How to Face Your “Karmic Lessons” ( 如何面对自己的“业力课题” )
Everyone has their own karmic lessons. Only someone who has attained complete enlightenment like the Buddha can truly say they are free from them. Until we reach Buddhahood, no one is perfect — and even the Buddha was sometimes seen as imperfect by some!
每个人都会有自己的业力课题，只有像佛一样圆满觉悟的人才可以说已经完全没有业力课题了。在没成佛前，没有人是完美的（即使成佛了，也有人觉得佛是不完美的！）
Karmic lessons refer to our afflictive habits and tendencies — in simple terms, our faults.
所谓的业力课题，就是自己的烦恼习气、各种坏习惯，通俗地说，就是毛病。
Why do we have all these faults? Because of ignorance. At the root, it comes from the Five Poisons — greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, and doubt. We cannot clearly see the true nature of things, nor understand the reality of life and the universe.
为什么我们会有各种各样的毛病呢？因为无明！根本上来说是由于贪、嗔、痴、慢、疑五毒，也因为看不清事物的本质，不了解宇宙人生的真相。
In human interactions and life situations, our flaws are more easily revealed. Without such conditions or “mirrors,” it can be hard to see our shortcomings. With others acting as mirrors, they become easier to spot.
在人事境缘中，更容易看清我们的毛病。如果没有这些境缘作为助缘或镜子，有时很难发现自己的问题。有了他人作为镜子，就更容易察觉。
Living alone in the mountains can make practice feel easy — no one disturbs you, so you believe you are cultivating well. But true cultivation is tested when you return to the world. If you become irritated or upset in various circumstances, it shows your practice is lacking. For those who recite Amitabha Buddha’s name, it also means the recitation has not reached sufficient depth.
一个人独自在山中自然容易修行，因为无人打扰，以为自己有修行。有没有修行，下山来检验就知道了！在各种人事境缘中若生烦恼，就说明修行不足。对于念佛人来说，这也意味着念佛功夫不到位。
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So how should we face our karmic lessons?
那我们应该如何面对自己的业力课题呢？
First, do not run away. Escaping is useless. If a karmic lesson remains unresolved, it will keep reappearing in different forms until you face and resolve it.
首先，不要逃。逃避没有用。如果一个业力课题没有解决，它会以各种方式再次显现，直到你彻底面对并化解它。
Facing it means looking at it directly. When you recognize your shortcomings, give rise to a heart of repentance and make an effort to change. Repentance is not blind self-blame, but the courage to face your faults and the determination to correct them. Of course, we all understand this in theory, but in practice it is not easy.
When the “winds of karma” blow, events will unfold as they must, because these ingrained habits have been carried over countless eons of samsara. The karmic habits cannot be changed overnight.
面对它，就是直视它。知道自己不足的地方，就应生起忏悔心去改过。忏悔不是盲目的自责，而是正视自己的毛病，下定决心去改。当然，业力习气并非说改就改。大家都懂这个道理，但做起来并不容易。
当“业风”来袭，该发生的总会发生，因为这些顽固的习气是无始劫轮回带来的，不可能一夜之间化解。
We should strive to gradually improve, aiming to be better today than we were yesterday, nurturing a spirit of progress.
我们要让自己慢慢改正，希望今天的自己比昨天更好，培养一种上进的精神。
The Buddha said: supernatural powers cannot overcome karma, but the power of a great vow can. If we make great vows — the great resolve — we can gradually transform our karmic habits. We must have confidence in ourselves and make firm vows. If we cannot change instantly, then change gradually. Always keep a heart of repentance and humility, knowing we are indeed ordinary beings bound by birth and death, with many faults. Therefore, we must be diligent, make corrections, and believe that one day we will become better and better.
佛说，神通不敌业力，但愿力大于业力。如果我们能发大愿（大决定心），就能慢慢扭转业力习气。要对自己有信心，并且一定要发愿。如果不能一下子改正，就慢慢改。常怀忏悔心和惭愧心，知道自己确实是生死凡夫，确实有很多毛病，因此要精进、要改正，相信总有一天会变得越来越好。
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Methods for Practice
修行方法
• Read the Sutra of the Earth Store Bodhisattva and other Buddhist scriptures.
• 多读《地藏经》及各种佛经
• Recite Amitabha Buddha’s name to eliminate karmic obstacles.
• 多念佛，消除业障
• Be diligent in your practice.
• 修行上要精进
• Maintain right mindfulness as much as possible; karmic obstacles will naturally diminish.
• 时时刻刻保持正念（或大部分情况下保持正念），业障自然会减少。
If in this life we can seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, we will become irreversible Bodhisattvas (Avaivartika) and swiftly attain Buddhahood, with karmic obstacles completely removed.
如果今生能求生极乐世界，到了极乐世界，就会成为不退转菩萨（阿惟越致菩萨），很快成佛，业障自然消除。
Constantly recite Namo Amituofo 🙏
敬请常念南无阿弥陀佛 🙏
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Namo Great Compassionate Amitabha Buddha! 🙏
南无大悲阿弥陀佛！ 🙏
