Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provides this essential guidance for all who seek the path of liberation. When you chant the sacred name of , you must simply chant straight ahead. This means that your recitation should be direct, focused, and unwavering. There should be no room for other thoughts, no space for delusions, and absolutely no hesitation. Your mind must be entirely free from even the slightest trace of mental clutter or secondary intentions.
If you find that your mind is filled with contemplation, messy thoughts, or lingering attachments to worldly matters, your practice becomes clouded. It is no longer pure. When your heart is burdened by worries or things you cannot let go of, your chanting loses its clarity. Even if you chant the name of Namo Amituofo as loudly as you can, or if you recite it thousands or even tens of thousands of times, it will not compare to a single, pure, and good recitation that arises from a heart of total sincerity.
The Power of Sincerity
Every practitioner must understand this fundamental principle to ensure their practice is effective. If you only chant with your mouth while your heart remains distant from the Buddha, and your actions do not reflect the Buddha's teachings, your recitation will be empty. When you allow the following to interfere with your practice, your chanting loses its transformative power:
Delusions: False that cloud your true nature.
Messy thoughts: The constant, chaotic chatter of the mind.
Attachments: The lingering worries and desires that bind you to the cycle of rebirth.
Conceptual thinking: Trying to intellectualise the rather than experiencing it through the heart.
When these elements are mixed into your recitation, the Buddha-name becomes an empty sound. It carries no weight, and it will not provide the strength needed to reach the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Without a pure heart, the hope of being led by Namo Amituofo to the Western Land remains distant.
The Compassionate Work of Practitioner Su
At the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre, Practitioner Su serves as a living example of this path. By practising within a human body, he has achieved the state of an awakened being through the Pure Land method of Buddha-recitation. Because he has realised his true nature, he is able to use his to perform the sacred work of . During our weekly , he leads many beings toward liberation, including:
Sixty hell guards who are finally released from their heavy burdens.
The family members of the deceased, who are guided to the Western Land of Dharma Nature within the temple.
Those who possess the sincere wish to enter the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
This noble work is truly worthy of praise from Namo Amituofo, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the ancestral masters, and all the beings in the Western Land. It is a profound blessing for those who are reborn in the Western Land, occurring precisely when their good roots, , and Causal Conditions have fully matured.
A Call to the Students of Hsiang Kuang
To all the students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, you must be fiercely diligent and never slacken in your efforts. You are called to learn from the , wisdom, and vast mind-capacity of Practitioner Su. Strive to maintain your Buddha-recitation 24/7 until you attain the .
The work of using your Dharma Body to perform Chao Du for sentient beings, and the heart and actions dedicated to saving the world, are the hallmarks of a true child of Namo Amituofo. By following this path, you become the true inheritors of the Pure Land tradition. Keep your heart pure, keep your chanting straight, and walk the path of the Buddha with unwavering devotion.
