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Wednesday, August 5, 2015

The certainty of attaining Enlightenment in the Pure Land


Question:
If I am in the Pure Land created by Amida Buddha's Perfect Will Power after I die, what would happen if I never get enlightened? Is there a time limit to attain Enlightenment in the Pure Land? I’m scared as I don't want to experience birth, age and death anymore.

Answer:
You do not need to worry about attaining Enlightenment in the Pure Land. Once you reached the Pure Land, you will never retrogress or fall back again into the world of birth and death. You see, the Pure Land is manifested by Amida Buddha and everything there is conducive to Enlightenment. In contrast to this, everything here in Samsara is conducive to attachment, blind passions and suffering. So, you will be 100% safe when you are born in the Pure Land, and you will attain Enlightenment or Buddhahood quickly, that is, in the very moment of your birth there. 

All you need to do is to simply entrust to Amida Buddha during your life. If you do this, you are assured of birth in the Pure Land, and you will go there as naturally as a river flows to the ocean. What I mean by "to entrust" is to rely completely on Him, and think that everything needed for your birth in His realm is His power. Do not think that you can add something from your own personality to your birth in the Pure Land, because if you do that, then it means that you do not rely completely on Amida's Power. 

You just have to let Amida save you and take you to His Pure Land when you die. This is the essence of His Primal Vow, in which it is said that all those who entrust completely to Him, say His Name in faith, and wish to be born there, will indeed be born there and attain Enlightenment. There can be no obstacle to your birth in the Pure Land if you rely completely on Amida. 



- fragment from a letter to a friend -

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