The Dangers of Attachment and the Path to Awakening

On the twenty-ninth of August, 2020, during the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provided essential guidance on the nature of our attachments and the obstacles they create on our path to enlightenment.

The Shackles of the Ego

If your heart is filled with personal feelings, ego-attachment, and fixed views, you inevitably create divisions within yourself. You begin to see the world in terms of big and small, deep and shallow, right and wrong, and you, me, and them. These constant discriminations prevent you from becoming a true vessel for the Dharma. When your mind is cluttered with such distinctions, you cannot fully utilise your potential to serve others or to deepen your own practice.

The Boundless Mind and the Great Vow

When your mind-capacity is restricted by weight and measure—by the need to judge what is light or heavy, important or trivial—your ability to function is severely limited. You cannot see the big picture, and you cannot effectively save other beings. If you have personal intentions, thoughts, and distinctions, you are not in a state of equality. Because you are not equal, you cannot grasp the concept of the One Body, and you cannot truly benefit from the vast wisdom of the Dharma.

Breaking Free from the Rigid Frame

If you live your life with sharp edges and rigid boundaries, living entirely within a self-imposed box, how can you possibly live in harmony with the masses? How can you gather together in peace? It becomes impossible to practise the Six Harmonies. When you are trapped by your own rigid perceptions, you isolate yourself from the collective strength of the community and the grace of the Buddha's teachings.

The Fleeting Nature of Worldly Treasures

The world believes that possessing wealth, gold, and jewels provides security and a worry-free life. People cling to these things, believing they offer a guarantee of happiness. But how can this be true? When impermanence arrives and your last breath is taken, everything in this world becomes empty. You cannot take a single thing with you—not even a hair's breadth. You carry only your own deeds, which are governed by the laws of karma and cause and effect.

The Radiant Path to the Western Pure Land

To study the Buddha's teachings and enter the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is a magnificent Dharma affinity. Here, you can see Namo Amituofo, the King of the Dharma. His Forty-eight Great Vows are always with us, ensuring that not a single being is left behind on the path to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. If you wish to see Namo Amituofo, if you wish to find the bright pearl of your own true nature, and if you wish to be free from the suffering of sickness, old age, and death, Practitioner Su offers the perfect remedy. This message was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

Namo Amituofo