Change and Changelessness: The Nature of the Mind

The Dual Nature of the Heart

During the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, we are invited to contemplate the very essence of our existence. Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju offers us a vital distinction between the two aspects of our heart. The heart that is subject to change is the physical heart and the mind of conditioned thoughts. This aspect of our being is inherently impermanent, a complex mixture of Goodness and evil. It is a heart that fluctuates with every passing circumstance, never finding a moment of true rest.

In contrast, there is a heart that never changes: the heart of spiritual awareness. This is our true self. It is fundamentally pure, unstained by the dust of the world, and possesses a brilliant, luminous clarity. When we learn to distinguish between these two, we begin to understand the source of our suffering and the path to our liberation.

The Trap of External Pursuit

The world we inhabit is filled with endless change. People are often driven by a restless desire to seek what is new and different. When a curiosity is satisfied, the heart does not find peace; instead, it immediately seeks something newer, craving even more variety. We are constantly looking outward, allowing ourselves to be pulled and pushed by external forces. Because of this, our desires become infinite and impossible to satisfy.

When we cannot fulfil these endless cravings, we inevitably encounter the consequences of our attachment: a deep sense of dissatisfaction with our current circumstances, a feeling that we are never enough, the emergence of unhappiness, and a descent into a negative life path where we lose sight of the light of the Buddha’s teachings.

Returning to the True Self

The Buddha’s teachings offer a different approach. Before we attempt to navigate the changes of the world, we must first seek the changeless and the unmoving. We must turn our gaze inward to rediscover our true self. This is the foundation of all genuine spiritual progress. Once we have successfully found our true self, we gain the ability to handle the many changes of the world with grace and flexibility.

We can undergo a thousand changes, yet our heart remains unmoved. We are no longer tossed about by the waves of impermanence. What we possess in this state is not fleeting pleasure, but lasting happiness, stability, and profound serenity. Whether things change or remain the same, the outcome depends entirely on the state of this heart.

The Path to Eternal Peace

To reach this state of being, we must follow a clear, disciplined path: regulate the heart to calm the turbulent waters of our conditioned thoughts; settle the heart to establish a foundation of meditative concentration so that we are not easily swayed; and practise no-self to let go of the ego that clings to these changing conditions.

By doing so, we move forward to rediscover our heart of spiritual awareness and our true self. This is the ultimate goal of our practice. This message was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe, serving as the chief writer.

Namo Amituofo