Ending the cycle of life and death is the most important thing
2024-11-11
Lecture by Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua
Reciting the name of the Buddha is the most important method in Sad-dharma-vipralopa (the Age of Dharma Ending), so now most people generally believe in the Reciting- Buddha method.
Don't underestimate the practice of chanting Buddha's name. Zen Master Yongming Yanshou chanted "Namo Amitabha", and a transformed Buddha came out of his mouth. This was visible to people with five eyes and six supernatural powers at that time, so the merits of chanting Buddha's name are incredible. And when you recite the name of Buddha, you will shine. Ah! As soon as the light shines, the demons and monsters will stay away and run far away. Therefore, the merits of chanting Buddha's name are very incredible.
This Reciting- Buddha method should not be taken as true, nor should it be taken as false. It's between true and false. If you use it well, it becomes true; if you don't use it well, it becomes false. This is not only true for the method of chanting Buddha's name, but also for all methods. As the saying goes, "When evil people practice righteous Dharma, righteous Dharma is also evil; when righteous people practice evil Dharma, evil Dharma becomes righteous."' It depends on the person.
So now when we practice and worship Buddha, we must also visualize; what should we visualize? Visualize that our body fills the realms of countless Buddhas in the ten directions. In the lands of Buddhas and in front of all Buddhas, we bow to all Buddhas. You can contemplate the Dharma Realm, and your body is as big as the Dharma Realm. That's why the Buddhist scriptures say:
If people want to understand all the Buddhas of the three times, they should observe the nature of the Dharma Realm, and everything is created by the mind.
The method of reciting Buddha's name is the easiest method to practice, and it is also a method that everyone can practice. As long as you always recite "Namo Amitabha", when you die, you will be reborn in Western Sukhāvatī, reborn from the lotus flower, listen to Amitabha's sermons every day, and become a Buddha in the future.
Originally, when we are about to die, we should chant the Buddha's name to be reborn in the Western Sukhāvatī. We are not dead now, so what is the use of chanting the Buddha's name now? Yes, it is useful when you are dead, but you have to cultivate it while you are alive. It's like if you plant a tree, the tree is now more than ten feet tall. The tree that is more than ten feet tall did not grow just today. It grew day by day in the past, and it is only more than ten feet tall now. The same is true for reciting Buddha's name. If you can recite Buddha's name now, when you are about to die, you will be free from illness, greed, anger, and delusion, and your mind will not be confused. If you recite Buddha's name with all your heart, Amitabha Buddha will take you away. If you don't recite it now, you won't be able to remember to recite the Buddha's name when the four elements are separated at the end of your life; Unless there is a good teacher to help you, remind you, and ask you to recite Buddha's name; Without the guidance of a good teacher, you will not remember that you should recite the Buddha's name. Therefore, when you are alive, you should recite the Buddha's name every day and achieve the "Nambutsu Samadhi" by reciting. When you are about to die, you will naturally recite "Namo Amitabha" and you will not forget Namo Amitabha. If you don't forget "Namo Amitabha", Amitabha will not forget you, so he will take you on the Great Wish Boat and use a golden platform to take you to the Western Sukhāvatī.
You recite Buddha's name, I recite Buddha's name. Why do you and I recite Buddha's name?
Ending the cycle of life and death, transforming the world of Saha, Amitabha is everywhere.
Without you and me,
What's there?
All things are contented by observing them quietly.
The worries are gone, the ignorance is broken, and you can jump out of the three realms of love.
What is the reason for you chanting Buddha's name? What is the purpose of me chanting Buddha's name? Tell me about it! Some foolish people say: "Please help me, Buddha, and eat something good tomorrow."' Some people chanted again: 'Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha, help me quickly, don't be so cold!' Some people recite Namo Amitabha because 'I hope there will be no troubles, good luck, peace and happiness.' Some people recite the Buddha's name in order not to suffer anymore. Although there are various differences, it is not mainly for this. What is it for? To end the cycle of life and death!
In terms of "ending the cycle of life and death," you must end this uncertain cycle of life and death. You should not be born and then die, die and be born again without your own will or domination. You must have a domination.
What is the dominance? We can live if we want to live, and die if we want to die.
As long as I am willing to live, I can recite "Namo Amitabha" every day. If I am not willing to give up my life span, I can live forever. If I am willing to die, I recite "Namo Amitabha", and Amitabha will come and take me to Sukhāvatī. There will be no problems at all; my body will be free of pain and illness; my heart will not be greedy, and my heart will not be greedy for anything; my mind will not be upside down, thought is also not reversed; as if enter Zen concentration, you will be reborn in Sukhāvatī, so it's mainly for this.
"Transformaing Saha" means transforming this Saha world into Sukhāvatī, Sukhāvatī without all suffering, but with all happiness.
Therefore, it is said that "Amitabha is everywhere," meaning that everywhere is Sukhāvatī, a world without suffering; Amitabha, everywhere is Sukhāvatī, and everywhere is Amitabha.
'Without you and me', you chant the Buddha's name until you are gone, I am gone, the Buddha is gone, nothing is left!
Said: 'Then this is too dangerous! If there is nothing left, is it not over?'
I'm afraid that you can't end it. If you really end it, you will be liberated. You haven't really ended it, so it won't end. What will happen if you really end it? 'All things are contented by observing them calmly', you understand everything in the world, even why are crows black? Why are white cranes white? Why are pine trees straight? Why do thorns bend? You get it.
At this time, you understand everything, your worries are gone, and your ignorance is broken. "Jump out of the great river of love in the three realms." You jump out of the great river of love in the three realms: Desire Realm, Form Realm, and Formless Realm. What is inside the Three Realms? Like a big love river!
Topsy-turvy, you say you love me, and I say I love you again. I love you again and again, and you love me to death, but you still don't know why. When you wait for the next life, you will still follow this path, and you will never get out.
Some people say: "Then I don't want to jump out of this love river", then you just wait a little longer!
If you stay here, you will be born and died, dead and reborn, in the cycle of life and death. One life is not as good as one life, and one death is not as good as one death. So you run down, run back and forth, and end up under the river. You can't get up, and you drown. Even more dead, really drowning! What is this drowning? It means that one has fallen to the extreme, and spirituality is fragmented and dispersed. Either become a small bug, or become a small ant, or become a mosquito. When you become such a small thing, your wisdom will be reduced, and your blessings will be gone. It is easy to die and to be born at this time. So, this is called "a birth is worse than a birth, and a death is worse than a death."
You have to understand that nothing in the world is certain. If something is certain, it has already been accomplished; if it has not yet become a fact, there is no certainty and there can be transformation. It seems that each of us is not qualified to be born in the Western Sukhāvatī. But as soon as you recite "Namo Amitabha", everyone is qualified to be born in the Western Sukhāvatī. It depends on whether you recite it or not. If you recite the Buddha's name, you can do what you can't do. Even being born in the Western Sukhāvatī is very difficult, but it can be done; What if you don't recite Buddha's name? What could have been done was not done successfully. You could have been reborn in Sukhāvatī, as soon as you recited the Buddha's name, you would be reborn; but if you did not recite the Buddha's name, you would not be reborn. Therefore, there is no fixed rule for things in the world.
The "Diamond Sutra" says: "There is no fixed method, and it is called Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi." This is a method of supreme enlightenment.
We must be brave, not afraid of hardship, difficulty, cold, or hunger, and move forward bravely until we reach Sukhāvatī world. When we recite 'Namo Amitabha', this is true; when we recite 'Namo Amitabha', ending the cycle of life and death is the most important thing.
