如何早点到净土？
How Can I Reach Pure Land Earlier?
Question: Historically, just within 6 days, Dharma Master Yíngkē (莹珂法师) managed to connect to Āmítuófó (阿弥陀佛), to be received for rebirth in his Pure Land (净土). As I have been practising much mindfulness of Buddha (念佛), can I reach the Pure Land soon?
Answer: What crucial is not the duration (i.e. quantity) of practice, but the quality of practice, although it is usually with higher quantity, that higher quality arises. Is there utmost sincere (至诚) mindfulness, with wholehearted recitation (一心念) and wholehearted listening (一心听) of Āmítuófó’s name, with the Three Provisions (三资粮): https://purelanders.com/2018/02/08/the-three-provisions?
Dharma Master Yíngkē had great motivation transformed from great desperation, partly due to great fear of falling into the hells with past evil karmas and further creating of evil karmas, as explained at https://purelanders.com/2017/05/27/how-to-reach-pure-land-sooner-or-later. It should be noted that his is one of the exceptional cases, as most do depart for Pure Land on the brink of death, or soon after.
We know this is so as according to the Amitābha Sūtra《阿弥陀经》below, it states that Āmítuófó will receive practitioners when they are approaching life’s end. (It is also when approaching life’s end, that most practitioners are naturally with the most utmost of sincerity, which also makes it easiest to connect to Āmítuófó then. This is also means there is no need to stress by hastening those dying to reach Pure Land.)
舍利弗，若有善男子、善女人，闻说阿弥陀佛，执持名号，若一日、若二日、若三日、若四日、若五日、若六日、若七日，一心不乱。其人临命终时，阿弥陀佛，与诸圣众，现在其前。是人终时，心不颠倒，即得往生阿弥陀佛极乐国土。
Śāriputra, if there are good men and good women, who hear this spoken about Amitā Buddha, firmly uphold [mindfulness of his] name [i.e. Āmítuófó], if for one day, if for two days, if for three days, if for four days, if for five days, if for six days, if for seven days, wholeheartedly without being scattered, when these persons approach life’s end, Amitā Buddha, with many in his noble assembly will appear before them. When these persons’ lives are ending, their minds will not be inverted, and they will immediately attain rebirth in Amitā Buddha’s Land Of Ultimate Bliss.
If everyone practises for swift departure when still relatively young and well, the Pure Land Tradition (净土宗) might gain a ‘bad’ reputation, of as if endorsing and encouraging early ‘deaths’, which might be mistaken as ‘premature deaths’ or even ‘suicides’. Such early departures might be disruptive to society, making it harder to pass down the Pure Land teachings to the next generation with full and fruitful lives too.
In the mean time, while living now, be we young or old, well or sick, we should do our best to continue learning, practising and sharing sincerely, to benefit oneself and others, by being a good example of how an ideal practitioner should be. According to the Immeasurable Life Sūtra《无量寿经》below, one day and night’s practice in this world’s meritorious virtues is greater than that of a hundred years in the Pure Land.
正心正意，斋戒清净一日一夜，胜在无量寿国为善百岁。
With right minds and right thoughts, upholding the Purification Precepts purely for one day and one night, this is superior to, in Immeasurable Life Buddha’s Land, doing good for a hundred years.
After the Pure Land is reached, although there are indeed immeasurably more avenues to practise the Dharma efficiently beyond the Pure Land at will, there are more challenges in practising the Dharma here, which is why the meritorious virtues are greater. This teaching should be seen as Śākyamuni Buddha’s (释迦牟尼佛) encouragement to practise the Dharma well while we are here. No efforts are ever done in vain. While we aspire to reach Pure Land to learn and practise better, we should treasure our time to learn and practise well here too. (For more on the above sūtra teaching, see https://purelanders.com/2024/10/03/verses-on-multiplication.)
If there is the Bodhi Mind (菩提心), this most noble Aspiration (愿) to reach Pure Land, to expedite progress to Buddhahood, so as to guide all other beings to Buddhahood too, the Aspiration to reach Pure Land will be stronger, instead of just for personal escape from suffering. This Aspiration should be 100% true and sincere though. (Many do have the Aspiration to reach Pure Land now, but not to reach it immediately.)
Aligning with the Bodhi Mind, if one is more well-rounded in Dharma learning and Bodhisattva practices (菩萨行: https://purelanders.com/pusa), it will be easier to reach Pure Land swiftly too. The key Pure Land Sūtras (https://purelanders.com/wujing) and the latest Patriarch’s summative explanations (https://purelanders.com/jinghualu) should be studied and practised in detail.
相关教理
Related Teachings:
一心念佛决定往生净土
With Wholehearted Mindfulness Of Buddha Is Definite Rebirth In Pure Land
打饿七为极险事
Doing A Fasting Seven-Day Retreat Is An Utmost Dangerous Practice
https://purelanders.com/2021/05/28/with-wholehearted-mindfulness-of-buddha-is-definite-rebirth
