To Have Thoughts is Delusion

Teachings by the Teacher, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe

14 August 2026

Teachings by Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju:

To have thoughts is delusion; "delusion" refers to that which is not true.

This explains the origin of the delusions of people in this world: they come from thinking.

The world is originally formed by the combination of multiple karmic conditions; when conditions are ripe, things manifest, and when conditions have not yet arrived, they remain hidden.

The circumstances of all karmic conditions and the causes and effects are recorded within the Alaya consciousness.

Ordinary people burdened by karma should know that according to conditions, what should come will come; it will come even without seeking.

For that which the time has not yet arrived, no amount of seeking will bring it.

To have thoughts is delusion; this is what is meant by delusion.

Delusions internally attract karmic creditors to manifest; externally, they attract sentient beings and demon crowds to attach to the body.

Therefore, to stop delusions, simply chant Namo Amituofo.

People are thinking at all times and in all places, living within feelings and thoughts.

What is thought of is mostly matters related to "me," all of which are delusions and karma.

Many things are originally non-existent, yet because of thinking, they become "existent."

This "existence" is formed within delusion, discrimination, and attachment; it acts as a cause, and thus what is obtained is the fruit of suffering.

Creating something out of nothing,

causes the Body-Mind-Spirit to suffer and causes spiritual achievements to regress; it is truly not worth it, so do not indulge in delusions.

Who is thinking?

It is the true self acting as the master; the true self is thinking.

If this is the case, unless one is an awakened being, the true self remains a sentient being of karma, and the thinking of a sentient being of karma still follows karma.

If one's practice involves regulating the heart, purification, and changing personality traits, one can elevate the spirit, live a life of Body-Mind-Spirit harmony and joy, and have the opportunity to become an awakened being;

then, what is chanted is not delusion but reality.

Who is thinking?

It is the countless spirits within the body, karmic creditors, attached spirits, or demon crowds that are thinking.

If this is the case, it means the true self cannot act as master; this body is used by other beings,

the body is like a puppet, karma manifests, and one acts according to karma.

If one is practising, because the body is not mastered by the true self, there is no opportunity to elevate the spirit or become an awakened being,

becoming an awakened being remains a distant prospect.

To have thoughts is delusion; transform delusions into chanting Namo Amituofo.

Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva said in the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva Chapter on Perfect Penetration through Chanting the Buddha's Name:

"Remembering the Buddha and chanting the Buddha's name, one will surely see the Buddha in the present or in the future."

This reveals the importance of remembering and chanting the Buddha's name; seeing the Buddha is the hope for rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

To be able to chant one Buddha's name to the end, from the initial resolve to becoming a Buddha,

is to be one who, in the cycle of cause and effect, understands the illusory nature of false appearances and does not cling to them,

is a wise person,

is one who knows suffering,

is one who chants the Buddha's name,

is one who makes the vow to chant the Buddha's name for rebirth in the Western Pure Land, and whose wish to be reborn in the West is fulfilled.

Namo Amituofo