The transmission of the teaching of the Contemplation Sutra (section 32)

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. This is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

“Then Ananda rose from his seat, stepped forward, and said to the Buddha, ‘World-honoured One, what should we call this sutra and how should we receive and retain the essentials of its teaching?’

The Buddha answered, ‘Ananda, this sutra is called the ‘Visualization of the Land of Utmost Bliss of Buddha Amitayus and of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta.’ It is also called the ‘Purification and Elimination of Karmic Hindrances for Attaining Birth in the Presence of All Buddhas.’ Hold fast to this sutra and do not forget it. Those who practice this samadhi will be able to see, during their lifetime, Buddha Amitayus and the two Mahasattvas. If good men or women simply hear the Name of this Buddha or the names of those two Bodhisattvas, the evil karma that would bind them to birth and death for innumerable kalpas will be extinguished.

And so, how much more merit will they acquire if they concentrate on them! You should know that all who are mindful of that Buddha are like white lotus flowers among humankind; Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta become their good friends. They will sit in the seat of Enlightenment and be born into the family of the Buddhas.’ 

The Buddha further said to Ananda, ‘Bear these words well in mind. To bear these words in mind means to hold fast to the Name of Buddha Amitayus (Amida).”

When the Buddha had spoken thus, Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana, Venerable Ananda, Vaidehi, and all the others greatly rejoiced to hear the Buddha’s discourse.”[1] 

Benefits gained by the audience of the Contemplation Sutra (section 31)

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

“As the Buddha delivered these words, Vaidehi and her five hundred female attendants listened to His teaching. Having envisioned the boundless features of the Land of Utmost Bliss, of Buddha Amitayus (Amida), and of the two Bodhisattvas, Vaidehi rejoiced in her heart. Wonder-struck at this revelation, she attained great awakening with clarity of mind and insight into the non-arising of all dharmas (phenomena). Her five hundred female attendants awakened aspiration for highest, perfect Enlightenment and desired to be born in that land.
The World-honored One gave them all assurances that they would be born there and that they would then gain the samadhi of being in the presence of all the Buddhas. Innumerable devas (gods) also awakened aspiration for highest Enlightenment”.[1]
 
As I mentioned previously, Vaidehi entrusted herself to Amida and was helped by His and Shakyamuni’s Power to attain various spiritual realisations. This time it’s mentioned that “she attained great awakening with clarity of mind and insight into the non-arising of all dharmas (phenomena)”. Also, her five hundred female attendants received faith(shinjin) which is itself the Bodhi Mind - aspiration to attain Enlightenment for oneself and all beings. Thus, they entered the stage of definite assurance, also called the stage of non-retrogression for birth in the centre of the Pure Land – this is the meaning of “the World-honored One gave them all assurances that they would be born there and that they would then gain the samadhi of being in the presence of all the Buddhas”. In this case, to be in the presence of all Buddhas means to become one of the Buddhas. Innumerable devas who listened to this sutra were either able to entrust to Amida and entered the same stage of non-retrogression for birth in the centre of the Pure Land or they started to create the karmic connections for birth into one of the various levels and grades of the border land.

to be continued 

(source of the image in the upper left https://erichuntington.org/?da_image=taima-mandala-denver) 

---

[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.99

On the nine grades of birth in the border land of the Pure Land (sections 22 – 30)

            

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

(last revised October 5th, 2025)

 As I previously explained based on Shinran Shonin’s reading of the Contemplation Sutra, those who reach the Pure Land through the 19^th Vow of Amida Buddha[1], that is, through the practices mentioned in this sutra, are born in the borderland of the Pure Land. This is because they still cling to their self-power and the idea of personal merits and personal transference of merits, while the followers of the Primal Vow (18^th Vow ) are born in the center of the Pure Land (Fulfilled Pure Land) due to their complete faith in the Power of Amida Buddha which makes them understand that all the merits necessary for birth in the Pure Land belong only to Amida.

A BOMBŪ LOST ABOVE THE SKY OF ROMANIA - My experience at Amida-ji, by Hōrai Alessandro Coletta

Rev. Jōshō Adrian Cîrlea was the first teacher from whom I heard Amida Dharma when I discovered his videos on YouTube at the beginning of 2023.

A few days earlier, I had been in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont region of Italy, with my wife on a sightseeing trip. As usual, I felt the deep discomfort that almost always accompanies me when I step outside my comfort zone. Among various monuments and museums, we visited the Museum of Oriental Art (MAO Torino), where I knew several Buddhist objects, statues, and paintings from Asia were displayed. I have always been attracted, since childhood, to Eastern aesthetics, particularly Sino-Japanese, which even influenced my first steps into the Dharma when, in 2008, I set foot in my first Zen temple.

Since then, many years have passed, during which I practiced zazen and vipassana, attended retreats (sometimes fleeing from them), and visited various Dharma centers in Italy belonging to different schools. I formally took Refuge in the Three Jewels, undertook the Five Precepts, and maintained a general practice—not without struggles—while simultaneously trying to manage various personal, family, and emotional issues.

The thirteen contemplations (sections 9 – 21 of the Contemplation Sutra)

 

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

Here are the thirteen contemplations/meditations taught by Shakyamuni Buddha in sections 9 to 21. As they are technical explanations I will only comment when it’s really necessary.
 
The 1^st contemplation is on the setting sun:
 
 “The Buddha said to Vaidehi, ‘You and other sentient beings should concentrate and, with one-pointed attention, turn your thoughts westward. How do you contemplate? All sentient beings except those born blind – that is, all those with the faculty of sight – should look at the setting sun. Sit in the proper posture, facing west. Clearly gaze at the sun, with mind firmly fixed on it; concentrate your sight and do not let it wander from the setting sun, which is like a drum suspended above the horizon. Having done so, you should then be able to visualize it clearly, whether your eyes are open or closed. This is the visualization of the sun and is known as the first contemplation. To practice in this way is called the correct contemplation, and to practice otherwise is incorrect.’”[1]
 
Even from the first contemplation we are announced that the practices mentioned in this sutra cannot be followed by blind people, unlike the simple requirements of the Primal Vow which are easy to meet by everybody.
 
The 2^nd contemplation, on the water:

Question and Answer - the True Teaching of Shakyamuni on Amida Buddha and His Pure Land

Rev Kosho Arana at Amidaji

    Click here for the Spanish version

by Rev Kosho Arana 

 

 I recently received this question from a Facebook contact   Fatih Ozkan:

 I would like to ask some questions:

 Was Amitabha Buddha actually preached by Shakyamuni   Buddha  or was he later invented as an Upaya by the Mahayana   saints? Are Amitabha Buddha and The Pure Land literally real or   an archetype? Buddha-Dharma says that all dharmas   (phenomena) are sealed with three realities: pain, impermanence   and selflessness. How can Sukhavati be an eternal realm now?

 Sincerely, A-Mi-To-Fo 

*

  Hello Dear Ozkan, Namo Amida Bu

 Thank you for your questions. They are very important.

I will answer them as best I can.

The teachings about Amida Buddha (Amitabha Buddha) are an essential part of more than 290 Sutras in the Mahayana Canon, especially the Sukavativyuha or the Larger Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life which was preached by Shakyamuni Buddha.  This teaching has been praised by many Mahayana masters including but not limited to Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, Bodhisattva Vasubandhu, Bodhisattva Asanga, Master Tan Luan, Master Tao Ch’o, Master Shantao, Master Honen and Master Shinran. Shakyamuni Buddha Himself taught in many sutras the existence of innumerable Enlightened Realms outside Samsara, called Pure Lands which are created by different Buddhas according to their specific vows.

The Path of the 19th Vow and the explicit and implicit meaning of the Contemplation Sutra

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

Last revised June 6, 2024

According to Shinran Shonin, and as I mentioned previously, the Contemplation Sutra is explicitly guiding people to the 19^th Vow, while implicitly referring to the Primal Vow (18^th Vow)[1]:
 
“When I consider the Sutra of Contemplation on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, taking into account the interpretation of the commentator [Shan-tao], I find there is an explicit meaning and an implicit, hidden, inner meaning.
 
‘Explicit” refers to presenting the meditative and non-meditative good acts and setting forth the three levels of practicers and the three minds. The two forms of good and the three types of meritorious acts, however, are not the true cause of birth in the fulfilled land (center of the Pure Land). Further, the three minds that beings awaken are all minds of self-benefit that are individually different and not the mind that is single, which arises from [Amida’s] benefiting of others. They are roots of good with which to aspire for the Pure Land that [Sakyamuni] Tathagata taught as a distinct provisional means. This is the import of the sutra; it is its “explicit” meaning.

No pudes ser un Budista y al mismo tiempo un seguidor de otra religión

translated from English by Juan Sebastian Hincapie Arana

Pregunta: El famoso maestro Thich Nhat Hanh dijo: “Existe la idea errónea de que el budismo es una religión y al Buda se lo adora. El budismo es una práctica, como el yoga, así que puedes ser cristiano y practicar el budismo. Conocí a un sacerdote católico que vive en un monasterio budista en Francia. Me dijo que el budismo lo hace un mejor cristiano, me encanta eso “¿Cuáles son sus pensamientos sobre este asunto?
 
Respuesta: Este es un ejemplo notable de enseñanza falsa y un maestro falso. No importa cuán popular sea entre muchos ignorantes, lo digo de nuevo: ¡esta es una enseñanza falsa y él es un maestro falso!
 
No se puede ser cristiano y budista al mismo tiempo por la sencilla razón de que el cristianismo (y cualquier religión monoteísta) promueve la fe en un dios creador y supremo. El Buda Shakyamuni niega esta idea de un dios creador y supremo. Lee el capítulo "No hay un dios creador supremo en el Buda Dharma" de mi libro La verdadera enseñanza sobre el Buda Amida y su Tierra Pura, que está lleno de citas del Sutra de Baka Brahma. Lee también toda la primera parte del mismo libro.

"To avoid evil, do good and purify one’s mind" according to Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

 

A reader asked Shingyo Sensei of Amidaji: “The most succinct definition of any school of Buddhism made by the Buddha himself is the sentence ‘Not to do any evil, to cultivate good, to purify one’s mind, this is the teaching of the Buddhas’. Is this to be found in the teachings of Jodo Shinshu?”
 
Shingyo Sensei gave him a very simple and direct answer:
“This was said in the context of the self-power Path. However, it is possible to reinterpret these words in accordance with the Path of Other Power  (Jodo Shinshu Buddhism/the Path of total reliance on Amida’s Power):
 
“Not to do any evil” - wish to be born in the Pure Land. (Samsara is evil).
“To cultivate good” - say the Name of Amida Buddha (no good is higher than His Name).
“To purify one’s mind” - entrust yourself to Amida Buddha.”
 

My commentary:
I think Shingyo Sensei’s words are golden and from now on they will remain Amidaji’s official reading of the above saying by Shakyamuni recorded in Dhammapada 183. However, I think a few more details are needed to better understand his explanation.

On those who slander the exclusive Nembutsu practitioners

 Click here to return to 

Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen Shonin said in An Outline of Nembutsu:
 
 "It is even more unfortunate that there are many who insult and deride the exclusive practitioners of Nembutsu today. These unfortunate circumstances were foretold by incarnate
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas a long time ago. Accordingly, Bodhisattva Manjusri stated, 'Nonvirtuous beings in the future world will recite the Name of Amida Buddha in the West, become detached from the delusive worlds of saṃsara by relying on the Primal Vow, and be
born in the Pure Land through the depth of their sincere heart.'
 
In the Hymns of the Nien-fo Liturgy, Master Shan-tao thus stated:
'At the very moment when the World-Honored One [Buddha Shakyamuni] was coming to the end of His sermon, He entrusted to Sariputra with great care the Name of Amida Buddha[1].
Over time, after the death of Buddha Shakyamuni, the five defilements proliferated, and many people began to slander the teaching of Nembutsu. Monastics and lay people alike began to dislike the teaching of Nembutsu and ceased listening to it. This gave rise to the poison of anger, and when they saw Nembutsu practitioners, they struggled to incite intrigue and create grudges. Such people seem blind by nature and have no intrinsic goodness. Destroying the teaching designed for the instantaneous realization of Enlightenment, they will sink into the three lower realms for a long time. They will never be released from the three lower realms,
even though innumerable eons pass, more numerous than the number of particles released in the explosion of the earth.

The protection by Amida Buddha can reach only those who exclusively say His Name in faith

 

Click here to return to "Selected passages from Honen Shonin with commentary"

" The merit of protection by Amida Buddha is received in daily life. This is because one who has genuine belief in birth in the Pure Land holds no doubt. Amida Buddha casts eighty-four thousand rays of His light of compassion upon one who is resolute in the attainment of this goal. Amida Buddha shines this light continually on the Nembutsu practitioner in daily life and up to the final moment of that person's life. For this reason, it is called the 'Vow by which Amida Buddha never abandons the Nembutsu devotee."[1] 

When saying the above, Honen Shonin relied on the following passage from the Contemplation Sutra: 

“Buddha Amitayus (Amida) possesses eighty-four thousand physical characteristics, each having eighty-four thousand secondary marks of excellence. Each secondary mark emits eighty-four thousand rays of light; each ray of light shines universally upon the lands of the ten directions, embracing and not forsaking those who are mindful of the Buddha (have faith in Amida).”[2] 

There is no need to wait for the coming of Maitreya when Amida’s Primal Vow is available here and now - the strange story of Ajari Koen, former teacher of Honen Shonin

Click here to return to 

Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

"Ajari[1] Koen, the abbot of the Kudokuin Temple, and one of Honen’s teachers hailing from the province of Higo, was a noted scholar who was learned in the doctrines of both the esoteric and exoteric sects, and himself a disciple of Hokkyo Kokaku of Sugyu on Mount Hiei. One day as he was reflecting seriously upon life, and considering the limitations of his own powers, he thought that it would be no easy thing for him to get free from the fated round of life and death, and that every time he would change his state of existence, he would, as the doctrine goes, forget what had happened to him in the one before, and so, he thought, he would probably in the next life forget what he had now learned about the Teaching of the Buddhas. ‘I have’, he said, ‘indeed been born a man, but I am so unfortunate as to have come into the world in the period between the appearance of the two Buddhas, and so I see nothing for it but that I must go through transmigration after transmigration. But in order to be able to meet the Merciful One (Maitreya) when He finally appears in the world, I should like to have my body changed into that of some being that has long life. So there is nothing better for me than to be born a serpent. I therefore vow that I shall be born a great serpent (naga). Only there is one thing I am afraid of, and that is the mighty gold-winged bird (Garuda)[2] that lives on the serpents dwelling in the great sea. My wish therefore is to live in a pond.’ So he made a bargain for a pond called Sakura-ga-ike[3] in the village of Kasawara in the province of Totomi, receiving the deed of it from its owner. When he came to die, he asked for some water which he put in the palm of his hand and then passed away. 

The salvation of queen Vaidehi

Shakyamuni and Queen Vaidehi
(source of the photo)

 Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

last revised June 6, 2024

 Commentary on sections 1 - 8

The Contemplation Sutra[1] was taught in the context of a tragedy in the royal family of Magadha[2]. Master Shan-tao[3] who also wrote a commentary on this sutra, gave a detailed account of what happened. As I don’t have access to a good/useful English translation of his commentary, I quote Rev Hisao Inagaki’s summary of Shan-tao’s explanation: 

“Shakyamuni had a cousin, Devadatta, who was greedy for fame and wealth. Seeing the Buddha receive many offerings from King Bimbisara, he wanted to take over the leadership of the sangha. He first learned supernatural power from Ananda, which he displayed to Prince  Ajatasatru; thus he won the respect of the prince and also received sumptuous offerings from him. Devadatta then approached Shakyamuni and suggested that the Buddha retire but was rebuked for his stupidity. Angered by this, he next incited Ajatasatru to usurp the throne.

Seeing that Ajatasatru hesitated, Devadatta pointed at the prince’s broken little finger and told him the following story. 

Members of Amidaji: Chikai Ana Galo (Uruguay)

    Click here to return to the spiritual biographies   

      of Amidaji members

EN/ESP
Hello my Dharma name is Chikai, which means "The Ocean of Wisdom". (of Amida's Primal Vow)
My name is Ana Galo Suárez, I am 47 years old and I live in my native country Uruguay.
When I was about 8 years old my mother bought me a children's Bible, I think that channeled the sense of faith in something bigger than me. I vividly recall some personal religious experiences related to the perception I had of a supreme reality. These thoughts were so deep that they moved me to tears.
When I was 10 years old I reflected a lot upon religious matters. I  eagerly sought high and low for the Truth, the connection with a Supreme reality that I had only an intuition about but I couldn't  name or comprehend.
I had some supernatural and wonderful experiences that I relate to spiritual dimensions as these profound experiences caused a mysterious feeling of compassion inside me.
Everything related to Chinese culture attracted me and when I was about 23 years old I began to practice Self Defense, part of the martial arts tradition of  Kung Fu.

Never say Amida Buddha is the same with the "god" of monotheists or with any other divine figure outside the Buddha Dharma

Amida Buddha image from
 Amidaji temple

You should NEVER, EVER, say Amida Buddha is the same with the god of monotheists or with any god and religious figure of a non-Buddhist religion! Don’t use words such as “entrust to Amida Buddha or God”, “be in harmony with Amida Buddha or God”, “communicate with Amida Buddha or God”, etc, like this would be the same! It is NOT the same! Religions are NOT the same, and NO religion outside Buddha Dharma can ever lead you to perfect Enlightenment. Having faith in Amida Buddha and having faith in god do not lead to the same result. Faith in any god, including the so-called “god” of monotheist religions will NEVER lead you to Enlightenment.  

Don’t be a politically correct Buddhist in these matters because you will do no good to your fellow practitioners or beginners, but lead them to more confusion. It is exactly because I wanted to clear away the confusion people make nowadays on this topic, that I wrote these articles (and many others!) which I ask you to READ CAREFULLY:

Comentario sobre el Sutra del Buda de Vida Infinita (edición gratuita)

Portada de la versión inglesa

Traducido del inglés por:

Juan Sebastián Hincapié Arana

En primer lugar, debe entenderse claramente que este no es un estudio académico, secular o histórico, sino un comentario religioso. Su objetivo es explicar en términos fáciles de entender el significado profundo del Sutra más grande[1] para que así las personas puedan recibir fe en el Buda Amida[2] y nacer en Su Tierra Pura después de la muerte. Yo, el autor de este comentario, acepto con fe el contenido del sutra y considero que describe eventos reales, un Buda real y existente llamado Amida y un lugar iluminado real llamado la Tierra Pura. El deseo de mi corazón es que los lectores lleguen a compartir la misma opinión para que surja la verdadera fe y aspiración en ellos. Hay muchas maneras de leer el Sutra más grande y existen varias capas de  interpretación, por eso se benefician diferentes tipos de practicantes: aquellos que optan por enfocarse en el Buda Amida pero aún se aferran a su poder propio como seguidores de los votos 19 y 20, así como los seguidores del Voto Primordial (el Voto 18) quienes son practicantes que confían exclusivamente en el poder del Buda Amida.

Commentary on the Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life (Larger Sutra) - free online edition

temporary cover until I find a professional
to make me a better one

last revised version uploaded on January 9, 2020 

First of all, it must be clearly understood that this is not an academic, secular or historical study, but a religious commentary. Its goal is to explain in easy to understand terms the deep meaning of the Larger Sutra[1] so that people can receive faith in Amida Buddha and be born in His Pure Land after death. I, the author of this commentary, accept in faith the contents of the sutra and consider that it describes real events, a real, existing Buddha called Amida[2] and a real Enlightened place called the Pure Land. My heart’s desire is that readers will come to share the same view so that true faith and aspiration arise in them.

           

There are many ways to read the Larger Sutra and various layers of interpretation, which is why different types of practitioners benefit from it - those who choose to focus on Amida Buddha but still cling to their self-power like followers of the 19^th and 20^th Vows, as well as followers of the Primal Vow (18^th) who rely exclusively on Amida’s power.

An example of the false teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh

 updated and revised on September 3, 2021

 

This is a striking example of false teaching and false teacher. No matter how popular he is among many ignorants, I say this again - this is false teaching and he is a false teacher!

You cannot be a Christian and a Buddhist in the same time for the simple reason that Christianity (and any monotheistic religion) promotes faith in a creator and supreme god. This idea of a creator and supreme god is denied by Shakyamuni Buddha. Please read the chapter “There is no supreme creator god in the Buddha Dharma” from my book The True Teaching on Amida Buddha and His Pure Land which is filled with quotes from the Baka Brahma sutra. Also read the entire first part of the same book.
Somebody who accepts the idea of a supreme creator god who is also judge of the world, as Christians do (their god is both creator and judge), does not understand the law of karma. The idea of somebody who created and rules everything is contrary to the Buddhist teachings on being, karma and rebirth. You cannot just practice Buddhism while following wrong views because if you do that you put yourself outside of Buddhist practice. Right views must always accompany right practice!

Vows related with bodhisattvas in other lands (not yet born in the Pure Land)

Revised on October 1st, 2019 for 

my commentary on the Larger Sutra

The following vows refer mainly to highly advanced bodhisattvas in aspiration from various worlds who entrust to Amida Buddha and say His Name in faith, wishing to be born in His Land.  They are already on one of the ten bodhisattva stages (bhumis) and very close to Enlightenment, but still not enlightened. Because they entrust to Amida and are in accord with His Primal Vow - in their case, hearing the Name of Amida means to hear and entrust, to hear with faith and to say Amida’s Name in faith, they will too be born in His Pure Land by transformation (“true fulfilled land/”center” of the Pure Land) where they will attain perfect Enlightenment[1]. The difference between them and us is that they are already very advanced on the Buddhist path and very close to Enlightenment while we are the lowest of the low in terms of spiritual evolution and the similarity is that we both entrust to Amida and dwell in the stage of non-retrogression for entering the Pure Land and attainment of Enlightenment there. However, because their spiritual capacities are already extremely high in comparison with ours and their senses very much purified, when they entrust to Amida and say His Name in faith they automatically receive more benefits than us, ordinary people. These benefits are explained in this category of vows.

Vows explaining the characteristics, the capacities and activities of beings who attained Enlightenment in the Pure Land after being born there

Revised on September 27th, 2019 for my commentary on the Larger Sutra. 

 As I previously explained, beings born in the Pure Land are sometimes called “humans and devas (gods) in my land “, which doesn’t mean that in the Pure Land there are the six unenlightened realms of existence, namely the hells, hungry spirits, animals, humans, demigods (asuras) and gods. Shakyamuni himself explained in section 17 of this sutra that when the expression “humans and devas” in the Pure Land appears in this sacred discourse it is only in relation with the states of existence prior to their birth in the Pure Land: