The Faults of Personality

The Illusion of Individual Personality

Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe. In the world, we often speak of personality as a unique set of characteristics that define an individual. Because there are countless beings, there are naturally countless variations of personality. In the mundane world, having a strong personality is often viewed as a positive trait, a sign of individuality or character. However, from the perspective of spiritual practice, this very personality is a significant obstacle. It is the primary reason why many practitioners find it difficult to make genuine progress on the path to awakening.

Personality as a Manifestation of Karma

We must understand that personality is not merely a collection of preferences; it is a manifestation of our accumulated karma. When we act out of our personality, we are often unknowingly engaging in the very patterns that keep us bound to the cycle of rebirth. Our karmic creditors, those beings to whom we owe debts from past lives, often use these personality traits as a gateway to seek revenge and repay grievances. They operate within the framework of our karma and our personality, finding opportunities to manifest when our guard is down. We may often know that we need to change our personality, yet we find it incredibly difficult to control. We repeatedly fall into the same traps, allowing our personality to manifest in ways that create new negative karma, which in turn attracts even more karmic obstacles to manifest in our lives.

The Hidden Traps of the Five Poisons

Our personality frequently manifests through the Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Arrogance, and Doubt, as well as the wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep. Because these patterns are so deeply ingrained, people often become accustomed to them, failing to realise that they are committing faults. We repeat these mistakes over and over without awareness. For instance, whenever a thought arises that is driven by selfishness or a desire to serve the ego, we are creating karma. This is why many people believe they are working hard to change their personality, yet they still find that karmic obstacles continue to manifest one after another. The root cause is that they have not yet addressed the deep-seated habits of the mind.

The Path of Continuous Chanting

Every thought and intention is an integral part of one's personality. If our thoughts are virtuous, that is good; however, if there is malice, selfishness, or attachment to the self, we are creating karma. Because these personality traits have become habitual, we fail to notice when we are creating negative karma, which further invites karmic forces to manifest. This is even more evident in our physical actions and our speech. Especially in our interactions with others, our personality—even the parts we are not aware of—can cause others to feel aversion or discomfort. If we try to change our personality by focusing on the personality itself, we often find that we do not know where to begin, and the task becomes overwhelming. Therefore, the most effective way to transform is to replace the focus on changing one's personality with the practice of chanting Namo Amituofo. By ensuring that our chanting is continuous chanting without interruption, we replace the ego-driven thoughts of our personality with the light of the Buddha. This is the most wonderful and effective method to truly change one's personality and return to our original, pure nature.

Namo Amituofo