My dear children, regardless of your age in this current life, have you ever paused to ask yourself: do you truly understand who you are? Do you understand the depth of your own motivations?
The Mirror of Self-Reflection
Consider the many actions you take each day. Do you understand why you speak the words you speak? Do you understand why you perform the actions you perform? Why do you feel anger, and what is the root of that emotion? Why have you chosen to learn the , to leave the household life, and to dedicate yourself to spiritual practice? Why must you be diligent, and why must you strive with such fierce, unwavering intensity? Why do you seek the stillness of silence? Why do you engage in the daily practice of prostrations, chanting Namo Amituofo, and reciting the sutras? Why is it necessary to transform your personality traits and shed your deeply ingrained habits? Why do you listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma? Why must you seek to rediscover your true self? Why is it your sacred duty to save the world and rescue all suffering beings? And finally, why must you make the vow to return to the of Ultimate Bliss, and why is it that only through the complete integration of Faith, Vows, and Practice can you truly return there?
These questions are not merely rhetorical. They are the foundation of your existence at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Perhaps you have heard these questions many times before, and perhaps you can recite the answers with ease. However, the true measure of your practice is not in your ability to answer, but in your ability to embody these truths. How much of this have you actually put into practice? Are you truly living these teachings in every moment of your life?
The Preciousness of Every Moment
If your answer to these questions is filled with hesitation, negativity, or doubt, then you have found the very area where your practice must be intensified. You must seize the time you have. You must practise with urgency, without pause, and without rest. Why? Because the time and the life you have been given are not enough to waste. If you are still in the midst of adjusting your mind and habits, and your life comes to an end before you have reached , then your practice in this lifetime will be cut short. Once the physical body is gone, you will no longer have the vessel required to continue your work.
Have you accumulated enough merit and meditative concentration to ensure your rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? Have you secured your path so that you will not fall back into the cycle of rebirth? If you have not, and you wish to find your true self again, you will have to wait for an unknown duration. You would need to wait until you are reborn with a human body, and only then, if you are fortunate enough to encounter the Pure Land teachings, the Buddha, and a true spiritual friend, would it be possible to begin the search for your true self once more. This is why your life is so incredibly important. It is a rare and precious opportunity that must not be squandered.
Returning to the Original Nature
You must grasp every minute and every second to practise with diligence. You must be fiercely diligent, refining your mind again and again. You must continue this process until the answers to those questions are no longer just words, but the reality of your life. As you complete these tasks one by one, you will eventually reach Awakening. You will rediscover your original face, which is the essence of true practice. This is the process of washing away the stains and pollutions that have accumulated over countless lifetimes. You are returning to your original state of purity and Goodness.
This original nature is your true self. Every being possesses this inherent quality of coolness, happiness, and freedom from defilement. However, because of the cycle of rebirth, this pure, good, cool, happy, and unstained self has been covered by layers of dust. You may understand this principle intellectually, but you find it difficult to put into practice. Do not be discouraged. If you find yourself struggling, simply begin again. Continue to practise and continue to move forward.
Escaping the Cycle of Samsara
The greatest danger is not that you struggle, but that you might lose the opportunity to encounter the Buddha and a true spiritual friend, leading you to wander off onto the wrong path. If you do not practise with diligence and your life ends before you have attained your goal, you will have to wait for the next time you meet the Dharma to start over. In the time between, you would have to endure the endless suffering and sorrow of the cycle of rebirth. This tragedy has been repeating itself from the past until the present moment.
It is my hope that in this lifetime, you will no longer enter the cycle of rebirth. I hope you will rediscover your true self and truly step onto the path of Awakening and Buddhahood, saving the world and rescuing all beings as you return to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amituofo.
