urge to show a hateful face or glare with angry eyes, pause for a few seconds and transform that energy into Namo Amituofo. Many times, the damage is done because you failed to stop the initial thought in time. It spreads and burns through your entire heart, hurting both yourself and others. It is truly not worth it.

The Threefold Path of Discipline

Practising meditative concentration is an act of compassion. The Three Learnings of Precepts (Discipline), Concentration and Wisdom are not only the process of your practice but are also essential for stopping your negative personality traits and habits from manifesting. They are necessary for:

• Increasing your Wisdom (Prajna).
• Seeing the truth of reality clearly.
• Finding your way back to your true nature as soon as possible.

If your habits manifest and you find them difficult to stop, you must have the awareness to immediately invoke the name of Namo Amituofo. Alternatively, you may ask your fellow practitioners in the fourfold assembly to remind you to be mindful. You should be ready to stop immediately or accept a subtle hint to avoid continuing down the wrong path. Among the fourfold assembly, some of you already remind one another in this way. However, you must ask yourselves: are you truly able to accept the reminder and stop in time, or do you insist on venting your anger first?

The Echoes of Our Intentions

When you are reminded to be mindful, the vastness of the Dharma Realm has already received the vibration of your state. The sentient beings within your body have already manifested, and you may have been influenced by spiritual attachments. The spirits in the air and around you, the fourfold assembly, and all sentient and insentient beings have been affected. They have all received the vibrations of your anger, your worries, and your personality habits. Children, these negative magnetic forces—the energy of your voice, your tone, and your expressions—will eventually rebound. It is uncertain when, but you will eventually suffer the same, or even heavier, harm. Once the karma is created, the fruit must be endured.

The Compassionate Path of the Awakened

Unless you can remain unmoved and without fluctuation when you express such negative energy, you must be extremely careful. Only those who have realised their true nature, who possess great compassion, Wisdom (Prajna), and the power of meditative concentration, can do so. If they express such energy, it is done solely for the purpose of teaching and saving beings; it is a manifestation of great compassion. If you do not possess such skills, you must never act in this way. You must be cautious and prudent at all times.

Today, in accordance with the wishes of Practitioner Li, I should speak with Practitioner Hu. If the Teacher and student can meet, many problems will be resolved. Through the body of Practitioner Xu, I have seen that the physical condition is gradually improving. Although the progress is slow, it is certainly not stagnant or degenerating. I continue to provide the Buddha-name chanting, and the golden light from my body passes through Practitioner Xu, projecting outward. Some might think that Practitioner Xu has cultivated well, as layers of light emanate from the body, and that is perfectly fine. If Practitioner Xu had not gone through this recent ordeal, this would be the natural state. I only hope that it is not too late to save this life.

This interview was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.