Cultivating the Inner Content of the Heart

In the practice of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, we often focus on the external rituals, yet the true essence of our spiritual journey lies within the inner content of our hearts. On the twenty-ninth of May, 2020, during the third session of the ceremony, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provided essential teachings on how we must cultivate this internal landscape.

The Heart as the Master of Your Life

The breath within you and the essence of your life are all contained within your heart. Your heart is the master of your existence. If you wish to truly engage in spiritual practice, you must begin by transforming your heart. You must know where to start, for the heart can be a place of great confusion. It is often like a den of thieves, where negative thoughts and desires steal away your peace and wisdom.

The Choice Between Darkness and Light

When your heart acts as a den of thieves, it becomes filled with the energy of those thieves. This internal state is characterised by:

• Negative habits: The deep-seated patterns that keep us trapped in samsara.
• Negative karma: The weight of past actions that clouds our clarity.
• Inner darkness: A pervasive gloom that prevents the light of the true nature from shining through.

However, if your heart holds the Buddha, it becomes a Buddha-land. In this state, your inner content is transformed into something pure, good, and luminous. You are filled with the light of wisdom and compassion.

The Danger of a Mixed Heart

Many practitioners live in a state of ambiguity, where the heart is neither fully dark nor fully bright. They allow light and shadow to intermingle, mistakenly believing this confusion to be normal. When your inner content is so mixed, you cannot see the true light of your original nature. At times, you may feel like a Buddha, yet at other times, you may act like a demon. When the Buddha and the demon coexist within you, your inner content remains unstable, and it is difficult to define your true character.

Sweeping Away the Shadows to Reveal the Buddha

You must make a firm resolution to sweep away the demon and become a Buddha. This is the path to attaining a true Buddha-heart. You must maintain this state of purity 24/7, ensuring that your thoughts and actions remain purely pure and purely filled with Goodness. Remember that the Buddha is not located in some distant realm; the Buddha resides right here, within your own heart. When you purify your inner content, you will naturally become an awakened being.

This message was written by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe.

Namo Amituofo