During the third session of the , Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju offered essential guidance on the nature of repentance. To truly repent, one must begin with the heart. You must sincerely acknowledge your mistakes. Although the transgressions may have been committed in past lives rather than this current one, and although your physical form and appearance have changed across these lifetimes, the spirit remains the same. This spirit is singular, unborn, and undying. It is only because your own spirit has been obscured by ignorance that your physical actions have led to errors, which in turn have resulted in the karmic consequences you now face.
When you encounter the challenges of life—whether they manifest as the infirmities of old age, the pain of illness, or even the approach of death—you must never allow yourself to fall into resentment or of injustice. All phenomena are empty, yet the laws of and cause and effect are never empty. Since the manifestation of karma has occurred, you must accept it with a heart of repenting and a resolve to change your ways. If your physical actions are driven by selfishness, you will inevitably summon your , and your accumulated karma will manifest before you.
The Obstacles to
This is especially true for those in positions of leadership, for monastics, and for all who are connected to the vastness of the Realm. Many practitioners only begin to realise their own shortcomings and develop a heart of repenting when they are faced with physical pain, illness, or deep confusion that they cannot resolve. It is in these moments of suffering that the need for change becomes undeniable.
Conversely, those who are consumed by arrogance and pride often find it difficult to repent. If you believe that you are always right, or if you allow your subjective views and ego-attachment to dictate your life, you will find it nearly impossible to cultivate a heart of repenting. To break through these barriers, you must recognise that your ego is the primary obstacle to your spiritual progress.
The Practice of Transformation
How, then, should you repent? You must be determined to correct your past mistakes. You must maintain a heart of repenting at all times and remain constantly vigilant, reminding yourself not to repeat the same errors that have caused suffering for both yourself and others. By constantly acknowledging your own limitations, you will naturally be able to treat all beings with respect, courtesy, and be humble and modest. To truly repent, you must:
Abandon all selfishness and greed.
Refrain from giving rise to the : greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, and doubt.
Engage in diligent practice and purification of , mind, and spirit.
Practise generosity and perform virtuous deeds to benefit all beings.
There is a famous verse on repenting that many are able to recite, yet few know how to truly put into practice: "Sin arises from the heart; use the heart to repent. When the heart is extinguished, the sin also vanishes. When both the heart and the sin are extinguished, both are empty. This is called true repenting." While you may be able to chant these words with ease, the real work begins by focusing on the heart itself.
The Essence of Mind Extinguished
Throughout countless eons, your karmic obstacles have been vast and numerous. How could you possibly repent for each one individually? Therefore, you must put in the work at the level of the heart: you must reach the state where the heart is extinguished and the sin vanishes. What does it mean to have the heart extinguished? It means to reach a state of:
No-mind: A state of pure awareness without the interference of the ego.
No-thought: A state where you are not caught up in the cycle of wandering thoughts.
No-selfishness: A state where is no longer the centre of your concerns.
Absolute stillness: A state where there is not even a single ripple of mental fluctuation.
When you can enter a state of chanting while having no thoughts, and having no thoughts while still chanting, you will reach a point where every thought is a state of no-thought. When you can enter a state of seeing while having no attachment to what is seen, and having no attachment while still seeing, everything will be clear and luminous within your heart. Everything will enter into a state of purity, a state of emptiness, and a state of awakened being.
The Path to Self-Mastery
The Buddha and the masters have offered countless words of advice and repeated warnings. You must be active and persistent in chanting and sincerely change your ways. Do not be controlled by your karmic creditors or by external circumstances. Instead, you must break through these limitations and achieve mastery over your own body and mind. When you can maintain this mastery at every moment, that is the very moment of awakened being! May you all find the strength to quickly repent, change their ways, and walk this path with sincerity and diligence.
Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
