Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, recorded and transcribed by ’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
On the twenty-eighth of June, 2024, during the third session of the , Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju offered these profound insights into the nature of our existence.
The Eternal Nature Within
For countless aeons, your true self has been drifting through the six realms of existence. It has been travelling across mountains and oceans, caught in the endless cycle of rebirth. Despite this long and arduous journey, your true self has never been destroyed, nor has it ever diminished. It remains as pure, perfect, and complete as it was at the very beginning of time. However, it is currently obscured by layers of heavy karmic dust. This dust has accumulated over countless lifetimes, acting as a thick, impenetrable veil that hides your true self from your own view. It waits patiently for its master—you—to discover it, to cleanse away the accumulated dust, and to finally see your true self once more.
The Illusion of the Hide-and-Seek Game
Throughout your many lifetimes, you have constantly transformed, taking on new identities and new forms. In this process of perpetual change, you have often forgotten the very existence of your true self. At other times, you may have known that it existed, yet you searched for it in vain, unable to find it anywhere. It is as if you are playing a game of hide-and-seek with your own nature, and you are always the one who cannot find it. In truth, your true self has never actually hidden from you. It is simply covered up by the weight of your past actions and attachments. Because of this, you have yet to see it or truly find it.
The Treasure Hunter and the Fierce Beast
Today, the students of Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre are fortunate. Under the guidance of the teachings of Namo Amituofo, the constant reminders from your teachers, and the protection of Practitioner Su, you have come to know that your true self exists. You know that it is entirely undamaged and has not lost even a fraction of its brilliance. Although the fourfold assembly of disciples wishes to remove this dust and see the true self, the reality is that the dust has not yet been fully cleared away. You must be fiercely diligent in your practice to successfully reclaim your true self.
Think of your true self as a magnificent, priceless treasure. As a practitioner, you are the treasure hunter. However, your personality acts like a fierce, wild beast standing directly in your path, making the journey incredibly difficult and arduous. This beast of personality is stubborn and has long refused to be subdued, preventing the treasure hunter from moving forward to claim the prize.
Subduing the Beast of Personality
Fortunately, you are now at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, where you have the necessary tools to overcome these obstacles:
Listen to sutras and hear the : Using the water of the Dharma to wash away the dust of ignorance and impurity.
Receiving the Buddha-light: Allowing the Buddha-light to illuminate your path and subdue the beast of your personality.
Chanting the Buddha-name: Using the power of the Buddha-name to calm the mind, transforming the fierce beast into a gentle, peaceful presence, until eventually, the personality dissolves entirely.
By engaging in these practices, you allow the treasure hunter to move forward. You will finally succeed in finding the treasure of your true self.
Revealing the Treasure to All Beings
Once the treasure of your true self is revealed, you must not keep it to yourself. As a successful treasure hunter, your duty is to spread the great Dharma of this search to others. By doing so, you enable those who hear the Dharma to also subdue their own fierce beasts of personality. You help them reach a state where they are free from the constraints of their own ego, allowing them to reclaim their own original, precious true self. This is the path of , and this is the path that leads to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amituofo.
