Buddha-name Chanting Helps! The Proper Thought

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Some people may say that when one chants mantras, one will also get help from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Indeed, when chanting mantras as practiced by Esoteric schools, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will also be there to help but it is not as good as chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha.

When one chant mantras, one will have the help of one or two Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. To get the help of three to five Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is incredible. But when one mindfully chants the name of Amitabha Buddha, one will obtain the help of all Buddhas in the 10 directions and in the three time periods. This is why the merit of chanting the Amitabha Buddha's name is inconceivable.

What does the proper thought arising means? It is "Amituofo": the most truthful and ultimate proper thought. The only important issue in our life is to constantly maintain proper thoughts, not to cling to deviated or erroneous ones and to be constantly mindful of Amitabha Buddha day and night without any interruption whatsoever.

If we can continue our cultivation in this way, then in three months we will receive wonderful results and if we can constantly maintain mindfulness on Amitabha Buddha, with this one thought we are assured of reducing our wandering discriminatory thoughts.

It is not possible for us to not to have any wandering thoughts. Do not be afraid of them as long as thoughts of Amitabha Buddha can occupy us the most: such as 66 percent of our thoughts of Amitabha Buddha with only 40 percent that are wandering. If we are not constantly mindful of Amitabha Buddha, then our minds will be filled with wandering thoughts.

If we can continue practicing for three months, increasing our thoughts of Amitabha Buddha and decreasing the wandering thoughts, we will be at ease and free in spirit. Our minds will become more serene and our joy from practicing the teachings will show that our karmic obstacles have been reduced.

In the past, our minds were filled with afflictions and worries and our futures too looked dark. Now we can be happy, confident and wise as our lives become interesting and our futures become brighter.

At all times, when you single-mindedly chants the Buddha-name, the mind will be free of all wandering thoughts, afflictions, worries and concerns. Mindfully chanting the Buddha-name will thus tame all of one's faculties.

One's body will be supple and one's mind will be gentle. One will be able to achieve physical and mental well-being.

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