龍舒增廣淨土文

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESENTED SCHOLAR

COMPOSED BY VƯƠNG NHỰT HƯU

WORDS OF VƯƠNG NHỰT HƯU:

I have thoroughly examined the Tripitaka and the various commentaries, extracting their wondrous essential meaning to compose this work on the Pure Land. There is not a single word without a scriptural basis. I therefore ask later students not to disregard my words in this Long Thư Pure Land Text merely because I am a person of humble standing.

I wish everyone alike to awaken and everyone alike to cultivate the Pure Land. Therefore, I have set forth plain and forthright words, without employing ornate or embellished language.

My surname is Vương, my given name is Nhựt Hưu, and I am from Long Thư Prefecture in China. There are, upon examination, a great many Pure Land texts transmitted throughout the world. I have therefore entitled this work the Long Thư Pure Land Text at the beginning of the volume, to distinguish it from those other works.

GIVING RISE TO FAITH IN THE PURE LAND

FIRST

The teaching of the Pure Land is commonly seen to be practiced day by day, yet the fruits of the merit of Buddha-recitation become manifest in the next life, when one is reborn in the Pure Land. Those who do not understand suppose that Buddha-recitation concerns only the next life, little realizing that the merit of Buddha-recitation also brings immense benefit in this very life.

Why is this so? The Buddha earnestly taught people to do good, just as the Confucian tradition teaches people to avoid evil. What difference is there between them?

The only difference lies in the names “Buddhist” and “Confucian.” Thus, those who recite the Buddha’s name and cultivate the Pure Land constantly keep the Buddha in mind, recite the Buddha’s name with their mouths, and perform the Buddha’s work with their bodies. Are these not the purification of the three karmic activities? Purification of the three karmic activities is goodness.

One who practices goodness is a noble person, a person of great virtue, whom everyone in the present age respects and admires. Sages and spirits protect such a person; blessings and prosperity increase; and life is prolonged without measure. From this it may be said that if one sincerely follows the Buddha’s teaching and practices the Dharma-gate of Buddha-recitation, aspiring for rebirth in the Pure Land, who could dare say that it brings no benefit in this very life?

Furthermore, some people are bound by karmic conditions and cannot concentrate exclusively upon Buddha-recitation. Yet if they resolve to recite the Buddha’s name, those adverse conditions can gradually diminish, while wholesome conditions can progressively increase. Adverse conditions continue to diminish without ceasing until the day they are completely extinguished and no longer remain. Wholesome conditions continue to increase without ceasing until the day they fully mature.

When adverse conditions have been extinguished and wholesome conditions have fully matured, is such a person not noble? Is such a person not greatly virtuous? Examined in this way, the Buddha’s words were certainly not spoken without cause. If one makes Buddha-recitation and the aspiration for rebirth in the Pure Land the focus of one’s mind, who could dare say that it brings no benefit in this present life?

Furthermore, there are people who do not understand that propriety and righteousness are precious, nor that punishment is something to fear. They rely upon wealth and physical strength to assert their power and regard authority and influence as signs of superiority. Yet if they know how to place the words of Buddha-recitation within their minds, they will also know how to examine themselves and abandon their own faults.

They must eliminate from their minds all thoughts of disparaging others; they must not be cruel, must not harbor jealousy toward the virtuous, must not be greedy or angry, must not oppress or deceive others to seize their possessions. Although their conduct may not yet fully accord with propriety and righteousness, it can nevertheless draw them close to propriety and righteousness. Although they may not yet be entirely free from punishment, they can nevertheless distance themselves from it.

By drawing near to propriety and righteousness and remaining far from punishment, they gradually leave the realm of petty people and advance into the land of the noble.

Those who understand even a little of Buddhist principles are praised by everyone in the world as good people, and all seek to emulate their conduct. Examined in this way, regarding the Buddha’s teaching that one should sincerely recite the Buddha’s name and aspire for rebirth in the Pure Land, who could dare say that it brings no benefit in this present life?

Someone asked Vương Nhựt Hưu: According to the words of Confucius, if one sincerely practices the Confucian teaching, does this not also bring benefit in the present life? Why, then, is it necessary to recite the Buddha’s name and aspire for rebirth in the Pure Land?

ANSWER.—The Buddha said: “This illusory, dreamlike body must perish, but the awakened nature abides forever.” The sages have also said: “Those who follow and practice benevolence and righteousness attain immortality, while those who hear the Way realize the fruit of non-arising.”

In short, just as medicine is not suited to only one particular hand, it is through knowing how to use it that illness is swiftly cured. Practicing the Confucian teaching is merely a worldly Dharma; it is not a world-transcending Dharma. Why? A worldly Dharma cannot lead one beyond rebirth among the six paths, whereas a world-transcending Dharma enables one swiftly to escape the cycle of rebirth and the suffering of birth and death.

Therefore, reciting the Buddha’s name and aspiring for rebirth in the Pure Land brings benefit not only in the present life but also in the life to come. Thus, the Dharma-gate of Buddha-recitation and aspiration for rebirth in the Pure Land is a surpassing Dharma that transcends both the worldly and the world-transcending.

Now the waves of the river of craving submerge beings to its very depths, yet they do not worry. They dwell in a burning house, yet why do they not fear? The net of delusion (Si) is woven densely, while the blade of wisdom (Trị) is blunt—how can it cut through? The root of doubt (Nghi) is planted deeply, while the strength of faith (Tín) is weak—how can it be pulled out? This is truly to remain willingly and wholeheartedly in such a state, delighting in seeking calamity, disparaging the realm of purity, and greedily clinging to this afflicted world. They are like locusts whose wings have been scorched, like birds in a cage or fish in a basin, yet they still call themselves joyful. Alas! In this world there is one thing from which no human being can escape and which no one can refuse.

This condition is precisely the poison that has flowed from beginningless time down to the present day; it is not something that has only recently arisen. Yet few people are seen to contemplate or pay heed to it. Consequently, throughout their lives they live as though intoxicated and die as though asleep within its domain, without ever knowing it themselves. How truly lamentable!

What is this condition? It is precisely the suffering presently confronting humankind. The ancients said: “Suffering is Saha! Suffering is Saha! Who can count the sufferings of Saha? Bliss is the Pure Land! Bliss is the Pure Land! Who can perceive the bliss of the Pure Land?” This means: Saha is a realm of suffering, and who could ever recount all the sufferings within Saha? The Pure Land is a realm of bliss, and who can truly know the bliss within the Pure Land?

We now understand that the Pure Land is the realm of supreme bliss, but what must we do if we wish to be reborn there? Amitabha Buddha made this vow: “If anyone recites my name, that person shall be reborn in my land. If it is not so, I vow not to attain Buddhahood.” Two thousand five hundred and thirty-six years have passed since Shakyamuni Buddha descended into this world.

Throughout all those years, eminent monks, sages and worthies, venerable Confucian scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, scholars, elderly people, men, women, and servants have either practiced themselves and encouraged others or composed texts and established teachings for generations to come. They esteemed the teaching as a treasure and regarded their own bodies as dust. Confronted with grave difficulties, they did not fear, but continually rectified themselves, established virtuous conduct, and diligently studied this Way.

Some practiced with appreciative joy, while others believed and took refuge; their number grew as numerous as the stars and motes of dust, yet it still could not be called great. Even those who recited the Buddha’s name while half believing and half doubting, hesitating indecisively, could still attain rebirth in the borderland of the City of Doubt in the West! How, then, could there be any doubt regarding those who possess right view and right aspiration?

There are now people who desire the pleasures of celestial and human existence but do not cultivate merit, and who wish to escape the ocean of birth and death but do not recite the Buddha’s name. This is like a bird without feathers or wings wishing to fly, or a tree without roots wishing to live. How could it possibly be easy to accomplish?

Thus, if we understand this, then not only in the present but also in days to come, we shall be freed from suffering and affliction, enjoy peace and happiness, and cease wandering through the realm of birth and death.

AROUSING FAITH IN THE PURE LAND

PART TWO

In terms of principle, the supreme truth is present within each and every day and is never remote or separate, as stated in the preceding section. In terms of practice, during the time it takes to drink one's morning tea, without being preoccupied with the affairs of the entire day, one need only recite ten times, “Namo Amitabha Buddha.” Why is this so? Because the Dharma gate of cultivation is divided into nine grades, and everyone can practice it, provided that one turns one's mind toward goodness. Therefore, everyone can practice this Dharma gate of ten recitations of the Buddha's name.

Bai Letian composed this verse:

When the Buddha was still in the world, an old man sought to enter the monastic life, but Sariputra would not permit him. The Buddha examined the man's past and saw that, in a previous life, he had been a woodcutter. Chased by a tiger, he climbed a tree and, terrified, cried out, “Namo Buddha.” Because of that small root of goodness, he now encountered the Buddha, was delivered and liberated, and attained the fruit of arhatship.

Alas! Merely calling the Buddha's name once can bring liberation; how much more so if we recite the Buddha's name throughout our entire lives?

The Sutra of the Sixteen Contemplations states: Sincerely reciting once, “Namo Amitabha Buddha,” extinguishes grave offenses accumulated through eight billion kalpas of birth and death.

Those who have committed the five rebellious offenses and the ten evil deeds, if at the moment of death they recite “Amitabha Buddha” ten times, can still attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land. How much more so those who have long observed a vegetarian diet, upheld the precepts, and recited the Buddha's name? Although one may have committed evil for a hundred years, if one practices goodness for a single hour, that evil can still be eradicated. It is like a house that has remained dark for a thousand years: when a single lamp is lit, it immediately becomes bright. Therefore, even butchers of oxen and horses can cultivate and attain realization when they lay down their knives.

This is because they know to turn their minds around, fear the law of cause and effect, avoid evil, and practice goodness. Some say, “The principle of cause and effect is not worthy of belief. Judging from what we see before our eyes, those who have lived pure lives and performed meritorious deeds should naturally receive blessings and longevity. Why, then, do we see some of them remain poor and lowly, afflicted by illness, and short-lived?

“Conversely, those who are inhumane and steeped in evil karma, who harm creatures and take life, ought by rights to endure extreme suffering and calamity. Why, then, do we see some of them enjoying long lives, wealth, and high rank? What evidence, therefore, is there for cause and effect that people should be compelled to believe in it?”

Alas! To speak in this way is no different from sitting at the bottom of a well and looking up at the sky, or viewing a leopard through a narrow tube. How could such a limited view be accurate, and how could one claim that it is not mistaken?

The Nirvana Sutra says: “The recompense of good and evil follows one as a shadow follows the form. Cause and effect throughout the three periods of time revolve without ever being lost. If this life is allowed to pass in vain, later regret will be beyond remedy.”

The Confucian Book of Changes says: “A family that accumulates goodness will surely have abundant blessings; a family that accumulates what is not good will surely have abundant calamities.” If we examine the statements cited from these sutras and books, we see that all three teachings instruct people to believe in cause and effect and to understand offenses and blessings. How could one hastily reject cause and effect merely because one has not yet seen the final outcome of karmic retribution? The Sutra of the Ten Discourses states: “To reject cause and effect is to sever one's roots of goodness.”

Thus, in ancient times, a bhiksu told someone who had come to inquire: “A person of great cultivation never falls into cause and effect” (the correct meaning being that such a person is never apart from cause and effect). Yet his listener mistakenly understood this to mean that cause and effect did not exist. Because his exposition of the Dharma was unclear and produced this harmful consequence, the bhiksu fell into rebirth as a fox for five hundred lifetimes.

Bhiksu Sunaksatra, moreover, gave rise to wrong views and rejected cause and effect, saying that there was no cause and effect; while still alive, he fell into hell. If we wish to investigate Buddhist principles and reach their profound and wondrous purpose, we must first understand and believe thoroughly in cause and effect. Only then can we enter the Buddha's right knowledge and right view.

Moreover, when one's evil offenses are numerous and one has no meritorious affinities, how can one encounter such supremely favorable conditions? Consequently, throughout one's entire life one never sees the Buddha or hears the Dharma, nor does one meet a virtuous spiritual friend who can instruct one and reveal the paths of good and evil. Going back and forth, one continues sinking and rising in the river of delusion and the sea of suffering.

Therefore, an ancient master said: “If you wish not to incur the karma of the Avici hell, do not slander the Tathagata's wheel of the true Dharma.”

Some people, while undergoing torment in this present life, know to reflect: “I too belong to the human race, yet why do others enjoy wealth, honor, refinement, and perfect ease, while I am poor, lowly, miserable, and beset by hardship on every side? Surely I planted many unwholesome causes in a previous life and have therefore now brought upon myself such painful retribution.”

If such people think in this way, turn their minds around, reform their faults, and conduct themselves according to the right path—examining themselves in all matters, whether great or small—and, in addition, observe a vegetarian diet, recite the Buddha's name, aspire to rebirth in the Pure Land, and recite, “Namo Amitabha Buddha,” then they should contemplate Amitabha Buddha as truly the compassionate father of sentient beings and single-mindedly yearn for him. The supremely numinous Buddha will then know that they have awakened, undertaken cultivation, and aspire to rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Thus it is said that the work of cultivation requires only the time it takes to drink one's morning tea, yet the resulting merit remains indestructible for ten thousand generations.

Why, then, do people of the world not cultivate? What a pity! What a waste! A Confucian book contains the saying: “Though there is a road to heaven, no one travels it; though hell has no gate, visitors seek it out.” This means that the road to the Pure Land is vast and open, yet no one seeks to discover and follow it; while hell has neither gate nor entrance, yet people continually seek a way to enter it. This is truly suffering.

Are these not the heavenly fruit attained by those who create merit and the hellish fruit undergone by those who commit offenses?

If those who create merit wish their spiritual attainment to rise ever higher and their meritorious affinities to grow ever greater, they must diligently perform repentance ceremonies, recite sutras, observe a vegetarian diet, and recite the Buddha's name. Beyond this, they should devote themselves to investigating the wondrous principle so as to expand wisdom, exhaust the wellspring of emotional attachment, and clarify the ocean of consciousness. If they can do so, then not only will the seeds of calamity and roots of misfortune wither away in this present life, while their field of merit and flowers of favorable affinity flourish, but one day they will also realize the fruit of non-arising and wander freely upon the path to the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Likewise, a person may inherit wholesome causes from a previous life and thereby enjoy blessings in the present. Yet if he then becomes infatuated with sensual beauty and wealth, covets fame and clings to profit, causing spirits to resent him, ghosts to grow angry, and others to become his enemies and foes, the roots of his merit will increasingly wither away and the bonds of enmity will tighten ever further. He will then once again be dragged by evil karma onto paths of suffering, no differently from one who has committed offenses.

As for those presently undergoing hardship, if they reflect: “I am as human as anyone else, so why are others wealthy and comfortable, riding in carriages and on horses and wearing all manner of fine garments, while I endure poverty on every side, forever lacking what I need, with clothes patched in a hundred places? Perhaps in a previous life I created many unwholesome causes, and therefore today I must bear such karmic retribution.”

If such people reflect in this way, turn their minds around, and reform their faults; if their conduct follows the right path and their actions accord with the discipline of honorable poverty; if they refrain from deceit, greed, falsehood, and dishonesty, examining themselves in all their countless affairs; and if, moreover, they observe a vegetarian diet, recite the Buddha’s name, and pray to escape the cycle of sinking and obtain a share of bliss—then the Buddha will aid them, Heaven will show them compassion, ghosts will shun them, and spirits will respect them.

The flowers of their offenses will wither and fall, while the fruits of merit will ripen to perfection. Inheriting that wholesome karma, they will then roam freely and at ease upon the path of non-arising and non-ceasing. How could they be in the least inferior to anyone?

We should understand that the fruits of suffering and happiness arise from the causes created through good and evil. Like shadows following forms, they pursue one another: when the form is straight, the shadow is straight; when the form is crooked, the shadow is curved. This principle is plainly so and does not err by even a hair’s breadth.

How much more is this true of the Dharma gate of reciting the Buddha’s name and aspiring to rebirth in the Pure Land! It consumes little time and requires very little effort, yet its fruits are beyond description. Why, then, would anyone fail to cultivate it? If one does not cultivate in this life, what assurance will one have when that day comes? This is truly lamentable and regrettable—but by then, even regret will have come too late.

AROUSING FAITH IN THE PURE LAND

THREE

When people first hear descriptions of the Pure Land, few believe them. This is not surprising. They cling to what they habitually see before their eyes and suppose that whatever they do not commonly see does not exist. It is like someone living in a cramped, filthy house, who cannot conceive of a lofty, spacious, and cool residence; or someone eating coarse vegetables from an earthenware bowl, who cannot conceive of the precious delicacies served before the abbot’s quarters.

One who keeps a few paltry possessions in a broken chest cannot conceive of the king’s overflowing treasuries and granaries filled with precious objects. Thus it is only natural that beings in this evil Saha world do not believe in the existence of a pure Buddha-land.

For this reason, most people in the world are born in the bodies of ordinary humans and cannot conceive of birth by transformation within a lotus blossom in the Pure Land. In this world, the human lifespan reaches no more than a hundred years at most; they cannot conceive that in the Pure Land, lifespans are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

In this realm, clothing and food must be produced through human labor before they can be obtained; people cannot conceive that in that land clothing and food are already provided. In this realm, joy is followed again by sorrow. In that land, joy continues without interruption.

Therefore, we should heed the Buddha’s words. We should not hastily disbelieve them merely because these things are not visible before our eyes. The Great Amitabha Sutra states: “Immeasurable bodhisattvas throughout the ten directions aspire to be reborn in the land of Amitabha Buddha.” If even bodhisattvas wish to be reborn there, what rank of person are we that we should not seek rebirth in that land?

The later incarnation of Lord Tăng Lỗ was Triết Lão, who endured much grief and suffering in his subsequent life. In his later incarnation, Cổ Lão became infatuated with wealth and honor. In her later incarnation, the lay nun Pháp Hoa became a singing girl in the household of an official. Because they did not believe in the practice of reciting the Buddha’s name and seeking rebirth in the West, they remained caught in the turning wheel of samsara and suffered distress. Moreover, the Buddha earnestly instructed people and admonished them not to speak falsely. How, then, could he himself speak falsehood and deceive others?

People in the world speak falsely for three reasons: first, to seek fame; second, to seek profit; and third, to avoid calamity.

But the Buddha cared nothing for the royal throne, so what fame could he have sought? He paid no regard to overflowing treasuries and granaries, so what profit could he have desired? The Buddha regarded birth and death as empty. If an evil person hurls an axe to cleave empty space, it is like taking a knife and cutting water—whom could it possibly harm? Why, then, would the Buddha need to speak falsely in the hope of escaping calamity?

It is therefore perfectly clear that the Buddha did not use false words to deceive people. Moreover, dwelling in the womb burdens us; old age alone can rob us of our strength; illness alone can damage our form; death alone can seize our spirit; honor gives rise to arrogance; disgrace breaks our resolve; high status makes us proud; low status crushes our determination to act; wealth weighs us down with greed; poverty deprives us of material support; pleasure stirs our emotions; suffering pains our spirit; praise arouses conceit; and criticism destroys our reputation.

Even cold oppresses our bodies, heat vexes our minds, thirst parches our throats, hunger torments our bellies, shock terrifies our souls, and fear scatters our spirits. Favorable conditions increase our attachment, while adverse conditions cause us to hate. We then deceive the ruler, defy our fathers, behave arrogantly toward others, and race after the fashions of the age.

We give rise to animal-like impulses, covet profit and seek fame, cheat people, flatter and slander, rely on power and influence to bully the helpless and bereaved, harbor deeply harmful intentions and create abundant karma, fan the flames of desire, stir up the winds of greed, chase after sensory objects, abandon the awakened nature, commit wrongful deeds, and obstruct wholesome causes. We look only ahead and never back; we set forth without considering our return.

We think only of seeking life and do not recognize death. Thus every thought is like being burned and boiled, and every step leads into a pit. Furthermore, if we understand that reaching nirvana means escaping birth, death, and samsara and enjoying peace and bliss, we must know which path leads there.

Is it not the Noble Eightfold Path?

The Noble Eightfold Path is:

1/ Right View.

2/ Right Thought.

3/ Right Speech.

4/ Right Action.

5/ Right Livelihood.

6/ Right Effort.

7/ Right Mindfulness.

8/ And Right Concentration.

All the right principles stated above possess the power to enable practitioners, from ancient times to the present, to rely upon the radiance that illuminates deviant paths and deluded byways, so that they do not go astray but proceed directly to the realm of true emptiness and tranquil cessation. Then the demon of birth and death will have no avenue through which to scatter the seeds of samsara throughout the world.

Thus, the Noble Eightfold Path is the foundation for monastics and the basis for those who study the Way. In summary, the Pure Land Dharma gate teaches people that all conditioned phenomena in the world are false and illusory: like a scene in a dream, present one moment and suddenly gone the next; like a bubble on water, arising and then bursting; like a dewdrop, gathering and then drying away. What among them could human life ever rely upon?

Therefore, a worthy sage of old said: If you do not believe the Buddha’s words, whose words will you believe now? Moreover, there are those who live in lowly, dilapidated houses yet praise them as lofty, spacious mansions; who eat stale rice and vegetable soup yet praise them as rare and delicious fare; and who wear coarse, ill-fitting garments yet praise them as fine and exquisite silk.

If one speaks of the Pure Land of the mind and the Pure Land of the realm in this way, there would then be nothing left to distinguish. Yet now, when one undergoes the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death, or encounters circumstances in worldly life that run contrary to one’s wishes, one’s countenance is no different from that of someone who has not awakened. How, then, can one dare speak of the Pure Land of the mind and the Pure Land of the realm? When one is bound by defilements and afflicted by suffering, why deceive oneself so greatly? This will not do. One should instead have faith in the teachings and practice in accordance with the true principle of the Pure Land.

In ancient times, there was someone who engraved the name of a loyal minister upon a stone tablet and falsely accused that loyal minister of being wicked. Heaven immediately struck the slanderer dead with lightning, and the stone tablet was shattered.

Now I have used gold, jade, silk, and brocade to ornament chests and caskets in which are kept the golden words spoken by the Buddha and recorded in the sutras. If those words were false, the calamity would be far greater than that which befell the slanderous tablet mentioned above. How could Heaven wait for hundreds or thousands of years without striking it? From this, we may know that the Buddha’s words are truthful. If one does not believe truthful words, then tell me: what other words could one believe?

Therefore I, Wang Rixiu, say that there is no longer any room for doubt; and being free from doubt, one should have even deeper faith. Moreover, from ancient times until the present, those who have practiced this Pure Land Dharma-gate have experienced very many responses and signs. One should not, out of disbelief, claim that none exist.

If one says that doing good brings no result, then try doing evil now and see whether calamity follows.

AROUSING FAITH IN THE PURE LAND

FOURTH

Some Confucian scholars see Buddhists who fail to observe the precepts and proper conduct and consequently speak disparagingly of Buddhism. Because of this, they also reject the Pure Land doctrine taught by the Buddha. This is not right.

Why is this so? Consider the followers of Laozi: among the Daoist priests are unrighteous people devoid of benevolence and justice. Yet could one therefore bear to slight Laozi? Or because some Confucian disciples are not virtuous, should one turn around and disparage the ethical principles taught by Confucius?

A wise person will not reject even a single correct statement uttered by an ordinary person. How much less should we seize upon the improper conduct of certain followers to disparage the sublime teaching of the World-Honored Shakyamuni?

Even among the disciples of the Buddha in ancient times, one possessed a certain excellence while lacking another. Maudgalyayana was foremost in mastery of supernatural powers; Ananda was foremost in learning and excellent memory; Shariputra’s wisdom surpassed that of the other shravakas; and Kashyapa, steadfast and resolute, was foremost in the ascetic dhutanga practices, and so forth.

If all those venerable ones had possessed every merit and virtue, with all myriad practices perfectly integrated, they would have been equal to the Buddha. How, then, could they still have remained at the stage of shravakas or bodhisattvas?

For example, among the worthy and wise disciples of Confucius, each had his own particular qualities. If the foremost worthy were compared with the last among them, how much less gifted and virtuous the last might have been than those before him! Nevertheless, he too was counted among the sages and worthies. All the more so among the Sangha of the present age: some cultivate much, while others cultivate little; some possess ability but lack virtue, while others possess complete virtuous conduct but are deficient in ability. Why, then, must we disparage the teaching itself?

Furthermore, the Dharma established by the Buddha is not a single teaching alone; it includes both worldly teachings and world-transcending teachings.

What are the worldly teachings?

The worldly teachings established by the Buddha are no different from the teachings by which Confucius instructed people. I shall now briefly describe their principal points of agreement, and ask benevolent readers to consider them carefully. In earnestly teaching people, did the Buddha not admonish them to abandon evil and practice good? And has our Confucian tradition not likewise always admonished against evil and encouraged goodness? I shall now speak of matters commonly seen before us so that they may be easily understood.

Buddhism has the five precepts: not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not speaking falsely, and not consuming intoxicants. Confucianism has the five constant virtues: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. They correspond to one another.

Buddhists refrain from killing, corresponding to the great benevolence of Confucianism. Buddhists refrain from stealing, corresponding to Confucian righteousness and integrity. Buddhists refrain from sexual misconduct, corresponding to Confucian propriety and uprightness. Buddhists refrain from drinking alcohol, corresponding to the clarity of Confucian wisdom. Buddhists refrain from false speech, corresponding to Confucian sincerity and trustworthiness. This is indeed so.

1/ The Buddha taught those who take refuge in Buddhism not to commit the three bodily karmas of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. Likewise, Confucius said, “Overcome cruelty and eliminate killing,” restraining cruel deeds and prohibiting slaughter. A poet also said, “King Wen’s virtue extended even to birds, beasts, and insects.” He could not bear to kill birds, beasts, or insects; how much less could he bear to harm human beings? How, then, could Confucianism be said not to admonish against killing?

As for stealing, Confucianism prohibits it even more sternly. Confucius also said, “I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as he loves beauty.” This means: “I have never seen anyone who delights in virtue as much as in beautiful forms.” A poet likewise lamented that people do not delight in virtue but continually delight in beauty. How, then, could the Confucian tradition be said not to admonish against sexual misconduct?

2/ The Buddha taught followers who have undertaken the precept against false speech not to lie, engage in embellished speech, use divisive speech, or utter harsh words—these are the four karmas of speech. Confucius also said, “A person without trustworthiness cannot establish himself.” A person whom no one in society trusts is useless. How, then, could Confucius be said not to prohibit false speech? He also said, “Clever words and an ingratiating countenance are seldom associated with benevolence.” Thus it is clear that Confucius admonished people against embellished speech.

Moreover, in the Confucian text Erya, Confucius told his disciples: “Do not express agreement before someone’s face and then, after withdrawing, speak differently.” Thus Confucius further prohibited divisive speech. Next comes harsh speech. Harsh speech consists of angry words and abusive insults directed at others. Xunzi said, “A single utterance can harm a person more grievously than swords and spears.” Thus Confucius and the Confucian tradition certainly prohibited harsh speech.

3/ The Buddha taught followers to keep the three karmas of the mind pure and to be free from greed, anger, and delusion. Confucius said that when one sees the kindness others have shown, one should endeavor to repay it with gratitude. In this way, Confucius admonished his disciples against greed. Confucius also praised the virtuous conduct of Boyi and Shuqi, who did not keep past enmities in mind. In this way, Confucius and the Confucian tradition admonished disciples against harboring anger and resentment. He also wished his disciples to be intelligent and discerning, and therefore said, “To be ignorant and yet refuse to learn is to be among the lowest class of people.” Thus Confucius and the Confucian tradition thoroughly lamented and admonished against delusion and ignorance.

From this it may be said that Confucianism and Buddhism have never failed to agree. Their difference, however, is that Confucianism speaks only of worldly teachings, instructing people to rectify the mind, cultivate the person, regulate the family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. It speaks only of this present lifetime, and ultimately attributes everything to Heaven.

As for Buddhism, it not only speaks of worldly teachings but also teaches supramundane teachings—those that transcend the world. It knows the events of many kalpas and clearly perceives the origins, causes and conditions, and karmic retribution of sentient beings who have undergone birth and death throughout many lives and kalpas in the six realms. It also teaches why and by what methods one may put an end to karmic retribution and the cycle of birth and death, and attain unsurpassed bodhi, perfect and complete enlightenment, like all the Buddhas.

This is why Buddhism and Confucianism are said to be different. Therefore, if one wishes to understand the profound and wondrous excellence of Buddhism, one should read the Shurangama Sutra, the Lankavatara Sutra, the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment, and the Sutra of Questions Asked by the Bodhisattva Free from All Obstructions, and understand the principles and meaning of the Diamond Sutra. Then one will naturally comprehend Buddhism thoroughly. Until one has done so, one should not be too quick to disparage it.

If one disparages what one does not understand, one incurs the rebuke expressed in Confucius’s words: “Bất tri nhi tác, khả bất giới tai, khả bất giới tai.” This means: “To act without understanding—should one not be warned against it? Should one not be warned against it?” Since this is so, the words of Shakyamuni Buddha are surely worthy of great trust. If his words are trustworthy, how could one not believe his teaching concerning the Pure Land?

Among what are called supramundane teachings, the Dharma gate of mindfulness of the Buddha and aspiration for birth in the Pure Land is supreme. Why, then, do people of the world not exert themselves? How regrettable! How lamentable!

4/ Someone asked Wang Rixiu: “Why, if Buddhism is a teaching of equality, do you distinguish Buddhism as being higher than Confucianism?” He replied: “Confucianism is a worldly teaching that speaks only of a single lifetime. Buddhism is a supramundane teaching that discusses events throughout many lives and many kalpas; naturally, it must be higher. Confucianism may be compared to a star, while Buddhism may be compared to the sun. The sun does not claim to be bright, yet its radiance naturally outshines the stars. Furthermore, if Confucianism were as lofty as Buddhism, then Confucianism would itself be Buddhism, and there would no longer be any distinction between Buddhism and Confucianism.

“Moreover, the Buddha taught: ‘Nhất thiết chúng sinh giai hữu Phật tánh.’ This means: ‘All sentient beings possess Buddha-nature.’ Although all equally possess Buddha-nature, only through cultivation can one become a Buddha; upon becoming a Buddha, one transcends the world. Without cultivation, however, one remains within the cycle of rebirth in the six realms as a sentient being. Sentient beings necessarily remain within the world. If you now insist that sentient beings are also equal to the Buddha and have likewise transcended the world, how could such a claim be accepted?”

AWAKENING FAITH IN THE PURE LAND

FIFTH

There are people in the world devoted exclusively to Chan meditation who say, “The mind is the Pure Land; what other Pure Land could there be? One’s nature is Amitabha; there is no need to seek an audience with any other Amitabha.”

At first hearing, these words seem correct, but upon examination they are not. Why? Because the Western Pure Land has both principle and actuality. In terms of principle, when one’s mind is pure, everything is pure; this indeed is the meaning of “the mind is the Pure Land.” In terms of actuality, however, the Land of Ultimate Bliss truly exists. The Buddha taught this clearly and in detail; how could he have spoken falsely?

The meaning is that everyone is capable of attaining Buddhahood; thus, one’s own nature already contains Amitabha Buddha. This is certainly not mistaken. But if one’s mind has not yet become pure, how can one say, “The mind is the Pure Land, and one’s nature is Amitabha Buddha”?

It is like a piece of precious wood that can be carved into an exceedingly beautiful image of a Buddha or bodhisattva, but only after the labor of polishing and carving has been applied. Only then is the image completed. One cannot hastily point to the uncarved precious wood and call it a finely fashioned Buddha image or an exquisite bodhisattva image.

Thus, when Chan practitioners say, “The mind is the Pure Land, and one’s own nature is Amitabha Buddha; there is no need to see any other Amitabha,” this is unreasonable. Furthermore, some believe in the Pure Land but cling to the view that it exists only within their own minds, and therefore do not wish to seek birth in that Western Land. They say that once Chan meditation has brought awakening to one’s own nature, one is naturally equal to the Buddhas and patriarchs, and Amitabha is not worthy of an audience. Such words are also wrong. Why? These words are lofty beyond measure, yet one’s practice cannot measure up to them: “Năng thuyết bất năng hành,” meaning, “Able to speak, but unable to practice.”

Moreover, that Western Pure Land is a realm without greed, attachment, anger, or delusion. But is our present mind already free from greed, attachment, anger, and delusion?

In that Western Pure Land, when one thinks of clothing, clothing appears; when one thinks of food, food appears; when one wishes for tranquility, tranquility naturally arises. But in our present realm, if we think of clothing and have none, the cold penetrates our very entrails; if we think of food and have none to eat, hunger grips our hearts; if we seek tranquility but cannot attain it, our minds seethe with agitation; and if we wish to go somewhere but are obstructed by rivers, canals, pits, chasms, and thorns and cannot proceed at once, vexation arises within us.

Thus, what is meant by saying, “The mind is the Pure Land,” is truly not easily attained. Moreover, Amitabha Buddha’s merit is greater than mountains and rivers, and his power surpasses heaven and earth. He can transform the hells into lotus blossoms as easily as turning over his hand, and he sees boundless worlds as though they were directly before his eyes.

As for our own merit and power, we cannot even liberate ourselves. Indeed, we should fear that our heavy karma will drag us down and cause us to fall into the hells! How could we transform the hells into lotus blossoms? At times we cannot even see what lies beyond a wall. How much less could we see boundless worlds? Thus, what is meant by saying, “One’s own nature is Amitabha Buddha,” is truly not easily attained.

Therefore, although the mind is the Pure Land, ultimately it has not yet become like the Pure Land; and although one’s own nature is Amitabha Buddha, ultimately one has not yet become Amitabha. How, then, could one disparage the Pure Land and refuse to believe in it, or forsake Amitabha Buddha and have no wish to behold him?

For this reason, those who cultivate the Dharma gate of mindfulness of the Buddha, seek birth in the Western Land, behold Amitabha Buddha, and seek attainment of the Way will find it very easy. But if they remain in this world of the five defilements and seek through Chan meditation to awaken to their own nature and surpass the Buddhas and patriarchs, it will be exceedingly difficult. Moreover, cultivation of the Pure Land Dharma gate does not obstruct the practice of Chan meditation in any way. Why, then, must Chan practitioners disparage the Pure Land and refuse to cultivate it?

The Larger Amitabha Sutra states that immeasurable bodhisattvas throughout the ten directions are all reborn in the land of Amitabha Buddha. Consider this: even those bodhisattvas wish to attain birth there. What rank of person are we, that we should not aspire to that land? Could it be that we are superior to those bodhisattvas?

Therefore, to say, “The mind is the Pure Land, and one’s nature is Amitabha Buddha,” is truly to utter grand words that lack what is essential, and lofty words that are not ultimate. Practitioners who have not yet attained that level of mind and nature will be gravely misled upon hearing such words.

It is far better to proceed step by step toward genuine attainment. Through mindfulness of the Buddha and cultivation, everyone will certainly be born in the Pure Land and quickly escape rebirth in the six realms. This is as far removed from those empty and unreal words as heaven is from earth.

AWAKENING FAITH IN THE PURE LAND

SIXTH

With his Buddha-eye, the Tathagata sees the events of immeasurable kalpas in the past and immeasurable kalpas in the future; therefore, there is nothing from ancient times to the present that he does not perceive. Furthermore, the Buddha taught people not to speak falsely, so he certainly would not utter falsehoods to deceive the people of the world. He himself also taught people not to cling to self; how, then, could he cling to self and boast before others? Thus, we know that his words are truly worthy of being followed.

The Surangama Sutra states that there are ten classes of immortals, all of whom may live for thousands or tens of thousands of years; yet when their allotted lifespan comes to an end, they must again undergo samsara. Because they do not understand that their own original nature inherently possesses Buddha-nature, they continue to revolve as sentient beings among the six realms. The realm of immortals is likewise a realm within samsara and is therefore spoken of as the seventh realm, or the seven destinies. Although the terms differ, all who dwell therein are equally subject to samsara.

For this reason, among the tens of thousands of people in the world who study the way of the immortals, not even one in ten thousand attains the fruit of immortality. Even if someone does attain it, that person still cannot escape samsara, because they remain attached to the form and spirit of the body composed of the four great elements and cannot relinquish that physical shell.

Examined correctly, this form and spirit are themselves a deluded conception manifested within one’s true nature, just as a bubble arises from water; they have no true and independent existence.

Yet deluded people believe this body to be real. They cultivate and refine the body but do not awaken the mind. Why? Because the mind is like an official, while the body is like his attendant. The attendant acts at the official’s command; if the official is absent, the attendant likewise disappears.

To cherish and cultivate the body is like clinging to a counterfeit object, refusing to cast aside the false in order to grasp the genuine!

Therefore, Hanshan and Shide composed this verse: “Nhiêu nhữ đắc Tiên nhân, cáp tợ thủ thi quỷ, phi nhược Phật gia chi sinh tử tự như, nhi vô sở câu giả.” Its meaning is: Even if one cultivates until one becomes an immortal, one is no different from a ghost guarding a corpse. This cannot compare with cultivating the Buddha’s path, whereby one remains at ease amid birth and death, free from all attachment.

Over the past several centuries, among those said to have attained immortality, there have been only Zhongli and Lü Dongbin. Of those known personally to me, Wang Rixiu, the number was also not small; yet in the end, all of them died and were buried beneath the earth.

Truly, they squandered their entire lives and exhausted their minds and strength, ultimately gaining no benefit whatsoever. Therefore, for anyone who wishes to attain eternal life and never die, no method surpasses the practice of Buddha-recitation and aspiration for birth in the Pure Land.

Why is this so? Because those born in the Pure Land possess lifespans extending through kalpa after kalpa and life after life; this is therefore called eternal life without death.

Yet most people do not know to cultivate this Dharma gate and instead continue to study the methods of the immortals. Is this not like casting aside a fine jewel lying before one’s eyes and forever searching for ordinary stones? How could this not be a grave mistake? Someone may ask: Is there any evidence concerning practitioners of the Pure Land after they close their eyes in death?

Wang Rixiu replies: The Biographies of the Pure Land fully records the clear accounts of responses experienced by Pure Land practitioners. How could there be no evidence?

This is unlike those who cultivate the methods of the immortals: whenever they gain even the slightest attainment, they conceal it as a secret, not daring to transmit it, saying that they fear incurring guilt by divulging the mysteries of Heaven.

In Buddhism, however, the Dharma gates taught by the Buddha are transmitted continually so that people of the world may know and practice them. Indeed, the concern is that they may not be spread widely enough, for the aim is to deliver all sentient beings; only then is the vow fulfilled.

Thus, the vastness of the Buddha’s path is truly immeasurable and cannot be equaled by the methods of the immortals.

Another person may say: I am an ordinary person. How could I dare hope to be born in the Pure Land and become a Buddha? Although I truly cherish this aspiration, I fear that it is a deluded thought. This is not so. Buddha is your own awakened nature, and the Pure Land is your own mind. Who does not possess this mind? Awakened, one is a Buddha; deluded, one is a sentient being.

People abandon their awakened nature and unite with the six sense objects. They revolve through the three realms, the four modes of birth, and the six paths, creating good and evil karma and receiving favorable and unfavorable retribution. All this occurs because they regard the body of four great elements as the self and believe the six sense objects to be real. They endlessly pursue illusory circumstances, drifting day and night without being willing to reflect, return to the luminous source, observe a vegetarian diet, and recite the Buddha’s name.

Thus, from birth until old age, they concern themselves only with household affairs, which are never finished. However much wealth they possess, they are never satisfied; the more they have, the more they seek, and their greed is never filled.

Although they speak of doing good and serving the Buddha, bowing, burning incense, and cultivating merit, they wish only to be wealthy and honored, to live long, and never to die. After performing some minor good deed and making a few prayers, they ask that their granaries overflow with rice, that their silkworms and silk multiply ten-thousandfold, that their children and grandchildren attain glory and distinction, and that their cattle and horses increase abundantly.

Should anything displeasing occur, they resent the Buddha for failing to protect them. Only when wealth arrives continually each day do they say that the devas and nagas have responded to them. Such covetous seeking is what should be called deluded thought!

How could aspiration for birth in the Pure Land be called deluded thought? Moreover, the repentance text of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva says: “I vow that when my life approaches its end, all hindrances shall be removed; I shall behold Amitabha Buddha before me and attain birth in the Land of Peace and Bliss.” This is indeed correct.

AROUSING FAITH IN THE PURE LAND

SEVENTH

Some people do not believe in cause and effect and consequently do not believe in the Pure Land. Yet how could one fail to believe in cause and effect?

The Sutra on Cause and Effect says: “Yếu tri tiền thế nhân, kim sinh thọ giả thị; yếu tri hậu thế quả, kim sinh tác giả thị.” Its meaning is: If you wish to know the causes from previous lives, observe what you experience in this life. If you wish to know the results of future lives, observe what causes you create in this life. If one does not believe these words, why not examine the matters plainly visible before one’s eyes?

Among people in the world, some are rich and others poor; some are masters of households and others servants; some have more food than they can consume, while others cannot scrape together enough to eat; some dwell in spacious houses with five chambers and seven stories, while others live in courtyards, beneath eaves, or in corners of marketplaces; some are joyful and others sorrowful; some live long, while others die young, and so forth. Each person’s circumstances differ.

Although it is said that destiny is ordained by Heaven, when the principle is correctly examined, how could Heaven show partiality toward anyone? Because people created different causes in previous lives, they experience different karmic results in this life. Heaven merely bears witness to this.

Therefore, this body is called the body of karmic retribution. What is karmic retribution? It means that whatever we created in a previous life gives rise to this body in the present life so that we may undergo its result. How could Heaven arbitrarily accommodate our wishes? Why? It is like people who have rendered meritorious service to the imperial court or committed offenses against it: those with merit are rewarded, while those guilty of offenses are punished.

Whatever wholesome or unwholesome causes we created in previous lives produce their effects in this life. We may enjoy blessings or suffer calamities in repayment; this is called undergoing karmic recompense.

Those whose wholesome causes have fully matured now enjoy complete blessings.

Those who created causes that were half wholesome and half unwholesome in previous lives likewise experience corresponding effects in the present. Thus, some people labor from dawn to dusk, sweating and shedding tears, yet still lack sufficient food and clothing. Others idle about after eating and never lift a finger, yet have fine garments to wear, dine today at lofty restaurants, and tomorrow attend one banquet after another.

Therefore, the sutra says: “Giả sử bá thiên kiếp, sở tác nghiệp bất vong; nhân duyên hội ngộ thời, quả báo hoàn tự thọ.” Its meaning is: Even after hundreds of thousands of kalpas, the karma one has created does not disappear. When causes and conditions converge, one must personally undergo the resulting retribution.

Like cause, like effect, just as a shadow follows a form and an echo follows a sound, without the slightest deviation. Therefore, it is said: “Plant peaches and obtain peaches; plant plums and obtain plums.” This means: If one plants peaches, one obtains peaches; if one plants plums, one obtains plums. “Never has anyone planted sesame and obtained beans, or planted maize and obtained rice.”

It is only that little may be planted at first, while much is harvested later. For example, only a single grain of rice is planted, yet many grains are gathered at harvest. Good and evil, calamity and blessing, are likewise.

The good or evil done at the time may be slight, yet afterward the rewards enjoyed or the punishments suffered may be abundant. Thus it is said: “In spring, one grain is sown; in autumn, ten thousand seeds are gathered.”

When people in the world create good or evil, the corresponding retribution they experience is exactly the same, neither more nor less. This is a natural principle, not a matter of some Supreme Lord rewarding or punishing us. Moreover, if there were no cause and effect in the present life, why would thieves and murderers be afraid and seek to hide? And can murderers, thieves, and robbers ever escape the evil karma they have committed?

The Nirvana Sutra states that karmic retribution is of three kinds. First is present-life retribution: good or evil karma created in this present life brings painful or joyful results within this very life. Second is birth retribution: karma may have been created in a previous life and its result undergone in a later life, or karma may be created in this life and its result undergone in the next. Third is swift retribution: as soon as a deed is committed, its corresponding result is seen.

Let us examine this once more. Those who have received an unfavorable cause and consequently undergo a painful result have already incurred one fault; if they then blame Heaven, saying that Heaven caused or punished them, they add the second fault of making a false accusation. This is like someone who carelessly allows a fire to burn down his house and then blames the ancient Suiren for inventing the method of kindling fire. No wise person would ever believe or speak such erroneous words.

This is sufficient proof that the principle of cause and effect is worthy of belief. Furthermore, what offense could a newborn infant have committed that it must suffer disability immediately upon leaving its mother’s womb—being blind, lacking or having malformed limbs, or unable to walk, stand, speak, or smile? From where, then, did the root cause of these conditions arise?

If this principle of cause and effect is worthy of belief, then the Buddha’s teaching concerning the Pure Land must certainly also be believed. Why? Because both teachings were spoken by the Buddha. Since the Buddha explained the principle of cause and effect as clearly and certainly as two plus two equals four, He would never speak falsely in teaching the Pure Land.

Because some people do not believe in cause and effect and consequently also disbelieve the Pure Land teaching, I, Wang Rixiu, have written this section to explain their error.

AROUSING FAITH IN THE PURE LAND

EIGHTH

Some people see that good and evil deeds have not yet brought retribution before their eyes, and for this reason they disbelieve the principle of cause and effect and do not believe that the Pure Land exists. They do not understand that although good and evil deeds have not yet brought their results, this does not mean that there are no results; it is merely a matter of whether they come sooner or later.

For example, a diligent and hardworking laborer wins the affection of his employer and receives an increase in wages and a promotion. A robber, by contrast, will sooner or later fall into the net of the law and, having gained little from a single crime, must repay it with many years of painful imprisonment. This, too, is cause and effect manifest in the present life.

The Buddha once summoned Ananda and said: “Ananda, do you know why some people do good in this life yet fall into hell after death, while others do evil in this life yet are reborn in heaven after death?”

Ananda said to the Buddha: “I truly do not know the reason. I respectfully beseech the Tathagata, in His compassion, to instruct me.”

The Buddha said: “Ananda, those who do good in this life yet fall into hell after death do so because the good of this life has not yet ripened, whereas the evil from a former life has already ripened.

“Those who do evil in this life yet are reborn in heaven after death do so because the evil of this life has not yet ripened, whereas the good from a former life has already ripened. Whichever karma ripens first produces its result first. It is like a debtor who first repays whichever creditor presses most urgently.”

The Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals relates that Ling Wuzi left a legacy of virtue to his son Yan. Therefore, although Yan did evil, he was able to escape calamity. Yan’s son Ding, however, did his utmost to perform good deeds, yet in the end he was implicated by Yan’s evil and had to bear its consequences in his own lifetime. Thus, although Ding did good, he nevertheless encountered misfortune while still alive.

Even the retribution of good and evil in worldly affairs visible before our own eyes occurs in this way; how much less can we know about deeds and results separated by different lifetimes? Therefore, a common saying declares: “In former times, retribution came slowly; in the present age, retribution appears before one’s eyes in the blink of an eye.”

This is indeed true. Some who were once exceedingly overbearing later become exceedingly meek. Formerly, when they possessed wealth and authority, they called out to the people, who had to answer submissively; now it is they who must answer submissively to the people. This, too, is retribution! By considering one example, we can sufficiently determine whether retribution exists.

Suppose our body is afflicted with an itchy sore. When the itching arises and we scratch it, is it not because it itches intensely? Yet after scratching the itch, does it not become extremely sore and painful? The pain is even harder to endure than the itching. This, too, is retribution. If, when the itching arose, we restrained ourselves and did not scratch, how could such soreness and pain have followed? Reasoning in this way is sufficient to know that retribution exists in every circumstance. Whether deeds are good or evil, their corresponding results accompany them. Thus a common saying declares: “Blessings do not come twice, but calamities never come alone.” This means that a blessing does not come to us twice, whereas calamity is always waiting before the gate.

If we do what is right in a village, few people may praise us, but we do not incur calamity. Yet if we commit a wrongful deed, the entire village will be in an uproar; if we are not imprisoned, we will at least suffer beatings and disgrace.

Is this not precisely the retribution by which doing good leads to good and doing evil leads to evil?

The Book of Documents also states: “The Way of Heaven blesses the good and brings calamity upon the wicked.” This means that Heaven bestows blessings upon good people and brings calamities upon evil people. Here, the word “Heaven” refers to the principle of justice.

We should understand that because the deeds performed in former lives included both good and evil, calamities and blessings are received in this life as their recompense. Because the good performed was not complete, the blessings enjoyed cannot be complete either.

Thus, some are wealthy and honored yet suffer and die young; some are poor and lowly yet live long and happily; some are noble and beloved yet suffer humiliation; some occupy humble positions yet live at ease; some pass the highest examinations at a young age, while others fail their examinations; some have abundant money and grain yet have neither sons nor daughters, while some who are utterly impoverished and weary of having children give birth one after another; in some families the husband dies while the wife survives, while in others the wife dies and the husband survives; some children die before their parents and grandparents; some enjoy happiness at first but suffer afterward; some suffer at first but later enjoy happiness;

some are happy at the beginning and end but suffer in the middle; some suffer at the beginning and end but enjoy happiness in the middle; some are joyful throughout their lives, while others are sorrowful for their entire lifetime.

If one does not believe in cause and effect, then from where do all these circumstances arise?

You should know that good and evil are clearly distinguished and that cause and effect are never lost. The Buddha spoke with certainty concerning cause and effect; therefore, he surely did not speak falsely about the Land of the West. Moreover, having been born as a human being, one should know right from wrong, understand integrity and shame, believe in cause and effect, be mindful of transgression and merit, discern good and evil, and distinguish the false from the true.

Above, one should not resent Heaven; below, one should not blame others. Neither honor nor disgrace should disturb one’s heart; neither gain nor loss should weaken one’s resolve. Dwelling amid wealth and honor, one should not rejoice; should poverty and lowliness befall one, one should not grieve.

In advancing or withdrawing, one should know how to assess one’s own strength in undertaking affairs. What ought to be done, one should do; what ought to be relinquished, one should relinquish. One should be upright, filial, humane, and compassionate, and never be deceitful from beginning to end.

Would not such a person be a noble person, indeed a great sage?

Laozi said: “Thiên võng khôi khôi, sơ nhi bất lậu,” meaning: “The net of Heaven is vast and boundless; though its mesh is wide, nothing slips through.” The Three Teachings all accord in this one principle, differing only in whether the results come slowly or swiftly. How, then, could one hastily conclude that there is no retribution and no cause and effect merely because one has not yet witnessed them before one’s eyes, and consequently disbelieve in the Pure Land?

AROUSING FAITH IN THE PURE LAND

NINTH

Someone may raise a doubt and ask: When a person in this world recites the Buddha’s name, how is it that a lotus flower then arises in the seven-jeweled pond in the Western Land?

Wang Rixiu replied: This matter is easy to understand and presents no difficulty. It is like a bright mirror: whenever any object comes before it, an image immediately appears within it. The mirror has never possessed a mind that deliberately admits the image; this is simply the mirror’s natural principle.

The land of Amitabha Buddha is wholly pure and immaculate, naturally illuminating and revealing the worlds of the ten directions, just as a bright mirror reveals one’s face and features.

Therefore, when a person in this world recites the Buddha’s name, a lotus flower naturally arises in the seven-jeweled pond of the Western Land. There is no reason to doubt this.

Someone may again raise a doubt and ask: When one recites the mantra for rebirth, Amitabha Buddha constantly stands above one’s crown and protects that person. If immeasurable numbers of sentient beings recite that mantra, how could Amitabha Buddha be present everywhere, standing above the crown of every one of them?

The answer is: This too occurs naturally. Why? It is like the single moon in the sky, which is universally reflected in every hollow filled with water. Is this not natural?

Someone diligently engaged in spiritual practice may further raise a doubt and ask: When a person who recites the Buddha’s name approaches death, the Buddha and the bodhisattvas come to welcome that person. Yet throughout the worlds of the ten directions, immeasurable numbers of sentient beings also diligently recite the Buddha’s name. How could the Buddha know when each one reaches the moment of death and come to welcome them all?

The answer is: This too occurs naturally. It is like the single sun in the sky, which universally shines upon immeasurable worlds, from one land to another. Is this not a natural principle?

How much more so is this true of the Buddha’s awe-inspiring spiritual power, which is not comparable to the power of the sun and moon? Thus, that he is universally present above the crowns of beings and universally knows the time of their death is certainly no cause for doubt.

NAMO ORIGINAL TEACHER SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA

END OF VOLUME ONE