Life's Encounters: Teachings on the Present Moment

Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

The Eternal Present

The Buddha’s teachings state that there is no past, no present, and no future. When we truly contemplate this, we realise that there is only the present moment. If you can remain free of wandering thoughts in this very moment, you will find a profound sense of coolness and peace. This present moment is the very essence of life's encounters. Countless such moments, one after another, combine to form the entirety of a person's life.

Whether you are experiencing the joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness of the human world, or navigating the changes and learning that come with your spiritual practice, you must be aware of your state of mind. Before one becomes an awakened being and successfully transforms karma, the heart often fluctuates, and the heart follows the environment, tossed about by external conditions.

The Trap of Looking Back

The past is entirely illusory, a constant cycle of arising and ceasing. Although the events have already passed and the circumstances have changed, if you choose to look back at the past, you inevitably fall into the trap of thinking and attachment. This mental activity triggers the operation of your karma. Therefore, before you have reached the state of an awakened being and before you have attained deep meditative concentration, you must learn to stop looking back at the past.

Because you have thoughts, your heart fluctuates, and these fluctuations pull on your consciousness. This is the manifestation of karma, which causes you to fall back into the cycle of reincarnation. You must be vigilant; do not let the ghosts of the past dictate your present reality.

Life as an Illusory Encounter

Practice requires you to clearly recognise that this life is merely an illusory environment. It is formed entirely by the arising and ceasing of karma and Causal Conditions. Therefore, all of life's encounters are simply encounters within an illusion. Those who truly see the truth of this fact should be willing to let go of it. You must learn to see through the illusion and let go of your attachments to it.

True Cultivation

Practice is the process of seeking the truth within the illusion. We use the false to achieve True Cultivation, striving to find back our true self. When you can live a life of autonomy, free from the dictates of past karma, only then does this life have true meaning. Otherwise, even your spiritual practice may simply become another performance within the cycle of reincarnation. We must be sincere in our efforts to transcend these illusions and return to the purity of our original nature.

Namo Amituofo