Vitality

Teachings by Teacher, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe

22 May 2026

Teachings by Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju:

Where does vitality come from?

It comes from the heart, from the body, and from the spirit.

Vitality is manifested in the body, whether in the human world, among sentient beings, or insentient beings.

What are sentient beings? All beings within the six realms of rebirth are sentient beings,

such as animals and insects like chickens, ducks, pigs, geese, cats, dogs, cows, and sheep,

and marine life such as fish, shrimp, crabs, and clams.

These sentient beings are able to manifest their vitality because of their physical bodies.

Insentient beings, such as mountains, rivers, the earth, flowers, trees, the blue sky, white clouds, and air molecules,

all possess the existence of spirit.

Different beings have different ways of manifesting vitality,

and the human world is able to manifest its vitality because of this body.

The vitality of a practitioner is manifested in achieving oneself in order to save beings and help them leave suffering behind,

and to ensure spiritual progress is guaranteed to grow, one must be fiercely diligent and persistent;

and the parents, teachers, family members, karmic creditors, and attached spirits from beginningless time,

are the primary ones to be saved.

The vitality of a practitioner is manifested in compassion, Wisdom (Prajna), mind-capacity, and tolerance,

manifested in stability, harmony, composure, and peace,

and manifested in the four virtues: "utilising conditions wonderfully, maintaining dignified conduct, being gentle and straightforward, and bearing suffering on behalf of beings".

Those who have realised their true nature have hearts that are firm and unmoved, living to save beings,

the manifestation of their vitality is boundless, "following the minds of beings, responding according to their capacity".

One must allow vitality to manifest in stability, rather than in states of dullness, anxiety, depression, or manic-depression.

Especially those who enjoy applause must understand that applause is a part of karma,

it is impermanence and ever-changing,

changing according to the people one encounters, the time, the location, and the external environment.

No one can live in applause forever,

impermanence is inherently changeable; there is no unchanging impermanence.

If this heart is not mastered by oneself, but by karmic creditors,

if the meaning of life and vitality are dependent on applause and praise,

then how can this heart be grounded and stable?

Pure Land practice can manifest vitality within the true self.

The true self is inherently possessed by all beings,

yet it is obscured by the confusion, afflictions, and the "self," personal ego, and selfishness accumulated since beginningless time.

If one can remove confusion, afflictions, and the "self," personal ego, and selfishness,

then the vitality of the true self can be manifested.

Life no longer exists for this false body or for the applause of others,

but exists to reclaim the value of life—to save oneself and save beings, to leave suffering behind and attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

If one can truly do this, then life is priceless, and vitality is infinite.

Namo Amituofo