Nosta,
here are some small cut-out from the book called "Pure Land,Pure Mind" from Questions and Answers by Master Chu-Kung.
Master chu-kung was a master during the 16th century of the Ming period. He study both in Zen and Pure Land.
One Cannot Deny that the Pure Land ExistsSome people say that the Pure Land is nothing but mind, that there is no Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss beyond the trillions of worlds of the cosmos. This talk of mind-only has its source in the words of the sutras, and is true, not false. But those who quite it in this sense are misunderstanding its meaning.
Mind equals objects: there are no objects beyond mind. Objects equal mind" there is no mind beyond objects? Those who dismiss objects when they talk of mind not have comprehended mind.
Some people also say that Pure Land which is seen at the moment of death is entirely in the dying person's own mind, so there is no Pure Land.
[People with this opinion] fail to consider this. It would be right to say this is the dying person's own mind if he alone saw that which is seen at the moment of death by those who recite the Buddha-name and are born in Pure Land" the Pure Land, along with the congregation of saints coming to greet him, the heavenly music, unearthly perfume, the banners and towers and the rest of it. But everyone there at the time [of the death] sees it: they hear the heavenly music fading away toward the West, and the room fills with unearthly perfume which does not dissipate for several days. Sine the heavenly music does not proceed toward any other direction, but toward the west, and after the person is dead, the perfume remains, can it be said that there is no Pure Land? ...
Let me ask [the person who thinks Pure Land is mind-only], "when hell appears to you at the moment of death, is this not mind? "it is mind." Does the person fall into hell?" "yes, he falls into hell." [I would say] "Then it is obvious that since the person falls into hell, hell exists. Is it then only the Pure Land that does not exist? When the mind manifest hell, the person falls into a hell that really exists. When the mind manifests the Pure Land, isn't the person born in a Pure Land that really exist? [As the saying goes]:
Better you should speak of existence on the scale of the polar mountain, than speak of nonexistence to the extend of a mustard seed.
Don't do it!
Why Don't we read of people who were enlightened through reciting the Buddha-name Someone asked, "In the books we see many who attained enlightenment from studying Zen. Why are those who attain enlightenment from reciting the Buddha name so rare that we never hear of them?"
Alas! There are indeed such people, but you have never read of them.
ow those people who study Zen and find the inner truth never make noise and promote themselves. Only after the devas and Nagas[dragons] push them forward do they become famous in their own time and thereafter.
Ts'ao-ch'i[Hui-neng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen] had the mind-seal of [the fifth Patriarch] Huang-mei, but if he had not commented about the wind and the flag [telling two arguing monks, "it is not the wind that is moving, or the flag that is moving, but your minds that are moving"] he would have [remain unknown] as a netminder for a hunter, and that's all.
Ch'ing-su received the secret prediction [of enlightenment] from Tx'u-ming, but if he had not unexpectedly met him at a lichee tree [and exchanged words that let Tz'u-ming discern this attainments], he would have been an old man at ease in the Zen Community, and that's all. How would you have known of him?
The same is true for those who recite the Buddha-name with a genuine mind. Their will goes beyond this world as they seek the Pure Land with pure refinement, reciting the Buddha-name every moment as if saving themselves when their heads are on fire. Thus they awaken to the Amitabha of inherent nature and comprehend the Pure Land of mind-only. If they hide themselves away their whole lives and do not come forward, you would have no way to know of them.
Anyone who is in the top class born in the Pure Land is a person who has attained enlightenment. [If you want examples of enlightenment through Buddha-name recitation], you should read the biographies of those who have gone to the Pure Land.
Only one person in a million accumulates evil his whole life and then achieves correct mindfulness on the bring of death. Without the roots of goodness from past lives, on his deathbed he will be harried by pain and suffering and plunged into darkness and confusion: how would he be able to generate correct mindfulness? again among the good people, only one in a million regresses on the bring of death. If there is such a person, it must be that his lifelong Buddha-name recitation was done casually and in vain: it was not pure and earnest. "Pure" means that his mind was not chaotic and mixed [with other concerns as he recite the buddha-name]. "Earnest" means that there were no mental interruptions or breaks [to his recitation]. So [if his recitation was pure and earnest], how could any regression occur?
Amitabha _/|\_
It would be nice.
