眾生無邊誓願度
煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成

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Dharma Teachings

23 Sep 2022    Friday     3rd Teach Total 3682

The Conditions That Guarantee Rebirth in the Land of Bliss (Sukhāvatī)

The Buddha gave sentient beings only three guarantees for rebirth in the land of bliss (Sukhāvatī), all found in the Contemplation of the Immeasurable Life Sūtra. The first: the third of the sixteen contemplations—the water contemplation—once accomplished, guarantees rebirth in the land of bliss at the end of life. The subsequent fourth through sixteenth contemplations likewise guarantee rebirth in the land of bliss at the end of life, and are counted together with the third. The second: a person who has eliminated self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) is guaranteed rebirth in the land of bliss at the end of life, in the highest grade (uttamottama-varga) of the middle class. The third: a person who has seen one's true mind is guaranteed rebirth in the land of bliss at the end of life, in the highest grade (uttamottama-varga) of the highest class. Other practices can also lead to rebirth in the land of bliss, but they are not guaranteed and are uncertain—one may be reborn there, or one may not, depending on the circumstances of one's final breath.

Why do the Buddha and the noble ones not use superknowledge to forcibly take sentient beings away?

The Buddha is the Buddha within the mind; the noble ones are the noble ones within the mind. When the mind holds the Buddha, the Buddha appears; when the mind holds the noble ones, the noble ones manifest. If the mind holds neither Buddha nor noble ones, and Buddha and noble ones do not appear, blame your own mind.

——Master Sheng-Ru's Teachings
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