The burden of the heart can feel heavy as we search and wander through life. When can life return to its true and natural state? When can we break through the困境 of the spirit? When can we重新 establish the direction of our life? When can a weary soul finally find relief? Perhaps family, friendship, and love all come with emotional exhaustion. Perhaps even one’s pride and stubbornness come at the cost of inner fatigue. From a deeper perspective, the human heart may not always find easy release. Yet perhaps, by letting go of constant “whys” and “maybes,” we can ease the unbearable weight of life.
Reciting Buddha’s name should be done with sincere faith and firm aspiration, with respect and focused attention. One should listen carefully to the sound of recitation and cultivate the heart of universal compassion. Refrain from killing and protect all life; maintain purity in diet and prefer vegetarian practice; avoid all evil and engage in good deeds. Regular self-reflection is necessary—when unwholesome thoughts arise, they should be immediately eliminated; when wholesome thoughts arise, they should be expanded. Even if perfection is not yet possible, the intention toward goodness must always remain. In daily life, maintaining good thoughts, kind speech, and righteous actions is the way to cultivate both body and mind. Such practice may be regarded as the path of a true disciple of Buddha.
Increase a little happiness and reduce a little suffering; increase authenticity and reduce hypocrisy; increase tolerance and reduce calculation; increase sincerity and reduce pretence. Life follows this principle. If one remembers these “four increases and four decreases,” one will benefit throughout life.