THE AMITABHA SUTRA
AN
INTRODUCTION
“…I
help all living beings of this world to control
their
thoughts by repeating the Buddha’s name (Amitabha)
so
that they can reach the Pure
Land …”
--- Bodhisattva Mahasthama (Great Power,
Boundless Light),
THE SURANGAMA SUTRA
“I
attained omniscience because in ages past I contemplated
Buddha,
recited the Buddha-name, and supported the Buddha,
Dharma,
and Sangha,” Bodhisattva Manjushri (the Perfection
of Wisdom)
said to Fa-chao. the Fourth Pure Land Patriarch.
“All
the phenomena of enlightenment, from the perfection of
wisdom,
to meditative concentration, to Buddhahood, are all born
from
reciting the Buddha-name (Amitabha). Thus we know that
reciting
the Buddha-name is the king of all the dharmas…”
--- Direct Pointing to the Source
by 16th century
Zen Master Tsung-pen
“I
vow that when my life approaches its end,
All
obstructions will be swept away;
I
will see Amitabha Buddha,
And
be born in his Land
of Ultimate Bliss and
Peace…”
--- Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Universal
Worthy).
THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA 5.5.2006 2156
THE
SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AMITABHA SUTRA
In one of the
celebrated commentaries on The Amitabha
Sutra, Yun-ch’i Chu-hung (1535-1615), the Eighth Pure Land Patriarch, has
cited ten reasons why Shakyamuni Buddha delivered this important sutra which
teaches that holding fast to the Name of Amitabha Buddha is the simplest and
easiest practice containing the essentials of the Pure Land path to spiritual
emancipation and enlightenment. (1)
The main
reasons include the following:
Ω To emancipate beings in the last Dharma-age (a 10,000-year period of
spiritual decline starting from 1,500 years after the Buddha Shakyamuni’s parinirvana,
i.e. from 1,000 years ago)
Ω To provide
a superior method of salvation
Ω To deliver from Samsara (the cycle of rebirths) all beings
Ω To show a path to rebirth in the Pure Land
(of Amitabha) in order to bring sentient beings finally to the realization of
non-birth (i.e. release from the samsaric cycle of rebirths, spiritual
liberation)
Ω To enable beings to reach quickly (instead of many eons and kalpas)
the stage of non-retrogression (thus assuring them their success in attaining
complete enlightenment and Buddhahood.)
THE
PURE TRIAD OF FAITH, VOWS, AND PRACTICE
As taught in The Amitabha Sutra,
Chu-hung has written that there are three requisites for attaining birth in the
Pure Land: (1) Faith that one can be born in the Pure Land and realize
Buddhahood by practicing the nien-fo (reciting
the Buddha’s Name), (2) Aspiration to be born in the Pure Land (of Amitabha),
and (3) Practice of the nien-fo in
holding fast to the Buddha’s Name with “a concentrated and undistracted mind,”
thinking only of the Name (Amitabha), without being distracted by other
thoughts, controlling one’s mind and keeping evil passions from arising, and
progressing until the stage of deep and penetrative mindfulness leading
(through Amitabha’s spiritual power) to realization of the One Mind, spiritual
union with the Buddha, and the Nienfo
Samadhi (deep and far-reaching concentration). (2)
“If you can recite so completely that you enter the Buddha-recitation
samadhi, then by hearing the wind, it’s Namo
Amitabha Buddha (Homage to Amitabha Buddha), and hearing the rain, it’s Namo Amitabha Buddha. Every sound you
hear recites the Buddha’s Name,” Master Hsuan Hua explained to his American
disciples at the Gold Mountain Monastery, San
Francisco , in the fall of 1969. (3) 5.5.2006 2357
On the essence of the Amitabha Sutra, the Ninth Pure Land
Patriarch Ou-i (1599-1655) has written that of all the expedient methods in Pure Land
practice to attain spiritual liberation and enlightenment, “the best is to
develop faith and vows and to concentrate on reciting the Buddha-name.
“This is the reason that the ancients took the Amitabha Sutra as their daily study guide, though three Pure Land
scriptures (the other two being The
Teaching of Infinite Life and Meditation
on the Buddha of Infinite Life) have circulated side by side in the world
over the generations.
“The Amitabha Sutra shows
that the method of reciting the Buddha-name applies to people of high, medium,
and limited capacities. It encompasses both the level of phenomena, and the
level of inner truth (noumenon), omitting nothing… (4)
“The essential principle for cultivation in this sutra is to develop faith and vows and to recite the
Buddha-name (Amitabha). Without
faith (in oneself, in all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and in the power of
reciting the Buddha’s Name singlemindedly), we are not sufficiently equipped to
take vows. Without vows (seeking rebirth in the Pure Land ),
we are not sufficiently equipped to guide our practice. Without the wondrous
practice of reciting the Buddha-name, we are not sufficiently equipped to
fulfill our vows and to bring our faith to fruition…” (5) (Ou-i has described the practice of
reciting the Buddha’s Name as “the route of direct ascent (to enlightenment) with
no falling back,” or non-retrogression). (5)
“The principles of this Sutra
are: Faith (in oneself and the Pure Land Dharma-door), Vows (the four great
vows of bodhisattvas to save all living beings, end all afflictions, study all
Dharma-doors, and to realize the Supreme Buddha Way), and Practice – Holding
the Buddha’s Name; these are the three prerequisites of the Pure Land
Dharma-door,” Master Hsuan Hua has explained. (6)
“One who goes on a journey
takes along some food and a little money. One who wishes to go to the Land of Ultimate Bliss (the Pure Land of
Amitabha) needs faith, vows, and the practice of holding the Buddha’s Name.”
FAITH
IN AMITABHA
On Patriarch Ou-i’s classic
commentary, Dr. J. C. Cleary, an American scholar in Buddhism and Pure Land
specialist, has written: “The urgent concern that Ou-i expresses throughout the
commentary is that people should actually have faith in Amitabha, vow to reach
the Pure Land , and begin reciting the
Buddha-name…” (7)
As
taught in the brief but profound Amitabha
Sutra, faith in the Buddha Amitabha is the primary benchmark in Pure Land
faith and practice.
“The essential message of
this Sutra teaches us to recite the name “Namo Amitabha Buddha.” Amitabha Buddha has a great affinity with living
beings of the Saha world,” Master Hsuan Hua explained. “Before realizing
Buddhahood, he made forty-eight vows and each one involved taking living beings
to Buddhahood. At that time, he was a Bhiksu (monk) named Dharma Treasury
(Dharmakara). He said, “When I realize Buddhahood, I vow that living beings who
recite my name will also realize Buddhahood. Otherwise, I won’t either.”
“By the power of his vows,
Amitabha Buddha leads all beings to rebirth in his country (Sukhavati, the Land of Ultimate Bliss ) where they realize
Buddhahood. This power attracts living beings to the Land of Ultimate Bliss
just as a magnet attracts iron filings. If living beings do not attain
enlightenment, he himself won’t realize Buddhahood. Therefore, all who recite
his name can realize Buddhahood…” (8)
TUNING
IN TO OUR BUDDHA NATURE
Cleary has written: “In
his commentary Master Ou-i explained the Pure Land
teaching in terms of the Buddhist philosophy of “Mind Only”. There is only one
reality: Dharmakaya Buddha, the Buddha-Mind, the One Mind. All things are just
waves, ripples, evanescent bubbles, appearing in the ocean of this One Mind:
all worlds, all Buddhas, all sentient beings, all times, all places, all
worlds, all the lived experiences of all beings in all worlds in all times.
“Note how the One Mind
worldview emphasizes our link to the absolute, without effacing our individuality.
The Buddha-Mind is all that exists, but we too have Buddha-nature, and our own
personal little minds are permeated by the Buddha-mind, even if we do not
recognize it. All that ignorance, delusion, and bad karma can do is screen us
off from an awareness of our True Nature, our Buddha-nature, our essential
integration in the One Mind…
“In his commentary
Master Ou-i constantly refers to the fact that the apparently wondrous and even
unbelievable powers of reciting Amitabha’s name are inherent in our connection
to the One Mind. “We must realize that there is no name of Amitabha apart from
the mind of infinite light and infinite life that is before us at this moment,
and there is no way for us to penetrate the mind of infinite light and infinite
life that is before us now at this moment apart from the name of Amitabha”…”
(9)
In Mahayana
Buddhism, Buddha-nature is synonymous with Self-Nature, True Nature, Original
Nature, Dharma Nature, True Mind, etc. Buddha-nature is the true, immutable,
and eternal nature of all beings. Since they all have the same Buddha-nature,
they can attain enlightenment and Buddhahood through appropriate spiritual
practice. (10)
The Buddha of Infinite
Light and Infinite Life, Amitabha at the highest or the level of noumenon
represents the True Mind, the Self-Nature common to the Buddhas and sentient
beings, all-encompassing and all-inclusive. (11)
“This Pure Land
teaching is all a matter of comprehending that Amitabha Buddha is precisely our
Buddha Nature, our Mind,” Master Ou-i has taught us. (12)
By reciting his
name, we thus recognize Amitabha in our minds and remain mindful of both the Buddha
and our own Buddha-nature. “Only when we have deep faith in the recitation of
the name of Amitabha can we have deep faith in the True Nature of sentient
beings, which has always been inconceivable,” Master Ou-i has commented. (13)
“When you use the
name of Amitabha to summon virtue, all the virtues (of enlightenment) are engendered,”
Master Ou-i has written. (14)
“Furthermore, when
Pure Land practitioners recite the
Buddha-name with faith and vows, they are gathering in all the virtues of
Amitabha Buddha and making them their own…” (15)
RECITING
THE BUDDHA’S NAME
In Chu-hung’s
interpretation of the nien-fo,
sentient beings, who are actually residing within Buddhas, are mindful of the
Buddhas who are in reality residing within sentient beings. Thus being mindful
of the Buddha is none other than being mindful of one’s own mind. (16)
Roger Corless, an American Pure Land
specialist, has written that the Name of Amitabha is the true name of
self-actualization; it “not only means
“Immeasurable Light’; it is the expression of the essence of immeasurable light, and that light itself is the outer
manifestation of an even more interior essence of immeasurable wisdom…” (17)
Corless has
also explained that reciting the Buddha’s name in Namo Amitabha Buddha “is the actualization of immeasurable light,
and, therefore, of immeasurable wisdom, in the mind of the practitioner…”
It can be
interpreted as being the magic of pure sound and singleminded vocalization of
the Buddha’s name. The sound actualizes the meaning of the sacred and
spiritually powerful name. And the Buddha is seen in the moment of hearing his
name. (18)
Master Hsuan
Hua told his American disciples: “…It doesn’t cost a thing, and yet this
Dharma-door is the highest and most supreme, for if you just recite Namo Amitabha Buddha, you will be born
in the Land of Ultimate Bliss…” (19)
Venerable
Yin Kuang (1861-1940, the Thirteenth Pure Land Patriarch, wrote in a letter to
a laywoman Hsu Fu-hsien (20:
“When reciting
the Buddha-name, you should gather your thoughts together. Recitation
originates in the mind and is channeled through the mouth, each phrase, each
word, clearly enunciated.
“You should also listen clearly, impressing
the words in your mind…”
He
described this method of recitation as “the most expedient path to Buddhahood.”
In a
letter to a layman (unnamed) in Yungchia, Master Yin Kuang described Buddha
Recitation as “a straightforward, sublime shortcut” to rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land .
(21)
HEARING
THE BUDDHA’S NAME
The act
of hearing the Buddha’s Name is also a highly efficacious Pure Land
method of cultivating mindfulness and concentration.
Of the
forty-eight great vows of the Buddha Amitabha, two of them relate directly to
the spiritual power and significance of hearing the Buddha’s Name: (1) Vow 34
for all living beings in the universe to gain the bodhisattva’s insight into
the nature of all things and to acquire the bodhisattva’s power of
concentration. And (2): Vow 37 to rejoice in faith and perform the bodhisattva
practices, i.e. to attain enlightenment and save all suffering beings.
In
the Teaching of Infinite Life Sutra,
Shakyamuni said to Ananda, his cousin and closest disciple, that humans and
devas (gods) in Amitabha’s Pure Land attain three insights into reality when
they see the towering Bodhi tree of the Buddha of Infinite Light and Life, the
first being “insight into reality through hearing the sacred sounds.” (22)
Thus, it can be inferred that
hearing the sacred and spiritually powerful name of Amitabha, particularly so
with sincere and earnest faith as well as singlemindedness, can be profoundly
insightful and enlightening to Pure
Land devotees
SUCCESS
THROUGH SINGLEMINDEDNESS.
In a letter to Teng Po-ch’eng, Patriarch Yin
Kuang wrote that “the key to rebirth in the Pure Land
is singlemindedness…” (23)
Singlemindedness, one-pointedness of the mind, or singleminded
concentration is a sine qua non for
rebirth in the Pure
Land . (24)
The Third
Pure Land Patriarch Shan-tao (613-681) has urged concentration and earnestness
to “reap benefits swiftly” instead of many eons without being “able to escape
Birth and Death” (cyclic existence in Samsara).
The greatly influential Shan-tao has described
the practice of calling and repeating the Name of Amitabha, with singleness of
mind, as “the act of right assuarance” because it accords with the Buddha’s Vow
(the 11th Vow pledging and assuring spiritual liberation,
non-retrogressive bodhisattvahood, and ultimate Buddhahood in the Pure Land ).
(25)
Amitabha’s infinite spiritual endowment
provides an inexhaustible bank from which all the faithful can draw to clear
their karmic debts accumulated over innumerable lifetimes.
Rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land ,
which transcends Samsara, leads unfailingly to complete enlightenment and
Buddhahood. 6.5.2006 0830 7.5.2006 0357
NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA
NOTES: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE AMITABHA SUTRA
1. THE THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS, A Study and
Translation from Chinese by Hisao Inagaki,
published by Nagata Bunshodo, Kyoto , 1995, pp. 134-135
A highly distinguished Ch’an monk of Hang-chou,
Chu-hung was a leading figure in promoting the joint
practice of Ch’an meditation and nien-fo (reciting the Buddha’s name).
“The Amitabha
Sutra appears simple but is actually extremely profound. To recite and
benefit from it,
we need a pure and quiet heart,” Venerable Master Chin Kung, a
contemporary Pure
Land leader and
teacher has taught. (BUDDHISM: THE WISDOM OF COMPASSION AND AWAKENING, edited
by Silent Voices, reprinted for free
distribution by Amitabha Buddhist Society (Malaysia ), Jalan Pahang,
“The second time I lectured on the
commentary of the Amitabha Sutra, it
took over three hundred sessions, which is an indication of its level of
complexity…”
Master Chin Kung also said: “A person who
lectures on The Amitabha Sutra for
ten years will become Amitabha Buddha…”
(p. 124) 5.5.2006 2305
2. THE
THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS, p. 136
3. A
General Explanation of The Buddha Speaks of Amitabha Sutra by Tripitaka
Master Hsuan Hua,
originally published in September 1974 by the
Sino-American Buddhist Association, San
Francisco ,
The 46th Patriarch from Shakyamuni Buddha,
the 18th Patriarch in China from Bodhidharma, the Ninth
Patriarch of the Wei Yang lineage in the
Ch’an tradition, and the First Patriarch in the West, Dhyana
Master Hsuan Hua (1918-95) brought the
Buddha’s Dharma banner to the shores of America in 1962
and resided in San Francisco .
4. Mind-Seal
of THE BUDDHAS: Patriarch Ou-i’s Commentary on the AMITABHA SUTRA,
translated by Dr. J. C. Cleary, originally
published by Sutra Translation Committee of the United States
and Canada ,
New York ,
1997, and subsequently reprinted (third edition 1998) for free distribution by
Amida Fellowship, Taman
Billion, Jalan Cheras, Kuala Lumpur ,
Malaysia , pp.
33-34
An eminent Zen scholar monk, Ou-i devoted himself to Pure Land
practice after a serious illness at the
age of 46. In the final fifteen years of
his life, he authored 75 scholarly works. He wrote his classic
commentary in nine days in late autumn of
1648 at the age of 49, in which he acknowledged the
“extensive and subtle commentary” penned
by his illustrious predecessor Patriarch Chu-hung.
5. Ibid. p. 38
6. A General Explanation, p. 24 1,239 words 6.5.2006 0059
7. Mind-Seal,
p. 27
- A General Explanation, pp. 19-20
The Saha world, the world of endurance, is
this world of ours, filled with suffering and afflictions, yet
endured by its beings.
“T’an-luan was the first to use the term
‘Other Power,’ which became the central theme of the Pure
Land teaching in China and Japan ,” Inagaki
has written in his wide-ranging survey of Pure Land
Buddhism (THE THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS, pp. 89-90).
“By ‘the Other Power’ T’an-luan means the
Power of Amitabha as a Buddha or the Power of his
Original Vow. The Vow produced the Power,
which in turn fulfils the Vow. These two work
together
to realize the Buddha’s act of compassion…”
A Madyamika scholar, T’an-luan was
introduced to Pure
Land by Bodhiruci, a
great Tripitaka
master and monk from India , when
they met at Lo-yang, the then capital of China , in the year 530 A.D.
Subsequently, T’an-luan became the
Second Pure Land Patriarch in China ,
having contributed
significantly and substantially to the
development of Pure
Land faith and practice.
9.
Mind-Seal, pp. 24-25
With a Ph.D. in East Asia Languages and Civilizations
from Harvard University , Cleary has translated over a
dozen Buddhist texts.
10.
Ibid.,
pp. 168-169 (glossary)
11.
Ibid.,
p. 165 (glossary)
12.
Ibid., p. 101
13. Ibid., p.
85
14.
Ibid., p. 88
15.
Ibid., p. 104
16. THE THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS, p. 135
17.
Article
on “Pure Land Piety” by Roger J. Corless of Duke University
in Durham , North Carolina ,
published in BUDDHIST
SPIRITUALITY, edited by Takeuchi Yoshinori et al, published by
Motilal Barnasidas, Delhi , 1993, p. 263
18.
In an
article on performance poetry published in the Malaysian daily New Straits Times dated April
13, 2006, Ridzwan A. Rahim quotes from Prologue by the Ethiopian poet Patience
Agbabi:
“…open your lips
say it
loud
let each syllable vibrate
Say it again again again again again…
till its meaning equals sound…”
19.
A General Explanation, p. 25
20.
PURE LAND ZEN/ZEN PURE LAND: Letters from
Patriarch Yin Kuang,
translated by Master
Thich Thien Tam et al, originally published by Sutra
Translation Committee of the United
States and
21.
Ibid., p. 162
22. THE THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS, p. 260
23.
PURE LAND ZEN/ZEN PURE LAND, p. 37
24.
Ibid.,
p. 250
25.
THE THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS, p. 42
10 pages 3,072 words 6.5.2006 0835 0852
Mahasthama
Mindfulness Centre
25 Selasar Rokam
40
31350 Ipoh , Perak , Malaysia
Telephone: 05-3134941
6.5.2006 0855 in
commemoration of Vesak on 12
May 2006
7.5.2006 0412
THE AMITABHA SUTRA
Thus have I heard. (1) At one time
the Blessed One, the Buddha Shakyamuni was staying near the royal capital city
of Shravasti in
the kingdom of Kosala in northern India . He was
staying in the cloistered garden that the generous Anathapindika gave to the
Buddhist Order in Prince Jeta’s grove. (2)
He was staying there with a large gathering of monks,
great disciples of his – one thousand two hundred and fifty of them.
Among them were the elders, all
great arhats, such as Shariputra (3) and his close friend Maha-Maudgalyayana,
also Maha-Kashyapa, Maha-Kapphina, Maha-Katayayana, and Maha-Kaushthila.
Also present among these monks were Revata and
Shuddhipanthaka, and the Buddha’s half-brother Nanda, and his cousin and
closest disciple, Ananda, as well as Rahula, the Buddha’s only son. Also
present were Gavampati, Bharadvaja,
Kalodayin, Vakkula, and Anuruddha, as well as many other great disciples.
And the Buddha was accompanied by
many of those magnificent human beings well advanced on their way to full
awakening, many bodhisattvas and mahasattvas. (4) Present was the Bodhisattva
Manjushri, the Prince of Dharma, as well as the future Buddha of our age, the
Bodhisattva Maitreya, also known as Ajita, the Invincible. There also were the bodhisattvas Gandhahastin, Nityodyukta,
and Anikshiptadhura.
Also present were Shakra, known
also as Indra, the King of the Gods, and Brahma, the Lord of this, our world
known as the Saha World. (5) They and other countless gods and heavenly beings,
numbering many hundreds of thousands of millions, accompanied the Buddha at
that time.
The Main Discourse:
The Land
of Ultimate Bliss
At that time Buddha Shakyamuni said to the Venerable
Shariputra: “West of here, past a hundred billion Buddha-lands, there exists a
world called Ultimate Bliss. And
right now there, a Buddha by the name of Amitabha
is preaching the Dharma. (6)
“Shariputra, why is this land called “Ultimate Bliss”?
Because the living beings here are free from all forms of suffering and they
only experience all forms of happiness.
“Furthermore, this land of Ultimate
Bliss is adorned and surrounded by seven railings and seven rows of palm trees,
all decked with nets of tinkling bells, and all of them made of the four
precious jewels, namely, gold. Silver, emerald, and rock crystal. (7)
“Moreover, the Land of Ultimate Bliss
has bathing pools made of gold, silver, emerald, rock crystal, red pearl,
sapphire, and mother of pearl as the seventh precious substance. And these
pools are filled with the best water, endowed with eight good qualities: their
water is always limpid, cool, sweet-tasting, light, soft, placid, wholesome,
and invigorating.. The bottom of each pool is covered with golden sand. On the
four sides of each pool are stairways made of gold, silver, lapis-lazuli, and
crystal.
“Above the pools there are towers
adorned with gold, silver, lapis-lazuli, crystal, mother of pearl, red agate,
and carnelian. On the surface of the pool, there are lotus flowers as large as
the chariot-wheels – the blue ones radiating a blue light, the yellow a yellow
light, the red a red light, and the white a white light, and all of them
emitting a subtle pure fragrance.
“Shariputra, the Land of Ultimate Bliss
is complete with all these adornments and virtues, brought to perfection and
filled with such excellence and splendour.(8)
“And there is more – celestial music is constantly
playing in this Pure
Land , and the ground is
made of gold. Mandarava flowers rain down from heaven at all hours of the day
and night. In the morning the sentient beings of this land fill their robes
with their pick of those exquisite and wondrous flowers and make offerings to
hundreds of billions of Buddhas in the other worlds in the other regions of the
universe. Then they return to the Land
of Ultimate Bliss when
it’s time for their forenoon meal. (9)
“Moreover, Shariputra, in that Pure Land
there always gather many flocks of rare and truly remarkable birds of various
wonderful colours: white cranes, peacocks, parrots, egrets, the melodious
kalavinkas, and the two-headed jivanjivas. (10) All these birds deliver
harmonous songs day and night. Their songs render the Buddha’s teachings such
as the five spiritual faculties, the five spiritual powers, the seven factors
and practices of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path to spiritual
liberation and complete awakening, as well as other teachings. When sentient
beings in this land hear the singing of these birds, they become mindful of the
Buddha, mindful of the Dharma, and mindful of the Sangha. (11)
“But, Shariputra, you should not think that these
birds were born here because of karmic retribution for their past misdeeds. Why
not? In this Buddha-land, the three evil realms of Samsara (those of animals,
hungry ghosts, and hell-beings) do not exist, not even their names. All these
birds are the special creations of Amitabha Buddha, made to sing and spread the
spiritual message of emancipation and enlightenment. (12)
“In this Buddha-land, when soft brrezes move through
and stir the rows of jewel trees and nets, they produce exquisite and subtle
harmonies, like hundreds of thousands of diverse musical instruments playing
together at the same time. All who hear these wondrous sounds spontaneously
become mindful of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Such, Shariputra, is
the excellence and splendour in this Pure
Land . (13)
The Buddha Presiding Over
the Land
of Ultimate Bliss
“What do you think, Shariputra? Why is this
Buddha called Amitabha? (14)
“The light of this Buddha is infinite, and
shines on all lands throughout the universe without obstruction. Thus this
Buddha is named Amitabha (Infinite
Light). (15)
“Also, the life-span of this Buddha and his
people (humans and devas) is an infinite number of kalpas, and so he is also
known as Amitayus (Infinite Life).
(16)
“Shariputra, ten kalpas
have passed since Amitayus attained Enlightenment. (17) 9.5.2006 0403
The Inhabitants of
the Land
of Ultimate Bliss
“Moreover, this Buddha has
innumerable disciplrd, all of them are Arhats, and their number cannot be reckoned
by any means. (18) Amitabha also has a following of innumerable Bodhisattvas.
His Pure Land , Shariputra, is blessed with such
excellence and splendour.
“All sentient beings born
in the Land of Ultimate Bliss dwell in the stage of
non-retrogression, and are assured of attainment Enlightenment without falling
back to a lower stage. Many among them have only one more lifetime to go before
Buddhahood. Their number cannot be counted; they are innumerable. (19)
Taking a Vow to be born in the Pure Land
“Shariputra, all
sentient beings who hear of this Pure
Land
must aspire and
vow to be born there, because they will be able to meet such sages of supreme
virtue. (20)
“Shariputra, one
cannot attain birth in the Pure
Land with few good roots
or little merit. If there are good men or good women who hear of Amitabha
Buddha, hold fast to and recite his name singlemindedly and without distraction
even for one day, two days, three, four, five, six or seven days, then when
these people die, Amitabha Buddha will appear before them with a host of holy
sages and saints. At the time of their death, their minds free from confusion
and without any distorted views, they will instantly attain rebirth in
Amitabha’s Land
of Ultimate Bliss , (21)
10.5.2006 0010
“Shariputra, I have
seen the benefit of embracing and holding fast to the name of Amitabha. If
sentient beings hear what Isay, they must make a vow to be born the Land of Ultimate Bliss . 10.5.2006 0052
Confirmation: All Buddhas Praise Amitabha
“Shariputra, just as I praise the
inconceivable merits and virtues of the Buddha Amitabha, so do the Buddhas in
the eastern regions of the universe, as many as the number of the grains of
sand in the Ganges, such as Aksobhya Buddha, Meru-dhvaja Buddha, Mahameru
Buddha, Meru-prabhasa Buddha, and Manju-svara Buddha, and others – each in his
own land extends his broad and long tongue to encompass the universe of a
thousand million worlds, and proclaims these words of truth: Sentient beings
should accept and believe in this sutra entitled Extolling Inconceivable Virtues which all Buddhas Protect and Keep in
Mind. (22)
“Shariputra,
just as I praise the inconceivable merits and virtues of the Buddha Amitabha,
so do the Buddhas in the southern regions of the universe, as many as the
number of grains of sand in the Ganges, such as Candra-surya-pradipa Buddha,
Yasah-prabha Buddha, Maharei-skandha Buddha, Meru-pradipa Buddha, and
Ananta-virya Buddha, and others – each in his own land extends his broad and
long tongue to encompass the universe of a thousand million worlds, and
proclaims these words of truth: Sentient beings should accept and believe in
this sutra entitled Extolling
Inconceivable Virtues which all Buddhas Protect and Keep in Mind. (23)
“Shariputra,
just as I praise the inconceivable merits and virtues of the Buddha Amitabha,
so do the Buddhas in the western regions of the universe, as many as the number
of the grains of sand in the Ganges, such as Amitayus Buddha, Amita-ketu
Buddha, Amita-dhvaja Buddha, Mahaprabha Buddha, Mahaprabhasa Buddha, Ratna-ketu
Buddha, and Suddha-rasmi-prabha Buddha, and others – each in his own land
extends his broad and long tongue to encompass the universe of a thousand
million worlds, and proclaims these words of truth: Sentient beings should
accept and believe in this sutra entitled Extolling
Inconceivable Virtues which all Buddhas Protect and Keep in Mind. (24)
“Shariputra, just as I praise the
inconceivable merits and virtues of the Buddha Amitabha, so do the Buddhas in
the northern regions of the universe, as many as the number of the grains of
sand in the Ganges, such as Archi-skandha Buddha, Vaisvanara-nirghosa Buddha,
Duspradharsa Buddha, Aditya-sambhava Buddha, and Jalini-prabha Buddha, and
others – each in his own land extends his broad and long tongue to encompass
the universe of a thousand million worlds, and proclaims these words of truth:
Sentient beings should accept and believe in this sutra entitled Extolling Inconceivable Virtues which all
Buddhas Protect and Keep in Mind. (25)
“Shariputra, just as I praise the inconceivable merits and virtues of
the Buddha Amitabha, so do the Buddhas in the lower regions in the nadir of the
universe, as many as the number of the grains of sand in the Ganges, such as
Simha Buddha, Yasar Buddha, Yasah-prabhasa Buddha, Dharma Buddha, Dharma-dhvaja
Buddha, and Dharma-dhara Buddha, and others – each in his own land extends his
broad and long tongue to encompass the universe of a thousand million worlds,
and proclaims these words of truth: Sentient beings should accept and believe
in this sutra entitled Extolling Inconceivable
Virtues which all Buddhas Protect and Keep in Mind. (26)
“Shariputra, just as I praise the inconceivable merits and virtues of
the Buddha Amitabha, so do the Buddhas in the higher regions in the zenith of
the universe, as many as the number of the grains of sand in the Ganges, such
as Brahma-ghosa Buddha, Naksatra-raja Buddha, Gandhottama Buddha,
Gandha-prabhasa Buddha, Maharei-skandha Buddha, Ratna-kusuma-sampuspita-gatra
Buddha, Salendra-raja Buddha, Ratnotpala-sri Buddha, Sarva-artha-darsa Buddha,
and Sumeru-kalpa Buddha, and others – each in his own land extends his broad
and long tongue to encompass the universe of a thousand million worlds, and
proclaims these words of truth: Sentient beings should accept and believe in
this sutra entitled Extolling
Inconceivable Virtues which all Buddhas Protect and Keep in Mind. (27)
10.5.2006 0306
Trust, Commitment, Embracing the Name:
Shakyamuni Buddha’s Exhortation
“Shariputra, why do
you think this teaching is called the sutra that is protected and kept in mind
by all the Buddhas?
“If there are good
men or women who hear this scripture, uphold it and hear the names of all these
Buddhas, these good men and women will be protected and kept in mind by all the
Buddhas, and will not fall back on the path of supreme, perfect enlightenment.
Therefore, all of you should accept with faith what I say and what all the
Buddhas have said. (28)
Benefits of the Vow
“Shari[utra, all
those who have vowed, or are vowing, or will vow to be born in the Pure Land of
Amitabha Buddha reach the spiritual level where they do not fall back from
supreme, perfect enlightenment. They are already born, are now being born, or
will be born in the Pure
Land . Therefore, all good
men and women, if they have faith, must make a vow to be born in Amitabha’s Pure Land .
(29)
Shakyamuni’s mission and task
“Shariputra, just
as I extol the inconceivable virtues of all the other Buddhas, they also extol
my inconceivable virtues, saying: “Shakyamuni Buddha is able to carry out a
most difficult and rare task. In the Saha World, the World of Endurance, during
the evil period of the five corruptions --- the corruptions of the time, views,
afflictions, sentient beings, and life, he has succeeded in achieving supreme,
perfect enlightenment, and to expound the Pure Land teaching for the sake of
all sentient beings, this Dharma of faith and practice that they find hard to
believe. (30)
“Shariputra, you should know that
I have carried out this difficult task in this evil period of the five
corruptions. Having attained supreme, perfect enlightenment, I have, for the
sake of all living beings, preached this Dharma that is so hard for them to
believe and accept in faith. This task is indeed difficult to accomplish.” (31)
Coda
When Buddha finished preaching this scripture, Shariputra and all the
monks, gods, humans, assuras and all the others who had also been listening,
having heard what Buddha said, rejoiced and accepted his teaching with faith.
Then they all bowed in homage and departed. (32)
10.5.2006 2147
NOTES: THE AMITABHA SUTRA
1.
This
copy of The Amitabha Sutra is a
composite rendering of the various translations in English of the revered Tripitaka
Master Kumarajiva’s Chinese version, the Amito-jing:
(1)
English
translation by Dr Hasao Inagaki of Ryukoku
University in
collaboration with Harold Stewart, in THE
THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS published by Nagata Bunshodo, Kyoto , 1995
(2)
A free
translation in English by Professor Luis O. Gomez of the University of
Michigan, in THE LAND OF BLISS
published by University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, and Higashi Honganji Shinshu
Otani-ha, Kyoto, 1996
(3)
English
translation by Dr. J.C. Cleary in Mind-Seal
of THE BUDDHAS, published by the Sutra Translation Committee of the United States
and Canada ,
New York ,
1997
(4)
English
translation by Upasaka I Kuo-jung of University
of California as
published in A General Explanation of The Buddha Speaks of Amitabha Sutra by
Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua, published by Buddhist Text Translation Society, San Francisco , and the
Sino-American Buddhist Association, San
Francisco , 1974
(5)
English
translation by Upasika Chihmann (Miss P.C. Lee) as published in THE TWO BUDDHIST BOOKS IN MAHAYANA,
published by Dallas Buddhist Association, Venerable Master Chin Kung Hsu, Texas , USA
(6)
English
translation by Dr. Yutang Lin in Pureland
Daily Practice, published byDharma Friends of Dr. Lin for free
distribution, October 1989, printed by General Printing, Berkeley, California,
and
(7)
English
translation of the Sanskrit text by Professor Gomez in THE LAND OF BLISS, 1996
0159
2.
As
narrated in THUS HAVE I HEARD: Buddhist
Parables and Stories (originally published in
1999 by Sutra Translation Committee of the United
States and Canada, and subsequently published for free distribution Vesak May
2000 by Amida Fellowship, Taman Billion, Jalan Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pp.
67-68):
“…It once happened that having invited the Buddha to
preach in Sravasti, Anathapindika (a wealthy merchant) set about trying to find
a suitable place for the World-honored One and his company of 1,250 monks.
Determining that the estate of Prince Jeta, son of King Prasenajit, with its
grassy fields and leafy trees, would be ideal, he approached the prince and
offered to buy it. The prince, startled, said in jest, ‘I am prepared to sell
you as much land as you can cover with gold.’ Anathapindika remained silent for
a moment, at which point the Prince laughed, ‘That seems to be too much for ou,
does it not?’ ‘Why, no.’ replied the merchant. ‘I was simply considering which
of my storehouses to take the gold from…’
“The next day, as the prince watched in amazement,
bullock cart after bullock cart arrived at his estate, and the workers laid a
carpet of gold upon the land, stretching in all directions. The only patches of
ground which could not be covered were those where the trees stood. Prince
Jeta, realizing that the Buddha must be an exceptional man, then decided to
donate these patches of land. In honor of the two benefactors, the estate was
henceforth known as the Garden of Jeta and Anathapindika…”
In GREAT
DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA by Nyanponika Thera and Hellmuth Hecket (published
by Buddhist Publication Society, Sri Lanka, 1997), Hecket has written that the
first meeting between the Buddha and the city’s richest merchant who was to
become his chief patron took place shortly after the Master’s third rains
retreat following his enlightenment. Anathapindika spent 54 million gold coins
on the monastery at Jetavana, three-fifths of his fortune, including 18 million
on the site and another 18 million on its construction.
The Buddha spent nineteen rainy seasons at this
monastery where he stayed for the major part of his life and delivered many of
his sermons.
In Buddhist literature, the name of Anathapindika has
become synonymous with overflowing and selfless generosity in the cause of the
Dharma. A stream-enterer, he was reborn as a deva (godly being) in the Tusita
heaven. 8.5.2006 0309
3.
Originally
known as Upatissa, Shariputra was the foremost in wisdom among the ten leading
disciples.
In GREAT
DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA. Nyanaponika There has written that Sariputta attained
arahantship (the highest stage of sainthood in the Theravada tradition, with
attainment of liberation from the samsaric cycle of birth and death) by quick
penetration two weeks after his ordination after listening attentively to a
discourse by the Blessed One given to Sariputta’s nephew, the wandering
ascetic, Dighankha “as though sharing the (spiritual) food prepared for
another…” (p. 10)
4.
A
bodhisattva is one who makes the vow of universal altruism and cultivates to
attain enlightenment
for the sake of saving all suffering beings, that is,
one who gas the Bodhi Mind to attain buddhahood for rescuing all sentient
beings in Samsara, the cycle of rebirths, the realms of birth and death.
A mahasattva, ‘a great being’, is synonymous with
‘bodhisattva’ (‘a being of enlightenment’). And a Buddha is one who has
accomplished the bodhisattva practice and fulfilled the four great vows . The
bodhisattva’s four great vows are to save all living beings, cut off all
afflictions, study all the Dharma-doors (practices and techniques of achieving
enlightenment), and realize buddhahood.
5.
Shakra
is the most common Buddhist name for Indra, one of the principal Vedic gods,
the king of the
Heaven of the thirty-three deities (Trayastrimsa) on
the summit of Mount
Meru , and divine
protector and promoter of the Dharma.
The Hindu god of the sacred ritual word and creator of
the universe, Brahman is another great divine promoter of Buddhism.
6.
Described
as “pure and serene, resplendent and blissful” (Shakyamuni Buddha’s description
in the
Teaching of Infinite Life
Sutra, also referred to as
the Larger Sutra), Sukhavati (in
Sanskrit) is the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha, the Land of Ultimate Bliss .
Also depicted as the Land of Infinite Light
(Wisdom) and Infinite Life (Compassion), this Pure Land
provides the most conducive environment for spiritual cultivation up to the
ultimate level of complete and perfect enlightenment. Shakyamuni said to Ananda
(refer Inagaki, p. 268) that all sentient beings in Amitabha’s Pure Land
“all reside among those assured of Nirvana…”
Dharmakara Bodhisattva (before his supreme
enlightenment as Amitabha Buddha) pledged, saying in verse (ibid., p. 238):
“…My land
being Nirvana itself,
Shall be
beyond comparison.
I take pity
on living beings
And resolve
to save them all…”
In the Larger
Sutra (refer Inagaki, p. 290), Shakyamuni said to Maitreya Bodhisattva to
“straightforwardly aspire to be born in the Pure Land
and accumulate roots of virtue… You will dwell in effortless spontaneity (the
nirvanic state to be attained in the Pure
Land , the ultimate state
of enlightenment) and attain Nirvana…”
In his commentary (Mind-Seal of THE BUDDHAS), Patriarch Ou-i has written (p. 58): :The
fact that the Pure
Land and Amitabha Buddha
are here in the present encourages us to have faith. The fact that Amitabha’s
world is called the Land
of Ultimate Bliss
encourages us to be born there. The fact that the Buddha is called Amitabha
(Infinite Light) encourages us to engage in the wondrous practice of invoking
his name (to attain birth in his Pure
Land .
“The words of the sutra are concise, but the meaning
is very profound…” 8.5.2006
0525 (4,669 words)
7.
In A General Explanation (pp. 113-117),
Master Hua has explained that the railings represent the
moral precepts (prohibiting evil and preventing
error), the very tall trees represent wisdom “If you have wisdom, you’re
tall…”), and the magnificent and strong netting symbolizes strong, steadfast
true concentration.
The four precious jewels represent the four virtues of
Nirvana in Amitabha’s Pure Land: (1) permanence (infinite life), (2) bliss, (3)
true self, endowed with the eight great freedoms, eight kinds of spiritual
strength, and eight spiritual penetrations, and (4) purity (the Pure Land,
being “pure and serene, resplendent and blissful” according to Shakyamuni
Buddha. 9.5.2006 0029
8.
This
highly conducive environment for spiritual cultivation up to the highest level
of enlightenment,
resplendent
with its enlightening sights and sounds as well as permeated with
purifying fragrances, is in fulfillment of the Vow 32 (Inagaki, p. 246).
“All the adornments of the dwelling in the Pure Land
and the settings in which sentient beings are reborn in the Pure Land are
created by the inherently real virtues of the great vows and great deeds of
Amitabha Buddha,” Patriarch Ou-i has commented (Mind-Seal pp. 64-65).
“With his great vows, Amitabha creates the causal
basis for sentient beings to multiply their good roots. And with his great
deeds he creates the conditions for sentient beings to increase their merits
and virtues.
“Amitabha enables us to develop faith and vows and to
recite the Buddha-name, and from moment to moment achieve these virtues…
Amitabha in toto merges with sentient
beings: all his powers merge with ours…” 9.5.2006 0106
9.
Patriarch
Ou-i has written (pp. 66-67): “Making offerings to Buddhas in other worlds
symbolizes that
through having a true causal basis, we can attain the
ultimate fruit (Buddhahood), and that the virtues of this ultimate attainment
extend everywhere…”
10.
Created
by Amitabha, these extraordinary birds sing the teachings of the Buddha to
pervade the
11. The five spiritual faculties as well as
the five spiritual powers refer to (1) faith (in the Buddha, Dharma,
and Sangha (the spiritual community),
(2) vigor (in cultivating good), (3) mindfulness (of the Buddha
and Dharma), (4) concentration (in
reciting the Buddha’s name), and (5) wisdom (insight into the true
nature of things and reality).
The seven factors and practices of
enlightenment are (1) selecting the true teaching, (2) vigorously
cultivating it, (3) joy, rejoicing in
the true practice, (4) cutting out delusions, (5) mindfulness, (6)
concentration, and (7) serenity of
mind.
The Noble Eightfold Path to Nirvana:
right view, right thought, right understanding, right speech, right
action, right living, right effort,
right mindfulness, and right concentration (samadhi).
12. “Wishing to spread the Dharma-sound far and wide,
with his vow power Amitabha created the
kalavinkas and the other birds to help him, They come
from his spiritual penetrations and transformations,” Master Hua has explained
(p. 131).
“Unlike the birds in this world which are born in the
realm of animals, they are transformations of Amitabha Buddha’s Dharma power.”
13. Patriarch
Ou-i has written (pp. 72-73) that “all the adornments of the Pure Land
are brought into being
by the
vows and actions of our (spiritual) guide Amitabha, and manifested by his
wisdom, and that
they are also
brought about by our own pure karma, as manifestations of consciousness…”
14. “This sutra teaches the wondrous practice of
reciting the name of Amitabha, so it makes a special
point of explaining the name,” Patriarch Ou-i
has written (pp. 73-74), commenting on the essence of
“The intent of the sutra is that people
should develop deep faith in the inconceivable powers of
this great name and its myriad virtues,
and singlemindedly recite the Buddha-name (Amitabha)
without any further doubts or
diversions…” 9.5.2006 0245
(17 pages 5,901 words)
15. “The true nature of mind is still but
always shining with awareness; hence it is a light. The idea here is that
Amitabha Buddha penetrates to the infinite essence of the true nature of mind,
so his light is
infinite,” Patriarch Ou-i has observed (p. 75), with
profound insight.
“When Amitabha
(in a previous incarnation in the distant past) was the monk Dharmakara, he
made
forty-eight vows, among them the vow (number 12) that
his light would forever shine through all the worlds in the Ten Directions (of
the cosmos). Now that he has achieved Buddhahood, what he vowed has been
accomplished…”
In the Larger
Sutra, the Buddha Shakyamuni said to Ananda: “The majestic light of the
Buddha Amitayus (Amitabha) is the most exalted. No other Buddha’s light can
match his…(Inagaki p. 255)
“The light of Amitayus (Amitabha) shines brilliantly,
illuminating the Buddha-lands of the ten directions…” (Inagaki p. 256)
16. “Infinite light extends through space in
all directions; infinite life extends through time and reaches
through past, present, and future. The dimensions of
space and time interpenetrating are the body of the universe. This body as a
whole is the body and land
of Amitabha , and this
body as a whole is the name of Amitabha,” Patriarch Ou-i has explained (p. 74)
in his profound interpretation of the spiritual significance in the fusion of
infinite light and infinite life which Amitabha embodies.
This eminent scholar-monk also relates the act of
reciting the Buddha’s name to the revelation of the essence of enlightenment
inherent in all humans and all other sentient beings, i.e. the universal
Buddha-nature which Amitabha represents at the level of inner (noumenal) truth.
As Amitabha penetrates to the infinite essence of the true
nature of Mind (also called True Mind, Self Nature, Dharma Nature, Buddha
Nature, etc.), so his life-span is also infinite.
“When Amitabha was Dharmakara, the king of vows, he
made a vow that the life spans of both Buddha (vow 13) and humans (vow 15) in
his realm would be infinite,” Patriarch Ou-i has commented (pp. 76-77).
“Now what he vowed has been accomplished in the Pure Land ,
and he is given the special name “Infinite Life” (Amitayus).
“We must understand that the names “Infinite Light”
and “Infinite Life” are both based on the equivalent potential inherent in
sentient beings. Because sentient beings and Buddhas are inherently equal,
those who invoke the name of Amitabha will be no different from him either in
their light or in their lifespan…
“Given the truth of infinite life, the people in the Land of Ultimate Bliss are in the position that
they are certain of attaining complete Enlightenment in a single lifetime and
will not be reborn in different forms.
“We must realize that there is no name of Amitabha
apart from the mind of infinite light and infinite life that is before us now
at this moment, and there is no way for us to penetrate the mind of infinite light
and infinite life that is before us now at this moment apart from the name of
Amitabha…”
In other words, the
name of Amitabha is the spiritual master key to the penetration and
unlocking of the inherent potential of Buddhahood in all human beings. 9.5.2006 0419
The New York-based Van Hien Study Group has noted (Mind-Seal p. 165) that Amitabha Buddha
at the highest or noumenon level represents the True Mind, the Self Nature
common to the Buddhas and sentient beings, all-encompassing and all-inclusive.
Patriarch Ou-i has also taught us (p. 85): “Only when we have deep faith in the
recitation of the name of Amitabha can we have deep faith in the True Nature of
sentient beings, which has always been inconceivable…”
17. “In fact, Amitabha’s time has been endless,
and he has urged us, is urging, and will urge all the
sentient beings of the past, present, and future to quickly seek rebirth in the Pure Land ,
share in the infinite life of the Buddhas, and accomplish this all in one
lifetime,” Patriarch Ou-i has
rightly
commented (p. 78), with a timely sense of urgency. (19 pages 6,662 words) 9.5.2006 0421
18. “Here the sutra is really illustrating the
fact that throughout all the worlds of the Ten Directions in the
past, present, and future, many sentient beings
achieve birth in the Pure Land with no falling back, and do so easily,”
Patriarch Ou-i has explained (p. 78).
His implied advice to us is that since we can also be
born in the Pure Land , we should make it our goal.
19. “How amazing! Ordinary people in the Pure Land
reach the stage of having only one lifetime to go
before Enlightenment, just like the great Bodhisattvas
(known as one-life Bodhisattvas, being one lifetime away from Buddhahood). What
a sublime teaching –it is truly unfathomable!
“What was given to us (perfect realization of
Buddhahood in one lifetime) in the Flower
Ornament (Avatamsaka) Sutra is here in the Amitabha Sutra,” Patriarch Ou-i (pp. 82-83) has vividly highlighted
the extraordinary benefit of Pure Land faith and practice, and with s sense of
exultation.
But then, perceiving the general lack of faith among
the human beings in the Dharma-ending age with its spiritual decline, this
eminent scholar-monk has quickly added with personal anguish and pathos:
“Yet from ancient times until now (the past one
thousand years or so), few have believed in it, and many have doubted it.
Complex writings have been produced, but the truth has been sacrificed. All I
can dom to set things right is give my heart’s blood.”
Even the Buddha Shakyamuni has said that this Pure
Land Dharma is hard to believe, particularly so in view of the great spiritual
power inherent in the simple practice of reciting the Buddha’s name to save
sentient beings and bring them to the Pure Land
where they can attain enlightenment in one lifetime. What makes all this hard
to accept is simply lack of faith.
An important point to remember is that this Pure Land
Dharma is the very one which all the Buddhas protect and keep in mind. Why?
Because it’s the veritable shortcut to spiritual liberation and complete
enlightenment.
To take off spiritually, one must have faith! 9.5.2006
2327 (7,070 words)
20. In the Larger
Sutra (Inagaki p. 282), the Buddha said the virtue and wisdom of the sages
and saints
in the Pure
Land are “indescribable”.
Comments Patriarch Ou-i (p. 85: “The text of the sutra
says sentient beings must take a vow to be born in the Pure Land .
This word “must” points to deep faith. Making vows with deep faith is precisely
the Mind of Supreme Enlightenment.
“In sum, faith and vows are
truly the guiding compass leading to the Pure Land .
Relying on faith and vows and consistently invoking the Buddha-name is correct
practice…”
21. “When you use the name of Amitabha to
summon virtue, all the virtues are engendered,” Patriarch
Ou-i has written (p. 88). “Thus, reciting the name of
Amitabha (singlemindedly) is the correct practice…Reciting the name of Amitabha
is the simplest and most direct method (to attain enlightenment)…”
With mindfulness of the Buddha as the mental and
spiritual anchor, singleminded recitation means that it’s completely focused on
the name of Amitabha.
“The Land
of Ultimate Bliss ,
Amitabha’s Pure Land , is unique – it surpasses all the
other pure lands,” Patriarch Ou-i has commented (p. 85)
“Only when we comprehend this can we have deep faith
in the power of the vows of Amitabha. Only when we believe in the power of
Amitabha Buddha can we have deep faith in the virtues of his name…”
To quote Dr J.C. Cleary (Mind-Seal, pp. 15-16):
“The Pure
Land practice, invoking
the name of Amitabha is a means to get in touch with the power of Amitabha
himself. Our own feeble powers may be insufficient to bring us to the Other
Shore (Nirvana), but Amitabha has provided us an access point through which we
can reach his power (by reciting his name), and be protected by the power of
all the Buddhas…
“From a far off point in time and space, Amitabha
offers the invocation of his name as a doorway to the infinite, inviting us to
come through and share in the infinite life of the Buddhas…”
NAMO AMITABHA
22. Aksobhya (Immoveable)
Meru-dhvaja (Marks of Mount Meru, the highest mountain
at the centre of the universe; also known as Mount Sumeru ,
the mountain that forms the axis and the highest point in a world system)
Mahameru (Great Meru)
Meru-prabhasa (Light of Meru)
Manju-svara (Wonderful Voice)
Because of the inexhaustible power of Amitabha’s
inconceivable merits and virtues, it is possible for all sentient beings to
attain salvation by invoking his name. And, by invoking the name of one Buddha, Amitabha, we are protected and kept in
mind by all the Buddhas.
“All this is the result of the great vows and deeds of
our guide and teacher Amitabha,” Patriarch Ou-i has explained (p. 104).
“Furthermore, when Pure Land
practitioners recite the Buddha-name with faith and vows, they are gathering in
all the virtues of Amitabha Buddha and making them their own…”
Master Hua has said (p. 141): “The Buddha’s tongue,
then, covers the entire universe and speaks the truth…”
23. Candra-suriya-pradipa (Lamp of the Sun and
Moon)
Yasah-prabha (Light of Fame)
Maharei-skandha (Great Blazing Shoulders)
Meru-pradipa (Lamp of Meru)
Ananta-virya (Measureless Vigor)
“Praise the inconceivable merit and virtue of this
sutra which Sakyamuni Buddha spoke without request,” Master Hua said (p. 139).
“If you believe, accept, praise, and recite it, all
the Buddhas will protect you. Resolve to revere Amitabha Buddha and The Amitabha Sutra.”
24. Amitabha (infinite Light)
Amitayus (Infinite Life)
Amita-ketu (Innumerable Characteristics)
Amita-dhvaja (Innumerable Banners)
Mahaprabha (Great Light)
Mahaprabhasa (Great Illumination)
Ratna-ketu (Jewel Appearance)
Suddha-rasmi-prabha (Pure Light)
25. Archi-skandha (Blazing Shoulders)
Vaisvanara-nirghosa (Sound of the Invincible)_
Duspradharsa (Invulnerable)
Aditya-sambhava (Born of the Sun)
Jalini-prabha (Nets of Light)
26. Simha (Lion)
Yasar (Fame)
Yasah-prabhasa (Light of Fame)
Dharma (Dharma)
Dharma-dhvaja (Dharma Banner)
Dharma-dhara (Upholder of Dharma)
27. Brahma-ghosa (Voice of Brahma)
Naksatra-raja (King of Past Lives)
Gandhottama (Incomparable Fragrance)
Gandha-prabhasa (Fragrant Light)
Maharei-skandha (Great Blazing Shoulders)
Ratna-kusuma-sampuspita-gatra (Multicolored Jewel
Flower Garlands)
Salendra-raja (Sala Tree King)
Ratnotpala-sri (Jewel Flower Virtue)
Sarva-artha-darsa (Visioning All Truths)
Sumeru-kalpa (Sumeru’s Grandur)
8,598 words 24 pages
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28. “This sutra is devoted to revealing that
the Mind is supreme. The names of various Buddhas also
reveal their supreme, perfect, ultimate virtues. Thus,
those who hear this sutra and the names of the Buddhas are protected and kept
in mind by all the Buddhas,” Patriarch Ou-i explains (p. 112).
“Those who hear this sutra and accept its teachings
will consistently recite the name of Amitabha, and the name of Amitabha is
itself protected and kept in mind by all of the Buddhas…”
On the certainty of attaining Buddhahood in Amitabha’s
Pure Land , Ou-i comments (p. 114):
“To say you have reached the level where you do not
fall back (non-retrogression) is another way of saying you will achieve
Buddhahood in one lifetime. Thus Buddha urges all his listeners to believe in
what this sutra is saying and accept it, and to have faith that the merit of
hearing the Buddha-name is like this (protection by all the Buddhas and
assuarance of Buddhahood)…”
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29. “Here Buddha is demonstrating that vows that
are made on the basis of pure faith are sure to come
true. Without faith, we cannot make vows. Without vows
and faith, rebirth (in the Pure
Land ) cannot occur,”
Patriarch Ou-i comments (p. 115).
“Vows are a token of faith, and the key link for
practice. Making vows is then a most crucial component. When Buddha mentions vows. we must understand that faith and practice
are included. That is why he repeatedly urges us most earnestly to make
vows…”
Master Hua told his American disciples in 1969 (p.
147): “Faith, vows and practice are the travel expenses for rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss . They are your ticket…”
30. In his profound analysis of this sutra,
Patriarch Ou-i has attempted brilliantly to clarify why it is so
hard to explain that the simple but supreme Pure Land
technique of reciting the Buddha’s name can bring spiritual liberation and
ultimate enlightenment to all sentient beings with faith in Amitabha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss .
“Thus each
recitation of the Buddha-name is a method of achieving the mind of Supreme,
Perfect Enlightenment practiced by our fundamental teacher, Sakyamuni Buddha,
in the midst of this evil world of the Five Corruptions,” Patriarch Ou-i
has written with very deep insight.
“In this sutra,
Sakyamuni Buddha is taking the whole essence of this Enlightenment and
bestowing it on sentient beings of this evil and corrupt world…”
In other words, all of them and all of us can also
achieve the ultimate enlightenment by reciting the name of Amitabha.
31. With
the same depth of spiritual penetration, Patriarch Ou-i has further commented
(p. 122):
“If it were not for our fundamental teacher Sakyamuni
Buddha entering into our evil world, showing the attainment of Enlightenment,
and using his great wisdom and great compassion to reveal this (Pure Land
Dharma), practice this (reciting the Buddha’s name), and teach this (shortcut
to spiritual liberation and enlightenment), how would sentient beings have
received this message?”
To Pure Land Buddhists, this is indeed the essence of
Shakyamuni Buddha’s spiritual mission in the Saha World.
31. “The phrase “they all bowed in homage”
signifies that that they were moved by the Buddha’s great
benevolence, and entrusted themselves to him,”
Patriarch Ou-i has commented (pp. 123-124).
“Their departure signifies that they went on to
practice consistently according to what Buddha had taught them, and never
turned back.”
A Zen monk at the age of 24, Ou-i combined meditation
and recitation of the Buddha’s name after a grave illness at the age of 28.
Following another serious illness at the age of 46, this illustrious
scholar-monk devoted himself completely to Pure Land
practice. He wrote this immortal commentary of his in nine days at the age of
49 in the year 1648.
“I finally came to realize that the Buddha-Recitation
Samadhi is truly the supreme jewel,” he has written in the Afterword (pp.
124-125). “Only then did I become utterly focused on reciting the Buddha-name –
wild horses couldn’t drag me away from it…”
Concluding his teaching on this key Pure Land
sutra, Master Hua said to his American disciples:
“We now, hearing this supreme, deep, subtle, and
wonderful Dharma, have certainly planted great good roots in ages past.
“Consequently, we have a great affinity with Amitabha Buddha, and as a result have
been fortunate enough to hear The
Amitabha Sutra and to recite the
Buddha’s name…”
NAMO AMITABHA
Commemorating Vesak 12 May 2006
25 Selasar Rokam 40
31350 Ipoh
Telephone: 05-3134941
(27 pages 9,712 words) 10.5.2006 2305 2337
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