The Essence of True Practice

During the first session of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provided essential guidance on the nature of our spiritual journey. He reminds us that the path of practice is not about seeking external rewards, but about the sincerity of our internal cultivation.

The Spirit of Diligent Practice

If you are a practitioner, your focus should be on the diligent practice of cultivation itself. Do not concern yourself with the harvest or the results. When you work with such a pure heart, you will often find that you achieve inconceivable results and gain the supreme Dharma-wealth of merit. This is the beauty of a practice rooted in sincerity rather than expectation.

The Art of Letting Go

True practice requires you to put in the work within the realm of nothingness. This means you must cultivate the following states of mind:

• No-mind:
• Letting go of the constant chatter and attachments of the ordinary mind.No-self:
• Releasing the ego that clings to a false sense of identity.No-selfishness:
• Moving beyond personal gain to embrace the needs of all beings.No-thought: Resting in a state of clarity that is free from the turbulence of deluded thinking.

In our original nature, there is nothing to be gained and nothing to be lost. If you perceive that you have something to gain or lose, you have fallen into the trap of the world. This trap is filled with the discriminations and comparisons that define our worldly existence, such as:

• Forms and quantitiesThe concepts of more and lessThe duality of good and badThe cycle of gain and loss

Returning to the Original Nature

Every effort you make in your practice is intended to refine yourself so that you may regain control over your own life. The ultimate goal is to find your way back to your original, pure, and simple true self. Since this is your true nature, why would you burden yourself with external delusions and thoughts? Even the slightest trace of impurity acts as a barrier to realising your true nature.

The Path to Awakening

From this moment forward, you must be decisive in your actions. Follow these principles to guide your daily life:

• Do what is right:
• When you know what must be done, do it immediately and with full focus.Stop what is wrong:
• When you know an action is unwholesome, have the strength to cease it immediately.Chant Namo Amituofo: Hold fast to the Buddha-name and continue until you reach the state of an awakened being.

This is the greatest achievement of your life. Once you have reached the state of an awakened being, you will naturally know what must be done and what must be stopped. That is the moment when you are truly ready to save the world, rescue suffering beings, and propagate the teachings of the Pure Land. This message was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.