The Burden of Habitual Tendencies

The Urgency of Transformation

When a wise teacher points out your negative habits, you must recognise them with clarity and resolve to change them immediately. Do not allow yourself to be complacent or to ignore the guidance you have received. As a practitioner, your duty is to be vigilant and swift in correcting your faults.

Do not justify your behaviour by saying, "This is just who I am." Such an attitude is a violation of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. It is a departure from the Precepts and the Dharma. Even if you feel shame and engage in repenting, it is not enough. A true practitioner must break through these barriers and improve. Only by overcoming these obstacles can one truly be called a practitioner.

Breaking the Chains of the Ego

If you have not yet changed your own ways and your "self," personal ego, and selfishness remain strong, how can you possibly speak of the faults of others? How can you even begin to talk about the noble work of saving beings? If your own house is not in order, your efforts to guide others will lack the necessary foundation of wisdom and purity.

The Wisdom of Looking Inward

Do not look at the faults of others. Their faults are governed by the laws of karma and cause and effect. Why should you let their actions disturb your heart and stain your own mind? To focus on the shortcomings of others is like an unnecessary burden falling from the sky; it is simply not worth it. It serves only to cloud your own clarity and disrupt your peace.

Cultivating a Pure and Still Heart

You must purify your own heart and strive to remain unstained by the dust of the world. You must cultivate meditative concentration, for this is the true path of compassion. When your heart is still and your mind is clear, you will naturally embody the compassion required to help all beings leave suffering behind and find happiness. This teaching was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.