The First Contemplation of the Sutra on the Contemplation of Amitayus

The First Contemplation of the Sutra on the Contemplation of Amitāyus (Illustration One follows below) Original Text: (The Buddha said) The Tathāgata now teaches Vaidehī and all sentient beings of future generations to contemplate the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Due to the Buddha’s power, they will be able to see that pure land. It is like seeing one’s own face in a clear mirror. Upon seeing the supremely wonderful joyous phenomena of that land, their minds will be filled with joy, and at that very moment, they will attain the patience of the non-arising of dharmas.

The Buddha told Vaidehī: You are an ordinary person, your mental power is weak and inferior, you have not attained the divine eye, and cannot see afar. However, the Buddhas and Tathāgatas possess extraordinary expedient means to enable you to see it.

Then Vaidehī addressed the Buddha, saying: World-Honored One! As I now, due to the Buddha’s power, see that land; after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa, when sentient beings are defiled, evil, unwholesome, and oppressed by the five sufferings, how will they be able to see Amitābha Buddha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss?

The Buddha told Vaidehī: You and sentient beings should single-mindedly focus your thoughts on one place, contemplating the West. How should you contemplate? All those who engage in contemplation, unless born blind, are beings with eyes who see the sun set. You should arouse right mindfulness, sit upright facing west, and intently contemplate the place where the sun is about to set, causing your mind to firmly dwell there, focused and unmoving. See the sun about to set, its shape like a suspended drum. Having seen the sun, whether with eyes open or closed, make it appear clear and distinct. This is the contemplation of the sun, called the first contemplation.

Explanation: To enable those with weak mental power to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss upon death, the Buddha taught sentient beings an expedient method. This involves first facing west and contemplating the setting sun, then water, and then the earth. After achieving these three contemplations, it ensures rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss upon death. There are sixteen contemplations in total. In each contemplation, there is the blessing of the Buddha’s power. If sentient beings were to rely solely on their own power to achieve the contemplation, it would likely be very difficult, because the Buddha said sentient beings’ mental power is weak and inferior, and their contemplative power is feeble. Why are sentient beings’ mental power weak and inferior and their contemplative power feeble? Because sentient beings, throughout countless kalpas, have deeply ingrained karmic seeds, are excessively attached to worldly phenomena, and their minds are too scattered and chaotic, unable to concentrate their full energy on one thing. Therefore, it is not easy for them to accomplish anything, and they can only rely on the blessing of the Buddha’s power to complete the contemplation.

The Buddha said, I now teach Queen Vaidehī and all sentient beings of future generations to contemplate the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Due to the blessing of the Buddha’s power, they will be able to see the pure land of Ultimate Bliss in this very life, just like seeing one’s own face by holding up a clear mirror, able to directly witness the supremely wonderful and majestic phenomena of the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Thereupon, their minds will be filled with joy. Because of this joy in their hearts, at that very moment they will realize the patience of the non-arising of dharmas, knowing that all dharmas are illusory transformations arising from their own minds, are unarisen, and do not truly exist. Enduring this truth, they attain the patience of the non-arising of dharmas.

The Buddha told Queen Vaidehī: You are still an ordinary person now, your mental power is very weak, you lack the power of contemplation, you do not possess the divine eye, cannot perceive very far distances, and certainly cannot perceive the Land of Ultimate Bliss. However, the Buddhas and Tathāgatas possess some skillful means that can enable you to see the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Queen Vaidehī said to the Buddha: World-Honored One, as I am now, due to the blessing of the Buddha’s power, I am able to see the Buddha-land of Ultimate Bliss; after you, World-Honored One, enter parinirvāṇa, those sentient beings of later times whose minds are defiled and unwholesome, and who are oppressed by the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death, how will they be able to directly see Amitābha Buddha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss?

The Buddha told Queen Vaidehī: You and these sentient beings should single-mindedly focus your thoughts on one place, contemplating the West. How to contemplate? All sentient beings who wish to contemplate, unless born blind, are those with eyes who can see forms, and all can see the scene of the sun setting in the west. You should arouse right mindfulness, focus only on one place, sit upright facing west, and intently observe with one-pointed concentration the place where the sun is about to set, causing your mind to dwell very steadfastly on this image, focused solely on this image without shifting. At this time, you should be able to see the sun about to set, its shape perfectly round like a large drum suspended in the sky. After observing the setting sun, whether with eyes closed or open, you can clearly see the appearance of the setting sun. If you can see it constantly without losing it, you achieve samādhi. This is the contemplation of the sun, the first of the sixteen contemplations.

This is the meaning conveyed in the Buddha’s original text. To facilitate contemplation, when the sun sets, we can record a video with a mobile phone. The video is more vivid and clear, aiding memory for contemplative practice. The setting sun should not be white; the sutra says it is orange-red, reddish with a slight tinge of yellow. The true appearance of the setting sun should be as seen with one's own eyes; the more realistic, the better. The setting sun in the West is generally around five or six o'clock. Do not imagine it; do not use artificially edited images. Choose one that you particularly like, save it on your phone, and watch it long-term, contemplating it long-term. Do not contemplate several different ones; you must be single-minded, not scattered, otherwise samādhi will not arise. Also, do not add other patterns or backgrounds, as patterns and backgrounds will distract the mind, making it difficult to attain concentration. The simpler the image, the better. We are not here to appreciate the scenery; having an appreciative mind is a scattered mind and a mind of attachment, which will prevent samādhi.

Select a setting sun scene, then watch it daily. After watching, use your independent consciousness to recall and visualize it. Once the recollection becomes firm and you can recall it constantly, then train yourself to see the setting sun scene with your eyes closed. Once you can constantly see the setting sun with your eyes closed, finally, whether your eyes are open or closed, the setting sun is always present before you, and this image does not disappear or fade; then the samādhi of sun contemplation is achieved.

When the third contemplation is achieved, the Buddha guarantees that sentient beings will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss upon death. During this period, the samādhi will never be lost; this practice is extremely sublime. When samādhi is achieved, heavy offenses become light, and light offenses disappear. Therefore, achieving any samādhi can eliminate karmic obstructions, especially Pure Land practice with the Buddha’s power blessing, which can eliminate karmic obstructions even more and also maintain the state of samādhi without loss. When the seventh contemplation is achieved, all karmic obstructions leading to the three evil destinies are completely eradicated, and one instantly attains enlightenment, seeing all the Buddhas of the ten directions standing before them.

This is a method to transform and subdue the mental faculty (manas). Once the mental faculty is subdued, cultivating any kind of samādhi will be quickly achieved; all kinds of samādhi become easy to attain. After achieving the sun contemplation, next contemplate water; the water contemplation can also be quickly achieved. After that is the earth contemplation; achieving the earth contemplation guarantees rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Select one setting sun scene and watch it long-term, then recall it. Once you can recall it constantly without losing it, then with eyes closed, it constantly appears before you. Once you can constantly manifest it with eyes closed, then practice seeing it with eyes open. If you can see the setting sun scene constantly, whether eyes are open or closed, without it being lost, scattered, or broken, then the first contemplation is achieved. After achieving the first contemplation, the second contemplation becomes easy to achieve, and even the third contemplation becomes easy to achieve. Rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss is then guaranteed. After achieving the first contemplation, cultivating any other contemplation becomes easy to achieve; Buddha-recitation samādhi and realizing the mind’s nature become not difficult. Even those with relatively heavy karmic offenses, through such contemplative practice, are guaranteed by the Buddha to have their offenses eradicated, and moreover, they will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss and realize the mind’s nature.