Walking Towards the Golden Light

The Endless Night of Ignorance

During the Thrice Yearning Ceremony and the Noon Offering, we received profound teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju. The teachings were recorded by the Chief Writer, Venerable HaiZe, on 13 June 2021.

Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju shares the following:

Countless spirits live their entire existence in absolute darkness, unable to find even a glimmer of light. They reside in deep, hidden caves, buried beneath the earth, in the crushing depths of the ocean, or within stagnant, suffocating mud. They have remained in these conditions for thousands, hundreds, or even ten thousand years, unable to emerge.

They have become so accustomed to this life that they do not even realise they are suffering. Because they have never known the existence of light, they believe that life is merely a cycle of darkness and emptiness. They are unaware that there is any other way to exist.

The Arrival of the Golden Light

This cycle of darkness continued until the arrival of Practitioner Su. When he arrived, he opened the space and revealed the truth that had been hidden from them for aeons. He showed them that light does indeed exist. More importantly, he revealed the Buddha's golden light—a light so rare and precious that it is beyond description. For these beings, this was the first time they had ever witnessed such brilliance.

Restoring the Original Nature

Many of these beings, who have grown up in the dark world for so long, are in the forms of insects, animals, and other small creatures. Because of the arrival of Practitioner Su, they were finally able to shed their physical forms and return to their original, true nature. This transformation was a monumental event. It saved immeasurable and boundless suffering beings, allowing them to finally escape the hollow, dark days that had defined their existence for so long.

A Call to the Western Pure Land

Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju urges us all: please walk towards the golden light. Enter into this golden light, for within it, you can attain eternal illumination. To all those present today, I invite you to join us in chanting Namo Amituofo. Let us walk together towards this golden light, and through our sincere practice, let us enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amituofo.