a buddhist perspective

We shall follow the rules set by the Pure Land patriarchs:
be a vegetarian;
be mindful of Buddha;
refrain from committing evil and cultivate good deeds;
know the law of cause and effect; and
cultivate good fortune and nurture virtues
so we can eradicate our karmic obstacles in this life and
attain rebirth in the Pure Land at the end of this life.

This way, we will not waste this lifetime and
this opportunity of being students of the Buddha.

~ Patriarch Yin Guang ~ 

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

Once upon a time a peasant had a horse. This horse ran away, so the peasant's neighbors came to console him for his bad luck. He answered: "Maybe."

The day after the horse came back, leading six wild horses with it. The neighbors came to congratulate him on such good luck. The peasant said: "Maybe."

The day after, his son tried to saddle and ride on one of the wild horses, but he fell down and broke his leg. Once again the neighbors came to share that misfortune. The peasant said: "Maybe."

The day after, soldiers came to conscript the youth of the village, but the peasant's son was not chosen because of his broken leg. When the neighbors came to congratulate him on his good fortune, the peasant said again: "Maybe."

Good luck or bad luck are a matter of perspective. Maybe something is one, maybe it is the other. Or maybe it just is.

There are four kinds of affinity for a person to be born into a family: to repay kindness, to take revenge, to collect debts, and to repay debts.

All living beings, not just humans, are born into a family in the six paths because of one or more of these four kinds of affinity. Knowing this, we need to remember that we should not owe any debt nor should we incur enmity.

When we take advantage of others, this is incurring a debt, which we have to repay. When we incur an enmity, we will breed the desire for revenge. Reprisal breeds reprisal that is cyclical and never ending.

When others take advantage of us, we become upset. But ancient Chinese said that letting others take advantage of oneself will bring good fortune. Why? Because letting others take advantage of one will eliminate one’s karmic obstacles.

Those wishing to practice Buddhism invariably wonder how to cultivate. Cultivation is to correct one’s wrongdoings. We usually would not let others take advantage of us. But actually, this way of thinking or acting is wrong. When we are taken advantage of, we usually harbor a grudge and want to retaliate. Once we have this thought, a seed will be planted in the Alaya consciousness, our most subtle consciousness that moves from lifetime to lifetime. When the conditions for this seed mature in the future, there will be serious trouble.

When we are truly awakened and, like Buddhas, know the truth, we will not incur any enmities. No matter how someone takes advantage of, deceives, or falsely incriminates us, we should not dwell on these things. This is cultivation. We do not harbor a grudge or wish to retaliate.

In future lifetimes, we will become good friends with that person when we meet again. The enmity is dissolved, and this is good fortune. If we harbor a grudge and take revenge in future lifetimes, both we and the other party will suffer. That is misfortune, not good fortune. Revenge will be repeated lifetime after lifetime, and the suffering will be endless.

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