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• Authors’ Authority
• Preface to the Third Edition
• Introduction – Pure Land Buddhism
• Note on the Text
• Ten Doubts about Pure Land
  • Question 1

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Authors’ Authority

“Chih I (Patriarch). Also known as T’ien T’ai, Chic K’ai or Chih Che. The Patriarch Chih I (538 – 597) was one of China’s greatest Buddhist thinkers and founder of the T’ien T’ai or Lotus Sutra School … His life coincided with the beginning of what is known as the Golden Age of Pure Land doctrinal development (6th to 9th centuries).

“… Master Chih I authored at least four treatises on Pure Land, … the best known of which is translated [in the publication] under the title Ten Doubts about Pure Land.” (p. iv.)

“T’ien Ju. A well-known Zen Master of the 14th century. He was a disciple of National Master Chung Feng (the highest ranking Zen Master of his day) … [He] was the author of a commentary on the Surangama Sutra, a key text followed by monks and nuns, especially Zen practitioners … His treatise Doubts and Questions about Pure Land, translated [in the publication], underscores the similarities and basic unity of Pure Land and Zen.” (pp. iv-v)

“Thich Thien Tam. Also known as Lien Du. Dharma Master Thich Thien Tam (contemporary) specializes in both the Pure Land and Esoteric traditions. His best known treatise, Niem Phat Thap Yeu, is available in English under the title Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith.” (p. v)
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Preface to the Third Edition

“… the kernel of [Buddhism's] teachings can be expressed in two major concepts: purity of mind and practice.

“Traditional Pure Land teachings emphasize the three elements of Faith, Vows and Practice (Buddha Recitation) as the essential condition for rebirth in the Pure Land – in the Pure Mind. This approach is presented as the easiest, most expedient path for the majority of people in this day and age.

“These teachings are in harmony with other Pure Land traditions, such as Jodo Shinshu, in which shinjin, Faith, is ultimately defined as Mind – the True Mind, encompassing Vows and Practice (Shanshin Isshin).

“Pure Land is also in line with Zen, which sees all teachings as expedients, “fingers pointing to the moon” – the moon being the True Mind, the Mind of Thusness, always bright, pure and unchanging.

“In the same vein, the Dhammapada Sutra [sic], a key text of the Theravada School, summarizes the teachings of the Buddha with the words: ‘Do not what is evil. Do what is good.’ Keep your Mind pure.

“Yet, purity of Mind cannot be achieved by study and verbalization alone. It can be attained only through determined practice.” (p. viii)

“Buddhism is Mind, Buddhism is practice – it is praxis.” (p. ix)
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Introduction – The Pure Land School

“Zen, T’ien Tai [sic] and Pure Land are among the best know schools of Buddhism in East Asia. Pure Land, in particular, has the widest appeal … [Note 1: 'The Pure Land School is presently the school of Buddhism in China and Japan that has the most followers.' / Pure Land Buddhism as presented here, based on the three elements of Faith, Vows and Practice, is currently practiced in China, Vietnam, Korea and other coutries. In the case of Japan, Pure Land is mainly divided into two branches, the Jodo (Pure Land) School and the Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land) School. The teachings of the Jodo School (founded by Honen, 1133-1212) are substantially the same as the teachings presented here. In the case of Jodo Shinshu ( ... [is] represented in the United States by the Buddhist Churches of America) major emphasis is placed on faith (which may be defined as Mind). / ‘The nembutsu {recitation of the Buddha’s name} then becomes an expression of gratitude to Amida for the gift of faith that leads to birth in the Pure Land, rather than a meritorious act that can affect rebirth’ … [p. 187]] However, unlike Zen and the Tantric School, which have many exponents in the West, Pure Land is little known to Westerners …

“This book presents the teachings and major tenets of Pure Land, as seen from the perspective of two major sister schools: Zen and T’ien T’ai (Lotus School) … [Note 2: The Buddha taught countless schools or Dharma methods. Among these methods, Zen, T'ien T'ai, etc. lead to Buddhahood through the Door of Emptiness, while Pure Land and, to a large extent, the Avatamsaka School enter through the Door of Existence ... [p. 187]] The principal teachings of the Pure Land School are summarized below, for the benefit of readers.

“The goal espoused by all Buddhist schools is for the practitioner to achieve Buddhahood, i.e., to become an Enlightened Being. Thus, to practice Buddhism is to cultivate enlightenment, to attain Wisdom.

“Although there are many paths to reach this goal, they all involve severing greed, anger and delusion, thus perfecting the qualities of the Mind (“paramitas”). Traditionally, Buddhist sutras enumerate six or ten paramitas, but they may be reduced to three: Discipline, Concentration and Wisdom (the second, fifth and sixth paramitas, respectively). [Note 3: 'In Buddhism, there is no cultivation without discipline, concentration and wisdom, and there is no Dharma without discipline, concentration and wisdom.' [p. 187]]” (p. xii)

“Pure Land, or Buddha Recitation, … employs … the techniques of meditation/visualization [p. xii .. p. xiii] (or the Pure Land, Amitabha Buddha…) and of oral recitation of the Buddha’s name, to realize these paramitas. [Note 3: The Pure Land sutras exhort [people] … to engage in a broad range of practices that include meditation, observances of precepts, virtuous acts, … and contemplation [p. 187]]

“That is, when a practitioner is busy visualizing the Buddha or reciting the Buddha’s name, he cannot commit transgressions or violate the Buddhist precepts [Discipline, Concentration, Wisdom]

“Thus, a Buddha Recitation practitioner, by dint of his own effort, effectively attains Buddhahood. This is a simple, straightforward alternative to strict monastic ascetism [etc.]. [Note 7: The key word here is 'alternative.' 'We may take up any Dharma for practice as long as it is agreeable to our interest and inclination ... [p. 189]].

“… in [or for] this Degenerate Age … the Buddhas and Sages compassionately emphasized the additional element of ‘other power’. [Note 12: It must be pointed out that, in Buddhism, other-power is absolutely necessary is a Bodhisattva is to attain Ultimate Enlightenment. The Lankavatara Sutra ... and Avatamsaka Sutra are emphatically clear on this point [pp. 191-192]] This involves reliance on the Vows of Amitabha Buddha … to welcome and escort all sentient beings to his Land of Ultimate Bliss – an ideal training ground, an ideal environment. Once this ‘land’ is reached and training completed, the practitioner [p. xiii] will naturally discover that ‘training is no training’ and that the training ground, the Pure Land, is Mind-Only. Rebirth at the time of death is rebirth within our own Mind. [Note 15: See the Avatamsaka Sutra, Ch. 20, particularly the 'Stanza that Destroys Hell': '... [People] should contemplate the nature of the cosmos: All is but mental construction.’ {i.e., Everything is made from Mind alone.} [p. 193]]

“[Questions:]

“i) Is not Pure Land teaching too close to traditional Western beliefs in a personal God, saints, sinners and Paradise?

“Answer. A person asleep and dreaming finds the scenes in his dreams very real; these scenes exist for him. Likewise, the Pure Land, saints, sinners, everything ‘exists’ at the mundane level, albeit in an illusory, dream-like way. At the absolute level, however, everything, including the Pure Land and Amitabha Buddha, is Mind-Only, a product of our Mind. This key Mahayana teaching is reflected in the paradox ‘True Emptiness Wonderful Existence!’

“[Note 17: ... an ancient Zen Master said: 'If we refer to existence, then / Everything from the smallest mote of dust exists; / If we refer to emptiness, / This whole, wide world and everything in it are empty.'

"... a related comment:

"'All phenomena are like bubbles in an ocean. They have no genuine existence.... Eveything, including samsara and nirvana and sentinet beings and Buddhas, in illusory. All sages, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas are like flashes of lightning. You can see lighthing, just as you can witness the power and functions of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, but if you try to grasp [p. 194] lightning, or attach to the idea that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have concrete existence or self-nature, then you are wasting your time.’ (Master Sheng-yen). [p. 195]]

“ii) Is not Pure Land teaching contrary to the fundamental principle of Buddhism, the Law of Karma? (p. xiv)

“Answer. The Law of Cause and Effect underlies all of our actions and thought. However, in Mahayana thinking, cause, effect, karma…, all phenomena are intrinsically empty and devoid of true nature[.] Therefore, they are infinitely subject to change. Just as a small flame can destroy a pile of wood as high as a mountain, a perfect thought of Buddha Recitation can destroy aeons of bad karma, resulting in the practitioner’s rebirth in the Pure Land.

“iii) Pure Land is practiced with a grasping Mind, unlike Zen or cultivation of the paramitas.

“Answer. When Buddha Recitation is practiced with one-pointedness of Mind, at that moment, there is ‘no practitioner, no Buddha, no practice.’ It is therefore identical to Zen or the practice of the paramitas. [Note 22: Buddha Recitation, like the use of kung an [Japanese: koan] in Zen, is a poison to destroy the poison of false thinking…. It is like fighting a war to end all wars. … [R]ecitation of the Buddha’s name contains an additional element: the practitioner by association absorbs some of the merit of the Buddha himself… / ‘… We know, for example, that if there is a dark, heavy cloud above, the chances are that it will rain. But we also know that if a strong wind should blow, the cloud will be carried away… Similarly, the addition of one big factor can alter the whole course of karma… / It is only by accepting the idea of life as one whole that both Theravadins and Mahayanists can advocate the practice of transference of merit to others. With the case of Kuan-Yin [Sanskrit: Avalokitesvara - the Bodhisattva of Compassion] then, by calling on Her name we identify ourselves with Her and as a result of this identification Her merits flow over to us. These merits which are now ours then counterbalance our bad karma and save us from calamity. The law of cause and effect still stands good. All that has happened is that a powerful and immensely good karma has foreshadowed the weaker one… [p. 197] / If we were to go deeper, we may say that this identification with a Bodhisattva also means that a Bodhisattva identifies Himself with us. When this occurs, there is not only the transference of merit, but the nondiscriminate, infinite, unqualifiable Compassion of all the Bodhisattvas coming into us, lifting us, as it were, right up into Nirvana [p. 198]‘

“iv) Pure Land is so boring!

“Answer. The Buddha taught 84,000 Dharma Doors. Each of them is a medicine for a given sickness at a given time, and each, as a first signpost of success, provides the practitioner with a sens of well-being and joy… Pure Land is obviously not for you. You might try Theravada or Zen! [p. xv]

“Through the teachings of Pure Land, the words of the Buddha may become more relevant to … particularly the average man in the street. [Note 25: ... [Buddhism's] core teaching [is] (do not what is evil, do what is good, keep your Mind pure). Buddhism is not merely intellectual; it is, above all, pratical – it is praxis. [p.199]] [He] may also long for the comfort of such ‘quasi-establishment’ beliefs as Amitabha Buddha – not as creator God, but as benevolent teacher, or the Pure Land – not as Paradise, but as a stepping stone towards Ultimate Enlightenment. Thus, in the words of Elder Zen Master T’ien Ju, ‘There are no dharmas outside Mind, no Mind outside of dharmas. You should make no mistake about this!’” (p. xvi)

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Note on the Text

“Some people misunderstand the Pure Land method, believing it to be entirely focuessed on the practice and devoid of philosophical teaching. That is, in the Pure Land sutras, Sakyamuni Buddha simply describes and explains the Western Pure Land and exhorts everyone to recite the Buddha’s name, seeking rebirth in that Land – without reference to theoretical issues.

“In truth, however, theory leads to practice, within practice is hidden the element of theory… [A]lthoguh the Buddha’s teachings are classified under different headings, such as … {Zen, etc.}, … {Pure Land, etc.}, … {Tantric, etc.} … , they all lean toward, relay on and clarify one another. [Footnote, p. xviii: The statement ... should not be construed as mere hyperbole, or at best, an expression of skillful means. Rather, it represents the core teaching of Mahayana Buddhism (every Dharma Door is perfect and complete) ... 'one in one, one in all, all in one, all in all', or the metaphor of the Jewel Net of Indra ...]

“Thus, there is in the Zen School, in which a single meditation riddle (kung an) contains innumerable Dharma teachings. The same is true of Pure Land: the words “Amitabha Buddha” encompass the teachings of Zen, [etc.]. Therefore, the ancients have determined that the Pure Land method is a ‘Suddent Teaching.’ [p. xvii]

“To demonstrate [this], this writer is taking the liberty to translate two ancient commentaries, by the Patriarch Chih I and Zen Master T’ien Ju, under the title Pure Land Buddhism: Dialogues with Ancient Masters.

“… Students of Buddhism can place their faith in these teachings [the translated commentaries] and open up the Pure Land Mysterious Gate.” (p. xviii)

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Ten Doubts about Pure Land

“Question 1.

“Why should we [who are reborn in the Western Pure Land] abandon sentient beings to lead a selfish life of tranquility? Is this not a lack of compassion, a preoccupation with egoistic needs, contrary to the path of enlightenment? [Note 30: 'In Buddhist teaching... a person who is not enlightened is - by definition - 'ill'... The healing process is the conversion of suffering into the aspiration to attain enlightenment' [p. 201]]

“Answer

“[O]rdinary beings who have just developed the Bodhi Mind… [who] aspire to perfect that Tolerance [of Non-Birth] [Note 31: ... 'insight of non-arising' ... [or] ‘patient endurance of the uncreate[d]‘ [p. 201]] and enter the evil life of the Triple Realm [Note 33: This ... [w]orld [in which we live] is call evil in Pure Land sutras because it is filled with the five depravities … , such as [that] … of views, when all sorts of wrong views prevail, and [that] … of passions, when desire, hatred and other defilements are predominant. [p. 201]] to save sentient beings, … should remain in constant proximity to the Buddhas.

“‘It is unwise for human beings who are still bound by all kinds of afflictions, even if they possess a great compassionate Mind, [p.20] to seek a premature birth in this evil realm to rescue sentient beings / … They … become slaves to form and sound, fame and fortune, with the resulting karma of greed, anger and delusion. Once this occurs, they cannot even save themselves, much less others!

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