When Will You Awaken?

The Foundation of Your Vows

During the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju offered profound guidance on the nature of our practice and the timing of our spiritual awakening. When will you make your vows, and when will they be fulfilled? If you wish for your vows to be realised, you must engage in true practice. This requires you to be active and persistent, never retreating when faced with obstacles. You must walk each step with firm determination, unafraid of the difficulties that arise along the way.

Extinguishing the Fire of the Ego

When you see suffering, you must recognise it as the suffering of all beings. When the 'self,' personal ego, and selfishness arise, the fire of anger burns within your heart. When will you cultivate enough compassion to extinguish this inner fire? When will you realise the truth and the preciousness of time? When will you finally awaken and see your true nature? These realisations cannot be obtained from thin air; they are the fruits of your own dedicated effort.

The Path to Purity

You must ask yourself these essential questions to gauge your progress:

• Are you truly working to remove defilements and attain purity?
• Can you keep the Buddha-name flowing continuously in your mind?
• Are you maintaining the Precepts (Discipline), Concentration and Wisdom in your quiet moments?
• Have you completely transformed the 'self,' personal ego, and selfishness?

When will your heart be at peace, undisturbed by worldly affairs? When you uphold the Precepts (Discipline), you will find the meditative concentration needed to remain unperturbed. This is the moment when your practice truly begins to progress.

The Manifestation of the Dharma Body

You must be diligent, and then be even more diligent. Break through the defences of your own mind until the sense of a separate self is no longer there. Only then can you embrace the myriad phenomena of the universe. You will clearly see how all things arise from the Dharma. You will face the myriad appearances of all beings without fear. When you understand all things with wisdom, this is the perfection of Prajna. Finally, your true self and Dharma Body will manifest. Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.