by Tien Tai Patriarch Chih I
Translated by Master Thich Thien Tam
Ordinary people are entirely enmeshed in heavy evil karma and are full of all kinds of afflictions. Even though they may have some virtues as a result of cultivation, they find it difficult to sever even a fraction of their defilements and hindrances. The Land of Ultimate Bliss, on the other hand, is extremely purely adorned, transcending the Triple Realm. How can such depraved common mortals hope to be reborn there?
Answer
There are two conditions for rebirth: “self-power” and “other-power”. As far as self-power is concerned, while the ordinary beings of this world, totally bound (by their attachments and afflictions), may have some level of cultivation, in reality, they still cannot be reborn in the Pure Land nor deserve to reside there.
The Peace and Bliss Collection states:
“Those who first develop the Bodhi Mind – starting from the level of completely fettered ordinary beings ignorant of the Three Treasures and the Law of Cause and Effect – should base themselves initially on faith. Next, when they have embarked upon the Bodhi path, the precepts should serve as their foundation. If these ordinary beings accept the Bodhisattva precepts and continue to uphold them unfailingly and without interruption for three kalpas, they will reach the First Abode of Bodhisattvahood.
“If they pursue their cultivation in this manner through ... the Ten Paramitas as well as countless vows and practices, one after another without interruption, at the end of ten thousand kalpas they will reach the Sixth Abode of Bodhisattvahood. Should they continue still further, they will reach the Seventh Abode (Non-Retrogression). They will then have entered the stage of the ’Seed of Buddhahood’, (i.e., they are assured of eventual Buddhahood). However, even then, they still cannot achieve rebirth in the Pure Land” – that is, if they rely on self-power alone.
With regard to “other power”, if anyone believes in the power of Amitabha Buddha’s compassionate vow to rescue sentient beings and then develops the Bodhi Mind, cultivate the Buddha Remembrance (Recitation) Samadhi, grows weary of his temporal, impure body in the Triple Realm, practices charity, upholds the precepts and performs other meritorious deeds – dedicating all the merits and virtues to rebirth in the Western Land – his aspirations and the Buddha’s response will be in accord. Relying thus on the Buddha’s power, he will immediately achieve rebirth.(44)
Thus, it is stated in the Commentary on the Ten Stages of Buddhahood:
“There are two paths of cultivation, the Difficult Path and the Easy Path. The Difficult Path refers to the practices of sentient beings in the world of the five turbidities, who, through countless Buddha eras, aspire to reach the stage of Non-Retrogression. The difficulties are truly countless, as numerous as specks of dust or grains of sand, too numerous to imagine. I will summarize the five major ones below:
a) Externalists are legion, creating confusion with respect to the Bodhisattva Dharma;
b) Evil beings destroy the practitioner’s good, wholesome virtues;
c) Worldly merits and blessings can easily lead the practitioner astray, so that he ceases to engage in virtuous practices;
d) It is easy to stray onto the Arhat’s path of self-benefit, which obstructs the Mind of great compassion;
e) Relying exclusively on self-power, without the aid of the Buddha’s power, makes cultivation very difficult and arduous. It is not unlike the case of a feeble, handicapped person, walking alone, who can only go so far each day regardless of how much effort he expends.
“The Easy Path of cultivation means that, if sentient beings in this world believe in the Buddha’s words, practice Buddha Recitation and vow to be reborn in the Pure Land, they are assisted by the Buddha’s vow-power and assured of rebirth. This is analagous to a person who floats downstream in a boat; although the distance may be many thousands of miles, his destination will be reached in no time. Similarly, a common being, relying on the power of a ‘universal monarch’ (a kind of deity), can traverse the ‘four great universes’ in a day and a night – this is not due to his own power, but, rather, to the power of the monarch.”
Some people, reasoning according to “noumenon” (principle), may say that common beings, being “conditioned”, cannot be reborn in the Pure Land or see the Buddha’s body.
The answer is that the virtues of Buddha Recitation are “unconditioned” good roots. Ordinary, impure persons who develop the Bodhi Mind, seek rebirth and constantly practice Buddha Recitation can subdue and destroy afflictions, achieve rebirth and, depending on their level of cultivation, obtain vision of the rudimentary aspects of the Buddha (the thirty-two marks of greatness, for example). Bodhisattvas, naturally, can achieve rebirth and see the subtle, loftier aspects of the Buddha (i.e., the Dharma body). There can be no doubt about this.
Thus, the Avatamsaka Sutra states:
“All the various Buddha Lands are equally purely adorned. Because the karmic practices of sentient beings differ, their perceptions of these Lands are different.”
This is the meaning of what was said earlier.
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44. Rebirth through other-power is, in effect, rebirth through emphasis on other-power, not exclusive reliance upon it.
related post: Question 6 （Ten Doubts 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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