The Conditions for Rebirth in the Amitābha Sūtra

Original text of the Amitābha Sūtra: 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。舍利弗。我见是利。故说此言。若有众生。闻是说者。应当发愿。生彼国土。

Explanation: If there are good men and good women who hear that Amitābha Buddha resides in the land of bliss, and for the sake of rebirth there they recollect the name of Amitābha Buddha—whether they recite for one day and reach the state of single-minded without confusion, or whether they recite for two, three, four, five, six, or seven days respectively and reach the state of single-mindedness without confusion—then when such a person is on the verge of death, Amitābha Buddha together with the host of noble ones will appear before this person. When this person is dying, if the mind is not inverted and does not recollect any of the people, affairs, or things of the Saha world, then he or she can be reborn in the land of bliss of Amitābha Buddha. Śāriputra, because I see such a supreme benefit, I speak these words. If there are sentient beings who hear this teaching, they should make the vow to be reborn in the land of bliss of Amitābha Buddha.

Here the Buddha has made the conditions for rebirth very clear: one must cultivate to the point of single-mindedness without confusion, with the meditative concentration of recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) manifesting, and at the time of death the mind must not be inverted—one must not be recollecting the Saha world. If one is recollecting the Saha world, then even if Amitābha Buddha and the host of noble ones come before one, they will turn back and be unable to receive and guide one. This means that even if one recites the Buddha's name to the point of foreknowing the time of one's death, rebirth is still not guaranteed, because at the time of death meditative concentration is a variable, not something fixed and unchanging; the thoughts of the mind and karmic forces are also variables. Once the power of meditative concentration vanishes, the mind becomes scattered, distracting thoughts arise, and then nothing can be discussed at all. Moreover, there are many factors that affect meditative concentration; at the time of death, some condition or other may arise, the mind becomes scattered, and rebirth becomes impossible.

Single-mindedness without confusion can be achieved, but having a mind that is not inverted at the time of death—this is the key, and it is extremely difficult. At the time of death, if karmic obstructions manifest and karmic creditors come knocking at the door, I am afraid very few will be able to keep their minds uninverted; even giving rise to a single thought of craving will prevent one from going there. How should faith be believed, and to what degree? What vows and aspirations should one have? What actions should one take, and what should one do? The content of faith, vows, and practice is very rich. If one wishes to be reborn there, one should first immerse oneself in the content taught by the Buddha at the beginning of the Sūtra on the Samādhi of Sitting in Chan concerning the taming of all kinds of minds; only by regulating the mind so that it is not inverted can one have hope of rebirth there.

People who are elderly or who have illnesses in their bodies should put more effort into the gate of practice and spend less time intellectually understanding unnecessary dharmas, because at the time of death it is the practice of this lifetime that determines the destination of the next life; intellectually understood dharmas do not play the decisive role. For seeking rebirth in the Pure Land, the power of vow and the practice of vow are most important; the power of the mind's aspirations and thoughts is very important. To make the power of vow firm, one must deeply recognize the suffering of the world; if one does not know the suffering of the world, the mind will become lax due to craving and attachment. Many Buddhist practitioners, no matter how long they have studied Buddhism, still remain leisurely and without any sense of urgency, every day looking here and glancing there, interested in everything, absorbing knowledge in a disorganized manner, without a correct understanding or plan for cultivation, and also ignorant and fearless regarding the next life. Such people are usually beginners in Buddhism—like a newborn calf that does not fear the tiger; beginners in Buddhism fear neither suffering nor death.

Those who wish to study and cultivate the dharma gate of recollection of the Buddha should first look at the cultivation deeds of Master Huiyuan, the first patriarch of the Pure Land school, to see how the master cultivated and why he was able to behold the sacred image three times within meditative absorption (samādhi). How should we apply ourselves in cultivation to guarantee rebirth in the Pure Land at the time of death?