Favorite Pure Land Quotes

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Mr. G
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Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

What are your favorite Pure Land quotes?

Mine:

From Path of no Path:
  • Within those six words (Na-mo A-Mi-tuo-fo), one turns heaven and earth.
    - Master Lianchi (Zhuhong)
From Plain Words on the Pure Land Way:
  • Someone asked Kyojitsu-bo, "I say the Name knowing utterance to be the key to attaining birth, but my thoughts wander off to the moors and mountains of this world and I say it merely from my lips. What should I do?"

    He answered, "When you set out with the idea of coming here, surely you did not think 'I'm going there, I'm going there' with every step. You made your way here with your mind full of unrelated thoughts. Nevertheless, you did not cease walking and you have arrived. In this way, once you have wakened the aspiration for birth into the Land of Bliss, if you continue saying the Name of Amida to the end of your life, then even though your mind strays while doing so you will unfailingly attain birth."
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
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Mr. G
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

From Approaching the Land of Bliss:
  • For those who wish to become buddhas swiftly, it is necessary to pray for rebirth in a pure buddha-field. There are differing fields beyond number, and it has been declared that they are difficult to delimit in speech. Among them, in order to be born in the other superior fields excepting Sukhavati, you must attain at least the eight bhumi, having entirely cut off the two obscurations. Even to be born in the middling fields, you must entirely cut off even the most subtle aspects of the obscuration of the afflictions and attain at least the first moment on the path of contemplative cultivation. And for even the least of the fields, you must cut off attachment to self from the roots, and attain the path of seeing, that is, selflessness, the real truth. Until you've attained the path of seeing, though you pray for re-birth in a buddha-field, you'll not achieve it. But even without attaining the path of seeing, should you strive at prayer, while not engaging even in the most subtle disciplinary faults with respect to your commitments and moral training, and purifying sins and gathering the profits of virtue, you may just be born in some of the trifling fields such as Tusita, and even that will be difficult. Because in those fields there is no room for the births of common, ordinary persons (prthagjana), who wallow in the afflictions, from now on you must pray at length! Therefore, it would seem that afflicted, common persons will not be born in the field of a buddha. Nevertheless, through the power of Buddha Amitabha's prayers, birth in the Sukhavati field has been vouchsafed by lord Amitabha himself, for which reason you must by all means strive at prayer for rebirth in Sukhavati! Without doubt, suspicion, laziness, or irresolution, and by means of certainty and with ardent exertion you must pray, while recollecting the array of the Sukhavati field and its qualities. Because even common, ordinary persons, who are burdened with the afflictions, may be born in Sukhavati, it is exceptional. And having been born there, all of your wishes will be realized just a soon as you conceive them, and you will not be tainted by the merest obscuration of affliction. Moreover, because you are permitted to journey to whichever among the buddha-fields you wish, it is exceptional; and it is exceptional because buddhahood is swifter that in the other fields. Because there is nowhere another field that is closer to being attained than Sukhavati, which is endowed with the aforementioned and other qualities beyond all conception, it is exceeding important that you strive in prayer for birth in Sukhavati.

    - Machig Labdron
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
plwk
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by plwk »

http://buddhistfaith.tripod.com/purelan ... s/id2.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Image
(18) If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the Ten Quarters who sincerely and joyfully entrust themselves to Me, desire to be born in My Land, and call my Name, even ten times, should not be born there, may I not attain Perfect Enlightenment. Excluded, however, are those who commit the Five Gravest Offences and abuse the right Dharma.
(19) If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the Ten Quarters, who awaken aspiration for Enlightenment, do various meritorious deeds and sincerely desire to be born in My Land, should not, at their death, see Me appear before them surrounded by a multitude of sages, may I not attain Perfect Enlightenment.
(20) If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the Ten Quarters who, having heard My Name, concentrate their thoughts on My Land, plant roots of virtue, and sincerely transfer their merits towards My Land with a desire to be born there, should not eventually fulfill their aspiration, may I not attain Perfect Enlightenment.
http://www.cttbusa.org/avatamsaka/avatamsaka40_2.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Image
I vow that when my life approaches its end,
All obstructions will be swept away;
I will see Amita Buddha,
And be born in His Land of Ultimate Bliss and Peace.
http://www.cttbusa.org/amitabha_session ... ession.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Image
The King of All Dharmas is the one word "Amitabha."
The Five Periods and the Eight Teachings are all contained within it.
One who single-mindedly remembers and recites His Name
In samadhi will enter the Thus Come Ones' place of quiescence.
http://buddhistfaith.tripod.com/southington/id5.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Image
“Although my eyes, blinded by passions, do not see the brilliant light which embraces me,
the Great Compassion never tires, always casting its light upon me.”
http://www.shamarpa.com/index.php?id=40" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Image
(Q): You talked about the different kinds of Bodhisattvas. I was wondering if it'd be some kind of egoistical wish to go to Dewachen first.
(A): I talked about three kinds of Bodhisattva: sailor-minded, shepherd-minded and king-minded Bodhisattva.
To go to the Pure Land of Amitabha first, is perhaps a king-minded Bodhisattva where one achieves everything first, and then one is able to help others.
To be a king-minded Bodhisattva is all right, but be a good king, not a bad one.
http://viewonbuddhism.org/preliminaries_tantra.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Image
A teaching from "Being Peace" by Thich Nhat Hahn:
"A woman who practices reciting Buddha Amitabha's name, is very tough and recites "NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA" three times daily. Although she is doing this practice for over 10 years, she is still quite mean, shouting at people all the time. She starts her practice lighting incense and hitting a little bell.
A friend wanted to teach her a lesson, and just as she began her recitation, he came to her door and called out: "miss Nuyen, miss Nuyen!".
As this was the time for her practice she got annoyed, but she said to herself: "I have to struggle against my anger, so I will just ignore it." And she continued: "NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA, NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA..."
But the man continued to shout her name, and she became more and more oppressive.
She struggled against it and wondered if she should stop the recitation to give the man a piece of her mind, but she continued reciting: "NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA, NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA..."
The man outside heard it and continued: "Miss Nuyen, miss Nuyen..."
Then she could not stand it anymore, jumped up, slammed the door and went to the gate and shouted: "Why do you have to behave like that? I am doing my practice and you keep on shouting my name over and over!"
The gentleman smiled at her and said: "I just called your name for ten minutes and you are so angry. You have been calling Amitabha Buddha's name for more then ten years now; just imagine how angry he must be by now!"
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Astus
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Astus »

"Even the good person is born in the Pure Land, so without question is the person who is evil"
(Tannisho, ch. 3)
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
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Mr. G
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

From the article "Yuan Hongdao and the Xifang helun: Pure Land Theology in the Late Ming Dynasty" by Charles Jones. It tells the story of when the scholar Yong Hongdao went to visit the eighth patriarch of the Pure Land Tradition, Yunqi Zhuhong (1535-1615):

In 1597, on a pleasure expedition to the south with his friend Tao Wanglin, Yuan went to the Yunqifa Temple under Five Cloud Mountain (Wuyun shan), where he spent time with Zhuhong. In his travel notes, he gave this assessment of Zhuhong's teaching:
  • [Master] Lianchi (Zhuhong) keeps the sila and vinaya meticulously, and although one could not say that he is most profound in the Way, neither is he lacking in what he has seen. As for his sole advocacy of the dharma-gate of nianfo, it is very direct, fast, and simple. Within those six words (Na-mo A-mi-tuo-fo), one turns heaven and earth. Why work so hard, rubbing one's eyes and moving even more towards crazy interpretations? Such being the case, one could say that Lianchi is "one without enlightenment", but this "one without enlightenment" is a real Amitabha; please go quickly to see him.
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Zenshin 善心 »

It is not simply due to actual benefit that I trust in Tathagata, but also due to another important reason. I trust in Tathagata because I realise that my intellect is limited. Except for the period when I was not serious about life, I always felt a keen desire to enquire into the meaning of my life. As a result of that enquiry, I eventuallly reached the conclusion that the meaning of life is inscrutable. That conclusion has led me to trust in Tathagata. Since not everyone goes through a process of enquiry to arrive at religious conviction, some might contradict me and say that it was not necessary for me to do what I did in order to gain trust in Tathagata. But I disagree. Such a course was necessary for me. In my religious conviction I am now aware of the utter uselessness of my self-efforts. In order to realise this I had to pursue all kinds of intellectual investigations until I finally came to the point where I recognised the utter futility of such efforts. It was an extremely painful process. Before reaching that ultimate point, I thought that at times I had formed some ideas about my religious conviction. but one after another each of those ideas were smashed.Such bitter experiences were unaviodable as long as I sought to establish religious conviction on the basis of logic or scholarly enquiry. After going through such a difficult process, I have come to realise that I cannot define good or evil, truth or untruth, happiness or unhapiness.. Aware of my total ignorance, I have come to entrust all matters to Tathagata. This is the most essential point in my religious conviction.
- Manshi Kiyozawa
Among all living things
mountains and rivers,
grasses and trees,
even the sounds of blowing winds
and rising waves -
there is nothing
that is not the nembutsu
- Ippen
All beings since their first aspiration till the attainment of Buddhahood are sheltered under the guardianship of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who, responding to the requirements of the occasion, transform themselves and assume the actual forms of personality.

Thus for the sake of all beings Buddhas and Bodhisattvas become sometimes their parents, sometimes their wives and children, sometimes their kinsmen, sometimes their servants, sometimes their friends, sometimes their enemies, sometimes reveal themselves as devas or in some other forms.


- Ashvaghosa, The Awakening of Faith

oroka
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Mr. G
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

dumbbombu wrote:
Among all living things
mountains and rivers,
grasses and trees,
even the sounds of blowing winds
and rising waves -
there is nothing
that is not the nembutsu
- Ippen
Good one db. Ippen was one of the great ones:
  • With Amida Buddha
    the paths of illusion
    and enlightenment
    all fade away:
    Just accord with the Name
    and he is a living,
    breathing Buddha
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
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Thug4lyfe
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Thug4lyfe »

I favourite quote is:

NAMO AMITUOFO
Image
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Nosta
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Nosta »

Here goes a somewhat random quote that i found:
Moreover Shariputra, all those born in the Land of Utmost Happiness never fall back. Among them are many whose next birth will be in Nirvana. The number of them is extremely large; there is no reckoning that can tell it. Only in measureless, unlimited, innumerable kalpas could it be told.
Shariputra, the beings who hear this ought to make a vow -- a vow to be born in that land. Why should they? Having succeeded thus, all are then persons of the highest virtue; all are assembled in the same circumstances.
Shariputra, I see this gain and therefore speak these words; if any beings hear them, they ought to make a vow to be born in that land.
Shariputra, if there are persons who have already made a vow, are presently making a vow, or shall in the future make a vow, desiring birth in Amida Buddha's land, all these persons obtain nonretrogression in Highest Perfect Knowledge in that land, whether already born, now being born, or yet to be born. Therefore, Shariputra, all good men and good women, if they have faith, ought to make a vow to be born in that land. (Hozen Seki, tr. Buddha Tells of the Infinite: the ('Amida Kyo"), p. 47, 54, 69, respectively.)

You can found great readings on the free ebook Buddhism of Wisdow and Faith. Just give a check on google and if you dont find it i can give it to anyone here (and its really free so i will not be commiting any ilegality here :)).
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Mr. G
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

Nosta wrote:
You can found great readings on the free ebook Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith. Just give a check on google and if you dont find it i can give it to anyone here (and its really free so i will not be commiting any ilegality here :)).
I think it's a nice book too Nosta.
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
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Mr. G
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

Two quotes from the Myokonin, Ichitaro:

  • The Land of Bliss is found everywhere. On a vegetable leaf, On
    a blade of grass. On a sardine. Without saying whether a thing is good or bad, if you
    sense the working of Amida in and on each thing, this is the truth freed of the good
    and bad of things. All good and bad are the products of one's thoughts.



    True entrusting means that you're able to truly relate to another being. Not only human beings but
    with plants and animals. Even those things that cannot speak, you're able to hear their
    feelings. Namu-amida-butsu.
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
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Mr. G
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

  • When you visualize the Buddha in your mind, this mind is none other than the [thirty-two] marks of perfection and [eighty minor] marks of excellence.

    - Ching-ying Hui-yuan (Commentary on the Meditation Sutra)
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Rakz »

“If I were capable of realizing Buddhahood by other religious practices and yet fall into hell for saying the nembutsu, I might have dire regrets for having been deceived. But since I am absolutely incapable of any religious practice, hell is my only home.”
- Shinran
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

  • That Buddha, in the causal stage, made the universal Vow:

    When beings hear my Name and think on me, I will come to
    welcome each of them,

    Not discriminating at all between the poor and the rich and
    wellborn,

    Not discriminating between the inferior and the highly
    gifted,

    Not choosing the learned and those upholding pure precepts,

    Nor rejecting those who break precepts and whose evil
    karma is profound.

    Solely making beings turn about and abundantly say the
    Nien-Fo,

    I can make bits of rubble change into gold.


    - Hymn by Tz’u-min, cited by Fa-chao in the Wu-hui fa-shih tsan (Shorter Pure Land Liturgy of Nien-Fo Chant in Five Stages)
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
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Nosta
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Nosta »

Mr. G wrote:Two quotes from the Myokonin, Ichitaro:


The Land of Bliss is found everywhere. On a vegetable leaf, On
a blade of grass. On a sardine. [...] .

This is silly probably, but that sentence makes me remember the Gospel of Thomas:

It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the all. From me did the all come forth, and unto me did the all extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."
(source: http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html, on line/versicle 77)
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Mr. G
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

Nosta wrote:
Mr. G wrote:Two quotes from the Myokonin, Ichitaro:


The Land of Bliss is found everywhere. On a vegetable leaf, On
a blade of grass. On a sardine. [...] .

This is silly probably, but that sentence makes me remember the Gospel of Thomas:

It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the all. From me did the all come forth, and unto me did the all extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."
(source: http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html, on line/versicle 77)
It's a bit interesting. I personally don't think the Gnostics had all the pieces to the puzzle though. :smile:

Jesus Prayer and the Nembutsu
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
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sinweiy
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by sinweiy »

when the mind is pure, the land is pure.
_/\_
Amituofo!

"Enlightenment is to turn around and see MY own mistake, Other's mistake is also my mistake. Others are right even if they are wrong. i'm wrong even if i'm right. " - Master Chin Kung
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

From "Honen the Buddhist Saint":
  • ..while he was engaged in a special practice of the Nembutsu,
    a bright light appeared to him, then a body of clear
    water and finally some blue emerald ground. In the second
    month of the same year, he saw the so-called jewel-ground,
    the jewel-pond and the jewel-palace. From that time forward
    he was continually having visions of the most wonderful things.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [During Honen's last hours] his disciples brought him an image
    of Amida three feet high, and, as they put it on the right side
    of his bed, asked him if he could see it. With his finger pointing
    to the sky, he said, " There is another Buddha here besides
    this one. Do you not see him?" Then he went on to
    say, "As a result of the merit of repeating the sacred name, I
    have, for over ten years past, continually been gazing upon the
    glory of the Pure Land, and the very forms of the Buddhas
    and Bodhisattvas, but I have kept it secret and said nothing
    about it. Now however, as I draw near the end, I disclose it
    to you."
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
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Nosta
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Nosta »

Interesting that one Mr. G. About that: has someone here saw visions of Sukhavati?
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Re: Favorite Pure Land Quotes

Post by Mr. G »

Nosta wrote:Interesting that one Mr. G. About that: has someone here saw visions of Sukhavati?
I'm sure that if someone did 70,000 nembutsu/nian-fo a day like Honen did they would. :namaste:
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
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