Infinite Life Sutra Excerpt

Wherever the Buddha’s teachings flourish,

either in cities or countrysides,

people will gain inconceivable benefits.

The land and people will be enveloped in peace.

The sun and moon will shine clear and bright.

Wind and rain will appear accordingly

and there will be no disasters.

Nations will be prosperous

and there will be no need for soldiers or weapons.

People will abide by morality and accord with laws.

They will be courteous and humble,

and everyone will be content without injustices.

There will be no thefts or violence.

The strong will not dominate the weak

and everyone will get their fair share.

How Does One Adjust One’s Mindset?

Even if we suffer many wrongs in this world, we should maintain a calm mind and accord with conditions. Why? Because whatever we encounter daily in this lifetime, whether favorable or unfavorable, is destined and brought about by our deeds from past lifetimes.

It is clearly stated in the sutras that there are two kinds of karmic retributions for all beings. The first kind is leading karma, which leads us to be born in a certain path [e.g., as a human or animal]. The second kind is fruition karma, the karmic force from our good and bad deeds done in past lifetimes that brings about all that we undergo in this lifetime, whether we are rich or poor and have a high or low social status.

Now that we understand that what we undergo in this lifetime is the karmic retribution of our deeds done in past lifetimes, how could we not endure and accept it? While we are enduring the karmic retributions, we should not be attached to favorable conditions or become angry with those that are adverse. This way, we will be able to eliminate our negative karmas.

We should know that we must eliminate the negative karma created in past lifetimes; otherwise we cannot transcend the Three Realms. Although learning and practicing the Buddha-name chanting method allows us to attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land while bringing along our residual karma, we still hope to bring along as little residual karma as possible. Therefore, when we encounter adverse conditions, we have a good opportunity to eliminate our negative karma. This is a good thing, not a bad thing. The harder things are to tolerate and the more we are able to tolerate them, the more negative karma we will be able to eliminate, and faster too.

No matter what humiliation or torment we undergo, this will eliminate our negative karma. When we encounter this situation, we should let go of everything and all thoughts, and instead, single-mindedly chant “Amituofo” and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

~ Ven. Master Chin Kung

Achieving in Pure Land Practice, Part Two

Another example give by Ven. Master Chin Kung is as follows:

Venerable Xiuwu was an illiterate bricklayer before he became a monastic. After becoming a monastic, he did the most menial tasks, work that nobody else wanted to do. He cleaned the toilets, chopped wood, and grew vegetables. Always mindfully chanting “Amituofo” while doing all these tasks, he gladly did his work. Because he knew that he was able to do only the most menial work and nothing else and that he could not compare to other people, he was respectful to everybody.

The first time Jile [Ultimate Bliss] Monastery conferred the precepts, Venerable Xiuwu volunteered to take care of the sick. But after only a few days, he asked to take leave from Master Tanxu, the abbot. The master asked him to stay until all the precepts were conferred. Venerable Xiuwu said that he could not stay because he was going to the Land of Ultimate Bliss. The master was surprised and asked him when. Venerable Xiuwu said in ten days. The next day, he came and told the master he was leaving the following day [and he did]!

This is a good example for us. Venerable Xiuwu did the hard work at the monasteries without taking a day off. He succeeded in his cultivation. He had no karmic obstacles.

He did not compete with others and was respectful to everyone. Many looked down on him, but he did not get in anyone’s way. He did his work and mindfully chanted “Amituofo,” which no one knew. He showed such ease and freedom when he passed away.

If we become disturbed after we hear someone saying something negative about us, how can we attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss? Venerable Xiuwu did not care if someone would beat him, scold him, or insulted him. He always smiled and was respectful to everyone. Why? Because he was going to the Land of Ultimate Bliss. He wanted to go, and he truly did.

Achieving in Pure Land Practice, Part One

Ven. Master Chin Kung has often told the following story to encourage us in our practice. The story was told to him by an older practitioner, Mrs. Gan, in 1984.

“Mrs. Gan had a relative, an elderly lady who had lived in San Francisco. This relative helped her son and daughter-in-law with the housework and took care of their children.

After several years, when the grandchildren had grown older and were attending elementary school, she had more time to herself. With this extra time, she was able to practice nianfo every day without interruption. Nobody knew about this. On the day she passed away, people discovered how much she had achieved in her cultivation. She passed away at night. In the morning, when her son and daughter-in-law went to her room to see why she was not yet up, they found her dead, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

They also found a will on the bed telling them how to arrange her funeral. There were even mourning clothes, which she had personally made for everyone, on the bed. She was a true practitioner, but nobody knew this when she was alive.

This elderly lady had no karmic obstacles. She knew when she would pass away. She performed her daily routine as usual and passed away without suffering from any illness. She passed away with ease and freedom. The elderly lady had achieved in her practice, so she had no obstacles.”

The Best Learning Environment

Because we have cultivated good roots and formed Dharma relationships in past lifetimes, we are able to encounter Buddhism, especially Mahayana Buddhism, and to learn together in this lifetime. We need to practice according to the teachings. The most important thing in doing this is to put aside one’s own personal opinions.

I often teach people to put aside their views about life and the universe, and their thoughts, speech, and behavior toward all beings. Why? Because these are all wrong. If we do not put aside these mistakes, we will fail in our attempt to emulate Buddhas and bodhisattvas. If we put aside all these mistakes, we will succeed in emulating them.

Today we have afflictions and residual habits within us. We all admit this fact. Indeed, we have many karmic obstacles. The power of temptations is very strong. In Buddhism, temptation is called mara, or more specifically, deva-mara. Deva-mara refers to the temptations of all worldly pleasures, prestige, and wealth. It is hard to succeed in cultivation today. If for one moment we are not careful, we will forget our aspirations. This is the reason why there are many Buddhist practitioners but few succeed in their cultivation.

Because of this reason, the Buddha introduced to us a place that provides the best learning environment—the Land of Ultimate Bliss. When we are in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, it does not matter that we have many afflictions and residual habits within us because the external environment will not cause those afflictions and residual habits to arise. In that world, we “can be together with all these Beings of Superior Goodness.”

In this world, it is hard to hear and learn the Dharma. In the Land of Ultimate Bliss, Amitabha Buddha and great bodhisattvas lecture on the Dharma continuously, so that we will be able to study and practice continuously. Whichever Dharma door we want to learn, there will always be bodhisattvas to teach us. The learning environment is truly wonderful there.

But in this world, it is hard to find a good teacher and a good learning environment. In addition, there are many unexpected obstacles blocking us from learning and making progress. Therefore, the Buddha urged us to go to another learning environment—the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Is it difficult to attain rebirth there? It is not difficult, but it is not easy either. We must have three requisites: good roots, good fortune, and favorable conditions.

Having good roots means that we have firm belief and firm vows. We have firm belief when we do not have the slightest doubt about the Pure Land teachings. We have firm vows when our one and only wish is to attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, and we let go of everything in this world except this wish. We must have these two conditions to be considered as having good roots.

~ Based on Ven. Master Chin Kung's 2003 lecture series on the Amitabha Sutra