"A" recitation in Amitabha - from Thich Thien Tam

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ZhengShen
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Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2022 3:27 pm

"A" recitation in Amitabha - from Thich Thien Tam

Post by ZhengShen »

Greetings:

"Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith" was my first introduction to Pure Land - and I've gone back to it many times. I've always had a question, and never been able to find any information. Master Thich Thien Tam describes this method:

"If the mind is still unsettled and we cannot use the Decimal Recording method, we should, with each utterance, concentrate firmly on the letter "A" in Amitabha Buddha. When the letter "A" is present, all the other letters are also present. If, because of delusion and forgetfulness, the letter "A" is lost, all the other letters are also lost. Moreover, the letter "A" is the key and fundamental letter of the Sanskrit alphabet and is therefore considered the mother of all other letters. Through concentration on reciting the Buddha's name while simultaneously holding fast to the letter "A," in time, mind and environment both dissolve and amalgamate into one bloc, as great as space itself. Buddha Amitabha and the practitioner will then both disappear. At that time, naturally, the letter "A" will have ceased to exist as well. However, it was lost earlier because the mind was unsettled and scattered, while it no longer exists now precisely because of the harmonious state of "perpetual concentration." This is the manifestation of emptiness of Mind and environment -- the entry point into the Buddha Recitation Samadhi."

Master Thich Thien Tam, unfortunately, seemed to have very few disciples - he was a humble man and shunned the limelight. I've tried contact one temple connected to him, but have not heard back. This is unlikely - but if anyone here has any information on this method, I'd be very grateful for any ideas.

Thanks!
Zheng Shen

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Javierfv1212
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Re: "A" recitation in Amitabha - from Thich Thien Tam

Post by Javierfv1212 »

Well, the Tathagataguhya sutra has a dharani that is just A, and also there is the Prajnaparamita in one letter

Not sure if he came up with it on his own or if he adopted it from some past master but one sees this kind of practice in other places as well, I think Shingon
It is quite impossible to find the Buddha anywhere other than in one's own mind.
A person who is ignorant of this may seek externally,
but how is it possible to find oneself through seeking anywhere other than in oneself?
Someone who seeks their own nature externally is like a fool who, giving a performance in the middle of a crowd, forgets who he is and then seeks everywhere else to find himself.
— Padmasambhava

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