What to Chant When a Pure Land Buddhist is Dying

Question: When a Pure Land Buddhist is dying should the Amitabha Sutra be recited or a tape of the sutra played or is it better just to nianfo due to simplicity?

Response: It is extremely difficult for us to concentrate when we are dying. Consider how difficult it is for us now, when we are healthy and not in pain or facing death.

The following is some excellent advice on supportive chanting from the Amitabha Pureland website:

According to Master Yin Guang, the thirteenth patriarch of the Pure Land school, the short chanting form of “Amituofo” should be used. This will help the patient to more easily register this name in the most subtle consciousness, at a time when both mind and body are very weak.

It would be wise to ask the patient which is preferred—“Amituofo” or “Namo Amituofo.” In this way, the patient can comfortably and silently chant along with the group. To go counter to the patient’s likes and habits may destroy his or her concentration. People should not chant too loudly so as not to use too much energy and shorten the time they can chant. On the other hand, they should not chant in too low a voice or the sound might not register in the patient’s mind. Also, they should not speak to one another while in the room.

Chanting should neither be too loud or soft, slow or fast. Each utterance should be clear and distinct, so it can be heard clearly and penetrate deep into the patient’s consciousness. One warning: if the patient is too weak or is in coma, he may have difficulty hearing the chanting. In such a case, someone should chant close to the patient’s ear to help the patient to keep a clear, steady mind.

All Beings Live Together in the Western Pure Land

 

The wondrousness of the Western Pure Land is inconceivable. Amitabha’s Pure Land is a land where saints and ordinary beings live together, but it includes all Four Lands. When we go there, of course we go to the Land of Common Residence of Ordinary Beings and Saints because we carry residual karmas.

In all other Buddha-lands of the ten directions, the Four Lands are separate. Sakyamuni Buddha’s Land of Real Reward is in the Dharma Realm of the One Reality, and his Land of Expedient Liberation is in the four enlightened worlds. The lands are separate.

It is like schools in this world. Elementary schools, middle schools, and universities are separate. The Western Pure Land is unique. The students of elementary school, the students of middle school, the students of university, and post-graduate students all share the same classroom. This is unique. This is why it is called a teaching hard to believe.

When we go to the Western Pure Land, we are like elementary school students. But there are also university students, post-graduate students, and Ph. D. students in the same classroom. When we face difficulty, they will help us. An inconceivable world!

Therefore, attaining rebirth in the Land of Common Residence of Ordinary Beings and Saints, the first of the four lands, is the same as attaining rebirth in the Land of Expedient Liberation because arhats are our fellow practitioners.

It is also the same as attaining rebirth in the Land of Real Reward, the third of the four lands, because bodhisattvas are there with us.

It is also the same as attaining rebirth in the Land of Eternally Quiescent Light, the highest of the four lands, because Buddhas are also there with us.

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

Repentance Practice

Question: In Chinese Buddhism the concept of repentance and repentance ceremonies seem to be very important. Are there any specifically Pure Land approaches to repentance?

Response: There is a beautifully moving repentance verse in Buddhism:

All evil actions committed by me since time immemorial,
stemming from greed, anger, and ignorance,
arising from body, speech, and mind,
I deeply repent having committed.

Personally, I find that saying this verse and prostrating along with my practice of chanting "Amituofo" to be deeply moving.

Also, talk to those you have hurt. After saying the verse, tell them how deeply you regret the harm you have done. Ask all those you harmed to please not obstruct you on your path to rebirth in the Pure Land, and Buddhahood. Explain that seeking revenge for past harm will only bring future retaliation, which is of no benefit to them. Ask them to please allow you to practice so you can dedicate the merits to them and to all those who suffer. And assure them that upon attaining that rebirth you will come back to help them also end suffering and attain happiness.

Conserving Our Good Fortune

When we create goodness, we amass good fortune. What does good fortune look like? It can manifest as a safe living environment, satisfactory resources, or a good education. It can be a loving family and caring friends. If we live prudently and do not foolishly drain our good fortune, we will conserve it for when we need it most—at the end of our lives.

 

How might we reduce our good fortune? By taking more than we need and by not using all that we have taken.

Why do we need to conserve it for the end of our lives? Our last moments lead to our next lifetime. To die without pain or suffering, to be clear minded and aware of what is happening is very rare. To be with loved ones and friends who encourage and support us, and to die in an environment where our final wishes are honored is also very rare. To die peacefully enables us to have the thoughts that will lead to a good rebirth.

Whether our wish is to go to heaven or the Pure Land, a peaceful death in which our mind is clear and at ease is essential. And to have all the right conditions to bring this about, we need that good fortune.

Not knowing how much we have or when we will die, conserving our good fortune and not squandering it is our best hope for having it when we really need it. 

Beings in the Pure Land

In the Pure Land, we will be born inside our lotus flower, a pure conception. This is different from a fetus spending nine months in the womb. When one enters the womb, one is not pure. One’s thoughts are not pure. Neither is the living environment. The womb is surrounded by the large and small intestines, by feces and urine. Therefore, the environment is not pure.

It is different when one is born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. The lotus flower is pure. In addition, one is born through transformation. As soon as one is born, the body is tall and the appearance is magnificent. There are no young or old people there. Everybody has the same appearance. It is a world of equality. Therefore, the mind is at peace.

People in this world have different appearances and do not have an impartial mind. One who has good fortune or good looks can easily become arrogant. One who has no good fortune or is unattractive often suffers from a sense of inferiority. These are common social phenomena.

In the Western Pure Land, everyone has the same appearance, the same physical conditions, the same living environment, and the same learning. Everyone is equal in everything there. Therefore, one will not have afflictions such as arrogance or a sense of inferiority.

Although one still has the seeds of afflictions and residual habits, there are no conditions that will cause these afflictions and residual habits to arise. This is why the Western Pure Land is incomparably wondrous and why it is praised by all Buddhas. These inconceivable conditions are because of the powers of the original vows and the merit of innumerable kalpas of cultivation of Amitabha Buddha.

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