One cannot be born in this land through minor good roots, blessings,
virtues [good fortune] and causal connections.
This sentence tells us what is needed to be born in the Pure Land: abundant and great good roots, not just minor ones, and right causal connections, not just any ones. How do we get these? By chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha. When we do so, we share in the benefits derived from the good roots, good fortune, virtues, and causal connections of Amitabha and all other Buddhas. It is like that impoverished young man who, by living with his wealthy aunt, shared in her good fortune. Additionally, when chanting, we uncover our own good roots, good fortune, virtues, and causal connections that are already within our true nature. Uncovering these is why chanting the buddha-name is so important.
Why do we obtain all these by chanting Amitabha’s name?
Amitabha vowed that those who chant his name would be born in the Pure Land. This vow assures us that if we chant properly, we will receive his support. We do not get such support when we chant the names of other Buddhas. Why not? Because Amitabha’s forty-eight vows resonate with our true nature and because we have an excellent affinity with him. Other Buddhas do not have Amitabha’s forty-eight vows. Nor do we have a strong affinity with them. So the mutual resonance is not as powerful when we chant their names.
What are good roots, good fortune, and causal connections?
Good roots is our having firm belief and resolute vow. We have firm belief when we do not have the slightest doubt about the Pure Land teachings and when we understand and believe in the buddha-name chanting method. We have resolute vow when we let go of all worldly physical and mental concerns, and focus on being born in the Pure Land.
To accumulate and strengthen our good roots, we need to learn the Dharma. If we believe—but are unable to practice—then we do not have enough good fortune. We are not alone in this because in samsara the good roots and good fortune to become a Buddha are extremely rare.
Good fortune is making the vow to be born in the Western Pure Land, mindfully chanting the buddha-name, and practicing the teachings. It is meeting good fellow practitioners and learning and discussing the teachings with them to deepen our understanding. After we have this understanding, good fortune is applying what we believe and understand in our daily life, and single-mindedly chanting Amitabha’s name.
To want to be a Buddha is the highest aspiration we can have. If we have enough good fortune, we will find it easy to concentrate on Amitabha’s name and will not find ourselves distracted from the practice. If we do not yet have enough good fortune, we can work on letting go of our selfishness and doing good deeds for the sake of all beings.
Furthermore, it is crucial that we strive to always chant the buddha-name. This chanting makes it easier for our mind to become calm. Having a tranquil mind, we will better know how to help others. Gradually, as we help others, our good fortune will increase. This brings us full circle because having more good fortune makes it easier for us to concentrate on chanting the name of Amitabha, which is the wisest use of our good fortune. Using our good fortune unwisely, we will end up enjoying it here in samsara. Enjoying it here will be yet another tragic mistake because the good fortune of being reborn in samsara does not begin to compare with the good fortune of being born in the Pure Land.
Causal connections is having good conditions, those that enable us to practice. For this to happen, we need many conditions to occur.
First, we need to be reborn as a human, which is extraordinarily rare.
Second, we need to be reborn at a time when the teachings are present in the world. Such a rebirth is so rare because the teachings are absent from this world of Endurance for prolonged periods of time. As we previously learned, Sakyamuni’s teachings will only remain for 9000 more years, and Maitreya will not appear for another 5,670 million years after that. Additionally, even if the teachings are present in the world and we are reborn as humans during this time, we may not be in a place where we can learn them.
Third, if we do learn of the teachings, we may not be able to genuinely accept them.
Fourth, even if we do accept them, due to our personal situation, we may lack the conditions to practice.
Fifth, if we are able to practice Buddhism, we may encounter schools other than Pure Land, even though our roots are with the Pure Land school.
Sixth, even if we have the roots to encounter and learn the Pure Land teachings, we may not meet a teacher to learn from and practice under.
Finally, we may be able to hear of Buddhism, accept the teachings, later encounter the Pure Land method, and find our teacher, but then fail to make being born in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss the most important thing in our life!
All these are just some of the many problems we can encounter while trying to practice. Perhaps we can now begin to appreciate why it is so extraordinarily difficult for us to transcend samsara. Only when we have the good roots, good fortune, and good causal connections to accept and diligently practice the Pure Land Dharma door, without doubt or intermingling with other teachings, will we finally be able to transcend.
Understanding all this, we should value our good roots, good fortune, and causal connections, and seize this rare opportunity to be born in the Pure Land. The accumulation of such good roots and good fortune takes an unbelievably long time. If we sincerely vow to be born in the Pure Land and concentrate on chanting Amitabha’s name, we will be paying our gratitude to all Buddhas, to all our parents of countless lifetimes, and to our own true nature.
This true nature has always existed, but we have yet to uncover it. And so we remain in a seemingly endless dream. We should not wish to dream of having the good fortune to be successful, to win the praise of others, or to enjoy our good fortune in the cycle of rebirth. In the cycle of rebirth, whether we are suffering or enjoying our good fortune, the only difference is that we are either in a bad dream or a pleasant dream. Either way, we are in a dream.
We do not practice Buddhism to have pleasant dreams. We practice to awaken from all dreams! This is why Sakyamuni Buddha told us to be mindful of and attach to Amitabha Buddha to be born in his land. Up till now we have remained attached to our desires and opinions. Now, we need to sever our attachments to all that we like or dislike, to all that we are used to. We need, instead, to attach to the name of Amitabha Buddha so that we can always be mindful of him. Doing so, we will finally awaken and no longer be lost in a dream.
— Chapter 32, "Pure Mind, Compassionate Heart: Lessons from the Amitabha Sutra", Venerable Wuling
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