True repentance is not theory but lived practice—an ongoing process of recognizing one’s faults, correcting them without pause, and allowing inner clarity, ease, and joy to naturally replace confusion and suffering. As cultivation deepens, both daily life and inner perception transform, revealing the quiet dissolution of karmic obstacles.
🕯️ One-Pointed Repentance, Day and Night Without Slackening
🙏 The Actual Practice of Reforming Our Faults
“One-hearted repentance, day and night without rest”—this is the actual work.
“Repentance” means correcting our faults.
Our thoughts contain mistakes moment by moment; the instant we lose awareness, we become deluded, and delusion itself is a fault. Therefore, we must constantly remind ourselves, without interruption day or night. When we truly resolve to reform ourselves, we must model ourselves after the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and learn from them.
“After seven days, or fourteen days, or even one month, two months, or three months, there will certainly be results”—this describes setting a period and realizing attainment.
If one diligently and continuously practices without giving up for seven days, fourteen days, one month, two months, or three months, spiritual response will naturally arise.
🌈 Possible Signs of Transformation
💗 From confusion, fatigue, and resentment to clarity, ease, and joy.
What kinds of responses may occur? Here are some examples.
“Rǒngtà (冗沓)”—affairs being busy and chaotic.
In the past, one might always feel unhappy, depressed, unable to open the heart; now the heart becomes spacious, often joyful.
Or perhaps previously one felt dull and confused when dealing with people and matters, lacking wisdom; now, after genuinely cutting off evil and reforming, one feels wiser and no longer confused in human interactions.
Or in the past, when busy with numerous affairs, one easily felt exhausted, weak, and obstructed in every direction; but now, after such cultivation, handling complicated matters becomes smooth, orderly, and effortless, no longer feeling burdened or annoyed.
Or formerly, when encountering enemies or adversaries, one would instantly dislike them, resent them, or want to scold them; now, seeing these same adversaries, one not only refrains from scolding but even greets them joyfully, treating them with kindness and courtesy.
These are all auspicious signs—signs that can be observed in daily human interactions.
🌙 Dream Experiences: Powerful Signs of Karma Being Cleansed
🕊️ Removing Darkness, Meeting Sages, Traveling to Pure Realms
There are also dream experiences.
“Black” refers to filth or defilement. One may dream of vomiting dark substances. I myself experienced this—before learning Buddhism, I often had nightmares, frequently waking in terror. During the first ten years of practicing Buddhism, I still had nightmares; after ten years, the nightmares ceased completely. These are auspicious omens—positive responses.
Or one may dream of ancient sages and past saints. Because I often lecture on the Dharma, I have dreamed many times of attending Dharma assemblies where Buddhas and Bodhisattvas expound teachings. In such dreams, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas speak Dharma directly to you, helping and guiding you. This is one type.
Another type is dreaming of flying—rising into the air, traveling through the sky, moving like riding clouds and mist. Or dreaming of heavenly palaces, of pure lands—these are all extremely propitious signs.
All these remarkable experiences are signs of progress in repentance and cultivation—they reveal that faults are being eliminated and portions of one’s karmic obstacles are being dissolved.
🌼 Do Not Stop Because Auspicious Signs Appear
🧘 Stay Humble, Stay Continuous
One must not stop progressing just because good signs appear. Even if various auspicious phenomena manifest, a person who is truly cultivating should see them as if not seeing them, should not speak of them to others, nor flaunt any “achievement.”
One must firmly remember: “All appearances are illusory.”
Do not hold them in your heart—continue to repent wholeheartedly, day and night without interruption.
If, upon obtaining such states, one feels extraordinary, superior to others, developing arrogance and pride, then not only will one fail to progress but will immediately fall downward.
Therefore, when these remarkable states appear, treat them as nothing special. Even if you feel your wisdom has opened, you should still regard yourself as one whose wisdom has not opened—only then will your practice advance.
📚 The Classic Example of Qu Boyu
🌱 A Lifetime of Self-Correction
“In the past, when Qu Boyu was twenty years old, he already recognized the faults of the previous day and corrected them completely. But when he reached twenty-one, he realized that the corrections he made at twenty were still incomplete. At twenty-two, looking back at twenty-one, it still seemed like a dream. Year after year, he corrected further. When he reached fifty, he still understood that his forty-ninth year had been full of faults. Such was the ancient method of correcting one’s errors.”
Mr. Liao-Fan cited ancient examples of reform to encourage his son.
Qu Boyu, a high minister of the State of Wei during the Spring and Autumn period, was outstanding in correcting his faults, leaving behind a model for future generations.
At age twenty, he already understood the importance of reforming faults, cutting off evil, and cultivating goodness, and he worked diligently every day. Yet after correcting for a year, he felt that the entire previous year’s corrections were still incomplete and imperfect.
Year after year he continued like this, and when he reached age fifty, he looked back carefully and still felt that the forty-nine years before were filled with mistakes.
This is deeply worthy of our emulation.
A person’s greatest fault is not knowing one’s faults. Because if you do not know your faults, you will have no intention to correct them; without the intention to reform, small faults accumulate into big faults, big faults accumulate into enormous faults, and the resulting karmic consequences will be unbearable.
Why do people fall into the three lower realms after death?
The root cause lies right here: not knowing their own faults, and not knowing to correct them.
🤝 Why “Good Friends Who Remind Us” Are Essential
🪷 The Buddha’s Teaching Is the Most Skillful Reminder
From this, we understand why Mr. Liao-Fan emphasized:
“One needs good friends to remind them.”
This is extremely important!
But where can we find a good friend who constantly reminds us?
To speak honestly—even parents cannot do this. If parents reminded you every day, you would resent them, finding them nagging and bothersome.
Therefore, the method of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is supremely skillful—they use countless forms of symbolism, imagery, and artistic expression to remind us gently, subtly, without resistance.
🌊 Seeing All Things as Dharma
🪷 How External Objects Constantly Teach Us
For example, as mentioned earlier: when we “offer water,” our mind should be like water—forever pure and equal. This is the meaning behind the symbolic use of water. Whenever we see water, we should remind ourselves to maintain a mind that is pure and equal.
If only the cup of water on the Buddha altar counts as symbolic, and other water does not, then you learn nothing at all, because such discrimination and attachment are far too excessive.
“Burning incense”—no matter where you are, whenever you smell fragrance, it is a reminder to cultivate precepts, concentration, and wisdom. Incense teaches through the nose faculty; regardless of the scent, it is all represented by “fragrance.” As long as you smell something, you should remember precepts, concentration, and wisdom.
When we offer flowers and fruits before the Buddha, flowers symbolize causes—if the flowers bloom well, the cause is good; when the cause is good, the result will certainly be good. Fruits symbolize results—good results arising from good causes, and bad results arising from bad causes.
Wherever you see flowers, you must remember to cultivate good causes. Even when you see a flower pattern embroidered on someone’s clothing, you should contemplate in this way. Wherever you see fruits, you should remember that if we want good karmic results, we must cultivate good causes.
All of this is the Buddha’s teaching; all of it is the Tathāgata’s instruction.
No need for a single spoken word!
Throughout the vast expanse of space and the entire Dharma realm, whatever the eyes see, ears hear, nose smells, tongue tastes, body touches—nothing is not the Dharma.
Only then do we truly understand that throughout the entire Dharma realm, everywhere is a place of Bodhisattva learning, everywhere is a Place of Practice (道场), every moment and every place is filled with teaching.
🌟 “Buddhadharma Is Boundless” — What It Really Means
🔍 Learning One Thing Means Understanding All Things
The saying “Buddhadharma is boundless”—you truly understand it only when you can learn in this way, remain clear and not confused at every moment and in every place.
If you cling to thinking that only what is offered inside the Buddha hall is symbolic, and once you leave the hall you forget the meaning of symbolism, then your learning is far too clumsy.
Confucius said:
“If I teach one corner but you cannot infer the other three, I will not teach further.”
This means the student is too dull.
Therefore, we must be able to draw inferences broadly.
When the Buddha teaches you one principle, once you truly understand it, you understand all—everything becomes clear. This is why the Buddhist teaching achieves the highest level of artistic perfection.
🧘 Learning from Qu Boyu: The Best Example of Real Practice
⚡ Real Progress, Real Joy, Real Transformations
From the perspective of cultivation, Qu Boyu provides the best example, and we must learn from him—this principle must never be neglected.
Mr. Liao-Fan, in his later years, also learned from Qu Boyu.
This means that when one’s practice has reached a certain foundation, one finally realizes the importance of vigorous diligence, increasing speed, and constantly elevating one’s own level.
The results become more and more evident; daily life becomes happier; work becomes smoother; and one truly accomplishes the transformation where disasters dissolve and blessings arise—absolutely true, not exaggerated at all.
🪷 Seeing Our Own Faults
🌫️ Why Ordinary People Fail to Notice Their Wrongdoings
“We who are ordinary beings carry faults and evils clustered around us like the spines of a hedgehog, yet when we reflect upon the past, we often seem unable to perceive any wrongdoing. This is because our mind is coarse, and our eyes are clouded.”
“Clustered like a hedgehog” means our wrongdoings are as numerous and dense as a hedgehog’s spines. As ordinary beings, our faults and negative karma accumulate in great quantities.
When we reflect on the past yet fail to see any mistakes, it is because the mind is crude and the inner eye is obscured—thus we simply cannot see our own faults.
⚠️ Signs of Deep Negative Karma
👁️🗨️ Recognizing the Warning Indicators
“Yet even those whose faults and evils are heavy will also show signs:”
Some experience mental dullness and forget things the moment they turn their head;
some have constant anxiety for no reason;
some feel embarrassed and dispirited when meeting a virtuous person;
some feel unhappy when hearing righteous teachings;
some extend kindness yet receive resentment in return;
some have chaotic dreams at night;
and in severe cases, they utter nonsense and lose clarity of mind—
all of these are signs of committing heavy karma.
These describe the manifestations of karmic obstruction. Anyone whose karma is heavy will reveal certain negative signs if observed carefully. Examples include:
- poor memory, muddled thinking, easily forgetting what is told
- feeling troubled and irritated without external cause
- feeling ashamed or uneasy when meeting virtuous people
- feeling aversion when hearing upright speech or wholesome principles
- performing good deeds yet receiving resentment in return
- frequent nightmares and mental exhaustion
- in severe cases, incoherent speech or loss of mental stability
All of these are clear symptoms of deep karmic obstruction.
🔔 When These Signs Appear
🚩 It Is Time to Wake Up and Change
“If one displays any of these, even a single one, one must immediately rouse oneself, abandon the old and seek the new. Do not mistakenly ruin yourself.”
We must reflect deeply: if we notice even one or two of these signs within ourselves, we must recognize that our wrongdoings and karmic burdens are already quite serious.
At that moment, we must wake up, turn back, and courageously reform ourselves—without delay.
No one else can do this for us.
Self-awakening is the only remedy.
✨ Coming Next...
🌱 Next Lesson Preview:
In the next post, we will explore the teaching: “A family that accumulates goodness will surely have abundant blessings.”
Stay with us.
🙏 Amituofo 🙏
✨ Essential Questions & Takeaways
How many can you answer? Your score shows how well you've internalized the chapter.
🪷 1. What does true repentance actually mean in practice?
Inner level: The moment the mind becomes deluded, that delusion itself is a fault; repentance means restoring awareness without delay.
Fundamental truth: Delusion is the fault; awakening is the correction. Repentance is the uninterrupted presence of clarity.
🌱 2. How can we tell if our cultivation is truly working?
Daily level: Real progress shows up as greater clarity, ease, and joy, and smoother handling of daily affairs—not as external miracles.
Inner level: As confusion decreases, wisdom naturally appears, and one no longer feels lost when dealing with people or situations.
Fundamental truth: When the mind becomes clear, conditions transform accordingly.
🌈 3. Why is the shift from confusion and fatigue to clarity and ease considered an auspicious sign?
Daily level: What once felt exhausting and chaotic becomes organized, manageable, and effortless, even when life is busy.
Inner level: When resistance drops, inner energy is no longer wasted, and order arises naturally.
Fundamental truth: Obstruction comes from a scattered mind, not from the complexity of circumstances.
🤝 4. Why is our reaction to adversaries a key test of real transformation?
Daily level: If resentment fades and one can respond with kindness and courtesy, this indicates genuine inner change.
Inner level: As attachment to self dissolves, conflict loses its grip, and hostility no longer arises.
Fundamental truth: When the mind is transformed, opposition no longer exists.
🔔 5. Why must we not stop practicing even when good signs appear?
Daily level: Even positive changes should be treated lightly—continue repenting and correcting faults without interruption.
Inner level: Clinging to improvement creates arrogance, which immediately becomes a new obstacle.
Fundamental truth: All appearances are illusory; non-attachment is the path of continual progress.
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📚 Source: Venerable Master Chin Kung’s lecture on The Four Lessons of Liao-Fan, delivered on April 16, 2001, on Phoenix TV