Pure Land, Part 3

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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 practice.

This is similar to our taking a bus while others chose to walk. We cannot say that they are wrong when all roads lead to the same destination. They have the freedom to choose their way to the destination.

At the core of the Pure Land teachings lies three prerequisites or guiding principles, for our rebirth into the Western Pure Land: faith, vow and practice. Faith is to have complete trust and confidence in someone or something. Vow is the vow to reborn in the Western Pure Land. Practice is reciting the Buddha name as well as living a moral life.

As Great Venerable Mater Ouyi wrote in his commentary on Amitabha Sutra, 'Without faith, we are not sufficiently equipped to take vows. Without vows, we are not sufficiently equipped to guide our practice. Without the wondrous practice of reciting the Buddha name, we are not sufficiently equipped to fulfill our vows and to bring our faith to fruition'.

Sentient beings are deluded. They indulge in the Five Desires and Six Dusts - worldly pleasures. We should generate a mind of great compassion, empathize with sentient beings and introduce the Pure Land method to them. Compassion and empathy must be put into action. This is enthusiastically propagating the Pure Land method.

With all our hearts, we must do our best, we must treat this task as the most important in this lifetime.

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