For the Sake of the Children

Let's leave something for the children:

innocent, hopeful, and entitled.

Thank you to my friend Robert at Musings from an Episcopal Padre for sharing this.

Does the Language Matter?

Question: Since I am an Australian English speaker I find it easier to say 'Amitabha' than to say 'Amituofo'. Is it OK if I chant this when I play the chants?

Something that I wonder about is this: I have spent a lot of time in the past chanting Sanskrit mantras. I have understood that the Sanskrit language is the oldest known language and possesses certain unique qualities and that its sounds are very pure and resonate very powerfully within the body-mind.

Therefore I have difficulty in accepting that sounds from the vernacular of Chinese or other cultures can be as pure and as powerful from a spiritual standpoint as Sanskrit.

What is your view on this?

Also, do you consider 'Namo Amitoufu/Amitabha' to be one of many possible mantras that could be chanted, with the effect being equivalent, based on the quality of absorption or one-pointedness during the recitation, or do you believe that there is some unique and special power in this mantra?

Response: Very good question!

In our practice of mindfully chanting "Amituofo" we are trying to form a connection with him. It is the state of mind rather than the language we use that enables us to attain this connection. Thus the purity is in the mind, not in the language, which as used here serves as a tool.

Beings throughout the universe may chant “Amituofo,” or “Amitabha Buddha,” or “Adida” or “Amida” or whatever the Buddha's name in their language is. So while Sanskrit may be the oldest language in existence at this time on Earth, for eons an infinite number of beings have chanted and attained rebirth by chanting in other languages.

As an American English speaker, I chant "Amituofo." Amitabha in Chinese is Amituo. Buddha is fo. So when we say "Amituofo" we are saying "Amitabha Buddha." Amitabha is his name without his title of Buddha. For me it feels uncomfortable to call a Buddha by his name without adding his title. It feels comparable to being a child and addressing someone much older and infinitely wiser by his first name.

The uniqueness of chanting "Amituofo" is that by doing so I can form that connection with him. When I do so, I am asking for his help that he pledged in his vows. It's like raising my hand in class and asking the professor a question. Since he announced at the beginning of the class that he would help all those who ask questions, I am confident that he will respond. We connect when I say his name and look at him, and he says "Yes?" and looks back at me.

With a Buddha, when this connection is made, we are one.

The choice of what we chant depends on our goal. My goal is rebirth in the Western Pure Land and so I chant the name of the Buddha of that land. So for me this name is special.

Where's the Excitement?

In Buddhism, we hear a lot about happiness and how our practice will help us to find it. We can also turn on the television or go to the movies and hear that such media can help us to find happiness. How can Buddhism and a television commercial both show us how to find happiness?

It depends on how we define happiness.

Buddhism talks about contentment happiness. The advertising industry, television and movie producers are all trying to sell us excitement happiness.

Contentment happiness is having one's basic needs covered and knowing that this is enough. It is a quiet sense of appreciation. Of time to enjoy being with friends and family, biological or acquired.

Contentment happiness is looking within and liking what one sees.

Excitement happiness is the adrenaline rush that comes from buying something new or having a new experience. It always leads to wanting more because as soon as the adrenaline rush is over, we feel empty. We want more excitement. So we go looking for new things to do or buy. We look for new people to meet, a new job to master, or a new place to live. Excitement happiness is the agitated state of never being satisfied.

Excitement happiness is looking within and upon seeing emptiness, knowing fear. 

The Mind and Heart Disconnect

Knowing what causes us to suffer (what we tell ourselves) doesn't just make the suffering stop. Neither does understanding intellectually that what happens to us is due to our own karmic actions suddenly mean we no longer get upset when we encounter difficulties.

Intellectually understanding and emotionally reacting are two very different things!

We have the habit of reacting in certain ways. So even though there's this little voice saying “Excuse me, but you're causing your own suffering!” or “This is the result of what you did in the past!” we still act out of those habits accumulated over uncountable lifetimes. And so, acting out of habit, we become angry or afraid or disappointed or whatever.

A few days, I was listening to a translation of Master Chin Kung’s talk by one of my fellow nuns. Teacher was talking about a high level of bodhisattvas who no longer had any thoughts of selfishness, greed, anger, ignorance, or arrogance. But the habit of these afflictions is still there. So even these higher level bodhisattvas still have habits. They do not act on these habits or have thoughts that arise from them, but the traces of the habits still exist.

It is little wonder then that we—beings far less advanced on the path as these bodhisattvas—still act automatically out of habit. Yes, we know but we cannot yet do. We’re still stuck in the duality of mind and heart: the mind calmly understands but the heart still blindly reacts. We have yet to reach the point where there is no separation between knowing and doing.

Constant Mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha

Question: I am reading "Changing Destiny” by Master Chin Kung, and on page 202-203 it speaks about our mind having zero thought and attaining “stillness of thought”. I can only wonder that the only time possible to do this is being in the state of meditation. My problem is that pretty much all the time I’m always thinking of something or either fantasizing about something good happening to me. Also I have been trying to meditate, but even then I can’t seem to blank everything out, but I try hard to breathe and just chant “AMITUOFO”.

So, what I want to know is, if I’m in meditation and a thought comes to mind, but I still chant “AMITUOFO” and try to block it out, can I still get to “One mind undisturbed”?

Honestly its Really Really hard for me to just not think of something. I always have wondering thoughts going threw my head, and I fantasize a lot, actually. I like to fantasize of happy times or what I wish my life was like or could be like in another lifetime. Also, am I wrong to wish I can “pass away now” and come back in another life as some type of Rich star or celebrity? Cause I do this all the time, I’m always fantasizing about being of wealth, but I must admit I’m always giving and helping others in my fantasies!

Response: Welcome to the world of meditation!

It’s when we try to quiet and focus the mind that we realize how many thoughts we have. It takes practice—a lot of practice—to gradually eliminate all those thoughts. While we’re still having them, no, we have not reached One-mind Undisturbed. First, we have to attain Constant Mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha. As Master Chin Kung has said:

“One should first achieve Constant Mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha. When one achieves this, one is able to control one’s wandering thoughts, afflictions, and residual habits, so that they will not arise even though they are not yet eradicated. One will not give rise to afflictions or anger in adverse conditions nor will one be attached to favorable conditions. When one achieves this, one is guaranteed to attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land. However, one must be careful and maintain this state. We should know that we have severe afflictions and residual habits, which we have accumulated over uncountable eons. When we are not vigilant for a moment, they will arise. Therefore, we must remain vigilant at all times.

When one achieves One Mind Undisturbed at the phenomenal level, one has complete control of one’s afflictions and residual habits without intentional effort. When one achieves One Mind Undisturbed at the level of noumenon, all the afflictions and residual habits are turned into Bodhi and are truly eradicated. The state of One Mind Undisturbed at the level of noumenon is the same as that of enlightening the mind and seeing one’s true nature in the Zen school. In this state, one has eliminated a part of ignorance and thereby attained a part of Dharma-body. Not everyone can attain this state. But everyone can attain Constant Mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha if he or she is willing to follow and practice the teachings in the sutras diligently."

So you can see, even this state is very difficult for us to reach. And this is why we need to practice so much.