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TOT｝－l匹 PUR脰LAND
•20IoPureLandCollcgePress Publishcdz0Io
Somerightsrescrved.
Nopartofthisbookmaybealteredwithoutpermission fromthepublisher.Reprintingisallowedfbrnon-profituse. Fortbelatestedition,contactpurelandpress@gmail.com·
TheAmitabhaSutraisfTomMind-sealoftheBuddhas、whichis
translatedbyj.CCleary •I9g6byRcv.LokToandLeeTsu-ku PublishedI9g7,Secondedition
SectionsTwoandThreearefTomI〃O〃eL旋r伽αP〃加Lα〃dBⅡM伽阪〃γ byVenerablcW/uling AmitabhaPublications,Chicago,6o刃z •zoo7byAmitabhaPublications Coverimage•Shantiyana|Dreamstime’com ISBN:078-0-98o7II4-2-4 I,I斗I〕I2
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﹣一
CoNTENTs
L
Pa「tOne
A〃﹞／fabba5α〃aRecitatioⅡI
OrderofPracticeSession] PurityVerse7 PraiseoftheLotusPoolAssembly8 BuddhaSpeakstheAmitabhaSutra9 PraisctoAmitabhaBuddhaz4 W/ishfbrRebirthintothePureLand25 RepentanceVerse26 PourGreatVowsz7 DedicationofMeritz8
ThrecRefUgesz9 Pa「tTwo
Pu『elahdP『incipIesandP『actice PureLandBuddhism], Chanting4I Cultivation43 TheFiveGuidelines6] CareofDharmaMaterials8o
VisitingaBuddhistCenter8I Pa「tTh「ee
DeathaⅧdDγing8, GuidelincsfbrSpiritualAdvisors LivingW/ill94 IResolveI•z
87
]]
PartOne
AmitabhaSutra Rccitation
�
ORDERoFPRAcTIcESEssIoN
Thefollowingpracticesessionisbasedonthe AmitabhaSutrarecitationsessionthatispracticedin manyAmitabhaBuddhistSocieties. Tbbeginthesession)eitherholdthisbookupor placeitonatableandholdyourhandsintheb6Zα嗯 positionHandsarethusheldfbrtheremainderofthe
sessionexceptwhereindicatedduringthed加／加肋α Sα”bv（八﹚fbrhezangand（-）fbrhandsatwaist levelNoVbowonce,dothreeprostrat1ons’andbow onemoretimeIfyouareunabletodoprostrat1ons, youcandoallbows. YbumavnowlightsomeincenseifvouwishUPon lightingtheincense)fanitgentlywithvourhand(do notblowonit)toputoutthefIamcandallowthe incensetoburndownslowlγRaisethcincenseand holditclosetoyourfbreheadwiththeincensepointed towardstheBuddha.Then,placetheincenseinthe holder.
Next,changethewaterinthewatercontaine正Pour thewater1ntoanothercontainerfbrotheruses,like drinkingorwateringplants.Donotdrinkoutofthe waterconta1neritselfPourfreshwaterintothe
containerandreturntothegongzhuαSavthePurity 引
」
V℃rscwhileholdmgtheconta1nerinbothhandswitb vourthumbsandfirstandsecondfingers.After completingtheverse,raisethecontainertoyour fbrehead,say‘Amituofb’’tent1mesandthenplacethe conta1nerbackonthegongzhuoinfrontofthe 1ncenseholder.
Next’readthePraiseofthcLotusPooI
AsseInbly.Aftercompletingthepra1se,beginto rec1tetheAmitabhaSutraDonotanalVzcthe
wordsOurgoalhere1stofbcussingle-mindedlyon recitingthetext.AsGreatMastcrYinguangsaid’ “Withouttry1ngtofindthemean1ngofthesutra,>ust reciteitinonestrctchfrombeginmngtoend”The purposeoftherecitation1stoclcarthemindofall wanderingthoughts,discriminations,andattachments sothatwemaVattaInpur1tyofmindI/henourminds becomemorepure’ourunderstandingwiInaturallv becomemoreprofbund Afterthesutra,wereadthePraisctoAInitabha
Budd1mtopayourrespcctstoAmitabhaBuddhafbr hiscompass1onatevowstohelpallbeingsAfterthe praisc,wechant‘‘AmituOfb’,fbraprcdctermined
lengthoftimcV〈尼thenvowtoattainrebirthinthe Ⅸ℃stemPureLandbyreadingtheWishfbrRcbirth intothcPureI俄㎡d
Next,wesaytheRcpentance﹨℃rsetocxpressour 斗
deepregretfbrhavingharmedinnumerablcbeings throughoutallourlifbtimesW℃thenreadtheIbur Great\bwstotransfbrmourrepentanceintovowsto helpallbeingsendtheirsu碓ring. AftCrthat,wereadtheDedicationofMeritto
passonthegoodnessthathasrcsultedfromour chantingtohelpallbeingsendsuffbringandatta1n lastinghappiness.Tbconcludethesess1on’wereadthe ThreGRc拉gcS‧
Thesessionmaybedoneindividuallyorinagroup Ifinagroup,thebellmasterbeginsthepra1se,sutra, andsoon’bysayingthefhsttwowords.Othersthen >oinin.Readthrougbffombeginningtoend,butdo notreadthepageheadings.
『
」
PuRITYVERsE
Maythetranquilit)<puritXandimpartiality symbolizedbvthiswaterbeattainedby ㎡
allbeings.
MaytheylearnoftheW℃sternPureLand, vowtoberebornthere,andachievethat
rebirthtofbreverleavesuffCringbehindand attainlastinghappiness.
7
」
PRAIsEoFTHELoTusPooLAssEMBLY
Amidstthesea-vastlotuspoolassemblX mavAmitabhaBuddhatogetherwith AvalokitesvaraandMahasthamaprapta,
sittingonthelotusplatfbrms,leadbeingsto ascendthegoldenstairwayThesesageshave thegreatvowstohelpallbeingsleavethc mundaneworld.
Homagetotheseaä¸&#x20AC;vastă&#x20AC;&#x2018;otuspoolassemblyof BodhisattvasandGreatBodhisattvas.(#<imc5)
8
BuDDHASPEAKsTHEAMITABHASuTRA
（八）Homagetothcsea﹣vastlotuspool assemblyofBuddhasandBodhisattvas.(]timcs) BclM!aste『:BuddhaSpeaks Everyon筐:TheAmitabhaSutra ThushaveIheard:OnceBuddhawasinthe
landofShravasti)inthegardenofJetaand Anathapindika.Hewasaccompaniedby twelvehundredandfiftygreatbhikshus,allof themgreatArhats,wellknowntoeveryone. Amongthemwerehisleadingdisciples,such figuresastheEldersShariputra, Mahamaudgalyayana,Mahakasyapa, Mahakatyayana,andMahakausthila’Revata, Suddhipanthaka’Nanda,Ananda,Rahula, Gavampati,Pindola-bharadvaia’Kalodayin, Mahakapphina’Vakula,andAniruddha…{and otherssuchasthese},allgreatdisciples.Also presentweretheBodhisattvas-Mahasattvas:
q
Maniushri’PrinceoftheDharma;the BodhisattvaAiita’theInvincible;the BodhisattvasGandhahastinandNityodyukta, andothersuchgreatBodhisattvas.Also presentwasShakra’thekingofthegods) alongwithcountlessnumbersofheavenly beings,makingupagreatassembly(-) AtthattimeBuddhasaidtotheElder
Shariputra:‘‘WCstofhere,pastahundred billionBuddha-lands,thereexistsaworld calledUltimateBliss.Inthislandthereisa
BuddhacalledAmitabha,whoisteachingthe Dharmarightnow
{Shariputra’>whyisthislandcalledUltimate Bliss?Itiscalled‘(UltimateBliss,,becausethe
sentientbeingsinthislandarefreefromthe myriadsuff℃ringscommontomankind,and onlyknoweverykindofioy Furthermore{Shariputra>,thislandiscalled ‘‘UltimateBliss,,becauseitissurroundedby I•
sevenringsofrailings,sevenlayersofnetting, andsevenrowsoftrees,allmadeofthefbur
preciousiewels.
Moreover{Shariputra},theLandofUltimate Blisshaspondsofseveniewelsfilledwiththe watersofeightvirtues.Thebottomofeachof thepondsispuregoldensand,andthe steppedwalkwaysthatleadup仕omallfbur sidesofeachofthepondsaremadeofgold, silver,lapislazuli,andcrystal·Abovethe pondstherearetowerswhichareadorned
withsilverandgoldandlapislazuliandcrystal andmotherofpearl)redagateandcarnelians. InthepondstherearelotusHowersasbigas cartwheels:blueonesshiningwithbluelight, vellowonesshiningwithyellowlight,redones shiningwithrcdlight’andwhiteonesshining withwhitelight,eachemittingasubtlepure fragrance.
{Shariputra,}theLandofUltimateBlissis II
completewithalltheseadornmentsandvirtues. Andthereismorc{Shariputra}-celestial
musicisconstantlyplayinginthisBuddhaland,andthegroundismadeofpuregold. Heavenlvflowersraindownatallhoursofthe ￠
dayandnight.Inthemorningthesentient beingsofthislandfilltheirrobeswith multitudesofwondrousHowersandmake
offCringstohundredsofbillionsofBuddhasin otherworlds.W/henitismealtime,they returntotheirownland…toeat,and{to}
circumambulatetheteachingassembly
{Shariputra}theLandofUltimateBlissis completewithalltheseadornmentsandvirtues. Andthereismorestill{Shariputra}-inthis landtherearebirdsofallsortsofwondrous
variegatedcolors:whitecranes,peacocks, orioles)egrets,kalavinkasandiivaniivas.All thesebirdsbringfbrthharmonioussongsday andniRht.TheirsonHscommunicatesuch 勺～
I
BuddhistteachingsastheFiveRoots,theFive Powers,theSevenFactorsofEnlightenment, theEightfbldPath,aswellasotherteachings. VVhensentientbeingsinthislandhearthe singingofthebirds,theybecomemindfhlof theBuddha,mindfi1loftheDharma,mindfhl
oftheSangha. |Shariputra,!donotthinkthatthesebirds werebornasbirdsduetokarmicretribution
fbrpastmisdeeds.W/hynot?InthisBuddhaland,theThreeEvil…lPaths}ofExistencedo notex1st·
{Shariputra,}inthisBuddha-landeventhe namesoftheEvil…lPaths>ofExistencedonot
ex1st,muchlesstherealities.Allthesebirds
arethecreationsofAmitabhaBuddha,
fashionedinordertosingthesoundsofthe Dharma.
{Shariputra,}inthisBuddha-landthereisa sliRhtbreezethatstirstherowsofieweltrecs ﹃﹃囫
I
•
andiewelnetting’sothattheyemitsubtle wondroussounds,likehundredsand
thousandsofmelodiesplayingallatonce.All thosewhohearthesesoundsspontaneously becomemindfUloftheBuddha,mindfhlof
theDharma,andmindfhloftheSangha.
{Shariputra,ltheLandofUltimateBlissis completewithalltheseadornmentsandvirtues. Ⅸ『hatdovouthink﹛Shariputra﹜:whyisthis BuddhacalledAmitabha?
{Shariputra’}thelightofthisBuddhais infinite,andshinesonalllandsthroughout theuniversewithoutobstruction.Thusthis
BuddhaiscalledAmitabha.Also{Shariputra>, theli允-spanofthisBuddhaandhispeopleis aninfinitenumberofimmeasurableeons,and soheiscalledAmitabha.
{Shariputra,>AmitabhaBuddhaattained enlightenmentteneonsago. I4
Moreover{Shariputra>,thisBuddhahas innumerabledisciples)allofwhomareArhats, whosenumbersareincalculable.Amitabha
alsohasafollowingofinnumerable Bodhisattvas.
{Shariputra’}theLandofUltimateBlissis completewithalltheseadornmentsandvirtues.
{MoreoverShariputra,}noneofthesentient beingswhoarebornintheLandofUltimate Blisseverfallbackintoalowerrealm.Manv 引
amongthemhaveonlyonemoreli比timeto gobeforeBuddhahood.Theirnumberis incalculable:theycanbespokenofas innumerable.
{Shariputra’}whensentientbcingshearthese teachings,theymusttakeavowtobebornin
thislandWhyso?Sothattheycanbetogether withalltheseBeingsofSuperiorGoodness. <Shariputra,}onecannotbeborninthisland I5
throughminorgoodrootsâ&#x20AC;Śgoodfbrtuneă&#x20AC;?
andcausalconnections.Shariputra,}ifthere aregoodmenorgoodwomenwhohearof AmitabhaBuddha,andrecitehisname
singlemindedlyandwithoutconfhsion,fbr onedavortwodaysorthreedavsorfburdavs orf]vedaysorsixdaysorsevendays,then whenthesepeopleareabouttodie,Amitabha Buddhaandhiswholeassemblywillappear befbrethem.I/hentheyareabouttodie, theirmindsbeingunifiedandnotchaoticthey willattainrebirthinAmitabha,sLandof UltimateBliss.
{Shariputra,}Ihaveseenthisbenefit,andsoI speakthesewords.Ifsentientbeingshear whatIsa)(theymustmakeavowtobeborn inthatland
{Shariputra,}rightnowIamextollingthe benefitsoftheinconceivablevirtuesof AmitabhaBuddha.(/\)Intheeastern
I0
\
directiontherearealsocountlessother
Buddhas,likeAkshobhyaBuddha,theBuddha MarksofthePolarMountain’theBuddha
GreatPolarMountain,theBuddhaLightof thePolarMountain’andtheBuddha
Wbndrous\/bice.Eachofthem…{teachesin hisownlandwiththetruthfUlnessofa
Buddha}andcoversawholecosmos,speaking thesesincerewords:‘‘allofyousentientbeings shouldbelievethissutraextolling inconceivablevirtues,whichallBuddhas
protectandkeepinmind,,
{Shariputra,}intheworldsofthesouthern directiontherearecountlessotherBuddhas,
liketheBuddhaLampoftheSunandMoon, thcBuddhaLightofRenown,theBuddha GreatBlazingShoulders,theBuddhaLampof thePolarMountain’andtheBuddhaInfinite
Vigor.Eachofthem…<teachesinhisown landwiththetruthfUlnessofaBuddha}and ﹃∕
I
coversawholecosmos,speakingthesesincere words:‘‘allofyousentientbeingsshould believethissutraextollinginconceivable virtues,whichallBuddhasprotectandkeepin mind.,,
{Shariputra,}intheworldsofthewestern directiontherearecountlessotherBuddhas, liketheBuddhaInfiniteLif℃,theBuddha InnumerableCharacteristics,theBuddha
InnumerableBanners,theBuddhaGreat
Light,theBuddhaGreatIllumination,the BuddhaJewelAppearance’andtheBuddha LightofPurityEachofthem…{teachesin hisownlandwiththetruthfUlnessofa
Buddha}andcoversaWholecosmos,speaking thesesincerewords:‘‘allofvousentientbeings shouldbelievethissutraextolling inconceivablevirtues,whichallBuddhas
protectandkeepinmind.,,
{Shariputra,}intheworldsofthenorthern I8
directiontherearecountlessotherBuddhas,
liketheBuddhaBlazingShoulders,the BuddhaSupreme\/bice,theBuddhaHardto Iniure’theBuddhaBornoftheSun’andthe BuddhaNettedLight.Eachofthem… {teachesinhisownlandwiththetruthfUlness
ofaBuddha}andcoversawholecosmos,
speakingthesesincerewords:‘‘allofyou sentientbeingsshouldbelievethissutra extollinginconceivablevirtues,whichall Buddhasprotectandkeepinmind.,)
{Shariputra,>intheworldsofthenadirthere arecountlessothcrBuddhas,liketheBuddha
Lion,theBuddhaRepute’theBuddhaLight, {theBuddhaDharma,}theBuddhaDharma Banner,andtheBuddhaUpholdingthe Dharma.Eachofthem…{teachesinhisown landwiththetruthfhlnessofaBuddha}and
coversawholecosmos’speakingthesesincere words:‘‘allofyousentientbeingsshould I0
believethissutraextoIngmconceivablevirtues, whichallBuddhasprotectandkCepmmind.,,
{Shariputra,}intheworldsofthezeniththere arecountlessotherBuddhas,liketheBuddha
PureVbice,theBuddhaSoiournerKing’the BuddhaIncenseFragrance,theBuddha FragrantLight,theBuddhaGreatBlazing Shoulders,theBuddhaBodyofMulticolored JewelFlowerGarlands,theBuddhaSalaHee
King,theBuddhaPreciousFlowerVirtue,the BuddhaSeesAllIfuths,andtheBuddhaLike thePolarMountain.Eachofthem…{teaches inhisownlandwiththetruthfhlnessofa
Buddha}andcoversawholecosmos,speaking thesesincerewords:‘‘allofyousentientbeings shouldbelicvethissutraextoInginconceivable v1rtues,whichallBuddhasprotectandkeepin mind.,’（╴）
{Shariputra’}wbydoyouthinkthisiscalled thesutrathatisprotectedandkeptinmind Z0
byalltheBuddhas? <Shariputra’}iftherearegoodmenorwomen whohearthis…{sutra},upholditandhearthe namesofalltheseBuddhas,thesegoodmen andwomenwillbeprotectedandkeptin mindbyalltheBuddhas,andwillnot retrogressalongthepathofSupreme,Per企ct Enlightenment.Therefbre{Shariputra,}allof youshouldfaithfhllyacceptwhatIsayand whatalltheBuddhashavesaid
{Shariputra’}allthosewhohavevowed’orare vowing,orwillvowtobeborninthelandof AmitabhaBuddhareachthelevelwherethev
donotretrogressfromSupreme,Perfect Enlightenment.Thevarealreadyborn,are nowbeingborn,orwillbcborninthatland
Therefbre,{Shariputra,>allgoodmenand women,iftheyhavefaith,mustmakeavowto beborninthatland
{Shariputra,}iustasIamnowextollinRthc 7=
I
」
inconceivablevirtuesofalltheBuddhas,all
thoseBuddhasarelikewiseextollingmy inconceivablevirtues,withthesewords:(/\)
“SakyamuniBuddha(-)isabletocarrvouta mostdifficultandraretaskIntheSaha
Wbrld,theWbrldofEndurance,inanevil
worldoftheFiveCorruptions-the corruptionoftheage,thecorruptionof views,thecorruptionofaffIictions’the corruptionofsentientbeings,andthe corruptionoflife-heisabletoachieve Supreme,Perf℃ctEnlightenment,andto expoundthePureLandteaching,whichall beingsinallworldsfindhardtobelieve.,, {Shariputra,}knowthenthatinthcmidstof
thisevilworldoftheFiveCorruptions,Iam
abletocarryoutthisdiHiculttask,attain Supreme,PerfectEnlightcnment’and expoundthePureLandteaching,whichisso hardfbrbeingsinallworldstobelieve.Thisis ZZ
indeedmostdi伍cult!
W『henBuddhaHnished…﹛teachingthissutra﹜, Shariputraandallthemonks,gods,humans, asurasandotherswhohadbeenlistening’ havingheardwhattheBuddhasaid)reioiced andfaithfhllyacceptedit.Theyallbowedin homageanddeparted AmitabhaSutraspokenbyBuddha UProotallKarmicHindrancesfbrRebirth intothePureLandDharani NAMOAHMEEDOHPOHYEH DOHTOHCHAYDOHYEH DOHDEEYEHTOH AHMEELEEDOHPOHPEE
AHMEELEEDOHSHEEDANPOHPEE AHMEELEEDOHPEECHIALA占NGDEE
AHMEELEEDOHPEECHIALANGDOH CHAYMEENEECHAYCHAYNAH
CHIHDOHCHIA『爪硯SOPOHHO (Dhararli#timeS)
﹃1〃
勺＝
PRAIsEToAMITABHABuDDHA
AmitabhaBuddha,allingoldencoloB withfbrm,fbaturesandradianceuneqUalled,
whitecurlswindinglikcthefiveSumeru Mountams,andpurpleeyesasclear asthefburg7eatseas. InhisauraaretransfbrmedBuddhasin
countlessmillions,andtransfbrmed Bodhisattvas,also,inlimitlessnumber;
fbrty-eightvowshemadetoenlightensentient beingsandtoenableallninegndestoreachthe othershore.
Homagetothemostcompassionateoneofthe W邃ピternParadise,AmitaBuddha. Amituofb(chantastimcaIows)
24
W/IsHFoRREBIRTHINTHEPuRELAND
Ⅸ℃wishtobebornintheⅨ℃sternPureI刮nd
withlotusblossoms,innineorders’asparents. VVhenthelotusblossomsfl1I%wcshallseethe Buddhaandbeenlightenedwiththeabsolute truth’withnevefretrog字essiveBodhisattvasas compan1ons.
Z『
REpENTANcEVERsE
Allevilactionscommittedbyme sincetimeimmemorial,
stemmingfiomgreed,angeI}andignorance, arisingfrombod)(spcechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;andmindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ideeplyrepenthavingcommitted.
Z0
FouRGREATVowă&#x20AC;&#x152;s
Sentientbeingsareinnumerable; Ivowtohelpthemall Afflictionsareinexhaustible; Ivowtoendthemall
Ihystopracticeareboundless; Ivowtomasterthemall
Enlightenmentisunsurpassable; Ivowtoattainit.
Z7
DEDIcATIoNoITMERIT
MavthemeritsandvirtuesaccruedfiDmthis
practiceadomtheBuddha,sPureLand, repaytheIburKindsofKindnessabove, andrelievethesuffbringofthoseintheThree Pathsbelow
Mayallthosewhoseeandhearofthis
bringfbrththeheartofunderstandingand compassion,andattheendofthisliĺ&#x2026; beborn togetherinthelandofUltimateBliss.
28
L
THREEREFUGES
TbtheBuddhaIreturnandrel%returning fromdelusionsandrelyinguponawarenessand understanding. (Oneprostration)
TbtheDharmaIreturnandrelXreturning fromerroneousviewsandrelyinguponproper viewsandunderstanding. (Oneprostration)
TbtheSanghaIreturnandrelXreturning frompollutionanddisharmon}<andrelying uponpurityofmindandtheSixHarmonies. (rhrceprostratlonsan(loncb0w)
Zg
TbrmsUsed
bow:abowfi·oInthewa1stwithhandsinhezang hezang:handstogetherandheldinfrontofchestatlevclof one,sheart
gongzhuo:atableuponwhicbweplaceBuddhaimage, conta1nerofwateI]1ncense,f>owers,etc.
prostrat1on:afl1llbowtothefloor
Acknowledgements W℃wishtoexpressourappreciationtoJCClearvandalso totheSutraTfanslationComm1tteeoftheUmtedStatesand
Canada,fbrthistranslationofthed加如肋αS㎡湎‧Tbesutra
appearsinthesecondeditionofM〉’巾eα／q／叻eB〃‘鉍鯽,tbe translationofMasterOuyi﹚scommentaryonthed”加肪α s〃〃涿‧
Forthesakeoflavoutandeascinsingle-mindedchanting withoutdistract1ons,wehavetakenthelibertyofremov1ng thequotemarksaroundeachofthenamesoftheBuddhasof thesixdirectlons.
Ⅸ℃alsothanktheSutra尸IfanslationConⅡn1tteeofthe
UnitedStatesandCanadafbrtheirtranslationofthe‘‘Praise toAmitabhaBuddha”and‘‘WishfbrRebirthintothePure
Land﹚,,bothofwhicharefromtheB〃【i扔㎡L㎡〃唔﹚／,Second Edition,I09]·
]O
PartTWo
PurCLand
PrinciplesandPrac亥icc
PuRELANDBuDDHIsM
W/iththewisbtohelpaIbeings, mayallmythoughts,words,
andactionsbevoidofattachmentandego. Maytbeyarisefromcompassionandwisdom· Maytheybeimbuedwithpatienceandloy. Once,theBuddhawasaskedifhewasagodThe Buddbarepliedthatno,bewasnotagodThenwas heanangel?No.Aspirit?No.Thenwbatwasbe? TbeBuddharepliedtbatbewasawakened.Sincethe Buddha,byhisownassertion,isnotagod,wedonot worsbipbim·W/erespectandaregratefUltohimfbr teacbingusmanydiffbrentmetbodstohelpusfind thewaytobeliberatedfTomthecycleofbirth,
death’andrebirth,andlikehim’tobecomeperf℃ctly enlightened
OneoftbemetbodstheBuddhataughtisPure LandBuddbism.Tboughstillinitsfbrmativeyears intheW/est,PureLandBuddhismiswidely practicedinAsiaanditsrootsextendallthewayto ancientIndia.
Ⅸ「egeneraⅡythinkintermsofonlyoneBuddha:
]5
Sakyamuni,Wholivedaboutz5ooyearsago.But,since anysentientbeingcanawakenandinnumerable numbershave,thereare1nnumerableBuddhas.
SalWamuniBuddba,afterhisenlightenment’eXplained thathesawnotonlyhispastlifbtimesbutalsobowtbe fUturewouldunfbld·
Sakyamunisawpeopleinourtimehavingmore afHictions,worries,andwanderingthougbts.Our deep-seatedbadhabitshavingbecomeevenmore entrenchedoverthousandsoflifbtimeswouldmake
liberatingourselvessolelybyourowneffbrtsalmost impossible.Heknewtbattoendone,sproblemsand attainlastinghappinessmanypeoplewouldneedtbe helpofanotherBuddha:Amitabha,theBuddhaof InfiniteLightandInfiniteLifb· AlmostalloftheteachingsbySakyamuniwere theresultofhisbeingaskedaquestion.Ina
departurefromthenorm,andknowingWhenthe timewasright,Sakyamuniinitiatedtheteachingthat introducedAmitabhaandhispurelandThis
spontaneousteachingbySakyamuniiswbatmakes thisteachingsospecial.
Inthisteaching’Sakyamunirecountedbowtbe bodhisattvaDharmakara,afterwitnessingtbe
]6
suffbringofsentientbeings,spcntf]veeons(an incrediblylongperiodoftime)studyingalltheBuddha lands.DharmalKarathenmadefbrty-eightvows,the fUlfiImentofwhichwouldcreatetheW/esternPure LandofUltimateBliss.Hedeclaredthathewouldnot
attainBuddhaboodunlesshisvowsfbraperfbctpure land,whereaIbeingswouldadvancealongthe Buddhistpatbandneveragainfallbackintosamsara, wereaccomplisbedOncethesevowswere accomplished,DbarmakaraBodhisatIabecame AmitabhaBuddba路HeisnowspeakingtheDharmain hispurelandandhelpingallWhoaretrulysincerein theirvowstobereborntbere.
VVitbhelpfromAmitabha,wedonothavetorely solelyonourselvestoattainenlightenmentaswe wouldwitbothermetbods.InPureLandBuddbism,
werelyonthecompassionateBuddhasand bodhisattvastobelpus.Thus,relianceonselfandon
anotherarecombinedaswerequestbywayofour mindfUlcbantingthatAmitabhaBuddha,tbrough thestrengthofhisvows,belpustobereborninhis PureLandaswebreatheourlastbreathinour
presentbody. Amitabbaalsovowedthatonceweattainthis
]7
rebirth,wewiIalwaysprogressinourpracticeand learning.W/ewiIbeabletocontinueourpracticein lIisPureLand,or,wbenwechoose,returntothis
andotherworldstohelpothers,withoutbeing affbctedbyunfavorableenvironmentsorourfbrmer badhabits·Ifwewisb,wewiIbeabletodotbis
befbreweattainsupremeenligbtenment. DuetoAmitabbaBuddha,smeritsandvirtues,
andthegoodnessofallthebeingsthere,bisPure Landhasinnumerablewondersandadvantages,allof WhicbarisefTomthegreatvows,deeds,andpurityof alltbebeingsthere·Throughhisvows,Amitabha helpsallbeingscreatetbecausestoplanttheroots ofgoodness·W/ithbisdeeds,hecreatestbe conditionsfbrbeingstoaccumulatemerits.I/ithbis purity,hehascreatedaperfbctland--onethatisfree fromanger,andintolerance.Itisalandofpeace, serenity,andeqUality.Incomparison,ourworldis oneofdelusionandsuffbring,fIIedwithworry Forcountlesspeople,PureLandpracticeisthe mostsuitablefbrseveralreasons.First’itisrelatively
easytopracticeinalmostanyenvironment:alone, withotherpractitioners,orevenamidthel1ustleand bustleofeveIydaylifb’Second,therearenodifBcult
]8
entry﹂levelcriteria‧Evenifone,sabilitiesand knowledgearemodest’withbelief;vows,and practice,wewiIberebornintbePureLand· Beliefmeansthatweneedtobelieveintbe
Buddhasandtheirteachings,andincausality.I/e needtobelieveinourselvesandthatwehavethe
sametruenatureastbeBuddha.W/eneedtobelieve
tbatbylivingamorallif℃andbeingmindfUlof AmitabhaBuddhawewillbebornintotheW/estern
PureLandandbecomeaBuddbainonelif℃time.
Andthird,duetothevowsofAmitabba,
achievementtbrougbthismethodcanbeattained morequicklyandmoreeasilytbanwithother practices·VVecanunderstandthisbetterthrougban analogy·W/ecometoariverthatwewishtocross. ﹃Ⅸ∕ecanswimacrossbutourbaggageisveryheavyand tbewateristreacherouslydeep Alternatively’wecangetonaboatthatwill quicklyandsafdytakeus’andourbaggage,totbe othershore.Symbolically,the‘‘othershore,,istbe achievementofenlightenment.Thebaggagewe carryisourdeep-seatedbadhabitsandnegative karmasaccumulatedoveruncountablelif℃times,and theboatisAmitabhaBuddhaIscompassionatewill.
]9
Thetickettoboardtbeboatisbelie丘thesincere
vowtobereborninthePureLand,andpractice, whichincludesleadingamorallif℃andmindfUlly chanting‘‘Amituofb·,,
4O
CHANTING
TbesimplestwaytopracticePureLandisbychanting ‘‘Amituofb,,,whichisAmitabhaBuddbamCbineseJt
doesnotmatterWhetherwecbantinChineseorany otherlanguageaslongaswedoitproperly.Wγbenwe chant,thesoundof‘‘Amituofb,,arisesinourminds· Andasweutter“Amituofb,,,ourmindsconcentrateon
andembracetbatsound.I/bilechanting,doso sincerelyandcontinuously. Asonekeepschantingandtbemindfbcuseson tbesoundof‘‘Amituofb,,,erranttbougbtsare replacedwithpuretboughts·Inthisway,wealso createlessnegativekarma.AfterAmitabhaBuddha hasbeeninourmindcontinuouslyfbralongtime, ourtruenature-ourBuddha-nature-willgradually beuncovered
Itissimilartoacbildremembcringadearlyloved one:amotber,fatber)orsomeoneelse.Thedearly lovedoneisalwayswitbhim,alwaysinhisbeart. Likewise)heisalwaysinthedearlylovedonels heart╴andneverfbIgotten‧Inasimilarway, Amitabbaisalwaysthinkingofus,waitingfbrusto reacbouttobimsothathemayrespondtous.
4I
AmitabhaBuddhaistbewiseandcompassionate teacherwhounderstandseverything,andwhois alwaysthinlKingofus,lif℃timeafterlifbtimeafter lifbtime.W/earetbestudentswboaretrymgtolearn andtopracticeJustasagoodteacberlistenstothe callsfbrhelpfromastudentlookingfbrtheright answers,ifwehaveunwaveringbeliefWowtobe reborninthePureLand’andsincerelypractice’ AmitabhawiIrespond.AIwehavetodoischanthis namemindfully. I/henwechanttothepointofsingle-mindedness withtbesolethougbtof“Amituofb’’’wesuccessfUlly fbrmaconnectionwithhim-infact,webecomeone witbbim.InthatinstantweareintbePureLand╴╴
fartothewestanddeepwithinus.Aswebreatheour lastbreathinthisworld,ifwecanfbrmthis connection,fbrmthisonenesswith‘‘Amituofb,,,we willattainournextrebirtbintheW/esternPureLand
andleavesuffbringbehindAndoncethere,wewill havealltbetimeweneedtocontinueourpractice andlearning,fbrwewillbeinthecompanyof AmitabhaBuddhaandallthebodhisattvas.TheywiⅡ helpuslearnallthewaystowiselyand compassionatelyhelpotberbeings.
4Z
CuLTIvATIoN
Ourpracticeofchanting‘‘Amituofb,,canbedone anyWhereanytime·Butifwewisbtohaveaspecial placefbrpracticeinourhome,wefirstneedto decideWberewewouldlikeittobe.Aseparateroom isideal,butwhenthisisnotpossibleaqUietand comfbrtablespotwilldoiustaswell.Itisalso advisabletochooseasettimeintbeday,perbaps earlyinthemorningwhenthemindisstillrelatively calmoratnightasyouarewindingdownfromalong dayandwisbtoletgoofanythingtbatistroubling you.
Ⅸ∕hensettingupyourgD〃gz加0（thetablewhere youplacetheBuddhaimage,incense,andotber
practiceaids)’placeonlyobiectsthatrelatetoyour practiceonit’noteverydayobiects.Apartfrom creatingarespectfUlatmosphere,thiswillbe benefIcialtoyourconcentration.Youcanusea bookshelfifspaceislimited;however,itisbestto notplaceob}ectsothertbanDharmamaterialsor
boolKsabovethissbelfJfthegongzbuoneedstobe placedinyourbedroom,donotplaceitatthefbot butrathertothesideofthebed
4]
Asimplearrangementwouldbetoplaceastatue orpictureofAmitabhaBuddhaaloneor accompaniedbytwobodbisattvasontbegongzhuo withacleancontainerofwaterinfrontofAmitabha.
LookingattheimageofAmitabba,youwouldplace AvalokitesvaraBodbisatIaontherightsideand MahasthamapraptaBodhisatIaontheleftside.If youhavediHicultyinobtaininganimage,youcan contactoneofthesocietieslistedatthebackoftbis
booktorequestapicture.Ifitisnotpossibleto obtainastatueorotherimages,youmaysimply write‘‘AmitabhaBuddha,,onapieceofpaperand placeitbehindtbecontainerofwater’ Ifyouareinasituationwhereeventhisisnot possible,iustfbcusquietlyonyourpractice. MotIationiswhatisimportant.Asincerewishto cbant,toimproveonesel丘andtobelpothers’isthe mostimportantrequirementfbrpractice. SymbolismandUse
TheimageoftheBuddhasymbolizesourtruenature, thesamenatureastbatofallBuddbas.Theimagesof thcbodhisattvassymbolizeunderstandingand
牛4
practice.Mal1asthamaprapta,alsoknownasGreat PowerArrivedBodhisattva,symbolizeswisdomand Avalokitesvara,alsoknownasGreatCompassion Bodhisattva,symbolizescompassion..Wisdomand compassionarecomplementaryandneedtobeused together· Ifusingastatueyoucanplaceitonastandorbox toelevateitabovetheotherobiects.Thestatueand bodbisatIaimagesareplacedatthebackofthe gongzhuotofbrmthefbcalpoint. W/aterrepresentspurityandstillness.Ourminds needtobeaspureandcalmaswateraswellasvoid ofgreed,anger,andignorance.Thiswillenableusto interactwithothersandsituationswithasereneand
nondiscriminatorymind,whichviewingeverything impartially,reflectseveIythingclearlybutnoniudgmentally’likeamirror. I/hensettingupyourgongzhuo,useanewcupor glassfbrthewater.Trytouseaclearglasscontainer, asseeingthewaterwiIremindyouofwhatit symbolizes.Placethecontainerinthecenterofthe gongzhuoandchangetbewaterregularly.Tbe traditionaltimetocbangetbewaterisinthe moming.Ifthisdoesnotfitintoyourmorning
45
routine,youcaninsteadchangethewaterWhenyou doyourdailychanting Incensesymbolizesselfdisciplineandtraining whicbwillawakenourwisdomandcompassion· W/henlit,tbeincenseistransfbrmedfrom
sometbinghardandunyieldingintothefragranceof tbeDbarma,thetruthtbatteachesushowtoend
su仳ringandtbusfindlastinghappiness.Placethe incenseholderinfrontoftbewater·
Flowersrepresentcausality.Oureverythought, word,anddeedarecausesthatwillbearresults.Ifwe
wishtohavegoodresultswemustfirstplantthe seedtocreatethecause·Also,flowerscanserveto
remindusofimpermanencefbrasbeautifUlas Howersare,tbeirbeautyisshort-lived.Nothinglasts fbrever.Everythingisimpermanent· FlowersmaybeplacedatthefbotoftheBuddba imageortotheside·Apottedplantorsilkflowers canbeusedinsteadofcutflowers.Changetbem wbentbeyarenolongersuitablefbrthegongzhuo· Candlessymbolizewisdomandbrigbtness iIuminatingtbedarknessofignorance’iustasasingle litcandlecaniIuminatearoomthatbasbeendarkfbr
thousandsofyears·Thecandlealsorepresentstheact
46
ofgivingasitgivesofitselfsothatotbersmaysee. Acandlemaybeplacedoneachsideofthe gongzhuoarrangement.Forsafbty,youmayuse lampsinsteadofcandles‧Also,therearesmaⅡ battery-operatedcandlesthatserveasasafb,yet fitting,alternat1vetocandles. PormsofPractice
Tobeginourpractice,weputourhandstogether, palmtopalminfrontofourheart·Fingersarealso placedtogetberwithoutanyspacebetweenthem. Eyesarefbcusedonthetipsoftbemiddlefingers. Elbowsareslightlyben仁Thebeadistiltedslightly down.Thismovementisusedtoexpressrespectand iscalledbe2α叫inChinese‧BesidesbeingUsedto symbolizethemindwitlIoutwanderingthoughts,it isalsousedtoexpresstheonenessofthetruenature. Itistraditionaltobeginpracticewithasimple ceremonythatincludesbowingtotbeBuddha. Bowing,alsocalledprostrating,isourwayof showingrespectandcanservetopurifythethree karmasofbody’speech’andmindwhenitis combinedwithchanting.Sincethispracticecanbe
47
difHcultphysicallyfbrpeoplewhoareunaccustomed totbemovements,itisacceptabletodoastanding halfbowinsteadofafUIbowtothefloor.
VVhenreadytobeginapracticesession,doahalf bow,threefi1llbows,andahalfbow.Botbfbrmswiâ&#x2026;Ą
beexplainedindetailinfbIowingsections.I/itb thisbowing,wepayrespecttotheBuddhaand mentallypreparetobeginourcbanting.Havingdone tbis,wemaynextligbtanincensestickifconditions allow,andthentakeupourposition¡ Sitting
Assumeacomfbrtablepositiononameditation cushionorstool,oronacbair.Useacusbion,eitber
onthef>oororyourcbair,thatisslantedsotheback isslightlyhigherthantbefrontofthecushionThis willinclineyourpelvisfbrwardandprovidebetter support.W/bensittingonthefloorwithacushion, youmaydosoinafl1llorpartiallotusposition,or youmaycrossyourlegs.IfthispositionispainfUl,it maybemorecomfbrtabletouseameditationstool orbighercushion.Sittingonthestoolandplacing one,slegsunderitinasimulatedkneelingpositionis
48
tbeusualposition.Ifsittingonacbair,placeboth fbetflatontheflooraboutafbotapart. Tositinalotusposition,sitontbecusbionand placethetopofyourleftfbotonyourrightthigh Next,placeyourrightfbotonyourlefttbightofbrm astableseat.Thebackandshouldersshouldbeerect
butrelaxedIftbisistoodifHcult,asitisfbrmany people,trythehalflotusposition,inwhichyouraise
onlyonefbotontoathigh’andresttheotberunder theoppositethighOrsitcross-legged·Please rememberthatitisnotnecessarytofbrceyourselfto sitinanunfamiliarpositionthatistoophysically demanding. Trytodeterminewhetheryourdiscomfbrtis simplytheresultofsittingstiIinadiffbrentposition fromwhatyouareusedto,orduetotakingupa positionthatisiusttoodifHcultorpainfUl.Itis moreimportanttofbcusonsubduingourpointless, wanderingthoughtsthanonsubduingbodiesthat arenotusedtosittinginunfamiliarways. Holdyourhandsonyourlapwiththebackofthe righthandrestingonthepalmofthelefthand,and withthumbtipsslightlyraisedandlightlytouching. Eyesmaybelightlyclosedorslightlyopen.Ifyou
49
fCeldrowsyWhenyoureyesareclosed,opentbem slightly.Postureisveryimportant,sositupright comfbrtablywitboutslumpingorleaningfbrward Holdtheheadataslightdownwardtiltwiththe chinpullediniustalittle.Inthisposition,begin chanting“Amituofb’,aloudorsilently. Breatheinthroughtbenose,pullingtheairdown intothedeepestpartoftbelungswhiledistendingtbe diapbragmandthenslowlybreatheouttbroughthe nose.BreatbingshouldbenaturalTrytouseyour diapbragmtopuItheairdeeperintoyourlungs insteadofbreathingshallowbInsilentchanting,the tipoftbetonguelightlytouchesthebackoftbe upperteeth,andteetbandlipsareheldasusual Shouldersarelevelandelbowsareheldslightlyaway fromyoursides· Ifyouarenotyetaccustomedtosuchpractice andeXperiencediscomfbrtsuchaslegcramps’slowly moveyourlegsintoapositioninwhichyouaremore comfbrtable·ItisbesttolKeepinitialsessionssbort: tentofifteenminutes.Sessionsmaybegradually lengthenedasyoubecomemoreusedtothepractice· Itisbettertodoashortperiodofchantingthannot doitatallYoumayusewalkingorbowingtocalm
5O
bothmindandbodybefbreyoubeginyoursitting. Continueyourchantingasyouvarythephysical fbrmsofpractice. W/alking
VVecanpracticewalkingindoorsoroutdoors.This practiceisexcellentfbrmindfUlnessaswellasfbr calmingdownbothmindandbody.Wă&#x20AC;&#x17D;eareusually sowrappedupinrusbingfromoneplacetoanotber thatbefbrewecansitquietlyweneedtogentlyslow ourselvesdown.Thus,itisoftenhelpfUltobegina longerchantingsessionwithwalkingbecausetbis helpstomakethetransitionfromhurriedeveryday act1v1t1estoourpract1ce.
Unlikeourusualwalkingasameanstogetfrom oneplacetoanother,oftenqUicklyandwithoutany realsenseofWhereweare,ourpracticeofwalking Whilechantingisslowanddeliberate.W/hilewedo notbecomeabsorbedinoursurroundings,wedo remainawareofwbereweareandwhatishappening aroundus.Ideally,weremainalertbutarenot distractedbyactivitiesaroundus. Ifyourareafbrwalkingislargeenough,youcan
ĺ¤&#x2022;I
walkinacircle.W『hilewalkingslowly,beawareof liftingandplacingyourfbetuponthefloororthe earthInsteadoftheusuallmrriedimpactontbe
surfacewearewalkingon’tbefbotshouldgently touchitKeepbodymovementssmoothandlithe,as withtaichimovements.Duringthispractice,hands areheldatslightlylowerthanwaistlevelinfrontof us,withthebackoftberighthandrestingontbe palmoftheleftandwithourthumbtipslightly touching.W/alkcloclKwise,asthishasbeentbe customsincethetimeoftheBuddha.
Therearetwobasicfbrmsofourwalking.Inthe fasterfbrm,liftyourrightfbotoffthefloor,or ground,andmoveitfbrwardandplaceitonthefloor asyouchant‘‘A),(pronouncedas“ah”).Thenrepeat themovementwitbyourleftfbotasyouclIant‘‘mi,,
(pronouncedas‘‘me”).Stepagainonyourrightfbot asyouchant‘‘tuo,,(pronouncedas‘‘tuaw,,)andthen ontheleftfboton“f○”﹙pronouncedas‘‘fa﹨爪／,﹚.Inthe slowermethod,steponyourrightfbotasyoucbant (‘A,,andslowlyshiftyourweightfromyourheelto yourtoesasyouchant(‘mi.,,Thensteponyourleft fboton“tuo,,andslowlyshiftyourweightfromyour heeltoyourtoesasyouchant‘‘fb·,,
52
Inbothfbrms,allmovementsshouldbe
deliberateandcarefi1lWγhileweusuallysteponthe rightfbotfirst,peopleatotbercentersmigbtstepon theleft,soifyouattenddi仳rentcentersyouwill needtoseehowtheydotheirwalkingmeditation. Duringthewalking,ourchantingmaybedone aloudorsilentlytoourse】ves.W『hetheraloudor silent,listentoandfbcusonthesoundofyour chanting.W/alkingmaybeusedtobreakuplonger
periodsofsittingorastlIesolefbrmofpractice. Duringretreatsorregularchantingsessions,some centersusewalkingmeditationmoreoftensinceit effCctivelycountersthedrowsincssandstiffilessthat canarisefromprolongedperiodsofsitting· Prostrating
W/ebownottoworshipbuttopayourrespectsto theBuddhafbrteachingus,torecognizethe Buddha-naturetbatisinhimandinallbeings,andto practicehumilitybytoucbingthefloorwithour head
Ifwearefbcusedandsincereinwhatweare
doing’wewiIbecleansingthcthreekarmasofbody’
,]
speech,andmind.Forexample,aswebow,ourbody willbemovingaswechant,andwitheacl1bow,we willpuri0someofournegativekarmawehad createdthrougbourfbrmeractions·Aswethink “Amituofb’”wewillpurif)/someofourevilkarma createdbyourpasttboughts.Aswechant “Amituofb’﹚﹚wewiⅡpuri吋someofourpastbarmfUl speechInourchanting,wepronounceeachsyllable clearlyanddistinctlysotbatwehearthechant wbetheritisvoicedorsilent.RegardlessofWhether wechantwhenwalking,sitting,orbowing,our fbcusingontbeBuddl1a,snamewilldecreaseour everydayworries.Eventually’tbeywiIbeeliminated Tobeginbowing,standwithyourfbetpointing sligbtlyoulwardina‘‘V’’andyourheelsaf℃wincbes apart.Placeyourhandsinthehezangposition,look downatthetipsofyourmiddlefingers,andsligl1tly tiltyourheaddown.Keepingyourneckstraight, slowlybendfbrwarduntilyouhavebentoveralmost fbrtydegrees·Then,bendatthekneesand,wbile boldingyourlefthandintbesamepositionatcbest level’moveyourrightbandtowardthefloorsothatit wiIsupportyouasyourbendingkneescomplete loweringyoutotheground.
54
W/henyourrighthandtouchesthegroundbring thelefthandtothegroundaswell,butaboutsix inchesaheadoftherigbt.Besuretoplaceboth handsonthefloorsotbeywillbeinfrontofyour headwhenittouchestbef>oor.VViththissupportof bothhandsontheground,continuebendingyour kneestotbegrounduntilyourkneesareontbe floor.Yourrighthandsbouldbeiustinfrontand slightlyoutsidetheedgeoftherightknee,andthe lefthandstillabeadoftberight·Fortbosewith problemsinthewristorioints)orwhofCelunsteady duetophysicalconditionsyoumayplacebothbands downatthesametimetofbrmabettersupport. Next,flexyourf℃etsotbatthetopsofyourfbet
arerestingontheHoorandyourtoesarealmost touchingeachother.Yourlowerlegsandf℃etwill nowberestingontbefloorandyourbuttockswillbe restingonyourlegs. Moveyourrightbandtoapositionlevelwithyour leftandangleyourbandstowardseachothersoyour lowerarmsandbandsfbrmaninverted‘‘V,,without
thehandstouchingoneanotherandwitbyourpalms down.Continueloweringyourupperbodyuntilyour fbrebeadtoucbesthefloor.Atthispoint,slowlyand
55
supplelymakealoosefistwitheacbhandandthen turnyourhandsoversotheyarepalmsupwith fingersverygentlycurledPositionyourhandsasif o仳ringtoholdtbeBuddhawitbyourhands‧Tbisis thefinalpositionintbefUllbow.Yourfbrehead, fbrearms,knees,lowerlegs,andfbetwillnowbe restingonthefloor.Keepyourslightlycurvedback paralleltotheHoor·Donotpushyourstomach downtherebypullingthemiddleofyourbackbone down;keepthebackgentlycurved Toraiseyourself;repeatthebowinreverseorder. Slowlyturnthehandssotbeyarepalmsdown. Changetbepositionofyourfbetsoyourtoesareon thegroundandyourfbetarereadytosupportyouas yourise.ThenpuIyourrightbandtowardsyour bodyafbotorsoandthiswillhelptostraightenand raiseyourtrunkIfneeded,pullyourlefthand towardsyourbodyuntilitismorelevelwithyour rightbandtbenusingbothhandspushyourselfup. Continuerisingandstraighteningupuntilyouare againstandinguprigbtwithpalmstogetberatchest level.
Beginwithonlyafbwbows’bowingslowlyand gentlywhilebeingmindfl1lofyourmovements,and
,6
graduallyincreasethenumberyoudαIfpossible’do thispracticewhileachantingmachineorCDis playing.YoumayremaininthefUllbowpositionfbr severalsecondsuntilyoubegintorise· DedicationofMerits
Uponcompletionofourchanting,wefbrmally dedicateourmeritstobeingbornintothePure LandbyrecitingthefbIowing: Maythemeritsandvirtuesaccruedfromtbis practiceadorntheBuddha,sPureLand, repaytheFourKindsofKindnessabove, andrelievetbesuffbringsofthose intheThreePathsbelow.
Maythosewhoseeandbearofthis, bringfbrthtbeheart ofunderstandingandcompassionand, attheendoftbislifb,
beborntogetherintbeLandofUltimateBliss.
,7
TheFourKindsofKindnessaretheTbreeJewels oftheBuddha,theDbarma,andtheSangha;parents; teachers;andallbeings·Attbeinitiallevelof understanding,the‘‘ThreePathsbelow,,arethoseof animals,bungryghosts,andheIdweIers.Inthecycle ofrebirth,thesethreearebelowtboseofhumans,
asuras,andheavenlybeings Butatahigherlevelofunderstanding,tbeThree PathscanbeviewedastheRealmofDesire(our
world),theRealmofPorm(wherethelesserdeities dwelD,andtheRealmofFormlessness(wberetbe
higherdeitiesdweI).Untilonetranscendsthecycle ofrebirth,oneisstiIboundtorebirthwithinthe
hell,hungryghost,animal,human,asura,and heavenlypaths.Yes’evenfbrtboseinthebeavenly realms’whereex1stenceistrulywonderfUl,suclI ex1stencewillonedayendandsu仳ringwillreturn. Nianiu
Anothermethodfbrpracticeistouse〃zα叨〃,or mala·Tbesearewornaroundthewrist.Intbis
metbod,werecite‘‘Amituofb,,onceaswegently moveeacl1beadtowardsuswitbourtbumb.Aswe
58
practice,ourthoughtswiIinitiallybeonthebeads, butgraduallywewiIbeabletofbcusmorefirmlyon ourchanting.TbismetlIodisparticularlyhelpfi1l duringthedaywhenwecanfindsometimetochant, especiallywhenwewishtoreturntotbesenseof serenitythatourchantingbrings,orwhenwe encounterstressfUlsituations,andsoon.
Nian}ucomeinsinglewristlengthsofvarying numbersofbeadsoralongerlengthofIo8beads. Thislongernianiuwillusuallybavethreesmaller beadsevenlyspacedalongthestring,andone “mother”beadThetbreesmaIerbeads’usuallyofa
diffbrentcolor,symbolizethefbIowing:theBuddha, wborepresentsawakening;theDbarma,which representsproperviewsandunderstanding;andthe Sangha,Wbichrepresentsharmonyandpuri叮of mind
Nianiubeadsareoftenmadefromtbeseeds’ wood,orrootofaBodbitree,orfromotbernatural
materialslikegemstonesordiffbrenttypesofwood. Naturalmaterialslikewoodandseedsdarkenand
developabeautifUllusteraswepractice. IfthemotherbeadofyournianiuhasaBuddba
image,donotuseitfbryourcbanting·Stopatthe
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beadbefbreitandreversedirectionsoyouare movingintbeoppositedirection.InthePureLand
traditionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mostnianjudonotbaveaBuddhaimage, sowecontinueourchantingandpassthemother beadinthesamemannerastheotberbeads. AudioAids
Manypractitionersliketouseachantingmachine, whichisasmallplasticboxthatcontainsacomputer chipThecbipcontinuouslyplayscbantingmusic andaIowsustoalwaysbavethechantingwithus. Althoughwemaynotconsciouslyfbcusonthesound ofthechanting,themachineservesasanexceIent aidtokeepthesoundatleastonalowerlevelof awarenessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;readytorisetoourconsciousnessWbenever wcwish
CDsareaverygoodalternativeandtbecontents
canbetransfbrredeasilytoMP]players.CDsmay berequestedfromAmitabhaBuddhistsocietiesand PureLandLearningCenters.ChantMP3scanalso
bedownloadedfromwww.amitabha-gaIery.oIg
6O
Ten-recitationMethod
Thissimple,convenient,andeffbctivewaytopracticeBuddhanamechantingisespeciallysuitablef•r tbosewbofindthattheyhavelittletimefbr cultivation.ThechantingbelpsustobemindfUlof AmitabhaBuddbaItbringsusioy.
.Webeginwhenwewakeup.Situpstraightand clearlychant‘‘Amituofb,,tentimeswithacalmand fbcusedmind,aloudorsilently.Werepeatthiseight moretimesthroughouttheday.Eachtimewechant ‘‘Amituofb,,tentimes.Thiscbantingcanbedoneby fbllowingoneoftwoprograms.Pleasecboosetbe onethatistbemostsuitablefbryourcircumstances·
Oneprogramistocbantuponwakingup,befbre andafterbreakfast,bef•reworlK,befbreandafter lunch,befbreandafterdinner,andbefbreretiring.
Theotherprogramistochantuponwakingup, befbrebreakfnst,befbreandafterourmorning,s work,befbrelunch,befbreandafterourafternoon,s work,befbredinner,andbefOreretiring. Thekeyisregularity;disruptionofthispractice willreduceitse仳ctiveness‧W∕henwerecite
consistentlywithoutinterruption’wewiIsoonfbel
6I
anincreaseinourwisdom,serenity,andpurityof mindDiligentpracticeofthismetbodtogetherwith unwaveringbeliefWows,andlivingamorallifbcan ensurerulr ensurefUlfillmentofourwishtoreacbtheW/estern
PureLand
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THEFIvEGuIDELINEs TheFiveGuidelinesfbrmthefbundationandarethe
wayweprogressinourpractice·Theyarefirst,tbe ThreeConditions;second,theSixHarmonies;tbird,
theThreefbldLearning;fburtb,tbeSixParamitas; andfifth,theTenGreatVows.VVebeginour practicewiththefirstguidelineoftheThree Conditionsandgraduallyprogressfromthere. MasterChinKungextractedtheseguidelines fromtbefivePureLandsutras,whichconsistof
threesutras,twochaptersfromsutras,andone treatise.ThePureLandsutrasandtreatiseare:
LTlIeI〉!／﹜〉Z／加L旋M加Z
2.Tbed〃Z／／∕W﹚αM力Ⅶ
J.Thevk『〃α肱α勿〃s〃rm 午.“SamantabhadraBodhisattvaisConductand Vows,,fromtheduα加〃zJtz向αS〃力Ⅶ
,.‘‘ThePerf℃ct,CompleteRealizationof MahastbamapraptaBodhisattva,,fromthe S伽m〃gZ加αS〃rm 6.TbeReb／γrZ﹚T〉℃α妨β
6]
TheThreeConditions
InthebeginningoftheV改『〃α肱α吻〃S〃Zm,Queen Vaidehi,havingencounteredoverwhelmingfamily misfbrtunesandhavingthustrulyexperienced suffbring’entreatedSakyamuniBuddha’‘‘Theworld isfilledwithsuffbring.Isn,tthereabetterplace,a worldwithoutevil?Iwishtoberebornthere.,,
Throughhistranscendentalpowers,tlIeBuddba compassionatelydisplayedalltheBuddhaLandsin thetenquartersoftheuniversefbrbertoobserve andchoosefrom.
AsSakyamuniBuddhaexpected,shechose AmitabhaBuddba,sW/esternPureLand,alsoknown
astheLandofUltimateBliss,andrequested
SakyamuniBuddhatoteachherhowtoattain rebirththere.
BefbretheBuddhastartedontherequired
practicesfbrrebirth,hetaugbthertopracticetbe ThreeConditions,explainingthattheywere“the truecausesofpureactivitiesofallBuddhasoftbe threetimeperiods.,,ThisimportantstatementteIs usthataIBuddhasofthethreetimeperiodsofthe
past,tbepresent,andthefUture,relyontheThree
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Conditionsasthefbundationfbrtheircultivation andattainmentofBuddbabood TheFirstConditionis:
I.Befilialtoandcarefbrone,sparents z.BerespectfUltoandserveteachers ].BecompassionateanddonotkiIanyliving beings 午CultivatetheTenVirtuousKarmas‧
Pllysically,wearetorefrainfromkiIing, stealing’andsexualmisconduct.VerbaIy’we aretorefrainfromfalsespeech,harshspeech, divisivespeech,andenticingspeechMentaIy’ wearetorefrainfromgivingrisetogreed, anger,andignorance· TheSecondConditionis:
,.TaketheTbreeRefi1ges 6.Abidebytheprecepts 7.Behaveinadignified,appropriatemanner TheThirdConditionis: 8.GeneratetheBodbimind
9.Believedeeplyincausality Io.StudyandchanttheMahayanasutras II.Encourageotherstoadvanceonthepathto enlightenment
6,
TheSixHarmonies
TheSixHarmoniesareguidelinesthatwiIenableus togetalonginasangba,whicbistheBuddhist communityoffburormorepeople,monasticorlay, whopracticetheteachingstogetber·TheSix Harmoniesare:
I·Harmonyinhavingthesameviewpoints 2.Harmonyinobservingthesameprecepts ].Harmonyinlivingtogetber 午Harmonyinspeakingwithoutconflict ,·HarmonyinexperiencingDharmabliss 6.Harmonyinsharingbenefits Firstisharmonyinhavingthesameviewpoints, whicbmeansestablishingconsensusesinagroup· Tbegroupmembersmustupboldthesame principlesandmetbodsthattheyarestudyingand practicingfbrharmoniousgroupcultivation·Ifwe wantastablesociety,everyoneneedstogetalong withoneanother.Onlyharmonycangraduallydraw togetherandeventuallyminimizethediffbrencesin ouropinions,ideas,andwaysoflifeThenequality canbeacbieved,andfinally,happiness.
66
Secondisharmonyinobservingthesameprecepts· W/henweliveandpracticetogether,weneedtohave rules,orelsetberewiIbedisorder.Therulesinclude
thepreceptssetbytheBuddha,wbichvary dependingonWhetheritisalayoramonastic sangha·Theflmdamentalpreceptsaretbefive preceptsfbralaysangha,andtbemonkornun preceptsfbramonasticsangha.Inadditiontothe Buddhistprecepts,lawsandlocalcustomsarealsoto beobserved
Tbirdisbarmonyinlivingtogetherasagroup. Tbepurposeofestablisbingacultivationcenteristo belpeveryparticipantinthegroupsucceedintheir practice·Livingtogetberinagroup,practitioners cansupporteachother· Pourthisbarmonyinspeakingwithoutconflict.
Byreducing’andideallyeliminating,disputes’people willbebetterabletofbcusontheircultivation·
Peoplewbotalktoomuchoftencreateproblemsfbr themselves.Misunderstandingscanariseastbe listenertakestobeartacarelessremarkoftbe
speaker.Tbus’acarelessspeakerunknowinglyincurs manyenmities,whichgiverisetofUtureretaliation. ThisiswhyitisbesttoiiTalkless;chantthe
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Buddha,snamemore.IIThelesswespeak,thef℃wer
problemswewillhavcItisbesttbatwespeakonly whennecessary. FifthisharmonyinexperiencingDharmabliss. W/henwelearnandpracticeaDharmaDoor,the basicachievementthatweshouldattainishappiness· Ifwefbelunhappyinourpractice,tbenwehave encounteredaseriousproblem.Thisproblemlies
notintbeBuddha,steachings,butintbewaywe practice·W/emayeitherhavedonesometbingthat goesagainsttheprinciplesoftheteachingsor appliedtheprinciplesincorrectly.Otherwise’the resultswouldgraduallybecomeapparentaswelessen oursuffbring.Ⅸ『itheachpassingday’wewouldenjoy greaterhappinessandfiseedom.Thisshowsthatwe areprogressinginourpractice·Ifwearenot achievingthis,weneedtoreflect,findourmistakes,
andthencorrecttbem.W/ecanthenthustruly benefitfromourpractice.
Sixtbisharmonyinsharingbenefits.Inthesangl1a’ eveIythingissharedfairlyandWheneverpossible’ eqUaIyIntbisway’eveIyone,sbasicneedswillbemet. SpecialneedsarealsotobeconsideredUnderstanding thateveIytbinginthesangbaisanoffbring,notbing
68
shouldbewastedThiswillinsurethatfUtureneeds willalsobemet.
TheTbreefbldLearning TbethirdoftheFiveGuidelinesistbeThreefbld
Learning.Tocounteracttheproblemsofthepeople inourworldandage,theBuddhataught: I.Moralselfdiscipline z.Meditativeconcentration
3.Innatewisdom
Moraldisciplinecounteractsourhabitsfbr wrongdoing.Meditativeconcentrationcounteractstbe tendencyofourmindstowanderandhavescattered thoug1ts.W『isdomcounteractslgnorance﹚ourwrong
vIewsandknowledge,andourlackofcorrectknowledgc VVebeginwithmoralselfdiscipline,withtraining· Onabasiclevel,weabstainfromkiIing;from
stealing;fromsexual,orsensual,misconduct;from lying;andfromtbetakingofintoxicants.Ona broaderbasis,webehaveinamoralandethicalwayin
everythingwedo.
Bynotkilling,wewillreverealllifb,andhave compassionandrespectfbrallsentientbeings.Byour 69
veIyex1stence,wearetakinglives.Aswewa>k,westep oninsects.Toproducetbefbodweeatandthewater
wedrink’mIonsofotberanimalandmicrobiological livesaredestroyed.VVecannotstopeatingordrmking water,butwecanmakecertamwedonotwaste
anytbing.Understandingourimpactonothers,wecan usewbatweneed,butnomorethantbat.
NotkiIingalsohasamoresubtleaspect:W/e shouldnotkiItheseedsofgoodnessinothersor harmanotberemotionally.W/hileourthougbtsand actionscanbedamagingtoothers,itisourspeecb thatalltooeasilycommitsthisoff℃nse‧Ourcareless, sarcastic,orangrywordscandeeplywoundachild,a
lovedone,afriend.W尼needtouseourspeechwisely andspeakfromtbebeartthatwishestohelpothers. Bynotstealing,wewillrespecttbeproper•of othersandnottakeoruseanythingwithout permissionoftheowner·Thisseemssimpleenough, butthistrainingalsomeansthatwedonottakethat bookwhicbislyingunclaimedinarestaurant. Neitherdowekeeptheextradollarthattheclerk
mistakenlygavetousnordowetakethingsfrom whereweworlKfbrpersonaluse.
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Bynotcommittingsexual,orsensual,misconduct, wedonotindulgeinsensualpleasures,understandingthattodosonotonlyincreasesourattacbments andcravings,butoursuffbringaswell. Bynotlying)wespeaktruthflllly’understanding thepowerthatourwordscanbave.W/echooseour wordswiselyrealizingthatgreatharmcanresult fromill-considered,untrutbfUlspeech Bynottakingintoxicants,wedonottake substancestbataffbctourabilitytotbinkandbehave clearlyatalltimes,andthatharmourbodies. Remainingclear-headedhelpsustonotharmothers orourselves.
Nextismeditativeconcentration.Inmeditative
concentration,wefbcusourattentiononwbateverwe choose.Tberearenodistractionsorworries,no
doubtsordrowsiness,nodiscriminationsorattach-
ments:W/eremainunaffCctedbyourenvironment andmaintainacalm,undisturbedmindInitially’this statewiIbringioyandasenseofease.Eventually,it willenableustoseethingsastheytrulyare. Ineverydaylifb,wecanconcentrateonwhatever wearedoing·W/ewillbeawareofwhatisbappening aroundusbutwewillnotbedistractedordisturbed
7I
byit.Indailylifb,wecanpracticemeditative concentrationineverythingwedo:whetherweare working’wateringthegarden,ordrivingourcar·W/e cboosetheobiectoractivityofourattentionand thenremainfbcusedonit.
I/ealsostrivetoattammeditativeconcentration
inourBuddhistpractice.Thepracticeof concentratingon‘‘Amituofb,,willhelpustobecome onewitbperfbctcompassion,perf℃cthappiness,and perfbctpeace·Nolongerwillwefbelthatweneedto attainperf℃ctiononourownaswerealizethatwe arealreadyonewithtbatwhichisper化ct. Thirdisintuitivewisdom.Intuitivewisdomisnot
aninteIectualpursuitnorisitameasureofacademic intelligence·Itisknowingandunderstanding,andit arisesfromwithinuswhenourmindsareclearand calm·
TheSixParamitas
TointeractsuccessfUllywithothers’theBuddha taughtustbeSixParamitas,orPerfbctions.Tbe fburtboftheFiveGuidelines,theparamitasaretbe practicesofbodbisattvas·TheSixParamitasare:
72
I.Giving z.Preceptobservation ].Patience
午Diligence 夕.Meditativeconcentration 6.W/isdom
Thefirstparamitaisgiving·Givingcounters greed,andensuresthatinthefUturewewillhave ampleresourcestocontinuehelpingotbers·The underlyingmeaningofgivingislettinggo. TberearetbreemaiorkindsofgivingTbefirstis tbegivingofwealth,beitmaterialresourcesorour timeandenergy.W/henourgivingbecomes increasinglyunconditional)wewillbegintofbel moreliberatedspiritually.Themoreweglveaway) thefbwerpossessionswebavetoworryabout、Soon wewillrealizethatweneedverylittletobetruly content.
Secondisthegivingofteaching·Byteaching otbers,wearehelpingthemtolearnhowtorely moreonthemse>ves.W/egivematerialresourcesto trytosolveimmediateneeds.But,ifwewantto solveneedsthataremorefar-reacbing,weteachIt isnotnecessarytohaveexceptionalslKills·Simply
7]
teachwhateverwearegoodatandwhatothersare not.ThehighestfbrmofteachingistheDharma, whicbcanhelppeoplefindlastinghappinessand liberation.
Andtbirdistbegivingoff℃arlessness.Itisto removetheinsecurities,worries,andfbarsofothers, whetherthe‘‘other,,ishumanornon-human.This
givingcanbethesharingofakindword,thegiving ofourstrengthandstability,orourunderstanding. W/henwerelievetheworriesandfbarsofothers,and
helpthemtofbelmoresecure,theywillbeableto findpeaceandselfrespect. Tbesecondparamitaismoraldiscipline,Which countersworriesandunhappiness,andenablesusto continueonourwaytoawakening·Inamoreliteral sense,itmeansabidingbytbeprecepts.Inabroader sense,tbesecondperfbctionmeansethicalbehavior, aswefbllowtbecustomsandlawsofwhereverwe
arc.Initially’aswebeginourpracticeofdiscipline’ wecanfbcusonrefrainingfromharmingothers. Gradually’webegintodevelopandincreaseour virtue.Theultimatefbrmofthispracticeisto benefitothers·
74
Tbetl1irdparamitaispatience,wl1ichcounters angerandhatred,andhelpsustoavoidaIgumentsand toachieveourgoals·W/eneedpatienceinalmost everythingwedo.Ifweareinschool)weneed patiencetopersevereinourstudy.Atwork,patience helpsustoproperlyaccomplishourtasksAthome) patienceisthefbundationfbrinteractingweIwith familymembers· Patienceenablesustogetalongmoreharmoniously withthosearoundus.Forourselves,patienceallowsus
torecogn1zeourbadbabitsandtoimproveourselves bychangingthosehabits. Thefburthparamitaisdiligence,orenthusiastic effbrt.Itisthejoytbatwebringtoourpracticeand toallthatisworthwhileinourlives.Itisthetrue
delightthatarisesfromdeepwitbinuswhenweare doingwhatisWbolesome.Itenablesustokeepgoing whenwefbeltiredoroverwhelmedItisrefieshing andinspiring·Cultivatingenthusiasticeffbrt counterslaziness’andbringsioytoourlivesaswe fbelasenseofaccomplishmentinfinishingwl1atwe havestarted
Thefifthperf℃ctionismeditativeconcentration. Ourpracticeandtrainingindisciplineandnot
7,
harmingotherswillreduceandgraduallyeliminate ourharmfUlverbalandphysicalbehaviors.Our mindswiIbecomecalmerandlessagitatedI/hen ourmindsarethussettled,wewiIbebetterableto concentrate·
OurconcentrationwilliⅢti刨b「reduceand,then, graduallyeliminateourdisturbingthoughtsand emotionalbehavior.I/ewillthenga1nmeditative concentration,wlIicbwIenableustouncoverour
1nnatewisdomJ}]us’discipline’meditativeconcentIation’ andwisdomworktOgetheI}andarecomplementary Thesixthparamitaiswisdom.W/isdomcounters ignorance,andenablesustoknowhowbesttobelp otbersandtoimproveourselves,includingourability togetalongweIwithothers·Thiswisdomisnot thatwhichisgainedthrougbintensestudyand analysisofmanydiversesub}ects.Thatwouldbe seekingwisdomfiDmexternalsources·Itisour innate,all-knowingwisdom· Ifwebegintopracticetheses1xperfbctionsin eveniustsomesmallmeasureeveryday)startingwitb today’gradually,wewillbegintolookintherigbt direction,andgraduallywewillawakentothe per比ctgoodness,perf℃ctcontentment,andperfbct
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ioythatarealreadywithinourtruenature,our Buddba-nature.
TheTenGreatVows
OnlywhenweapplytheThreeConditions’theSix Harmonies,tbeThreefbldLearning,andtheSix Paramitasinourdailylivesarewetrulylearning Buddhism,emulatingbodhisattvas,andbeginningto resembleabodhisattva.BodhisatIascannotattain
BuddhahoodonlybypracticingtheSixParamitas. TheyalsopracticeBuddha-namechanting· InthepracticeofBuddha-namecbanting,wecan achieveeitherConstantMindfUlnessofAmitabha
BuddhaorOneMindUndisturbedinMindfUlness, butwecannotachieveOneMindUndisturbedin
Enlightenment.Inotberwords,wehavetomove beyondthefbundationoftheSixParamitasand progresstothenextlevelofpractice:theTenGreat VowsofSamantabhadrataughtintheduα加加J娥α M加Z.
ThisDharmadoorleadstoattainmentofOne
MindUndisturbedinEnlightenmentandattainment ofBuddbaboodItispracticedbyDbarmaBody
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Mahasattvas·ThesearegreatBodhisattvaswhohave realizedtheDbarmaBody;inotherwords’theyhave freedthemselvesfTomdelusion.Therefbre,itisthe
laststepofourcultivationandcannotbereachedby skippingtheprevioussteps.VenerableMasterChin Kungbassaidthatifwedonotsucceedinour practiceoftbeSixParamitas,wearenotevenclose topracticingtheTenGreatVows. Thedistinctivefbatureofthepracticeof Samantabhadraistbatthisbodhisattvahasamindas
broadastheuniverse.Asaresult,eachofhisten
vowsisultimateandperfbctinitself TbeTenGreatVowsofSamantabhadraare:
I·TorespectallBuddhas
z.TopraiseTathagata(oneofthetennamesfbr Buddha)
3.Tomakeoffbringsextensively 午Torepentkarmicobstacles ,.Toreioiceatother,smeritoriousdeeds 6·ToreqUesttheturningoftbeDharmaWheel 7·ToreqUesttbeBuddhatoremainintbisworld 8·ToconstantlyfbllowtheBuddha,steachings 9.Toaccommodateallsentientbeings Io.TodedicateallmeritsuniversaIy
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Inconclusion,ourlearningoftbePureLandteachings isbasedonthef}vePureLandsutrasandonetreatise.
OurPureLandpracticeisbasedontheFiveGuidelines: theThreeConditions,theSixHarmon1es,the
ThreefbldLearning,theSixParamitas,andtheTen GreatVowsofSamantabhadra·
Theseguidelinesareverysimple,veryclear,and notatallcomplicatedIfwefbllowtbeseguidelines inourlearningandpracticefbrtherestofourlives, wewilldefinitelysucceedAsanancientsageonce said,‘‘Iftenthousandpractice,tentbousandwiⅡ attainrebirth,,I/ehavetbeprinciplesandtbe practicemetbods· Howdoweinteractwithpeopleandengagein
tasksindailylifb?Ifwefbllowthesefiveguidelines wewiInotgowrong· Inaddition’ifwesingle-mindedlypractice Buddha-namecbantingandseekrebirtbinthe W/esternPureLand,allofuswiIsucceed
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CAREoFDHARMAMATERIALs
、Wbetheroneisathomeortraveling,donotplace Dharmamaterialsontbefloorortheseatofachair.
Ifotherspaceistemporarilyunavailable’wemay carefUllyplaceabookontbearmofasofaorchair. Pre比rably’bookssbouldbeclosedandplacedneatly ontbehighershelvesofabookcase·W/henturning thepages,dosocarefUllyanddonotturndownthe edgeofthepagetomarkyourplace.Ifusingabook fbrstudy,wemaywriteinitifitisacommonly printedbookandhasnointrinsicvalue. Thebooks,images,andotherDharmamaterials arenottobetakenintobathrooms·Also,ifpossible, pleasedonotplacetbemdirectlyonyourbedW「lIen traveling,tbesebookscanbewrappedinaclean clothandplacedinyourluggage.Thebooksmayalso beplacedonthecloththatisinturnplacedona bed·
W「henweareinthebathroomorarenotproperly dressed’chantsilently’However,whencleaningor
doingchores,wemaychantaloudSilentorvoiced chantingbringstbesameresult·
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VIsITINGABuDDHIsTCENTER
Thefbllowingaresomeguidelinesfbrvisitinga Buddhistcenter·Byadberingtotheseandobserving howotbersbehave,youwillbecomfbrtablevisiting anycenter.Youcanalsoaskthepersoninchargeif youareunsureofwbattodo· I·RefrainfiDmanypracticesotherthantboseof tbecentre·
z.Avoidtalkingloudlyorunnecessarilysoasnot todisturbothers·
].DressinarespectfUlmanneranddonotwear shortskirtsorshorts,see-throughortight clothing·Discreet,loose-fittingclothingis appropr1ate.
4.DonotuseperfUmeandscentedlotions; refrainfromwearinganythingthatcouldmake noise.
5.Greetotherswitbhezangandaslightbow· 6.Removeyourshoesbefbreenteringtbe cultivationhall.YouwiIusuallyleavetbemon inotherareas,likethedininghall.Itispolite towearsocks.Alsotrytoremoveyourshoes
8I
inaplacewhereyouwillnotsteponthe groundpriortoenteringthehall. 7.Placeyourbandsinthehezangpositionand bowtotheBuddhaafteryoustepintothe cultivationhall.Iftheroomisnotcurrently beingused,youmaymovetoacusbionanddo abalfbow,threefUIbows,andahalfbow.
8.Inmanycentersitiscustomaryfbrmentosit ontherightsideandwomentositontheleft· IfyouareunsureiftbiscustomisfbIowedat thecenteryouarevisiting’youmightask abeadoftime·IfthatisnotpossiblefbIow tl1isarrangementtobesafC 9.W/henmovingaroundthecultivationbaI,try toavoidcrossinginfrontoftbosewhoare chantingorprostrating· Io·Peoplecometotbecentretopracticeandto learn.Aquietenvironmentisnecessaryfbr bothpursuits.Inordernottodisturbothers, pleaserefrainfromallunnecessarytalking.If talkingisnecessary’dosoqUietly.Please respectotbers,wishesiftheyindicatetheydo notwanttotalk
8Z
II.I/benyougreet,or wnenyougreet,orwr1teto,amonast1c,1t1s politetousethebonorificofVenerablebefbre themonastic,sname·Ifyoudonotknowtheir name’youmaysimplyaddressthemas Venerable·Ifyouwouldliketousethe Chinese,ShifUisChinesefbrteacberandcan alsobeused
8]
PartThree
DeaไบกhandDymg
GuIDELINEsFoRSPIRITuALADvIsoRs
I.Remindthepatientofthesuffbringofthisworld andthe>oysofthePureLandtohelpstrengthenhis orhervowtoberebomintothere.Thespiritual advisorshouldalsoenumerateandpraisethe patient,sgooddeeds,merits,andvirtues.Thiswill helpthepatienttobehappyandfreeofdoubts, certainthatwhenthetimecomestodie,heorshe
wiI,thankstobisorbergooddeeds,vows,and practice,berebornintotheW/esternPureLandof UltimateBliss.
仍醞
zltisimportanttoremindthedyingperson ceasethinkingofwealtbandproperty,aswell attachmentstofamilyandfriends·
].IfthepatienthaswrittenawiI,verygood,butif notitisbesttocounselagainstwritingoneatthis time.Theadvisorcanalsoadviseeveryonetorefrain fromgossipanddistractingconversationsasthey couldrekindlethepatient’sattachmenttotbis world,Whichisdetrimentaltothepatient,sdesired rebirth
87
斗.W／henrelativesandfriendscometovisit,they sbouldbediscouragedfrombecomingemotionalin thepatient,spresence.Iftheywishtohelp,theycan standtotlIesideandcbant‘‘Amituofb,,aloud
Explaintothevisitorstbatcryingatthistimecould distractthepatientfiomtbedesiredrebirthinthe PureLand’andresultintbepatientbeingsubiected tomuchsuffbring. 5·Thepatientshouldbecounseledtopractice generosityandgiveawaypersonaleffbctstothose whoneedtbem·Also,thepatientcanpurchase Buddbaimages,sutras,andotherBuddlIistmaterials, andrequestthattbeyalsobegivenaway‧ThiswiⅡ belpthepatienttoincreasehisorhermeritsand reducebadkarmas,andthushelptofacilitateagood rebirth
Thegoodadvisorshouldkeepthesegeneral guidelinesinmind,butbereadytoimprovise accordingtothesituation.
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SupportiveBuddha-nameCbanting
SupportivechantingbyfamilymembersandDbarma 仕iendsiscrucialwhenapatientisontheveIgeof deathbecause,atthattime,heorsheisweakbotb
mentallyandphysically.Insuchtryingcircumstances,itbecomesincreasinglydifHculttofbcuson chanting‘‘Amituofb.,,ThisisWhysupport1ve Buddha-namechantingissoimportant·
LTobelpfbcusthepatient,sthougbts,respectfUIy placeastatueorpictureoftbestandingAmitabha Buddhainfrontofthepatientwbereitcanbeeasily seen.Placeacontainerofcleanwaterinfrontofthis
imageandsomefresbflowersinavasenearit· Lightlyscentedincense’orevenasmokelessvariety,
maybeburned(Astrongfragranceorexcessive smokemightcausetbepatienttohavedifHcultyin breatbing.) 2.Thosewhocometopracticesupportivechanting shouldrememberthatthepatient,whoisina weakenedstate,requiresadequatefreshair.Iftoo manypeopleareintheroomatonetime,thepatient
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mayhavedifHcultybreathingandbecomeagitated, resultinginmorebarmthangoodAlso,people shouldpre-arrangetheirchantingtimeandsilently taketurns,sotbatthechantingcancontinue uninterruptedEacbsessioncanlastaboutanhour.
].AccordingtoMasterYinguang,thethirteenth patriarchoftbePureLandschool,theshort chantingfbrmof‘‘Amituofb,,shouldbeused,sothat thepatientcaneasilyregisterthisnameinthemost subtleconsciousness,atatimewhenbothmindand
bodyareveryweak Itwouldbewisetoaskthepatientwhichoneis prefbrred-‘‘Amituofb,,or‘‘NamoAmituofb.,,Inthis way,thepatientcancomfbrtablyandsilentlychant alongwiththegroup.Togocountertothepatient,s likesandbabitsmaydestroyhisorher concentration.Peopleshouldnotchanttooloudlyso asnottoexpendtoomuchenergyandsbortenthe timetheycanchant·Ontheotherhand,theysbould notchantintoolowavoiceorthesoundmightnot registerinthepatient,smind.Also,theyshouldnot speaktooneanotherwhileintheroom. Chantingsbouldneitherbeoverlyloudorsoft’
9O
tooslowortoofast·Eacbutteranceshouldbeclear
anddistinct’sothatitcanbebeardclearlyand penetratedeepintothepatient,sconsciousness.One caveat:ifthepatientistooweakorisincoma,he maybavedifHcultyhearingthecbanting.Insucha case,someonesbouldchantclosetothepatient,sear tobelpthepatienttomaintainaclcar,steadymind 牛Ⅸ／ithregardtoinstruments’itisgenerallybetter tousethesmallhandbeIwithitsclear,limpid sound,asitcanhelpthepatientdevelopapureand calmmindHowever)thismaynotapplyinallcases. Ifpossible,itisbesttoaskthepatientinadvance whatisprefbrredIfsomedetailsdonotsuitthe patient,weshouldadapttotbecircumstancesandbe flexible·
AfterthePatientDies
I.Relativessbouldnotcryinthepresenceoftbe patient’especiallyimmediatelybefbreandaftertbe
deathDoingsocancausethedyingpatientto developthoughtsofattachmentwhichcanprevent themuchsoughtrebirthandresultantliberation.
9I
z.Itisvitallyimportantnottotouchormovethe bodyofthedeceasedperson.Thus,peopleshould waitatleasttwelvehours,andpref℃rablytwentyfbur’befbrewasbinganddressingtbebody. ].Familyandfriendsshouldconccntrateonchanting inallearnestnessandwithoutcryingfbratleast twelvehours.Thisistoallowthepatient,smost subtleconsciousnessadequatetimetoleavethe body.IMuringthisperiod’anyonetouchesthebody orcries,thedeceasedmaystilleXperiencefbelingsof pain,sadness,anger,orselfpity,andsinkagaininto therealmsofsuffbring.
4.Duringtheminimumtwelve-bourperiod,(twentyfburhoursisprefbrable),ifpeoplecanremain chantingnearthedeceased,somuchthebetter. Exceptfbrcbanting,nothingshouldbedone. ,.Funeralarrangementsshouldbesimpleandmodest, withoutunnecessaryexpenses.Onlyvegetarianfbod shouldbeprovidedfbrservingmeatorfishwill burdenthedepartedwithmorekarmicobstacles, makingliberationthatmucbmoredifHcult.Itis
9Z
Inportanttorememberthateventhosewhohave alreadybeenrebornintothePureLandmaystillbe affbctedbythebehavioroffnmilyandfriendsacting onbehalfofthedeceased
9]
LIvINGW/ILL
Tomyfamilyandallthoseconcernedwithmycare: I,
,of
beingofsoundmind,makethisstatementasa directivetobefbIowediffbranyreasonIbecome unabletoparticipateindecisionsregardingmy medicalcare路
Uponmydeathandtransitionintothenextlifb,Ido notwishtoberebornasaghostorananimal.Ido notwishtosuffbr.Instead,IwishtofbIow AmitabbaBuddhaandtoarriveathisW/esternPure
LandofUltimateBliss.Toallmyfami>yandfriends, IwishtoaslKfbryourassistancesothatImaynot suffbr,butinsteadremaincalmandpeacefUlto preparefbrmyarrivaltotheW/esternPureLand. IntheeventthatIshouldsuffbrfromaterminaI
iInesstotheextentthatdoctorsfbreseenopossible recovery,Iaskthatnomedicaltreatmentbe undertaken.ShouldIalreadybeinthehospitalat tbispoint,Iwishtobecbeckedoutandbrought bome.Pleasenotifymyassignedfamilymemberor
friend
attelephonenumber(s) and
Oncehome,pleasepositionmeinthemost comfbrtable,naturalpositioninwhichImayrest.
Theassignedfamilymemberorfriendwilllead othersinchanting‘‘Amituofb.,,SbouldIdeclineto tbepointwbereIloseconsciousnessandamno longerawareofmysurroundings,theassignedfamily memberorfriendshaIhavefl1llauthorityinmaking anydecisionsregardingmyweI-being.Ifthisperson cannotbecontacted,pleasefindaBuddhistmaster orBuddhistbelievertoaidintbeclIantingof ‘‘Amituofb,,untiltheassignedpersoncanbereached .Withintwenty-fburhourspriortoandaftermy death,Iwouldliketoaskmyfriendsandfamilyto complywiththefbIowing;
I·Donottouchormovemybodyorevenmybed 2.Donotchangemyclothing. 3.Donotplacedryiceorothersubstancesonmy
body.Sandalwoodincensemaybeburnedifthereis anyodor.
牛.Donotletabreezeblowdirectlyontomybody. 夕.Donotallowtbescentofalcohol,onions,
scallions,garlic,orcbivestoentertberoom` 6·Donotsmoke,cry,ortallKintheroom·
Mypurposefbraskingthisistocreatean atmosphereinwhicbImayremaincalmandat peace.TheonlysoundIwishtobearis‘‘Amituofb)’, sothathemayescortmetothePureLand
IfIamathomeuponmydeatb,myfamilyshould talKeturnschanting‘‘Amituofb,,fbreighttotwentyfburhours.Atthispoint’IwiIbereadytobemoved’ washed,anddressedTlIisperiodofchantingisthe besttimetoassistmetobecahnandpeacefUl.AⅡ fUneralarrangementscanbemadeafterwards.IfI shouldpassawayinthehospital,pleasefbllow hospitalpolicyandchantasmuchasisaIowed· Duringmyterminalillnessandwithinfbrty-ninedays
aftermydeatb,allfamilymembersshouldadopta vegetariandiet·Idonotwishfbranykillingtobe associatedwithmydeathAllfUneralo仳ringsmust bevegetarianTbeuseofalcoholisstrictly probibitedFuneralarrangementssbouldbekept simple,andproperBuddhistetiquetteshouldbe fbllowed.Idonotwishfbranyunnecessaryexcess. I/ithinfbrty-ninedaysfbIowingmydeath,I sincerelyaskmyfamilymembersandfriendstoseek myrebirthintothePureLand,andtoperfbrmgood deedssuchasgivingofbingstotbeTbreeJewelsof theBuddha,Dharma,andSangha,printingsutras, helpingtheneedy’andsoon.Tbesegooddeedswill helpmetoattainadditionalgoodkarma,andfUrtber assistmeinarrivingatthePureLand.Most importantisfbrmyfamilytosincerelycbant ‘‘Amituofb.,,
InorderfbrmetobenefittbemostandtopeacefUlly arriveatthePureLand,theabovepointsmustbe fbllowed.Tbiswillnotonlybcnefitmebutallthose involvedaswell.Inthismanner,Iwisbfbreveryone tolearnandtobelieveinBuddbism.Thus,everyone
canarriveattbePureLand,aswell· Amituofbtoall
Thesedirectionsexpressmylegalrighttorequestor refl1setreatmenLTherefbre’Iexpectmyfamily’ doctor,andallthoseconcernedwithmycareto regardthemselvesaslegallyandmoraIyboundtoact inaccordwithmywisbes. Signe Datc
I/itness:Ideclarethattbepersonwhosignedthis document,oraskedanothertosignthisdocument onhisorberbehalMidsoinmypresenceandthat heorsheappearstobeofsoundmindandfreeof duressorundueinfluence· V/itness
Date
CLosINGTHouGHTs
PureLandBuddhistpracticeisnotconfinedto
learningaboutparticularBuddhistprinciplesand cbantingasutraortheBuddba,snamewbilebowing, sitting,orwalking·Ourpracticeistbedevelopment ofacalmer,purermindsowewilllearntothinkand behaveasaBuddhaineverythingwedo. W℃strivetoachievetbismindsetthroughthe
previouspracticesaswellasthroughlessfbrmal practice·How?Byremindingourselvesdailythat whileallofushavemanysbortcomings,weshould onlybeconcernedwithourown·Byunderstanding causalityandnotblamingothersfbrthedifficulties inourlives‧Andbyrealizingtbatallbeingssu仳r andtbatonlywbenweawakencanwetrulyhelp otberstobefreefrompain·
Ultimatel又ourpracticewillenableustobave loving-kindnessandpatienceheldequallyand ioyfUllyfbrall.
IREsoLvE
IresolvenottokiI.
Instead,Iwillrespectand havecompassionfbrallbeings. Iresolvenottosteal路
Instead,befbretakingorusinganythingbelonging toanother,IwiIasktheowner,spermission. Iresolvenottoengageinsexualmisconduct, oranysensoryindulgence. Instead,IwiIdevelopthemind ofselfrestraintandpurity.
Iresolvenottousefalsespeech. Instead,IwiIspeakthetruthinawisewayand attherighttime. Iresolvenottouseharshspeech Instead,Iwillspeakwords tbatbenefitothersandfbsterpeace.
IOZ
Iresolvenottousedivisivespeech Instead,Iwillspeakwordsthatfbster harmonyandunderstanding
Iresolvenottouseenticingspeech Instead,Iwillspeak sincerelyandtruthfUlly. Iresolvetorefrainfromgreed Instead,Iwillopenmyheartand pract1ceg1v1ng·
Iresolvetorefrainfromanger·
Instead,Iwilldeveloppatienceand thecompassiontoseethesu仳ringofothers‧ Iresolvetorefrainfromignorance. Instead,IwiIdisciplinemyselfand
calmmymindsothatIcanactfromwisdom.
I•]
Maythemeritsandvirtues accrued仕omtbisworkadorn
theBuddha,sPureLand,
repaytbeFourKindsofKindnessabove,
andrelievethesuffbringsofthose intheThreePathsbelow.
Maythosewhoseeandbearoftbis
bringf•rthtbemind ofunderstandingandcompassion, andattheendofthisli化,
beborntogether intheLandofUltimateBliss.