Download With the Pure Land practice of mindfulness of the

The Centrality of Faith in Pure Land Buddhism
and Its Overall Influence on Buddhist Practice
- Shen Shi’an: [email protected] (11 July 2005)
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The objective of this paper is to explore the above titled, as based on the two aspects below:
1. Why is faith so important in Pure Land Buddhism?
2. Does an emphasis on this lead to the neglect of other aspects of Buddhist practice?
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(Due to length constraint, the focus of “faith” will be that as expounded in the classical Chinese
Pure Land tradition, as differentiated from that of the Japanese Shin tradition.)
The Nature of Faith
Faith, or “Saddha” (in Pali) in Buddhism is perhaps better translated as “confidence”, not to be
mistaken as “blind faith”, which would be equivalent to ungrounded or deluded belief. True faith is
based on wisdom and the sound spirit of free enquiry, as encouraged by the Buddha’s universal
advice to the Kalamas, "It is proper for you, Kalamas, to doubt, to be uncertain; uncertainty has
arisen in you about what is doubtful.” In other words, Buddhists are encouraged to “doubt the
doubtful” [1] – even when it comes to the sutras.
How do we validate the truth of the Pure Land sutras? Initial “theological” faith is transformed into
experiential faith when the practitioner catches glimpses of the “equivalent” of Pure Land through
the corresponding purity of his mind during deepened practice. This is possible as “When one’s
mind is pure, the land is pure.” [2]
Inevitably, before true faith is realised, one still has to make a “leap of faith”. “(King Milinda:) ‘And
how does faith leap forward?’ (Nagasena:) ‘When the Yogin sees that the hearts of others have
been set free, he leaps forward, by way of aspiration, to the various fruits of a holy life, and he
makes efforts to attain the yet unattained, to find the yet unfound, to realise the yet unrealised.” [3]
This leap is especially crucial to “jumpstart” Pure Land practice as “the Pure Land method... is
concerned with many transcendental realms beyond human knowledge or wisdom. Therefore,
there are many realities that ordinary sentient beings cannot readily understand.” [4]
The Factors of Faith
What does faith in Pure Land Buddhism comprise of? “This element of Faith consists, in general,
of three factors. First, we should believe in the words of the Buddhas, truly acknowledging that
the Pure Land, from its inhabitants to the environment itself, does ‘exist’. Next, we should believe
that the Lord Amitabha Buddha is always true to His Vows, and that however deep the evil karma
of sentient beings may be, if they earnestly recite His name, they will be reborn in the Pure Land.
Finally, we should believe that if we recite Amitabha Buddha's name and vow to be reborn in the
Pure Land, we will certainly see the Buddha and be reborn there, as cause and effect cannot
diverge.” [5]
The Priority of Faith
Faith is of paramount importance because it is relatively difficult, even for many “average” or
nominal Buddhists - to believe in the reality of the seemingly “fantastically ideal” realm for Dharma
practice that is the Sukhavati Pure Land. At first impression, Sukhavati is almost always “too good
to be true”. If one does not take a “leap of faith”, to muster the minimal yet crucial initial faith to
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practise the Pure Land teachings in greater depth, there is no way to clarify any doubts. Doubt,
the opposite of faith, is one of the Five Hindrances (sensual desire, ill-will, sloth and torpor,
restlessness and skeptical doubt) of spiritual practice. Faith is also the mother of the Five Spiritual
Faculties (faith, vigour, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom).
If one reconsiders the above with respect to the “promises” of the various goals of spiritual
fruitions in all other Buddhist traditions or religions, one would realise that faith plays an equally
important role for them to be embraced in the first place.
Consider the very beginnings of the spreading of the Dharma by the Buddha. His first sermon
was the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which was taught to the five ascetics. They had earlier
lost faith in Him before His Enlightenment, but had it rekindled when they saw His magnificence.
Attracted to the magnetic charisma of the Buddha, they became doubtless about His attainment.
Such is the primary necessity of faith, without which the Dharma could not have passed down to
us through the generations.
Faith thus takes such great precedence in the spiritual path. If one does not believe in any worth
or validity of a teaching, one will not even begin learning it, much less to say to practise or realise
it. It is thus unequivocally stated in the Avatamsaka Sutra that “Faith is the basis of the Path, the
mother of virtues. Nourishing and growing all good ways... Faith can assure arrival at
enlightenment.” [6]
The Importance of Faith
Near the end of the Amitabha Sutra, which is the most briefest of the three cardinal scriptures of
the Pure Land tradition, the Buddha tells His audience,
“Sariputra, just as I now praise the inconceivable virtue of other Buddhas (of the six directions),
they praise my inconceivable virtue, saying,
’Sakyamuni Buddha, you have accomplished an extremely difficult and unprecedented task. In
this Saha world, during the evil period of the five defilements – those of time, views, passions,
sentient beings, and life span – you have attained the highest, perfect Enlightenment and, for the
sake of sentient beings, have delivered this teaching which is the most difficult in the
world to accept in faith.’
“Sariputra, you must realise that I have accomplished this difficult task during the period of the
five defilements. That is to say, having attained the highest, perfect Enlightenment, I have, for
the sake of the world, delivered this teaching, which is so hard for them to accept in faith.
This is indeed an extremely difficult task.” [7]
The Buddha, even while He was preaching this most succinctly self-contained Pure Land
teaching in His age of True Dharma, chose to reiterate the difficulty of having faith in the Pure
Land teachings. This clearly emphasizes the importance of faith in Pure Land Buddhism.
The Inclusiveness of Faith
“The critical elements of the Pure Land method are Faith, Vows and Practice. These three
conditions interact like the three legs of an incense burner; if one is lacking or broken, the incense
burner cannot stand. Among these conditions, Faith is fundamental. If this critical condition is
missing, the mind of Vows and sincere Practice cannot truly develop.” [8]
“Please note that all Buddhists teachings are expedients, dividing the one and the indivisible
Truth into many parts. Faith, Vows and Practice, although three, are really one. Thus, it can be
said that rebirth in the Pure Land depends on three conditions or two conditions (Faith and Vows)
or even one condition (Faith), as the one contains all and all are contained in the one. The
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formula to be used depends on the audience and the times. The aim is to enable sentient beings
to achieve rebirth in the Pure Land as a stepping stone toward Buddhahood.” [9] In this “one-inall” / “all-in-one” way, Japanese Shin Buddhism, whose key difference is its emphasis on “faithonly”, can be reconciled with the Chinese Pure Land tradition.
The Follow-up to Faith (1) : The Threefold Training
With its emphasis on faith, Pure Land practitioners are often accused of oversimplifying the
Buddha’s teachings, to the extent of neglecting or losing the bulk of their essence. Of course,
faith is never an end in itself. The sole purpose of faith is for inspiring the actualisation of practice
and the complete realisation of the Dharma.
Regardless of Buddhist tradition, it is indisputable that the path to self-liberation is entailed in the
Noble Eightfold Path, which also encompasses all the thirty-seven wings of awakening.
"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of dukkha:
precisely this Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration." [10]
With sufficient inspiration from having strong faith, one naturally walks the Eightfold Path, which
can also be reclassified as the “Threefold Training” " …the Noble Eightfold Path is included under the three aggregates. Right speech, right action,
and right livelihood come under the aggregate of virtue. Right effort, right mindfulness, and right
concentration come under the aggregate of concentration. Right view and right resolve come
under the aggregate of discernment " [11]
With the Pure Land practice of mindfulness of the (Amitabha) Buddha, one naturally practises the
avoiding of evil, and/or doing of good in the moment. This is equivalent to the virtue (moral
conduct) aspect of Eightfold Path. Next, refining the same mindfulness, the concentration aspect
is achieved. Lastly, with this sharpened mind, insight knowledges are realised as the aspect of
discernment (wisdom).
The Follow-up to Faith (2) : The Noble Eightfold Path
Let us investigate in detail as to how the individual factors of the Eightfold Path are practised via
mindfulness of the Buddha "And what, monks, is right view? Knowledge with regard to stress (1), knowledge with regard to
the origination of stress(2), knowledge with regard to the stopping of stress (3), knowledge with
regard to the way of practice leading to the stopping of stress (3): This, monks, is called right
view.” [12]
One practices mindfulness of the Buddha, due to having perceived the First Noble Truth (1) to
some extent, and agrees with the Second Noble Truth (2), and strives to realise the Third Noble
Truth (3) by practising the Fourth Noble Truth (4).
"And what is right resolve? Being resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill-will, on
harmlessness: This is called right resolve." [13]
Mindfulness of the Buddha is the resolve to become “Buddha-like”, which means one necessarily
renounces all evil to practise all that is good.
"And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech,
and from idle chatter: This is called right speech." [14]
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With mindfulness of the Buddha in the moment, one engages in right speech, especially through
the most prevalent practice of repeating the name of the Buddha, verbally or mentally. When this
is done, all aspects of unskillful internal and external speech are avoided, while homage to the
Buddha is also paid.
"And what is right action? Abstaining from taking life, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from
unchastity. This is called right action." [15]
Mindful of the Buddha’s virtues, one will naturally tend towards protecting life, practising
generosity and maintaining chastity or even celibacy.
"And what is right livelihood? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having
abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood: This is called right
livelihood." [16] "A lay follower should not engage in five types of business. Which five? Business
in weapons, business in living beings, business in meat, business in intoxicants, and business in
poison." [17]
Once again, mindful of the Buddha’s virtues, one will naturally tend towards protecting life and not
engage in any livelihood that jeopardises the well-being or mindfulness of any being.
"And what, monks, is right effort? "There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors,
activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful
qualities that have not yet arisen. (1) "He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence,
upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the abandonment of evil, unskillful qualities that have
arisen. (2) "He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for
the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen. (3) "He generates desire,
endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the maintenance, non-confusion,
increase, plenitude, development, and culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen (4): This,
monks, is called right effort." [18]
When mindful of the Buddha, one naturally guards the mind against the rising of evil thoughts (1),
severs those already risen (2), gives rise to good thoughts (3) and upholds them (4).
"And what, monks, is right mindfulness? There is the case where a monk remains focused on
the body in and of itself -- ardent, aware, and mindful -- putting away greed and distress with
reference to the world. (1) He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves -- ardent, aware,
and mindful -- putting away greed and distress with reference to the world. (2) He remains
focused on the mind in and of itself -- ardent, aware, and mindful -- putting away greed and
distress with reference to the world. (3) He remains focused on mental qualities in and of
themselves -- ardent, aware, and mindful -- putting away greed and distress with reference to the
world. (4) This, monks, is called right mindfulness. [19]
To practise mindfulness of the Buddha well, the above Four Foundations of Mindfulness have to
be established along the way. This can be done through practicing mindfulness of the Buddha.
"And what is right concentration? There is the case where a monk — quite withdrawn from
sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities — enters and remains in the first jhana:
rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought and evaluation.
With the stilling of directed thought and evaluation, he enters and remains in the second jhana:
rapture and pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought and
evaluation — internal assurance. With the fading of rapture he remains in equanimity, mindful,
and fully alert, and physically sensitive of pleasure. He enters and remains in the third jhana, and
of him the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous and mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.' With the
abandoning of pleasure and pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation and distress —
he enters and remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity and mindfulness, neither pleasure
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nor pain. This is called right concentration." [20]
The levels of concentration in the practice of the mindfulness of the Buddha should be measured
by the Buddha’s standards above, which can be used as “milestones” to gauge the depth of one’s
concentration. Note that Pure Land is a realm of equanimity, which bears correspondence with
the factors of equanimity and mindfulness which characterise the fourth jhana.
The Follow-up to Faith (3) : The Six Perfections
Having explored the Theravadin basis of how mindfulness of the Buddha can lead to selfliberation (Arahantship), let us look at how the same practice can lead towards Buddhahood via
the Six Perfections. Below are instructional verses by Venerable Ou Yi, the Ninth Chinese
Patriarch of Pureland Buddhism (蕅益大师), which illustrate how mindfulness of the Buddha
perfected remarkably fulfills all the paramitas. “Mindfulness of the Buddha” here refers to mindful
verbal or silent recitation of the Buddha's name, or remembrance of the Buddha and His virtues.
Practice of the Six Perfections by Mindfulness of the Buddha: [21]
真能念佛，放下身心世界，即大布施。
In true mindfulness of the Buddha,
letting go of attachment to one's body, mind and the world
is the great Perfection of Giving.
真能念佛，不负起贪嗔痴，即大持戒。
In true mindfulness of the Buddha,
not giving rise to any thought of greed, hatred or ignorance
is the great Perfection of Morality.
真能念佛，不计是非人我，即大忍辱。
In true mindfulness of the Buddha,
not being attached to conflicts or hearsay of others and oneself
is the Great Perfection of Patience.
真能念佛，不间断不夾杂，即大精進。
In true mindfulness of the Buddha,
having neither a slight break of continuity of mindfulness nor any confused thoughts in between
is the Great Perfection of Effort.
真能念佛，不复妄想驰逐，即大禪定。
In true mindfulness of the Buddha,
neither giving rise to, driven by nor chasing after stray thoughts
is the Great Perfection of Concentration.
真能念佛，不為他歧所惑，即大智慧。
In true mindfulness of the Buddha,
not being tempted by any delusion
is the Great Perfection of Wisdom.
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The Full Circle of Faith
It is often praised by various Mahayana masters that the Pure Land method is perhaps the most
skilful of means ever taught by the Buddha – leading countless to a non-retrogressive “buffer”
reminiscent to the proverbial spiritual “halfway house” in the Lotus Sutra. History bears testimony
to this as it is the most widespread teaching of the Mahayana tradition. It beautifully makes the
Buddha and an ideal world “accessible” in this life and/or the next, dependent of the diligence of
the practitioner. Far from a simplistic practice; it is a sophisticated teaching for those of any age
and intellectual capacity. Faith is completed in the path when one comes full circle, realising what
one believed in the first place - the reality of Pure Land. When this happens, there is no more
need to believe or have faith – for one already knows and sees the Truth of it as it is.
References
[1] Translated from the Pali by Soma Thera,
Kalama Kalama Sutta: The Buddha’s Charter of Free Inquiry,
Kandy, Sri Lanka, Buddhist Publication Society, The Wheel Publication No. 8, 1981
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bps/wheels/wheel008.html
[2] Venerable Master Hsing Yun, Fo Kuang Shan (Buddha Light International Association),
The Essence of Ch’an (Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra)
http://www.hsilai.org/english/e_hsilai/reading_room/reading_room_phamphlets10.htm
[3] Henry Clark Warren, Buddhism in Translation, &
Edward Conze, Buddhist Scriptures (with modifications)
http://www.as.miami.edu/phi/bio/Buddha/Milinda.htm
[4] Dharma Master Thich Thien Tam,
Buddhism of Wisdom & Faith: Pure Land Principles and Practice (Second Edition),
New York, USA, translated and edited by the Van Hien Study Group,
Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada, p.60
(In collaboration with Amitabha Buddhist Society, Singapore)
http://www.ymba.org/BWF/bwf31.htm#door
[5] lbid
[6] Translated by Thomas Cleary, The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the
Avatamsaka Sutra Vol.1, Boston, Ma and London, Shambhala, 1986, p. 331
[7] Translated by Inagaki Hisao in collaboration with Harold Stewart,
The Three Pure Land Sutras:
The Smaller Sutra on Amitayus (The Sutra on Amitayus Buddha),
BDK English Tripitaka 12-IV, Taisho, Volume 12, Number 366,
California USA, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 1995, p.123
[8] See note [4] p.62
[9] Translated by J.C. Cleary, edited by Van Hien Study Group,
Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada,
Warnings to the Assembly by Grand Master Chu-hung (The Eighth Pureland Patriarch),
Pure Land Pure Mind, New York, San Francisco (USA), Toronto (Canada),p.205
(In collaboration with The Pure Land Learning Centre)
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/pureland/chuhung/assembly.html#1
[10] Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Samyutta Nikaya LVI.11,
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/samyutta/sn56-011.html
[11] Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Majjhima Nikaya 44,
Cula-vedalla Sutta: The Shorter Set of Questions-and-Answers
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/majjhima/mn044-tb0.html#3agg
[12] Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Samyutta Nikaya XLV.8,
Magga-vibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Path
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/samyutta/sn45-008.html
[13] lbid
[14] lbid
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[15] lbid
[16] lbid
[17] Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Anguttara Nikaya V.177,
Vanijja Sutta: Business (Wrong Livelihood)
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/anguttara/an05-177.html
[18] See note [12]
[19] lbid
[20] lbid
[21] Chinese version: Dharma Flyer from Amitabha Buddhist Society (Singapore)
English version: Translated by Shen Shi’an, The Daily Enlightenment I : July – December:
Dharma Reflections for the Practising Buddhist, Singapore,
Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery Dharma Propagation Division, 2004, p.8
Bibliography
1. Translated from the Pali by Soma Thera,
Kalama Kalama Sutta: The Buddha’s Charter of Free Inquiry,
Kandy, Sri Lanka, Buddhist Publication Society, The Wheel Publication No. 8, 1981
2. Venerable Master Hsing Yun, Fo Kuang Shan (Buddha Light International Association),
The Essence of Ch’an
3. Dharma Master Thich Thien Tam,
Buddhism of Wisdom & Faith: Pure Land Principles and Practice (Second Edition),
New York, USA, translated and edited by the Van Hien Study Group,
Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada
(In collaboration with Amitabha Buddhist Society, Singapore)
4. Translated by Inagaki Hisao in collaboration with Harold Stewart,
The Three Pure Land Sutras
California USA, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 1995
5. Translated by J.C. Cleary, edited by Van Hien Study Group,
Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada,
Warnings to the Assembly by Grand Master Chu-hung (The Eighth Pureland Patriarch),
Pure Land Pure Mind, New York, San Francisco (USA), Toronto (Canada)
(In collaboration with The Pure Land Learning Centre)
6. Thich Nhat Hanh, Finding Our True Home: living in the Pure Land Here and Now,
USA, Parallax Press, 2003
7. Paul Williams, Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations,
London (UK) & New York (USA), Routlege, 1998 edition,
8. Julian Pas, Visions of Sukhavati: Shan-Tao’s Commentary on the Kuan Wu-Liang-Shou-Fo
Ching, USA, State University of New York Press, 1995
9. Patriarch Chih I & Master T’ien Ju, translated with annotations by Master Thich Thien Tam,
Pureland Buddhism: Dialogues with Ancient Masters (Third Edition),
Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada, New York (USA), 1992
10. Translated & edited by Thanisarro Bhikkhu, The Wings to Awakening: An Anthology from the
Pali Canon, USA, The Dhamma Dana Publication Fund, 1996
(In collaboration with The Corporate Body of Buddha Educational Foundation)
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