I noticed recently that a particular Wikipedian has greatly improved many articles related to Pure Land Buddhism and Mahayana in general. Just to give one example, the article for shinjin was a stub back in June, but this one editor has expanded it into a really good, detailed article. The articles on Pure lands, Trikaya, Other power, Buddhahood, and many others have been expanded and improved. Some articles (like the article on Shandao) used to be written in a way that specifically denigrated the understanding of certain traditions, and these have been rewritten to be more balanced. I don't know if User:Javierfv1212 reads this sub, but I really appreciate what he's done, and wanted others to know about his improvements. For a long time I have found Wikipedia's coverage of Buddhism rather patchy, particularly with regard to Pure Land, so this is a really welcome change.

Amitabha Sutra says,

[Shariputra], One cannot be born in this land through minor good roots, blessings, virtues and causal connections. If there are good men or good women who hear of Amitabha Buddha, and recite his name singlemindedly and without confusion, for one day or two days or three days or four days or five days or six days or seven days, then when these people are about to die, Amitabha Buddha and his whole assembly will appear before them. When they die, their minds being unified and not chaotic, they will attain rebirth in Amitabha's Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Good roots stem from the Bodhi Mind, the direct cause. Other meritorious actions that promote the path, such as charity, discipline, and meditation, bring merits and virtues. They are the conditions that help the Bodhi Mind to develop.

Literalist disciples of the Lesser Vehicle (Shravakas and Pratyeka Buddhas), have few good roots. The meritorious deeds and virtues of human beings and gods, defiled as they are, are also few. These will not enable you to be born in the Pure Land.

Only if you have faith and vows and recite the Buddha-name will each and every repetition of the Buddha-name be amply supplied with good roots, merits and virtues.

Even if you invoke the Buddha-name in a scattered state of mind, the merits and good roots are still incalculable -- how much the more so when you invoke the Buddha name singlemindedly.

By invoking the Buddha-name, you will bring on a response -- the impression is made and the seal is lifted -- Amitabha and his holy retinue come to you without coming, and extend a hand to lead you off. You, the person practicing Buddha-name recitation, recognize Amitabha in your mind, and you go to the Pure Land without going, placing yourself in a jewel lotus there.

When the sutra speaks of "good men and good women", it does not matter whether you are monks and nuns or householders, whether you are high-ranking or low-ranking, old or young. No matter what your station in life, even if you belong to the Six Planes of Existence and are subject to the Four Modes of Birth, the fact that you are now able to hear the Buddha-name means that the good roots you have accumulated over many eons have ripened and you deserve the appellation "good". This is so even if you have committed the Five Deadly Sins and the Ten Evil Deeds. (note from OP: this DOES NOT mean one can do all sorts of evil and bad deeds, one should minimally not break the precepts if they can, and do repentance when they can, personal POV.)

"Amitabha Buddha" is the all-inclusive term for the myriad virtues. When you use the name of Amitabha to summon virtue, all the virtues are engendered. Thus, reciting the name of Amitabha is the correct practice, and you do not need to get involved with other practices such as visualization or meditation. Reciting the name of Amitabha is the simplest and most direct method.

If you hear the Buddha-name and believe in it, if you believe in it and make vows, then you are fit to recite the Buddha-name. If you do not have faith and do not make vows, it is as if you never heard [the Buddha-name] at all. Merely hearing the name of Amitabha without faith and vows may become a long-tern causal basis for your enlightenment, but it cannot be called the "wisdom that comes from hearing".

Reciting the Buddha-name is a matter of being mindful of the Buddha-name from moment to moment -- thus it is the "wisdom that comes from reflecting on what you heard".

There are two levels of practice in reciting the Buddha-name: reciting the Buddha-name at the phenomenal level and reciting the Buddha-name at the level of inner truth (noumenon).

1. Reciting the Buddha-name at the phenomenal level means believing that Amitabha exists in his Pure Land in the West, but not yet comprehending that he is a Buddha created by the Mind, and that this Mind is Buddha. It means you resolve to make vows and to seek birth in the Pure Land, like a child longing for its mother and never forgetting her for a moment.
2. Reciting the Buddha-name at the level of inner truth (noumenon) means believing that Amitabha and his Pure Land in the West are inherent features of our own [pure] Minds, the creation of our own [pure] Minds. It means using the great name of Amitabha, which is inherent in our Minds and the creation of our Minds, as a focal point to concentrate on, so that we never forget it for a moment.

The sutra speaks of reciting the Buddha-name for one to seven days, defining a period of time in which we should achieve singlemindedness. This passage can be interpreted in two ways.

One interpretation is that those with sharp faculties will be able to reach singleminded Buddha-remembrance after one day of invoking the Buddha-name. Those with dull faculties will only be able to reach complete undisturbed Buddha-remembrance after seven days of invoking the Buddha-name. Those of middling faculties may take from two to six days to reach singleminded Buddha-remembrance.

Another interpretation of this passage is that those with sharp faculties will be able to maintain singleminded Buddha-remembrance for seven days, those will dull faculties will only be able to maintain it for a single day, and those of middling faculties may maintain it for from two to six days.

There are also two categories of singleminded practice (Undisturbed One Mind).

i) Regardless of whether you recite the Buddha-name at the phenomenal level or the inner truth level, if you invoke the name of Amitabha until you subdue all afflictions (anger, greed, ignorance...) and put an end to Delusions of Views and Thoughts, this is the One Mind at the phenomenal level.

ii) Regardless of whether you recite the Buddha-name at the phenomenal level or the inner truth level, if you invoke the name of Amitabha until your mind opens and you see inherent Buddhahood, this is the One Mind at the level of inner truth.

The One Mind at the phenomenal level is not tainted by Delusions of Views and Thoughts, and the One Mind at the inner truth level is not deluded by the supposed dualisms of essence and form, nirvana and samsara, Buddhas and sentient beings. This is "the wisdom that comes from cultivation".

When you are not subjected to Delusions of Views and Thoughts at the moment of your death, the response you get is that Amitabha Buddha will appear before you in his Emanation Body, along with his whole retinue of holy ones. Your mind will no longer create the delusions of desire, form, and formlessness characteristic of this mundane world "Endurance", and you will go to be reborn in either the Pure Land Where Saints and Ordinary Beings Dwell Together, or the Pure Land of Expedient Liberation, in Amitabha's Pure Land.

When you are no longer deluded by dualisms at the moment of your death, the response you get is that Amitabha Buddha will appear before you in his Reward Body, along with his whole retinue of holy ones. Your mind will no longer create the delusions of Samsara and Nirvana, and you will go to be reborn in either the Pure Land of Real Reward, or the Pure Land of Eternally Quiescent Light, in Amitabha's Pure Land.

We must then realize that reciting the name of Amitabha is not only a method that is simple and direct, it is also a method for Sudden Complete Enlightenment. Since, in reciting the Buddha-name, you merge with Buddha from moment to moment, without bothering with visualization or meditation, you immediately witness perfect illumination, with no excess and no lack. Those of the highest faculties cannot go beyond this level, while those of the lowest capabilities are also able to reach it. Of course the way Amitabha appears to people and the level of the Pure Land they are born in is not the same for those different capacities.

We can say that the method of reciting the name of Amitabha fully encompasses all the varieties of Buddhism, the "eight teachings and five periods" (i.e., all the teachings of the Buddha's during his lifetime, according to the T'ien-t'ai schema). In so doing, it is the most complete expression of the Buddha's compassionate heart, teaching spontaneously without being asked. What incredible power!

From:
Grandmaster Ouyi Commentary on Amitabha Sutra

So our practice is to gather the six senses back, and recite the Buddha's name. The name is our True Nature. Altho it is a sound, or a thought, so it is considered a sense object, but it is the last sound, you could say, the only sound. The last thought to end all other thoughts.

To be sincere in our practice is to hold the name at all times so as to realize this deathless quality of our Nature. Namo Amitofo. We return to the Buddha of our Nature, the Buddha of Infinte Light, "not produced, not destroyed".

If, or when we are not mindful of the Name, we have no choice (seemingly) but to follow our karma, the force of our habits, & wander out the sense gates, engaging with sense objects and getting turned by them. To be turned is to grasp (selfish desire) at the impermanent objects, and that is to turn on the wheel of birth & death.

So six senses gathered back, recite the Buddha's name is our practice. Train the mind to really listen to the sound of the Buddha's name, & do not be lax. Practicing like this will naturally purify your three karmic gates (body, speech, & mind).

The recitation breaks up our old habit energy, pulls us out of those same old ruts, extricates us from sense-entanglements, & frees us from the sea of birth & death. To be born in the Pure Land is to realize the purity of your Nature unattached and withdrawn from selfish grasping, totally free. Recite the Buddha's name with all your heart!

I've watched some short lecture videos by Master Chin Kung on Youtube. Are there similar videos from other Masters that I can look for? The videos can be in Mandarin or English.

Thank you.

1. Namo Amitabha: Contemplate the beings in the Heavenly Realm. Although they experience temporary happiness, they remain caught in the cycle of samsara, unaware of their entrapment. This unawareness ultimately leads to confusion, and they cannot escape the suffering of birth and death.

2. Namo Amitabha: Contemplate the beings in the Asura Realm. Driven by jealousy and anger, they engage in endless battles, unaware of the root causes of their struggles. This ignorance binds them in constant suffering, resentment, and anger.

3. Namo Amitabha: Contemplate the beings in the Human Realm. They have shown me immense kindness; without their help, I would not be who I am today. Yet they, too, are lost in the pursuits of the five desires and the distractions of the six dusts, endlessly caught in the cycle of rebirth.

4. Namo Amitabha: Contemplate the beings in the Animal Realm. For the sake of survival, they endure suffering day after day, subjected to exploitation and slaughter.

5. Namo Amitabha: Contemplate the beings in the Hungry Ghost Realm. Tormented by hunger and thirst, they are never satisfied, endlessly struggling in pain.

6. Namo Amitabha: Contemplate the beings in the Hell Realm. Burdened by the weight of their negative karma, they endure endless suffering, crying out in anguish each day, tormented in blazing fire and freezing ice. As described in the Ksitigarbha Sutra, even a compassionate son cannot fully comprehend the depths of their suffering.

7. Namo Amitabha: Contemplate the Solitary Hearers (Shravakas). May they one day encounter the vow of Amitabha and turn towards the Bodhisattva path. Their path shows me that solitary liberation is not the ultimate goal.

8. Namo Amitabha: Contemplate the Pratyekabuddhas. May they, too, come to hear the vow of Amitabha, find faith, and turn toward the Bodhisattva path. They help me see that self-awakening is not the ultimate purpose.

9. Namo Amitabha: Contemplate all the Bodhisattvas. I thank them for their kindness, for they have revealed to me the essence of the Bodhi Heart and how to practice vows on the path of compassion and wisdom.

10. Namo Amitabha: Contemplate the Buddha Nature of All Sentient Beings. I express gratitude to all sentient beings who have been a part of my life. They have allowed me to understand this profound truth: without them, I would not be who I am today. All is one; one is all—all linked back to the One Mind, the True Mind. Namo Amitabha

https://purelandbuddhism.quora.com/Master-Yin-Guang-Attaining-Pure-Land-Rebirth-is-Easier-Than-Regaining-Human-Form-in-the-Next-Life?ch=10&oid=50151962&share=315a3d3e&srid=un3Yre&target_type=post

I Am Thinking of You in China Editor's Note: As the Pure Land school develops, more and more non-Chinese are showing interest in Master Shandao's Pure Land lineage. Practitioners from different countries have begun to share on Facebook English material and posts relating to the teachings of Master Shandao. Spurred by our overseas Dharma friends, we have worked with them to launch an official Facebook page for Master Jingzong ("Master Jingzong t) ZHi"). It will feature English articles on the Pure Land school and cater to the need of English-speaking practitioners for access to the Dharma as they study and learn it. Master Jingzong, responding to a proposal by Householder Jingtu, composed these opening remarks to his Facebook page. They are titled "I Am Thinking of You in China." Greetings - Namo Amitabha Buddha! My name is Shi Jingzong, a Buddhist Dharma master. I am presently in Hongyuan Monastery, China, thinking about all of you around the world. Do people think about others they don't know? Yes, they do. This kind of mindfulness is free of utilitarian calculations; it is also unlimited by the fragmented memories that make up our knowledge of others. As a result, it goes deeper. It is purer, broader and more rudimentary. Outside my window the sunlight glistens and the trees sway with the wind, happily alive. Whether in China, America, Russia, Europe or Brazil, trees in the sunshine are alike. Beneath the same sun, people in various countries worldwide shouldn't really be that different. Language may be a separator, but there is no barrier between minds. When language impedes dialogue, we can communicate with the love and compassion in our hearts. And when our hearts and minds fall short, the name of Amitabha Buddha remains free of all impediments. Whenever our mental and spiritual capabilities fail us, we can recite "Namo Amitabha Buddha." understa a Nath mine sudget er Are bhather, sunshine in we Will see are trees that are growing in the sunshine. I would like to recite "Namo Amitabha" on your behalf, and hope to see you in the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha. May you all be abundantly blessed!

• Shi Jingzong; Hongyuan Monastery, China

Saha is a Sanskrit term which mean “to be endured.” The world in which we live has so much suffering that living beings find it hard to endure, and so it is named Saha.

THE FIVE-FOLD PROFOUND MEANINGS PART 1:

According to the instructions of the Tian Tai School, sutras are outlined according to Five-fold Profound Meanings: Explaining the Name, Describing the Substance, Clarifying the Principle, Discussing the Function, and Determining the Teaching Mark. The Five-fold Meanings are called “five-fold” because they unfold, layer after layer.

Explaining the Name The first is Explaining the Name. Only when you know the sutra’s name can you begin to understand its principles. Just as when you meet a person you first learn his name, so it is with sutras, for each has its own particular name.

The titles of all Buddhist sutras may be divided into two parts, the common title and the special title. The special title of this sutra is the Buddha Speaks of Amitabha, and the word sutra is the common title, as all discourses spoken by the Buddha are called sutras.

Although five kinds of beings may speak sutras,

1. The Buddhas,

2. The Buddha’s disciples,

3. Gods,

4. Immortals, and

5. Transformation beings, that is, gods or Buddhas who transform into human form.

The disciples, gods, immortals, and transformation beings must first receive the Buddha’s certification before they speak a sutra; without certification, what they speak is not truly a sutra. This sutra was spoken by the Buddha, not by those in the other four categories; it came from Shakyamuni Buddha’s mouth.

Because its principles were too profound and wonderful for the Sravakas or Bodhisattvas to comprehend, no one requested the Pure Land dharma-door. Nonetheless, it had to be revealed and so the Buddha spontaneously spoke this very important sutra, doubly important because it will be the last to disappear in the Dharma ending age.

In the future, the Buddhadharma will become extinct. Demon Kings most fear the Shurangama Mantra and so the Shurangama Sutra will be the first to disappear, for without the sutra, no one will be able to recite the mantra. Then, one by one, the other sutras will disappear. We now have the black words of the text on white paper, but in the future, when the Buddhadharma is on the verge of extinction, the words will disappear from the page, as all the sutras vanish.

The last to go will be the Amitabha Sutra. It will remain in the world an additional hundred years and ferry limitless living beings across the sea of suffering to the other shore, which is Nirvana. When the Amitabha Sutra has been forgotten, only the great phrase “Namo Amitabha Buddha” will remain among mankind and save limitless beings. Next, the word “Namo” which is Sanskrit and means “homage to” will be lost, and only “Amitabha Buddha” will remain for another hundred years, rescuing living beings. After that, the Buddhadharma will completely disappear from the world. Because this sutra will be the last to disappear, it is extremely important.

The Special Title: The Buddha Speaks of Amitabha

Who is the Buddha? The Buddha is the Greatly Enlightened One. His great enlightenment is an awakening to all things, without a particle of confusion. A true Buddha has ended karma and transcended emotions. He is without karmic obstacles and devoid of emotional responses. On the other hand we find living beings, who are attached to emotions and worldly love. Common men with heavy karma and confused emotions are simply living beings. The Buddha’s enlightenment may be said to be of three kinds:

Basic enlightenment, enlightenment at the root source Beginning enlightenment, the initial stages of enlightenment, and Ultimate enlightenment, complete enlightenment. You can also say that he is:

Self-enlightened, that he Enlightens others, and that he is Complete in enlightenment and practice. Self-enlightenment. Common men are unenlightened. They think themselves intelligent when they are actually quite dull. They gamble thinking that they will win – who would have guessed that they’d lose? Why are they so confused? It’s because they do things which they clearly know are wrong. The more confused they are, the deeper they sink into confusion; the deeper they sink, the more confused they become.

Everyone should become enlightened. The Buddha is a part of all living beings and is one of them himself, but because he is enlightened instead of confused, he is said to be self-enlightened and not like common men. Sravakas, the disciples of the Small Vehicle, are “independents”; they are self-enlightened, but they do not enlighten others.

Bodhisattvas enlighten others, unlike the Sravakas who think only of themselves. Bodhisattvas choose to benefit all beings and ask for nothing in return. Using their own methods of self-enlightenment, they convert all beings causing them to realize the doctrine of enlightenment and non-confusion. This is the practice of the Bodhisattva conduct.

Sravakas, “sound-hearers”, awaken to the Way upon hearing the sound of the Buddha’s voice. They cultivate the Four Holy Truths,

Suffering, Origination, Extinction, and The Way. They also cultivate the Twelve Causes and Conditions:

Ignorance, which conditions Action, action which conditions Consciousness, consciousness which conditions Name and form, name and form which conditions The six sense organs, the six sense organs which condition Contact, contact which conditions Feeling, feeling which conditions Craving, craving which conditions Grasping, grasping which conditions Becoming, becoming which conditions Birth, and birth which conditions Old age and death. The twelve all arise from ignorance, and ignorance is merely a lack of understanding. Without ignorance, the Twelve Causes and Conditions cease to operate. But if you flounder in ignorance, you are caught in the remaining causes. Those of the Small Vehicle cultivate the Dharma, but Bodhisattvas transcend all successive stages, cultivating the Six Perfections and the Ten-thousand conducts.

The Six Perfections are:

Giving. Giving transforms those who are stingy. Greedy people who can’t give should practice giving, for if they do not learn to give they will never get rid of their stinginess. Morality. The precepts are guides to perfect conduct and eliminate offenses, transgressions, and evil deeds. Keep the precepts. Patience. Patience transforms those who are hateful. If you have an unreasonable temper, cultivate being patient and bearing with things. Don’t be an asura, a fighter who gets angry all day and is not on speaking terms with anyone unless it’s to speak while glaring with fierce, angry eyes. Be patient instead. Vigor. Vigor transforms those who are lazy. If you’re lazy, learn to be vigorous. Dhyana meditation. Dhyana meditation transforms those who are scattered and confused. Wisdom. Prajna wisdom transforms those who are stupid; the bright light of wisdom disperses the darkness of stupidity. Bodhisattvas cultivate the Six Perfections and the Ten-thousand conducts. Selff-enlightened, they enlighten others, and are therefore unlike those of the Small Vehicle.

Complete Enlightenment. This is wonderful enlightenment, the enlightenment of the Buddha. The Buddha perfects self-enlightenment and the enlightenment of others, and when his enlightenment and practice are complete, he has realized Buddhahood.

“You keep talking about the Buddha,” you say, “but I still don’t know who the Buddha is.”

You don’t know? I will tell you.

You are the Buddha.

“Then why don’t I know it?” you ask.

Your not knowing is just the Buddha! But this is not to say that you have already reached Buddhahood. You are as yet an unrealized Buddha. You should understand that the Buddha became a Buddha from the stage of a common person. It is just living beings who can cultivate to realize Buddhahood. The Buddha is the Enlightened One, and when a human being becomes enlightened, he’s a Buddha, too. Without enlightenment, he’s just a living being. This is a general explanation of the word “Buddha.”

The Buddha has Three Bodies, Four Wisdoms, Five Eyes, and Six Spiritual Penetrations. You may be a Buddha, but you are still an unrealized Buddha, for you do not have these powers. The Buddha cultivated from the stage of a common person to Buddhahood, and has all the attributes of Buddhahood.

Some who haven’t become Buddhas claim to be Buddhas. This is the height of stupidity; claiming to be what they are not, they cheat themselves and cheat others. Isn’t this to be a “Greatly Stupid One?” Everyone can become a Buddha, but cultivation is necessary. If one has the Three Bodies and the Four Wisdoms one may call oneself a Buddha. If one has just the Five Eyes, or a bit of spiritual penetration, one may not.

The Three Bodies are:

The Dharma body, The Reward body, The Transformation body. The Four Wisdoms are:

The Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, The Wonderful Observing Wisdom, The Wisdom of Accomplishing What is Done, and The Equality Wisdom. The Six Spiritual Penetrations are:

The Heavenly Eye. The Heavenly Eye can see the gods and watch all their activities. The Heavenly Ear. The Heavenly Ear can hear the speech and sounds of the gods. The Knowledge of Others’ Thoughts. Thoughts in the minds of others which they have not yet spoken are already known. This refers to the present. The Knowledge of Past Lives. With this penetration one can also know the past. The Extinction of Outflows. To be without outflows is to have no thoughts of greed, hate, stupidity, or sexual desire. In general, once one gets rid of all one’s bad habits and faults, one has no outflows. Outflows are like water running through a leaky bottle; at the stage of no outflows the leaks have been stopped up. The Complete Spirit. Also called the Penetration of the Spiritual Realm, this is an inconceivably wonderful state. The Five Eyes are:

The Heavenly Eye, The Buddha Eye, The Wisdom Eye, The Dharma Eye, and The Flesh Eye. A verse about the Five Eyes says,

The Heavenly Eye penetrates without obstruction. The Flesh Eye sees obstacles but does not penetrate. The Dharma Eye only contemplates the mundane. The Wisdom Eye understands True Emptiness. The Buddha Eye shines like a thousand suns. Although the illuminations differ, Their substance is one.

The Heavenly Eye penetrates without obstruction and sees the affairs of eighty-thousand great aeons. It cannot see beyond that. The Flesh Eye can see those things which are obstructed; the Heavenly Eye only sees those things which are not obstructed. The Dharma Eye contemplates the “mundane truth”, all the affairs of worldly existence. The Wisdom Eye comprehends the state of True Emptiness, the “genuine truth.”

Not just the Buddha, but everyone has a Buddha Eye. Some have opened their Buddha Eyes and some have not. The open Buddha Eye shines with the blazing intensity of a thousand suns. Although the Five Eyes differ in what they see, they are basically of the same substance.

So the Buddha has Three Bodies, Four Wisdoms, Five Eyes, and Six Spiritual Penetrations. If one has such talent, one may call oneself a Buddha, but if not, one would be better off being a good person instead of trying to cheat people.

In this sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha, the teacher of the Saha world, speaks of the adornments of the Land of Ultimate Bliss and of its teacher, Amitabha Buddha.

Saha is a Sanskrit term which mean “to be endured.” The world in which we live has so much suffering that living beings find it hard to endure, and so it is named Saha.

Shakyamuni Buddha’s name, also Sanskrit, is explained in two parts. Sakya, his family name, means “able to be humane.” The Buddha shows his humaneness as compassion which relieves suffering, and kindness which bestows happiness by teaching and transforming living beings.

There are three kinds of compassion:

An Attitude of Loving Compassion. Average men love and sympathize with those close to them, but not with strangers. Seeing relatives or friends in distress, they exhaust their strength to help them, but when strangers are suffering, they pay them no heed. Having compassion for those you love is called an Attitude of Loving Compassion.

There is as well an Attitude of Loving Compassion which extends to those of the same species, but not to those of other species. For example, not only do people have no compassion for animals such as oxen, pigs, chickens, geese, or ducks, but they even go so far as to eat animals’ flesh!

They snatch away animals’ lives in order to nourish their own. This is not a true Attitude of Loving Compassion. Fortunately, people rarely eat each other. They may eat pork, mutton, beef, chicken, duck, and fish, but they don’t catch, kill, and eat each other, and so they are a bit better off than animals that turn on members of their own species for food. People may not eat each other, but they certainly have no true Attitude of Loving Compassion towards animals.

Compassion which comes from understanding conditioned dharmas.

Those of the Small Vehicle have compassion which comes from understanding conditioned dharmas as well as the attitude of loving compassion discussed above. They contemplate all dharmas as arising from causes and conditions and they know that:

Causes and conditions have no nature; Their very substance is emptiness.

Contemplating the emptiness of conditioned dharmas, they compassionately teach and transform living beings without becoming attached to the teaching and transforming. They know that everything is empty.

The Great Compassion which comes from understanding the identical substance of all beings.

Buddha and Bodhisattvas have yet another kind of compassion. The Buddha’s Dharma body pervades all places and so the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are of one substance with all beings; the Buddha’s heart and nature are all-pervasive and all beings are contained within it. We are living beings within the Buddha’s heart and he is the Buddha within our hearts. Our hearts and the Buddha’s are the same, everywhere throughout the ten directions, north, east, south, west, the directions in between, above, and below. Therefore the Buddha and living beings are of the same substance, without distinction. This is called the Great Compassion.

Sakya, the Buddha’s family name, includes these three kinds of compassion. If one chose to speak about it in more detail, there are limitless and unbounded meanings.

Muni is the Buddha’s personal name. It means “still and quiet.” Still and unmoving, he is silent. No words from the mouth, no thoughts from the mind – this is an inconceivable state. The Buddha speaks Dharma without speaking; he speaks and yet does not speak, does not speak and yet he speaks. This is still and silent, still, still, silent and unmoving, yet responding in accord; responding in accord and yet always, always silent and still. This is the meaning of the Buddha’s personal name, Muni. All Buddhas have the name Buddha in common, but only this Buddha has the special name Shakyamuni.

Continuing the explanation of the title, we shall now investigate the meaning of “speak.” In Chinese, the word speak shuo is made up of the radical yan which means “word,” and the element dui. Dui has two dots on the top which were originally the word ren, person. The strokes below could also represent the word person.

What does the Buddha say? Whatever he pleases, but happy to say what he wants to say, he always speaks the Dharma.

Having already become Buddhas, Shakyamuni Buddha and the Buddhas of the ten directions are called “already enlightened ones,” as they have already understood and awakened from their dreams. While we are still sound asleep and dreaming, the Buddha is greatly enlightened, greatly awakened. With his Buddha-wisdom there is nothing he does not know; using his Buddha-vision there is nothing he does not see.

Commentary:

If people with scattered minds, “scattered” means that they have no samadhi power, they are not at all concentrated. These lines describe a situation such as when the tourists come here to visit the temple and gaze around at the Buddha images. They do not have sincere hearts. What is more, they may look at the images but they do not know anything at all about the Buddha. You could say they were the scattered ones among the scattered ones.

Enter stupas or temples. If they go into Buddhist stupas or Buddhist temples, and say but once, “Namo Buddha” they have realized the Buddha Way. All they have to do is say one sentence, “Homage to the Buddha.” From that one recitation, they will ultimately realize Buddhahood.

Why is this? It is because “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” If you want to travel a thousand miles, where do you begin? You begin with the first step. Having taken that first step, you can travel a thousand miles. “The perfect interpenetration of the myriad virtues begins with the first thought.” If you wish to become a Buddha, it begins with that very first thought. In that first thought, you plant the Buddha seed; in the future, you reap the fruit of Buddhahood.

Reciting “Namo Buddha,” “Namo Amitabha Buddha,” or “Namo Shakyamuni Buddha,” or “Namo Medicine Master Buddha Who Dispels Calamities and Lengthens Life,” may seem very easy to do, but such an opportunity is not easy to meet up with. All of you know how to recite the Buddha’s name, but think it over. Of all the people in the world, are those who do not know how to recite the Buddha’s name in the majority or are those who do? You might say that those who know how to recite are as few as the moon and those who do not know how to recite are as many as the stars. Are there more stars or more moons? Those who can recite the Buddha’s name are able to do so because the good roots from their former lives have matured enabling them to encounter the Dharma-door of Buddha Recitation.

When the Buddha was in the world, he had a cousin named Devadatta. Devadatta was the Buddha’s enemy. He did nothing but oppose the Buddha. The Buddha taught his disciples to eat one meal a day, in the middle of the day, but Devadatta was determined to out-do him. “So you eat one meal a day?” he said, “I teach my disciples to eat one meal every hundred days!” Shakyamuni Buddha taught his disciples to be vegetarians and not to eat meat. Devadatta said, “Not only do I teach my disciples to refrain from eating meat, they do not even consume salt.” This was done merely to prove that no matter what Buddha did, Devadatta was always higher than the Buddha.

But no matter how hard he tried, he never could recite the Buddha’s name. If you tried to teach him to recite, he would refuse to do it. All his life, all he ever did was commit offenses, continually opposing the Buddha. When his evil karma had finally reached the point of overflowing, he went to hell, alive. Going to hell alive means that, in his very body of flesh he went to hell. Just as he was about to go to hell; just as he was at the gates of hell; he thought of to recite the Buddha’s name. He wanted to recite it, but he could not get a sound out. All he could scream was “Namo!” He could not say the word “Buddha.” His karmic obstacles bound him up so tightly that he could not say the Buddha’s name. Shakyamuni Buddha saw him and said, “He is really pitiful, but do not look on him lightly. When he is finished with his punishment in the hells, he will become a Pratyekabuddha. His Buddha name will be simply “Namo.” It is because he recited “Namo” as he fell into hell. As a Pratyekabuddha, he will be called “Namo.”

So do not look on it as all so easy and think, “I can recite the Buddha’s name whenever I feel like it.” Right now, you are not block by your karmic obstacles. When they obstruct you, if you tried to recite it, you would not be able to do so.

There is another story about reciting the Buddha’s name: When the Buddha was in the world, there was a very poor, old man. He saw Shakyamuni Buddha, accompanied by his 1250 disciples going out every day to beg for food, and he thought it was not bad. Every day they went out with their bowls, begged for food, came back and ate, and that was all there was to it. “Very well,” he thought, “I will leave home.” He thought the Bhikshus were very comfortable and did not have to do any work, no bitterness and no bother, very pure and free. So he decided to leave home and went to the Jeta Grove to ask for permission to do so. But that day the Buddha had gone out to accept offerings of food for lunch.

As for the Buddha’s disciples, some had opened their Buddha Eyes, some had opened their Wisdom Eyes, some had opened their Dharma Eyes and some had the Five Eyes, and the Six Spiritual Penetrations. Others had certified to the first, second, third, and fourth stages of Arhatship.

Now, to “open” the eyes is not to certify to the fruit. When people have opened their Buddha Eye, this is called “the penetration obtained from virtue.” This happens because in previous lives, one has cultivated the Forty-Two Hands and the Shurangama Mantra a great deal. These Dharma-doors bring about that reward. But this is definitely not the same as certifying to the first fruit, the second, third, or fourth fruit. Arhats who have certified to the fruit can see the operation of cause and effect throughout eighty thousand great eons. Those who have opened their Buddha Eye or their Wisdom Eye may be able to see as far as one life, two lives, three lives, five lives, ten lives, one hundred lives, a thousand lives, or ten thousand lives, but they cannot see as far as eighty thousand great eons.

Certified Arhats, however, can see all the causes and effects of eighty thousand great eons. When the poverty-stricken old man came to leave the home-life, the disciples, the Great Arhats, contemplated and observed his potential to see if he was fit to leave home. They saw that this person, in the last eighty thousand great eons, had never made an offering to the Buddha. He had never bowed to the Buddha, had never recited the Buddha’s name or uttered even a tiny sound of praise as an offering to the Buddha or a single flower, or even put his hands together, or waved his hand, or even nodded his head! Since he had no merit and virtue, how could he leave home? It is said:

Don’t say that leaving home is easy to do,
It is the result of planting the causes of Bodhi throughout many lives.

Those who leave home must have planted good roots in many lives and have brought forth the Bodhi-heart. It is not just a matter of thinking, “I would like to leave home,” and doing it. If you do not have the good roots, you might want to leave home, but obstacles will arise. You might leave home for one or two days and then return to lay life. You might leave home for one or two years, for three, five, or ten years, and then return to lay life and not leave home again. Such things do happen. So, do not think leaving home is very simple.

So that Arhats saw that he had not planted good roots in the last eighty great eons and therefore would not be able to leave home. They told him, “You cannot leave home. You are too old. You cannot cultivate. It would be best for you to go back to wherever you came from. Do not stay here.”

Hearing this, the old man was overcome with grief. On the one hand he walked, and on the other he thought, “I thought leaving home would be very simple. I never would have guessed that the Buddha’s disciples would refuse me. Probably they will not accept me because I am old and poor. Well, if they will not accept me, I will just go jump in the sea and drown and end it all!” Then, still walking and weeping, he made his way for the sea and suicide. But, just as he was about to jump, along came Shakyamuni Buddha, who said, “Old man, why are you throwing yourself in the sea?”

“I wanted to leave home,” the old man replied. “I went to the Jeta Grove to do so, but the Buddha was not there, and the Buddha’s disciples would not accept me. As far as I am concerned, there is really nothing joyful in human existence; I would rather just hurry up and end my life. My life is meaningless.”

Shakyamuni Buddha said, “So you want to leave home? That is no problem. Come back with me. I will allow you to leave home.”

The old man returned with the Buddha, left home, cultivated, and after just a few days, certified to the fruit of Arhatship. The Buddha’s disciples did not understand this at all. “How strange!” they thought. “This person has no good roots; how could he certify to Arhatship? He has not done a single good deed throughout the last eighty thousand great eons. How could the Buddha permit him to leave home?” They questioned the Buddha and the Buddha gave them this explanation:

“You Arhats can only see the causes and effects of the last eighty thousand great eons. What happened outside of that, you do not know. This old man, over eighty thousand eons ago, was a poor firewood gatherer in the mountains. One day, he met up with a tiger. Just as the tiger was about to bite him, in his great fear he screamed, “Namo Buddha!” That one recitation scared the tiger away, and so he was not eaten. The seed planted by his single recitation of “Namo Buddha” has now matured as the good roots, which have enabled him to leave home and certify to the fruit of Arhatship.

From the looks of this we can tell that it is not easy to leave home.

Also, in India there was a certain outside Way sect whose members made offerings to the image of a heavenly spirit. The heavenly spirit’s body was made of wood or clay, but the head was made of gold. Once a thief wanted to steal the head, but when he went to take it, the awesome virtue of the heavenly spirit made him afraid. In his fear, he thought to recite, “Namo Buddha!” The recitation dispelled his fears because it had stripped the heavenly spirit of its awesome virtue. Fearlessly, then, he stole off with the golden head.

Later on everyone said, “Take a look at that heavenly spirit everyone believes in.” They said, “It is not the least bit efficacious. If it were, how could it have had its head stolen? It is useless to believe in it.” When they said this, the heavenly spirit came alone and took possession of a person’s body. Sometimes spirits give off an efficacious energy, and if it takes possession of someone, the victim will become senseless, as if they were drunk.

The spirit began to speak through the medium and said, “It is not that I am not efficacious. When the thief came, he was afraid to take my head. But when he recited “Namo Buddha” the whole area was flooded with Buddha-light and I could not even open my eyes. I was unable to protect my head. That is how he managed to steal it. It is certainly not the case that I am not efficacious, but the awesome virtue of the Buddha is even greater than mine, and so I had no way to protect my head.”

Hearing this, the old man was overcome with grief. On the one hand he walked, and on the other he thought, “I thought leaving home would be very simple. I never would have guessed that the Buddha’s disciples would refuse me. Probably they will not accept me because I am old and poor. Well, if they will not accept me, I will just go jump in the sea and drown and end it all!” Then, still walking and weeping, he made his way for the sea and suicide. But, just as he was about to jump, along came Shakyamuni Buddha, who said, “Old man, why are you throwing yourself in the sea?”

“I wanted to leave home,” the old man replied. “I went to the Jeta Grove to do so, but the Buddha was not there, and the Buddha’s disciples would not accept me. As far as I am concerned, there is really nothing joyful in human existence; I would rather just hurry up and end my life. My life is meaningless.”

Shakyamuni Buddha said, “So you want to leave home? That is no problem. Come back with me. I will allow you to leave home.”

The old man returned with the Buddha, left home, cultivated, and after just a few days, certified to the fruit of Arhatship. The Buddha’s disciples did not understand this at all. “How strange!” they thought. “This person has no good roots; how could he certify to Arhatship? He has not done a single good deed throughout the last eighty thousand great eons. How could the Buddha permit him to leave home?” They questioned the Buddha and the Buddha gave them this explanation:

“You Arhats can only see the causes and effects of the last eighty thousand great eons. What happened outside of that, you do not know. This old man, over eighty thousand eons ago, was a poor firewood gatherer in the mountains. One day, he met up with a tiger. Just as the tiger was about to bite him, in his great fear he screamed, “Namo Buddha!” That one recitation scared the tiger away, and so he was not eaten. The seed planted by his single recitation of “Namo Buddha” has now matured as the good roots, which have enabled him to leave home and certify to the fruit of Arhatship.

From the looks of this we can tell that it is not easy to leave home.

Also, in India there was a certain outside Way sect whose members made offerings to the image of a heavenly spirit. The heavenly spirit’s body was made of wood or clay, but the head was made of gold. Once a thief wanted to steal the head, but when he went to take it, the awesome virtue of the heavenly spirit made him afraid. In his fear, he thought to recite, “Namo Buddha!” The recitation dispelled his fears because it had stripped the heavenly spirit of its awesome virtue. Fearlessly, then, he stole off with the golden head.

Later on everyone said, “Take a look at that heavenly spirit everyone believes in.” They said, “It is not the least bit efficacious. If it were, how could it have had its head stolen? It is useless to believe in it.” When they said this, the heavenly spirit came alone and took possession of a person’s body. Sometimes spirits give off an efficacious energy, and if it takes possession of someone, the victim will become senseless, as if they were drunk.

The spirit began to speak through the medium and said, “It is not that I am not efficacious. When the thief came, he was afraid to take my head. But when he recited “Namo Buddha” the whole area was flooded with Buddha-light and I could not even open my eyes. I was unable to protect my head. That is how he managed to steal it. It is certainly not the case that I am not efficacious, but the awesome virtue of the Buddha is even greater than mine, and so I had no way to protect my head.”

Hearing this, one may wonder, “Did the Buddha assist the thief in stealing the golden head of the heavenly spirit? Did he aid him in doing this evil karma?” No. The thief recited the Buddha’s name. The merit and virtue that comes from reciting the Buddha’s name is inconceivable. Whether a good person or an evil person recites, it has the same effect. It is not the case that when an evil person recites it, there is no merit and virtue, but when a good person recites, there is. The merit and virtue is the same. So even though he was a thief, he still called on the Buddha and his recitation enabled him to steal the heavenly spirit’s gold head. The Buddha certainly was not helping him be a thief. Rather, he was helping him perfect his good roots.

You say, “If he steals, how can he have good roots?”

Take a look at this line of The Dharma Flower Sutra:

“…and say but once, ‘Namo Buddha,’
They have realized the Buddha Way.”

Even though, at that time, he was a thief, he planted good roots through his recitation and so in the future he can certainly become a Buddha. This is called “vigor in opposition and in accord.” Even though he was a thief, he still recited the Buddha’s name. The Buddha did not help him steal the heavenly spirit’s head, but the Buddha does treat everyone equally. Those who recite be they good or evil obtain the same efficacious response.

Hearing this, you should not make the mistake of thinking, “If the thief recited the Buddha’s name and stole the heavenly spirit’s head, I will go recite the Buddha’s name and steal perhaps the earth spirit’s silver head, or maybe some valuable human head!” You cannot get away with this. The thief who stole the heavenly spirit’s head knew nothing about the Buddhadharma. Perhaps he had heard someone say in passing, “It is good to recite the Buddha’s name,” and so, when he was afraid, it occurred to him to recite it. He had certainly never studied the Buddhadharma.

Students of the Buddhadharma should take care not to use the awesome virtue of Buddha-recitation or lean on the Buddha’s light to help them steal with impunity. You cannot do that. Once you have studied the Buddhadharma and know that stealing is against the law, if you go ahead and do it, your offense is doubled. This is something you should all understand clearly. Why do I bring this up? It is because there was once a monk, who, before leaving home had been in the army.

Later, he studied the Buddhadharma and had great faith in Buddha-recitation. Before he left home he, himself, recited, and he led others in recitation. Five or six years after he left home he ran off to Dao Feng Mountain in Hong Kong, where they specialize in convincing those who have left home to return to lay life.

When the monk got there he took a job as a cook. Those who left home always went off their vegetarian diet when they went there. As cook, the monk thought that because he recited the Buddha’s name, he could save the living beings as he killed them. So, as he cut off chickens’ heads he would recite “Namo Amitabha Buddha.” He thought that by reciting he could cross the chickens over as he killed them, but in the end, when he had been there for a little over half a year, he went insane and died. So you cannot do this kind of thing.

Everyone should be particularly clear about it. If you deliberately violate a precept, the offense is tripled. He had no authority to do such a thing. It is true that reciting the Buddha’s name will save living beings. If you have the power to see that, as you kill them, they are for sure being reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, that is one thing. But, if you cannot actually see it happen, if you do not have the power, you cannot. You cannot just say, “I am hoping that they will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.” That is not good enough. Hearing this account, do not misunderstand it and think that as long as you recite the Buddha’s name, you can create offenses. Those who recite the Buddha’s name should not commit the smallest offense or make the slightest mistake.

I knew that monk personally. Later, he went insane. When he went insane, he wanted to see me. He knew that if he could see me, perhaps he would have some hope of eradicating his offense-karma. But he never did get to see me. He was called Hong Hui, and was a grand-disciple of the Venerable Hsu Yun.