Finding Your Original Nature

Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju's Teachings
Chief writer: Venerable HaiZe

September 2, 2022

Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju's teachings:

In this world, it is often said that every path we tread leaves a mark behind. We believe our actions, our words, and even our thoughts leave indelible imprints upon the fabric of reality. However, the great ancestral masters have shown us a different way of being—a way that is as light as floating clouds and as free as a gentle breeze.

The Freedom of Non-Attachment

When the Ancestral Master Bodhidharma crossed the ocean on a single reed, and when he later manifested the image of holding a single straw sandal upon his passing, he was not merely performing a miracle. He was teaching us the profound art of leave no trace. He was demonstrating a state of mind that is entirely unburdened by the past. Consider the wisdom of Shakyamuni Buddha, who described the enlightened state as passing through a hundred flowers without a single petal clinging to one's robes. Like a boat gliding across the water, leaving no ripple behind, this is the essence of true freedom. It is a state of being that is perfectly still, yet entirely at ease. This is what it truly means to live with the vitality of the Buddha’s teachings.

The Illusion of Suffering and Joy

If you could all live in this way, where would suffering arise? Where would happiness be sought? There would only be profound stillness and peace, a state of pure Goodness without waves. For those whose hearts are constantly tossed by the storms of emotion, this is a state of being that is deeply longed for. Those who have tasted bitterness are the only ones who can truly appreciate the sweetness of life. Yet, for those who have never known suffering, the true nature of bitterness remains elusive. But even so, one can choose not to suffer. If you do not allow your heart to be moved by external conditions, how can there be suffering or the absence of it? How can there be the sour, the sweet, the bitter, or the spicy? How can there be joy, anger, sorrow, or the pain of separation?

Returning to Your True Nature

This is the true capability of a Buddha. You, too, can attain this state. This is your original, true face, which has never truly left you. It has only been covered up by the dust of your attachments. Now, through your diligent practice and the purification at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, you have the opportunity to find your way home and rediscover that original face. By letting go of the need to leave a mark on the world, you allow your true nature to shine forth, unencumbered and pure. May you all find the strength to walk this path with the same grace as the masters who came before you.

Namo Amituofo