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DHARMA IN EVERYDAY LIFE
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- THE PRACTICE
- CAPTURES ALL PRACTICES
By Nhat Quan
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In the ten
directions, the number of worlds is endless, but in terms of
purity or impurity, they can only be divided into two
categories:
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- One is the
Pure Land of the Buddhas,
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- Second is the
three realms, also known as the impurity of sentient beings.
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When you are
reborn, not in the pure land of the Buddhas, you may be reborn
in the realms of Heaven. If you are not reborn in the Pure
Land or the Heavenly realms, of course, you must be reborn in
the impure land of living beings. Being born in the Pure Land
of the Buddhas means escaping birth and death. Being born in
the impure world, in the three worlds means still living and
dying and reincarnating.
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In Heaven,
although blessings are many, there are still limits and
variations, so eventually, there will be a day when the
blessings run out. The lifespan must end, and then, depending
on new karma, you will be reborn in another life, wandering
around in the three worlds.
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All sentient
beings, if not reborn in the Buddha realm, will inevitably
fall into evil realms, not before or after. If you want to be
born in the Buddha realm, of course, you must practice and do
good deeds. That is a fact that cannot be denied. Among the
84,000 Buddhist practices, only a few Methods currently have
many practitioners such as:
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- Zen Buddhism,
Doctrine Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, Mantrayana or Tantric
Buddhism, Vinaya Buddhism...
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To widen your
options during your practice, let's try to make a simple
comparison.
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a- Compared to
Zen & Pure Land:
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When you have
not yet achieved the undisturbed mind, compared to the
practice of meditation, the two sides are very different.
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- With the
practice of meditation, you must not have a mind of liking,
disliking, attachment, or equanimity. On the contrary, with
the Pure Land practice of reciting the Buddha's name, you must
create a mind that loves the realm of ultimate bliss and
wishes to let go of the Saha world.
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- With the
practice of meditation, the mind must not dwell in the realms.
If it still dwells in the realms, it is wrong. But with Pure
Land's practice of reciting Buddha's name, the mind takes the
scene as its object. The mind depends on the external
environment and the environment that deals with the mind must
be clear.
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- With the
practice of meditation, the mind must be far away from
attachment to dharmas. Meanwhile, in the Pure Land with the
practice of reciting Buddha's name, you need to take advantage
of the Dharma.
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- With
meditation practice, you must be able to receive the
dharmakaya right in this world. Meanwhile, in the Pure Land,
with the practice of reciting the Buddha's name, you start
thinking that you will die in this world and be born in the
other world, which is the Pure Land of the Buddhas.
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For the above
reasons, Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhist chanting have
disagreements. But when reciting the Buddha's name has reached
the point where the mind is undisturbed, meaning that it has
achieved concentration, then it is a different matter.
Achieving the state of Samadhi means the great earth is
leveled, and now, with a single thought, one can merge with
the dharma bodies of Buddhas in the ten directions. Just like
hundreds of thousands of lights that fuse light and shine
together in the same house, without dissipation or confusion.
At that time, the sense of discrimination broke away. This
realm is no different from the realm of true Samadhi of Zen
Buddhism.
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b- Compared to
Vinaya Buddhism & Pure Land Buddhism:
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The effect of
the Precepts is to keep the three karma of body, mouth, and
mind pure. The goal is to do good and avoid evil. While
practicing according to the Pure Land method, the body bows to
the Buddha, the mouth recites the Buddha's name, the thoughts
think of the Buddha, all three karma are concentrated, all six
senses of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are
captured. If you say do good, there is no better good. If you
say give up evil, then when the three karmas are all
concentrated on Buddha, there is no room left to do evil.
Thus, cultivating the Pure Land also means cultivating the
Precepts.
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c- Compared to
the Teaching sect & Pure Land sect:
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As for the
Dharma, although it is a single sentence Namo Amitabha Buddha
if you discuss the effect, the 3 Canons of Sutras and the 12
Sets of Teachings of the Buddha who preached the Dharma for 49
years are all contained in it.
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Furthermore, the
purpose of studying the teachings is to clearly understand the
meaning, develop righteous faith, and know the necessary
things to practice, to truly attain Buddhahood. Meanwhile, the
purpose of the Buddhist recitation method is to cut off false
thoughts, maintain mindfulness, be reborn in Ultimate Bliss,
reach the level of non-regression, and finally attain Supreme
Bodhi. Therefore, when you develop the mind to practice
mindfulness, there is no need to bother studying the
teachings, because all the teachings are complete. Thus,
cultivating in the Pure Land means cultivating according to
Buddha's teachings.
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d- Compare
Mantrayana or Tantric Buddhism & Pure Land Buddhism: Tantric
practice focuses on the Three Secrets of practice. The three
secrets of practice mean:
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- Keeping the
body secret, that is, the body capturing the seal,
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- Keeping the
Mouth secret means reciting mantras with the mouth. And
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- Keeping the
Mind secret means visualizing the Alphabet.
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If you
diligently practice these three secrets, you will become a
Buddha and attain the six qualities of fearlessness. That is
the unique feature of Tantra. But with the Pure Land method,
when the three karmas are concentrated, the results are not
much different from the three secret blessings of Tantric
Buddhism. Furthermore, the effect of the Buddhist recitation
methods can make your mind and the Buddha's mind merge into
one, immediately attaining Buddha recitation Samadhi. During
Samadhi, the Buddha and you are inseparable, it is impossible
to distinguish whether it is you or the Buddha. Therefore,
while you chant Namo Amitabha Buddha, you are Amitabha. This
can also be said to mean becoming a Buddha. Even if you have
not yet attained the Buddha's name, the inspiration, and the
aura, you have the Buddha's miraculous power to protect you.
Thus, practicing Pure Land means Tantric Buddhism.
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So you see Pure
Land Buddhism is a sect that masters other sects. So now you
learn in detail, to know why the Pure Land Sect can dominate
other sects.
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In the Sutras
about the Pure Land, the Buddha only encouraged you to develop
faith and practice, not because the Pure Land method has no
solid teachings. It's just that the meaning is so profound and
inconceivable that it's impossible to explain it all. The Pure
Land realm is inconceivable, and language is limited and
cannot be fully expressed. No matter how much you talk, you
can only describe one aspect. You cannot avoid shortcomings.
If you don't miss one side, you'll miss the other side, or if
you say one, you'll miss ten. Those are the reasons why the
Buddha did not explain much but only advised you to cultivate
and practice Buddha recitation.
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Think about it,
if the method of reciting the Buddha's name does not truly
have sublime meaning and inconceivable merit, then why in the
Amitabha Sutra did the Buddha say that when he spoke that
sutra, all the Buddhas In the six directions all praise and
support? So, you already know how special and miraculous that
method is!
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Besides, in the
sutra it is said:
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- It is
impossible to be reborn in the Western Pure Land thanks to a
few causes, blessings, and good roots.
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Next, He taught:
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- For seven
days, if you recite the Buddha's name and achieve a single,
undisturbed mind, you will immediately be reborn.
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Thus, the good
roots of merit and the cause and effect of reciting the name
are not so small.
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The method of
reciting the Buddha's name is infinitely noble, as vast as the
heavens protecting the earth. This is the dharma that covers
all the dharmas of the Buddhas of the three times and is a
special teaching in the teaching life of Shakyamuni Buddha.
Above, Samyak-sambodhi bodhisattva also needs to practice
according to this method, below even those who commit evil
crimes will also be saved.
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However, because
the method is so sublime, the practice is too simple, and the
results are great and quick, so some people who understand a
little about sects and teachings consider it to be the
practice method of Stupid men, and stupid women. Tracing the
origin, it is also because they have not clearly understood
the big, small, difficult, and easy aspects of Buddha's power
and self-power. These two aspects, superiority or inferiority,
cannot be completely described with words or writing. Because
all other dharmas rely on the power of precepts,
concentration, and wisdom to cultivate until karma is clean
and love is empty, only then can one escape the cycle of birth
and death. But waiting for karma to be pure and empty is not
easy! Even if you practice for a long time, if you have not
eliminated all afflictions, you will still be subject to
reincarnation. If you have not eliminated all afflictions, and
once you are reborn, you will rebirth to the bad realm. Then
self-reliance is not enough to rely on, it is not stable
enough. Therefore, those who boast that they are wise and
self-reliant and do not follow the Buddha's benevolence are
arrogant.
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As for the Pure
Land dharma, if one has enough faith and sincere vows, one can
use one's heart to recite Buddha's name with sincerity like a
child remembering his mother. And every day, if your actions
are not contrary to morality when you die, you will be brought
to the Pure Land by Buddha. Even though you still have
negative karma, once you have been reborn in the nine-level
lotus flower, you can continue to practice until all karma is
cleared. You haven't finished your bad karma yet, let alone if
you've finished your karma, you don't have to wait to discuss
it too much! That is because the Buddha's power, dharma power,
and mind power of sentient beings are all inconceivable; but
the mind's power, thanks to the power of Buddha and the
Dharma, is fully manifested. Therefore, relying only on
self-reliance, compared to relying on Buddha's power, is as
far apart as the difference between heaven and earth! You
should know that the principles of this Pure Land practice
cannot be discussed with other common methods because this is
a special method!
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Amitabha Buddha
is the Supreme Patriarch of the Pure Land. He once made a vow
that whoever recites His name, at the time of death, will be
taken by Him to the Western World of Ultimate Bliss.
Therefore, if you want to be born into His world, you can rely
on that to recite His name.
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In the past,
Amitabha Buddha made 48 vows to create the world of Ultimate
Bliss. From then on, sentient beings in the ten directions
took the vow of rebirth as the basis for practicing the Pure
Land sect. On the one hand, Buddha vows to guide him, on the
other hand, sentient beings vow to be reborn. Two vows meet
each other, two forces of self and other supporting each other
to be able to achieve the result of rebirth. Therefore, those
who cultivate pure karma must make strong vows.
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In the 48 great
vows of Amitabha Buddha, the 19th great vow clearly states
that if you sincerely wish to be born in His kingdom, when you
die, He will come to take you. Therefore, whenever you make a
vow, you decide that you must be reborn.
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Because Amitabha
Buddha has the power to vow to save sentient beings by
reciting the Buddha's name. Therefore, when you use faith and
vows to recite Buddha's name (self-power), you will sympathize
with Buddha's vow power. You rely on the power of the Buddha's
vow (other power) to immediately escape the cycle of birth and
death and be born in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Having
been reincarnated means you have participated in the ranks of
the Saints who cannot return, so it is called very magical and
highly successful.
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The method of
reciting the Buddha's name is the only means to guide you and
all sentient beings from the evil land of Saha to the pure
world of Ultimate Bliss. With this method of reciting the
Buddha's name, it doesn't matter whether you are wise or
stupid, whether you are Sangha or lay person, whether you are
rich, poor, old or young, male or female, whether you are a
scholar, farmer, worker, merchant... everything. All classes
in society can practice and can achieve everything. Pure Land
Dharma is easy to practice but difficult to believe. In the
Amitabha Sutra, the World-Honored One also admitted the same.
This method advocates relying entirely on faith to establish,
relying on faith to maintain. Only after you have faith can
you take action, and only after you have action can your
aspirations be fulfilled. If you don't have firm faith, even
though the Buddha's door is wide open, you cannot enter.
Therefore, Faith, Vow, and Action are called the three pillars
of the Pure Land.
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Talking about
private salary is like saying that people who want to go far
need to have money and food. If one of those two things is
lacking, it will be difficult to achieve the goal you want to
achieve. Likewise, the three provisions needed to return to
the Pure Land are indispensable. Furthermore, these three
items are closely related to each other in the order in which
they arise. First of all, it is necessary to have deep faith
to have prayer. Only by praying sincerely will you
enthusiastically take action. If trust is not there, then of
course vows and conduct cannot be established.
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- First, you
must believe that the three sutras about the Pure Land were
taught to you by the World-Honored One out of true compassion.
These sutras are not like books of fables or hypotheses to
encourage you to practice.
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- Second, you
must believe that outside of the impure world in which you
currently live, there is a dignified Pure Land world.
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- Third, you
must believe that the 48 great vows of Amitabha Buddha, along
with his deeds of establishing the Pure Land, are true, as
well as the fact that he is currently saving sentient beings
in the Pure Land realm is true.
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- Fourth, you
must believe that the Pure Land or Impure Land scenes are
completely created by your mind. When you plant pure causes,
you will receive pure results. When you plant impure causes,
you will receive impure results. It has absolutely nothing to
do with the issue of reward and punishment.
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- Fifth, you
must believe that your mindfulness and the mindfulness of
Amitabha Buddha are compatible with each other. So when you
die, he will always guide you to rebirth.
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- Sixth, you
must believe that although your negative karma is many, once
you are born in the Pure Land, thanks to good and convenient
circumstances, thanks to the constant teachings of Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas, evil thoughts cannot rebirth and evil
retribution will gradually be eliminated.
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- Seventh, you
must believe that your vow and Buddha's vow are both
inconceivable. Of those two equally inconceivable powers, the
Buddha's power is hundreds of thousands of times more
inconceivable, so once you are guided, even if your strength
is still weak, the Buddha's power will be enough to help you
attain rebirth.
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- Eighth, you
must believe that when you recite a Buddha sentence, the
Buddha immediately listens and takes note.
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- Ninth, you
must believe that whenever you recite the Buddha's name, you
will surely be met by the Buddha and the Saints at the time of
your death to lead you to rebirth in the world of Ultimate
Bliss, and you will no longer fall into the six realms of
reincarnation.
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You must firmly
believe that the Buddha's teachings in the sutras are true,
and must have deep faith, absolutely should not give rise to
doubts. Doubt is an insurmountable obstacle on the path to
enlightenment. When you have doubts, of course, your vows and
actions will have no basis to arise. If you have solid faith,
you will naturally make a wish to be born in Ultimate Bliss.
When you have developed a mind to pray, naturally focus on
diligence, follow the Dharma, and practice, without waiting
for external conditions to motivate you.
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Once your faith
is solid, your vows and actions will naturally be achieved,
without needing to be reminded or encouraged. Once you have
deep faith and firmly established vows, you must practice the
right practice of reciting Buddha's name. The practice here
depends on your identity, you should not be stubborn about any
method. Just like a person who has nothing to worry about, so
from morning to afternoon, afternoon to tomorrow, when
walking, standing, lying down, sitting, speaking, keeping
quiet, when eating and wearing clothes, at all times and in
all places, keep an inseparable Buddha name place of mind. If
your body is clean, your clothes are neat, and your place is
pure, then you can recite it silently or out loud. But, when
sleeping, bathing, defecating, urinating, or being in an
unclean place, you should only recite it silently and should
not make a sound. Silently reciting the merits is still the
same. If you speak out, you are guilty of not being
respectful. You should not think that you should not recite at
those times, you are just afraid that you cannot recite. When
lying down, if you recite out loud, not only will you not be
respectful, but you will also lose your breath. You must know
this. The method of reciting Buddha's name you need to know:
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- You want to
escape birth and death, then develop the mind of Bodhi
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Take deep faith
and vows, one mind recites Buddha's name
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A vow includes
both faith and conduct. Faith is believing in self, others,
cause, effect, principle, and practice without falsehood:
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- Self-belief:
Believe that everything is created by the mind. If you recite
Buddha's name, Buddha will guide you.
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- Faith in
others: Belief in Shakyamuni Buddha not lying, Amitabha Buddha
does not make empty vows.
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- Faith Causes:
Believing in Buddha's name is the cause of rebirth and
liberation.
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- Faith in the
result: Belief in being reborn as a Buddha is the result.
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- Faith
practice: Believe in the Western world, all appearances are
real.
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- Belief
principle: Belief in the idealistic nature that encompasses
the Buddhaland. Each of the above is true, so it is called not
false.
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- Practicing is
dedicated to upholding the Buddha's name without any
interference or confusion.
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- Vow is every
heart's desire, every thought that wishes to be born in the
Pure Land.
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Of these three
things, pure land cultivators must have one indispensable, and
Vow is the essential point. It is possible to have Faith and
Action, without Prayer, but there has never been a Prayer
without Faith and Action.
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Whether you are
reborn or not depends on whether or not you have Faith and
Prayer, and the quality of rebirth depends on whether you
recite the name deeply or shallowly. Faith, Prayer, and Action
are the three pillars of rebirth in the Pure Land. If the
pillars are not enough, you will not be reborn. That is why
making a vow occupies a most important position in the Pure
Land practice.
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If you recite
the Buddha's name, if you work diligently and diligently, you
will be able to sympathize with the Buddha, and you will be
able to see the good scene, even if you don't see it, don't be
afraid. If you are not diligent and want to be single-minded
and see good scenes, your delusions will be confused, this is
a dangerous disease for practitioners. So for a long time, the
unjust people of previous lives rely on your delusions,
transforming into Buddha bodies, lotus flowers, or other
strange good scenes, hoping to take revenge. At that time, you
do not have the right view and are completely influenced by
demonic power. Once you see that scene, your heart will
certainly be filled with joy. The demon king will follow you
and enter your mind, making you crazy. Even if Buddha were
alive, he wouldn't be able to save you.
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People who
recite Buddha's name do not just practice according to their
external appearance but also need to pay attention to
eliminating afflictions and bad karma. If afflictions are
reduced by a part, then the effort of reciting Buddha's name
will increase by a part. On the contrary, if afflictions are
to increase, of course, practice must decline. So the more you
practice, the more bad karma appears because of the above
reasons.
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- One-pointedly
reciting the Buddha's name, all worldly things will naturally
be abandoned, that is, the Dharma of Giving Paramita.
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- One-pointedly
reciting Buddha's name will stop evil deeds, that is,
maintaining the paramita of precepts.
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- Reciting
Buddha with one mind, the heart becomes gentle and cool, which
is the paramita of patience.
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- Reciting the
Buddha's name with one mind, never falling back, never
falling, that is the Paramita of Diligence.
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- Reciting the
Buddha's name single-mindedly does not give rise to false
thoughts, that is the paramita of meditation.
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Single-mindedly reciting Buddha's name, clear mindfulness,
that is Prajna Paramita.
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At the end of
the day, when reciting Buddha's name single-mindedly, all
actions are complete. Karma has been created before, then
things are done. Now this is the only way to develop a great
mind reciting Buddha's name that can change. To do this, there
is only you and no one else. If today you raise your mind to
recite the Buddha's name and pray to be born in Ultimate
Bliss, to quickly attain fruition and save sentient beings. If
you continue to keep reciting the Buddha's name incessantly,
over time your mind will unite with the path, then you can
change the Samadhi karma into Ultimate Bliss, and change the
physical fetus into a lotus flower fetus. Not long after, you
will be a good person, with a dignified appearance, happy and
free in the seven-jeweled lotus realm. If you practice halfway
and suddenly become lazy and retreat, of course, you will be
influenced by strong karma from your previous life, and of
course, you will have to endure immeasurable physical and
mental suffering in the Saha world. And you will inevitably
fall into hell, hungry ghosts, and animals. Therefore, those
of you who have the will to escape and seek to return to the
Pure Land should not be afraid, awaken, develop enthusiasm for
practice, and remember:
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- If you recite
Buddha's name and keep your heart upright, stop evil deeds,
you are called a good person.
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- You who chant
Buddha's name to distract your mind are called Sages.
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- If you recite
the Buddha's name clearly in your mind and end your karma, you
are called a Saint.
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Reciting
Buddha's name is to cure evil thoughts. If you don't see
results, it's because you haven't been sincere in your
efforts. Therefore, when distracting thoughts arise, you must
concentrate on reciting the Buddha's name, focusing on each
word and sentence without distraction, and the distracting
thoughts will automatically cease. Reciting the Buddha's name
doesn't matter what kind of person you are, if you think that
in normal life there are many evil things and you refuse to
practice, it is wrong! Reciting the Buddha's name does not
matter at any time. If you think that you are old and about to
die without practicing, it is also wrong.
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You should know
that the Pure Land dharma does not choose the wise, the
stupid, the poor, or the rich. There is no distinction between
male and female, old, young, monastic, or lay. Regardless of
whether someone has practiced for a long time or is new to
practice, they can recite Buddha's name. Or reciting loudly,
reciting small, reciting out loud, reciting silently, reciting
prostration, reciting after seeking research, reciting the
mind, reciting contemplation, reciting the rosary, holding the
Buddha's name continuously and without end like a stream
running. Even when walking, standing, lying down, sitting, all
recite, thousands of thoughts are all one thought. Therefore,
there are many methods to practice Pure Land, the results
depend on the tendency of the mind.
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In short, based
on the above meanings, you can see the reason why in the past,
high monks, venerable monks, lay people, and great people,
when discussing Buddhism, have promoted the Pure Land method.
Because this is a comprehensive method of all methods. This is
the stance of the venerable monks from ancient times to the
present and is still not outdated. But in the 21st century,
you also see a Pure Land school that has been forgotten by
most people, the Eastern Pure Land of Medicine Master Crystal
Light Buddha. If there was a time when Amitabha Buddha was the
Supreme Patriarch of the Western world. He once made a vow
that whoever recites His name, at the time of death, will be
taken by Him to the Land of Ultimate Bliss. The Medicine
Master Crystal Light Buddha said:
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- If you still
haven't decided when you want to be born in the Western Pure
Land, it means you don't have enough blessings to be born in
the Western Pure Land. At this time you hear the name Medicine
Master Crystal Light Buddha and start chanting his name, then
he immediately sends eight Great Bodhisattvas to take you
wherever you want to go.
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And if there
ever comes a time, the Western Pure Land is the only path and
means to guide you and all sentient beings from the evil land
of Saha to the pure world of Ultimate Bliss. Then the Eastern
Pure Land is the only means to save suffering and bring joy to
you, while you are immersed in the world:
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- Live healthy,
and die peacefully.
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It's not a
matter of high or low, good or bad, but a matter of
practicality. None of you want yourself to die, or for your
loved ones to die immediately to be reborn. Everyone wants you
and your loved ones to be safe and healthy.
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Because with the
Medicine Buddha recitation method, this will be satisfied.
Therefore, regardless of whether you are wise or stupid,
regardless of whether you are a monk or layperson, regardless
of whether you are rich or poor, young or old, male or female,
regardless of whether you are a scholar, farmer, worker,
merchant... all genders in society have their own can practice
and achieve success.
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You practice
pure land, you recite the name of the Medicine Buddha, and at
the same time do charity, and repair bridges and roads... if
you have the slightest bit of good merit, you dedicate it to
rebirth. Thus, all good deeds are supporting acts of the Pure
Land. If you develop the mind of Bodhi, vow to save all living
beings, and dedicate your merits and virtues to the four
graces, three realms, and sentient beings in the Dharma world,
your merit and virtue will be infinite. If you can do that,
like adding oil to a lamp, like adding rain to a rice plant,
you have formed a deep dharma relationship with all sentient
beings, so you can quickly achieve your Mahayana deeds.
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If you know how
to purify karma today, it is the opposite of the karma of
birth and death tomorrow, which is not a trivial matter.
Therefore, every day you think about impermanence and
quickness, days and months wait for no one, so you earnestly
recite Buddha's name. If you half retreat and half forward,
sometimes believing and sometimes doubting, in the end, your
pure karma is not accomplished, then you certainly cannot
escape the state of reincarnation.
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Pure Land
Medicine Master's practice is nothing more than diligence.
Specialization does not add anything else. If you need it,
don't waste a second. Moreover, to recite the name, it is
necessary that every word, every sentence, mind, and voice
depend on each other, without mixing a single thought of life.
Thus, after a long time of maturity, you decide to be born in
the Pure Land Medicine Master, sit on the throne of the lotus,
and ascend to the throne without turning back.
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As long as you
are pure at the moment of death, no matter who one is,
everyone will be reborn. On the contrary, if you practice all
your life, but at the moment of death you still have regrets,
doubts, and confusion, you cannot be reborn.
---o0o---
If you have any recommendations,
please e-mail to:
chuaduocsu@duocsu.org
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