龍舒增廣淨土文 4

English (machine translation) 4

Language: English

4.1

Compiled by Wang Rixiu, Jinshi of the Imperial Academy

The Pure Land teaching appears largely in the Larger Amitābha-sūtra and the Sixteen Contemplations Sūtra. It contains the shallow and the deep: that which is shallow has small merit and holds a low rank among the nine grades; that which is deep has great merit and holds a high rank among the nine grades. Yet all alike bring escape from saṃsāra and longevity without aging. Now I first set forth the shallow, and next reach the deep, according to what each person practices.

4.3

Practice Method 1

4.4

Among Amitābha Buddha's forty-eight vows, there is one vow that says: 'When I become a Buddha, if sentient beings of the ten directions, with sincere mind and joyful faith, desire rebirth in my land and recite my name even ten times, should they not be reborn there, may I not attain Buddhahood.' Thus this Buddha himself has sworn a vow to save people, merely using a person's ten recitations to manifest their heart of taking refuge. Every morning, face west with palms joined, make full prostrations, and recite 'Namo Amitābha' ten times. Again make a full prostration and recite once the verse of aspiration by Great Compassion Bodhisattva, which says: 'May we, together with all practitioners of recollection of the Buddha, / be born together in the Land of Utmost Bliss, / see the Buddha and end birth and death, / and save all beings just like the Buddha.' Then make another full prostration and withdraw. Being sincere like this, none will fail to attain rebirth, though one might fear that it will not be of a high rank among the nine grades. If one teaches an illiterate person to recite this verse, that person will obtain great blessings and retribution.

4.5

Practice Method 2

4.6

Every morning, face west with palms joined, make full prostrations, and recite: 'Namo Amitābha Buddha,' 'Namo Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva,' 'Namo Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva,' and 'Namo to all bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and all superior good people,' ten times each. Again make a full prostration and recite once the complete verse by Great Compassion Bodhisattva on praising the Buddha, repenting transgressions, dedicating merit, and making aspirations, which says: 'Of the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times, / Amitābha is foremost. / Saving sentient beings through the nine grades, / his majestic virtue is boundless. / I now take great refuge, / and repent the transgressions of the three karmas. / Whatever blessings and good deeds there may be, / I sincerely dedicate them all. / May all who practice recollection of the Buddha / experience stimulus and response manifest at all times. / At the end of life, may the western realm / appear clearly before our eyes. / Seeing and hearing it, may all be vigorous, / and together be born in the Land of Utmost Bliss. / Seeing the Buddha, may we end birth and death, / and save all beings just like the Buddha.' Then make another full prostration and withdraw. This verse has great power; it can eradicate all transgressions and increase all blessings. Whenever making full prostrations, it is especially good to burn incense and bow. Doing this daily will surely bring rebirth in the middle grade. If one teaches others to recite this verse, one will obtain great blessings and retribution.

4.7

Practice Method 3

4.8

Perform each recitation as before, but when recollecting the Buddha, visualize with the mind that one's body is in the Pure Land, with palms joined before the Buddha, reverently recollecting the Buddha. When recollecting the Bodhisattvas, do likewise. When recollecting all the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and all superior good people, visualize with the mind that one's body is in the Pure Land, and that the sound of one's recitation pervades all the bodhisattvas. When bowing before the śrāvakas and all superior good people, also visualize being in the Pure Land. When bowing and reciting the verses, also visualize being in the Pure Land, with palms joined before the Buddha, reverently reciting the verses. Only when an image of a Buddha or Bodhisattva is present is this not necessary. Even so, one must visualize the image as if the Buddha and Bodhisattvas are manifesting their bodies here, receiving my prostrations and hearing my recitations. With such single-minded devotion, the grade of rebirth will surely be high.

4.9

Great Bodhisattva Practice Concurrently Cultivating the Pure Land Method 4

4.10

In the morning, first face west, burn incense, make full prostrations, and pray, saying: 'Disciple [so-and-so], reverently on behalf of all sentient beings throughout the entire realm of empty space, burns incense and pays homage to all Buddhas, all true Dharma, and the holy assembly of all great bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and śrāvakas throughout the entire realm of empty space; to Dīpaṃkara Buddha of the past and our fundamental teacher Śākyamuni Buddha; to Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva; to the holy assembly of all bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and śrāvakas in the assembly of Śākyamuni Buddha; to Lokeśvararāja Tathāgata of the past; to the three hundred and sixty billion, one hundred and nineteen thousand, five hundred Buddhas of identical name and title, Amitābha Buddha, of the western realm of Sukhāvatī at present; to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva and Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva; to the holy assembly of all bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and śrāvakas in Amitābha Buddha's kṣetra (Buddha names may be added as one pleases, or not added); above, from all the devas, Indra, and the heavenly beings, the sun, moon, and stars, the Southern and Northern Dippers, the Directors of the Center and of Destiny, the Masters of Wind and Rain, and all efficacious spirits presiding over creation; below, to the earthly deities, the great peaks and deep seas, the myriad mountains and diverse waters, and all efficacious spirits presiding over creation; and in between, to all efficacious spirits in the human realm who govern misfortune and fortune: I pay homage to all universally, begging that all wholesome aspirations be fulfilled, so as to ferry across immeasurable and boundless sentient beings. I first pray that disciple [so-and-so], living in this present world, may be free from all sickness, disaster, and difficulty (pray as one wishes); that at the end of life I may know the time one month in advance; that transformation Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will come to welcome me; that the western realm will appear entirely in the sky, remaining for a long while so that all people may see it; that I may peacefully pass away as if entering dhyāna concentration, and thereupon see Amitābha Buddha, realize the forbearance of the non-arising of dharmas, and attain the six supernatural powers; and that within one year of this world, I may return to this place to teach and transform sentient beings, gradually transforming this Jambudvīpa and the entire world, and even immeasurable worlds of the ten directions, so that all become the pure Sukhāvatī.' Make full prostrations.

4.11

Again pray, saying:

4.12

'Disciple [so-and-so], reverently on behalf of all sentient beings throughout the entire realm of empty space, pays homage to all Buddhas of the three times throughout the entire realm of empty space. Looking up, I contemplate the Tathāgatas' great kindness and great compassion: pitying and being mindful of sentient beings sinking in the sea of suffering with no time of escape, may those who are in nirvāṇa all emerge from nirvāṇa to save sentient beings endlessly and unceasingly; may those presently living in the world diligently turn the wheel of the Dharma to awaken the multitude of the confused endlessly and unceasingly; and may those of the future enter among the myriad species to broadly plant roots of goodness endlessly and unceasingly, ceasing only after having saved all sentient beings. May the assemblies of pratyekabuddhas and śrāvakas also be likewise.' Make full prostrations.

4.13

Again pray, saying:

4.14

'Disciple [so-and-so], reverently on behalf of all good people throughout the entire realm of empty space, recites the Longevity Verse spoken by the Buddha seven times, wishing that the lifespan of these good people be lengthened, broadly transforming sentient beings so that all transcend the sea of suffering: / I show kindness to all nāga kings, / both in heaven and in the world; / by means of this compassionate mind of mine, / may all poisons and hatred be extinguished. / By the accumulation of wisdom, / I intentionally destroy this poison; / whether poisonous in taste or tasteless in poison, / may it be broken, destroyed, and sink into the earth.' Make full prostrations. The Buddha said: If one recites this with a pure mind seven times in the early morning, it causes one to have long life. Now, reciting it on behalf of all good people throughout the entire realm of empty space, the merit is exceedingly great.

4.15

Again pray, saying:

4.16

'Disciple [so-and-so] sincerely pays homage to the World-Honoured One Sunlight and Moonlight Radiance, to Fire Radiance Tathāgata, and to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. I beg that you be mindful of disciple [so-and-so] daily reciting the holy names of the Tathāgatas and Bodhisattva one hundred and eight times each. Looking up, I contemplate your great kindness and great compassion: may each, by vow power, cause me to awaken early to true nature, increase and exalt the power of blessings, and be free from all sickness, disaster, and difficulty. The above three are for the sake of saving sentient beings.' Make full prostrations.

4.17

Again pray, saying:

4.18

'Disciple [so-and-so], reverently on behalf of all sentient beings in this Jambudvīpa, great and small, pays homage to all the devas, Indra, and heavenly beings, the sun, moon, and stars, the Southern and Northern Dippers, the Directors of the Center and of Destiny, the Masters of Wind and Rain, and all efficacious spirits presiding over creation; to all earthly efficacious spirits, the great peaks and deep seas, the myriad mountains and diverse waters, and all efficacious spirits presiding over creation; and to all efficacious spirits in the human realm who govern misfortune and fortune. Universally paying homage, on behalf of these sentient beings I offer thanks for the kindness of covering and supporting, shining down upon, generating, nurturing, and protecting them. Disciple [so-and-so] reverently recites 'Namo Śākyamuni Buddha' one hundred and eight times on behalf of these sentient beings to plant supreme roots of goodness, and recites 'Namo Amitābha Buddha' one hundred and eight times to form supreme wholesome connections. May these sentient beings constantly bathe in great kindness, face one another with joy, not fight or kill one another, not eat or oppress one another, cultivate and advance in the Buddhadharma, escape the sea of suffering, and instantly transform this Jambudvīpa into Sukhāvatī.' Make full prostrations.

4.19

Again pray, saying:

4.20

'Disciple [so-and-so] gives thanks for heaven and earth covering and supporting, the sun, moon, and stars shining down, creation generating and bringing forth, the spirits protecting and aiding, parents giving birth and nurturing, ruler and ministers shielding and protecting, masters and teachers instructing, benefactors guiding and supporting, as well as the sources from which clothing and food come, the places of enjoyment, the places of service and command, and the places of walking, standing, and sitting—giving thanks to all who have bestowed kindness and power upon oneself. Reverently on their behalf, I recite 'Namo Śākyamuni Buddha' one hundred and eight times to plant supreme roots of goodness, and recite 'Namo Amitābha Buddha' one hundred and eight times to form supreme wholesome connections. May all living beings who are alive early realize the true fruit of bodhi, and those who have passed away all be born in Sukhāvatī.' Make full prostrations. Having completed the practice of these six sections, then face west and cultivate the Pure Land [practices].

4.21

Great Bodhisattva Cultivating Pure Land Method 5

4.22

In the early morning, face west, burn incense, make full prostrations, and pray, saying: 'Disciple [so-and-so], reverently on behalf of all sentient beings in the realm of empty space, pays homage to the holy assembly of the west, reciting the four holy names ten times. Looking up, I contemplate the holy assembly's great kindness and great compassion: specially unfolding majestic spiritual power, exactly as if each and every one of these sentient beings had themselves recited them ten times, pluck them all out and ferry them to birth in the Land of Utmost Bliss.' Then recite the four holy names ten times each, and make full prostrations.

4.23

Again pray, saying:

4.24

'Disciple [so-and-so], reverently on behalf of all sentient beings throughout the entire realm of empty space, praises Amitābha Buddha, repents transgressions, dedicates merit, makes aspirations, and pays homage. Looking up, I contemplate the Tathāgata's great kindness and great compassion: specially unfolding majestic spiritual power, exactly as if each and every one of these sentient beings had themselves praised the Buddha, repented transgressions, dedicated merit, made aspirations, and paid homage, pluck them all out and ferry them to birth in the Land of Utmost Bliss.' Then recite the complete verse by Great Compassion Bodhisattva once (located in the first section at the beginning of the fascicle), and make full prostrations.

4.25

Again pray, saying:

4.26

'Disciple [so-and-so], reverently on behalf of all sentient beings throughout the entire realm of empty space, pays homage to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva, and all bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and all superior good people of the western realm of Sukhāvatī. Looking up, I contemplate your great kindness and great compassion: pitying and being mindful of sentient beings sinking in the sea of suffering with no time of escape, specially unfold your majestic spiritual power, mutually exhorting one another, dividing your bodies to appear in this land of Cīnasthāna as high ministers and court officials, together assisting our sovereign in governance and instruction, causing sentient beings not to fight or kill one another, nor eat or oppress one another, transforming the world into pure harmony and together ascending to benevolence and longevity; and throughout this Jambudvīpa, this entire Sahā world, and the turbid and evil worlds of the ten directions, manifest bodies as kings, ministers, and all officials, using these offices to teach and transform sentient beings to cultivate the Buddha Path together and escape the sea of suffering, instantly transforming our country and even the turbid and evil worlds of the ten directions all into the pure Sukhāvatī.' Make full prostrations.

4.27

(An old edition says: 'On the fourteenth day of the fourth month of the yimao year of the Yanyou era [1315 CE], artisans were ordered to carve the printing blocks. On the first night of the tenth month, when carving reached this block, one śarīra emerged. On the seventh day, when carving reached the word fa [Dharma], another śarīra emerged. On the Xiayuan festival day, when carving reached the word sheng [Holy], yet another śarīra appeared. They remain preserved within the blocks, kept for veneration and offerings.' We respectfully hope that those who read this text and witness these miraculous responses will together give rise to a deep and firm faith, and please observe and practice according to it, surely to be born in the Pure Land. This is precisely what Layman Longshu meant when he said that practitioners from antiquity down to the present have been numerous; how could there be no stimulus and response! These words are doubly weighty.)

4.28

If one does not eat meat, this is of great goodness. If due to illness one cannot avoid eating the three kinds of clean meat, then pray, saying:

4.29

"Disciple [so-and-so], because I am ensnared in the mundane net and my past karma is profound and heavy, my internal organs and physical body are frail and weak, so that I cannot avoid at times eating the three kinds of pure meat. On behalf of the sentient beings whose meat was eaten yesterday, I respectfully recite 'Namo to the thirty-six trillion, one hundred and nineteen thousand, five hundred Amitābha Buddhas of identical name and title in the Western Sukhāvatī' forty-nine times. I reverently reflect that the Tathāgata, with Great Kindness and Great Compassion, will specially display his awe-inspiring spiritual power: just as these sentient beings gave up their physical lives to provide for the reciter, I pray that this recitation will assist and support them, definitively delivering and causing them to be born in Sukhāvatī. I [so-and-so] make the vow that the physical energy nourished by the meat eaten and the good karma performed with it shall be shared with these sentient beings. May these sentient beings first be born in Sukhāvatī, and when I am born in Sukhāvatī, see the Buddha and hear the Dharma, realize the six supernormal powers, and come to this Jambudvīpa to transform and deliver sentient beings, may these sentient beings all follow along, jointly transform sentient beings, and together ascend to the Buddha Path." [Make] prostrations.

4.30

If one does not eat meat, then on behalf of the silkworms that produced the silk and floss for the clothes worn throughout one's life, as well as the silkworms that produced the floss and fabrics that have come into contact with oneself, one should recite as before.

4.31

One also prays:

4.32

"Disciple [so-and-so], on behalf of the sentient beings killed and eaten today in this Jambudvīpa, respectfully recites the holy title 'Namo to the thirty-six trillion, one hundred and nineteen thousand, five hundred Amitābha Buddhas of identical name and title in the Western Sukhāvatī' one hundred and twenty times. I reverently reflect that the Tathāgata, with Great Kindness and Great Compassion, for each utterance of the Tathāgata's name recited by me, will have one Tathāgata deliver one sentient being. Throughout the full count of this recitation it shall likewise be so, delivering them all to be born in Sukhāvatī." [Make] prostrations.

4.33

Practice Method 6 (Śākyamuni Buddha personally taught this to the two elderly people, so there is no reason to doubt it. If someone maintains the recitation with an utmost heart, and also recites the Rebirth Dhāraṇī, resolving enmity, prolonging life, gaining great blessed retribution, realizing the patience of non-arising, and dwelling in the stage of non-retrogression, how could this not be magnificent? Respectfully encouraged by Lü Yuanyi.)

4.34

When Śākyamuni Buddha was in the world, there were an old man and an old woman who used a peck of grain to keep count while reciting Amitābha Buddha's name, wishing to be reborn in the West. The Buddha said: "I have another method that will allow you, with a single utterance of the Buddha's name, to obtain the count of many pecks of grain." He then taught them to recite: "Namo to the thirty-six trillion, one hundred and nineteen thousand, five hundred Amitābha Buddhas of identical name and title in the Western Sukhāvatī." This comes from the Baowang lun. I once tested it against non-glutinous grain: one ge contains one thousand eight hundred grains, so this number corresponds to the count of two thousand dan. Since the Buddha personally taught this to the two elderly people, its merit is known to be extremely vast. If an ignorant person cannot recite it [all], simply reciting [the name] alone is also acceptable. Teaching others the full recitation yields great blessed retribution. Or one may also combine it with chanting the Shorter Amitābha-sūtra or the Larger Amitābha-sūtra or other Buddhist sūtras, dedicating [the merit] according to the quantity, wishing to be born in the West—all are acceptable. The Dhāraṇī for Pulling Out All Karmic Roots and Rebirth in the Pure Land:

4.36

The characters of the dhāraṇī were originally not characters of the Buddha's country, but were those used by the sūtra translators; many people find these characters difficult to recognize and do not read them. When the Buddha first spoke them, there were only sounds. Now preserving their sounds and substituting easily recognized characters does not lose the Buddha's original intent, and there is no need for further doubt. Moreover, punctuation in the world is mostly erroneous; now I have matched the identical punctuation from two places in the canon, so there is also no need for doubt. If one recites this mantra, Amitābha Buddha will always dwell atop one's head, not allowing enemies to do harm; in the present life one will be secure and at peace, and at the end of life be reborn [in the Pure Land] at will. If one completes two hundred thousand recitations, the sprout of bodhi will grow. At three hundred thousand recitations, before long one will see Amitābha Buddha face to face. In the Jin dynasty, when Dharma Master [Hui]yuan recited this mantra, a divine person came from the west holding a silver dais and said: 'When the Dharma Master's lifespan ends, you will ride this to be born in Amitābha Buddha's land.' The assembly heard what sounded like music playing in the sky, and an extraordinary fragrance did not dissipate for several days.

4.37

Practice Method 7

4.38

The Buddha asked Ānanda: "Do you wish to see a person bound for hell?" Ānanda said: "I wish to see him." The Buddha said: "One whose body commits evil, whose mouth speaks evil, and whose mind thinks evil—this is a person bound for hell." This means that the good and evil of human life are nothing more than the three karmas of body, speech, and mind. Now, if all three karmas are evil, this is purely black karma, which is why one enters hell. If all three karmas are good, then it is purely white karma, and one is born in the heavens. If among the three karmas one karma is good, then it is mixed karma, and one also does not enter hell. Therefore, even if body and mind are evil, if the mouth recites the Buddha's name, this is still one good karma, far superior to all three karmas being evil. How much more so if, while the mouth recites the Buddha's name, the mind can also visualize the Buddha's image—then the mental karma is good; and if one uprights the body and holds the counting beads in hand, then the physical karma is good. If one is constantly able to make these three karmas good so as to cultivate the Pure Land, one is certain to be born in the highest grade. I once heard a shrimp vendor in Zhenjiang cry out 'Shrimp!' once, and I knew that all three of his karmas were evil. Why? Carrying the shrimp baskets on his body made his physical karma evil; desiring to sell shrimp in his mind made his mental karma evil; calling out to sell shrimp with his mouth made his verbal karma evil. From this it is known that with a single cry of 'Shrimp!', all three karmas were evil; this is what the Buddha called a person bound for hell. Looking at it this way, there are many so-called persons bound for hell right before our eyes; can this not be feared? Sentient beings, through ignorance, do not understand cause and effect and fall into transgressive evil, which is deeply pitiable. Guiding and transforming them by explaining this teaching is called the gift of Dharma. The gift of Dharma is the greatest of givings; how could its blessed retribution be easily measured? Someone may ask: 'When a person unremittingly recites the Buddha's name, it is just like calling out to a person; if one calls out to him unremittingly, that person is bound to become angry. Therefore, unremittingly reciting the Buddha's name is not yet sufficient to be good.' This is not so! From beginningless time, the verbal karma and verbal transgressions of sentient beings have accumulated like mountains and oceans; even with frequent recitation of the Buddha's name to wash them away, one still fears it is not enough. How could this be compared to calling an ordinary person's name? Furthermore, the Buddhas themselves opened this Dharma gate of recitation in order to encourage and guide sentient beings to make their verbal karma good, so as to gradually refine their body and mind. Therefore, the claim that unremitting recitation of the Buddha's name is not yet sufficient to be good is the talk of worldly folk, not the words by which the Buddhas guide sentient beings, and is not worth adopting.

4.39

Practice Method 8

4.40

Completely maintaining the purification precepts, while also bowing to the Buddha, recollecting the Buddha, reading and chanting Mahāyāna scriptures, and understanding the primary truth, and dedicating this with the vow to be born in the West, one is certain to attain the highest level of the highest grade. What is meant by purification? Not eating meat, not drinking alcohol, not engaging in sexual misconduct, and not eating the five pungent roots. What is meant by precepts? Killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct are the three karmas of the body; false speech, frivolous speech, divisive speech, and harsh speech are the four evils of speech; covetousness, anger, and wrong views are the three karmas of the mind. In total these are the ten precepts; being able to uphold them without violation is the ten virtues. If one violates them and does not uphold them, these are the ten non-virtues. Completely upholding the ten precepts leads to birth in heaven. Upholding the first four precepts, adding abstinence from alcohol, constitutes the five precepts. Being able to uphold these five precepts ensures one does not lose a human body. For those cultivating the Pure Land, it is not limited to this. If one completely upholds the ten precepts, added to the merits spoken of above, one is certainly assured the highest level of the highest grade. If one only upholds the five precepts while cultivating the Pure Land, one still will not fail to attain the middle level of the highest grade or the lowest level of the highest grade. If, moreover, one cannot uphold the five precepts, how can one fail to refrain from killing? Refraining from killing is foremost among the five precepts, foremost among the ten precepts, and foremost among the five hundred and fifty precepts of a monk. Thus, not killing is great goodness, while killing is great evil. Therefore it is said: 'Whenever you wish to kill a living being, simply look at yourself: your own body must not be killed, and the lives of creatures are no different.' Therefore, not killing yields the retribution of long life, while killing yields the retribution of short life. This means that oneself desires a long life, and creatures also desire a long life. To kill the lives of creatures while desiring one's own life to be long—how could there be such a principle? Therefore killing living beings must be abstained from. Whenever one kills living beings to provide for the mouth and belly, when will the desires of the mouth and belly ever be satisfied? Once the chopsticks are set down, the flavor is already gone, yet the killing karma remains intact. If one kills living beings to entertain guests—if one customarily does not kill, guests will have nothing to say against it; moreover, the sin would be borne by oneself. The sūtra says: 'Alone one comes, alone one goes; alone one wanders through saṃsāra, alone one receives the retribution.' Looking at this, how could one kill living beings on behalf of others? If one kills living beings to make offerings to ancestors, could there be a lack of vegetarian dishes and pure delicacies? Confucius said: 'Even with coarse food, vegetable broth, and gourds, when offering sacrifice he necessarily displayed purification.' If so, what could be unacceptable about this? If one burns incense and recites sūtras, relying on the Buddha's power to deliver them, they are sure to achieve transcendent rebirth. Therefore, none of this depends on killing living beings. If one can only uphold this single precept of not killing to cultivate the Pure Land, one will already not be born in the lowest grade.

4.41

Practice Method 9

4.42

Purifying oneself with precepts, cleansing the mind and calming thoughts, sitting peacefully facing west, closing the eyes in silence, visualize the true golden body of Amitābha Buddha seated upon a great lotus flower in the Western seven-jeweled pond. His body is sixteen feet tall; between his eyebrows, pointing upward, is a white curl of hair, eight-faceted, hollow inside, coiling to the right five times, its radiance illuminating his golden face and golden body. Next, settle the mind and focus attention on the white curl, without allowing the slightest wandering thought to arise; make it so that whether closing or opening the eyes, one sees it completely, wishing never to forget it thought after thought. Practicing like this for a long time until the mindful heart matures, stimulus and response will naturally occur and one will see the Buddha's entire body. This method is the most supreme: when the mind thinks of the Buddha, this mind is itself the Buddha. It surpasses oral recitation; after death one is certain to attain the highest level of the highest grade. During the Tang dynasty, Qifang and Yuanguo practiced the visualization method for only five months and felt their bodies arrive in the Pure Land, seeing the Buddha and hearing the Dharma, which is recorded in Fascicle 5. The so-called Sūtra of the Sixteen Contemplations details the various visualization methods, which are not limited to this alone.

4.43

Practice Method 10

4.44

Visualize Amitābha Buddha's body as exceedingly tall, reaching up to the sky, with the lotus flower on which he sits proportionally large. Then focus attention on the white curl of hair between his eyebrows, completely according to the method described in the preceding chapter. This method is the most supreme, because when the mind thinks of the Buddha, this mind is itself the Buddha. As the visualization is exceedingly great, the mindfulness is likewise exceedingly great. If one is unable to do this, visualizing a small image is also acceptable; one only needs to be single-minded and concentrated, not scattered. According to the Contemplation Sūtra: 'Visualize the physical marks and radiance of Amitābha Buddha as resembling the color of Jāmbūnada gold of hundreds of thousands of koṭis [of worlds]. The Buddha's body is six hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of Ganges sands of yojanas tall; the white curl of hair between his eyebrows is like five Sumeru Mountains; the Buddha's eyes are like the waters of the four great oceans, blue and white clearly distinct; with unconditioned compassion he gathers in sentient beings.' Jāmbūnada gold is the most vast and beautiful gold. A nayuta is ten thousand koṭis. A yojana is sixty li. According to what is said here, how could it ever be exhausted? A single yojana of Ganges sands is already inexpressibly vast, how much more so sixty trillion times ten thousand koṭis of Ganges sands of yojanas!

4.45

Practice Method 11

4.46

Simultaneously, contemplate Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, eighty million nayutas of yojanas tall, purple-gold in body, the palms of the hands displaying the colors of five hundred billion mixed lotuses, with eighty-four thousand rays of light, which are soft and pliable, using these jeweled hands to guide and receive sentient beings. Next, contemplate Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva, eighty million nayutas of yojanas tall, the light of his entire body purple-gold in color, visible to all sentient beings who possess the karmic affinity. Next, visualize oneself being born in the Western Sukhāvatī, sitting cross-legged within a lotus flower, forming the thought of the lotus closing and the thought of it opening, and seeing the Buddhas and bodhisattvas filling empty space.

4.47

Methods of Cultivation, Twelve

4.48

Arouse the mind to rescue and deliver sentient beings, arouse the utterly sincere mind, arouse the steadfast mind, arouse the profound mind, and in addition practice prostrations and recollection of the Buddha. In this way, in the present life one will receive the Buddha's protective blessing, and after this life one will certainly attain rebirth in the highest grade of the highest grade. The mind to rescue and deliver sentient beings means vowing to be born in the Pure Land, see the Buddha, attain the Way, and thereafter rescue and deliver sentient beings from the sea of suffering, not merely saving oneself alone. The utterly sincere mind means taking refuge with total sincerity, without carelessness or hypocrisy. The steadfast mind means cultivating and advancing with firm resolve, never retrogressing. The profound mind means using one's mind so profoundly that it penetrates straight to the Pure Land, like seeking a pearl at the bottom of the sea. The Buddhas of the three periods of time and the sentient beings of the dharmadhātu are all created by the mind; if my mind is like this, how could I fail to attain rebirth in the highest grade of the highest grade?

4.49

Methods of Cultivation, Thirteen

4.50

Providing meals for monks and making offerings to the Buddha, burning incense and presenting flowers, hanging banners and building stūpas, reciting the Buddha's name and performing repentance rituals—all such diverse forms of venerating the Three Jewels—and dedicating this merit with the vow to be born in the West, is also acceptable. Or doing all kinds of worldly beneficial, expedient, and good deeds: if as a child one is filial and supports one's parents, as an elder brother one is affectionate to one's younger brothers, as a younger brother one is respectful and compliant toward one's elder brother, so that within the inner chambers nothing is not thoroughly good, and among the clan there is nothing but harmony; if with neighbors, villages, and relatives by marriage one interacts with propriety and treats one another with benevolence; and even when serving the ruler one is wholehearted for the state, when serving as an official one is humane and benefits the people, as a superior one uses goodness to put the multitude at peace, as an inferior one is diligent in serving superiors; or guiding the foolish and deluded, aiding the orphaned and weak, relieving emergencies, helping the poor and needy, repairing bridges and building wells, distributing medicine and dispensing food, reducing one's own livelihood to benefit others, being generous to others when facing wealth to practice self-restraint, encouraging people with goodness, or praising good and halting evil—performing all worldly goods according to one's ability and circumstances, and dedicating this with the vow to be born in the West, is also acceptable. Or performing any benefit for the world, regardless of whether it is large or small, much or little—even if one merely gives a single coin to another, or gives a single cup of water to another, down to a good deed as small as the tip of a hair—one must also give rise to the thought: 'With this good affinity, I dedicate the merit and vow to be born in the West.' Constantly keep this single thought uninterrupted, with thought after thought placed there, and one will certainly attain rebirth in the highest grade.

4.51

Methods of Cultivation, Fourteen

4.52

The Buddha said: 'Those who wish to be born in the Pure Land should cultivate the three kinds of merit. First, being filial and supportive toward parents, serving teachers and elders, having a compassionate mind without killing, and cultivating the ten wholesome actions. Second, receiving and upholding the three refuges, being fully equipped with the various precepts, and not transgressing deportment. Third, giving rise to the bodhi-mind, having deep faith in cause and effect, reading and reciting the Mahāyāna, and encouraging practitioners to advance. These are the proper causes for the pure karma of the Buddhas of the three periods of time.' The three refuges refer to taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha.

4.53

Methods of Cultivation, Fifteen

4.54

I have widely inspected the canonical scriptures, and there is no talk whatsoever of 'depositing into the treasury of the underworld.' I urge the people of the world to use the expenses spent on underworld deposits to invite monks to make offerings for the West; with single-minded focus on the West, one will certainly attain rebirth. If instead of doing this one makes underworld deposits, one's aspiration is set on the underworld, and upon death one will surely enter the underworld! It is like someone who, rather than practicing the conduct of a noble man to associate with the worthy and noble, deposits money with the jailer of the judicial office, waiting until he is cast into prison to use the money to avoid punishment. Is that not completely absurd!

4.55

Treatise on Eating Meat

4.56

The Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra says: 'There are immeasurable causes and conditions why one should not eat meat.' The flesh of sentient beings is fundamentally not something to be eaten; because people have grown accustomed to it through what their ears hear and their eyes see, they do not recognize its fault. If one can cut it off, it is indeed best. If one cannot cut it off, one should temporarily eat the three kinds of clean meat and reduce consumption—that is, meat that one did not see killed, did not hear killed, and does not suspect was killed for oneself. If one eats dishes with two kinds of meat, omit one of them; if both meals contain meat, make one of the meals vegetarian. A person's allotted sustenance in life is fixed; acting like this can naturally prolong life. The next day, one may chant and recite on behalf of these sentient beings to assist and dedicate merit to them, so that one can perhaps resolve grudges and eradicate sin. According to what King Yama told Zheng Lin, if one recites that Buddha with utmost sincerity, they will certainly attain rebirth.

4.57

Treatise on Avalokiteśvara's Seated Posture

4.58

According to the canonical scriptures, the hands, feet, and six sense faculties of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas are always upright and proper; hence they are called the 'eight straight features.' Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva originally sat in full lotus posture; his supernatural powers and transformations are sovereign and unhindered, hence he is called Guanzizai (Contemplating Sovereignty). Today, people make images sitting with one foot raised and one hand resting, calling it 'Sovereign Avalokiteśvara'; this is an error.

4.59

Longshu's Expanded Pure Land Writings, Fascicle 4 (End)

Linked texts (1)

龍舒增廣淨土文 — Classical Chinese