The Buddha Speaks
of Amitabha
Sutra
Commentary
translated by Disciple Bhiksuni Heng Yin
Text
Translated by Disciple Upasaka I Kuo Jung
Edited
by Disciple Upasika Tun Kuo Hsun
At
that time the Buddha told the Elder Sariputra, "Passing from here through
hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddha-lands to the West, there is a world
called Ultimate Bliss. In this land a Buddha called Amitabha right now teaches
the Dharma."
Commentary:
At
that time refers to the time when all the gods, Bodhisattvas, Sravakas, Bhiksus,
Bhiksunis, Upasakas, and Upasikas gathered together to listen to Sakyamuni
Buddha. He said to the most wise Elder Sariputra, "If you travel westward
from here, from the pure abode in the Jeta prove in the Garden of the Benefactor
of Orphans and the Solitary, Sravasti, India, and go through hundreds of
thousands of millions of Buddha-lands, you will find a world system called 'The
Land of Ultimate Bliss.' This is the happiest, happiest universe there is.
Nothing surpasses the happiness there', it is ultimate."
In
this land, there is a Buddha. What is his name? Amitabha, "limitless
light." He is also called Amitayus, "limitless life." His light
is measureless, illumining the lands of the ten directions everywhere without
obstruction, and his lifespan extends for hundreds of thousands of tens of
thousands of millions of great kalpas without end. After realizing Buddhahood,
this Buddha did not rest, but right now he speaks the Dharma. He is not an
unemployed Buddha. Teaching the Dharma is the Buddha's job. Whoever teaches the
Dharma does the Buddha's work; whoever doesn't, does the demons' work. So it’s
said,
"Unless
I teach the Dharma to save living beings,
I
will have passed through my entire life in vain."
If
you don't teach the Dharma and convert living beings, you have wasted your
lifetime and obtained no benefit, nothing.
Sutra:
"Sariputra,
for what reason is this land called Ultimate Bliss?"
Commentary:
"Sariputra!"
said the Buddha, "Why is this land called Ultimate Bliss?"
Although
he had great wisdom, Sariputra didn't know enough to ask this question, and so
the Buddha asked it himself. This is like yesterday when I asked you if you had
any questions and you didn't speak because you didn't know what to ask. So I
said, "Very well, I have a question for you. Do you like the rain?"
Thieves hate the rain. Why? If they go out to steal, they get all wet. "I
want to steal something," they say, "but it's raining. I'll have to
carry an umbrella. How inconvenient!" Travelers say, "I came here for
a vacation and I haven't seen a thing. Detestable rain!" So travelers and
thieves don't like the rain.
But
farmers say, "Rain! My flowers will sell for thousands of dollars.
Isn't this fine?" The fruit-growers say, "This rain will make
my apples big, fat, and sweet--my oranges, too." Now, would you say that
lecturing on the Sutras and speaking the Dharma is a good thing or not? Those
who believe in the Buddhadharma say it is good, but those who are Jealous of it
say it is not. What can you do?
Why
is this land called Ultimate Bliss? Basically Sariputra should have asked this
question, but he didn't, and so Sakyamuni Buddha said, "Sariputra, why is
Amitabha's country called Ultimate Bliss? Speak up!" The Buddha waited for
about five minutes. Sariputra said nothing; such great wisdom and yet he didn't
know what to say. He just stared blankly, like you do when I ask you a question.
But time is precious. Sakyamuni Buddha waited until he could wait no more.
"All right," he said, "I'll answer it myself."
Sutra:
"All
living beings of this country endure none of the sufferings, but enjoy every
bliss. Therefore it is sailed 'Ultimate Bliss.'"
Commentary:
In
Amitabha's land, living beings are born by transformation from lotus flowers.
Their birth is pure. It is not one of desire and love. Born pure, their bodies
are not the result of sexual desire and the lustful thoughts of men and women.
This is why they endure none of the sufferings. Why do we suffer? We suffer
because our bodies are created from the filth of the father's semen and the
mother's blood and so all day long we think of unclean things. Men usually think
of women, women of men. They eat their fill and, since there's nothing else to
do, this is foremost. When the time comes, men and women want to marry. If they
don't, they feel as if they have a great illness, which has not been cured.
Because the basis, the seed, is impure, the thoughts are impure, and those
impure thoughts bring about all kinds of suffering. Why is there suffering? It
is just because of this. Sutras are lectured and Dharma is taught for no other
reason than to teach you this; have no unclean, filthy thoughts of sexual
desire. Without sexual desire you are one of the clear, pure ocean-wide assembly
of Bodhisattvas. With sexual desire, you are a ghostly living being of the five
turbid realms. Cultivation of the Way and non-cultivation are right here. If you
can purify your mind, your merit and virtue are unlimited. If you cannot purify
your mind, your offenses are limitless. Offenses are created because your
thoughts are impure. Such causes planted in your own self-nature result in the
manifestation of offenses and evil. But if your own self-nature is pure,
outwardly there will be no evil karmic retribution.
Therefore,
you may study the Buddhadharma for several tens of thousands of great kalpas,
but unless you understand the genuine doctrine you won't get off the revolving
wheel. One who understands the essential message of the Buddhadharma, however,
says, "Oh! It's simply a matter of purifying one's mind and will."
The
Buddhadharma teaches you to purify your mind and will. If you understand the
Buddhadharma you can become enlightened, and once enlightened, you will never
have unclean thoughts again. Why do we suffer? We suffer because of our impure
thoughts. Why is there no suffering in the Land of Ultimate Bliss? It is because
the people there have no impure thoughts. Thus,
they endure none of the sufferings, but enjoy every bliss.
As
we recite "Namo Amitabha Buddha" we each create and adorn our own Land
of Ultimate Bliss. We each accomplish our own Land of Ultimate Bliss, which is
certainly not hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddha-lands from here, and
yet it actually is hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddha-lands from here.
Although it's that far, it doesn't go beyond one thought of the mind. Because it
doesn't go beyond one thought of the mind, is not as far as hundreds of
thousands of millions of Buddha-lands away. It's just right in our hearts. The
Land of Ultimate Bliss is the original true heart, the true mind, of every one
of us. If you obtain this heart, you will be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
If you do not understand your own original true heart, you will not. The Land of
Ultimate Bliss is within our hearts, not outside. This land is clear, pure, and
undefiled, and so is that one thought of the mind and nature. It is just that
now, as common people, we are defiled by attachment. If you can empty your
attachments, you will immediately see Amitabha Buddha; and that is the Land of
Ultimate Bliss. Amitabha Buddha and living beings—do not discriminate between
this and that. Thus, the Land of Ultimate Bliss is not far away. In one thought,
turn the light inwards, know that originally you are Buddha and your original
Buddhahood is just the Lend of Ultimate Bliss.
Therefore,
you should cast out your defiled thoughts, your lustful desire, your confusion,
jealousy, contrariness, and selfish thoughts of personal gain. Be like the
Bodhisattva who benefits people and enlightens all living beings. Just that is
the Land of Ultimate Bliss manifest. Don't you agree that the absence of
confusion and false thoughts is the Land of Ultimate Bliss? If it isn't, then
what is? Don't seek it outside.
Good
Knowing Advisors, you are all ones of great wisdom, great intelligence. You are
all more clever than I, and in the future you will explain the Dharma better
than I do. But now, because you don’t understand Chinese, I am introducing you
to this old-fashioned tradition. In the future you'll transform it and make it
unspeakably wonderful.
Sutra:
Moreover,
Sariputra, this Land of Ultimate Bliss is everywhere surrounded by seven tiers
of railings, seven layers of retting and seven rows of trees, all formed from
the four treasures and for this reason named 'Ultimate Bliss.'"
Commentary:
After
explaining why this land is called Ultimate Bliss, Sakyamuni Buddha waited for
Sariputra to ask about the limitless principles, which remained, but as
intelligent as he was, Sariputra simply didn't know enough to ask. Why? It was
because the Pure Land Dharma Door is simply too wonderful. He still had no way
to ask about such an unthinkable, ineffable Dharma Door.
Unable to wait
any longer, the Buddha said, "Sariputra, I'll tell you. In the most happy land there are
seven tiers of railings which run
horizontally like fences and are arranged vertically in seven tiers. The
railings represent the precepts, the seven layers of netting represent
concentration, and the seven rows of trees represent wisdom. The number seven is
used for the "Seven Classes" which is the classification of the
Thirty-Seven Wings of Enlightenment into seven groups:
1.
The 4 Applications of Mindfulness
2.
The 4 Right Efforts
3.
The 4 Bases of Psychic Power
k.
The 5 Roots
5.
The 5 Powers
6.
The 7 Limbs of Enlightenment (Bodhi Shares)
7.
The 8 Fold Path (Sagely Way Shares)
37 Wings of Enlightenment
The
tiers of railings, layers of netting, and rows of trees represent the seven
classes of Thirty-Seven Wings of Enlightenment.
How
do the tiers of railings represent the precepts? Precepts control evil and
prevent error. Morality is simply:
All
evil not done
All
good respectfully practiced.
Once
you have taken the precepts, you cannot have confused false thinking. You must
purify your mind and will. If you have false thinking, rub your head and say,
"Hey! I have left home; I'm hairless, I'm not a layman and so I can't
casually think unclean thoughts. I must stop." In this way, the precepts
are like a fence. It's illegal to jump it; you have to go through the gate. So
the seven tiers of railings represent the precepts.
How
do the seven layers of netting represent concentration? One does not enter or
leave concentration, for in Dragon concentration, Naga Samadhi, there is no time
of non-concentration. If you have true concentration you don't need to meditate
because no state will move your heart. You're always in concentration.
Suppose
you see something good to eat, and think, "Not bad. I'll 'try it out."
This is to have no concentration power, to say nothing of stealing food, which
breaks a precept!
"Oh,
it's not important," you say.
It's
just because you transgress on a minor point that, when something major comes
along, you slip up. People who transgress in little matters will transgress even
more easily in big ones. It may be a small matter, but it's just the small
matters, which are difficult to change. If you change your small 'faults, that
is concentration powers Always in concentration:
The
eyes see forms outside, but inside there is nothing;
The
ears hear dust affairs, but the mind does not know.
Concentration
is not being moved by situations. For example, when a woman sees a handsome man
but has no thoughts of sexual desire, that is concentration. When a man sees a
beautiful woman but has no thoughts of sexual desire, that is concentration.
Seeing as if not seeing and hearing as if not hearing:
The
eyes see forms outside, but inside there is nothing;
The
ears hear dust affairs, but the mind does not know.
So
the seven layers of netting represent concentration. Now do you understand the
Amitabha Sutra! If you don't totally understand, perhaps you may understand a
little. That's why I am explaining it.
...and
seven rows of very tall trees. Their tallness represents wisdom. If you have wisdom, you're high; without it you're short. It's not a
question of how tall or short your body is. With wisdom, you have seven rows of
trees; without wisdom you have seven rows of grass! The grass has smothered your
heart and you grow stupider and stupider. You do something once and you don't
understand. Someone explains it once, but you don't understand.
...all
formed from the four treasures and for this reason named 'Ultimate Bliss.' The
four treasures are gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal.
You
say, "The Land of Ultimate Bliss is made out of only four treasures?"
Ah,
the treasures in the Land of Ultimate Bliss are limitless and measureless;
nothing in this world compares to them. We in this world have never seen
anything like the treasures, which fill that land.
"Then
why do you only mention four kinds?" you ask.
The
four treasures represent the four kinds of virtuous practices, that is, the Four
Virtues of Nirvana; permanence, bliss, (true) self, and purity.
1.
Permanence. Amitabha Buddha's lifespan is limitless. Not only does Amitabha have
limitless life, but when we are born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, we will too.
If you would like a limitless life, seek rebirth in the Pure Land. Everyone
there has limitless life; this is the virtue of Permanence.
2.
Bliss. Those born in this land endure none of the sufferings, but enjoy every
bliss.
3.
(True) Self. Amitabha Buddha has Eight Great Freedoms, eight functions, eight
kinds of strength, and eight spiritual penetrations; these are just eight kinds
of wonderful function.
Eight
Great Freedoms of the Self
a.
One body can manifest limitless bodies. If a hundred people invite you to lunch,
you can accept all their invitations and go to every Dharma Protector's house to
eat. So one Dharma Protector says to another, "I invited him to eat with us
on such and such a day," and the other replies, "I also invited him on
that day. How can that be?" They
hadn't yet realized that on one day he...could respond to limitless offerings.
b.
One body the size of a dust-mote can completely fill the great thousand world
systems. Isn't this wonderful? In one mote of dust, Buddha-fields appear; in a
Buddha-field, motes of dust appear. One country becomes as small as a mote of
dust and one mote of dust becomes as large as a country.
c.
The great body can lightly float to a distant place. It can fly, fly to another
place. The body is big and awkward, but now it can gently float far away.
d.
Manifesting limitless kinds of living beings, which always dwell together in one
land. We see mountains as mountains when actually they contain the palaces of
the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. You see mountains and oceans but do not see the
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas within them who are teaching the Dharma. Kuo Ti has
mentioned such a place where there are many people cultivating the Way; he can
see it and you can't. This is to take limitless kinds of living beings and cause
them to dwell in one place.
e.
All the organs are used interchangeably. The eyes can speak; the ears can see:
the nose can eat. Why? The six sense organs, eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and
mind, are interchangeable and so each of them has the function of the other
five. Sages who have given proof to the fruit of Arhatship may speak with the
Bodhisattvas but-you would not know because they would be talking with their
ears!
"I
don't believe it," you say.
Of
course you don't. If you did, you'd have this talent yourself. But because you
don't believe, you don't have it. How can you obtain what you don't even believe
in?
f.
Obtaining the suchness of all dharmas without the thought of dharmas. Although
he obtains all dharmas, he has no thought of attainment. This is spoken of in the
Heart Sutra as "No wisdom and no
attainment.1
--------------------------
1
T. 251, p.848c:10.
g.
The meaning of one gatha may be explained throughout limitless kalpas. The
meaning of a single line, a single word, cannot be fully explained even in
limitless kalpas. Why? Because he has free and unobstructed eloquence so that
speaking horizontally, it's Dharma, speaking vertically, its dharma. Speaking
Dharma in Buddha-fields and in motes of dust, any dharma he selects contains
limitless meanings. Having rightly attained the Eight Great Freedoms of the
Self, he does what tie pleases and says what he likes. He can scold people, but they still like to hear it. "He scolds very
well," they say. He may teach Dharma by doing nothing but scolding people,
and yet they say it's very nice to hear, very pleasant. Why? Because he has
rightly attained the Eight Great Freedoms of the Self, and because he is free.
When you hear him speak you, too, feel free.
h.
The body pervades all places like space. One body fills Buddha-fields in number
as dust motes, but like empty space, there's really nothing there. Although
there's nothing there, it fills Buddha-fields in number as dust motes. What
doctrine is this? That of freedom, the Eight Great Freedoms of the Self.
The
Sutra text below says, "...and throughout the clear morning each living
being of this land, with sacks full of the myriads of wonderful flowers, makes
offerings to the hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddhas of the other
directions. At mealtime they return to their own country and having eaten they
stroll around." They are able in the space of one morning to go everywhere
in the ten directions making offerings to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
because they have the Eight Great Freedoms of Self.
4.
Purity. This land is pure. It is adorned with the four treasures in unobstructed
interpenetration, which represents the Four Virtues of Nirvana, and is for this
reason named 'Ultimate Bliss.'
Sutra:
"Moreover,
Sariputra, this Land of Ultimate Bliss has pools of the seven jewels, filled
with the eight waters of merit and virtue. The bottom of each pool is pure,
spread over with golden sand. On the four sides are stairs of gold, silver,
lapis lazuli, and crystal; above are raised pavilions adorned with gold, silver,
lapis lazuli, crystal, mother-of-pearl, red pearls, and carnelian.
"In
the pools are lotuses as large as carriage wheels: green colored of green light;
yellow colored of yellow light; red colored of red light; white colored of white
light; subtly, wonderfully, fragrant and pure.
"Sariputra,
the realization of the Land of Ultimate Bliss is thus meritoriously
adorned."
Commentary:
The
previous passage of text described the subtle, wonderful, exquisite beauty of
the grounds of the Land of Ultimate Bliss. This passage praises the subtle
wonder of its water pools. Having spoken of the seven rows of trees, the seven
layers of netting, and the seven tiers of railings, Sakyamuni Buddha was waiting
for Sariputra to ask him further about the situation in that land, but the Great
Wise Sariputra, the Buddha's most intelligent disciple, still did not know where
to begin. He probably hesitated for several minutes and so the Buddha himself
said, "Moreover, Sariputra, this Land of Ultimate Bites has 'pools of the
seven jewels." There are pools in the Saha world, but they are made of mud
or cement. No one makes pools out of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal,
mother-of-pearl, red pearls, or carnelian.
The
Seven Jewels are:
1.
Gold,
2.
Silver,
3. Lapis lazuli,
is an (opaque) green-colored gem. It also means "not far," because
this gem could be found near the country of Magadha, in Central India.
4.
Crystal, is also called "water Jade."
5.
Mother-of-pearl has what looks like cart tracks running across it.
6.
Red pearls,
7. Carnelian.
These
pools of the seven Jewels were not man-made. On the contrary, they appeared
naturally. Within the pools one
finds the eight waters of merit and virtue:
1.
Warm and Cool.
It's
warm and yet cool. In other words, once you get in the pool, if you want it a
little warmer, it becomes so. If you think, "It's too hot. A little cooler,
please," then it becomes cooler. This kind of quality is inconceivable.
2.
Pure.
No
matter how many times you wash with this water, it doesn't get dirty. Unlike the water in our world, the more you wash with the water In the
Land of Ultimate Bliss, the cleaner it gets. It feels like milk running over
your body, smooth, comfortable, and extremely subtle and fine to the touch. The
more you wash with it, the nicer you feel; there's no better feeling than this.
3. Sweet.
You
don't have to drink it. Just wash with it, and you'll know that It is very, very
sweet. This is like my disciple She Kuo Man in Hong Kong. When she came to Kuan
Yin Cave where I was living, I invited her to eat noodles and drink the spring
water. "Ah!" she said, "This water is so sweet! Does it have
sugar in it?"
"No,"
I replied, "it's just plain water."
"But
it's so sweet!" she said.
"Perhaps
Kuan Yin Bodhisattva has given you some sweet dew," I said.
"Oh!"
she exclaimed, and was really delighted. At that time I was wearing rags and you
could see my flesh through the holes in them. What do you think she did? She
made me two sets of clothing, because she liked the sweet water. The water in
the Land of Ultimate Bliss is also sweet and delicious.
4.
Soft. The water is not hard. It's very light and soft.
5. Moistening.
When dirty people wash with it, they turn white. This water will wash any filth right off your body and leave you bright
and clean.
6. Harmonizing.
If you wash with this water, your heart and mind will be at peace, without the
slightest trace of bad temper. Without a hot temper, without the fire of
ignorance, and without affliction, you will harmonize with everyone. If they
scold you, you won't get angry. If they knock you down, it's no problem.
"So what if they hit me?" you'll say. You'll be at peace with everyone. See how fine this is.
7. Banishes
hunger and thirst. This is most important: after bathing in the eight waters of
merit and virtue in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, you're not hungry when it's time
to eat, and when it's time to drink, you're not thirsty. No milk and no bread
and yet no hunger or thirst—the Land of Ultimate Bliss is unspeakably
wonderful.
8. Nourishes all
organs. It nourishes 911 your sense organs. Your eyes become bright and light. If your ears were deaf, now they can
hear. If your nose is stopped up, wash with the water of
merit and virtue; it will go to work again. No matter what you eat, it tastes
good, and your hands and feet can work without feeling tired. Not only that, the
water also nourishes your good roots and gets rid of your bad karma. How great
would you say this merit and virtue is?
Therefore,
we should quickly seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss so that we may
bathe in the pools of the seven jewels and have all our organs nourished. This
is a general explanation of the eight waters of merit and virtue. Were I to
speak in detail, I wouldn't finish to the end of a great kalpa. These eight
waters have eight independent merits and virtues, eight happy merits and
virtues, eight subtle, wonderful, inconceivable merits and virtues.
The
bottom of Saha pool is pure, spread over with golden sand. No matter what
karmic obstacles you have, once you get in these pools, they all dissolve.
What
are karmic obstacles? They are just the things, which your mind dislikes, the
things, which cause you to become afflicted. Without karmic obstacles there is
no affliction—-your karmic obstacles help you give rise to afflictions. So
when we go to the Land of Ultimate Bliss in the pools of the seven jewels we can
melt away our karmic obstacles.
On
the four sides are stairs of gold, silver, lapiz lazuli, crystal, mother of
pearl, red pearls, and carnelian. Why adorn them with so many treasures? To make
them beautiful to look at all these treasures used to make the pavilion are the
realization of Amitabha Buddha's ten thousand virtues. Because his virtuous practices are so great, the adornments are also
great. Without virtuous practice,
one has no seven-jeweled adornments. The seven jewels represent the perfected
practice of Amitabha Buddha's virtue.
In
the pools are lotuses as large as carriage wheels: There are flowers in the
pools. And how big are the pools? As big as a hundred great seas. One great sea
is big indeed; how big would you say a hundred great seas are?
The
lotuses in these pools are as large as carriage wheels, much bigger than
automobile tires. They are as large as the carriage wheels oh the chariot of the
Wheel Turning Sage King, which are one yojana in diameter. A small yojana is 40
miles in diameter, a middle-sized one is 60 miles, and a large one is 80 miles.
This lotus, then, is 80 miles in diameter. Lotuses growing in pools as large as
a hundred great seas would have to be at least that big. Little tiny flowers in
such big pools wouldn't look right.
Now,
a song:
Amita,
great sage and master
Sedate,
subtle, wonderful beyond all others,
Pools
of seven gems with
Flowers
of four colors and waves of solid gold...
Amitabha
Buddha is the great sage and master. His countenance is sedate, serene, and very
wonderful. There is no image as fine as that of Amitabha Buddha.
The
flowers in the pools are green colored, of green light, yellow colored of yellow
light: red colored of red light: white colored of white light. Light, bright
light--subtly, wonderfully, fragrant and pure. The water is subtle and soft. It
looks like water, but when you reach out to touch it, it feels as if nothing
were there. When you put your hand in our water it has the feel of water, but
this water is very fine; you can't grab a hold of it. It looks like water and
yet when you stick your hand in it, it is as if there were nothing there, even
though there is nothing there, your hand still gets wet. It's just that subtle.
"Wonderful"
means "unspeakable." There's no way you can even think about it. The
water is also fragrant: once you come upon it you won't want to leave it. It
will cause you to bring forth the Bodhi mind. As soon as you smell the fragrance
you absolutely want to cultivate. In this world, we chase after good smells. In
the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the fragrances cause one to say. "Oh! Too fine!
I'd better hurry up and cultivate the Way."
The
smells of this world cause you to think. "Not bad...It's really bitter at
the Temple. Cultivation isn't as good as..." But smells are defiled
dharmas: forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, are the five sense
objects and cultivators of the Way must certainly see through and break all
attachment to them. First of all, do not attach to beautiful form. Beauty is
just skin deep; beneath the skin there's just flesh and blood. In the Surangama
Sutra we read of Matangi’s daughter who couldn't give up her love for Ananda.1
She saw that Ananda was extremely handsome and she couldn't let him alone. The
Buddha asked her, "What is it about Ananda that you love?"
"I
love his eyes," she said.
"All
right" said the Buddha, "I'll poke out his eyes and you can have
them."
"Oh
no!" she said. "If you do that, they won't be of any use."
"If
they are of no use, then what are you doing loving them?" asked Sakyamuni
Buddha. Hearing this, Matangi immediately certified to the fruit of Arhatship.
So
one should not be attached to forms. In order to cultivate, one must borrow
forms and sounds and yet not become attached to them. Don't say, "Ah, this
music is so beautiful. When I hear this music, I...get all confused and don't
know what I'm doing!" If you must sing, sing in praise of Amitabha Buddha.
Don't become attached to smells, either.
When
I was in Hong Kong people used to follow me around. They said that I smelled
good. I really disliked this and so I put some foul-smelling stuff on myself to
keep them away. Everything is made from the mind alone. If one has samadhi
power, then fragrances aren't fragrant, and bad smells don't stink, good sounds
aren't good sounds and bad sounds aren't bad. Beauty isn't beautiful and
ugliness isn't ugly. Samadhi power is the skill one derives from cultivation. If
one has this skill, when people are good, one is not happy and when they are bad
one has no affliction. With samadhi power, one is not turned by the states of
the six sense objects.
If
one has samadhi power, one won't listen to the talk of one's tongue. One won't think, "I'll take a taste of this and see if it tastes
better than..." I often tell you that when I eat, I don't know if the food
is good or not. It's not that I don't know, if I didn't know I would be like
wood or stone, but I am just not affected by the taste. I eat the same amount,
whether it tastes good or not—no discrimination.
Touchables;
greed for touch indicates you lack samadhi power and are turned by states.
The
lotuses of four colors of the Land of Ultimate Bliss shine with four colons of
light, which represent the Four Applications of Mindfulness, the Four Right
Efforts, and the Four Bases of Psychic Power. In reciting and studying the
Amitabha Sutra, we should cultivate samadhi power. If you have samadhi power,
then the Land of Ultimate Bliss is right here; if you don't, even if you went to
the Land of Ultimate Bliss you'd run right off to the Land of Ultimate Misery.
With samadhi power the Land of Ultimate Misery is the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Without afflictions, you can say, "Everything is O.K." If that's not
the Land of Ultimate Bliss, what is?
--------------------------
1
T. 945, p. 106c:9
Sutra:
"Moreover,
Sariputra, in that Buddha-land there is always heavenly music and the ground is
yellow gold. In the six periods of the day and night a heavenly rain of
Mandarava flowers falls, and throughout the clear morning each living being of
this land, with sacks full of the myriads of wonderful flowers makes offerings
to the hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddhas of the other directions. At
mealtime they return to their own country and having eaten they stroll around.
"Sariputra,
the realization of the Land of Ultimate Bliss is thus meritoriously
adorned."
Commentary:
Sakyamuni
Buddha told Sariputra. "In Amitabha's country the gods play music all day
and all night, in the six periods, the beginning of the day, the middle of the
day, the end of the day, and in the beginning of the night, the middle of the
night, and the end of the night.
Mandarava,
a Sanskrit word, may be interpreted as "according to your wish"1, and
"large white flower."2 However you would like them to be that's the way
these flowers are. White flowers falling from the sky...
At
dawn, when the sun is just beginning to rise, the living beings of this land,
with sacks full of the myriads of wonderful flowers, make offerings to the
hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddhas of the other directions. How long
does it take? Not long, just the time it takes to eat a meal, half an hour or
so. In Taiwan, when you took the precepts, they only gave you ten minutes a day
to eat. These living beings can travel to billions of Buddha-lands in a very
short space of time because they have obtained the Eight Great Freedoms of the
Self. This kind of state is independent, and everything accords with their
wishes. They have obtained the "as you will" spiritual penetration. If
they want to go somewhere they arrive there immediately.
When
we bow to the Buddha we should contemplate and think of our bodies as filling
the limitless Buddha-lands of the ten directions, and personally bowing to all
the Buddhas. If you can contemplate the Dharma Realm then your body is just as
big as the Dharma Realm. So the Avatamsaka Sutra says,
"If
one wishes completely to understand
The
Buddhas of the three periods of time,
He
should contemplate the nature of the Dharma Realm:
Everything
is made from the mind alone."
At
mealtime they return to the Land of Ultimate Bliss and, having eaten, they go
for a walk.
------------------------------
1
 -shih yi hua.
2
 -pai hua.
|