The Path of Transformation: Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju

On the tenth of October, 2020, during the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju offered these essential teachings on the path to liberation.

The Alchemy of the Heart

To truly change your life, you must master the art of transformation. This begins with three fundamental shifts:

• Transform your thoughts: Shift from confusion to clarity by keeping your mind focused on the Buddha.
• Transform your karma: By aligning your heart with the Buddha-vow, you can dissolve the heavy burdens of your past.
• Transform your destiny: Do not allow the cycle of rebirth to entangle your spirit any longer.

Every thought you hold should be one of Goodness; never allow an evil thought to arise. As soon as an evil thought manifests, your karmic creditors will appear to seek balance. Instead, let every thought be of the Buddha, and keep the Buddha in your heart. By aligning your Buddha-heart and vows with the Buddha, you can effectively transform your karmic bonds.

The Endless Tide of Samsara

You have already tasted the bitterness of birth, aging, sickness, and death to the fullest. Why would you choose to suffer through it all again? Throughout your many lives, you have been reincarnated countless times, turning around and around within the six realms of existence. Because of your confusion and the manifestation of karma, you have forgotten your past. You simply repeat the same destiny, lifetime after lifetime, trapped in a cycle that feels endless.

Awakening the True Self

It is a great pity that your precious true self remains hidden, submerged deep within the vast ocean of samsara. The ocean waters churn with the waves of karma, and endless creatures are lost within these depths. When will you finally realise your true nature and save the suffering spirits in the darkness?

To achieve this, you must follow a clear path:

• Change your latent habits or bad character traits: These are the anchors that keep you bound to the cycle of rebirth.
• Save the karmic creditors residing within your own body: By purifying yourself, you bring peace to those who have been harmed by your past actions.
• Self-liberation and teaching others: I only hope that you will transform your karma and depart from this ocean of suffering. Save yourself, teach others, and help them transform their own karma as well.

Only then will you be free from the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and be able to leave the cycle of rebirth behind to go to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This message was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

Namo Amituofo