Question 2 （Doubts Based on Misreading the Sutras）

Question 2:

The Platform Sutra states, without recitation, recitation is correct; with recitation, recitation becomes erroneous." Thus, is not Buddha Recitation deviant and false?

Answer:

The meaning of No-Birth, No-Thought (No-Recitation) has been discussed earlier, but I will give a direct explanation here. "No-Thought" does not mean no Buddha or Sutra Recitation, but rather habitual recitation of the Buddha's name and the sutras with a completely empty Mind, neither seeing nor grasping at the thought that we are the ones doing the reciting. This is called "No-Thought". On the other hand, though we may sit still and at peace, our Minds not thinking of anything, if we are still aware that we are sitting in meditation, this is still "having thought". If we think that No-Thought is not to recite the Buddha's name or the sutras, not to lecture on the Dharma and not to ponder or meditate, then we have turned into wood and stone. While avoiding the error of grasping at forms, we have fallen into the error of "grasping at emptiness", thus going against the very meaning of the Sutra. For this reason, the Sixth Patriarch continued:

    He who is above "affirmative" and "negative"
    Rides permanently in the white bullock cart (the vehicle of Buddha).
    (Wong Mou-Lam, tr. "The Sutra of Hui Neng," p. 65. In The Diamond Sutra & The Sutra of Hui Neng. Boston, Ma: Shambhala, 1969)

High-ranking Pure Land monks of old often practiced Buddha Recitation seeking rebirth, but they did not grasp at the mark of such recitation. Therefore, they left behind this stanza:

    To recite is the same as not to recite,
    No-Birth is precisely birth,
    Not bothering to move even half a step,
    The body has reached the city of Great Enlightenment.

However, we have spoken so far of the cultivation practices of individuals of high capacities. Persons of moderate and low capacities should strive to repeat the Buddha's name as many times as possible. While they may still have attachments and see themselves as reciting the Buddha's name and earnestly seeking rebirth, it is still a good thing, because by so doing, they will assuredly achieve rebirth at the time of death and ultimately enter the realm of No Thought, No-Birth. Where is the worry? Otherwise, not conscious of their own limitations, seeking a direct and lofty way,grasping at the teachings of Emptiness while incapable of following the truth of No-Thought -- yet unwilling to practice at the lower level of seeking rebirth through Buddha Recitation -- in the end they achieve neither. They just remain common mortals in the painful cycle of Birth and Death!

related post:  Question 3 （Doubts Based on Misreading the Sutras）

Source Of Information:
《Pure Land Buddhism (Dialogues with Ancient Masters)》, 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.