淨慈要語

Preface

What does “Pure Compassion” mean?

I named the hermitage in accordance with the teachings of Great Master Wengu. The hermitage was named “Pure Compassion,” signifying mindfulness of the Buddha and the release of living beings.

What is sought through mindfulness of the Buddha and the release of living beings? It is the return to one’s original mind, which is inherently pure and compassionate.

Our original mind is inherently vast and ever pure, yet sentient beings do not understand this original nature and therefore habitually perceive objects outside the mind. Consequently, the eyes are defiled by forms, the ears by sounds, the nose by fragrances, the tongue by flavors, the body by tangible contact, and the mind by objects of cognition. Drifting outward, they are unable to return. From this, karmic hindrances arise and transgressions are committed, so that they remain forever submerged in this narrow and defiled world, with no day of liberation.

The Buddha, out of compassion for sentient beings, taught them the Dharma of abandoning “defilement” and returning to “purity.” Because the capacities of sentient beings are not the same, the teachings also differ in many ways; yet the most important and easiest practice remains the Dharma-gate of mindfulness of the Buddha.

Single-mindedly recollect the Buddha, applying your resolve without distraction, and gather in all six sense faculties. When pure mindfulness continues without interruption, the eyes are not defiled by forms, the ears are not defiled by sounds, the nose is not defiled by fragrances, the tongue is not defiled by flavors, the body is not defiled by tangible contact, and the mind is not defiled by objects of cognition.

If one can accomplish this, then although one is living in the Saha world, one’s entire being is already seated in the Lotus Realm. Why, then, should one fear that one’s body in the next life will not be pure?

Although one cultivates the samadhi of mindfulness of the Buddha, if one’s merit and virtue are insufficient, it will be difficult to attain the wholesome fruition. One must cultivate every good deed as a supporting cause. Although good deeds are exceedingly numerous, compassionate conduct stands foremost; and although compassionate practices are many, preventing killing and practicing the release of living beings are supreme.

This is because what sentient beings cherish most is life, while death is what causes them the greatest suffering. Thus, all who share the same red blood are alike in mind and nature. Only because people have become habituated to cruelty is it exceedingly difficult for them to practice benevolence grounded in the unity of all beings; therefore, they kill with indifference and feel no compassion.

Could the nature of mind inherently be like this?

Therefore, the Buddha earnestly admonished us, first warning against killing and then widely exhorting us to release living beings. This bestows upon sentient beings what they cherish most and rescues them from what causes them the greatest suffering. The merit of this toward the myriad creatures is truly beyond calculation!

In Jianzhou, monastics and laypeople alike have long followed the teachings of Great Master Wengu, devoting themselves wholeheartedly to mindfulness of the Buddha and the release of living beings. Yet they remained concerned that these practices could not be widely propagated to distant places, so they discussed the matter with me. I therefore gathered and transcribed the essential teachings from works on the Pure Land and abstention from killing, compiling them into this volume entitled Essential Words on Pure Compassion, and entrusted it to them for engraving and printing. May the teachings that transform people through purity of mind and compassionate love spread without limit.

Alas! The meaning of “Pure Compassion” is truly vast; how could it be confined merely to mindfulness of the Buddha and the release of living beings?

Mindfulness of the Buddha and the release of living beings may indeed be called “Pure Compassion,” but they cannot exhaust its meaning. Ultimately speaking, supreme purity, the complete fulfillment of awakened nature, and the attainment of the Unsurpassed Way do not go beyond the meaning of this single word, “Pure.” Universally delivering all sentient beings and extending compassion throughout myriad kalpas do not go beyond the meaning of this single word, “Compassion.”

The great bodhisattvas seek buddhahood above and transform sentient beings below. From beginning to end, all the Mahayana scriptures likewise seek to illuminate this, so much so that books on the subject fill entire houses. Now the two words “Pure Compassion” comprehensively encompass the entire meaning, leaving nothing out.

Do not suppose that when Great Master Wengu bestowed this name, he intended only mindfulness of the Buddha and the release of living beings. You should thoroughly comprehend this meaning and extend it broadly; only then will you fully understand his intent.

Nevertheless, there remains one statement that the two words “Pure Compassion” cannot encompass. I wish to explain it clearly for everyone, but unfortunately my tongue is too short. You should question the Great Master himself!

The fifth day of the eighth month in the jiaxu year,

during the Chongzhen reign (1634)

Respectfully recorded by Bhikshu Yuanxian

UPPER FASCICLE

Composed by the shramana Yuanxian

at Yongquan Monastery on Mount Gu

1. The Origin of the Pure Land Teaching

Long ago, the Buddha appeared in the world solely for the sake of one great causal condition. He taught a great many doctrines suited to the various capacities of sentient beings, yet all were intended only to remove defiled habits and return to one’s originally pure mind. Because the capacities of sentient beings are not the same, the teachings also differ in many ways. Yet if one seeks the easiest practice to cultivate, the most secure entrance into the Way, and the swiftest attainment, nothing surpasses the Pure Land Dharma-gate.

What is the Pure Land?

Throughout the vast expanse of space are innumerable lands, some pure and some defiled. Sentient beings whose minds are pure are born in pure lands, while those whose minds are defiled are born in defiled lands.

If they are born in a defiled land, their karmic hindrances deepen day by day, making wholesome Dharma difficult to accomplish. If they are born in a pure land, their karmic hindrances diminish day by day, making wholesome Dharma easy to accomplish. Therefore, those who study the Way must carefully choose whether the path they cultivate leads to a pure or a defiled land. Even among the Pure Lands there are many distinctions, and the most excellent among them is the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

This world was brought into being through the immeasurable vows and immeasurable merit of Amitabha Buddha. Therefore, the magnificent meritorious adornments of this land are beyond comparison with those of other worlds.

Here, only a brief account of that land will be given. In general, it possesses twenty supreme qualities:

1. The ground is made of pure gold, and the ponds are formed from the seven treasures. The nets, rows of trees, balustrades, towers, and pavilions are all made from the seven kinds of precious substances.

2. Within that land there is none of the suffering of the hells, hungry ghosts, or animals.

3. All sentient beings born there are born by transformation from lotus blossoms in ponds of the seven treasures.

4. Their bodies are golden in color and fully endowed with the thirty-two excellent marks.

5. Their bodies emit light that outshines both the sun and the moon.

6. Their lifespans are immeasurable, and they are forever free from the suffering of aging, sickness, and death.

7. Clothing and food naturally appear according to their wishes.

8. They behold the Buddha with their own eyes and hear the Sublime Dharma taught.

9. They dwell together in one place with beings of the highest virtue.

10. There is no speech concerning lust and no female form.

11. There is no hatred or hostility.

12. There are no armies of Mara or followers of non-Buddhist paths.

13. There are no adherents of the Two Vehicles; if any are present, they all redirect their minds toward the Mahayana.

14. The blowing wind, flowing water, and singing birds all proclaim the Sublime Dharma.

15. Hundreds of thousands of celestial melodies resound continually, day and night.

16. They are fully endowed with supernormal powers.

17. Within the time of a single meal, they can travel throughout the worlds of the ten directions and make offerings to all Buddhas.

18. They are kept in mind and protected by all Buddhas.

19. As soon as they are born in that land, they enter the stage of non-retrogression.

20. They attain buddhahood in only one lifetime.

That world possesses so many supreme qualities and benefits; therefore, sentient beings should resolve to seek birth in that land.

Those who wish to seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss do not attain it by performing other wholesome deeds. They need only concentrate single-mindedly on upholding and reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha, and they will attain rebirth there. Why is this? It is because of the power of that Buddha’s great vows.

In the past, while still cultivating the bodhisattva path, Amitabha Buddha made forty-eight great vows to liberate all sentient beings. Among those vows was this one: “If sentient beings who wish to be born in my land recite my name even as few as ten times, yet fail to attain rebirth there, may I not attain Perfect Enlightenment.”

Because of this profound and vast vow, sentient beings need only single-mindedly recite and uphold the Buddha’s name with undistracted concentration, and they will immediately attain rebirth there. At the time of that person’s death, Amitabha Buddha will radiate a great light and, together with the assembly of sages, appear before that person and extend his hand to receive and guide them. In merely the time it takes to snap one’s fingers, that person will have attained rebirth in that land, within a beautiful, fresh lotus blossom.

When the lotus opens, that person will see the Buddha and hear him teach many kinds of wondrous Dharma. Having heard them, that person will immediately realize the “principle of neither arising nor cessation” and thereafter advance directly in cultivation until attaining Buddhahood.

The matters stated above are substantiated by the sutras and treatises and by the teachings of the patriarchs. They are certainly not false; therefore, one should have profound and firm faith in them.

Yet all these statements encompass both Phenomena and Principle. Practitioners should neither incline exclusively toward nor reject either side.

– What is meant by Phenomena? It refers to all the phenomenal characteristics of the Pure Land described above.

– What is meant by Principle? It means clearly understanding that none of those phenomenal characteristics exists outside the original mind.

Although it is said that the Pure Land is within the mind, this does not preclude the existence of the Land of Ultimate Bliss, for that world is manifested entirely from one’s own mind.

Although it is said that Amitabha is one’s inherent nature, this does not preclude the existence of the guiding teacher of the Land of Ultimate Bliss, for that guiding teacher is likewise accomplished from the inherent nature itself.

Although there is quiescence and non-arising, this does not preclude the evident reality of rebirth, for rebirth is itself fundamentally non-arising.

Those of superior understanding often delight in discussing Principle, yet frequently ridicule cultivation through phenomenal practices.

Those of middling and lesser capacities mostly cling to cultivation through phenomenal practices and remain deluded regarding true Principle. Neither group fully understands that there is no Principle apart from Phenomena and that Phenomena abide precisely within Principle. To cling to Principle while abandoning Phenomena is to fall into the calamity of “attachment to emptiness.”

To cling to Phenomena without understanding Principle can still bring the benefit of attaining rebirth. Why, then, would anyone delight in empty talk about “emptiness” only to suffer real calamity?

2. Right Faith in Buddha-Recitation

To cultivate this Dharma gate, one must initially possess right faith. The Buddhas and great bodhisattvas of the three times, as well as all the patriarchs, first had to possess this faith before they could enter the path.

Without this faith, practitioners will hesitate and remain undecided, professing faith in words alone without genuine conviction.

Whether one does not cultivate at all or cultivates only intermittently—believing at one moment and doubting the next, practicing for a time and then abandoning the practice—if one lacks vigorous strength and resolute determination, how can one accomplish this rare merit?

The Avatamsaka Sutra states: “Faith is the root of the path and the mother of merit. Faith can nurture and increase all wholesome roots. Faith can transcend all paths of Mara. Faith can lead one into Right Concentration.”

What is meant by faith? It means awakening to the true source and having profound faith in the True Mark. If one has not yet attained this, one should firmly believe the Buddha’s words.

The Amitabha Sutra states: “The Buddhas throughout the six directions each manifest a broad and long tongue, exhorting beings to believe this sutra.” This is because the minds and consciousness of ordinary beings such as ourselves are deluded and inferior. Bound by narrow and shallow habits, we cannot comprehend what is vast and far-reaching or the profound, hidden, and wondrous realms. As soon as we encounter something extraordinary, we become doubtful and dare not believe it. We ordinary beings should simply trust and follow the Buddha’s words. From his great loving-kindness, great compassion, and great wisdom, the Buddha speaks words of truth, utterly free from falsehood. If the Buddha’s words are not to be trusted, whose words are worthy of trust?

Faith in the Buddha’s words comprises two aspects:

1. Faith in Principle.

2. Faith in Phenomena.

– Faith in Principle means believing that our mind is itself the Pure Land and our nature is itself Amitabha.

– Faith in Phenomena means believing that the Pure Land truly exists in the West and that Amitabha Buddha truly exists in the West.

Although Principle is discussed separately, in truth Phenomena are entirely present within Principle, just as the great ocean can reflect the images of myriad things. Although only Phenomena are discussed, all Phenomena are contained within Principle, just as the images of myriad things never depart from the great ocean.

Phenomena and Principle are one, yet they are also two; at the same time, they are neither one nor two. Faith and understanding such as this are called right faith.

If one believes only in Principle but not in Phenomena, or believes in Phenomena but not in Principle, this is called partial faith, not right faith. Practitioners who have not yet attained right faith should inquire widely of those who have gone before them and extensively study the sutras and treatises. Then all doubts will naturally dissolve, and right faith will naturally manifest. Only then can they give rise to a great vow, diligently exhort themselves, bring forth great practice, and advance directly toward enlightenment without waiting for a future life.

Some people of exceptionally high aptitude gain a little understanding upon reading the sutras and treatises and immediately claim that they have attained right faith. Yet they are then dragged along by their habitual tendencies, falling headlong and unable to advance even a single step.

They do not realize that this is merely external, intellectual understanding, not right faith. If one knows that a tiger may pounce upon a person, how could one dare approach it carelessly? If one understands that the feathers of the zhen bird contain poison harmful to people, how could one dare taste it? Today, people willingly endure the calamity of being mauled by a tiger and poisoned by the zhen bird without knowing remorse; how, then, can they be said to possess faith?

If you are a clear-sighted person of great resolve, then from this moment onward, cast aside your former erroneous views!

3. Right Practice of Buddha-Recitation

Once practitioners of the Pure Land path possess right faith, they should cultivate right practice. What is right practice? It is precisely Buddha-recitation.

The sutras set forth many approaches to the practice of Buddha-recitation. In the past, masters generally favored the two approaches of visualization and name-recitation.

Those whose minds are coarse and whose understanding is shallow cannot undertake and uphold the visualization approach. Only the approach of name-recitation is simple and easy, benefiting those of superior, middling, and lesser capacities alike. Therefore, everyone is encouraged to practice name-recitation. The Amitabha Sutra states: “Uphold the name for one day, or two days, or three days, or four days, or five days, or six days, or as many as seven days, single-mindedly and without distraction…” This passage refers precisely to this practice.

The practice of name-recitation encompasses both Principle and Phenomena.

Name-recitation according to Principle means taking the four words “Amitabha Buddha” directly as the meditation topic and holding firmly to the Buddha’s name throughout all twenty-four hours of the day. Do not recite with a mind attached to existence; do not recite with a mind attached to nonexistence; nor recite with a mind attached to neither of the two extremes. Bring the bounds of before and after to an end, so that not a single thought arises; without passing through successive stages, one transcends directly to the stage of Buddhahood.

Name-recitation according to Phenomena means single-mindedly holding firmly to the phrase Amitabha Buddha, as though relying upon Mount Sumeru, immovable when shaken. Recite in this way in the early morning and recite in this way in the evening; recite in this way while walking and recite in this way while sitting; recite in this way amid daily interactions; and recite in this way whether encountering favorable or adverse circumstances. When pure mindfulness continues without interruption, the mind will naturally awaken, no differently from name-recitation according to Principle.

Even if the mind has not yet awakened, at the time of death one will certainly attain rebirth among those of the highest grade in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

If one’s strength is not yet sufficient and one’s practice is not yet mature, one should cultivate according to one’s capacity: perhaps bowing and reciting morning and evening, or performing the ten recitations each morning, accumulating merit and gradually nurturing the wholesome fruit. The essential point is to maintain firm faith and vows. At the time of death, one will certainly attain rebirth there, though one’s grade will be relatively low and one will behold the Buddha later. Yet this is like someone who passes an examination with his name at the bottom of the list—surely that is not a bad thing.

4. Supplementing the Practice with Meritorious Deeds

Those who cultivate the Pure Land path and single-mindedly recite the name of Amitabha Buddha should also perform every kind of meritorious deed as additional support. The Sutra on the Contemplation of the Buddha of Infinite Life states: “Those who wish to be reborn in the Land of Utmost Bliss must cultivate three kinds of merit. First, they must care for their parents with filial devotion, serve their teachers and elders, be compassionate and refrain from killing, and cultivate the ten wholesome deeds.

Second, they must receive and uphold the Three Refuges, fully observe all the precepts, and not violate the rules of dignified conduct. Third, they must arouse the bodhi-mind, deeply believe in cause and effect, read and recite the Mahayana scriptures, and encourage those who practice. These three are the true causes and the pure karma of the Buddhas of the three times.”

A disciple who cultivated the Pure Land path once asked Master Cizhao:

– This disciple specializes in cultivating the Samadhi of Buddha-Recitation. May I also practice generosity, observe the precepts, make offerings, and perform meritorious deeds?

Master Cizhao replied:

– You specialize in reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha. If you do not observe the precepts, you incur the offense of transgression; if you do not practice generosity, you increase the karma of greed and stinginess; if you do not make offerings to the Three Jewels, you create the karma of arrogance; and if you do not respect everyone, you incur the offense of looking down upon others. Consequently, transgression leads to hell, greed and stinginess lead to the realm of hungry ghosts, arrogance causes one constantly to dwell in the evil destinies, and contempt for others causes one to be poor and lowly lifetime after lifetime. If one is obstructed by such evil karma and yet wishes to be reborn in the Pure Land, can one succeed? Therefore, Dharma Master Sengzhao said: “Although conditioned phenomena are deceptive, if one abandons them, it is difficult to accomplish the Buddha-path. Although the unconditioned is true, if one clings to it, wisdom cannot shine forth.”

Now, as you cultivate the Samadhi of Buddha-Recitation, seek rebirth in the Pure Land, and aspire swiftly to attain Buddhahood, you should take single-minded recitation of the Buddha’s name as your primary practice while also cultivating every other kind of merit and virtue. Morning and evening, diligently make offerings to the Three Jewels, bow in repentance, practice generosity, observe the precepts, purify body, speech, and mind, and perform other pure practices. Dedicate all the roots of goodness gained through cultivation toward the Pure Land, thereby perfecting the merit of Buddha-recitation. This may be called “traveling downstream by boat while also being furnished with a fine pair of oars.”

5. Right Aspiration in Buddha-Recitation

Master Cizhao said: “Practice without a vow will surely remain solitary; a vow without practice is merely an empty wish. Only when vow and practice support one another can one reach the Jeweled Land.”

Nowadays, one often sees people arouse the resolve to recite the Buddha’s name because they suffer from illness, begin reciting to repay the kindness of relatives, recite for the peace and safety of their families, or recite to prolong their lives. Since their vows are not right, they reap only illusory fruits. Even if they practice throughout their lives, all their effort is misdirected. How could they attain rebirth there at the end of life, when during their lives they never formed such an aspiration? Therefore, those who recite the Buddha’s name must make the right vow.

The right vow is not the wish to enjoy the blessings of the human and heavenly realms, nor the wish to attain the lesser fruits of the Two Vehicles. Nor is it merely the wish that oneself alone be reborn in the Pure Land and realize bodhi. Rather, it is the vow that all sentient beings attain rebirth in the Pure Land and realize bodhi.

As soon as this vow is aroused, it can bring immeasurable merit to fulfillment, eliminate immeasurable defiled karma, shatter immeasurable nets of Mara, and forever serve as the true seed of Buddhahood. This is precisely the bodhi-mind.

Practitioners should make such a vow every day and every hour. When the power of the vow remains firm and unchanging, all the myriad wholesome deeds become wondrous practices of awakening and the true causes of rebirth in the Pure Land. If so, why worry that one will not attain rebirth there?

6. Right Mindfulness at the Time of Death

Although the work of cultivating Pure Land practice is accumulated day by day, the final thought at the time of death is of the utmost importance. Because of this single thought, one is born in either a pure or a defiled land and enters either the path of sages or the way of ordinary beings.

One often sees people who recite the Buddha’s name and ordinarily say that they seek rebirth in the Pure Land, yet when death approaches, most are unable to maintain right mindfulness. Some crave life and fear death, clinging fondly to this bag of skin. Some cannot endure the pain of separation when they see their wives and children weeping. Some are bound by their possessions and cannot let them go. Some die harboring resentment because circumstances have gone against them. Others pass away in agony, oppressed by the suffering of illness. Having lost right mindfulness, they have no choice but to follow cyclic existence and fall into lower states.

– Some doubt that because they have accumulated heavy karma throughout their lives, they have no share in the Western Land.

– Some doubt that because they have recited the Buddha’s name too little, they dare not hope to be reborn in the Western Land.

– Some doubt that because their debts have not yet been fully repaid, their wishes remain unfulfilled, and their greed and anger have not ceased, it will be difficult for them to be reborn in the Land of Utmost Bliss.

– Some doubt that although they have recited the Buddha’s name, the Buddha may not come to welcome them.

All four of these are doubts they themselves produce, creating obstructions that cause them to lose right mindfulness.

– Furthermore, some people diligently recite the Buddha’s name in ordinary times, but suddenly fall ill and lie bedridden in unbearable pain. This is because their past karma from previous lives is deep and heavy. They should have fallen into an evil destiny, but through the power of Buddha-recitation, their heavy retribution has been transformed into light retribution. They must endure it and become even more diligent in reciting the Buddha’s name; then they will certainly attain rebirth there. If they complain that the Buddhadharma is ineffective and give rise to a regressive mind, they will fall into hell.

– Some people ordinarily claim to recite the Buddha’s name, yet their attachment to life is extremely strong. When illness one day befalls them, they believe in heterodox teachers and sorcery, kill sentient beings, burn paper money and gold votive paper, and make sacrifices to demonic spirits in the hope of receiving blessings and aid. Because of this deviant mind, they are not received by the Buddhas.

– Some, because of illness, follow the advice of physicians and consume alcohol and meat, or kill living beings to prepare medicine. By doing so, they destroy their roots of goodness and must be swept along by their karma.

In all three cases, illness gives rise to obstructions that cause them to lose right mindfulness.

I now exhort practitioners that when this time arrives, they need only firmly trust the words of the sutras, steadfastly maintain right mindfulness, relinquish everything, and recite the Buddha’s name until the final moment. Regard the three realms as a prison, view wives and children as hostile creditors, regard possessions as shackles, and view one’s own body as a foul-smelling bag of skin or a shattered skull.

One should give instructions and make arrangements in advance for family members and those who visit during illness, teaching all of them to assist by reciting the Buddha’s name. They should not engage in miscellaneous conversation, discuss household affairs, sigh and lament, or grieve and shed tears. Only after the body has entirely lost its warmth may they mourn.

If one follows this Dharma, one will certainly attain rebirth there. Even those who have never recited the Buddha’s name in ordinary times can attain rebirth there if they are able to follow these instructions.

Alas! Death is a matter of immeasurable importance. In an instant, one passes into another life, and because of a single mistaken thought, one may suffer for myriad kalpas. Therefore, everyone must be cautious! Be cautious!

7. The Difficulty and Ease of the Two Lands

Bodhisattva Nagarjuna said: “Practicing in the world of the Five Turbidities is called the difficult path, like a lame person traveling along a perilous road, unable to go more than a few miles in a day. Practicing in the Pure Land is called the easy path, like an ordinary person relying on the mighty power of a Wheel-Turning King and traveling throughout the four continents in a single day.”

Let us now compare the ten difficulties of the Saha world with the ten advantages of the Pure Land:

1. In the Saha world, one does not always encounter a Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha has entered nirvana, and false teachings flourish; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the Buddha perpetually abides without entering nirvana and is presently its teaching master.

2. In the Saha world, the Dharma-ending age is turbulent, and there are many non-Buddhist teachings. Although people discuss the Buddhadharma, most of their views are biased and erroneous; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the Buddha and bodhisattvas, as well as the waters, birds, and forest trees, constantly proclaim the Wondrous Dharma.

3. In the Saha world, evil companions seek offerings and material gain, misleading practitioners and causing them to fall into the three evil realms; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta are supreme companions, and beings of the highest virtue dwell together in one place.

4. In the Saha world, various kinds of maras cause disturbance and destroy the true Dharma; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, although heavenly maras exist, they all protect and uphold the true Dharma, helping practitioners swiftly attain accomplishment.

5. In the Saha world, beings revolve through the six realms of rebirth like a turning wheel, with no day of rest; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, they are born by transformation within lotus flowers and no longer revolve through the painful paths of birth and death.

6. In the Saha world, beings pass back and forth through the three realms, undergoing karmic retribution. Even if they are born in the heavenly realm, it is difficult for them to avoid the evil paths; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, even the names of the three evil realms are unheard of, much less do those realms actually exist.

7. In the Saha world, defiled worldly conditions constantly obstruct the transcendence of samsara; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, golden towers, jeweled palaces, beautiful garments, and delicious food all serve as skillful means supporting cultivation.

8. In the Saha world, human beings may live for a hundred years, yet many die prematurely. Time passes swiftly, and the great path is difficult to accomplish; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the lifespans of sentient beings equal that of the Buddha.

9. In the Saha world, practitioners must eliminate the delusions of views and the delusions of thought before attaining non-retrogression. Those who have newly begun to practice cannot yet avoid regressing and falling; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, all beings born there enter the Assembly of Those Assured of Enlightenment and never again regress.

10. In the Saha world, practitioners may pass through myriad kalpas and still find attainment difficult. The disciples who heard the Dharma in the time of the Buddha Great Penetrating Wisdom Excellence, for example, regressed from the Mahayana, clung to the Hinayana, and after innumerable kalpas still remained at the stage of shravakas; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, during this very lifetime they constantly follow the Buddha and study, advance directly to the seat of enlightenment, and accomplish the path of unsurpassed awakening.

The ten difficulties and advantages described above are truly as far apart as heaven and the abyss. Those who rely on their own strength merely toil in vain. Those who rely upon supreme supporting conditions, however, obtain vast and lofty benefits.

Practitioners should choose wisely!

8. Resolving Doubts About the Pure Land

Question: Buddhas and bodhisattvas take the mind of great compassion as their mission, so they ought to remain in evil and defiled worlds to relieve the suffering of sentient beings. Why, then, do they aspire to be born in the Pure Land, seemingly seeking only their own benefit?

Answer: Their aspiration to be born in the Pure Land is certainly not merely for their own benefit. Rather, without being born there, it is difficult to relieve the suffering of sentient beings. A sutra states: “Only after a bodhisattva has attained the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas—that is, thoroughly realized the principle of neither arising nor cessation—is that bodhisattva permitted to enter the mundane world to teach and liberate sentient beings.

Until this has been attained, the bodhisattva must constantly remain with the Buddha.” This is because, while habitual delusions have not yet ceased and the power of patient acceptance is not yet complete, encountering adverse conditions will certainly obstruct further cultivation. Saving oneself is then difficult, much less saving others.

If one wishes to rescue others while remaining in this evil and defiled world, it is like attempting to carry many people across the sea in a damaged and unstable boat: both oneself and the others will drown. Therefore, the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says: “That an ordinary person, bound by every kind of fetter, should possess great compassion and aspire to be born in an evil world to liberate sentient beings is simply impossible.”

The Treatise on Rebirth says: “Those who wish to travel freely through the hells must first attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss and realize the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas. Only then may they return to samsara and teach the suffering beings in the hells.”

Question: Those who attain awakening in the Chan school transcend the stages and rise directly to the state of Buddhahood. Why should they aspire to be born in the Pure Land?

Answer: Do you claim that, upon attaining awakening, their habitual delusions are entirely eliminated and they immediately become equal to the Buddhas? Or, if habitual delusions remain, must they still rely upon gradual cultivation?

If habitual delusions remain, they must seek rebirth in the Pure Land and rely upon the supreme conditions there to refine themselves gradually. If, with only a shallow conceptual awakening, they continue to wander through the world of the Five Turbidities, they will become confused as soon as they enter the next life. How, then, could they be assured of not regressing?

In ancient times, Chengtian Jian, Zhenru Zhe, Haiyin Xin, and others were all eminent and discerning masters of the Chan school, yet they had not the slightest mastery over birth and death. From this, the situation of others may also be understood. Moreover, even the youth Sudhana, one of perfect and sudden capacity, aspired to be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss; and Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, a lineage patriarch who received the transmission of the robe, received a prediction of his rebirth in the Pure Land.

Can your awakening possibly equal that of Sudhana and Nagarjuna?

Even if you claim to equal them, what objection could there be to joining them in rebirth in the Pure Land? If you have not yet reached their attainment, how could you delay the matter of attaining rebirth there?

Question: “The mind is originally free from thought, and dharmas are originally unborn.” Why, then, are people now taught to be mindful of the Buddha and seek rebirth in the Pure Land?

Answer: “To regard thought as truly thought and birth as truly birth” is the error of eternalistic attachment.

“To regard no-thought as truly no-thought and non-arising as truly non-arising” is the delusion of false views.

“To think while there is no thought, and to be born while there is no birth” is the truth of the ultimate meaning.

Therefore, at the level of ultimate principle, where not even a speck of dust is admitted, there are no Buddhas to be mindful of and no Pure Land in which to be born.

Within the gate of the Buddha, however, at the level of phenomena not a single dharma is discarded, and beings of every capacity are embraced. Because there is an essential method for “returning to the source,” the gateway of rebirth through the Buddha-Recitation Samadhi was opened.

Thus, one may recite the Buddha’s name throughout the day without contradicting no-thought; one may clearly attain rebirth without contradicting non-arising. Although ordinary beings and sages each abide in their own station, the path of sympathetic resonance connects them; although East and West are devoid of coming and going, the spirit transcends into the Pure Realm. This cannot be refuted!

Question: Sentient beings may recite the names of other Buddhas and seek rebirth in other Pure Lands. Why is it necessary specifically to recite the name of Amitabha Buddha and seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss?

Answer: There are six reasons:

– First, because the minds of sentient beings are generally turbid, scattered, and distracted, being mindful of all the Buddhas is unlikely to lead to the attainment of samadhi. Therefore, one exclusively recites the name of a single Buddha and seeks rebirth in a single land. By binding the mind to one object, rebirth is more easily attained.

– Second, because Amitabha Buddha’s great vows of compassion are inexhaustible, he welcomes and guides sentient beings who are mindful of the Buddha; even those who recite his name only ten times can attain rebirth. Other Buddhas do not have this particular provision.

– Third, because the meritorious adornments of the Land of Ultimate Bliss possess every kind of excellence and differ from those of other Pure Lands. Sentient beings born there can advance along the path more easily.

– Fourth, because ordinary beings lack wisdom, they should follow the Buddha’s words. Shakyamuni Buddha repeatedly affirmed this Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss throughout the sutras. All the Buddhas, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, likewise praise it.

– Fifth, if sentient beings have no affinity with a Buddha, that Buddha cannot deliver them. Yet the sentient beings of this realm, whether old or young, noble or humble, all know of Amitabha Buddha, and when the name spontaneously leaves their lips, they recite the single phrase “Amitabha Buddha.” Thus it should be known that the sentient beings of this realm have a profound karmic affinity with Amitabha Buddha.

– Sixth, the essential nature of all Buddhas is the same. One is all, and all are one; to be mindful of one Buddha is to be mindful of all Buddhas together.

Because of these six meanings, if one single-mindedly directs oneself toward the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the benefits are truly immeasurably great!

Question: Dividing lands into pure and defiled, abandoning the defiled and choosing the Pure—all this belongs to deluded thought. How can it be called true cultivation?

Answer: This is not the grasping and rejecting found within the deluded thinking of the world. Rather, it is the universal method employed by all Tathagatas throughout the ten directions to transform ordinary beings into sages.

If one does not become disillusioned with and abandon the ordinary state, how can one transform it? If one does not delight in and choose the state of a sage, how can one become a sage? From the stage of an ordinary being onward, every level entails choosing and rejecting; only upon reaching Wondrous Enlightenment do choosing and rejecting come to an end. Therefore, an ancient virtuous master said, “At their ultimate point, choosing and rejecting are no different from non-choosing and non-rejecting.” How, then, can this be called anything other than true cultivation?

Moreover, one should understand that the ultimate and the conventional are nondual, and that stillness and function are unobstructed. Thus, although one chooses and rejects throughout the day, one perceives no characteristics of choosing or rejecting.

Master Vimalakirti said, “Although one knows that the dharmas of all Buddhas and sentient beings are empty, one constantly cultivates the Pure Land and teaches and transforms sentient beings.” This expresses the same meaning.

Question: The mind itself is Buddha. It should therefore suffice to contemplate one’s own mind directly; why is it necessary to be mindful of another Buddha?

Answer: Since one’s own mind and all Buddhas are truly of one essence, whether one contemplates one’s own mind or another Buddha depends only upon what is most suitable for one’s faculties. How could one cling to the notion that one’s own mind is Buddha and then claim that another Buddha exists outside the mind? Moreover, mindfulness of another Buddha is an especially excellent skillful means established by all Buddhas, enabling one to be reborn in that land and, relying upon other-power, swiftly reach bodhi.

Its benefits are truly immense!

Question: The Pure Land is within the mind. Why is it necessary to seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss?

Answer: In saying that the Pure Land is within the mind, you have already clung to this small and limited mind as the Pure Land while regarding the Land of Ultimate Bliss as distant, lying beyond ten myriads of kotis of lands. Thus, you have completely failed to understand the purport of Mind-Only.

Mind-Only means that the mind encompasses empty space and its measure pervades the Dharma Realm. When the mind is pure, a pure land manifests; when the mind is defiled, a defiled land manifests. Therefore, it should be known that those reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss manifest purity precisely because their minds are pure. How could that land be outside the mind?

If the mind is confined within narrow limits and this is then called the Pure Land, not only would the Land of Ultimate Bliss not be within the mind, but the Saha world would not be within the mind either. Not only should one then not be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, but one should not have been born in the Saha world either.

Moreover, I now ask you: in the next life, will there truly be birth, or will there truly be no birth?

If you say that there is birth, what is it that is born, and how could that then accord with Mind-Only?

If you say that there is no birth, you have fallen into the annihilationist view. That is the view of non-Buddhist schools and the doctrine of the demon Pāpīyān.

Someone says, “I need only purify my own mind, and I will naturally be reborn in the Pure Land. Why must I be mindful of the Buddha and seek rebirth there?”

The answer is: If one is not mindful of the Buddha, one has no karmic affinity with the Pure Land. Merely wishing to purify one’s own mind within this defiled world is what Bodhisattva Nagarjuna called “the difficult path of practice.” This is because the conditions and objects in this realm are defiled, mixed, and disorderly, presenting many obstacles to cultivation. Of seven who advance, eight retreat.

They revolve through the six realms, and even after kalpas as numerous as dust and sand, they remain entangled in birth and death. Only after completely severing the delusions of views and thought can one leave the Three Realms. One must attain the Seventh Abode—the Abode of Non-Retrogression, where the resolve for the Way continually increases and never again declines—before one can be called non-retrogressive, yet even then one still has no share in rebirth in the Pure Land.

How, then, can one say, “When the mind is pure, the land is pure”? Is this not exceedingly difficult?

Question: Ordinary beings are bound by every kind of fetter. Although they may be mindful of the Buddha, their greed and anger have not ceased, and their minds are not truly pure. How, then, can they attain rebirth?

Answer: They are received through the power of Amitabha Buddha’s vows. The Nagasena Sutra says, “It is like a person who wishes to transport a thousand great blocks of stone across the ocean: it is entirely through the strength of the ship that they reach the other shore.”

The transgressions of sentient beings are like great boulders, while the power of Amitabha Buddha’s vows is like a ship; thus they can cross the ocean of birth and death. Although their offenses would ordinarily cause them to fall into the lower realms, by relying upon the Buddha’s power they attain rebirth in the Pure Land.

Furthermore, those who attain rebirth while still carrying karma must firmly maintain right mindfulness as their lives approach their end. Even a single thought arising from this pure mind can swiftly cause the Pure Land to appear—how much more so when one has practiced mindfulness of the Buddha every day!

Question: It is truly difficult to believe that people who have committed the five rebellious offenses and the ten evil deeds can attain rebirth merely by reciting the Buddha’s name ten times.

Answer: Generally speaking, a single thought at the time of death is extremely important. A sutra states, “A woman was crossing a river when she accidentally dropped her child into the water. In her desperate concern to rescue the child, she was swept away by the current and drowned. Because of that single wholesome thought of love for her child, she was reborn in a heavenly realm.”

When Bhikshu Vô Văn was approaching death, he gave rise to a single evil thought slandering the Buddha and consequently fell into hell.

Even heaven and hell can be transformed by a single thought. Why, then, should there be any doubt that ten recitations can bring rebirth in the Pure Land? Moreover, among his vows, Amitabha Buddha declared, “If sentient beings who invoke and recite my name even as few as ten times do not attain rebirth in my land, I shall not attain Perfect Enlightenment.”

The power of his vows is steadfast, while the practitioner’s mindfulness is courageous and intense. A stimulus occurs here, and a response comes from there, as swiftly as form follows its shadow and sound is followed by its echo. What room for doubt could remain?

Question: A sutra states, “Reciting the Buddha’s name once eradicates the grave offenses of birth and death accumulated throughout eight billion kalpas.” This is truly difficult to believe. Please explain it clearly.

Answer: These words appear in the passage on the lowest grade of the lowest level, concerning a person who accomplishes ten recitations at the time of death. You regard the grave offenses of birth and death accumulated throughout eight billion kalpas as weighty, yet you regard a single thought at the time of death as insignificant.

If we now examine this according to the three principles of the Tiantai school, we cannot judge lightness and gravity merely in terms of distance and proximity, or quantity and scarcity.

– First, with regard to the mind: the mind that commits offenses arises from delusion and inverted views; the mind that is mindful of the Buddha arises from hearing a good spiritual friend speak of Amitabha Buddha’s name and his true virtues.

One is false, while the other is true; how could they be compared? It is like a house that has remained dark for ten thousand years: as soon as sunlight enters, the darkness swiftly vanishes. Could the darkness possibly fail to disappear merely because it had endured for so long?

– Second, with regard to conditions: the deluded and ignorant mind that commits offenses arises through taking false and inverted objects as its conditions; the mind that is mindful of the Buddha arises through hearing the Buddha’s true and pure name and virtues, taking the mind of unsurpassed enlightenment as its condition.

One is real and the other false; how could they be compared? It is like a person struck by a poisoned arrow: the arrowhead is deeply embedded, and the poison has permeated and injured the flesh. Yet as soon as the person hears the sound of a drum coated with an antidote, the arrow is expelled and the poison is neutralized.

– Third is decisiveness: when committing offenses, the mind is interrupted and later gives rise to remorse; when being mindful of the Buddha, however, neither of these two states of mind is present. Therefore, when relinquishing one’s life, through the powerful wholesome mind one immediately attains rebirth in the Pure Land. It is like a very thick rope that even a thousand people cannot pull apart, yet a child need only swing a sharp sword and strike it, and in an instant it is severed into two pieces.

The three considerations above are discussed entirely from the perspective of the mind or thought. It can clearly be seen that the mind itself inherently possesses inconceivable power and the capacity to eradicate offenses.

How much more so when the name being recited is precisely that of Amitabha Buddha, the One who has perfected myriad virtues! Through the sustaining power of his great vows, how could such efficacy be conceivable? It is like someone using a lion’s sinew as a lute string: as soon as the lute is plucked, all the other strings snap at once. It is also like someone placing various kinds of cow’s, goat’s, donkey’s, and mare’s milk into a vessel and then adding a single drop of lioness’s milk; all the other kinds of milk turn into water.

Now, upon merely uttering the Buddha’s name, how could the grave offenses of birth and death accumulated throughout eight billion kalpas fail to be extinguished?

Question: I can believe that one may attain rebirth while still carrying karma. But why does one then attain non-retrogression?

Answer: There are five causes and conditions through which those reborn there attain non-retrogression:

1. Through the power of Amitabha Buddha’s vows, they are constantly gathered in and protected.

2. The Buddha’s light continually illuminates them, and their bodhicitta constantly increases.

3. The waters, birds, forest trees, sighing winds, and music all expound the teachings of suffering and emptiness. Those who hear these teachings constantly give rise to mindfulness of the Buddha, mindfulness of the Dharma, and mindfulness of the Sangha.

4. In the Land of Utmost Bliss, all one’s spiritual companions are bodhisattvas. There are no adverse or evil conditions, nor are there ghosts, spirits, or evil demons. The afflictions of the Three Poisons and the like never arise at all.

5. Their lifespan is everlasting, equal to that of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Question: People in the world all doubt that the Land of Utmost Bliss, being ten trillion lands away, can be reached in the brief instant at the approach of death. How should this be understood?

Answer: Is it not stated in the sutras? The mind encompasses empty space, and its measure pervades the Dharma realm. Thus, the ten trillion lands are only within our own mind; how could they be far away? In the instant when life ends, one is born within one’s own mind; how could this be difficult?

Moreover, the expression “ten trillion lands” is spoken from the perspective of ordinary beings and the limited capacity of their minds within birth and death. If sentient beings have perfected the Pure Land karma, then at the approach of death, when their minds are settled, that very mind is the mind that takes birth in the Pure Land. As soon as a thought arises, they attain rebirth there. Therefore, the Record of Self-Faith states: “The ten trillion lands are reached in but an instant, because one’s own mind is inherently wondrous and profound!”

Question: If, at the approach of death, reciting the Buddha’s name ten times is already sufficient to attain rebirth, then we may simply attend to other matters and wait until death approaches to recite it ten times. What of this?

Answer: Attaining rebirth through ten recitations occurs to only one person in ten thousand. Do you wish to stake your hopes on that one chance in ten thousand?

Those who accomplish ten recitations at the approach of death do so mostly because the strength of wholesome karma from past lives enables them, as death draws near, to encounter a good spiritual teacher who instructs them, thereby allowing them to accomplish the ten recitations. Without wholesome karma bringing about such a response, even encountering a good spiritual teacher would be difficult, much less accomplishing ten recitations!

Moreover, the Treatise Resolving Many Doubts sets forth ten kinds of people who are unable to be mindful of the Buddha at the approach of death:

– First, they may not encounter a good spiritual friend, and thus no one urges them to recite.

– Second, painful karma binds the body, so they cannot peacefully be mindful of the Buddha.

– Third, illness leaves them unable to speak, so they cannot recite the Buddha’s name.

– Fourth, they become delirious and lose their faculties, so it is difficult for them to concentrate their minds in contemplation.

– Fifth, they meet with calamities of fire or flood and thus cannot sincerely be mindful of the Buddha.

– Sixth, they are attacked by tigers or wolves and have no good spiritual friend to urge them to be mindful of the Buddha.

– Seventh, at the approach of death they encounter an evil companion who destroys their faith, so they cannot be mindful of the Buddha.

– Eighth, they eat and drink to excess, fall into a stupor, and die, so they cannot be mindful of the Buddha.

– Ninth, amid battle they are wounded and die suddenly, so they cannot be mindful of the Buddha.

– Tenth, they fall from a high mountain and lose their lives; because they are overcome by panic, they cannot be mindful of the Buddha.

If one suddenly encounters even one of these ten adverse and evil conditions, all is lost; how could one then be mindful of the Buddha?

Even supposing that one does not encounter any of these ten adverse and evil conditions, but merely falls ill with a minor illness and dies, one still cannot avoid the body’s dissolution and the separation of the Four Great Elements. Like a turtle being stripped of its shell, one is oppressed by suffering. At that time, could one be mindful of the Buddha?

Or perhaps one’s worldly affairs remain unfinished, mundane thoughts have not ceased, one clings to life and fears death, and the mind is confused and terrified. At that time, could one be mindful of the Buddha?

Or perhaps one’s parents weep, one’s spouse and children wail, attachment becomes unbearable, and grief rends the heart. At that time, could one be mindful of the Buddha?

Why not reflect upon this while still young, instead of waiting until the approach of death to accomplish ten recitations? To do so would seem to be deluding oneself!

Question: Mindfulness of the Buddha concerns the next life. Does it also bring benefits in this present life?

Answer: The sutras explain this fully. Those who uphold the Buddha’s name receive ten supreme benefits:

1. Day and night, they are constantly protected invisibly by all devas, mighty divine generals, and their innumerable retinues.

2. They are constantly accompanied and protected by the twenty-five great bodhisattvas, including Avalokitesvara, as well as by all other bodhisattvas.

3. Day and night, they are constantly kept in mind and protected by all Buddhas. Amitabha Buddha continually emits light that gathers in and embraces them.

4. No evil ghost can harm them, and no venomous snake, poisonous dragon, or toxin can injure them.

5. They do not suffer calamities of flood or fire, robbery, swords and blades, imprisonment, fetters, sudden death, madness, or loss of life.

6. All karma they previously created is extinguished. Those whose lives they took in the past are all liberated and no longer follow them seeking vengeance.

7. At night, their dreams are peaceful and joyful, or they behold the wondrous and supremely excellent form-body of Amitabha Buddha.

8. Their minds are constantly joyful, their countenances radiant, their vitality strong, and all their actions auspicious and beneficial.

9. They are constantly revered, honored, and joyfully venerated by all people, as though they were Buddhas.

10. When their lives end, their minds are fearless and right mindfulness is present before them. They behold Amitabha Buddha and the assembly of sages holding golden lotuses, coming to welcome and guide them to rebirth in the Western Pure Land. From then on, forever, they enjoy wondrous and supreme bliss.

These ten supreme benefits are obtained in this very life and continue into future lives. Therefore, among the essential Dharma gates for both worldly and supramundane aims, none surpasses mindfulness of the Buddha. This should be firmly believed!

Question: The Flower Treasury World is the realm in which our Original Teacher teaches and transforms beings. Why do we not aspire to be born in the Flower Treasury World, but instead seek rebirth in the Land of Utmost Bliss?

Answer: The Commentary on the Avatamsaka Sutra contains a question and answer addressing this in four points:

First, because of karmic affinity: this means that the great vows of Amitabha Buddha are chiefly directed toward receiving and guiding beings of the Saha world.

Second, to enable the minds of sentient beings seeking refuge to become single-pointed: within the Flower Treasury there are innumerable worlds throughout the ten directions, all of them supremely wondrous; therefore, those who have newly aroused the aspiration are bewildered and do not know in which land to take refuge. Thus, as an expedient means, they are guided to direct themselves exclusively toward the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Third, because it is not outside the Flower Treasury: the Land of Ultimate Bliss is ten myriads of kotis of lands away from here, while the Buddha lands within the Flower Treasury are as numerous as particles of dust; therefore, one should know that it is not outside the Flower Treasury.

Fourth, because of the Fundamental Teacher: the vast ocean of worlds of the Flower Treasury is entirely the realm of Vairocana Buddha. Thus, although the Land of Ultimate Bliss is ten myriads of kotis of lands away, it still lies within that realm. How could this not be the Fundamental Teacher teaching in different ways according to his different names?

Question: A sutra states: “Those born in Tusita Heaven will descend together with Maitreya Bodhisattva and attend the three assemblies, naturally attaining the fruit of the Path.” Why, then, must one forsake nearby Tusita and seek the distant Land of Ultimate Bliss?

Answer: You consider Tusita near and the Land of Ultimate Bliss far away. This is merely to speak according to the physical eyes and limited mental measure of ordinary beings.

The Saha world, Tusita, and the Land of Ultimate Bliss—all three realms are within the one mind. The mind makes no distinction between here and there; how, then, can Tusita be called near and the Land of Ultimate Bliss far? Moreover, if Tusita and the Land of Ultimate Bliss are compared, there are ten differences in their relative superiority and inferiority:

1. One may attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss through ten recollections; to be born in Tusita, one must cultivate various kinds of samadhi and enter deeply into Right Concentration, and therefore it is difficult for people to be born there.

2. In the Land of Ultimate Bliss, Amitabha Buddha, through the power of his great compassionate vows, has pledged to receive and guide beings; in Tusita, Maitreya Bodhisattva has made no vow to receive and guide them.

3. In the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the power of Amitabha Buddha’s vast light shines upon practitioners throughout the ten directions, causing their bodies and minds to become gentle and harmonious, and they attain birth in that land; in Tusita, there is no such thing.

4. Amitabha Buddha expounds the Dharma ten times more extensively than other Buddhas. Sentient beings delight in accordance with their aspirations, and whatever teachings they wish to hear, they naturally hear; in Tusita, there is no such thing.

5. In the Land of Ultimate Bliss, there are no women to disturb sentient beings; in Tusita, the heavenly maidens are exquisitely beautiful, and the devas become so infatuated that they cannot diligently apply themselves to cultivation.

6. Those born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss all attain the thirty-two excellent marks, the eighty minor characteristics, and complete mastery of supernormal powers; in Tusita, there is no such thing.

7. Those born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss naturally subdue and eliminate their afflictions and immediately attain the stage of non-retrogression; in Tusita, although Maitreya Bodhisattva expounds the Dharma of non-retrogression each day and teaches sentient beings, they do not necessarily attain the stage of non-retrogression immediately.

8. Those born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss proceed directly, within that very lifetime, to the seat of enlightenment and accomplish unsurpassed enlightenment; in Tusita, those who follow the Buddha in descending to be born do not necessarily all realize the fruits of sainthood, much less unsurpassed enlightenment!

9. Those born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss attain immeasurable lifespans equal to that of the Buddha; in Tusita, there is no such thing.

10. If those born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss wish to make offerings to the Buddhas of the ten directions, whatever offerings they desire naturally appear before them. In an instant, they travel throughout the ten directions, make offerings to all the Buddhas, and return to their own land within the time required for a single meal; in Tusita, there is no such thing.

In these ten kinds of merit and virtue, the differences in superiority and inferiority are clear; if examined closely, the distinctions are immeasurable. Practitioners should choose for themselves on this basis.

Question: Some say that the Pure Land is an expedient provisional teaching of the sages, intended only to receive and guide those of dull faculties and to teach ordinary people. But those capable of proceeding directly into the ground of the Tathagata have no need to rely upon other-power, do they?

Answer: In ancient times, Manjusri Bodhisattva attained the wisdom of all modes through mindfulness of the Buddha; Sudhana still had to rely upon the ten great kings of vows to seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss; Mahasthamaprapta entered Right Concentration by recollecting the Buddha through the Buddha’s aid; and King Suddhodana, the Buddha’s father, together with sixty thousand members of the Sakya clan, were all reborn in the Pure Land.

Can such beings be called those of dull faculties or ordinary people? Moreover, the Buddha told Maitreya: “In this world, there are sixty-seven kotis of non-retrogressing bodhisattvas who will attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, each of whom has formerly made offerings to innumerable Buddhas. Bodhisattvas whose practice of the Path is less advanced and whose cultivation of merit is small are beyond counting.

All of them will also attain rebirth there. Nor is this true only of this land. In Buddha lands of other directions, such as the Buddha land Far-Shining, there are also eighteen billion bodhisattvas who will all attain rebirth there.

Those who attain rebirth from the innumerable Buddha lands throughout the worlds of the ten directions are beyond counting. Were I to explain this fully, I could not finish even in the course of an entire kalpa.”

Can all these beings be called those of dull faculties or ordinary people? As for the claim that the Pure Land is an expedient provisional teaching of the sages, it is precisely an expedient provisional teaching within the true teaching.

The doctrinal schools classify provisional and true teachings in many different ways. According to the classifications of both the Tiantai and Huayan schools, the Lotus Sutra and the Avatamsaka Sutra are esteemed as the truest teachings. Now, the chapter “Former Deeds of the Medicine King Bodhisattva” in the Lotus Sutra states that when a woman hears this scripture and practices in accordance with its teaching, then, at the end of her life, she will immediately be born in the World of Peace and Bliss, attain the supernormal powers of a bodhisattva, and realize the wisdom that thoroughly comprehends the unborn and unceasing nature of all dharmas.

In the Avatamsaka Sutra, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva teaches the youth Sudhana to bring forth the ten great kings of vows, which, at the end of his life, will guide him to rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, where before long he will attain unsurpassed enlightenment. Thus, one knows that the merit and virtue of mindfulness of the Buddha are equal to those of practicing in accordance with the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, and are likewise equal to the merit and virtue of bringing forth the ten great kings of vows.

Since those two sutras have been classified as true teachings, it can be known that the Pure Land is not an expedient provisional teaching. Even if one calls the Pure Land an expedient provisional teaching, it is still an expedient provisional teaching within the true teaching. Everyone can clearly understand this.

Moreover, I once examined the Treatise on the Awakening of Faith. It states: “Those who are newly learning the true faith of the Mahayana, because they do not regularly encounter a Buddha in this land, fear that their faith, lacking supporting conditions, will regress. They should know that the Tathagata possesses a supreme expedient means to prevent them from retrogressing: they need only single-mindedly contemplate the True Suchness and Dharma-body of Amitabha Buddha in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, and they will certainly attain birth in that land.”

I also examined the Sutra on the Contemplation of the Buddha of Infinite Life, which states: “Ordinary beings have weak powers of mental visualization; since they have not attained the heavenly eye, they cannot see far away. The Buddha-Tathagatas possess a wondrous expedient means that enables them to see.”

What are called a supreme expedient means and a wondrous expedient means are already provisional teachings.

When these two expedient means are discussed from the ultimate perspective, they are neither two nor different from the wondrous expedient means of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, it should be said that the Pure Land teaching is an expedient provisional teaching within the true teaching.

Question: Many practitioners of Chan meditation often say, “Chan meditation is the true teaching, while Buddha-recitation is an expedient teaching. Chan meditation is perfect and sudden, while Buddha-recitation is gradual cultivation.” Is this correct?

Answer: You regard reciting a single Buddha-name as an expedient teaching and holding to a single critical phrase as the true teaching. Yet you do not understand that if the Buddha’s name is said to be expedient, then the critical phrase cannot be true either.

Have you not heard it said: “The teachings of the Tripitaka and the words contained in the Wudeng Huiyuan are all stinking wisteria vines and creepers that bind people to death; they are merely an ‘empty fist’ and ‘yellow leaves’ used to deceive crying children into silence”? Thus we know that whenever the Buddhas of the three times and the patriarchs opened their mouths to teach others, everything they said was expedient. Even if one “gained entry through that very place,” it would still be within the sphere of expedient means.

Although it is said, “At once setting aside expedient means, one directly expounds the unsurpassed Way,” this itself has already become an expedient means. In the Lotus Sutra, the Dharma was first expounded for one full cycle, and only afterward was the chapter called “Expedient Means.” How could that not also be an expedient teaching?

Therefore, one should understand that Buddha-recitation and Chan meditation are both skillful expedient means for guiding and receiving sentient beings. If one thoroughly penetrates them, there is no teaching that is not true; if one has not yet clearly awakened, every teaching is expedient.

You say that Chan meditation is perfect and sudden, meaning that “when not a single thought arises,” this is called Buddha. Consider the statements, “Remembering the Buddha and reciting the Buddha’s name until the mind opens in awakening and one beholds the Buddha,” and “Not a single thought arises.” Are they truly of different depths?

Furthermore, the gradual teachings of the Mahayana generally state that one must cultivate the Six Paramitas throughout three incalculable eons and must also plant the causes for the auspicious marks over a hundred eons before finally attaining the true path of awakening. Yet in this Pure Land, those who are born there immediately ascend to the stage of non-retrogression. They possess the thirty-two excellent marks and eighty admirable characteristics, immeasurable spiritual powers, and everlasting life; and in just one lifetime they attain Buddhahood.

How could the gradual teachings possibly compare with this? Moreover, the waters, birds, and forest trees all emit wondrous sounds, while jeweled nets and celestial music all proclaim the sublime Dharma. Thus this teaching not only does not belong to the gradual, but is also not confined to the sudden.

On what grounds, then, is the Pure Land teaching now classified as a gradual teaching? Such a claim is nothing more than baseless and deluded speech that only causes people to become even more bewildered and confused.