by Tien Tai Patriarch Chih I
Translated by Master Thich Thien Tam
Question 10
I have now resolved to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land. However, I do not know which practices to cultivate, nor what the seeds of rebirth in the Western Pure Land are. Moreover, ordinary people all have families and have not rid themselves of lust and attachment. This being the case, can they achieve rebirth?
Answer
If a cultivator wishes to be assured of rebirth, he should perfect two practices: the practice of “disgust” (at the five desires) and the practice of “joyfulness in vows”.（52）
A) The practice of “disgust” refers to the fact that common people have been bound by the five desires from time immemorial. Thus, they wander along the six paths, enduring untold suffering! In that quagmire, unless they become disgusted with the five desires, how can they escape the cycle of birth and death?
Therefore, the Pure Land cultivator should constantly visualize this body as a mass of flesh and bones, blood and pus, a skinbag containing phlegm, pus, urine, feces and other foul-smelling substances. The Parinirvana Sutra states:
“This fortress of a body – only evil, deluded demons could tolerate living in it. Who with any wisdom would ever cling to or to delight in such a skinbag!”
Another scriptures states:
“This body is the confluence of all kinds of suffering; it is a jail, a prison, a mass of ulcers; everything is impure. In truth, it is not worth clinging to – even the celestial bodies of deities are no different.”
Therefore, whether walking, standing, sitting or reclining, whether asleep or awake, cultivators should always visualize this body as nothing but a source of suffering, without any pleasure, and develop a deep sense of disgust ... (thus gradually becoming free from lustful thoughts).
Moreover, the cultivator should also engage in the Seven Types of Meditation on Impurity (e.g., as a fetus, in the impure, dirty area of the womb, drinking the mother’s blood, emerging from the womb with pus and blood gushing forth and foul odors in profusion ... after death, the body swelling up and rotting away, with flesh and bones in disarray ...).(53)
Our own bodies being thus, the bodies of others are likewise. If we constantly meditate on these seven impurities, we will develop disgust toward those male and female forms which ordinary people judge handsome and beautiful. The flames of lust will thus gradually diminish.
If, in addition, we can practice the meditations on the Nine Kinds Of Foulness, (e.g. meditation on the fresh corpse, the bloated corpse, the bleeding and oozing corpse, the skeleton ... and other progressive stages of decay of the human body after death), so much the better.
We should also vow to be forever free from rebirth in a deluded, impure male or female body in the Triple Realm, eating a hodgepodge of foods, and aspiring instead to be endowed with a Pure Land Dharma Nature body.
This constitutes a general discussion of the practice of disgust.
B) There are, in general, two aspects to making the joyous vow of “rescuing oneself and others”.
1) The practitioner should clearly realize the goal of rebirth – which is to seek escape from suffering for himself and all sentient beings. He should think thus: “My own strength is limited, I am still bound by karma; moreover, in this evil, defiled life, the circumstances and conditions leading to afflictions are overpowering. That is why other sentient beings and myself are drowning in the river of delusion, wandering along the evil paths from time immemorial. The wheel of birth and death is spinning without end; how can I find a way to rescue myself and others in a safe, sure manner?
“There is but one solution: it is to seek rebirth in the Pure Land, draw close to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and, relying on the supremely auspicious environment of that realm, engage in cultivation and attain the Tolerance of Non-Birth. Only then can I enter the evil world to rescue sentient beings.”
The Treatise on Rebirth states:
“To develop the Bodhi Mind is precisely to seek Buddhahood; to seek Buddhahood is to develop the Mind of rescuing sentient beings; and the Mind of rescuing sentient beings is none other than the Mind that gathers in all beings and helps them achieve rebirth in the Pure Land.”
Moreover, to ensure rebirth, we should perfect two practices: abandoning the three things that hinder enlightenment and abiding by the three things that foster enlightenment.
What are the three things that hinder enlightenment?
First, the Mind of seeking our own peace and happiness, ego-grasping and attachment to our own bodies. The practitioner should follow the path of wisdom and leave all such thoughts far behind.
Second, the Mind of abandoning and failing to rescue sentient beings from suffering. The practitioner should follow the path of compassion and leave all such thoughts far behind.
Third, the Mind of exclusively seeking respect and offerings, without seeking ways to benefit sentient beings and bring them peace and happiness. The practitioner should follow the path of expedients and leave all such thoughts far behind.
Once he has abandoned these three hindrances, the practitioner will obtain the three things that foster enlightenment. They are:
First, the “undefiled Pure Mind” of not seeking personal happiness. That is, enlightenment is the state of undefiled purity. If we seek after personal pleasure, body and Mind are defiled and obstruct the path of enlightenment. Therefore, the undefiled Pure Mind is called consonant with enlightenment.
Second, the “Pure Mind at peace”, rescuing all sentient beings from suffering. This is because Bodhi is the undefiled Pure Mind which gives peace and happiness to sentient beings. If we are not rescuing sentient beings and helping them to escape the sufferings of Birth and Death, we are going counter to the Bodhi path. Therefore, a Mind focussed on saving others, bringing them peace and happiness, is called consonant with enlightenment.
Third, a “blissful, Pure Mind”, seeking to help sentient beings achieve Great Nirvana. Because Great Nirvana is the ultimate, eternally blissful realm, if we do not help sentient beings to achieve it, we obstruct the Bodhi path. Hence, the Mind which seeks to help sentient beings attain eternal bliss is called consonant with enlightenment.
How can we abandon the things that hinder enlightenment and abide by the things that foster enlightenment? – It is precisely by seeking rebirth in the Western Pure Land, remaining constantly near the Buddhas and cultivating the Dharma until Tolerance of Non-Birth is reached. At that point, we may sail the boat of great vows at will, enter the sea of Birth and Death and rescue sentient beings with wisdom and compassion, “adapting to conditions but fundamentally unchanging”,(54) free and unimpeded. This ends our discussion of the goal of rebirth.
2) The cultivator should next contemplate the wholesome characteristics of the Pure Land and the auspicious features of Amitabha Buddha.
Auspicious features:
Amitabha Buddha possesses a resplendent, golden Reward Body, replete with 84,000 major characteristics, each characteristic having 84,000 minor auspicious signs, each sign beaming 84,000 rays of light which illuminate the entire Dharma Realm and gather in those sentient beings who recite the Buddha’s name (Ninth Visualization in the Meditation Sutra).
Wholesome characteristics:
The Western Pure Land is adorned with seven treasures, as explained in the Pure Land sutras.(55)
In addition, when practicing charity, keeping the precepts and performing all kinds of good deeds, Pure Land practitioners should always dedicate the merits toward rebirth in the Pure Land for themselves and all other sentient beings.
If the practitioner can cultivate joyfulness in vows, as set out in Section B, he will develop a Mind of hope and longing for the Pure Land and achieve rebirth without fail. This is what is meant by vowing to rescue oneself and others.
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52. This concept, disgust versus joyfulness, is an important one and constitutes a key expedient in Pure Land Buddhism. It is based on a mixture of wisdom (Visualization of the decaying body is wisdom…) and faith (in the vows of Amitabha Buddha).
* See also Note 10 and Note 88.
53. See the following passage from the Vimalakirti Sutra:
“The sage Vimalakirti discussed the experience of illness at great length …. With many visitors assembled to inquire after his heath, the infirm sage took the opportunity to speak out against the human body and its limitations.
“ O, virtuous ones, the wise do not rely upon the body. It is like a mass of froth which cannot be grasped, like a bubble which bursts in an instant. The body is like a flame arising from the thirst of love … like a shadow, appearing as a result of karma. It is like an echo, responding to causes and conditions…. The body does not act of itself; but it is spun around by the force of the winds of passion.’
“His own face gaunt and creased by illness, vividly impressing upon visitors the transitory nature of earthly existence, Vimalakirti then urged them to seek the Buddha-body.” (Raoul Birnbaum, The Healing Buddha, p.13.)
It should be clear that, although the Buddha taught that the human body is a skin-bag filled with excrement, His is not a pessimistic view of life, but a realistic one. The Buddha recognized the need to use the body as a means to enlightenment. Thus, one important injunction to monks and laymen is never to entertain the thought of suicide.
54. This is a key concept in Buddhism: the teaching is infinitely adaptable but its truth is always the same.
55. “Seven treasures,” “eighty-four thousand characteristics” are among the numerous allegorical numbers found in Buddhist sutras and commentaries. The seven treasures are, literally, gold, silver, crystal, etc. but also stand for the seven powers (faith, perseverance, shame, avoidance of wrongdoing, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom).
related post: Question 1 （Doubts and Questions about Pure Land）
Source Of Information:
《Pure Land Buddhism (Dialogues with Ancient Masters)》, by Tien Tai Patriarch Chih I, translated with annotations by Master Thich Thien Tam, printed and donated for free distribution by: The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation (11F, 55, Hang Chow South Road Sec 1, Taipei, Taiwan), printed in February 2023.
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.
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