If emotion is not heavy, one does not fall into the worldly realm. This is one of the defining characteristics of our current existence. Within this Five Turbidities and Evil World, emotional turbidity is a primary reason why it is so difficult for beings to escape the cycle of rebirth.
Why do beings in this worldly realm hold onto their emotions so deeply? It begins with the union of man and woman, which brings forth new life. From the moment of birth, through the stages of growth, we experience the inevitable cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. Throughout our lives, we are swept up in a whirlwind of experiences:
The highs of and the lows of sorrow.
The pain of separation and the fleeting nature of reunions.
The complex web of love, hatred, affection, and resentment.
Even when a life comes to its end, the family members left behind continue to suffer from an inability to let go, clinging to memories and longing for the departed. This entire sequence of events is connected by the single thread of emotion.
The Constant Fluctuations of the Heart
What never ceases throughout this process is the constant fluctuation of the heart. Whether you are awake, asleep, dreaming, or in that hazy state of being half-awake, your mind is never still. Not for a single second are you free from thoughts, reflections, and the restless waves of the mind.
These mental fluctuations are the very things that activate your . They are the signals that summon your to manifest before you. The way these beings appear—sometimes one by one, sometimes in groups—depends entirely on the nature of your thoughts and the specific fluctuations of your mind at that moment. Among all the contents of our , the most vivid, the most deeply ingrained, and the most heart-wrenching are those rooted in emotional thoughts and memories.
The Trap of Bitterness
People are often trapped within these emotional states without even realising they are suffering. They do not know how to extract themselves from this cycle. Instead of letting go, they hold on with everything they have. When they reflect on the past, they repeatedly taste the bitterness of their memories, savouring the pain as if it were something precious. If you remain entangled in these emotional threads, how can you ever achieve purification? It becomes nearly impossible to find your way back to your original nature or to realise your true self.
People remain in this state simply because they have never been taught otherwise. This is especially true for practitioners. Even when they receive guidance, their deep-seated habits and personality traits make it incredibly difficult to let go. Consequently, their emotional karma and debts remain unbroken, and they continue to drift within the cycle of rebirth.
The Path to Liberation
If you wish to leave the ocean of emotional suffering behind and understand the truth of these attachments, the widespread dissemination of Buddhist education is essential. If you truly desire to escape the suffering of the cycle of rebirth in this worldly realm, then diligent practice is the only path you can take.
Many practitioners fail to make progress because they have not clearly seen the true face of emotion. They do not realise that emotion is empty, illusory, and a force that leads only to delusion. They do not understand that the process of leaving behind and severing these emotional ties is a necessary step for achieving a breakthrough in their practice. Only after this can one hope to have the opportunity to realise one's true self. This is why many work hard at their practice yet fail to see any real progress.
Transforming the Ocean of Emotion
You must come to understand this principle clearly. Do not allow your family members or the beings you are connected with to sink further into this ocean of emotion. In your practice of the path, you must summon your and Wisdom. You must have the boldness to sever these emotional ties and make a diligent breakthrough.
Purify your mind again and again, until you reach the point of . Only then will you possess the great power of Buddha-Wisdom to assist your family members and all beings connected to you. You will be able to guide them from the illusory ocean of emotion into the vast ocean of the Buddha’s Wisdom. In this way, you and all beings can find a new life, escape the cycle of rebirth, and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
