Waking Up is Truly Wonderful: Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju

The Long Slumber of the Soul

For a long time, you have been lost in a deep, heavy slumber. This profound drowsiness has kept your heart veiled, and despite your efforts to break through the limitations of space, you have remained trapped within the cycle of rebirth. You have been wandering in darkness, unable to find your way back to the light of your original nature.

How many lifetimes have passed while you remained in this state of confusion? The weight of your karmic habits has acted like a thick fog, obscuring the truth and preventing you from seeing the reality of your existence. You have been drifting through the realms, caught in the currents of cause and effect, unaware that the path to liberation has always been within your reach.

The Thunderous Call to Awakening

Then, a sudden, thunderous sound shattered the silence of your deep sleep. It was a call that pierced through the layers of your ignorance, shaking your heart to its very core. Suddenly, you were confronted with the terrifying reality of the space you had been inhabiting—a landscape of danger, filled with the remnants of past lives and the suffering of endless rebirths. This horrific vision of samsara served as a stark reminder of the peril you faced.

Terrified by what you saw and unable to turn back, you began to run. You ran with every ounce of strength you possessed, driven by a desperate, singular urge to escape the darkness and move toward the light. It was this intense desire for liberation that finally allowed you to break free from the grip of your long, dark slumber.

The Golden Embrace of Namo Amituofo

Upon waking, you found yourself bathed in a brilliant, golden light. Before you stood the compassionate figure of Namo Amituofo, whose golden arm is forever extended toward the earth, ready to lead every lost child back to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Seeing this, the child who had run so hard toward the light was finally brought to a halt, overwhelmed by the sheer grace of the Buddha.

In that moment, you fell to your knees, weeping with a heart full of gratitude and peace. You felt a deep sense of remorse for the ignorance that had led you to commit so many transgressions in the past. You realised how you had failed to live up to the patient, persistent teachings of the Buddha, your teachers, and Practitioner Su. Yet, in the presence of Namo Amituofo, you found the strength to repent and the hope to begin anew.

Returning to the Path of Salvation

At the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, Practitioner Su stood in the white house, watching with a gentle, compassionate smile. He spoke words of comfort that echoed in your heart: "It is wonderful that you have awakened. It is wonderful that you have returned."

With these words, you were welcomed into the salvation team. You are no longer a wanderer lost in the darkness; you are now a vital member of a mission dedicated to the liberation of all beings. Your journey has brought you to a place where you can finally contribute to the work of saving the world.

A Mission of Infinite Compassion

As a member of this salvation team, you now stand alongside a diverse group of dedicated practitioners, all united by the same vow to leave suffering behind and find true happiness. This team includes the Bodhisattvas of the universe, the Bodhisattvas of the Milky Way, the new disciples of the Buddha, and the fourfold assembly who have awakened and turned back from the wrong path.

Together with Namo Amituofo, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and Practitioner Su, you are now working to help all beings leave suffering behind and attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. You are helping to spread the teachings of Namo Amituofo throughout the human world and the entire Dharma Realm. Waking up is truly wonderful, for it is only when we wake up that we can truly begin to help others do the same.

Namo Amituofo

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