Returning to the Buddha's Path

Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

During the first session of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony held on September 7, 2024, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provided the following essential guidance for all practitioners.

The Peril of Losing One's Way and the Nectar of Guidance

If, at any moment, you become lost in confusion and lose your right knowledge, right view, and right conduct, you will inevitably manifest wrong knowledge, wrong views, and wrong actions. This is a grave injury to your own wisdom-life. When you are caught in such a state, you are drifting away from the light of the Dharma, and your progress on the path to liberation is severely hindered.

If you are fortunate enough to have a true spiritual friend to point out your errors and provide guidance, it is like receiving the cooling nectar of enlightenment. This guidance helps you to discover your problems early, allowing you to stop improper views and behaviours before they take root. By acknowledging your mistakes and changing your ways, you can return your views to the right path and ensure your actions are aligned with the Truth. This is the only way to leave the maze of confusion behind and return to the Buddha's path.

Walking the Path of True Self

When you study the Buddha's teachings and engage in practice to seek your true self, you must walk firmly upon the Buddha's path. If you deviate from this path, you are immediately stepping into bias and error. Not only have you strayed from the Buddha's path, but you will also find it impossible to rediscover your true self. Often, you may be deeply trapped in these delusions without even realising it. In such moments, a bystander can see clearly what you cannot. This is precisely when a true spiritual friend can perform the vital work of saving you from your own ignorance.

Within a bodhimanda for group cultivation or the monastic community of a temple, we gather and live together to support one another. This environment allows us to stop evil and move toward Goodness, constantly encouraging each other to remain diligent. Whether you are participating in group cultivation or practising on your own, listening to sutras and hearing the Dharma is of paramount importance. If you are a practitioner who is diligent in self-supervision and self-reflection, and you encounter a Venerable or a true spiritual friend who can guide you according to your capacity and the principles of the Dharma, and if you are able to listen and follow that guidance, then walking the Buddha's path without bias or deviation—and ultimately achieving success—is something you can look forward to in the very near future.

Transforming Karma and Returning Home

A common obstacle in practice is the manifestation of karma. When your karmic creditors appear, you may often find that your heart and actions are not upright, your practice lacks strength, and you fall into biased conduct. When this happens, you must invite these spirits, resolve the conflict, and perform Chao Du. More importantly, you must adjust your own heart and return to the Buddha's path. By doing so, you can transform the hearts of your karmic creditors and other beings. You will learn to transform the environment rather than being swayed by it, for you will realise that all these beings are, in truth, within your own heart. By purifying your own mind, you purify the world around you.

Namo Amituofo