Recorded and transcribed by ’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
24 November 2024, First Session.
The Shadow of Peril and Distress
The term 'danger and distress' refers to a state of profound peril and entrapment. It is a condition where one is caught in the web of one's own making, unable to find a way out. One might ask, what exactly constitutes this state of danger and distress? It manifests in several ways:
Ignorance of one's own faults: You commit transgressions without even realising they are wrong. Because the cause has already been planted, when the conditions mature, you are inevitably forced to suffer the bitter fruit.
Knowing of faults but failing to change: You are aware of your errors, yet you lack the resolve to repent or correct your behaviour.
The inability to transform: You sincerely wish to change, but you find yourself powerless to do so. Because you cannot overcome these habits, your negative continues to manifest, causing you to suffer physically and mentally.
The cycle of repeated wrongdoing: You fall into the trap of committing the same negative acts over and over again, continuously creating new negative karma.
The Endless Tide of Suffering
Many people live in a state of suffering without even realising that they are suffering. They do not know how to leave suffering behind, or perhaps they wish to be free but lack the strength to do so, allowing their pain to entangle them completely. As we age, we face the inevitable decline of our physical bodies through sickness and death. We lose the ability to govern our own lives, and step by step, we move toward the moment when the elements separate. This is the ultimate suffering of death, which leads us directly into the cycle of reincarnation, causing us to vanish into the vast, boundless sea of karma.
The Beacon of a True Spiritual Friend
Many practitioners desire to leave suffering behind, yet they fail to find a true spiritual friend to guide them. Without such guidance, when their life in this world comes to an end, they remain trapped in the cycle of aging, sickness, death, and reincarnation. Even if one is fortunate enough to receive the guidance of a true spiritual friend, if one’s personality remains unchanged, one will still attract the manifestation of negative karma. Without the ability to take charge of one's own spirit, one will inevitably fall back into the suffering of the elements separating and the endless cycle of reincarnation.
The Urgent Call to
Today, the students of Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre should reflect deeply on whether they are currently trapped in this state of danger and distress. You must seek to resolve this peril immediately. As long as you still possess this physical body, there is still time to turn back. If you do not seek to resolve these dangers, you will remain trapped, continuously creating karma and ultimately sinking into the sea of reincarnation.
The fourfold assembly of disciples is incredibly fortunate today. No matter how deep your danger and distress may be, even when the elements separate at the end of life, you can still be rescued by the grace of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. Your spirit can be guided by Practitioner Su to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. However, you must consider this: if Practitioner Su were to return to the West, would you possess the same level of skill and meditative concentration? Would your own return to the West become a source of danger and distress?
You must practise diligently and strive for success in your Buddha-recitation. Only by achieving awakening and attaining Buddhahood will your return to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss be assured. Namo Amituofo.
