Shakyamuni’s wish is to help us attain rebirth through Amitabha-recitation
It may be the most immediate concern for an ordinary being like Queen Vaidehi in the Contemplation Sutra to aspire to be reborn in the Pure Land and leave the Land of Saha. This means she will not be subject to further reincarnation within the Six Realms, thus ending the first kind of birth-and-death. This is also the first milestone to be reached by ordinary beings in the course of achieving Buddhahood.
In Buddhism, the “root cause” of all suffering is ignorance, one of the twelve links of Dependent Origination. Because of ignorance, there are two kinds of birth-and-death, one being the physical birth-and-death in stages, related to reincarnation, which is the source of all suffering in the world. The other is the mental birth-and-death in the transition between lives, related to the state of mind.
As indicated in my last article, those practitioners who attain “a state of Samadhi” (through self-powered meditative practices) of the “general perception” of the ground of the Land of Bliss in the Third Contemplation, can be reborn in the Pure Land, as their evil karma committed during eighty kotis of kalpas of samsara is extinguished.
However, as taught in the Thirteenth Contemplation, even those non-Buddhists without any virtuous roots, who sincerely and continuously say “Namo Amituofo,” ten times near the end-of-life, can be received by the lotus flower and attain rebirth in the Land of Bliss, as their evil karma committed during eighty kotis of kalpas of samsara is likewise extinguished.
In both scenarios, the aspirant can achieve the end of suffering of physical birth-and-death in stages, related to reincarnation, by attaining rebirth in the Land of Bliss. In this way, they eradicate all karmic offenses accumulated in the past eight billion eons/kalpas.
However, it should be noted that the former Buddhist practitioner, who relies on “self-powered” practices, finds such an attainment very difficult to achieve. Likewise, the non-Buddhist who relies on the “other-powered” practice of Amitabha-recitation—without any virtuous roots or mindfulness, but simply reciting “Namo Amituofo” near the end-of-life—achieves the same result with ease.
So, it must be the intention of the compassionate Buddha to ask all his followers, as well as non-Buddhists, to attain rebirth through the “other-powered” practice of Amitabha-recitation. Through exclusive recitation of Amitabha’s Name, they can end the suffering of physical birth-and-death in stages, related to reincarnation, rather than through the “self-powered” practices of meditative and non-meditative virtues.
Difference in benefits between “seeing” the ground and “seeing” the Buddha
Though aspirants at both high and low levels—meaning, of aptitude and capacity—can be reborn in the Land of Bliss by reciting “Namo Amituofo,” for aspirants in the low tier, their reception near the end-of-life is obviously different because of their aptitude and capacity.
For the high level in the low tier, such persons are Buddhists who come across the Mahayana sutra or bodhisattva teachings without slandering them, and have a fair knowledge about the Pure Land, the Buddha, and bodhisattvas like Avalokiteshvara. They are mindful of Amitabha Buddha upon hearing his name, and reverentially recite “Namo Amituofo” with joined palms.
These aspirants can “see”—that is, they can perceive the Buddha in his essence, as his Name—the transformed body of Amitabha Buddha as the two great bodhisattvas to come forward to welcome them. They can also “see” a flood of light from the transformed Buddha fill the room. All these auspicious scenes are similar to the appearance of the three sacred beings before Queen Vaidehi in the Seventh Contemplation.
As said by Master Shandao in the Seventh Contemplation, Queen Vaidehi attained the “perseverance of no-birth” when she saw Amitabha Buddha and prostrated herself and touched his feet. Such an outcome was beyond any she could have achieved through self-power practice. Such is the great benefit of rebirth in the Land of Bliss by “seeing” the Buddha, rather than “seeing the ground” through meditative practice.
Attainment of “perseverance of no-birth” by “seeing” the Buddha
According to the passage of “birth by womb” in the Infinite Life Sutra, those who practice various merits and virtues—meditative and non-meditative virtues—are reborn “by womb” (inside a lotus bud) because they have doubts concerning the Buddha’s wisdom and power. Though they enjoy bliss like that of the Third Heaven (Yama Heaven), they cannot see the Buddha or sacred beings in the Land of Bliss.
Only those who genuinely believe and accept the Buddha’s wisdom and power (and exclusively recite Amitabha’s name in accordance with the 18th Vow) can be reborn “in manifestation”—upon a lotus blossom—and truly see the Buddha and Bodhisattvas in the Land of Bliss. Such practitioners attain “perseverance of no-birth” at the same instant they are reborn.
They dwell in the state of non-retrogression, or avinivartaniya—or even in the state of attaining Buddhahood-in-one-more-lifetime as they can make offerings to the Buddhas in the ten directions. These are the second and third milestones in the course of achieving Buddhahood and can only be attained by “seeing” Amitabha Buddha through his vow-power.
In explicating Shakyamuni Buddha’s words—“To bear these words well in mind means to hold fast to the Name of Amitabha Buddha”—Master Shandao says, “Though preceding passages spoke of the merits of the meditative and non-meditative virtues [in the Contemplation Sutra], the Buddha’s underlying wish is that sentient beings recite Amitabha’s name single-mindedly.”
Those beings who heed these words can end the suffering of the other kind of birth-and-death—the mental birth-and-death of transitioning between lives, related to the state of mind, rather than just the sufferings of the physical body subjected to reincarnation in the Six Realms. Such is the additional benefit bestowed by Amitabha Buddha upon those who exclusively recite his Name, “Namo Amituofo,” for rebirth, as promised in Amitabha’s 11th Vow.
With deep faith in the Buddha’s wisdom and vow power, one can “see” the Buddha and sacred beings—the direct reward—in the Land of Bliss, which is called perception in detail. For those who have doubts or no knowledge of the Buddha’s wisdom and vow power, they can only “see” the ground—the circumstantial reward—in the Land of Bliss, which is known as perception in general.
Having said that, the latter have already been reborn in the Land of Bliss, the Reward Land of Amitabha Buddha, so they are assured of achieving Buddhahood without any retrogression, though some of their lotus flowers bloom sooner and some bloom later.
Related features from BDG
Does the Contemplation Sutra Teach Us to Attain Rebirth through Contemplation of Meditative Virtues?
Those with Faith in the Name Should Aspire to Rebirth in the Land of Bliss
Shakyamuni Buddha’s Benefits of Being Reborn in the Land of Bliss
