Moving on to the later sutra passages, seeing it, it becomes more and more remarkable.
As it turns out, after all this time, it is not only Shakyamuni Buddha endorsing, the later passages of the sutra go like this:
One can see that Shakyamuni Buddha is also very powerful. His “organization,” so to speak, is very large. It is not just that He alone is acting as the “boss.”
I originally thought there was only one person endorsing this teaching of Amitabha Buddha. But in fact, there are endorsements from the east, west, south, north, above, and below. In all directions, there are buddhas bearing witness.
This passage highly praises Amitabha Buddha. Not just the one Shakyamuni Buddha, many, many other Buddhas also highly praise Amitabha Buddha. So in my view, this is a “guaranteed iron-clad ticket,” because even such a small “cheque” or “passport” already requires so many buddhas to sign it, that it is completely full. I think more pages would still need to be added.
Shakyamuni Buddha speaks of Amitabha Buddha’s inconceivable merits, not only does he praise him, but there is also Akshobya Buddha in the East. The word “Akshobya” means immovable, meaning an immovable mind. In fact, in this sutra passage, Shakyamuni Buddha is teaching all of us to have an “immovable mind.”
Last Sunday, Guru went to Oregon to give a dharma talk. Among the people was a Christian, before I gave my dharma talk, he already asked me, “What is the meaning of life?”
I pretended then also not to know, and said I also have to ask him. He said he truly had no way to find the answer.
In fact, everyone in the world today has this kind of question in their heart – what is the meaning of life, of our existence in this world?
This is a question that has troubled many people for thousands of years.
Once upon a time, there was a person, he walked a very long way and reached the East. In a deep mountain he found a highly accomplished monk, it was a practitioner cultivating there. He went to ask this question. The practitioner happened to be meditating.
He asked “Master, I have a question for you, we are alive in this world, what is its meaning?”
This master happened to be meditating and opened his eyes and said to him, “What do you think I am doing sitting here?”
He said, “You are meditating.”
“Why am I meditating then?”
“You are meditating in order to contemplate.”
This Master told this person who came to ask him, “I am currently thinking of your question!”
This sentence is telling you, everyone under heaven is thinking of this question, hundreds of millions of sentient beings are thinking of this question. The highly accomplished monk practicing in the deep mountains is also thinking about this question.
So this question, many people have answered it. Everyone knows, Oh! We come to this world to cultivate, this world is a cultivation ground. We are sent here, because our cultivation and thoughts are not upright, so it has to be cultivated until perfection, then we return to our original place.
Actually this Truth, we can say “The purpose for being alive, is to search for the Truth.”
Then is Truth so simple actually?
Then what is the purpose of us being alive and coming to this earth?
Why was the highly accomplished monk sitting there motionless, what was it for?
We come here today to cultivate, come here to listen to the Dharma, come here to do these rituals, what is it all for?
When I was in Oregon, I told my audience, “What we learn is wanting heaven and human to merge into one, which is the heart that is immeasurable. We have to cultivate until we are immovable towards wealth, form, fame, food and sleep.”
Because we are immovable, then we have no worries, because we have no worries therefore we can achieve complete purity. When you have achieved complete purity, then you can have perfection. In this kind of state, then you can comprehend Heaven.
This kind of value is not the value of ordinary worldly people. Therefore, I told the audience, “We are here to seek the formless, and also to seek the formless truth, striving non-stop to achieve Heaven and human merging into one.”
This kind of value is more transcendent, not what ordinary people pursue. If it is what ordinary people pursue, then it is not a true value.
The second Buddha here is “Wondrous Height Buddha.”
“Sumeru Likeness Buddha” in Sanskrit is Wondrous Height. Wondrous means very subtle and wondrous, height means it is very tall.
The third is “Great Sumeru Buddha.”
There are quite some people who say the meaning of life is pursuing the best house, the best car, and earning the most money.
But the best house, what constitutes the best house?
What then, is the best car?
The most money, what amount of money is considered the most?
The meaning of life is to truly attain the greatest blessings and the greatest wisdom. The greatest blessings are found in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and the greatest wisdom is the wisdom of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Have you ever seen a house made of gold?
There isn’t one in this world. Like the Sultan of Brunei has a bit, I heard that the taps of the Sultan of Brunei are all made of gold. I believe the basin he uses to wash his face is also made of gold. The shower bathtub should be also made of gold. The toothbrushes are also made of gold.
However, I’ve been to Brunei and saw that wall, the house is not made of gold.
When you reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, even the roads are made of gold. So the one with the greatest blessing is not the Sultan of Brunei, it is still Amitabha Buddha. The greatest blessings and the greatest wisdom are all in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Today, the greatest meaning of our lives, is to pursue the greatest blessings and the greatest wisdom.
Therefore, all these Buddha names here are very meaningful.
The meaning of life: “It is to pursue stillness.”
Like that high monk who lived deep in the mountains, sitting motionless in a cave, pursuing the wonder of unity between heaven and man, the supreme perfection, the greatest blessing and the greatest wisdom.
There is also a Buddha here, “Sumeru Light Buddha.” This Sumeru Light Buddha is immeasurable light, the greatest light, and also symbolizes perfection. In this way, it is equivalent to pervading the Dharma realm, filling the entire Dharma realm.
So “Akshobya Buddha”, “Sumeru Likeness Buddha”, “Great Sumeru Buddha”, “Sumeru Light Buddha” and “Wonderful Sound Buddha”, all these Buddhas symbolize the meaning of life.
Let me ask everyone, what is the meaning of life?
It is completely answered in here.
This “Wonderful Sound Buddha” also symbolizes that although one’s body and mind is suffering, when one hears that kind of sound, one gets liberated completely.
“Sumeru Light Buddha” represents those bright pure light, it makes the whole body have no defilement, completely pure.
Om Mani Padme Hum