往生禮讚偈 1.5

1.5

Moreover, as Vasubandhu’s Jingtulun states: If there are those who aspire to be born in that land, they are urged to cultivate the five gates of mindfulness. If the five gates are complete, rebirth is definitely attained. What are the five? The first is the gate of worship of bodily karma: namely, with single-minded devotion and reverence, joining the palms, making offerings of incense and flowers, and worshipping Amitābha. Worshipping means exclusively worshipping that Buddha, taking the end of one's life as the limit, without mixing in other worship; hence it is named the 'gate of worship'. The second is the gate of praise of verbal karma: namely, exclusively focusing the intention on praising that Buddha's bodily marks and radiance, the bodily marks and radiance of all the holy assembly, and all the jewelled adornments and radiance within that land, and so forth; hence it is named the 'gate of praise'. The third is the gate of contemplation through mental recollection: namely, exclusively focusing the intention on mindfully contemplating that Buddha, the bodily marks and radiance of all the holy assembly, the adornments of the land, and so forth. As the Contemplation Sūtra says, except when sleeping, constantly recollecting, constantly being mindful, constantly imagining, and constantly contemplating these matters; hence it is named the 'gate of contemplation'. The fourth is the gate of aspiration: namely, with single-mindedness, whether by day or by night, at all times and in all places, in the merits performed through the three karmic actions and four postures, regardless of beginning, middle, or end, always making aspirations in a genuine mind desiring to be born in that land; hence it is named the 'gate of aspiration'. The fifth is the gate of dedication: namely, with single-mindedness, giving rise to profound rejoicing in the roots of virtue performed by oneself and the roots of virtue performed by all holy and ordinary beings of the three vehicles and five paths. As the Buddhas and bodhisattvas rejoice, so too do I rejoice. Dedicating these roots of virtue of rejoicing along with the roots of virtue performed by oneself to that land together with all sentient beings; hence it is named the 'gate of dedication'. Furthermore, having arrived in that land, obtaining the six supernormal powers and returning to enter birth-and-death to teach and transform sentient beings, exhausting the future limit with a mind devoid of satiety, up until attaining buddhahood; this too is named the 'gate of dedication'. When the five gates are complete, rebirth is definitely attained. Each gate accords with the above three minds, and whichever karma and practice one initiates, regardless of quantity, is called genuine karma. One should know this.