Three, understanding the purpose. Having distinguished the substance, we must understand the purpose.
Question: what is the main theme of this sutra?
Answer: faith, aspirational vows and chanting the name of the Buddha.
Question: what are we to have faith in?
Answer: the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha.
I believe what Shakyamuni Buddha said.
Someone once asked me: “What is Buddha?”
Someone said: “The heart is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the heart.”
Because we think about the Buddha in our hearts and recite the Buddha’s name, therefore we can become Buddhas. This school of thought treats the human heart as a field – the “heart field”, which is the land in the heart.
In this field, if we sow beans, we will get beans, if we sow melons, we will get melons.
Today, we plant the seeds of Buddha in our hearts, and those born will be the sons of Buddha. Actually, this cultivation method is a kind of cause and effect.
Because we often recite the Buddha’s name, speaking it with our mouth, hearing it with our ears, then imprinting it on our heart, this is one of the simplest methods.
Because it is simple, it can deliver many sentient beings; however because it is so simple, many people do not believe it.
So why should we believe this sutra?
Because it is said by Shakyamuni Buddha. We believe what Shakyamuni Buddha said, so we believe that by reciting the Buddha’s name we can become a Buddha.
Inside the scripture it also says, this is praised by the Buddhas of the Six Directions [Literally the North, South, East, West, above and below, but really meaning all buddhas] all together. Since this is praised together by all the Buddhas of the Six Directions, thus it must be very true.
According to what I know, there are many people who have become Buddhas by reciting the Buddha’s name.
There was once a blacksmith who forged iron. He stipulated that he should recite Buddha’s name every time he struck the metal, so everyday he chanted Buddha’s name while striking iron. In the end when he was about to leave the world he was still striking iron. He had a famous verse that was very good:
“Ding, Ding, Clang, Clang, striking iron to become steel; I now chant the Buddha’s name, to be reborn in the Western Purelands.”
He recited this verse while forging iron, and when he finished reciting, he passed away standing up.
So! Think about it. A blacksmith struck iron everyday, chanting this line, “Amitabha Buddha“, every time he pounds the iron. In this way, he stood striking until he recited a verse, and then became a Buddha.
This blacksmith of course did not have much knowledge, he was solely using his physical body to work hard in order to earn a living. He himself did not have any profound knowledge, no matter which scripture you talk to him about from the Chinese Buddhist Cannon he would not know, he only knew one sentence “Amitabha Buddha“. Everything else he did not know, but by striking iron he became a Buddha.
So this style of Buddhism is a very convenient means to become a Buddha. When learning Buddhism, if we can learn with such perseverance, reciting the Buddha’s name without stopping everyday, perfecting our chanting the Buddha’s name, we can still be delivered.
Actually, it is these words that lead to Buddhahood, “Faith, aspirational vows, reciting the Buddha’s name.”
Just like when I meet everyone, I will recite “Amitabha Buddha“. I will recite “Amitabha Buddha” once when I meet someone, and recite “Amitabha Buddha” twice when I meet two people.
Today, I say “Amitabha Buddha” as many times as there are people here, so I am also cultivating with this method.
Think about this yourself, how many times could you chant “Amitabha Buddha” per day?
There are many people moving goods, so when moving once, you can chant, “Amitabha Buddha“, once.
Sometimes when we are working, we can find opportunities. It is basically saying everytime we do something, we can recite “Amitabha Buddha“. For example, working at the Post Office, I saw a postman on television, stamping postmarks as he was chewing gum. Actually he could stamp once and recite one line, “bang, (Amitabha)”, “bang, (Amitabha)”, just by stamping this way continuously, he will surely have accomplishments also.
As long as you have perseverance, I believe if you are reciting his name, the Buddha is sitting there, sitting far away in the West, and if you have recited his name for so long, and he has no reaction how can he be considered a Buddha?!
In truth, as you have constantly been reciting his name, he will be very near to you. When you are about to die, he definitely will be behind you to lift you. Although your whole body already has no strength, with this lift of his, you will go to his Western Pureland.
Thus we have a Chinese proverb,
“Grab on to the Buddha’s leg at the last minute.”
It can be said that when you are about to die, you can grab onto the Buddha’s leg. However, it is said in the Buddhist scripture, it is still useful when you grab on to the Buddha’s leg at the last minute.
This is because Bodhisattvas are compassionate! This disciple did not think of me for a long time, and only called my name when he was about to die. However, Buddha is called the Great Compassionate Father (Father who has great compassion and great loving-kindness), Great Compassionate Mother (Mother who has great compassion and great loving-kindness). Even though you are not good, if you think of him at the moment of death, he will still lift you up.
I heard that Western Pureland has a kindergarten also, it starts from there. Some people who used to chant the Buddha’s name every day have already become like buddhas by chanting the Buddha’s name, and suddenly, if one side disappears, the other side appears. Of course, those who grab on to the Buddha’s leg at the last minute can also be delivered, but they will be reborn in the kindergarten in the Buddha’s pureland.
What this text is saying here is that, as long as you say the Buddha’s name you are chanting his name. Once your skill of chanting the Buddha’s name reaches the level where your mind is in a state of undisturbed single-mindedness, there will be immeasurable merits.
This so-called immeasurable merit is, of course, becoming a Buddha.
Actually, it is not easy for a person to be able to recite the Buddha’s name until a state of undisturbed single-mindedness.
It is because a state of undisturbed single-mindedness is actually meditation. It is what we in Tantric Buddhism call entering samadhi [meditation]. Chanting Buddha’s name, one can enter samadhi too.
Because reciting the Buddha’s name requires one’s mind to focus, meditation also requires one’s mind to focus, and Tantric Buddhism’s entering samadhi also requires one’s mind to focus.
Actually in the end all the different Buddhist schools walk the same path. Reaching that state, one’s mind is undisturbed. Because you chant the Buddha’s name until your mind is undisturbed, your heart will not be confused. You won’t fall into other realms out of confusion, because your heart-mind is already focused on the Western Purelands.
So this “Amitabha Sutra” is based on “faith, aspirational vows and reciting the Buddha’s name”.
The principle of “faith, aspirational vows and reciting the Buddha’s name” is the Pureland school.
The ultimate goal is to be reborn in the Pureland. In the future, I hope that in the Western Pureland, I will see that everyone is a Padmakumara [lotus child] transformed from a lotus flower.
Don’t let the head teacher go to the kindergarten to inspect and see that you are all just babies! Taking a look then, it turns out that you have never cultivated chanting the Buddha’s name and only screamed out a few times before you died.
However, I hope that no matter what, everyone should recite the Buddha’s name often and never forget it.
Don’t be like ordinary secular people who still miss their grandmother, grandfather, father and mother when they are dying, and everyone sheds tears.
Ah! The worst part is still thinking about whether one’s bank account, diamonds, and gold are kept safely.
Therefore, the most important sentence is:
“Become a Buddha with one heart/mind, recite the Buddha’s name with one heart/mind.”
When you are dying, just “recite the Buddha’s name with one heart/mind,” and don’t think about anything else.
Om mani padme hum