What Are the Roots of Virtue, Merit, and Causes and Conditions Required for Rebirth in the Pure Land?

The "virtuous" in "virtuous roots" refers to the wholesome karma cultivated and the good deeds performed in the Dharma with a benevolent and pure mind. Examples include deeply taking refuge in the Three Jewels, making offerings to the Three Jewels, having right faith in Buddhism, diligently cultivating precepts, meditative concentration, and wisdom, possessing a considerable degree of merit and understanding of the Dharma's principles, no longer prioritizing worldly concerns, generating the great bodhicitta mind, vowing to save all sentient beings, not contradicting the teachings of the Three Jewels, deeply believing in all the sutras spoken by the Buddha, following the teachings willingly, being joyful in practice without slander, being transformed by the Buddha, feeling the Buddha's profound kindness, and vowing to repay the Three Jewels with one's entire body, mind, and everything else. The "root" in "virtuous roots" means capacity, signifying that it has become a seed, implying a foundation that is solid, firm, and unshakable, meaning that wholesome dharmas are deeply planted in the heart, and also signifying the ability to give rise to wholesome dharmas and fruits. Without this virtuous root, one is not in accord with the Land of Ultimate Bliss and its multitude of superior virtuous beings; not being in accord means one cannot dwell together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The above is a qualitative description of virtuous roots; a quantitative description is impossible. The standard for determining the depth of virtuous roots cannot be specifically articulated; only those with considerable experience and wisdom can make a correct and true judgment. Without experience and wisdom, even if standards were provided, one could not use them to make a genuine judgment. This is similar to judgments in worldly affairs. For instance, in evaluating and ranking university professors and lecturers, even with standards to follow, primary and secondary school students still cannot use them to make true judgments. Outsiders cannot judge insiders; those at a lower level cannot judge those at a higher level.

Judging the level of Dharma practice is even more so like this. The vast majority of people are at the stage of being outsiders and at a low level. How could they possibly judge whether someone is a virtuous spiritual friend, whether they are enlightened and have attained a stage (bhūmi), or whether the Dharma they teach truly accords with the meaning spoken by the Buddha? Even comparing against a standard answer, one still cannot make a true judgment. Therefore, regarding deeply harmful heretics and non-Buddhist paths, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma protectors quietly handle them; there is no need to explain the reasons to sentient beings. Some people, after long reflection over time, will gradually come to understand.

Regarding merit (福报), naturally, it must be equivalent to the merit of the beings in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, equivalent to the merit of heavenly beings (devas), meaning one is qualified to enjoy the bliss of the Land of Ultimate Bliss. That is to say, one must have already accumulated an immense store of merit and provisions (资粮) so that at the end of life, one can be reborn there and ultimately enjoy this merit in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. If one has not planted such vast wholesome karma, one cannot enjoy great bliss and cannot be reborn there. This type of merit primarily refers to pure merit, such as the merit of upholding precepts, the merit of meditative concentration, the merit of Buddha-recitation (念佛), the merit of wisdom, the merit of revering, believing in, and delighting in the Three Jewels. These merits all correspond to the merit (功德) of studying the Buddha Dharma; they are not the worldly merits of wealth, status, and luxury that can be enjoyed in the Saha world.

What are the causes and conditions (因缘) for rebirth? Causes and conditions mean prerequisites. The cause is the seed of wholesome karma cultivated, such as the merit of Buddha-recitation leading to single-mindedness without distraction, the mind abandoning the Saha world so the mind is not confused at the time of death, possessing the perfection of precepts, meditative concentration, and wisdom, subduing greed, hatred, and delusion, single-mindedly aspiring to the Land of Ultimate Bliss, aspiring to attain Buddhahood to liberate sentient beings. The conditions are the ripening of wholesome karma, assistance from virtuous friends, unwholesome karma not manifesting, karmic creditors and adversaries staying away, absence of obstacles, and the cultivated merit and virtue being able to evoke the response of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and holy beings coming to welcome one with outstretched hands at life's end. Only those who possess all three – virtuous roots, merit, and the right causes and conditions – can be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Ordinary practitioners lacking sufficient cultivation cannot be reborn there.