Recorded and transcribed by ’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe
Midday Offering on 20 July 2024
Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju:
The Necessity of Breaking Through
To break through is to fundamentally change your current situation and to make genuine progress in your spiritual journey. This is especially vital when you have tasted the bitter suffering of losing control over your own body and mind. When you find yourself unable to master your own actions, you are experiencing a profound lack of autonomy. As a practitioner, when you reach a point where you cannot break through these barriers, you may find yourself letting time slip away, second by second, in a state of emptiness. It is not that you desire to be this way; rather, you find yourself unable to control the situation. This is particularly true when you fall into states of or when you enter different dimensions of . In such moments, you may encounter situations that you cannot predict, leading to behaviours and actions that you would never normally exhibit. You may find yourself saying with a heavy heart, "I would never act like this under normal circumstances." When you wish to break through but find yourself unable to do so, you are experiencing the frustration of having the will but lacking the strength.
The Hidden Presence of
At such times, you must understand that your body is not occupied by you alone. There are other beings who have existed within your body for a long time without making their presence known, and now, they have awakened. Some of these beings have been stirred by recent events, while others have been awake for a long time, merely waiting for the right opportunity to manifest. When these beings appear, you are often filled with astonishment, yet the reality of their presence is undeniable. You must accept this truth, even as you seek to change it, because such interference hinders your practice and prevents you from making progress. You are not alone in this struggle; it is a manifestation of the complex web of that binds us all.
The Sacred Environment of Hsiang Kuang
Members of the fourfold assembly (monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen), you are currently residing in a Buddha-land. This environment is vastly different from the ordinary world you have known. The primary purpose of your practice here is purification. You must wash away the stains of your past and change the various inappropriate habits and personality traits that have defined you. These habits and traits may have existed for a long time, yet they did not seem like problems before because everyone else was the same! However, in the eyes of the Buddha’s teachings, these are the very manifestations of karma and the root causes of the cycle of rebirth. Once you begin your practice, you must be able to transform this karma. You must no longer enter the cycle of rebirth so that you may finally achieve liberation from the suffering of life and death.
The Path of Repentance and
In your practice within the path, you must face the challenge of breaking through. You must break through your past personality traits and habits. You must no longer be led by these tendencies; only then will you be able to make a breakthrough. You must transform your karma, make vows to chant Namo Amituofo, and seek to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, thereby ensuring you do not fall back into the cycle of rebirth. To achieve this, you must summon your compassion, your power of vows, your perseverance, and your determination. Furthermore, you must learn the true meaning of repenting. People often do not believe they have any faults. Especially if they have been high achievers in school or society, they often do not think they have any problems at all. The more this is the case, the more they will encounter the tests of beings manifesting before them. This kind of test is something they have never encountered before, because in the past, they were simply following their karma. They did not even realise that these beings existed. These beings would seek revenge when the time was right, and the person would suffer when it was their turn to suffer, eventually ending their life in the cycle of aging, sickness, and death.
Resolving the Conflict
Practice is different because the goal is purification, the transformation of karma, and the aspiration to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. To the beings who have already manifested, this is a threat. Because they face a situation where they can no longer seek revenge, they often manifest more intensely. Because you are in the midst of practice, you are able to perceive the various situations caused by these beings. Because these are experiences you have never had before, you feel uneasy, and you may even fear what problems will occur next. At this moment, you must repent. When these beings manifest, only by carrying a soft heart and repenting with sincerity can you gain their understanding and soothe their painful, resentful hearts. At the same time, it is of the utmost importance to invite these spirits, resolve the conflicts, and perform so that their spirits may find a place of rest.
A Call to Diligent Practice
When practising in this Buddha-land, as long as these beings manifest, you are under the Buddha-light and the care and guidance of Practitioner Su. Most of these beings can be given the opportunity to be resolved and to receive Chao Du. Since you wish to break through the current situation where you cannot control yourself, you must be able to break through and change the various habits brought about by your personality and ego. The fourfold assembly at Hsiang Kuang comes from many different countries, bringing with them different habits and personalities. You have gathered here at Hsiang Kuang, and you must expand your mind-capacity and be tolerant of one another. Repent for all the negative karma you have created in the past. You must absolutely not have a stubborn personality or clash head-on with these beings. When they manifest, kneel down to show your sincerity in repenting. When you are chanting Namo Amituofo or reciting the Sutras, do so loudly; this can at least help you subdue your own ego. Be compassionate, compassionate, and compassionate again. You must be even more fiercely diligent in changing your personality, breaking through again and again, so that you may rediscover your true self. Make the vow to follow the Buddha and save all beings.
