往生禮讚偈 1.4

1.4

Question: Now, wishing to urge people to attain rebirth, how should one settle the mind, initiate practice, and perform deeds so as to definitely attain rebirth in that land? Answer: For those who definitely wish to be born in that land, as spoken in the Contemplation Sūtra, possessing the three minds will definitely bring rebirth. What are the three? The first is the sincere mind: namely, bodily karma in worshipping that Buddha, verbal karma in praising and glorifying that Buddha, and mental karma in exclusively contemplating that Buddha. Whenever initiating these three karmic actions, one must be genuine, hence it is named the 'sincere mind'. The second is the deep mind: that is, the mind of true faith. It is believing and knowing that one's own person is an ordinary being endowed with afflictions and scant roots of virtue, transmigrating in the three realms and unable to escape the burning house. Now, believing and knowing that Amitābha’s primal and great universal vows, as well as the recitation of the name down to ten times or even once, definitely brings rebirth, without even a single thought of doubt, it is therefore named the 'deep mind'. The third is the mind of dedication and aspiration: dedicating all roots of virtue performed and aspiring for rebirth, hence it is named the 'mind of dedication and aspiration'. Endowed with these three minds, one will definitely attain rebirth; if lacking even one mind, one will not attain rebirth, as fully explained in the Contemplation Sūtra. One should know this.