Thinking Good, Seeing Good

Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, recorded by Venerable HaiZe.

On 6 February 2022, during the third session of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provided these essential teachings on the power of our internal state.

The Radiance of a Pure Heart

When you embrace goodness, you bring true joy to your heart and a sense of lightness to your physical body. This state of being allows you to radiate positive, virtuous energy into the world. When you make the conscious choice to think of goodness and see the goodness in all things, anger has no foundation upon which to arise. Instead, you naturally cultivate a joyful heart. This practice allows you to maintain a state of purity, ensuring that afflictions do not arise to cloud or stain your original nature.

The Heavy Burden of Negativity

How many can truly ask themselves: why would you choose to think of the bad or see the worst in any situation? Negativity dims the inner light of your heart and makes your body feel heavy, exhausted, and devoid of strength. It emits dark, negative energy that ripples outward. When you dwell on the bad, you inadvertently attract karmic creditors and spiritual attachments. In severe cases, you may even invite demon crowds to manifest before you. This darkness leads to the corruption of the heart, the distortion of the body, the changing of your countenance, and the scattering of your soul. Even a single moment of creating karma through your body, speech, and mind will inevitably bring great suffering.

Choosing the Path of Awakening

Given the weight of such consequences, why would you not choose to think of goodness and see goodness in every moment? When you commit to this path, your practice will be fundamentally transformed. By shifting your perspective from confusion to awakening, from wrong paths to the right path, and from impurity to purity, you align yourself with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. May you always choose the light of goodness to guide your journey toward rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Namo Amituofo