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The Art of Transforming the Heart: Teachings from Teacher Pr

Recorded and transcribed by ’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

On the nineteenth of May, 2024, during the midday offering, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provided the following teachings on the vital practice of transforming the heart.

The Call to Awaken

Sentient beings are often lost in a deep, dark fog of ignorance, unaware that they are asleep. They allow this confusion to persist, and as a result, their spirits are pulled into various spaces of existence, trapped and unable to find their way out. As practitioners, you must recognise this reality and take responsibility for your own salvation. Those who dedicate themselves to saving beings must possess clear vision. By chanting the sacred name, they can help transform the hearts of these beings, guiding their spirits out of those trapped spaces. If a practitioner is skilled at transforming the hearts of others, it is a great blessing for all beings.

The Path of Transformation

Transformation is the core of our practice. It is the process of turning away from the darkness and moving toward the light. This involves a series of fundamental shifts in our nature:

From demon to Buddha.
From wrong paths to the right path.
From impurity to purity.
From confusion to .

This transformation must also manifest in how we handle our internal states and the :

From greed to Generosity.
From anger to and Patience.
From ignorance to Wisdom.
From arrogance to being humble and modest.
From doubt to absolute faith.

Refining Our Daily Conduct

We must apply this transformative power to every aspect of our daily lives, particularly regarding our desires:

Wealth: Transform the greed for money into the practice of Generosity.
Sex: Transform the desire for physical pleasure into the contemplation of impurity. When you look at of another, visualise it as a skeleton; will you still feel the urge for attachment?
Fame: Transform the craving for recognition into anonymous contribution and the accumulation of hidden merit.
Food: Transform the greed for consumption by eating only to seven or eight parts full to nourish the body.
Sleep: Transform the desire for excessive rest by practising with moderation. When you are tired, rest; when you are awake, return to your practice. It is advised that your sleep should not exceed four hours.

The Practice of Self-Correction

Beyond our desires, we must also transform our interactions and our ego. This is the true work of a practitioner:

Transform hardness into softness.
Transform criticism into gentle counseling.
Transform a heart of attachment into a heart of non-attachment.
Transform selfishness into selflessness.
Transform the ego into the state of .
Transform attachment into the ability to follow the flow of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.
Transform a face of anger or resentment into a face of Compassion and a gentle smile.
Transform ego-attachment and personal views into a state of total compliance with the .

You must be able to make these transformations at any moment. This process of change is, in itself, the very process of your practice. By moving from pollution to purification, and from evil to Goodness, you must continue to purify and continue to cultivate Goodness. When you face all things with Compassion, Wisdom, a vast mind-capacity, and tolerance, you will surely see your true nature.

Namo Amituofo