Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju. Recorded and transcribed by ’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
Every person in this world yearns to find a heart-knower—someone who can truly perceive and understand the depths of their inner world. This longing is not unique to humans; it is a universal desire shared by all sentient beings. Whether they are , spirits attached to our bodies, or beings dwelling in the Demon Realm, they all seek the same profound connection and understanding.
The Hidden Multitude Within
Within our physical bodies, there reside countless spirits. These are beings with whom we have shared karmic connections over accumulated lifetimes. They are not strangers; they are our past acquaintances, including:
Parents and teachers from our previous incarnations who guided us.
Karmic creditors who seek retribution for past harms.
Family members and close relatives from our many past lives.
Although the years have passed and the circumstances of those lives have faded into history, many of these beings remain trapped in the specific space and time of their past experiences. They continue to live through the joys, sorrows, separations, and reunions of those bygone days. For most of them, their existence is defined by suffering far more than by happiness.
The Echoes of Past Suffering
When these beings are trapped in a space of resentment, agony, or intense frustration, they become what we call karmic creditors. They exist in an environment and a state of mind focused entirely on seeking revenge or collecting on old debts. When they are triggered by a thought or a situation that mirrors their past trauma, they awaken from their dormant state.
At that moment, they begin to act out their need for repayment or retribution. This is why we say that people live within the laws of and cause and effect. We are often unaware that our current struggles are merely the playing out of these ancient, unresolved debts.
The Manifestation of Karmic Debt
When these spirits manifest, the result is almost always physical or mental suffering for us. We find ourselves caught in the relentless cycle of aging, sickness, and death, unable to control our own bodies or our own fates. We are pulled along by the force of our karma, suffering in ways that seem beyond our power to change.
In such moments of profound difficulty, we are in desperate need of a heart-knower. We need someone who can understand our pain and, more importantly, someone who can understand the suffering of the spirits who are causing our distress. If we can find such a guide, we can finally resolve these ancient grievances and find peace.
as a Heart-Knower
Who, then, is a true heart-knower? The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are the ultimate heart-knowers for all beings. Practitioner Su is also a heart-knower, possessing the wisdom to understand and liberate these spirits. But we must ask ourselves: are we, as practitioners or members of the fourfold assembly, acting as heart-knowers for the beings within our bodies?
At the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre, we follow a clear path to this realisation:
We place our absolute faith in Namo Amituofo and in our own original nature.
We engage in constant purification, and then more purification, to clear the obstacles within our hearts.
Through the Buddha's , we open up the space within us, allowing us to receive the messages of these spirits.
By practising selflessness, having no private agenda, and facing these spirits with and without fear, we can finally resolve their grievances, invite them to the , and perform the necessary to deliver them.
This is the true meaning of being a heart-knower for both ourselves and the countless beings who depend upon our awakening. Namo Amituofo.
