“Śāriputra, those sentient beings who hear of that land should aspire to be born there. Why? Because they will be able to meet such sages of supreme virtue. Śāriputra, one cannot attain birth in that land with few roots of good or a small store of merit.
Śāriputra, if a good man or woman who hears of Amitāyus holds fast to His Name even for one day, two days, three, four, five, six, or seven days with a concentrated and undistracted mind, then, at the hour of death, Amitāyus will appear with a host of holy ones. Consequently, when their life comes to an end, the aspirants’ minds will not fall into confusion and so they will be born immediately in the Land of Utmost Bliss of Amitāyus. Śāriputra, perceiving these benefits, I say: ‘All sentient beings who hear this teaching should aspire to birth in that land.’”[1]
We must notice these words “sages of supreme virtue (merit)” and “one cannot attain birth in that land with few roots of good or a small store of merit (virtue)”.
Both indicate to the infinite merits of Amida Buddha (in relation with the implicitmeaning of this sutra) that make one reach the Pure Land. Shinran Shonin said,
“When sentient beings of this evil world
of the five defilements[2]
Entrust themselves to the selected Primal Vow,
virtues indescribable, inexplicable, and inconceivable
fill those practitioners."[3]
He also explained in his work “Passages on the Two Aspects of The Tathagata’s Directing of Virtue”:
“Concerning the directing of virtue through the Power of
the Primal Vow, the Tathagata’s directing of virtue has two aspects: the
directing of virtue in the aspect for our going forth to the Pure Land and the
directing of virtue in the aspect for our return to this world.”[4]
The directing of virtue (merits) in the aspect for our going forth means that by receiving shinjin (faith) during this present life we are made to be born in the center of the Pure Land where we instantly become Buddhas. The directing of virtue for our return to this world means that as soon as we become Buddhas there we return to this world in various forms to help all beings. Both these aspects are the transference of merit from Amida Buddha to us which we receive in the form of shinjin (faith/entrusting heart)and Nembutsu (saying of the Name). These infinite merits (virtues) of Amida are the “supreme virtue” which made those sages of the Pure Land being born there and indicate to the implicit meaning of the sutra and are contrasted with the “few roots of good or a small store of merit (virtue)” in the above passage from section 5 of this sutra.
Thus, in both cases – birth in the center of the Pure Land (fulfilled land of the Pure Land) or the border land of the Pure Land, it is the Power of Amida which brings us there, with the difference that those who remain in the borderland stop themselves from advancing to the center because of clinging to their so-called virtues and personal merits. They (dwellers of the borderland) cannot avail themselves of the infinite merits of Amida which people of total faith receive in their present life. By imagining that their self-power matters and that they can transfer the merits of Nembutsu to birth in the Pure Land as if those merits belong to them (although they were kindly brought to the Pure Land by Amida), they keep themselves in the borderland of that realm. So, the words “one cannot attain birth in that land with few roots of good or a small store of merit” mean that those who rely on their so-called merits for birth in the Pure Land cannot actually reach the center of the Pure Land. This again, shows the implicit meaning of the sutra.
Now let’s move to the next passage:
“Śāriputra, if a good man or woman[5] who hears of Amitāyus holds fast to His Name even for one day, two days, three, four, five, six, or seven days with a concentrated and undistracted mind, then, at the hour of death, Amitāyus will appear with a host of holy ones.”
To hear of Amitayus (Amida) can be done in two ways: 1) to hear and mix reliance on Amida with reliance on one’s own power, and 2) to hear and completely entrust to Amida’s Power.
In the 1st case the follower thinks that the many Nembutsu he recites and the more concentrated and undistracted he is during recitation, the more chances he has to be born in the Pure Land. In his situation it’s important that Nembutsu should be done with “a concentrated and undistracted mind” and as many times as possible, including the moment of death (explicit meaning of the sutra). The follower in this 1st category is born in the border land of the Pure Land. Knowing this type of person is attached to his own self-power, Amida made His 20th Vow and Shakyamuni encouraged him to say the Name many times, like “even for one day, two days, three, four, five, six, or seven days” and “with a concentrated and undistracted mind”. Such a follower needs to know that he is doing something for birth in the Pure Land, that he deserves it and struggles to achieve it, thus being ignorant of the infinite Compassion and Power of Amida who is the only one that can make that birth possible.
In the 2nd case, the follower hears the teaching about Amida Buddha (His Primal Vow/18th Vow) with complete faith in His Power to save him and says the Name as a simple expression of faith, knowing that the Name is effective because of Amida (of the Power and infinite merits Amida manifested in it), not his lips or his mind. In his case, “even for one day, two days, three, four, five, six, or seven days with a concentrated and undistracted mind” means that his total faith in Amida never fades away from his mind but continues endlessly no matter how seldom or often he says the Name. This is the implicit meaning of the sutra.
Next, there are two reasons why “at the hour of death, Amitāyus will appear with a host of holy ones”:
1) to support the
practitioner who mixes reliance on Amida with reliance on his own power to be
born in the border land of the Pure Land (explicit meaning of the sutra).
In the Hymns of Nembutsu Liturgy
it is said:
“The Buddha comes to welcome
those who recite the Name even three or five times[6].
This shows the explicit meaning of the Smaller Sutra”[7].
and
2) to simply welcome the person who has completely relied on Amida and is about to enter the center of the Pure Land (implicit meaning of the sutra).
In the 1st case, the appearance of Amida with a host of holy ones is very important for the practitioner because he needs to have a good state of mind as a karmic condition for birth in the border land. Due to his partial and mixed reliance on Amida, his state of mind can be an obstacle for birth in the border land, so in His infinite compassion Amida makes sure to create for him the best condition so that his unenlightened mind does not become chaotic and drags him down in samsara – this is the meaning of Shakyamuni’s words: “consequently, when their life comes to an end, the aspirants’ minds will not fall into confusion and so they will be born immediately in the Land of Utmost Bliss of Amitāyus.”
Thus,
the cause of birth in the Pure Land for the followers of the 19th
and 20th vows who mix reliance on Amida with their self-power, is
established in the moment of death.
In the 2nd case, the appearance of Amida is not important, so it may happen or not, depending on the circumstances of one’s death[8]. Why is not important? Because the cause of birth in the Pure Land for the followers with complete faith is established in the very second they entrust to Amida. So, birth in the center of the Pure Land follows the moment of death as a natural consequence of the faith they received during their daily life.[9]
“Śāriputra,
perceiving these benefits, I say: All sentient beings who
hear this teaching should aspire to birth in that land”.
Aspiration for birth in the Pure Land is extremely important, so whether one has complete faith in the Power of Amida or mixes the reliance on Him with belief in his own so-called merits and efforts, one should wish to be born in the Pure Land of Sukhavati (Utmost Bliss). Among the Pure Lands of all Buddhas, Amida’s land in both its aspects, the border land or the fulfilled land (center) is the easiest to access.
In the next chapter we will see how the Buddhas of all
directions praise Amida Buddha and encourage us to wish to be born in His Pure Land.
[1] The Three Pure Land Sutras - A Study and Translation from Chinese by Hisao Inagaki in collaboration with Harold Stewart, Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p.105
[2] The five defilements are the five marks of decay of the world we live in: 1) the defilement of views, when incorrect, perverse thoughts and ideas are predominant, 2) the defilement of passions, when all kinds of transgressions are exalted, 3) the defilement of human condition, when people are usually dissatisfied and unhappy, 4) the defilement of life-span, when the human life-span as a whole decreases – according to the sutras, when it is less or close to one hundred years, 5) the defilement of the world-age, when war and natural disasters are rife.
[3] Shinran Shonin, Hymns of the Dharma Ages, The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.406
[4] Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.633
[5] The expression “a good man or woman” from section 5 is also repeated in section 12 “all good men and women who hear this sutra and hold fast to it” and “good men and women of faith”. “Of faith” is the key element of this expression and we should rely on it to understand its meaning and role in the Amida Sutra. For followers of the Primal Vow, it is faith which makes a man or a woman good for birth in the Pure Land.
[6] However, the words “even three or five times” also indicate to the implicit meaning of the sutra and to the Primal Vow of Amida where He clearly mentioned “say my Name perhaps even ten times” which means that the number of recitations is not important because the Name is effective due to Amida’s Power manifested in it and not because we say it often or seldom.
[7] Shinran Shonin quoted the work Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy in his Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 256
[8] For example, one’s death might be sudden, etc.
[9] Once a reader asked me: Why did Shinran say that we should not wait for Amida’s coming at the moment of death? Will Amida not come for people of shinjin (faith)?To this I answered: The person who has faith in the Primal Vow does not wait for the final moment of death to have a good state of mind in which to say Nembutsu and be welcomed by Amida Buddha, but receives faith during his present life when he becomes assured of birth in the Pure Land, which will actually happen at the moment of death, when he is naturally welcomed by Amida Buddha and attains Budhahood. The Nembutsu one says during one’s whole life is thus the expression of faith and gratitude, and not the self-power nembutsu. When Shinran said that we should not wait for Amida's coming at the moment of death, he did not mean that we are not actually received by Amida in His Pure Land when we die or that He might not send one of His manifestations to us in our final hours before death! Of course, Amida can do that if He wants! What Shinran meant is that we should not think that the moment of death is more important than our daily lives, and we should not attach a false significance to it, fearing that if we do not have a good state of mind or concentration in those final moments, then we will not go to the Pure Land. No matter we are or we are not in a concentrated or good state of mind when we die, no matter if we say the Nembutsu or die without saying it because of unforeseen circumstances, we will be welcomed by Amida Buddha in His Pure Land if we already entrusted ourselves to Him and said His Name in faith during life. Shinran explained:"I, for my own part, attach no significance to the condition, good or bad, of persons in their final moments. People in whom shinjin (faith) is determined do not doubt, and so abide among the truly settled. For this reason their end also - even for those ignorant and foolish and lacking in wisdom - is a happy one.”Shinran Shonin, Lamp for the Latter Ages, letter 6, The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.531
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