This World and the Pure Land

by Master Tsung-pen

Zen master Tsung-tse of Ch'ang-lu said: 

Now let us compare this world "Endurance" with the Pure Land. 

Here, birth in a flesh and blood body is painful. There, you are born by transformation in a lotus flower, and are free from the pains of birth. 

Here, the seasons succeed each other and you weaken and grow old day by day. There, there are no hot and cold seasons, and you are free from the pains of aging. 

Here, the physical body is hard to temper and often becomes sick. There, your transformed body is fragrant and pure and free from the pains of sickness. 

Here, those who live to be seventy are rare and impermanence is swift. There, the lifespan is measureless and you are free from the pains of death. 

Here, you fondly love those who are close to you, but you are sure to be separated from those you love. There, there are no parents or spouses or children, and you are free of the pain of being parted from loved ones. 

Here, enemies hate you, and you are sure to be with those who resent you. There, those of the highest virtue are assembled together and you are free of the pain of being with those who hate you. 

Here, you may be exhausted, and suffer from hunger and cold, and have unsatisfied cravings. There, food and clothing and precious things are provided ready-made for you to use. 

Here, you may have a body that is ugly and defiled and has many defects. There, your countenance is dignified and your body shines with light. 

Here, you revolve in the cycle of birth and death. There, you experience birthlessness. 

Here, there are outcrops and depressions and brambles and thorns and the landscape is filled with filth and evil. There, the ground is made of gold, jewel trees reach to the sky, towers of precious stones rise up above you, and flowers of all colors are spread at your feet. 

Here, Shakyamuni Buddha has already passed away and Maitreya Buddha has not yet come. There, Amitabha Buddha is preaching the Dharma right now. 

Here, you look up in vain to the glory of Kuan-yin and Shih-chih. There, you are on intimate terms with these two bodhisattvas, and they are your special friends. 

Here, a myriad of demons and heretics attempt to confuse correct cultivation. There, the Buddha's teaching unifies everything, and there is no trace of demons or heretics. 

Here, lust misleads practitioners. There, your body is pure and clean, and there is no sexual desire. 

Here, evil beasts and monsters beat their wings with an evil sound. There, the water birds and the forest trees all communicate the wondrous Dharma. 

Comparing the two worlds, the landscape is as different as can be. The Pure Land is superior in countless ways: there is no time to mention them all. 

Therefore all the scriptures of the complete meaning of the Great Vehicle point the way to the Pure Land. The worthy sages of the past and present all make vows that they themselves and others will be born in the Pure Land. 

Whoever wants to save people, must first recite the buddha-name himself or herself. Unfortunately, people do not think in long range terms: they only worry about things close at hand. Once the human body is lost, it is hard to regain it even in ten thousand eons. Thus I urge all sentient beings to recite "Amitabha Buddha" a hundred times or a thousand times or even ten thousand times [every day]. Transfer the merit to those who share the affinity [for the Pure Land], and vow to be born in Amitabha 's land. . . . 

related post: Pure Land and Pure Mind

Source Of Information:
《Pure Land Pure Mind 心净佛土净》, by Master Chu-hung and Tsung-pen, translated by J.C.Cleary, distributed by: Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Amitabha Malaysia, 90 & 92, Jalan Pahang, Gombak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.

Yen-shou (Yung-ming) Advocates Pure Land

 by Master Tsung-pen

Question 

[In Zen] we just see reality-nature and awaken to the Path, and immediately transcend birth and death. What is the use of tying the attention to Amitabha Buddha and seeking to be born in his land? 

Answer 

People who genuinely cultivate practice must examine themselves. It is like a person drinking water who knows for himself whether it is cold or warm. Now I will present some guidelines to break up the many forms of delusion. 

Good people, you must observe yourselves. In your practice and your understanding, have you really managed to see reality-nature and awaken to the Path? Have you received the Tathagata's prediction of enlightenment and succeeded to the station of the patriarchs like Ashvaghosa and Nagarjuna? Have you attained unobstructed powers of argument and witnessed lotus flower samadhi like Chih-i of T'ien-t'ai? Have you mastered and practiced all the teachings of the Zen school like National Teacher Chung? 

All these great beings understood the teachings imparted by Buddha and all of them urged people to be born in the Pure Land. In this they were benefitting both self and others. How could they have been misleading people and fooling themselves? Buddha himself praised [the Pure Land] and instructed people again and again [to seek to be born there]. I hope you will follow the virtuous ones of olden times and accept the Buddha's commands. They are surely not wrong. There are also the many clear stories of lofty people ancient and modern recorded in the Pure Land biographies. You should carefully read through them so that you may reflect on them. 

You should also consider whether or not you are certain that you will be free to go or stay when you are about to die. 

Are you sure that the barriers of evil karma from time without beginning will not appear before you? 

Are you sure that this body of yours will escape from the cycle of birth and death? 

Are you sure you can appear and disappear freely and without affliction on the evil paths of the three mires and nonhuman incarnations? 

Are you sure there will be no impediment to your being born as you wish in the worlds of devas and humans? 

If you are not sure, then do not make yourself sink down for eternal ages because of your temporary feeling of lofty self-satisfaction, and lose the advantages [of practicing Pure Land Buddhism]. ... 

[Yung-ming's essay entitled] Four Choices says: 

First: Zen without Pure Land. Nine out of ten people take the wrong road here. If objects appear before them [as they meditate], they immediately follow them off. 

This choice means that people only [strive to] illuminate reality-nature, and do not make vows to be born in the Pure Land. But as long as they flow along in this world "Endurance," there is the danger of falling back [into delusion] . . . 

Second: Pure Land without Zen. Of ten thousand who practice [Pure Land Buddhism], ten thousand go [to the Pure Land]. They just get to see Amitabha Buddha: what worry is there that they won't be enlightened? 

This choice means that they have not yet illuminated reality-nature, but they just vow to be born in the Pure Land. Because they are riding upon the power of Buddha, they are sure to be free from doubt. 

Third: Both Zen and Pure Land. This is like putting horns on a tiger [adding to its already formidable powers]. In this life these people will be teachers, and in lives to come they will be buddhas and patriarchs. 

Since they profoundly comprehend the Buddha Dharma, they can be teachers to devas and humans. Moreover, they take vows to go to the Pure Land and ascend quickly to the stage from which there is no falling back . . . 

Fourth: Neither Zen nor Pure Land. This brings the torments of hell for ten thousand eons, with no one to rely on. 

They do not understand the principles of Buddha, nor do they make vows to be born in the Pure Land. They sink down [into the sea of suffering] for eternal ages with no way to get out. 

Good people, if you want to transcend birth and death, and experience enlightenment, choose well among these four options! 

related post:  This World and the Pure Land

Source Of Information:
《Pure Land Pure Mind 心净佛土净》, by Master Chu-hung and Tsung-pen, translated by J.C.Cleary, distributed by: Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Amitabha Malaysia, 90 & 92, Jalan Pahang, Gombak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.

Pure Land and the Bodhisattva Path according to the Great Teacher Chih-i of T'ien-t'ai

by Master Tsung-pen

Question 

The work of the buddhas and bodhisattvas is great compassion. In order to rescue sentient beings, they must vow to be born in the Triple World, in the world of the five corruptions, in the midst of the three mires, to save the suffering beings there. How could they seek birth in the Pure Land, to put themselves at peace while abandoning sentient beings. How could they be without compassion, and concentrate only on benefitting themselves? This would block the bodhisattva path. 

Answer 

There are two kinds of bodhisattvas. One kind have cultivated the bodhisattva path for a long time and attained the [perfect] forbearance [that comes with realizing that all] phenomena are unborn. This objection would apply to them. 

The second kind have not yet attained [perfect forbearance]; this includes ordinary people with the first aspiration for enlightenment. These "ordinary people bodhisattvas" must never be apart from the perfection of the Buddha's power of forbearance: only then can they dwell in the Triple World, in the world of evil, and save suffering beings. Thus the Perfection of Wisdom Treatise says: 

It is impossible for ordinary people in bondage to have the mind of great compassion and vow to be born in evil worlds to save sentient beings. 

Why so? In evil worlds, the afflictions are powerful. Since ordinary people themselves lack the power of forbearance, their minds would follow objects and they would be tied down by sound and form. Since they themselves would fall into the three mires, how could they save other sentient beings? 

Even if they [avoided the rebirth as animals, hungry ghosts, or hell-beings, and] were born as humans, the path of the sages would be hard for them to find. Perhaps by upholding discipline and cultivating merit they would be born as human and get to be kings or great ministers or nobles or independent people, but even if they encountered enlightened teachers, they would not believe them. They would be covetous and deluded and self-indulgent and would commit many bad deeds. Because of this bad karma, they would fall into the three mires. After countless eons, they might emerge from hell, only to be born poor and lowly. If they did not encounter an enlightened teacher, they would fall back into hell. They would go on transmigrating like this until now. All people are like this. This is called the path that is hard to travel. Thus the Vimalakirti Sutra says: 

It is impossible for people who cannot save themselves from their own illness to rescue other sick people. 

The Perfection of Wisdom Treatise says: 

Suppose there are two men. Each of them has a relative drowning in a river. One man impetuously plunges straight into the stream, without the power of skill-in-means, so he and his relative both die. One man has skill-in-means, so he goes and gets a boat and rides it out to rescue his relative. Both he and his relative escape drowning in the river. Bodhisattvas who have first generated the aspiration for enlightenment are like this too. If they have not attained the power of forbearance, they are unable to rescue sentient beings. Therefore they must constantly be near to Buddha until they attain the forbearance [of realizing that all phenomena] are unborn: only then can they save sentient beings. It is like getting the boat [in the parable]. 

The Perfection of Wisdom Treatise also says: 

It is like a baby who must not leave his mother. Otherwise he might fall into a well looking for milk to drink and die. It is also like a baby bird whose wing feathers have not yet fully formed. He must stay close to the tree branch: he cannot venture far. Only after his wing feathers have fully formed can he fly through the sky free and unobstructed. 

Ordinary people with no power can only concentrate on reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha until they achieve samadhi, stable concentration. When this work is completed, then when they are about to die they can gather in their thoughts and attain birth in the Pure Land and definitely get to see Amitabha Buddha. 

After they have realized the forbearance that comes from knowing all things are unborn, then they can return to the Triple World: riding on the boat of forbearance, they can save suffering beings and serve buddha as they please independently. Therefore the Perfection of Wisdom Treatise says: 

Those who wander at play in hell are those who have been born in the Pure Land, attained forbearance toward unborn phenomena, and reentered the land of birth and death in order to convert hell beings and rescue suffering sentient beings. 

For this reason, you should concentrate on cultivating Pure Land practice and vow to be born there. ... 

related post: Yen-shou (Yung-ming) Advocates Pure Land

Source Of Information:
《Pure Land Pure Mind 心净佛土净》, by Master Chu-hung and Tsung-pen, translated by J.C.Cleary, distributed by: Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Amitabha Malaysia, 90 & 92, Jalan Pahang, Gombak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.