西方確指

Preface

In the summer of the Dingwei year (1), I went to visit Venerable Xueshan in his abbot’s quarters. The Venerable handed me a book and said:

“This is a precious vessel. The circumstances giving rise to this book are most extraordinary. Toward the end of the Ming dynasty, in Wu City, there were eight friends who practiced the esoteric arts together.

Every day they would invite immortals to descend through the spirit-writing altar and discuss the arts of the Way. Eventually, an immortal descended whose exposition of the Way differed entirely from those of the other immortals. Through their conversations over many days, they became increasingly close.

Much later, the immortal suddenly urged them to recite the Buddha’s name. Everyone asked, ‘Should we recite the Buddha’s name?’ The immortal replied, ‘Indeed you should!’ They all recited, ‘Namo Buddha.’ The immortal said, ‘That is not how you should recite.’ They asked, ‘Then how should we recite?’ The reply was, ‘You should join your palms, direct your minds with utmost sincerity toward the West, bow in homage, and recite: Namo Amitabha Buddha.’ They obeyed.

From then on, the immortal skillfully and subtly taught them the Dharma-gate of Buddha-recitation, causing them to abandon the false and return to the true, and to seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Only then did the immortal disclose to them their past karmic affinities and his title as a bodhisattva—for he was a bodhisattva appearing in manifestation—and manifest auspicious signs such as wondrous fragrances, various celestial flowers, and more.

All eight abandoned their former deviant practices and turned toward right faith. Wuxiu was the teacher of those eight men. The Bodhisattva instructed him to request ordination from Venerable Sanmei so that he might fully assume the appearance of a member of the Sangha.

At first, the Venerable questioned him closely, but after reading the Bodhisattva’s verse in praise of the moon, he immediately bowed reverently toward the West and performed the tonsure and ordination ceremony for him. The reason was that when the Bodhisattva first descended through the spirit-writing altar, everyone supposed that he was an immortal, so they took the moon as a subject and asked him to compose a poem. On that occasion, the Bodhisattva bestowed the following verse:

The radiance of a single moon encompasses a thousand worlds;

Its measureless manifestations illuminate all the deluded.

Know that the fundamental essence has never been two;

Unmoving and adorned, it transforms according to beings’ capacities.

(Meaning:

A single moonbeam shines throughout the entire trichiliocosm. Its measureless manifestations awaken all who still remain deluded. Thus we know that the fundamental essence has never been dual. The unmoving, adorned Dharma-body transforms to deliver beings of every capacity.)

Beginning on the twenty-eighth day of the fifth month in the Guiwei year during the reign of the Ming emperor Chongzhen and continuing until the second day of the tenth month in the Dinghai year during the reign of the Qing emperor Shunzhi (2), the Bodhisattva descended through the spirit-writing altar twenty-four times. Everything he taught concerned the subtle and essential points of spiritual cultivation. Because his verse contained the words “que zhi zheng xiu lu”—“pointing out precisely the path of right cultivation”—they named this work Precise Guidance to the Western Land.

When I finished reading it, my body and mind were filled with joy, as though a drop of ghee had permeated my innermost being. I therefore continued praising its wondrousness without cease. The Venerable said, “At first, I too did not believe it, but after reading it, my spirit and understanding became radiant; even if I had wished not to believe, I could not.” I replied, “Through their past karmic connections, the Bodhisattva had profound affinities with those eight men.

Out of boundless compassion for them, he skillfully employed this expedient means to guide them. How could this be compared with the ordinary spirits and ghosts that commonly descend at spirit-writing altars? Moreover, I see that, when he was about to take his leave, the Bodhisattva said, ‘The practice of setting up a spirit-writing altar is inherently something upon which spirits and ghosts rely; it is not a customary manner in which a great bodhisattva responds and manifests.’ How, then, could this book be regarded as no different from ordinary books produced through spirit-writing?”

At that time, I vowed to have this book carved and printed for wide circulation, so as to benefit all sentient beings, but the necessary conditions were not yet complete. It was not until the spring of the Jiyou year that monastic and lay Dharma friends alike joyfully and gladly vowed to contribute funds to help complete the printing. Some even wept as soon as they began to read it; after weeping, they continued reading, then immediately relinquished the homes, clothing, possessions, and other things they had cherished and entered deep into the mountains to practice Buddha-recitation.

Could this be anything other than the Bodhisattva’s inconceivable work of gathering in and transforming sentient beings through unconditional loving-kindness? I therefore joined the two elder Dharma masters Lingxi and Huijie in hiring artisans to carve the printing blocks. When the carving was complete, I recorded the circumstances from beginning to end as set forth above.

On the full-moon day of the ninth month in the Jiyou year (1669) during the Kangxi reign,

Composed by Liangxi Jin’e, a disciple of the Pure Karma tradition from ancient Wu.

(1) In the Dingwei year during the Kangxi reign (1667), Venerable Xueshan transmitted this book, Precise Guidance to the Western Land, to Jin’e.

(2) The period from the Guiwei year during the reign of the Ming emperor Chongzhen to the Dinghai year during the reign of the Qing emperor Shunzhi extended from 1643 to 1647. From the time the Bodhisattva descended into the Dharma assembly until he took his leave, more than four years passed. There were twenty-four assemblies in all.

During that period, in 1645, Qing forces besieged Yangzhou and massacred the city’s inhabitants for ten days, killing eight hundred thousand people. They then besieged Jiangling and killed another one hundred thirty thousand people. Wu City is present-day Suzhou, situated below Jiangling and near Lake Tai.

As recorded in the History of the Qing: “The royal army—the Qing forces—advanced upon the Three Wu regions. The rebels around Lake Tai were taken by surprise and had nowhere to escape.” This refers precisely to that period.

Precise Guidance to the Western Land

Once, a Bodhisattva manifested from the Land of Ultimate Bliss and descended to a spirit-writing altar in ancient Gou-Wu, in the land of Zhendan (China), within the Saha world. Because the disciples in the assembly had past karmic affinities with him, they were all transformed and delivered. To teach them the Pure Land Dharma-gate, the Bodhisattva spoke this verse:

The essential Dharma of all Buddhas

Is subtle, secret, and inconceivable.

Because it is inconceivable,

It cannot be fully expressed.

The Great Compassionate Father, Muni,

Took pity upon all sentient beings

And taught the inexpressible Dharma

For this age and ages to come.

He further employed a wondrous expedient

To reveal the Land of Peace and Bliss,

Causing beings to vow to attain rebirth there

And cut directly across the evil paths.

Through Amitabha Buddha’s

Great vows, beings of every class are embraced.

Those who hear and uphold the Buddha’s name

Will certainly attain rebirth, without error.

(They will certainly attain rebirth, with no further possibility of error.)

If there is one of great spiritual power

Who recites single-mindedly and without interruption,

Accomplishing profound samadhi,

That person will see the Buddha even in this very life.

I now follow exactly

What the Buddha has taught

And shall instruct and transform you,

Mindful that you are deluded and inverted.

I point out precisely the path

So that you may cultivate rightly.

This is no karmic affinity

That is base or insignificant!

You should reflect upon how difficult it is to encounter.

Though the Western Land lies countless kotis of leagues away,

With a single thought of faith, it is immediately attained.

After speaking the verse, the Bodhisattva instructed the disciples to read it aloud once. He then said, “Until now, you have studied and practiced esoteric arts; your minds have been weak and your cultivation deviant. Because of our past karmic affinities, I have felt great compassion for you and have come here to instruct you. I have now first pointed out the Western Pure Land as the one proper direction and the one path of right cultivation. Fearing that you may still harbor doubts and be unable to give rise to ultimate faith, I shall next reveal my name and the Dharma that I myself have realized, so that everyone may know that the one teaching this Dharma is a great bodhisattva.

Good men! During my former cultivation of the causal ground, by means of the wondrous, still, awakened mind, I clearly perceived that throughout all lands, all sentient beings possess this mind in common. I thereby attained perfect awakening to Wondrous Enlightenment, clearly awakened to the wondrous mind, and gave rise to measureless wondrous practices to deliver sentient beings. For this reason, Amitabha Buddha bestowed upon me the name Awakened Radiance, Wondrous Practice. From this day forward, you should take refuge and harbor no further doubt.”

At that time, the eight members of the assembly joined their palms together and, with utmost sincerity, recited, “Namo Bodhisattva Wondrous Practice of Luminous Awakening,” then rose and paid homage. The Bodhisattva said, “Excellent! It is precisely so!”

– Someone asked about the method of upholding and reciting sutras and mantras. The Bodhisattva taught: “To uphold sutras and mantras means to uphold one’s own mind. The essential point is to understand directly and clearly the ground of the mind. If one merely thinks that one need only become proficient in upholding them and recite them many times—reciting this sutra, that mantra, or the name of some Buddha—and then claims to possess great merit, yet cannot return every single phrase wholly to the self-nature, nor deeply understand the wondrous ultimate truth of the Tathagata, but nevertheless claims that one can thereby attain realization, then have you not seen this? At crossroads there are blind people, those without legs, male beggars, and female beggars whose mouths ceaselessly recite all day until nightfall. If the number of their recitations of the Buddha’s name throughout an entire year were counted, it would surely exceed several hundred thousand repetitions. Yet in the end they remain disabled people and beggars, never having attained the slightest stage of realization. Why is this? It is simply because they lack understanding and practice. Therefore, you must know that whichever sutra you uphold, you should practice in accordance with that sutra. You must also make great vows: either to seek rebirth in a Buddha-land, to seek illumination of the ground of the mind, to bring forth great wisdom, or to benefit all sentient beings universally. All these aspirations are fulfilled through reliance upon the Tathagata’s vast and profound spiritual power. Only this can rightly be called upholding sutras, upholding mantras, and reciting the Buddha’s name!”

– The elderly monk Tianran, having suffered from a long illness that did not improve, intended to enter Mount Jing and wait there for death, entrusting his bones to the Universal Stupa. The Bodhisattva taught: “For you to wish to wait for death in the mountains is truly to create trouble where none exists. Are you worried that there will be no place to dispose of your old bones? Do you not know that once your eyes have closed and your legs have stretched out, whether others chop you with knives, hew you with axes, burn you with fire, or cast you into the water, none of it will concern you in the least? Yet you intend to make long-term arrangements for others—this is truly foolish beyond measure! Moreover, this body is already useless while alive, to say nothing of after death. You should now set aside other matters and uphold only the single phrase ‘Amitabha Buddha,’ never relinquishing it from thought to thought. Amitabha Buddha will then become your good friend. When the final moment arrives, he will manifest before you and receive and guide you. Would not rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss be better than entering the mountains to wait for death? Furthermore, birth, aging, illness, and death are sufferings of the world that are difficult to avoid. Since you have been ill for a long time, pay no heed to whether the illness is cured or not; simply recite the Buddha’s name single-mindedly. Whether you live or die, let either be acceptable—that is all!”

– Zeng Bu’er intended to follow a master and receive the precepts. The Bodhisattva taught: “What a pity, what a pity! With a dignified appearance and stately deportment, you nevertheless do not know how to take refuge in yourself. When your conduct is examined, how does it differ from that of a layperson? I see that although your body is in this place, your spirit already wanders through the hells. You must urgently cultivate and reform yourself, cease evil and practice good, seek Buddhahood above, and transform sentient beings below. You must not remain muddled and benighted, wasting the limited span of time and entangling yourself in afflictions for myriad kalpas. As for receiving the precepts, if you do not receive them, let that be the end of it; but once you have received them, you must not violate them by so much as a hair’s breadth. You must preserve the precepts in purity, like flawless white jade and a lustrous pearl, entirely without the slightest blemish. Only in this way can the quality of the precepts be perfected. The precepts are the very foundation by which all Buddhas of the three times enter the Way; do not treat them as a game. You must also cultivate in tranquility, or travel to various places to seek instruction, draw near to good companions, and distance yourself from those who are coarse and base. When you associate with good companions, the work of the Way is easily practiced; when you draw near to evil companions, precepts and conduct are easily lost. These two statements are the essential key to a lifetime of studying the Way. Remember them well!”

– In a previous life, the brothers Ma Yongxi were hunters. One day, they entered the mountains and together killed a deer, and thus received the karmic retribution of short lives. However, whenever they saw a Buddha image in a stupa that had fallen to the ground, they would immediately raise it up, set it securely in place, pay homage, and only then depart. Because of that wholesome cause, they were able to obtain human bodies once more. The Bodhisattva first revealed and explained these events to Yongxi. Alarmed, Yongxi asked for a means of attaining longevity.

The Bodhisattva said: “Long ago, at Miaojue Monastery in the North, there was a young novice monk who was only sixteen years old. A physiognomist whose pronouncements concerning human life and death never erred by even a hair’s breadth told the novice monk, ‘In mid-autumn of your eighteenth year, you will die!’ The novice monk was greatly frightened. That night, he prayed before the Buddha, imploring the Buddha to grant him some scripture from the Great Canon that he might uphold throughout his life in order to seek longevity.

After making this supplication, he was unable to restrain his sorrowful weeping. He again bowed to the Buddha and withdrew. Entering the room that housed the Great Canon, he casually reached out and obtained a copy of the Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra.

He then copied it and upheld it day and night without negligence. He also observed the precepts with scrupulous purity and awakened to the profound principle. By the age of forty, the reputation of his cultivation had spread far and wide, and the fourfold assembly took refuge in and revered him.

It was not until he reached the age of eighty that he entered nirvana while seated. This was none other than Chan Master Weixing of Luoyang. The event occurred in the sixth year of the Kaiyuan era during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty (1), and I personally witnessed it.

Now that you fear a short life and wish to seek longevity, you should emulate that novice monk. Find the most complete copy of the Vajracchedika Sutra, bring forth the resolve to transcribe it, diligently study and recite it, and also seek to understand its meaning. This is inner merit.

From this day onward, you must not kill any living creature but must cherish them as you cherish your own body. You must also accumulate much hidden virtue; this is outer merit. When you cultivate both inwardly and outwardly, your merit will be immense.

You will naturally accord with the principle of Heaven, and the truth of the nonduality of a short and a long life will thereby be established. Why then should you worry that your lifespan will not be long? Yet from beginning to end, you must carefully maintain this practice, just as that novice monk never became negligent even up to the age of eighty; only then will you accord with the Way.

You must not have a beginning without an end, practicing for ten days, half a month, one year, or two years, and then letting go and abandoning it midway. If you can truly observe and uphold this throughout your entire life, without interruption from beginning to end, yet fail to fulfill what you seek, then all the Buddhas and I shall be guilty of false speech.”

– The Bodhisattva taught Chen Dingzhuan as follows: “It is truly rare that you and your father practice according to my teachings. However, you must maintain your resolve steadfastly for a long time and must not give rise to thoughts of seeking miraculous responses. As for the two words ‘cultivation and practice,’ you must observe them as constantly as you put on clothes and eat your daily meals.”

– The Bodhisattva instructed the mother of Tra Dinh Hoang: “Formerly, you had the aspiration to follow the Way, but you did not encounter a true and upright teacher. This is indeed lamentable. I shall now explain and instruct you. In a former life, you were a bhiksu who exerted himself in diligent cultivation, never growing indolent by day or night, for your resolve was intense. While abiding in pure concentration, you suddenly conceived the thought: ‘Why can I not quickly attain Buddhahood?’ On another day, hearing it said that all Buddhas are without form and that this very mind is Buddha, you indulged even further in erroneous speculation, thinking: ‘All dharmas are empty and quiescent, and my mind is Buddha, so what further need is there for cultivation?’ You did not understand that these words express the ultimate principle of emptiness and are not something that those newly entering the Dharma realm can readily claim. From then on, that bhiksu fell into wrong views and ceased to cultivate diligently, telling himself that he had already realized the Great Way. Thus delusion compounded delusion, and he sank into transmigration throughout the long night. How lamentable are sentient beings who seek the Way but fail to encounter a true善 spiritual friend! Before escaping the snare, they cannot afford to be incautious. You should now understand that, because of your former wrong views, you received the retribution of the five female defects, lost right knowledge and right view, and again encountered a false teacher whose poison infected you. How could you not give rise to fear? You must now quickly awaken right faith, wholeheartedly recollect Namo Amitabha Buddha, and seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.”

– On behalf of a friend, Mr. Vo Hu asked: “How much longer will he live?” The Bodhisattva replied in verse:

Human life is like morning dew,

Illusory and floating, its term uncertain.

If one has not escaped the dreamlike illusion,

What use is there in seeking foreknowledge?

The Bodhisattva further instructed: “Do not ask about his allotted time. When the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month arrives, he will be utterly occupied, with both hands and feet in turmoil.” (That friend indeed fell ill and died on the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month in the following year.) Having heard this instruction, Mr. Vo Hu again requested guidance from the Bodhisattva.

The Bodhisattva said: “Nguyen Ba, you should understand: To study the Way without illuminating this mind is like building a house without a foundation or crossing a river without a raft. If you wish to illuminate the mind, you must subtly and thoroughly contemplate: From where have this body and mind arisen? Since the body is an illusory conjunction of the four great elements, where can the knowing mind lodge?

Since body and mind are illusory, the world and every mote of dust are ultimately no different. From where do the myriad dharmas before your eyes arise, and where do they go when they cease? If there is neither arising nor cessation, then neither that which illuminates nor that which is illuminated has any place upon which to depend, and you will directly perceive True Suchness, quiescent and extinct, pervading everywhere.”

– Khong Sanh of Cu Khuc had observed a vegetarian fast for twenty years. Thinking that he had grown old and feeble, he worried about what would become of him after death and wept without cease. The Bodhisattva instructed him: “Do not grieve or weep. You need only have deep faith and practice in exact accordance with my words; then you will naturally have an auspicious place in which to settle.” Having said this, the Bodhisattva taught the following verse:

In the West there is a Pure Land

To which humans and devas alike return.

If you cultivate this Dharma gate,

You will be peaceful and secure, free of fear and doubt.

– Tram Van Chau, a renowned physician specializing in cold-damage disorders (*), suddenly came to pay homage. The Bodhisattva asked: “If cold qi invades the pericardium, what is the illness called?” Mr. Tram replied: “It is called cold invasion.” Taking this occasion, the Bodhisattva instructed the assembly: “You know only that when cold qi invades the pericardium, it is called the illness of cold invasion, [but you do not know] that when deviance invades the mind, it is called the illness that destroys one’s life. You regard only bodily sickness as sickness and concern yourselves with treating it; yet when the mind is gravely ill, you see no need to seek a skilled physician or request wondrous medicine, but willingly endure suffering without realizing anything at all. How lamentable!”

– In obedience to the Bodhisattva’s instruction, Mr. Tran Dai Tam recited the Buddha’s name with utmost sincerity. The Bodhisattva taught him the following verse:

Within the pool of eight virtues, a lotus has been planted;

Indeed, this single thought is profoundly mysterious.

Though its nurturing depends upon the Tathagata’s power,

Its growth and blossoming rely entirely upon a resolute mind.

(Bat duc tri trung lien di chung,

Qua nhien nhat niem tham tham huyen

Tu boi tuy ta Nhu Lai luc

Truong duong toan bang quyet dinh tam)

The Bodhisattva further instructed the assembly: “Whenever someone in this realm makes the vow to attain rebirth, a lotus immediately appears in the Land of Peace and Bliss; therefore I spoke as I did. You should give rise to profound faith.”

– Mr. Ton Trung Bach was fond of the art of refining the numinous elixir, but after a long time he had achieved no result. He therefore came to the Dharma assembly to pay homage to the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva rebuked him: “So today this bald old man has finally consented to lose face and come see me? Let me ask you: When will your golden elixir finally be refined?” He replied: “I am still seeking to complete its refinement.” The Bodhisattva said: “If you succeed, then among the tens of thousands of golden-elixir pills, remember to keep several aside and not swallow them all. Wait until you meet old King Yama face-to-face, and then make a fine gift of them to several of his attendants! You foolish old man! That affair is not your proper duty. You would do better to attend to your own fundamental responsibility!”

Mr. Ton bowed in gratitude. A short while later, the Bodhisattva again said: “You foolish old man! Do you now know what your fundamental responsibility is?” Mr. Ton replied: “To seek my own nature is my fundamental responsibility.” The Bodhisattva instructed: “Do you know whether that own nature is large or small, blue or yellow?” He replied: “The own nature has no such characteristics.” The Bodhisattva instructed: “If that is so, toward what place do you intend to go in order to seek and behold it?” Mr. Ton remained silent. He then gave rise to faith, took refuge, vowed to become a disciple, and asked the Bodhisattva to bestow upon him a Dharma name. The Bodhisattva then taught this verse:

The nature has no marks of large or small, blue or yellow;

How could it have a sound or name by which you might call it?

Unless you penetrate the mystery within,

Even a single phrase or half a word will be false and erroneous.

I shall now provisionally give you the name Dat Bon. From this point onward, you have at most only seven or eight years remaining (2). Do not squander the merit of the thirty-six years of ascetic cultivation you undertook during the past eight hundred years.”

Mr. Ton then asked what the final outcome of his body would be. The Bodhisattva replied: “The final outcome is simply the final outcome. Why do you still ask what the final outcome will be?” Mr. Ton then asked how he should cultivate and uphold the practice. The Bodhisattva instructed: “The single Dharma gate of the Pure Land can universally gather and transform beings of every capacity. Since you have asked how to cultivate and uphold it, you should recite Amitabha Buddha’s name and vow to attain rebirth. Once this one matter is accomplished, all hundred matters are completed. What more need you worry about?”

– The Bodhisattva further instructed everyone as follows: “Since ancient times, when the teachings of the great sages and worthies were first established, they were truly essential and exceedingly simple. Those of superior faculties awakened as soon as they heard them, while those of middling and inferior faculties all cultivated them after hearing and all returned to the Great Way. Authors of later generations elaborated verbose language and intricate theories, causing ordinary beings to cling firmly to preconceived views. Consequently, the more they were taught, the further they strayed; they deeply believed deviant and bizarre doctrines, remained deluded throughout their lives, and never awakened by themselves. Dat Bon, for example, read books teaching methods for cultivating immortality. Because he did not understand the essential Dharma, he perversely believed false traditions, imagined that he had attained realization, and clung so stubbornly that he could not let go. His hair turned white without his accomplishing anything, and he gave rise to many afflictions. The Bodhisattva regards him as truly pitiable. Therefore, you should recognize your former errors and honor right faith.”

– On one occasion, as the Bodhisattva was about to descend to the Dharma assembly, all eight disciples—Vo Hu, Thuong Nhiep, Thuong Nguyen, Dinh Mau, Dat Bon, Tra Dinh Hoang, Tran Dinh Chuyen, and Tra Dinh Man—waited reverently and solemnly, chanting the Buddha’s name together. Suddenly, they perceived an extraordinary fragrance spreading down through the air. Everyone rejoiced, regarding it as something unprecedented. The Bodhisattva said:

– Excellent! Excellent! Do you know whether our gathering here today is due to causes from past lives? Long ago, in the sixth year of the Tianjian era under Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty (507), I left the household life at Jingren Monastery in the Eastern Commandery of the Northern Wei kingdom and became a great bhiksu. Fleeing the turmoil, I traveled south and took up residence (3) at the foot of Mount Jiming. At that time, eight people followed me in cultivation and study. Not long afterward, the ravages of war caused us to lose contact with one another. Two years later, I manifested parinirvana at Tianzhu Monastery in Wulin. Later, during the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang dynasty (4), I was reborn as the eldest son of Prince Xian in Qinghe, and once again relinquished official rank to leave the household life. Now, the gathering of you eight to recite the Buddha’s name has likewise arisen because I myself awakened your aspiration for the Way, exactly as in the past, without the slightest difference. Yet, throughout the more than eight hundred years since you parted from me, you have continued drifting in samsara without knowing to turn back. How lamentable! How painful! I shall now clearly explain again the practices you have cultivated, so that you may swiftly bring them to fulfillment and soon attain liberation. Each of you must listen carefully.”

– The Bodhisattva taught Master Wuxiu: “Until now, although you have studied the teachings of the Mystery School, you have nevertheless remained reverent toward all Buddhas. You should know that this is due to causes from past lives. You must now swiftly bring forth the profound mind, diligently cultivate the Pure Land practice, and guide others, so that these thirteen years will not pass in vain. I transmit the following verse to you:

Eight hundred years ago, affinities were already formed;

Today we meet beneath the clear blue sky.

Since you know the autumn moon within your original nature,

Do not labor seeking a boat upon the Yangtze River.”

– The Bodhisattva taught Master Changshe: “You regularly uphold the Great Compassion Mantra. How do you uphold it?” Changshe replied: “The mantra is recited distinctly and clearly, yet the mind that recites it is entirely unobtainable.” The Bodhisattva said: “Only when you uphold it in this way can it be called the true upholding of a mantra. I have a verse to entrust to you:

You uphold the Great Compassion Mantra;

You should understand the mind of great compassion.

Free from both names and characteristics,

Use it to deliver all sentient beings.”

– The Bodhisattva taught Master Changyuan: “Since you have left the household life, you must be humble and gentle, honor and serve your teachers and elders, refrain from seeking personal gain, and strengthen your aspiration. Do not spend the whole day sitting amid clouds and mist.” Master Yuan did not understand.

The Bodhisattva taught him again: “Being so confused, do you understand your own mind?” Master Yuan remained silent. The Bodhisattva instructed him to recite the Cundi Mantra once, and Master Yuan respectfully complied and recited it. The Bodhisattva said: “If that is not your mind, what would you call it?” The verse says:

Seeing that which from the outset is no-mind—

That itself is your original mind.

One recitation of the Cundi Mantra,

And the whole essence is entirely clear.

– The Bodhisattva taught Master Dingmao: “When upholding the Cundi Mantra each day, you must apply your mind continuously, closely, and subtly. Contemplate every circumstance, whether noisy or still, whether an object or not an object, whether pleasing or repugnant: there is nothing that is not the present embodiment of this mantra. It is precisely my wondrous mind flowing forth at every instant. If you uphold it in this way, you will certainly attain realization. I shall also use spiritual power to assist you in bringing it to fulfillment. You should recite my verse:

These two lines of esoteric words

Are your original mind itself.

Do not say that the wondrous Dharma

Is an exceedingly profound doctrine.

– The Bodhisattva asked Master Daben: “What do you seek?” He replied: “I seek to illuminate the mind.” The Bodhisattva said: “Can this be attained merely by empty words on the lips and tip of the tongue? You must diligently recite the Buddha’s name; the efficacy of this is tenfold.” He then taught him the following verse:

Outside the mind there is no Buddha;

Buddha is your own mind.

Believe deeply, without doubt:

In a single thought, there is no arising.”

– The Bodhisattva taught Master Zha Dinghong: “As you uphold the Diamond Prajnaparamita Sutra, you should know that there are seven occasions when you should not recite it: when the mind is dull and obscure, you should not recite it; when you have committed a fault, you should not recite it; immediately after entering an impure place, you should not recite it; after drinking alcohol, you should not recite it; when disturbed by others and lacking purity, you should not recite it; when there is something you ought to do but have not yet done, you should not recite it; and when the mind is occupied with remembering something else, you should not recite it. If you are determined to receive and uphold the sutra, you must avoid these conditions. Once your recitation has become thoroughly fluent, uphold it directly while contemplating the mind. If you can practice in this way, the merit will be inconceivable and the resulting recompense will be inconceivable. The Buddha spoke truthful words; you must preserve and uphold them. I teach you the following verse:

A single Prajnaparamita Sutra—

Its merit is inexhaustible.

It uproots deluded thoughts

And frees one from the illness of birth and death.”

– The Bodhisattva taught Master Chen Dingzhuan: “When a petty person commits evil, he fears only that others will know; when a noble person does good, he likewise fears only that others will know. You should perform the work of the Buddha with the noble person’s cautious and circumspect mind. I therefore have the following verse:

Do not hope that others will know;

Do not seek a response from heaven.

Constantly preserve the one mind,

Keeping it steadfast and upright.”

– The Bodhisattva taught Master Chen Dingmin as follows: “Before reaching the age of twenty, you already knew to turn toward the Way. This truly arises from causes in past lives. I now give you the name Min. The character Min has four meanings: keen intelligence, diligence, subtlety, and swiftness. Keen intelligence dispels your obscurity. Diligence prevents and eliminates laziness. Subtlety opens and develops wisdom. Swiftness arouses you to resume what you have neglected. You should contemplate this name and reflect upon its meanings. Do not think that the Bodhisattva has merely given you an empty name! I further teach you the following verse:

You are still young;

You should learn filial piety and fraternal respect.

By these, preserve your conduct,

And do not lose your aspiration.”

– On that day, Master Chen Daxin arrived after everyone else. The Bodhisattva asked: “How do you cultivate and uphold the Dharma?” He replied: “I cultivate only the Pure Land practice.” The Bodhisattva said: “Apart from this Dharma, what other Dharma could possibly surpass it? I bestow upon you a verse:

The Way speaks of nothing else;

It is only the mind itself.

As soon as the lotus womb is formed,

Be wholly devoted, without a divided mind.”

– The Bodhisattva said: “The single gateway of the Pure Land that I teach is truly the Mind School of all Buddhas and the direct path for devas and humans. Although you now seek rebirth there, your vows are not yet earnest. You are like people who enter the great ocean but fail to gather its precious pearls, gaining only fruitless toil! Long ago, during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Jin dynasty (323–326), I bore a lowly and impoverished body. Because of my poverty and suffering, I made this great vow: ‘Because of karma from past lives, I now endure this painful retribution. If today I do not behold Amitabha Buddha, attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, and perfect all merits and virtues, then even if my body should perish, I shall never retreat or rest.’ After making this vow, for seven days and seven nights I concentrated single-mindedly upon recollection. My mind immediately opened to awakening, and I beheld Amitabha Buddha, whose excellent marks and radiant light pervaded the worlds of the ten directions. In the Buddha’s very presence, I personally received a prediction of Buddhahood. Later, at the age of seventy-five, I entered parinirvana while seated.”

Having been born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, because of the profound and weighty aspiration to liberate sentient beings, one may later be born again into this world and manifest in various places: perhaps as a bhikshu, perhaps as a lay practitioner, perhaps as a king, perhaps as an official, perhaps in a female body, or perhaps as a butcher or beggar. Whether concealed or manifest, whether acting in accord or opposition, one teaches the Dharma according to circumstances and guides beings of every kind.

Moreover, because most immortals have not awakened to true permanence, but crave elixirs of longevity and do not aspire to advance in cultivation, I manifested as an immortal to save them from falling into deluded paths, as occurred during the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang dynasty. Now, for your sake, I again clearly distinguish the heterodox from the orthodox and expound the Pure Land teaching. You should single-mindedly and wholeheartedly cultivate and steadfastly uphold this Dharma-gate, never again going astray.

If your resolve and mind remain unified and unwavering, you need not wait until death to attain rebirth there; even in this very life you may behold the Buddha, just as I did in former times, without any difference. I have four lines of verse:

Speak one sentence less of idle talk;

Recite the Buddha’s name one sentence more.

Strike your deluded thoughts to death,

And your Dharma-body will be revealed.”

– Someone asked: “How can a student of the Way free himself from worldly desires and attain unobstructed freedom?”

The Bodhisattva taught: “I shall infer the great from the small and the inward from the outward. You should understand this meaning well. Suppose someone, without cause, took a single coin from you. Would you become angry?”

They replied: “Although one coin is a trifling thing, seeing someone take it away would arouse anger.”

“Suppose, again, that someone gave you a coin without cause. Would joy arise in your heart?”

“Although one coin is a trifling thing, seeing someone give it to us would surely make us glad.”

One person replied: “A single coin is so little that receiving it is not worth rejoicing over, nor is losing it worth becoming angry over!”

The Bodhisattva said: “If you truly understood this, your minds should long ago have become pure. Why, then, do you remain immersed in defilement even now? You should know that this is because students of the Way do not carefully cleanse their minds.

Thus, whether they perceive existence or nonexistence, they become attached everywhere, and every thought is marked by craving. Because karmic consciousness is ceaselessly astir and cannot pause even briefly, although you recite a single phrase, ‘Amitabha Buddha,’ your thoughts continue as before to race after external objects and cannot return to a single point even for an instant. This is because, throughout immeasurable kalpas, you have never aroused a mind that departs from worldly desires, even for a moment or a single day.

Therefore, since beginningless kalpas, worldly desires have never left your minds, even for a moment or a single day. Your bodies are bound and your minds entangled; you are deeply caught in the net of the world. How could you be like the lotus, which grows from filthy mud yet remains unstained?

“Therefore, if you wish to sever craving and attachment, you must first contemplate and relinquish the matter of another person taking or giving you a single coin. Regard it as having nothing to do with you: when it is taken, do not become angry; when it is given, do not rejoice. Proceed in this way with a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand coins; with hundreds of millions upon millions of coins; with kingdoms and cities, wives and children; with your body, flesh, bones, and marrow; with mind, mentation, and consciousness of the past, present, and future; and even with birth and death, karmic retribution, bodhi, and nirvana.

Regard all of these exactly as you regard the giving or taking of a single coin. Then habitual tendencies and outflows will naturally disappear, obstructing conditions will forever be extinguished, and you will gradually attain purity and perfect the qualities of the Path. You should practice accordingly.

Do not hesitate and thereby become entangled and obstructed.”

– The second day of the first winter month was the Bodhisattva’s birthday, and everyone arranged offerings to celebrate her longevity. The Bodhisattva asked: “What will you offer to celebrate my longevity?” Everyone replied: “We offer our minds.” The Bodhisattva asked: “What kind of thing is the mind that it can be offered?” They answered: “Only a heart of utmost sincerity; fundamentally, there is no thing at all!” The Bodhisattva said: “If you say there is no thing, then who knows that there is utmost sincerity? If utmost sincerity is known, it must have a location. Since it can be presented, how can you still say there is no thing?” They replied: “It truly cannot be apprehended.” The Bodhisattva said: “When you say it cannot be apprehended, do you mean it is temporarily nonexistent, or definitely nonexistent?” While everyone pondered and remained unable to answer, the Bodhisattva said: “If it is nonexistent, it is definitely nonexistent; if it exists, it definitely exists. The slightest doubt leads to a divergence of ten thousand leagues. You should know that whether you speak of sincerity or falsity, affirm existence or assert nonexistence, all are the mind’s arising and ceasing, calculating, weighing, and comparing. To offer such a mind in celebration of my longevity is entirely useless. Listen to my wondrous verse:

The utmost truth is the nondual mind;

The utmost truth is the immeasurable mind.

Mind is not any mind whatsoever;

The nature of all things is not mind.

Remove the false and unreal mind;

Relying on true mind, provisionally name it.

Neither true nor false is established.

Namo Shakyamuni Buddha.

Understand that mind has no location;

Through skillful means, bring blessings to all beings.”

– At that time, all the disciples again bowed and requested to hear the essentials of the Dharma. The Bodhisattva said:

“Excellent! Excellent! Since you again wish to hear the essentials of the Dharma and sincerely believe and understand my teachings, answer my question well. Suppose someone told another person that Yanjing—Beijing—is the imperial capital, with incomparable wealth and splendor. On hearing this, would that person wish to reach it?”

Everyone replied together: “Yes.”

The Bodhisattva said: “If you do not know the road, what will you do?”

Everyone replied together: “If someone gives us directions, we will follow them.”

The Bodhisattva said: “That will not do! If the one giving directions tells you to travel south or east, and you do not know any better but simply follow those directions, you will go ever farther away from Yanjing.”

Everyone asked: “If so, what should be done?”

The Bodhisattva taught: “Ultimately, someone who has actually been to Yanjing must instruct the traveler: ‘You must proceed northward; only then will you go directly to the imperial capital.’ Disciples, would that person’s instruction be mistaken?”

Everyone bowed and replied: “It would not.”

The Bodhisattva said: “Again, suppose someone wishes to ascend a lofty mountain ten thousand ren in height (5) and reach its nine-tiered summit. How should that person be instructed?”

“One must ascend from the low ground to the heights.”

The Bodhisattva taught: “Exactly so. The ancients said, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins when one places one’s foot upon the ground.’ One must advance from the first step to the second, continuing until the highest step is reached. Only this is correct speech. To say that one can reach the highest place in a single step is empty boasting. Again, suppose a king appoints someone to office and asks him, ‘Do you wish to become prime minister or hold a minor office?’ How would that person reply?”

Everyone answered: “He would certainly wish to become prime minister.”

The Bodhisattva said: “Exactly so! Again, suppose someone stands at a fork in the road and does not know which path to follow. Out of compassion, another person comes and says: ‘This way is extremely dangerous and winding, and it will be difficult to find a way out. That way is straight, broad, and level; by following it, you will be able to escape.’ After hearing these directions, which of the two roads would that person follow?”

Everyone answered: “He would follow the straight and broad road, the level road.”

The Bodhisattva said: “Excellent! Excellent! All your answers to my questions accord with right principle. But do you clearly understand the analogies I have just given?”

Everyone bowed again and said: “We respectfully beseech the Bodhisattva to instruct and enlighten us.”

The Bodhisattva said: “Listen carefully! Until now, although you have had the aspiration to seek the Way, you have not known the essential key to cultivation, nor have you known which direction to follow. You are like people wishing to reach Yanjing but not knowing which road is correct.

If you encounter a false teacher who instructs you in a false teaching, it is like the imperial capital being in the north while he tells you that heading east or south is the correct way. Thus, although such people cultivate all day long, they remain adrift with nowhere to rely upon. How could they draw near to the Most Honored One?

How could they attain the Great Way? I now tell you that Amitabha’s Pure Land is precisely the imperial capital. Apply yourselves ever more diligently and vigorously to the three provisions of faith, practice, and vows, and ultimately you will attain rebirth there.

This is to advance gradually from the first level to the highest, aspiring to attain the highest grade of rebirth. To make such a vow is to become a chief minister; not to make such a vow is to become a minor official. To cultivate correctly in this manner is to follow the broad and straight road, not a winding path.

I myself am one who has been to Yanjing. If you do not have profound faith in me, you are abandoning the imperial capital and heading toward the borderlands, forsaking the exalted office of chief minister to seek a lowly minor post, and abandoning the broad, straight road to seek a dangerous and tortuous path. A mountain summit a thousand ren high and the top of a nine-story pagoda are not places you can reach.

How deeply lamentable!”

– The assembly planned to acquire farmland to support their cultivation. The Bodhisattva said: “You wish to encourage your fellow practitioners to remain gathered together for a long time without dispersing. You wish to renounce worldly affairs and devise a means by which you will no longer need to seek food and clothing from others; therefore, you have discussed this plan. Yet, as I see it, although your original intention is good, when examined ultimately, it is nothing but attachment to the toil and defilement of worldly life, not a pure Dharma. Why is this so? A bowl of rice by the roadside and sleeping at night among burial mounds constituted the ancient model for the Buddha’s practice of the Way. If farmland is absolutely necessary before you can cultivate, then should this undertaking fail, will you never have even a single day on which to cultivate? You further say that because you have no capital of your own, you will personally solicit donations. That is even more unacceptable! Throughout the Buddha’s entire dispensation, there are no such words as ‘soliciting donations.’ This is the conduct of people in the Dharma-ending age who know neither propriety nor righteousness, do not fear cause and effect, and have no sense of integrity or shame. Genuine cultivators of the Way, earnestly concerned about birth and death, would resolutely never entertain such a thought. I have one further word for you: You should simply maintain right mindfulness, each exerting your own effort; then, although you do not gather together, you are gathered together. But if body and mind are scattered, heedless, and indolent, and you do not cultivate constantly, then although you may gather together, in truth you are dispersed. You need only understand this principle. Act according to your circumstances and the occasion, without troubling yourselves to make advance calculations!”

– The Bodhisattva further told the assembly: “Do you fear that your bodies are entangled in the snares of worldly affairs and that your thoughts cannot become pure? I have a method: You need only vow to depart far from them, seek liberation, and resolutely direct your minds toward the Land of Ultimate Bliss, aspiring to meet Amitabha Buddha. Relinquish the mind that scrambles after fame and profit, and you will be able to end worldly toil and defilement and set foot upon the path of awakening.”

– Someone asked what method should be used when one cannot attain single-mindedness in Buddha-recitation. The Bodhisattva taught: “You need only put an end to the anxious thought of seeking to attain concentration. Recite slowly and steadily, taking care that the voice accords with the mind and the mind follows the voice. After reciting for a long time, all thoughts will naturally become still and clear; mind and its objects will be utterly illumined, and you will enter and realize the Buddha-Recitation Samadhi. In your daily practice, however, you must recite abundantly—from one thousand recitations to ten thousand. Only when the mind remains uninterrupted can your spiritual faculties most readily mature. If you force the mind to become focused, you will ultimately be unable to attain focus.” At that moment, Mr. Dat Bon, seated below the Bodhisattva’s Dharma seat, suddenly recited the Buddha’s name several times. The Bodhisattva said: “Just so! Just so!”

– The disciples wished to make an image as an offering and requested the Bodhisattva to reveal his sacred form. The Bodhisattva replied: “The disciples have long sincerely wished to make an image as an offering, so in principle I ought to reveal myself. Yet you dwell amid worldly toil and defilement, while I abide in wondrous luminosity. Even if I were now to manifest, you would be unable to see me. Moreover, I teach and transform beings in accordance with their capacities, so my bodily forms are not uniform. For now, based only upon the form in which I first undertook cultivation, you may depict me as a great bhiksu, with a face like the full moon and a stately, imposing figure, wearing a kasaya and seated upon a lotus. My left hand should rest palm-down upon my knee, and my right hand should be in the gesture of expounding the Dharma. From the white urna between my eyebrows, light should stream forth, and within that radiance Amitabha Buddha should be seated cross-legged. You must depict the excellent marks with solemn majesty and must not render them carelessly.”

After hearing this, everyone joined their palms and stood contemplating this sacred form. The Bodhisattva then said: “Disciples! Each and every one of you possesses awakened luminosity and wondrous practice. It is neither right here nor apart from here. Seek it within yourselves, without clinging anywhere. Awakened luminosity and wondrous practice appear at every moment. Now that you understand, there is no need to make an image as an offering. May there come a day when you meet me.”

– After Mr. Tra Dinh Hoang had completed the funeral rites for his child, he wished to leave home and enter monastic life. The Bodhisattva taught: “Do not entertain that thought. You are unable to do it! You need only rectify the mind to govern the mind and rectify the body to govern the body. Put an end to useless affairs, sever associations with unbeneficial friends, turn your mind toward the Great Awakening, and vow to escape the paths of delusion. Pour forth great waves to moisten the parched ground within yourself; diligently seek blessings and protection, and eliminate all obstructing conditions. Since you intend to seek longevity in order to preserve this body, you should devote your efforts to that matter and speak no more.”

Mr. Dinh Hoang further asked: Since he upheld the Diamond Sutra, but the wording in the circulating editions was not identical, which edition should he follow to avoid error and confusion? The Bodhisattva said: “The seven words ‘Vajra Prajnaparamita’ are wholly free from error.”

– Mr. Tram Thien Vu became ill and arranged an offering ceremony to seek the Bodhisattva’s instruction. The Bodhisattva said: “Now that you are ill but have not yet died, you should sever every entanglement, calm your mind, sit upright, contemplate the impermanence of the body, and contemplate the impermanence of the world. Put down all delusive conditions and slowly recite the single phrase ‘Amitabha Buddha.’ Naturally, the six sense objects will cease to arise and the one mind will become pure. Then not only will the root of your illness in this life be healed, but the root illness of birth and death will thereby also be eradicated. You have now arranged this ceremony to request instruction merely because you hope that I possess some exceptionally effective medicine for you or will transmit an oral formula to cure your illness. How could you know that a bodhisattva has no such false and deceptive methods, but only these few sincere words with which to instruct you? If you believe and practice accordingly, this truly is a supreme medicinal decoction, a wondrous and efficacious elixir. I transmit the following verse to you:

Illness arises from oneself;

It is also cured by oneself.

Guard and preserve a pure mind,

And you will always attain peace and joy.

Remain steadfast, free from craving and attachment,

And you will become like Infinite Life.”

– The Bodhisattva instructed Dat Bon: “Your wish to penetrate the mind ultimately shows true resolve. Yet your belly is filled with cinnabar, lead, mercury, fire, and water; as for such matters as the original face, true emptiness, and true purity, you truly know nothing—so how could you succeed? You should cast that whole bundle into the Eastern Sea. Otherwise, you will waste all your mental energy and misdirect your cultivation. Nothing is better than clearly and resolutely reciting the single phrase ‘Amitabha Buddha.’ Illumination of the mind comes through this, and rebirth in the Land of Utmost Bliss also comes through this. One act serves both purposes; it is truly most expedient.”

– Vo Hu asked: “How should I repay my ancestors?” The Bodhisattva asked: “What does the world regard as the highest filial piety?” He replied: “To be respectful, provide support, perform good deeds, and never forget the kindness and virtue of one’s ancestors.” The Bodhisattva taught: “Although this is filial piety, it remains limited. You should instead make a great vow and cultivate the supramundane Dharma. If you attain the Way and bring its fruition to perfection, your merit will benefit not only nine generations of ancestors, but even enemies and loved ones throughout innumerable kalpas will thereby attain liberation. If you can cultivate the Pure Land practice single-mindedly, that is great filial piety.”

– Dinh Mau asked: “How should one uphold a mantra in order to illuminate the mind, and what is the ultimate upholding of a mantra?” The Bodhisattva taught: “The mind does not depart from the mantra, and the mantra does not depart from the mind; this is the meaning of upholding a mantra. At all times, you should contemplate whether the essential nature of the mantra and the essential nature of your mind are one or two. If you say they are two, how can the mind uphold the mantra, and how can the mantra reveal the mind? If you say they are one, why is there no mantra when you forget it, yet the mantra is present when you remember it? Therefore, know that this mantra and the mind are free from all names and characteristics and are ultimately empty and quiescent. This is called the ultimate. If you merely uphold the mantra without penetrating the ultimate, you will have no wondrous understanding; how then could the great wisdom of equality be revealed? If the great wisdom of equality does not manifest, by what could you illuminate the delusion of birth and death and reach the ultimate reality of the three realms?”

– Dat Bon asked: “Whenever I recite the Buddha’s name aloud, I easily become angry. Should I recite it silently instead?” The Bodhisattva said: “You say that reciting the Buddha’s name aloud makes you angry. Then why can you converse with other people all day without becoming angry at all? You should know that this anger is precisely the affliction of ignorance accumulated within you over countless kalpas. Because your faith today is not yet genuine, the fire of anger arises along with your recitation; arising from deluded thoughts, that fire burns up your Dharma-body and wisdom-life.

“In the past, the World-Honored One Shakyamuni relinquished his body and sought the Way for the sake of the great Dharma throughout immeasurable kalpas, and only then became the Unsurpassed Precious King. Now your age and strength have already declined. Even if you cultivate diligently morning and evening, you should still fear that time is running short.

How could you continue clinging to worldly toil and seek miraculous elixirs and wondrous medicines in hopes of prolonging your life? Have you not heard that even in the Heaven of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception, the karmic lifespan eventually ends, and that the conflagration at the end of a kalpa burns and destroys everything as far as the Third Dhyana Heaven? How much more futile, then, to cling obstinately to the provisional combinations of water, fire, cinnabar, and mercury in hopes of never undergoing change or destruction?

“Now, upon hearing my words, you should be like one awakening from a dream or sobering from intoxication. You must diligently cultivate the Pure Land practice and maintain right mindfulness for rebirth there. In that world, lifespan is boundless and inexhaustible; one realizes the Dharma-body and attains All-Knowing Wisdom. How could this possibly resemble the crude arts of longevity that we commonly see and discuss every day?”

– Tra Dinh Hoang asked: “While upholding the mantra, I often become afraid. I beseech the Bodhisattva to instruct me!” The Bodhisattva said: “Who has come to frighten you? Who is the one who fears? Because of impure habitual tendencies from your past lives, these appearances suddenly emerge from subtle thoughts. You need only recite and uphold the mantra with perfect sincerity; they will naturally be eliminated. Auspicious circumstances will accord with your wishes, afflictions will be subdued, and you will enter the profound mystery—what then is there to fear?”

– Because Tran Dinh Duc’s mother was ill, he came to pray and asked what meritorious deeds he should perform so that she might recover completely. The Bodhisattva taught him the following verse:

Filial piety stands foremost among myriad virtues,

Most precious within the three powers.

Great indeed is the practice of filial piety;

It is the teacher of humankind.

Because of your filial devotion,

You pray that your mother may recover from illness.

Even when you yourself are joyful,

Remember your mother’s suffering.

When you partake of delicious food,

Remember that your mother cannot eat.

When you put on soft, fine clothing,

Remember your mother, your own flesh and blood,

Whose garments and bedding are soiled,

And whose sides and breast lie exposed.

Always reflect in this way,

Never forgetting, morning or evening.

Take refuge with your life in the Great Sage,

With perfect sincerity and an undivided mind.

Exert yourself fully in doing good deeds,

So as to repay the fourfold kindness.

May your mother’s merit increase.

May your mother’s lifespan be prolonged.

May your mother recover from illness.

May your mother’s body become strong and healthy.

The Bodhisattva Giac Minh

Is the one upon whom you rely.

Merely practice according to my words,

And no vow will remain unfulfilled.

– Dinh Mau wished to abandon mantra recitation in order to recite the Buddha’s name, so he came to ask about it. The Bodhisattva taught: “Your wish to abandon mantra recitation and recite the Buddha’s name, cultivating single-mindedly and exclusively, is very good. Yet you do not understand the essential principle of the Dharma. You deserve to be called only a virtuous person who observes a vegetarian diet, but not yet a practitioner of Buddha-recitation. Why is this? To cross the great ocean, one must obtain a large ship. To travel a thousand miles, one must choose an excellent horse. Therefore, a practitioner of Buddha-recitation must possess a great method: sever every fetter, tear apart the net of worldly defilements, realize that this very thought is Buddha and this very Buddha is mind—this very thought is Buddha, this very Buddha is mind—and then transcend both affirmation and negation, suddenly entering the Tathagata’s Treasury of Great Radiance. Only this is called reciting the Buddha’s name with right mindfulness, and only such a person deserves to be called a practitioner of Buddha-recitation. You must understand this meaning well.”

– Four young monks came to pay their respects to the Bodhisattva. He instructed them: “Young men! Since beginningless time, sentient beings have become family members through affection and attachment. Among one’s family, parents bear the deepest kindness toward their children and cherish them most tenderly; these bonds are difficult to sever and difficult to relinquish. Now that you have left the household life and departed from worldly ways to become bhikshus, you should know that your parents’ kindness toward you is deeper and weightier still—so much so that no words or analogy could adequately express it.

“Therefore, you must make full use of your present youth and strength to cultivate the work of the Way diligently, thereby repaying the pain your parents endured when they first severed affection and relinquished attachment. Only then will you not bring shame upon the words ‘leaving the household life.’ If you instead become heedless and indolent, so that you fall into degradation throughout your entire life, you will be the most unfilial among the unfilial and the gravest sinner beneath heaven and upon earth. You must keep my instruction ever present in your hearts.”

– The Bodhisattva further instructed the assembly: “Disciples! This human body was given birth by your parents and nurtured by your parents. In all the livelihoods you pursue and all the things you presently enjoy and use, even if your parents have never given you a single coin, your bodies were nevertheless born from your parents, and only because of that do you possess all you have today! Among myriad things, the body is of greatest importance; the body is the root. Tracing everything back to that root, is it not true that your parents’ kindness is beyond description? Therefore, the Buddha taught that merely raising one’s voice or speaking harshly in the presence of one’s parents incurs immeasurable offenses—how much more so those today who behave far worse than this!

“If you say that you cannot endure your parents and cannot refrain from arguing with them, then you regard your parents no differently from strangers on the road! You should only respond cheerfully and compliantly; in time, your parents will surely be moved. You must never argue that your parents are wrong and you are right, thereby becoming one who defies Heaven and rebels against humanity!”

– The Bodhisattva said: “Disciples! You should know that the Buddhas of the ten directions are the minds of sentient beings, and the sentient beings of the ten directions are the minds of the Buddhas. Therefore, recollecting the Buddha and being mindful of the Buddha is precisely the Buddhas of the ten directions appearing within your minds. Yet it is not that the Buddhas of the ten directions enter your minds, nor that your minds depart from the Buddhas. All this is the inconceivable, wondrous, originally luminous awareness.”

– The Bodhisattva said: “Where the activities of mind cease is the eternally abiding true mind of the Buddhas. Where the activities of mind persist is the karmic mind of birth and death belonging to sentient beings; between the two there is not even a gap as fine as a strand of silk or a hair. Only if you can apply yourselves continuously and meticulously, allowing not the slightest break in this mind, will you attain a small measure of accord. Do not practice superficially for six or ten months and then suppose that you have painstakingly cultivated the Way, unaware that this very attitude is an obstruction to the Way. You must be on your guard against it.

Furthermore, even if you apply yourselves vigorously to cultivation, unless you have reached the point of being like a wall of bronze or a rampart of iron—which cannot be pushed down or shaken—you still have not formed a single unified whole [of one-pointed mind]. Do not stop your efforts merely because you have noticed some slight effect. That would be to abandon the endeavor halfway, thereby wasting all your previous labor without gaining the slightest benefit.

This is precisely the great chronic ailment of those who study the Way; you must not fail to recognize it! You should know that the Buddhadharma is like the great ocean: the farther inward one ventures, the deeper it appears. It can never be fully comprehended through a little meager knowledge and understanding.

You must cultivate throughout your entire life, exerting yourselves to the utmost, and never imagine that it is easy.”

– The Bodhisattva said: “The Samadhi of Mindfulness of the Buddha is brought about by the great power within your own mind; it does not arise from anything else. Although you now recite the Buddha’s name throughout the day and night, you still fail to attain one-pointed mind, and wandering thoughts continue to obstruct the true mind—all because you have not applied your minds with your utmost strength.”

– Mr. Gu Dingcheng asked the Bodhisattva for instruction. The Bodhisattva said: “You have come to this hermitage wishing to cultivate Pure Land karma. Do you know how to attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss?” He replied: “By being mindful of the Buddha, one attains rebirth there.” The Bodhisattva asked: “Do you know how one must be mindful of the Buddha to attain rebirth?” Dingcheng replied: “By upholding the Name and maintaining one-pointed, undisturbed mind.” The Bodhisattva asked: “What is one-pointed, undisturbed mind?” Dingcheng could not answer.

The Bodhisattva taught: “I see that you are merely adept at speaking but are not yet able to practice in accordance with the Dharma. You should listen carefully to my words. Good man!

The mind is originally free from thought; when thought arises, conception is born. Such conceptions are false and cause one to revolve through birth and death. You should now understand: this single phrase, ‘Amitabha Buddha,’ does not arise from conception, nor does it exist because of thought.

It abides neither within nor without and possesses no characteristic or appearance; thus all deluded thoughts cease. The true, pure, subtle body of the Tathagata is neither one nor two and cannot be discriminated. When one is mindful in this way, the afflictions and defilements of worldly toil are neither severed nor binding; there is only one-pointed mind.

Only upon attaining one-pointed mind can this be called upholding the Name and one-pointed, undisturbed mind. Pure Land karma is then accomplished, and one directly realizes the highest grade of rebirth.”

Dingcheng again bowed and said: “Ordinary beings in this defiled age possess shallow and inferior minds and wisdom and cannot yet deeply penetrate the ultimate principle. I beg you to explain it clearly!” The Bodhisattva said: “You should now make a great vow, vowing to be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Then, with utmost sincerity and earnestness, recite ‘Amitabha Buddha,’ so that the sound of recitation follows the mind and the mind follows the sound, with sound and mind relying upon each other like a cat stalking a mouse.

If you sustain this for a long time without losing it, you will enter the Samadhi of Right Recollection. You must then advance one step further: seek instruction from wise teachers of every kind, become learned and broadly knowledgeable, and personally awaken to the wondrous truth that ‘this very mind is Buddha.’ You should now possess profound faith. Do not imitate the ignorant and benighted who hear this but do not believe; nor should you emulate those who are half genuine and half false, half believing and half doubtful.

Although they are said to have accepted the teaching, they lack a sincerely devoted mind with which to practice it.”

– The Bodhisattva said to Mr. Zha’s mother: “Why are you not diligent in reciting the Buddha’s name?” She replied: “Because I now have more children and grandchildren and must often carry them in my arms, I fear that I am impure.” The Bodhisattva taught: “You think that reciting the Buddha’s name while impure might cause you to incur an offense, but you do not know that failing to recite the Buddha’s name brings immeasurable offenses. Do not be concerned about whether you are pure or impure; simply continue reciting.”

– Mr. Chen Yongshou asked about how his life would end. The Bodhisattva taught him this verse:

Restrain desire and avoid anger:

This is the method for preserving the body.

Remain collected, restrained, peaceful, and still:

This is the method for maintaining the household.

Arrange marriages according to your means:

This is the way to reduce affairs.

Do good and recite the Buddha’s name:

This is the Dharma that transcends the world.

Uphold these four methods,

And your final outcome will be unhindered and clear.

– Mr. Gu Shanji asked about his lifelong course and how to practice goodness. The Bodhisattva taught: “If you can maintain an upright mind and perform upright deeds, your whole life will be upright. If you harbor deviant intentions and perform deviant deeds, your whole life will inevitably be deviant. As for the single word ‘goodness,’ practice it according to the time and place. Whether the deed is great or small, either is acceptable. You should also refrain from killing and release living beings. According to your means, assist the poor and aid those who suffer. Uphold and recite the name of Amitabha Buddha, dedicating the merit toward the Land of Ultimate Bliss. If you do this every day without interruption and remain unchanged throughout three full years, only then will you be worthy of the four words ‘doing good with a benevolent heart.’”

– The Bodhisattva taught Mr. Wuxiu: “In general, those who cultivate Pure Land karma should face west while walking, standing, lying down, sitting, rising, lowering themselves to sit, eating, and drinking. Then the responsive communion will be easier to accomplish, and one’s faculties and their objects will more readily become well trained. In the retreat room, display only one Buddha image, one scripture, one incense burner, one table, one bed, and one chair; no other miscellaneous objects should be displayed. The courtyard should also be swept clean so that walking meditation may be practiced without obstruction. You must keep this mind from being entangled by even the slightest concern. Forget the myriad anxieties and become empty and unburdened, unaware that you possess a body, unaware that there is a world, and even unaware that what you are doing today is spiritual cultivation. If you can do this, you will draw closer to the Way and farther from the world with each passing day; only then can you advance toward Pure Land practice. If, during ordinary times, you can completely relinquish all affairs and retain not the slightest attachment in your thoughts, then when the final hour arrives, you will be serene and at ease, without thoughts of clinging to your children, regretting the loss of your body, or longing for your descendants. Would this not be the conduct of a great person? Therefore, you should single-mindedly cultivate, without remaining attached to anything else. This is the most essential point.

As for the method of pure cultivation, it does not go beyond the two words ‘exclusive diligence.’ ‘Exclusive’ means undertaking no other affair. ‘Diligence’ means never wasting any moment. From now on, as soon as you rise in the morning, recite the Amitabha Sutra once and the name ‘Amitabha Buddha’ one thousand times. Before the Buddha, dedicate the merit and recite the One-Pointed Refuge and Commitment verse (please see the appendix), for its words are simple but its meaning is concise and profound.

This constitutes the practice for one session. At the beginning, if body and mind are not yet settled, practice only four sessions each day. Once they are somewhat settled, gradually increase this to six sessions, then progressively to twelve sessions: recite the sutra twelve times and the Buddha’s name twelve thousand times.

When dedicating the merit, also bow to the Buddha one hundred times; these bows may likewise be divided among four sessions. This is the regular daily practice. At other times, there is no need to count the number of recitations.”

Whether reciting silently or aloud, you must simply gather the mind and recite with steadfast certainty. Moreover, in the practice of upholding the Name, with every phrase and every word, mind and voice must accord with one another, without the slightest intrusion of worldly thought. When this has matured through long practice, you will assuredly attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, sit upon a precious lotus, and reach the Stage of Non-Retrogression.

If the remaining years of your old age have not yet run their course, then, by virtue of what you have realized, you shall instruct the assembly in order to repay the Buddha’s profound kindness. Only if you can observe each and every one of my words will you not betray the efforts of Bodhisattva Jue Ming in teaching you the right path, nor, after leaving the household life, betray the efforts of Master Samadhi in ordaining you and transmitting the great precepts to you.

This is truly no minor cause and condition. Do not give rise to arrogance or contempt. Be careful, be careful!”

– The Bodhisattva instructed Changshe: “You intend to uphold and recite the Great Compassion Mantra, praying for Avalokitesvara’s unseen blessing so that you may quickly enter the Way. Very good! Yet you must not procrastinate until both your aspiration and your undertaking come to nothing. You must act at once and advance straight ahead. You should now set a definite period, establish the number of recitations and the schedule of practice, sever all worldly affairs, and dwell quietly in a single room. During each period, recite the mantra one hundred times and perform once the Great Compassion Repentance composed by Master Siming, thereby repenting of karmic obstructions and helping to bring forth superior practice. That constitutes one period. Divide each day and night into six periods: five for upholding the mantra and one for performing the repentance. During the remaining periods, sit peacefully in meditation and deeply enter inconceivable wisdom.

Why is it called inconceivable wisdom? It is the complete understanding that there are no dharmas outside the mind, that all dharmas have no names, and the thorough realization that not the slightest thing can be established. Because a single thought is perfectly interfused, beyond conception and beyond discussion, it is called inconceivable wisdom.

Relying upon this wondrous wisdom, the mind is gathered into the subtle; one gathers without the characteristic of gathering—which means that nothing whatsoever is gathered, yet this does not impede gathering. This is called skillfully gathering the mind! Because the mind has been gathered, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.

In brief, though it is never absent at any time, it is always brought into the mind; this is the foundation of upholding the mantra and gathering the mind. Naturally, past obstructions will dissolve like ice, and the concentrated mind will manifest brilliantly; or samadhi will unfold, bringing you into accord with the wondrous mind inherently possessed. Do not let the months and years pass in vain.

You should determine a fixed period in which to advance your cultivation of the path. Otherwise, today and tomorrow, next year and the following month, sometimes practicing and sometimes not, wishing to advance yet failing to do so—I assure you that even after a hundred years you will still be stamping your feet in the same place, utterly unable to move forward a single step. Be careful!

Exert yourself!”

– The Bodhisattva further instructed Changshe: “Merely these eight words—‘forcing yourself to accommodate human sentiments and striving over worldly affairs’—have caused you to lose your way in the great matter of an entire lifetime. From this day onward, you must resolutely cease procrastinating, clinging, and contending as before. Before your cultivation of the path has been accomplished, impermanence will already have descended upon you. You must swiftly withdraw and conceal your traces, single-mindedly turn toward the Way, and never again lose your way!”

– Following the instruction, Dat Ben left the household life. The Bodhisattva instructed him: “Having left the household life in old age, you should not study many miscellaneous matters. Recite only the Amitabha Sutra, and as your daily practice recite the Buddha’s Name twelve thousand times, gradually increasing from fewer recitations to more. With sincerity and earnestness, seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is precisely the way to accomplish the one essential matter, whereupon all hundred affairs will be properly settled. Do not imitate foolish people of the world who indulge in lofty and extravagant discourse, debating the nature and discussing the mind. Whenever they see someone reciting the Buddha’s Name, they uniformly sneer and disparage that person’s practice as inferior even to that of an illiterate person from a village of three households or a beggar reciting the Three Officials Scripture at a crossroads. Thus they squander their time and go astray in the great matter. Because you ordinarily delight in discussing Chan without penetrating its essential and wondrous point, and because you are also unable to have profound faith in the Pure Land and recite the Buddha’s Name with pure steadfastness, I have instructed you in this way.”

– The Bodhisattva further instructed Wuxiu: “Recite twelve fascicles of the Amitabha Sutra and recite the Buddha’s Name twelve thousand times, neither increasing nor decreasing the number. Practice exactly as I have instructed. When reciting the sutra, however, you must be even and tranquil—neither lax nor hurried, neither fast nor slow. When reciting the Buddha’s Name, every sound must accord with the mind; your recitation must be neither coarse nor restless, neither hollow and superficial nor sunken and sluggish. When the time comes to dedicate the merit, it is not enough merely to recite the text of dedication once. From within your own mind, you must bring forth the genuine vow for great bodhi, with utmost sincerity and earnestness, vowing that all sentient beings everywhere may together attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, while your own mind remains unattached, like empty space. This is called dedication of merit.

Furthermore, while sitting quietly, you should turn the light inward and deeply investigate: the Buddha is precisely my mind, and this mind is the Buddha. There is no need to seek outside. Abide in accordance with the mind, with neither subject nor object.

When your contemplation is correct and steadfast in this way, without any other thought, this is called cultivating samadhi. Take care not to become oblivious to yourself, with your mind cold and lifeless as though dead, lest you fall into the views and understanding of demons, heretics, and followers of non-Buddhist paths. After completing one period of quiet sitting in this way, rise at once and practice walking meditation, and then resume upholding and reciting.

If you hastily rush through everything in a single stretch, then although you may complete an entire day’s recitation schedule, in the end it will amount to careless recitation and will not be genuine cultivation. Generally speaking, those who study the Way but do not follow the admonitions and instructions of a spiritual teacher will certainly toil without benefit and, before long, become discouraged. Be careful, be careful!

Moreover, you must clearly explain and recite the adornments of the direct and circumstantial recompenses of the Pure Land described in the sutras. Suppose that while sitting quietly, practicing walking meditation, bowing, or reciting, the Pure Land should appear before you: you must discern it clearly and not be deluded by unusual states.”

– The Bodhisattva instructed Chen Daxin: “Although your mindfulness of the Way has increased, your worldly thoughts have not diminished. All worldly characteristics of self and others, fame and profit, anger and joy, and so forth, do not arise only from the body; they arise from the vast entangling net of sensory objects accumulated from the past. Whenever the mind becomes even slightly entangled, it creates causes and conditions that obstruct the Way. You must understand this clearly. You need only bow bodily to Amitabha Buddha, recite Amitabha with your mouth, and contemplate Amitabha in your mind. Without the slightest discrimination, you will cleanse away the defilements of sensory objects, tear apart their entangling net, and attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. You must understand this clearly.”

– Someone asked about a lifelong course of action. The Bodhisattva instructed him: “Do you ask about a lifelong course of action? I have no Dharma whatsoever concerning such a matter, for while studying the bodhisattva path and cultivating through many kalpas, I never once learned such a thing. Yet you are exceedingly foolish. A lifelong course of action amounts to no more than this—what benefit is there in asking others? Why do you not ask: now that your hair has turned white, your face is wrinkled, and your body has grown weak, when impermanence arrives and you must go before Great King Yama, what word or half a phrase should you seek with which to answer him, so that you may escape the shackles and bonds of karma? Why do you not ask about that?”

– The monk Pháp Duyên wished to establish a fixed period for performing the Amitabha Repentance. First, he went to ask the bodhisattva for guidance. The bodhisattva taught: “The Amitabha Repentance was recently composed by Master Từ Vân, the Repentance Master. It fully encompasses the principle of one-pointed mind and the practice of one-pointed mind, concentrating exclusively upon a single practice. If the four marks—the mark of a self, the mark of a person, the mark of a sentient being, and the mark of a lifespan—do not arise, and all is tranquil and clear like empty space, this is called the principle of one-pointed mind. Such one-pointedness is difficult to attain. Outwardly, you must diligently practice the repentance method to remove past karmic obstructions; inwardly, you must cultivate contemplation in accordance with principle so as to attain one-pointed mind. Once you have attained one-pointedness, why worry that you will not enter the Way? During the prescribed period of repentance practice, do not concern yourself with your own body or with acting on behalf of benefactors, nor concern yourself with whether the period is long or short. Seek only to sweep away habitual tendencies and cleanse body and mind. You must vow never to rest until you have attained samadhi.

Furthermore, although you follow the sequence set forth in that repentance method [in your practice], this still cannot be called true cultivation. If you wish to cultivate genuinely, you must relinquish the myriad conditions: with a single alms bowl, depend upon the ten directions for sustenance; with this one body, entrust yourself to the whole earth. Sincerely and earnestly seek liberation from birth and death—only this is the way to cultivate genuinely.

If you persist merely in performing two or three periods of repentance, then return to scrambling after worldly affairs, yet still wish to perfect the Pure Land karma and escape birth and death, that is no different from inhaling the wind and swallowing dew while hoping to become full. Such a thing has never existed in this world. Do not entertain such foolish notions, lest you die of hunger and cold.”

– The imperial army (referring to the Qing troops) advanced into the Three Wu region. The bandits around Lake Tai rose up, occupied the city, and then withdrew and fled. Only after a long time was peace restored, and people gradually began to gather there again. The bodhisattva taught: “After the upheaval on the thirteenth day of the sixth month, were you all afraid? You should understand that all this occurred because, throughout beginningless kalpas until now, you have been unable to cultivate goodness and have committed every kind of evil karma. Thus, life after life and kalpa after kalpa, you have been unable to escape such calamities. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang, eight people were all separated and scattered because of warfare. Now you have again encountered military turmoil, with nowhere to hide or flee. This clearly shows that so long as sentient beings have not transcended the three realms and attained non-arising, they ultimately cannot escape by even the slightest measure the causes and conditions of karmic retribution. You were fortunate not to die, yet you still encountered grave danger. The karmic fruits of the three times are truly alarming and fearsome. If you still do not single-mindedly cultivate the Way and swiftly escape samsara, there is no certainty that you will remain whole and unharmed in future lives and later kalpas. What, then, can be done?”

– The bodhisattva taught Trầm Nguyên Huy: “In general, the greatest taboo for Pure Land practitioners is mixing disparate practices. What does mixing disparate practices mean? It means reciting sutras while also upholding mantras and forming societies, delighting in discussing a little about the essentials of Chan, and also enjoying talk of auspicious and inauspicious events, calamities and blessings, seeing spirits, and encountering ghosts. This is precisely what is meant by mixing disparate practices. Once practices are mixed, the mind is not concentrated. When the mind is not concentrated, it is difficult to behold the Buddha and attain rebirth in the Pure Land, and an entire lifetime is wasted. From now on, you must not act in this way. Earnestly uphold only the single phrase ‘Amitabha Buddha’ and seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. When, after a long time, your practice is accomplished, you will not have gone astray. I shall transmit a verse to you, in accordance with which you should cultivate:

The single phrase Amitabha

Is the dharani of the myriad dharmas.

The sound of recitation accords with the mind;

Wherever recitation goes, the mind follows.

The response is inconceivable;

In the seven-jeweled pond, lotuses bloom.”

– The bodhisattva taught Ðịnh Khải as follows: “You encountered a great calamity and were fortunate to escape it. From now on, you should constantly reflect with pain upon your former faults and put an end to future misfortunes. No longer act rashly, contend to surpass others, or delight in displaying your talents, thereby bringing disaster upon yourself. I now give you the name Khải. What does Khải mean? It means Compassion and Benevolence. Establish yourself through compassion and assist others through benevolence. If you attain rank and fame, do not rejoice; if you lose them, do not grieve. Concern yourself only with nurturing a wholesome mind and firmly establishing virtuous conduct, so that you may repay the four kinds of恩.”

– On one occasion, when the bodhisattva descended into the Dharma assembly, more than three people whose doubts had not yet been resolved all came forward to ask questions. The bodhisattva took pity on them: although they all possessed sincere resolve, they did not yet know the correct path of cultivation. He therefore bestowed these instructions:

– Today’s meeting may indeed be called a meeting of those with affinity. Yet if I were to expound the Buddhadharma to you, I fear that you are not accustomed to hearing it and might find it difficult to believe and understand. It would be better for me to cite the worldly Confucian classics and converse with you; perhaps you may be able to believe one or two sentences. The Doctrine of the Mean states: ‘Some act from a state of ease, some act for the sake of benefit, and some act through reluctant effort.’ Considering your present situation, if you do not act for benefit or from ease, then you must be acting through reluctant effort; but this also will not do! That is to say, although after meeting me you have already brought forth resolve, if you perform good deeds only through reluctant effort, a day will surely come when you abandon them midway or gradually grow indolent. Why is this so? It is solely because you regard the word ‘goodness’ too lightly, always thinking that doing good produces no evident result, whereas doing evil brings immediate results.

You do not understand that if doing good truly had no benefit, why is it that the sages and worthies from ancient times until now never committed even the slightest evil deed? As for practicing goodness, they devoted their entire minds and strength to carrying it out to the fullest twelve parts. Likewise, if doing evil truly produced beneficial results, why, from ancient times until now, did worthy and noble persons not pursue what produced results, but instead carry out what had no benefit?

Moreover, look at those who presently commit evil. Although they may enjoy immediate pleasure before their eyes, how many ultimately enjoy a good end—dying peacefully, leaving behind a good reputation, and having dutiful descendants for many generations? Again, even children in this world who are only a few years old know to offer praise when they hear someone spoken of as a good person. Does this not show that doing good certainly brings great benefit? When they hear someone spoken of as an evil person, they likewise know to feel indignation. Does this not show that doing evil brings no great benefit?

This matter is extremely easy to understand. It is not because you lack intelligence that you cannot comprehend it; it is simply because you are unable to direct your minds toward goodness with genuine sincerity, and therefore cannot immediately examine it in detail! Consequently, in ordinary life, whenever you give away a single coin, you immediately wish to show it off to others in hopes of receiving a word of praise.

Wishing to show it off immediately to others means that you practice only the outward appearance of goodness, without understanding the earnest intention of the great sages and great worthies. Before you have grasped its true savor, you let go and abandon the task midway. If today your hearts are genuinely and truly sincere, and your deeds are genuinely and truly carried out, then while doing good you must not allow even the slightest deluded thought of hope or expectation to arise.

Calmly and joyfully accord with the decree of Heaven, keeping your knowledge of your deeds to yourself. Do not regard your life as containing anything to be sought, nor its conclusion as something to be questioned. [Do not imagine] that there are five phases, eight characters (6), or destinies of adversity and success to be divined; do not regard auspiciousness and misfortune, gain and loss, as things to seize or avoid. [If you act in this way], then naturally there will be no calamity that does not dissolve and no blessing that does not arrive.

The Way will increase day by day and virtue will accumulate day by day. Becoming a sage or a worthy will not be difficult! It is precisely because this is the certain future reality awaiting you that I have spoken of such attainment.

Otherwise, while alive, you will be petty persons without restraint; when dead, you will surely decay together with the grasses and trees. Is this not lamentable?”

Having given these teachings, the bodhisattva remained silently abiding. At that time, the assembly continued to wait solemnly, and then someone again bowed and earnestly entreated him. The bodhisattva taught: “You are truly exceedingly foolish. Even after hearing such words, you still do not give rise to the resolve to retain them or to reflect upon yourselves. Instead, you insist on bringing forth all the concerns in your hearts about your children, your own persons, and your families, determined to ask about them before you will desist. How lamentable, how lamentable! Yet because the bodhisattva’s great compassion is inexhaustible, I shall again speak a few ancient sayings to dispel your deluded dreams.

First, when one who studies the Way has improper sentiments, one’s nature becomes scattered; when the mind is unstable, one’s virtue will necessarily be deficient. Though one may constantly exercise caution at every moment, one changes in a mere instant. Such a person cannot attain accomplishment and will find it difficult to enter the Way. It is not that the sages are unwilling to teach people, nor that the sages have grown weary and therefore cut one off from one’s destined opportunity. Those of understanding in this assembly should reflect upon this.

It is not that the world is entirely devoid of intelligent people who aspire upward, but they are obstructed by pride in their own degree of understanding and therefore cannot become vessels of great capacity. Once a person relies upon the belief that he himself is right, he cannot empty his mind and turn toward the true Way. Those with whom he associates every day will certainly all be mediocre and vulgar people who flatter one another. Whenever he happens to do something wrong, he cannot willingly acknowledge his fault, and thus his virtuous conduct and endeavors are placed in peril. Those of understanding in this assembly should reflect upon this.

Worldly people desire to obtain things, and everyone strives to seek them by force. How could they know that, though they gain a single coin, they may no longer have their lives? Whenever they see official rank, fame, wealth, and honor, they claim that through their own intelligence and power they will surely attain them.

If that were so, would the vast heavens above and the resplendent spirits be of no use? If everything could be obtained through forceful seeking, then surely one’s allotted destiny should also be obtainable by seeking! It is not because you repeatedly and urgently employ your schemes that Heaven will take pity and bestow things upon you.

If you persist in forced pursuit, you will incur humiliation rather than honor, suffer loss and gain nothing, encounter calamities that threaten your life, labor without benefiting anyone, meet with disasters and impair your virtue, and fail to increase your blessings. Heaven will abhor you, and the spirits will forsake you. Those of understanding in this assembly should reflect upon this.

Of all the great kindnesses under heaven and upon earth, none surpasses the kindness of one’s parents. While parents are alive, they are living Buddhas within the home. Even after parents have passed away, one can still requite their kindness.

Consider: From where did this body come, and through whom was it raised to maturity? Why do you not return to the source and seek the origin, serving them reverently and obeying them with all your heart and strength? Some even become resentful toward their parents and disregard them, attending only to their wives and children while failing to support their parents with filial devotion.

Some do not even know when their parents fall ill, and when they die, do not bury them. Others answer every word their parents say with a retort, as though speaking to strangers. All such people are inferior even to beasts.

Alas! Can a human being truly be inferior to beasts? How dreadful!

Those of understanding in this assembly should reflect upon this.

– Someone wished to become an official and asked the bodhisattva whether his wish would be fulfilled. The bodhisattva taught: “Do not entertain hopes of becoming an official. You should understand: mastery of the classics and histories constitutes literary accomplishment; proficiency in strategy and tactics constitutes military accomplishment; strength surpassing that of others constitutes valor; and outstanding intelligence and ability constitute talent. Measure yourself and see whether you possess even one of these qualities. If you possess none of these four and still wish to become an official, you would be no more than one who succeeds through sheer luck.

If one succeeds through luck, one’s very first intention is already improper. Once such a person becomes an official, he will certainly rely upon his authority and influence and devote himself to exploiting the people solely to enrich himself. He will assuredly be incapable of doing good for the country or its people. As his accumulated evil grows ever deeper and he remains unaware of the need to repent, in a future life he will certainly take the body of an ox, horse, camel, or donkey, possessing great strength so as to repay those who feed and care for him. The animals used in the recent war were all those who, in previous lives, coveted official emoluments and sought merit and distinction, yet possessed not the slightest merit or virtue benefiting the world.

However, there is no fixed time, near or distant, for karmic retribution. One may encounter disaster in this very life, or one’s descendants may suffer calamity. Thus there are criminals who are imprisoned and whose bodies are mutilated, pierced, or cut down.

Their descendants may become depraved, or their family lines may be extinguished with no one to continue them. This is the reason. Moreover, some harm innocent people and seize their property; such possessions are obtained without benevolence or righteousness.

If they use these things as offerings to their ancestors, they make their ancestors’ offenses still heavier. If they offer them to the spirits, the spirits become still more angered. If they offer them to the Buddhas, sages, and worthies, the Buddhas and sages shed tears.

If they present them respectfully to benevolent and virtuous people of the Way, they cause those people to feel ashamed. Thus, before their wickedness has even reached its limit, they compound it by creating further enmity. In a future life, they will assuredly become goats, pigs, chickens, or dogs—animals without the strength to repay those who feed and care for them—or become extremely poor, lowly, and miserable people in the world.

Furthermore, even if one who becomes an official through luck performs some good deeds, it will still be difficult to avoid mingling public interests with private ones and good with evil. The effects of offenses and blessings do not miss even a hair’s breadth. One covets limited fame, glory, and splendor, only to endure evil consequences for many lifetimes. One who becomes an official through luck has a mind immersed in profit and desire. The circumstances described above will inevitably follow. Is this not dreadful!”

– Mr. Wang Dingyou prayed for a son. The bodhisattva taught: “From now on, do not kill living beings, do not eat the flesh of other creatures, and do not indulge in excessive lust or frequent anger. Why is this? Killing living beings damages the compassionate virtue of heaven and earth and opposes the Way of nurturing and growth. Eating the flesh of other creatures will certainly increase lust and impurity and may even lead to serious illness. Excessive lust and frequent anger rapidly diminish one’s lifespan and disrupt the harmony of the primordial vital energy; they also violate many of the prohibitions governing yin and yang. From now on, you should always carefully guard against these three things. Devote yourself to supporting your aged mother, practice generosity and loving-kindness, assist the poor, relieve those who suffer, and fully perform all kinds of hidden virtuous deeds. Accumulate them without neglecting them, and Heaven will surely bestow blessings upon you.”

– The bodhisattva taught Mr. Lu Dingxi the following verse:

Draw near to the mature and venerable;

Do not associate with evil fools.

Noble persons penetrate what is highest;

All of you should strive diligently.

Urge your mother to practice cultivation—

That indeed is great filial devotion.

With utmost sincerity and reverence,

Follow the bodhisattva’s teachings.

He further taught: “When you return home, go to your mother and earnestly, tenderly urge her to single-mindedly be mindful of the Buddha and aspire to rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. If your mother cannot maintain a vegetarian diet, do not compel her; it is essential only that she refrain from killing living beings. If she willingly takes refuge in Amitabha Buddha and of her own accord ceases eating meat, that is the foremost filial conduct in the world. Strive to accomplish this.”

– At that time, the conditions for the bodhisattva’s responsive manifestation had come to an end. He therefore summoned his disciples, and each received the bodhisattva’s parting instructions.

He taught Mr. Dingmian as follows: “Your name is Dingmian, so you should understand the meaning of your own name: by diligently exerting yourself in cultivation, you will naturally awaken to unsurpassed bodhi, become a good and wise spiritual friend, and continue the lifeblood of the Buddha’s wisdom. Do not abandon yourself.”

– Mr. Dingkai asked about the essential principle of the Three Contemplations in One Mind. The bodhisattva taught: “The wondrous point of the Tiantai school’s Dharma of the Three Contemplations lies in the perfect mind. If one realizes the perfect mind, one penetrates the Way completely.” The bodhisattva instructed Dingkai and Dingmian to stand together and receive this verse:

When the one opens, the two open;

From this day onward,

The seed of the bodhi lineage

Obtained through the skillful planting of both hands

– He taught Thượng Đức:

Your head is already bald;

You should know contentment.

Contemplate impermanence;

Sever craving and desire!

Namo Amitabha Buddha—

Let each recitation follow the last without cease.

– The bodhisattva taught Nhĩ Chi:

Be diligent, and you will not fall ill;

Be undiligent, and illness will come.

Do not call it karma from former lives;

Retribution is very near!

Draw close again and again

To the compassionate father Amitabha;

You will even gain long life,

Let alone be cured of illness.

– The bodhisattva taught Trần Đại Tâm:

Old age is not easy to endure;

Death will certainly bind you.

Only after settling your debt to your children

May you hope for ease and joy.

The Land of Ultimate Bliss is not far away;

Do not cut yourself off from it.

– The bodhisattva taught Trầm Nguyên Huy:

To remain profoundly hidden and unrevealed—

That alone is upholding the precepts.

If it is displayed outwardly,

Before long it will surely fail.

Since your mindfulness is not yet true,

You have not attained freedom.

Blessings and calamities, fortune and misfortune—

You must remain watchful yourself.

– The bodhisattva taught Đỗ Nghĩa Kiến:

Goodness itself is righteousness;

What is not good is not righteous.

Righteousness and goodness are not two;

See only righteousness.

Because of righteousness, there is seeing;

Do not see unrighteousness.

When unrighteousness is seen,

See the meaning of non-seeing.

– The bodhisattva taught the female disciple Ý An as follows: “Is it because you are ill that you do not recite the Buddha’s name? Alas, the more severe the illness, the more diligently you should recite! If you wait until the illness becomes so grave that you can no longer recite, it will already be too late!”

– The bodhisattva taught Vô Hủ:

Why treasure a piece of jade?

You should cherish every inch of fleeting time.

Maintain right mindfulness of Amitabha;

Let the light of faith shine brightly.

Do not cling to matters of the past,

Lest you also lose your future path.

– The bodhisattva taught Thường Nhiếp:

Though you have a mouth, be as if mute;

Though you have ears, act as if deaf.

Do not mingle in the confusion of the world;

Only then do you honor the work of the Path.

– He taught Thường Nguyên as follows:

Do not let your practice become indolent;

One who is indolent is no monk.

If you abandon your own practice,

This body will bear many future misfortunes.

– The bodhisattva taught Định Mậu:

You are a practitioner of the Path;

You must purify your own mind.

Only when you have purified the mind

Can you surpass others!

– The bodhisattva taught Định Tùy:

Pure and steadfast practice is indeed precious,

Yet it is still not excellent enough.

If you possess only this

And already consider it sufficient,

What benefit is there in leaving the household life?

You must vow to leave delusion and affliction;

You should awaken the resolve for the Path.

Do not let your life pass idly and in vain.

– The bodhisattva taught Tra Định Hoằng:

The bodhisattva spoke a verse,

Telling you to inform your mother:

In her daily eating and drinking,

She should quickly finish the task (**).

– The bodhisattva taught Trần Định Chuyên:

One’s own heaven is the highest;

There is nowhere it does not see.

Preserve your initial resolve;

Do not allow it to diminish in the least.

– The bodhisattva taught Đạt Bổn:

Đạt Bổn has no root;

Therefore sever the myriad conditions.

Where would you not be at peace?

For this reason, make haste, make haste!

One day, when your hands fall powerless,

Your sons plowing and daughters weaving,

As you recall your former life,

You will weep.

– After teaching each person, the bodhisattva again addressed the assembly: “Since the time I descended through the spirit-writing altar, everything I have said has concerned the essential and wondrous points of cultivation. You must constantly comprehend them and exert yourselves to practice them. Then you will certainly be born in the highest grade. From now on, the bodhisattva will no longer descend to this altar. Every disciple must strive and must not let this opportunity pass.”

At that time, when the disciples heard the bodhisattva’s teaching, they all wept in sorrow and regret, unable even to raise their eyes. The bodhisattva said: “Disciples! You believe that if the bodhisattva no longer descends, you may become indolent and consequently go astray. It is not so! Why? From this time onward, if you are diligent, it is you yourselves who are diligent, leaving the path of worldly dust and advancing into the realm of the sages. Such is the conduct of those of great wisdom and great virtue. If you are indolent, it is likewise you yourselves who are indolent, turning your backs upon the Great Path and stepping into the mire. Such is the conduct of the ignorant and utterly foolish.

Disciples! You must always advance in cultivation. Do not give rise to attachment or entanglement. Always hasten and exert yourselves—what is there to grieve over?”

A short while later, the bodhisattva again taught: “You should not hope that the bodhisattva will descend through spirit-writing again. Why? The practice of seeking revelations through spirit-writing is inherently something upon which ghosts and spirits rely; it is not the customary manner in which a great bodhisattva manifests in response to beings. If you faithfully follow my teachings without error, give rise to a reverent heart toward the bodhisattva, and regard an encounter with the bodhisattva as difficult to obtain, then you will be repaying this kindness in the greatest way.”

At that time, although the disciples had heard this Dharma instruction, they still lingered sorrowfully, unable to bear parting. The bodhisattva again taught: “Disciples! Through causes planted in former lives, the bodhisattva and all of you share a profound affinity. From now on, although I shall no longer descend to the altar, you should not think that we have become separated. You should know that Giác Minh Diệu Hạnh is always directly before your eyes. Take care that not a single day passes in which you forget and abandon Giác Minh Diệu Hạnh.”

A moment later, the bodhisattva taught once more: “Disciples! The Dharma assembly has concluded; each of you should return home. The bodhisattva comes from nowhere and goes nowhere! Do not stubbornly cling to the notion that the bodhisattva is necessarily present only upon a sheet of paper! Each of you should recite once, ‘Amitabha Buddha,’ bow with utmost sincerity, respectfully receive these teachings, and put them into practice. That alone is proper!” []

(Translation completed by Như Hòa, a disciple of Bửu Quang Monastery, on August 13, 2002)

Concluding Remarks on the Book Tây Phương Xác Chỉ

Although the ancient sages and worthies have long been removed from the present age, upon reading this book one clearly sees that the teachings contained herein are certainly neither false nor fabricated. Judged solely by principle, the Buddhadharma has been transmitted into China for fifteen hundred years. During that period, countless outstanding and keen-minded people, upon obtaining even a single sutra or verse, resolutely entered into faith and attained liberation from birth and death.

Those of shallow wisdom, however, hastily made muddled judgments according to their private notions, claiming that Buddhism originally arose from Laozi and Zhuangzi. Their fabricated theories can now be found throughout Daoist writings. Simply compare the Perfect Enlightenment Sutra and the Śūraṅgama Sutra with Daoist scriptures, and the differences in depth and shallowness, reason and unreason, become immediately apparent.

The thought of Laozi and Zhuangzi cannot equal Buddhist thought; how, then, can it be claimed that Buddhism learned from Laozi and Zhuangzi? The irrationality of that assertion itself exposes the error of those governed by selfish views!

Recently, spirit-writing has become quite prevalent. Sages and worthies of the Three Teachings often respond according to circumstances, widely expounding their teachings to transform and liberate people in the world. This is merely an expedient adopted from necessity. Reading this book, we can see that the teachings herein are certainly not fabrications. This judgment, too, is made solely on the basis of principle. Tây Phương Xác Chỉ contains Dharma teachings delivered by the bodhisattva Giác Minh Diệu Hạnh from the Land of Ultimate Bliss. His teachings censure misguided cultivation, direct all toward the Pure Land, and elucidate the wondrous true principle of One Mind. They are the profound key to ascending the Path and a genuine compass for the study of Buddhism.

Reading it again and again, I cannot help but lament: “Alas! The lotus land has never been apart from the very place where we presently dwell! Amitabha Buddha is the totality of all sentient beings; why, then, do sentient beings remain perpetually unaware, never giving rise to even a single thought of dedication? Passing from delusion into further delusion and wandering through kalpas of cyclic existence—is this not lamentable? The bodhisattva’s compassionate vows are profound and weighty. Life after life, he follows his affinities with sentient beings and never abandons them. Is his transformative manifestation through spirit-writing any different from his personally appearing to teach the Dharma?”

Upon reading this book, one can truly have faith in one’s own original mind. If one practices exactly according to its teachings, dedicating every thought of the mind and entertaining no other thought, and recites until reaching the utmost point, then deluded passions will become empty and, suddenly, there will be no abiding anywhere. Although one may presently still live in this evil world of the five turbidities, one’s body already majestically dwells in the Lotus Realm.

Once the karmic conditions of this present life have come to an end, one will attain rebirth there in the time it takes to snap one’s fingers. As the cause, so the result; there is neither before nor after. As for those who cannot have faith in their own mind, for that very reason they will be unable to have faith in the Pure Land.

Some may even suspect that this book is a forgery; if so, I do not know what can be done.

My friend, Mr. Wang Sanguan, had nearly completed carving the printing blocks for this book when they were destroyed by fire. Our worthy friends therefore had them carved anew so that the book might circulate throughout the world. I reverently edited its chapters and passages and arranged them in proper sequence. Upon completing this work, I wrote these words of explanation.

In the eighth month of autumn, in the thirty-eighth year of the Qianlong era, composed by Peng Shaosheng, a later student of Donglin.

Appendix

Single-Minded Prayer of Taking Refuge and Dedicating Merit

Single-mindedly, I take refuge in and entrust my life to Amitabha Buddha in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. May the Buddha illuminate me with his pure light and receive and deliver me through his compassionate vow. I now, with right mindfulness, invoke the name of the Tathagata, practice the path to bodhi, and seek rebirth in the Pure Land.

In the past, the Buddha vowed: “If sentient beings wish to be born in my land, sincerely believe and aspire with joy, and even recite for only ten thoughts, yet are not born there, I shall not attain Perfect Enlightenment.” Through these causes and conditions of recollecting the Buddha, may I enter the ocean of the Tathagata’s great vows. Relying upon the Buddha’s compassionate power, may my offenses be extinguished and my roots of goodness increase.

When the time of death approaches, may I know the hour in advance; may my body be free from the suffering of illness, my mind be without attachment or longing, and my thoughts remain undisturbed, as though entering meditative concentration. May the Buddha and the assembly of sages come to welcome me, holding a golden lotus dais in their hands. In the space of a single thought, may I be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

When the lotus opens and I behold the Buddha, may I immediately hear the Buddha Vehicle, swiftly awaken to the Buddha’s wisdom, extensively deliver sentient beings, and fulfill my aspiration for bodhi.

All Buddhas throughout the ten directions and the three times, all bodhisattva-mahasattvas, Maha Prajnaparamita.

Notes:

(*) Cold damage: Here, “cold damage” refers to an illness caused by exposure to pathogenic cold or heat, not to typhoid fever caused by bacteria, as the term is commonly understood by Vietnamese people.

(1) The sixth year of the Kaiyuan era during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty was the year 718. The bodhisattva personally witnessed the account of Chan Master Weixing’s request for an extension of life.

(2) Guangyin: sunlight, often translated as “an inch of shadow.” This is an expression denoting time. Here it means that Mr. Sun had only about seven or eight more years to live.

(3) When a monk stays in one place to practice for a long period, this is called “resting the staff.” The “staff” here is the monk’s ringed staff.

(4) That is, during the period from 874 to 888. This was the final period of the Tang dynasty, when regional military governors rose to establish separate domains and contend for power. Huang Chao raised an army, and the realm fell into great turmoil. From that period until the reign of the Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing dynasty was eight hundred years.

(5) Ren: a unit of measurement, approximately seven or eight Western feet.

(6) The Eight Characters: the year, month, day, and hour of birth. Because the year, month, day, and hour are each commonly designated by a combination of one Heavenly Stem (Jia, Yi, Bing, and so forth) and one Earthly Branch (Zi, Chou, Yin, and so forth), each of the four—year, month, day, and hour—consists of two characters; for example, the Dingyou year or the Jisi day. The Chinese commonly use the Eight Characters to calculate a person’s destiny, especially in the two systems of Ziwei and Ziping.

(**) The bodhisattva meant to instruct Mr. Zha Dinghong that, during their ordinary daily meals and tea at home, he should earnestly encourage his mother to begin practicing without delay.