What Evening is This? A Call to Awakening
Teachings from Namo Amituofo
Recorded on January 21, 2024
Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe
January 21, 2024, Noon Offering
The Crossroads of the Heart
What evening is this? Is it merely a repetition of the past, a mirror reflecting the same old patterns that have held you captive for aeons? Or is it a moment where you have finally broken through the stagnant conditions of your life, achieving a profound and genuine breakthrough?
This evolution depends entirely upon your heart. You must ask yourself: are you still governed by the heavy weight of your , blindly following the path dictated by your destiny? Or are you able to transform your karma, breaking through the rigid thoughts and habitual tendencies that have long defined your existence? If you are no longer willing to be controlled by karma, you must cease following the path of destiny and instead walk the path of the Buddha.
The Courage to Transform
Those who have entered the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre to practise are not here by chance. You have heard the great name of Namo Amituofo not only in this life but likely across many lifetimes. However, if your personality remains unchanged, if you refuse to face your shortcomings and transform your character, then the problems you encounter in your practice will continue to manifest. These are not new obstacles; they are the same issues you have faced in past lives, which you failed to address, resolve, or improve upon at that time.
If you allow these problems to persist, how can your practice progress? How can you speak of reaching the state of an awakened being? You must understand that if you do not confront these traits now, they will remain as barriers to your spiritual growth. You must be willing to:
- Face your inner shadows with honesty and courage.Change your personality traits that are rooted in the .Transform your habitual reactions into responses guided by wisdom.
Seizing the Rare Opportunity
You are fortunate to have encountered the Buddha-teacher, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and Practitioner Su at this very moment. Why wait any longer to change? Because you are encountering these challenges in your practice, the presence of the Buddha-teacher and Practitioner Su provides you with the support you need. They are here to help you break through, and break through again, so that you may move toward greater purification and eventually join the ranks of those who have realised their true nature.
This is a rare and precious opportunity. Do not let it go to waste. You have the chance to enter the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, to meet Namo Amituofo, and to receive the guidance of Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju and Practitioner Su. This is a golden opportunity to change your destiny.
The Certainty of Rebirth
If you remain the same as you were in the past, failing to change your ways before this life ends, do you have the certainty that you will enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? If you lack this certainty, you must consider whether Practitioner Su will still be in this world to guide your spirit to the West, or if there will be others at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre capable of such a task. If neither is available, and you fall back into the cycle of being reincarnated, who knows how many lifetimes it will take before you have the great fortune to obtain a human body again? It will be even harder to encounter the Buddha-teacher and Practitioner Su once more, and the window of opportunity to reach the state of an awakened being or enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss may close for a very long time.
What evening is this? Is it still the same night of endless cycles of being reincarnated, where the end is nowhere in sight? Or is it the night of your , the evening that marks your return to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? The answer lies within you. It depends entirely on whether you truly have faith in the Buddha and whether you are willing to follow:
- The Buddha-heart: A heart of infinite and purity.The Buddha-vow: The Forty-eight Great Vows of Namo Amituofo.The Buddha-actions: The daily practice of chanting Namo Amituofo and living according to the Truth.
Namo Amituofo
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About the Author
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
Contributed to Pure Land Buddhism knowledge library