The thought of reciting the Buddha's name is the pure cause for leaving the cycle of life and death
2025-03-16
Lecture by Master Hanshan Deqing
What a sigh! The reason why all living beings are trapped in the cycle of birth and death in the six realms is because of the faults caused by a single delusion.
The reason lies in the initial thought of Avidyā (ignorance), which gives rise to all kinds of delusions; when delusions accumulate in the mind for a long time, one becomes ignorant of the truth of things, and then, according to the circumstances that arise, greed, anger, and ignorance arise, and one commits all kinds of karma, such as killing, stealing, adultery, and lying. Because delusions cannot be eliminated, the karma created is endless and the sufferings of birth and death are endless. According to the power of karma, one is constantly trapped in the cycle of birth and death in various realms.
Now we know that the Buddha had already told us clearly in the "Śūraṅgama Sūtra" that all sentient beings in this world, due to a single thought of delusion, give rise to confusion and create karma, and according to the retribution of their karma, they are different and have been transformed into twelve kinds of beings (egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born, transformation-born, with form, without form, with thought, without thought, neither with form, neither without form, neither with thought, neither without thought).
Moreover, in daily life, all sentient beings have delusional thoughts, and every thought they have is contaminated. Thus, one day and one night is already an endless cycle of birth and death. Not to mention, since they began to have Vijñāna (consciousness), until the end of their lives, they have been filled with delusions in every thought. How can we clearly calculate the amount of bad karma that sentient beings have committed? Moreover, the Buddha also said that these twelve categories of sentient beings, within each category, also have twelve kinds of life. In this way, they are intertwined and influence each other, evolving into many karmic causes and sufferings. How can we imagine this!
Since those who practice Zen are following Buddhism, everyone should obey the Buddha's words and act according to the teachings; If we have not yet accomplished our Taoist deeds, we should be deeply ashamed and always fearful, and we should develop the supreme Bodhicitta.
From today on, let go of all the delusions that have been chasing after things in your life; Instead, chant the name of Amitabha Buddha and return to your true nature, with your mind fixed on it without wavering or interruption.
You must know that all the previous worries and delusions are the contaminated causes of birth and death; now the thought of reciting the Buddha's name is the pure right cause for escaping from the cycle of birth and death.
If one can use this pure thought to influence the previously contaminated causes of suffering and transform them into the true causes of the Pure Land, then one can immediately transform the causes and consequences of suffering from the cycle of life and death for countless eons into the causes and consequences of happiness of rebirth in the Pure Land.
In short, there are no two different paths for saints and ordinary people, but due to the mutual influence between impurity and purity. The key to escaping from the cycle of suffering of birth and death is to recite the Buddha's name and seek rebirth in the Pure Land. If you want to seek profound knowledge and insights outside, you are always deceiving yourself.
