Everything Without Obstruction

The State of Absolute Freedom

If your heart is free from all attachments, and if your mind is empty and void of worldly concerns, you will find that there is nothing in the realm of phenomena or the realm of principle that can hinder you. When you can truly reach this state, you will experience everything without obstruction. This is because you have attained true freedom and self-mastery; it is the manifestation of your true self.

For those of us still caught in the cycle of rebirth, our karma is manifested entirely by the heart. Because our thoughts create our reality, the Buddha’s teachings instruct us to work directly upon the heart. We must learn to regulate our minds to halt the creation of new karma and cease the cycle of negative actions that bind us to suffering.

The Necessity of Transforming Karma

To truly change our lives, we must understand the reality of the facts. Only when we clearly perceive the truth can we effectively regulate our minds and take action. This allows us to stop the accumulation of karma in both our thoughts and our physical behaviour. However, we often find that karma has already manifested before we are aware of it. In such moments, we must be prepared to turn our karma around. To do this, the practitioner must:

• Make great and sincere vows to benefit all beings.
• Practise these vows with unwavering diligence.
• Allow the power of these vows to counteract the weight of past karma.

Only when your vow is stronger than your karma do you have the opportunity to transform it. This transformation does not happen out of thin air; it requires a genuine, heartfelt desire to save all beings and guide them toward rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

The Path to Ultimate Liberation

The path for the Pure Land practitioner is clear. You must arouse the Bodhi mind and single-mindedly recite Namo Amituofo. By living the vows and moving forward with diligent practice, you will eventually realise your true nature and attain Buddhahood. Only then will you possess the true ability to teach and guide others. Your mission is to help all beings leave suffering behind and find happiness, ensuring they achieve rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

This is the ultimate goal of our practice:

• To benefit oneself while benefiting all beings.
• To save oneself while saving all beings.
• To liberate oneself while liberating all beings from suffering, guiding them to rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

This is what it means to be truly free and without obstruction. May we all walk this path with sincerity and devotion.

Namo Amituofo