Major Expositions

KGSS II:24-34

[Shan-tao]

24 The Master of Kuang-ming temple states:

It is declared in the Prajnaparamita Sutra Preached by Mañjusri,

I will elucidate the samadhi of single practice. I encourage you simply to sit alone in a quiet place and, abandoning all confused thoughts, concentrate your mind on the one Buddha. When, without contemplating the Buddha's features, you solely utter the Name, in your single-hearted practice you will be able to see Amida Buddha and all the other Buddhas.

Question: Why do you not have a person perform contemplation but rather directly encourage solely saying the Name?

Answer: Because the hindrances of sentient beings are grave and, though objects of contemplation are subtle, there minds are coarse, their souls are agitated and their spirits fly aloft, so that it is difficult for them to fulfill contemplative practice. For this reason the Great Sage, taking pity on them, directly encourages them solely to say the Name. Saying the Name is indeed easy; accordingly, one continues in it and attains birth.

Question: In solely saying the Name of one Buddha, why does a person see many? Is this not the mixing of wrong and right contemplation, a confused appearance of one and many?

Answer: The Buddhas have attained realization equally; among them there is no differentiation in form. What fundamental principle is violated by thinking on one and seeing many?

Further, the Contemplation Sutra states:

I urge you to sit and practice contemplation, worship, and utterance. In all of these it is best to face the west. A tree falls in the direction that the top leans; it necessarily follows its bent. Thus, when there is an obstruction that prevents persons from facing the west, it is enough for them simply to turn toward the west in their thoughts.

Question: All Buddhas realize the three bodies in the same way, and their compassion-wisdom is perfectly fulfilled, without any differentiation among them. By worshiping and thinking on one Buddha and saying the Buddha's name, whatever direction one happens to be facing, one will attain birth. Why do you praise only the west and encourage us solely to worship and say the nembutsu?

Answer: What is realized by all Buddhas is the same and single, but since each of them has reached attainment through their own vow and practice, each has in fact their own causal conditions. Thus the world-honored Amida originally established deep, momentous Vows, taking in and saving all beings throughout the ten quarters with light and Name. When Amida brings sentient beings to realize shinjin and aspire for birth, then by saying the Name to the end of one's life or down to but ten voicings or a single voicing, one easily attains birth through the power of the Buddha's Vow. For this reason, Sakyamuni and the other Buddhas urge us to face the west in particular. You should understand that this in no way means that one cannot eliminate hindrances or eradicate one's evil by uttering the names of other Buddhas. But when, as explained above, people continue utterance upon utterance of Amida's Name to the very end of their lives, then if there are ten people, ten will be born; if one hundred, one hundred will be born. This is because there are no obstructing conditions. It is because they realize right-mindedness; because they are in accord with the Buddha's Primal Vow; because they do not deviate from the teaching; because they follow the Buddha's words.

25 Further he states:

Watching solely over the sentient beings of the nembutsu, the Buddha grasps and never abandons them; hence, the name Amida.

26 Further he states:

The ocean of Amida's Vow of wisdom
Is deep, vast, unfathomable;
Those who hear the Name and aspire for birth
All reach Amida's land...

Even though the great thousandfold world be filled with fire,
Pass through immediately to hear the Buddha's Name!
Those who hear the Name, rejoice, and praise,
Will all attain birth in that land.

After ten thousand years the Three Treasures will disappear,
But this sutra will remain for a hundred years thereafter;
People of that time who hear and say the Name even once
Will all attain birth in that land.

27 Further he states:

I am in reality a foolish being of birth-and-death, possessed of deep and heavy karmic evil and transmigrating in the six courses. The suffering is beyond words. Now, encountering a true teacher, I have been able to hear the Name that embodies Amida's Primal Vow. The Buddha instructs me to say the nembutsu single-heartedly and aspire for birth. May the Buddha's compassion, never abandoning the universal Primal Vow, grasp me, a disciple.

28 Further he states:

Question: What virtues and benefits in the present life accrue from saying Amida's Name and worshiping and contemplating the Buddha?

Answer: If one utters a single voicing of "Amida Buddha," one immediately eradicates the grave karmic evil that will bind one to eighty billion kalpas of birth-and-death. Worshiping and thinking on Amida and performing the other acts bring about the same result. It is declared in the Sutra of the Ten Ways of Attaining Birth:

When sentient beings think on Amida Buddha and aspire for birth, the Buddha immediately sends the twenty-five bodhisattvas to protect them; whether those beings are walking or sitting, standing or lying down, whether it is day or night, at all times and in all places, evil spirits and evil deities are given no chance to obstruct them.

Further, it is declared in the Contemplation Sutra:

When practicers say Amida's Name, worship and think on the Buddha, and aspire to be born in the Buddha's land, the Buddha immediately sends innumerable manifestation-bodies of Buddhas, of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, and of Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta to protect them. Together with the twenty-five bodhisattvas mentioned before, they surround the practicers a hundredfold, a thousandfold, and never part from them, whether they are walking, standing, sitting, or lying, at all times and in all places, whether it is day or night.

Now, since there are these excellent benefits, entrust yourself! May all practicers, accepting Amida's sincere mind, seek birth in the Pure Land!

Further, the Sutra of Immeasurable Life states:

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the sentient beings of the ten quarters say my Name even ten times but do not attain birth, may I not attain the supreme enlightenment.

The Buddha is now actually there in the Pure Land, and has attained Buddhahood. Know that the momentous Primal Vow is not in vain, and that when sentient beings say the Name, they unfailingly attain birth.

Further, the Amida Sutra states:

If sentient beings hear someone preach the teaching of Amida Buddha, they should hold steadfast to the Name. For one day, or two days, up to seven days, they should single-heartedly say the Name of the Buddha and not be disturbed by other thoughts. When their lives are about to end, Amida Buddha will appear before them with all the saintly host. At the time of death, their minds will not be inverted, and they will immediately attain birth in the Pure Land.

Sakyamuni Buddha said to Sariputra, "Seeing these benefits, I say: If a sentient being hears this teaching, he or she should awaken aspiration and desire to be born in that land!"

Following this the sutra states:

The Buddhas of the eastern quarter, countless as the sands of the Ganges, as well as the countless Buddhas of each of the other quarters - south, west, north, zenith, and nadir - each in their own lands, extending their tongues and covering all the great triple-thousandfold worlds, preach these true and sincere words: "All you sentient beings should accept this sutra of all Buddhas' protection!"

Why is it called [the sutra of] "protection"? It is taught that if sentient beings say Amida's Name and think on the Buddha, for seven days, or one day, down to one voicing - even to ten voicings or a single utterance - they will unfailingly attain birth. [The Buddhas] give witness to this; hence the words, "sutra of all Buddhas' protection."

Following this is the statement:

The person who, saying the Name of the Buddha, attains birth, is constantly protected by the Buddhas throughout the six directions, countless as the sands of the Ganges; hence the words, "sutra of all Buddhas' protection."

Now, since we have this supreme Vow, you should entrust yourself to it. Why do not all disciples of the Buddha endeavor in their hearts to go forth [to the Pure Land]?

29 Further he states:

Concerning the "universal Vow," it is as set forth in the Larger Sutra. The attainment of birth of all foolish beings, whether good or evil, is always, without exception, by being carried by the karmic power of Amida Buddha's great Vow and accepting it as the decisive cause.

30 Further he states:

Namu means "to take refuge." It further signifies aspiring for birth and directing virtue. Amida-butsu is the practice. Because of this import, one necessarily attains birth.

31 Further he states:

Concerning the expression, Each living thing being grasped by Amida, a manifestation of the decisive cause of birth: it is declared among the Forty-eight Vows taught in the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, "If, when I attain Buddhahood, the sentient beings of the ten quarters, aspiring to be born in my land, saying my Name even down to ten times, and being carried by the power of my Vow, were not to be born there, then may I not attain the supreme enlightenment." This means that practicers who aspire to be born are grasped by the power of the Vow and brought to attainment of birth when their lives end. Hence the expression, Each living thing being grasped by Amida, a manifestation of the decisive cause of birth.

32 Further he states:

The Buddhas desire to bring all foolish beings, whether good or evil, to turn about at heart, express this in practice, and so attain birth. This is the witness to birth through the nembutsu, a manifestation of the decisive cause of birth in the Pure Land.

33 Further he states:

The dharma-gates, each distinct, number eighty-four thousand,
But the keen blade for severing ignorance, its effects, and the karmic causes of suffering,
Is the Name of Amida:
In a single utterance, one's karmic evil is completely swept away.

Gone are countless traces of past karma and the designing thoughts arising from them;
Even without being instructed, we turn and enter the gate of suchness.

Gaining freedom from long kalpas of suffering in this Saha world
Is above all the benevolence of Sakyamuni, the true teacher; Using various skillful means, carefully devised,
He selected the gate of Amida's universal Vow and enabled us to enter it.

[Explication of Namu-amida-butsu]

34 From these passages we see that the word Namu means to take refuge. In the term to take refuge (kimyo), ki means to arrive at. Further, it is used in compounds to mean to yield joyfully to (kietsu) and to take shelter in (kisai). Myo means to act, to invite, to command, to teach, path, message, to devise, to summon. Thus, kimyo is the command of the Primal Vow calling to and summoning us.
Aspiring for birth and directing virtue indicates the mind of the Tathagata who, having already established the Vow, gives sentient beings the practice necessary for their birth.
The practice is the selected Primal Vow.
One necessarily attains birth elucidates the attainment of the stage of non-retrogression. Concerning this, the [Larger] Sutra states, "Immediately attains," and [Nagarjuna's] commentary, "definitely settled." "Immediately" reveals the ultimate brevity of the instant in which the true cause of one's birth in the fulfilled land becomes definitely settled through one's hearing the power of the Vow. "Definitely" characterizes the realization of the diamondlike mind.