Chapter 43 Section 4 Exploration of Several Important Theoretical Issues of the Pure Land Method

(1) One sentence of Amitabha governs all Dharma-doors Before reciting the Buddha's name, it is very different from Zen, because the mind of Zen is not a choice between joy and dislike, while reciting the Buddha's heart is happy to take the happy country, and hates to give up the dirty land; What can be imagined; Zen mind should be far away from dharma grasping, while chanting Buddha's name must use dharma grasping; Zen mind is the dharma-nature body, not the meaning of life and death, while chanting Buddha's mind should think about death, life, and that. different place.But if you have attained the samadhi, it will be different. The realm of chanting Buddha’s samadhi is that the void is shattered, the earth is flat, and the mind and nature of the current thought are integrated with the Buddhas and Dharma bodies of the ten directions. At this time, there is no difference between the six consciousnesses, and it is indistinguishable from the true samadhi of Zen, and becomes Zen and pure. From this point of view, if it is said that pure is Zen, why not?Now let’s talk about the precepts. The role of the precepts can prevent the three karmas of the body, speech and mind, so that they can produce good and eliminate evil. But when practicing the Pure Land method, the body worships the Buddha, the mouth recites the Buddha, and the mind Buddha. Talking about generating goodness is the culmination of accumulating goodness. If we talk about eliminating evil, how can I ask if the three karmas have been concentrated in the Buddha, what other idle furniture can be used to create evil?From this point of view, saying that purity is the law, why not?As for teaching, if you talk about characters, there are only six characters in Namo Amitabha Buddha. If you talk about functions, you can say that the teachings of the Tripitaka and the twelve divisions are all contained in it; Every single word is included in Li Xu, so what teachings can be beyond these six words, and the purpose of research and teaching is to generate faith and understanding, enlightenment and verification, and the function of chanting Buddha is precisely to calm delusional minds and obtain enlightenment. Mindfulness has actually surpassed belief and understanding, and has reached the stage of practicing evidence.Therefore, if a scholar can recite the Buddha's name, there is no need to study and teach, and all the teachings are already sufficient. From this point of view, if it is said to be pure, it is teaching, why not?As for secret?Emphasis on the blessing of the three secrets, emphasizing on becoming a Buddha in one body, and obtaining the six kinds of fearlessness are the characteristics of Tantric Buddhism.But the concentration of the three karmas of the Pure Land method is actually no different from the blessing of the three secrets of body, speech and mind; and the effect of reciting the Buddha's name can make my heart and the Buddha's heart merge into one, and when the samadhi appears, the light of the consciousness is intertwined and concentrated. It is impossible to distinguish who is the Buddha and who is the self. Therefore, when we recite Amitabha, the person who recites is himself Amitabha. In this way, it is said that he becomes a Buddha in one body. Why not?Even if you have not attained samadhi, but when you recite the Buddha's name, in order to sense the Taoism, the Buddha's light is absorbed and received.The traveler is currently covered by the supernatural power of the Buddha, so what should he be afraid of?From this point of view, if it is said that purity is secret, why not?Looking at the above meanings, you can suddenly realize the Tao.Why do many famous teachers, masters, and masters who study Buddhism advocate the cultivation of the Pure Land?A recent layman Fan Gunong advocated: "Learning lies in consciousness only, and practicing in the Pure Land." It can be seen that the more you go deep into the scriptures, the more you praise the Pure Land.

(2) The combination of self-power and other power Practicing other methods, relying on one's own strength alone, after a long time, coupled with the harsh environment, it is easy to regress into this Saha world.Then we have to work hard to practice, to cultivate enough confidence, and when the roots of goodness are mature, we can not retreat.However, in the method of reciting the Buddha's name, in addition to relying on the strength of one's own practice, it also relies on the blessing and protection of the Buddha's power. The Buddha's light shines on us all the time, and it is easy to get it forever.As long as you live in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, you will realize the three non-regression right now. At the same time, there are all causes and conditions to help the Tao, and there will never be causes and conditions to retreat and hinder practice.In this superb and beautiful environment, one will naturally advance step by step, and will soon become a Buddha and attain the Dao.In short, as long as you concentrate on holding the six-character name of Namo Amitabha Buddha, your thoughts will continue without interruption.Even if we are walking, standing, sitting and lying in the four majestic ceremonies, we will not be separated from the Buddha's name, raise the light of the mind that can be recited, and follow the recited Buddha's name, so that the mind and Buddha will correspond, and the mind will not be separated from the Buddha.You must read to the point that there is only Buddha in your heart, and there is no heart other than Buddha.As long as you read it sincerely, you will definitely be able to achieve things without confusion.Just as Master Yuanying said, "When you practice pure karma and think of Amitabha, the lotus core is marked with the name in an instant, and you can clearly understand that the heart is the Buddha, and when you succeed, you can point out the Saha."

When chanting Buddha's name to this state, you can not stop thinking about Buddha, and go further to achieve Buddha chanting all day long, without thinking all day long, knowing that the mind capable of chanting is inherently empty, and the Buddha you are chanting is also unobtainable. The mind is also empty when the environment is quiet, and it does not live in thoughts.From here, we can go further to think without thinking, think without thinking, understand the mind that can think, the spirit is not ignorant, and the Buddha that is remembered is vivid and clear, it is really thinking without thinking.The mind that can read is the Buddha, and there is no mind.The Buddha that is recited, the Buddha is the heart, and there is no Buddha image, so the so-called energy and death.The unity of the mind and the Buddha means that by reciting the name of the Buddha to the deep realization of the reality, one can get the truth and be undisturbed.

(3) The Supreme Being and the Pure Land Method People who are determined to believe in Buddhism should be careful not to think that they are very smart, wise, and have great abilities.I regard the Pure Land method of reciting the Buddha's name as a method practiced by foolish men and women, and think that I don't need to practice the method of reciting the Buddha's name, meditation or other methods.Zen Buddhism, of course, is the highest vehicle, but it can only be adapted to the superior faculties and wisdom.However, people with middle and lower roots find it very difficult to cultivate.We should think carefully about whether we are a person with superior roots and wisdom.The kung fu of studying Zen and watching Huatou must break through the three barriers. The ancients said, "The first barrier is easy to re-pass, and the final barrier is difficult to climb."If the three barriers are not completely broken, it is absolutely impossible to escape life and death.If you are reincarnated as a human again in another life, I am afraid that you will not be able to continue to practice Zen, then it will be a waste of all previous efforts. In the next life, because you have planted blessings in your practice in this life, if you are born into a wealthy family, you will be deceived by the beautiful environment, and it is easy to create More and bigger evil karma, even if it is said that you will not do big evil karma, but you may not be determined to become a monk.Now let me tell a historical story about the Zen master, which can illustrate this problem.In the Song Dynasty, there was a Zen master named Qingcaotang, who was a well-known elder of the sect.One day, he saw a former prime minister returning to his hometown, and the crowd was very lively along the way. At this moment, he felt envious.Because he said that Gao Dezhong is an unusual person, when he thinks about it, the reaction is very strong.That's why the ancients said: "It is better to move thousands of rivers than to move the hearts of the Taoists."Later, his official career was prosperous, he was promoted step by step, and became a prime minister, named Zeng Lugong.This story shows that Zen Master Qingcaotang spent his whole life practicing meditation in exchange for the position of a prime minister. It's too late to become a Buddha today, and it's too late for Lebang to transform into a rebirth, so what's more to be expected. There is no time to take care of reincarnation."

(4) Faithful in reciting Buddha's name Practitioners require to do everything in their life, and the only way to do it is to recite the Buddha's name.Because reciting the Buddha's name depends on one's own faith, vows, and pure actions.On the other hand, there is the power of Amitabha's compassion and vows. With the two kinds of power of self and others, even if self-reliance is not enough, there is still Buddha's power to rely on. Therefore, it is safe to practice by reciting Buddha's name.The great master of the ancient Pure Land School and Master Yongming Yanshou said: "There is a Pure Land without Zen, and thousands of people who practice all kinds of practices go there, but they can see Amitabha, so why not be enlightened." This is a very important teaching.There is no magical method in the method of reciting Buddha's name. As long as we can recite it with determination, we will surely succeed.What is dead heart, is to kill all the delusional and distracting thoughts in the world, hold on to the name of Amitabha Buddha wholeheartedly, never leave the Buddha, never leave the Buddha.Just like a chicken brooding on its eggs, he was devoted to hatching the eggs into chicks, not caring about his own food and drink. When he took the hen out of the nest, he immediately went in to lay the eggs again, never refusing to relax.This is also the way we pray to Buddha.Guaranteed to recite without distraction, and decided to achieve Buddha-recitation samadhi.

Tell another story about Emperor Wu of Liang and Zen Master Zhigong.Emperor Wu of Liang respected Zen Master Zhigong very much.Once Emperor Wu of Liang wanted to invite Zen Master Zhigong to watch a play with great interest. He and Zhigong sat together to watch the play.When the play was finished, Emperor Wu of Liang was very happy to see it, so he asked Zen Master Zhigong, "Is the play good today?" The Zen master said, "I don't know." Said: "I don't know." When Emperor Wu of Liang heard the Zen master's answer of "I don't know", he was very puzzled, why the Zen master and I were sitting together, obviously watching an opera, not sleeping or doing other things. But say you don't know?Zen master Zhigong said to Emperor Wu of Liang: "Your Majesty, we are monks. Life and death are important matters. It is too late to practice Taoism all day long. There is time to come to the theater! Your Majesty may wish to ask this troupe to perform again tomorrow. At the same time, please order The Secretary of the Ministry of Justice chose a criminal who had been sentenced to death and was about to be beheaded, and ordered him to hold a basin of water in both hands and kneel in front of the stage to watch the play. Then he told the criminal that when the play was finished, the basin of water would not be spilled at all. Immediately grant you innocence; if the play is not finished, and the water in the basin is spilled, immediately after the play is finished, you will be tied up and beheaded." Emperor Wu of Liang didn't know what Zen Master Zhigong intended at the time, so he had to do so.The next day, Emperor Wu of Liang and Zen Master Zhigong were still watching the play together. The criminal knelt in front of the stage with a basin of water in his hands to watch the play.Zhigong asked Emperor Wu of Liang to ask the criminal: "Is today's play good?"The criminal replied: "I don't know".He asked again, "Is the opera sung well today?" He replied, "I don't know." Emperor Wu of Liang said, "You kneel in front of the stage to watch and listen to the opera, why don't you know?" It's too late to care about this basin of water, so where is the heart to go to the theater?" The criminal answered exactly the same as Zen Master Zhigong.Only then did Emperor Wu of Liang suddenly realize.Understand the truth of not caring, turning a blind eye, listening but not hearing.Why didn't the criminal say he didn't know?It was obvious that at this critical moment of life and death, his attention was focused on the basin of water.This story fully demonstrates that when we practice and recite the Buddha's name, if we can recite the Buddha's name with a dead heart, we must be reborn in the West. The so-called: "Wish to be born in the Western Pure Land. Nine-grade lotus is the parent, the flower blooms and sees the Buddha, enlightens the lifeless, and the Bodhisattva is the companion. .”

The key to chanting Buddha's name is to illuminate the Buddha's name with one's own heart light. The Buddha's name is the environment, and the light of the mind is wisdom. We use the wisdom to illuminate the environment, and use the environment to illuminate the wisdom. Concentrating like a cat chasing a mouse, not relaxing at all, if you can chant the Buddha like this, you will definitely be able to escape life and death. (5) Recite the Buddha's name with the root of mind The method of chanting Buddha's name should be recited with the root of the mind, not with the consciousness, but I am afraid that many people will doubt this point, and I hope everyone will not doubt it.I remember that "The Great Strength Bodhisattva Practicing the Buddha's Recitation" said, "All the six sense organs are captured, and the pure thoughts follow one after another. Entering samadhi, this is the first." To enter samadhi is to enter the samadhi of reciting Buddha.Everyone, please do some research. The phrase "All capture the six faculties" can prove that the most important thing to do when reciting Buddha's name is to recite with the mind.Because the mind root belongs to the mind, people who recite the Buddha use the mind root to recite the Buddha. Once the mind root does not move, the other five sense organs will of course not move, so all six sense organs will be absorbed. Naturally, one heart is pure, that is, one heart is pure Mindfulness is the cause, and rebirth in the Pure Land is the result. Relying on cause and effect, cause and effect are consistent, so the method of reciting Buddha is called the Pure Land method.As the "Lotus Sutra" said: Such is the cause, such is the effect, such is the profound truth of the origin and the end.Master Yuanying explained this principle and wrote a poem, "There is no need to doubt the Taoism, but who knows that the Dharma is superior, and the day when Sapo believes in wishing to hold the name is the time when the lotus pond bears pistils."

(6) Be undisturbed The method of chanting Buddha seems to be very convenient and simple. You only need to recite one Buddha's name, the six-character name, and you will be familiar with it once you teach it.But it is not easy to recite it well, until the mind is undisturbed, and the samadhi is successful.Of course, it must go through a period of time, just like we take a thread and string together one hundred and eight Buddhist beads and connect them without breaking the thread.The same is true for chanting Buddha's name, and the chanting continues without interruption.Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty was very sincere in practicing Buddhist recitation.He said: "I'm seventy-two years old, and I don't have to do things again. It takes a lot of eyesight to see the money, and I'm afraid of running around when I do things. How can I save my mind? Say Amitabha, Amitabha is walking, Amitabha is staying, Amitabha is sitting, Amitabha is lying down, even if you are busy. Arrows, do not destroy Amitabha, the sun sets and the journey is far away, my life has been wasted, and the heart is pure day and night, but Amitabha." I think people who chant Buddha should be like Bai Juyi, who sincerely let go of everything and chant Buddha in name, there is no failure, This is called mindfulness, mindfulness of Buddha.In the past, some people wrote poems about praying to Buddha during the four seasons of walking, standing, sitting and lying down, and they were very good.The transcript is as follows:

When walking, remember Amitabha rightly, follow one Buddha step by step, Travel to the Pure Land from time to time with one step, and leave the Saha in your mind. Panghua looks back with Liu Xu, don't let him go when he climbs the mountain and water, Waiting for Anong to be blissful, the ten directions come and go as they please. Recite the Buddha's name while dwelling so as to contemplate the body, which of the four elements is true, Amitabha and I are two, and the shadow and bright moon are just three. It is difficult to live in an empty house that is gradually decaying, and although the pure land is far away, it is easy to live,

When will it be like a cicada sheds its shell again, and a golden body will be born in the lotus womb. While sitting, reciting the Buddha's footsteps in lotus position, the body is placed on the lotus platform flower, The appearance is clear and you can see it with your thoughts, and the golden face is reflected with the heart charm. Things are like a dream, empty and still, and it is reasonable to realize that harmony is not existence, When He Richi held his feet on his head, he kissed the top of his head and poured it out. When reclining, don't open your voice when reciting Buddha's name.

A pillow with cool breeze and autumn miles, half a bed with bright moon and three nights. There is nothing like dust that tires the heart and is hard to break, only the dream of the lotus flower is easy to come true, The sleepy eyes are hazy and the Buddhas appear, but the memory is still clear when I wake up. (7) Carrying Karma to Rebirth The practice of reciting the Buddha's name and bringing karma to rebirth is an inconceivable function; from ancient times to the present, many people doubt it.In the past, a king asked the monk who said: "People who recite the Buddha's name can carry their karma to rebirth. It is hard to believe this." The answer was: "My lord, will the big rock sink when placed in water?" The king said: "It will sink." He also said: "If you want to keep it from sinking, can you get it?" The king said, "No."He also said: "If you put a big stone on a big boat and carry it to another place, can it be obtained?" The king said: "Yes."You should know that all living beings will fall if they have karma, just like a boulder set in water will sink.Those who recite the Buddha's name, relying on the power of Amitabha's vows to lead them to rebirth, take the boat of Buddha's great vows, so they can carry their karma to rebirth, just like a big stone that can be transported to other places without sinking.Looking at this, we can judge that doubt begets faith. Let's take one more thing, use the certificate to bring the karma to life.In the past, Zhang Shanhe used to kill cattle all his life. One day, he was dying of illness and was about to die. When he saw a herd of cattle, they all came to kill him; Kicking his body, he was terrified.He called his wife to ask a monk to save him, and his wife asked a monk to come in and tell Shanhe, "Don't be frightened, your killing karma has been too heavy in this life, and there is no other way to save you, but you should recite the name of Amitabha Buddha wholeheartedly, and you can be with you." Resolving grievances can free you from suffering, so follow me to recite." The monk immediately recited Namo Amitabha Buddha loudly.Holding the incense stick in one hand, Shanhe recited along with the chant, and as soon as he recited a few times, Shanhe said, "Is the ox gone?"Shan He Yi Jia earnestly recites the same name.Shaoqing said in a loud voice: "The Buddha came to pick me up." Then he inserted incense and put his palms together, chanting Buddha and passed away.This is the proof of rebirth with karma. Advice to everyone: After reading the causes and conditions of goodness and chanting Buddha's rebirth with karma, you must carefully consider and understand it, and you must not mistake it. If you say that chanting Buddha can bring karma to rebirth, you will create karma arbitrarily during life, relying on the Buddha, and want to come back again when you are dying. Chanting Buddha brings karma to rebirth, and you must not think like this.You should know that it is not easy to recite the Buddha's name at the end of life. If you don't have the good roots of your past life, you must never recite the Buddha's name at the end of your life.Although Zhang Shanhe killed cattle all his life, he did have good roots in his previous life. If he didn't have good roots, he would not be able to ask his wife to ask a monk to save him, nor would he be able to meet a good monk who taught him to chant Buddha.Just hope that abstaining from evil comes first, and don't wait to ask the Buddha later. Just burn more incense in your free time, and don't wait to hug the Buddha's feet temporarily.An old saying goes: "It's too late to rein in the horse at Linya, and it's too late for the boat to reach the heart of the river to make up for leaks." (8) Examples of rebirth after chanting Buddha 1. Huiyuan Three Sacred Statues: Master Jin Huiyuan, Yanmen Tower is annoying, Broadcom classics, in Lushan Donglin Temple, built a Buddhist shrine, did not enter the market for 30 years, devoted himself to survival in the West, made a six-hour lotus platform, and recited Buddha endlessly.One hundred and twenty-three monks, laymen and community members are all like-minded and vow to live together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.In the next nineteen years, he was taught at the Prajna Terrace. From the beginning of concentration, he saw Amitabha Buddha, who appeared in the sky, surrounded by Buddhas without quantification, and Avalokitesvara and Shizhi stood on the left and right.Seeing that the water is flowing brightly, it is divided into fourteen branches, which flow up and down, and explain the wonderful method.The Buddha said: "I am here to comfort you with the power of my original vow. You will be born in our country in seven days." I also saw Buddha Yashe, Huichi, Huiyong, Liu Yimin and other members of the community. Those who have passed away are all at the Buddha's side.The teacher said to the disciples: "I have lived here and seen the holy figure three times. If I see you again today, I will be born in the pure land!" At the end of the day, he sat upright and passed away. 2. Huaiyu vowed to take the golden platform: Tang Shihuaiyu, a native of Taizhou, eats only one meal a day at noon, often sits without lying down, and recites the "Amitabha Sutra" for 300,000 times.There are 50,000 Buddha names in daily classes.In the first year of Tianbao, when he saw Buddha statues filling the sky, a man came up holding a silver platform. Yu said, "I have worked hard all my life and vowed to take the golden platform. How can I pick up the silver platform?" After speaking, the silver platform disappeared.Thirty-seven days later, I saw the man from Qingjintai again and said to him: "The teacher is diligent, and he will be promoted to the top grade." After three days, the room was full of strange fragrance, and he passed away with a smile. 3. Huang Datie takes the Land of Ultimate Bliss as his home: Huang Datie was born in Tanzhou, Hunan Province in the Song Dynasty. He was born in Tanzhou, Hunan.One day, I saw a monk passing by the shop, so I invited him into the shop to serve tea, and asked for advice on how to cultivate without wasting karma. The monk then taught him to forge iron while reciting Buddha's name; When pulling out, recite a Buddha's name, when striking the iron, recite one sentence every time you strike the iron, and recite it while walking and sleeping when you are not striking the iron.Huang Datie followed his teaching, and because he concentrated on the Buddha's name, he didn't feel the heat of the furnace, nor did he feel tired from exerting himself.It lasted three years, and one day when he knew the time had come, he cut his hair, took a bath, changed his clothes, and told his wife, "I'm going home today."Wife said: where do you still have a home?The answer was: The Western Ultimate Bliss is my home, so I went to the iron stove again, took out the red iron, and said in gatha: "Namo Amitabha Buddha will be nailed for a long time to become steel. The fate of the world is over, and I will go to the west." , Raise the hammer and strike the iron, and it will melt immediately.