Constant mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha 

is like always thinking of the person 

we have fallen in love with. 

Remember the first time you fell in love?

You couldn’t stop thinking about the person. You kept recalling past conversations. Imagining future ones. Wondering when you would see him next. Wanting so much to spend all your time with her.

Essentially, thoughts of your loved one were ever present. While you didn’t go around murmuring your loved one’s name all the time, that very existence touched every aspect of your life. One way or another, your thoughts kept magnetizing happily to that most important person. Nothing else seemed as important. You did your daily stuff but never lost that awareness of your loved one.

Well, this is what constant mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha is like. Yes, we regularly chant his name. But even when not chanting, he is always on our mind. Not because it’s something we have to do. But for the sheer happiness of always having him with us.

If you have to ask if it’s wrong . . . (Click image for video)

Perceiving is fine;

the issue is what we do next. 

The five senses, or five consciousnesses, are sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The first, for example, can let one accurately know what is being viewed. The five senses coupled with innate wisdom enable awakened beings to interact correctly with their environment and everything and everyone in it.

Sadly, unlike those beings who stop at perceiving and interacting correctly, we unawakened beings careen into the sixth consciousness of mental awareness—discrimination. This is the judgmental mind; let’s say the mind of black or white.

From here, things get worse as we instantly lurch into the seventh consciousness of thinking mind—attachment. This is the push-pull mind that judges inferior or superior, I dislike or I like, etc.

Fortunately for all involved, awakened beings stop at perceiving and interacting correctly.

Unfortunately, we’re not there yet.

And so, discriminating and attaching, we can end up causing terrible suffering. For ourselves in the future. And even worse, for others now.