Buddhism As Education

When we go to the western Pure Land, we are like elementary school students. But there are also university students, post-graduate students and PhD students in the same classroom. When we face difficulty, they will help us. An inconceivable world! Therefore, attaining rebirth in the Land of Common Residence of Ordinary Beings and Saints, the first of the four lands, is the same as attaining rebirth in the Land of Expedient Liberation because arhats are our fellow practitioners. It is also the same as attaining rebirth in the Land of Eternally Quiescent Light, the highest of the four lands because Buddhas are also there with us. Although there are uncountable number of methods, their objectives are the same. It is often said, 'all the roads lead to Rome' and 'all methods are the same'. Pure Land practitioners should never criticize or slander Zen, Esoteric or any other schools because their objectives are the same as ours; they simply follow different methods of p...

With faith, vow and the recitation of the name of Amitabha Buddha, we will be able to be reborn in the Pure Land and never again fall back in our practice. Up until now, we have made progress in one lifetime only to fall back for lifetimes after that. This is constant progression and retrogression is why it is taking us so long to attain enlightenment. But once, we are in the Pure Land, we will never fall back again, which will allow us to attain our goal much more quickly. And as we are progressing, we will learn the infinite ways in which we can help all those we have vow to help be liberated from suffering as well. What is the nature of the mind? An example, which is easy to understand, is called purity of mind in the Pure Land school. when our minds are pure, all of our deeds will be good. Thus, we will accumulate far more than just 10,000 good deeds. Amitabha Buddha is a name of millions of virtues. As we gradually come to understand the true reality, we will realize that w...

Purity, impartiality and enlightenment are the guidelines for learning and practicing. what are we learning? We are learning to, first, cultivate a pure mind, second, cultivate an impartial mind and third, be awakened and not deluded. Purity, impartiality and enlightenment are three in one, one in three. The Pure Land school focuses on the cultivation of a pure mind. When the mind is pure, the land will be pure. The connection between us and Amitabha Buddha of the Western Pure Land lies in a pure mind. Amitabha Buddha is Sanskrit. Amitabha means 'infinite', Buddha means 'awakening'. This name therefore implies infinite enlightenment. 'Infinite' describes that which is innate in the true nature: infinite wisdom, infinite virtues and abilities, and infinite auspicious marks. These three categories of  'infiiteness' covers all the infinities in the entire universe. 'Amitabha Buddha' is the name of the true nature. That is why Venerable Mast...