Pureland tradition speaks the original intent of Buddhas
by Master Zhisui
by Master Zhisui
Buddha Shakyamuni spoke the Dharma for 49 years, gave more than 300 discourses. Where is it pointing towards, and what is his original intent? There are various explications among the traditions though, once discerned, it becomes apparent.
When we discern the history of the Buddha Dharma, its final destination and original intent, we will find the meaning to them naturally.
Within the immensity of the entire Buddhist Canon, are more than 200 scriptures speaking Pureland Dharma. It is especially apparent among the major scriptures, and therein, have no less occasions point towards the Pureland. For example, the Shurangama sutra 楞嚴經 which explicates the "Mind-approach to enlightenment", reveals the Pureland by means of its "Chapter on Perfect and Complete Realization of Mahasthamaprata 大勢至念佛圓通章" by these words : "be mindful of Amitabha Buddha, he will appear before us, meet him for certain and behold his glory in absolute sense, our mind at peace and enlightened naturally"; and there is the Flower Lotus sutra 法華經 that guides the 3 Vehicles 三乘 back towards the Vehicle the One-ness 一乘, expounds Buddhas' perspective with a saying : "just one recitation of Namo Amituofo is already ample to attain Buddhahood", and in another verse "those who listen to this sutra, practice according to its teaching, at the point of passing, will surely be born in the Land of Bliss"; and then, in Avatamsaka sutra 華嚴經 that directs Boddhisattvas towards Buddhahood, therein, the final chapter tells us Samamtabhadra Boddhisattva 普賢菩薩 preaches the Dharma to lead all Boddhisattvas back towards the Pureland. At this point, we see an intent spoken in these major scriptures, that is, the expedient Dharma 方便法門 was spoken together with the Pureland Dharma 淨土法門, all with the intention to guide sentient beings back towards the Pureland. For this reason, the sages of the past coined this stanza : "the praises of the various scriptures are mostly on Amitabha Buddha, the thousands of scriptures and treatises point towards the Pureland".
As we discern further into the 3 principal sutras of the Pureland tradition.
1. On the Extraordinary Splendour of Amitabha Buddha's Pureland
Splendour of the Primal vow : At that time before Bhikshu Dharmakara 法藏比丘 attained Buddhahood to become Amitabha Buddha, he spent five kalpas observing 210 billions Buddha worlds and mindfully contemplated the splendour of a pureland to realize the 48 Vows. Upon understanding, Amitabha Buddha's vows are magnificent and extensive, that culminate and encompass vows of all Buddhas, and stand unprecedented as the greatest vows of any Buddha. A praise from the scripture says : "The king of Buddhas, the culmination of lights".
The Pureland is transcendental : As Amitabha Buddha's vow says : "When I become a Buddha, my world is unmatchable, the inhabitants are extraordinary and profound, a transcendental land, a world in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth, unparalleled in every sense". Such remarkable vows that surpass the worlds of the ten quarters. Master Shan Dao gave praise : "Upon manifest of the 48 vows, its splendour is the most exquisite, unmatched among the worlds of the Buddhas".
2. An all-inclusive salvation that leaves no one out
Amitabha Buddha's vow : "sentient beings of the ten quarters, recite Namo Amituofo, even 10 times, should not be born in the Pureland, may I not attain perfect enlightenment", is the immeasurable virtues of the Amitabha Buddha's name "Namo Amituofo" in force spanning the ten quarters, enlightening all beings. The "Contemplation of the Infinite life sutra 觀經" says that sentient beings who are born in the Pureland (even though they have committed the 5 heinous crimes and 10 evils), manifests the amazing virtues of the vows. Here, it is the salvation for the lowest, incorrigible and hopeless sentient beings that brings out the highest superiority of this Dharma. Master Shan Dao gave praise : "by Buddha's vows, extinguished are the 5 heinous crimes and 10 evils committed by sentient beings; and even sentient beings who had not believed it, who had spoken dismissively against the Dharma and karma can be born in the Pureland if they repent and aspire to be born in the Land of Bliss, will be born there for certain".
3. Aspirants are endowed with matchless virtues in reciting Amitabha Buddha's name
The 3 principal sutras of Pureland tradition have clear mentions that the Dharma of reciting Namo Amituofo is easy and has immeasurable virtues. In the Large Sutra 無量壽經, it says : "if a person hears Amitabha Buddha's name, rejoices to dance and recites Namo Amituofo even one time, for great benefit is bestowed on him, he is endowed with unmatched virtues". Amitabha Sutra 彌陀經 says that a person's enormous good roots and felicity is displayed when he recites Namo Amituofo, other than this, he has little good roots and felicity. As the words in the sutra has it : "there can be no lack of good roots, felicity and karmic affinity for a person to be born in the his Land. For a person who hears Buddha's name, aspires to be born there, recites Namo Amituofo, will be born in the Land of Bliss for certain". The Contemplation of Infinite life sutra says : "One ought to know that an aspirant who recites Namo Amituofo, is rare, precious and respected, even Avalokitesvara Boddhisattva and Mahasthamaprata Boddhisattva regard him as a sacred friend; he is at that instant on the Path 道場 and born in the lands of Buddhas. Master Shan Dao explained : "The recitation of Buddha's name Samadhi 念佛三昧 is transcendental and matchless, none of the expedient practices can compare", "if a person recites Namo Amituofo, he is a good person among men, a subtle person among men, the best among men, a rare person among men and he is matchless among men".
4. The most difficult of all difficulties, nothing more difficult
The Dharma of reciting Amitabha Buddha's name is simple and easy, instantaneous and perfect, and indeed the most difficult to believe in the entire history of the Buddha Dharma. There have been numerous Boddhisattvas aspiring to listen to this Dharma but haven't yet had the affinity. The large sutra says : "The Tathagata 如來 who had come into being in this world is invaluable and rarely seen; it is rare and difficult to come to hear and receive the Dharma from a Buddha; so is hearing the splendid Paramita 波羅蜜 (Culivation and culmination of virtues that helps practitioners attain deliverance) from Boddhisattvas; to say nothing of meeting a good fellow friend and teacher 善知識, listen to, accept and put into practice his teaching is already hard to come by and as rare; if a person hears this Dharma, rejoices, believes, accepts and practices it, it is the hardest and rarest of all, nothing harder than this". The small sutra (Amitabha sutra) says : "this is the Dharma that is hardest to believe in of all worlds".
5. A Dharma spoken unrequested by a Buddha himself and endorsed by all Buddhas
This Dharma of reciting Namo Amituofo is amazing, extraordinary, the pinnacle and utmost difficult to believe in. Buddha Shakyamuni expounded Amitabha sutra unrequested and therein, says : "reciting Namo Amituofo guarantees a person's birth in the Pureland; endorsed by all Buddhas by the extension of their tongues as a sign of absolute endorsement, urging every single being to recite Amitabha Buddha's name". Such undiscriminating, all encompassing compassion, treating all as equals, displays the immeasurable extensiveness and breadth of Pureland Dharma. As a saying has it : "students of a Buddha are also students of all Buddhas".
6. Buddha Shakyamuni mentioned that he would specially preserve this Dharma to give salvation to future sentient beings
In Infinite life sutra 無量壽經 (large sutra), Buddha spoke these words : "In the future, the scriptures and teachings will perish, with sheer compassion, I will preserve this sutra for 100 years more after all the other sutras have ceased to exist. If a person comes across this sutra, aspires to be born in the Land of Bliss, will be born there as he wish so". It is evident then that the rest of the other expedient Dharma that was spoken by Buddha Shakyamuni will perish one by one in the Dharma Ending Age, as sentient beings' capacity to understand and practice decline. Thus, the one and only path is Pureland Dharma, as it is easy to practice with attainment that is absolute, the Dharma that will last into the future ages for the salvation of all sentient beings.
From this discernment, it is clear then, that Buddha Shakyamuni's original intent of coming into being was actually to reveal and teach Pureland Dharma path and recitation of Buddha's name, which is the final destination of return in the entire Buddha Dharma.
When we discern the history of the Buddha Dharma, its final destination and original intent, we will find the meaning to them naturally.
Within the immensity of the entire Buddhist Canon, are more than 200 scriptures speaking Pureland Dharma. It is especially apparent among the major scriptures, and therein, have no less occasions point towards the Pureland. For example, the Shurangama sutra 楞嚴經 which explicates the "Mind-approach to enlightenment", reveals the Pureland by means of its "Chapter on Perfect and Complete Realization of Mahasthamaprata 大勢至念佛圓通章" by these words : "be mindful of Amitabha Buddha, he will appear before us, meet him for certain and behold his glory in absolute sense, our mind at peace and enlightened naturally"; and there is the Flower Lotus sutra 法華經 that guides the 3 Vehicles 三乘 back towards the Vehicle the One-ness 一乘, expounds Buddhas' perspective with a saying : "just one recitation of Namo Amituofo is already ample to attain Buddhahood", and in another verse "those who listen to this sutra, practice according to its teaching, at the point of passing, will surely be born in the Land of Bliss"; and then, in Avatamsaka sutra 華嚴經 that directs Boddhisattvas towards Buddhahood, therein, the final chapter tells us Samamtabhadra Boddhisattva 普賢菩薩 preaches the Dharma to lead all Boddhisattvas back towards the Pureland. At this point, we see an intent spoken in these major scriptures, that is, the expedient Dharma 方便法門 was spoken together with the Pureland Dharma 淨土法門, all with the intention to guide sentient beings back towards the Pureland. For this reason, the sages of the past coined this stanza : "the praises of the various scriptures are mostly on Amitabha Buddha, the thousands of scriptures and treatises point towards the Pureland".
As we discern further into the 3 principal sutras of the Pureland tradition.
1. On the Extraordinary Splendour of Amitabha Buddha's Pureland
Splendour of the Primal vow : At that time before Bhikshu Dharmakara 法藏比丘 attained Buddhahood to become Amitabha Buddha, he spent five kalpas observing 210 billions Buddha worlds and mindfully contemplated the splendour of a pureland to realize the 48 Vows. Upon understanding, Amitabha Buddha's vows are magnificent and extensive, that culminate and encompass vows of all Buddhas, and stand unprecedented as the greatest vows of any Buddha. A praise from the scripture says : "The king of Buddhas, the culmination of lights".
The Pureland is transcendental : As Amitabha Buddha's vow says : "When I become a Buddha, my world is unmatchable, the inhabitants are extraordinary and profound, a transcendental land, a world in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth, unparalleled in every sense". Such remarkable vows that surpass the worlds of the ten quarters. Master Shan Dao gave praise : "Upon manifest of the 48 vows, its splendour is the most exquisite, unmatched among the worlds of the Buddhas".
2. An all-inclusive salvation that leaves no one out
Amitabha Buddha's vow : "sentient beings of the ten quarters, recite Namo Amituofo, even 10 times, should not be born in the Pureland, may I not attain perfect enlightenment", is the immeasurable virtues of the Amitabha Buddha's name "Namo Amituofo" in force spanning the ten quarters, enlightening all beings. The "Contemplation of the Infinite life sutra 觀經" says that sentient beings who are born in the Pureland (even though they have committed the 5 heinous crimes and 10 evils), manifests the amazing virtues of the vows. Here, it is the salvation for the lowest, incorrigible and hopeless sentient beings that brings out the highest superiority of this Dharma. Master Shan Dao gave praise : "by Buddha's vows, extinguished are the 5 heinous crimes and 10 evils committed by sentient beings; and even sentient beings who had not believed it, who had spoken dismissively against the Dharma and karma can be born in the Pureland if they repent and aspire to be born in the Land of Bliss, will be born there for certain".
3. Aspirants are endowed with matchless virtues in reciting Amitabha Buddha's name
The 3 principal sutras of Pureland tradition have clear mentions that the Dharma of reciting Namo Amituofo is easy and has immeasurable virtues. In the Large Sutra 無量壽經, it says : "if a person hears Amitabha Buddha's name, rejoices to dance and recites Namo Amituofo even one time, for great benefit is bestowed on him, he is endowed with unmatched virtues". Amitabha Sutra 彌陀經 says that a person's enormous good roots and felicity is displayed when he recites Namo Amituofo, other than this, he has little good roots and felicity. As the words in the sutra has it : "there can be no lack of good roots, felicity and karmic affinity for a person to be born in the his Land. For a person who hears Buddha's name, aspires to be born there, recites Namo Amituofo, will be born in the Land of Bliss for certain". The Contemplation of Infinite life sutra says : "One ought to know that an aspirant who recites Namo Amituofo, is rare, precious and respected, even Avalokitesvara Boddhisattva and Mahasthamaprata Boddhisattva regard him as a sacred friend; he is at that instant on the Path 道場 and born in the lands of Buddhas. Master Shan Dao explained : "The recitation of Buddha's name Samadhi 念佛三昧 is transcendental and matchless, none of the expedient practices can compare", "if a person recites Namo Amituofo, he is a good person among men, a subtle person among men, the best among men, a rare person among men and he is matchless among men".
4. The most difficult of all difficulties, nothing more difficult
The Dharma of reciting Amitabha Buddha's name is simple and easy, instantaneous and perfect, and indeed the most difficult to believe in the entire history of the Buddha Dharma. There have been numerous Boddhisattvas aspiring to listen to this Dharma but haven't yet had the affinity. The large sutra says : "The Tathagata 如來 who had come into being in this world is invaluable and rarely seen; it is rare and difficult to come to hear and receive the Dharma from a Buddha; so is hearing the splendid Paramita 波羅蜜 (Culivation and culmination of virtues that helps practitioners attain deliverance) from Boddhisattvas; to say nothing of meeting a good fellow friend and teacher 善知識, listen to, accept and put into practice his teaching is already hard to come by and as rare; if a person hears this Dharma, rejoices, believes, accepts and practices it, it is the hardest and rarest of all, nothing harder than this". The small sutra (Amitabha sutra) says : "this is the Dharma that is hardest to believe in of all worlds".
5. A Dharma spoken unrequested by a Buddha himself and endorsed by all Buddhas
This Dharma of reciting Namo Amituofo is amazing, extraordinary, the pinnacle and utmost difficult to believe in. Buddha Shakyamuni expounded Amitabha sutra unrequested and therein, says : "reciting Namo Amituofo guarantees a person's birth in the Pureland; endorsed by all Buddhas by the extension of their tongues as a sign of absolute endorsement, urging every single being to recite Amitabha Buddha's name". Such undiscriminating, all encompassing compassion, treating all as equals, displays the immeasurable extensiveness and breadth of Pureland Dharma. As a saying has it : "students of a Buddha are also students of all Buddhas".
6. Buddha Shakyamuni mentioned that he would specially preserve this Dharma to give salvation to future sentient beings
In Infinite life sutra 無量壽經 (large sutra), Buddha spoke these words : "In the future, the scriptures and teachings will perish, with sheer compassion, I will preserve this sutra for 100 years more after all the other sutras have ceased to exist. If a person comes across this sutra, aspires to be born in the Land of Bliss, will be born there as he wish so". It is evident then that the rest of the other expedient Dharma that was spoken by Buddha Shakyamuni will perish one by one in the Dharma Ending Age, as sentient beings' capacity to understand and practice decline. Thus, the one and only path is Pureland Dharma, as it is easy to practice with attainment that is absolute, the Dharma that will last into the future ages for the salvation of all sentient beings.
From this discernment, it is clear then, that Buddha Shakyamuni's original intent of coming into being was actually to reveal and teach Pureland Dharma path and recitation of Buddha's name, which is the final destination of return in the entire Buddha Dharma.