An effective yardstick for measuring faith The spiritual capacities, virtuous roots, and aptitudes of sentient beings vary greatly. No one is identical in his or
Rejecting the contrary teachings of men and bodhisattvas Pure Land Buddhism is classed as a difficult-to-believe teaching because it bears the message of Amitabha’s deliverance.
Deep faith based on Amitabha’s vow (the real), not the delusive mind (the unreal) Out of the seven kinds of determinant faith, we have so
The joy and relief of enlightenment Embracing the two kinds of determinant faith in aptitude and in the teachings (as taught by Master Shandao in
Abandoning the self and taking refuge in the Buddha The explication of the Sincere Mind and the two kinds of determinant deep faith (as mentioned
How the the first component of deep faith relates to sentient…
After his exegesis on the Sincere Mind, Master Shandao set forth to explain the meaning of the Deep Mind. The Deep Mind is the second
Prayer beads are an important part of Buddhist practice and ritual throughout Asia and beyond. Although they are generally regarded primarily as tools to aid
Who can really practice with a genuine mind? At the end of Master Shandao’s passage on interpreting the Sincere Mind, he states: For [disavowing] the threefold
Last time, we explored how a Pure Land aspirant attains both “genuineness in self-benefiting” and “genuineness in benefiting others” through the dedication of real merits
To seek refuge in Amitabha Buddha is to receive his “real” merits and virtues In our discussion of the Sincere Mind in my last three
Translating Pure Land Buddhism into an…
