A friend once asked me
to never forget her,
to remember to ‘save’ her,
to lead her to Pure Land,
should I reach there first.
I didn’t promise her
because me being mindful of her
cannot bring her to Pure Land,
while it is her mindfulness of Amituofo [Amitabha Buddha]
that can lead her to Pure Land.
Amituofo is already her best friend,
instead of me,
whether she knows this or not.
He already made unshakable vows to help all.
Who am I, an unenlightened fool to compare?
I might not reach there faster.
Please don’t place any ‘bets’ on me.
I won’t place ‘bets’ on her either.
Let us all just be mindful of Amituofo,
And he will do the rest!
(pic: http://cafepress.com/+amituofo_ringer_t,16932044)
I respectfully disagree.
It’s not a matter of placing ‘bets’. Promising to help others with whatever limited spiritual cultivation we have can be a strong motivational force to practise better on mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha and his vows to deliver all sentient beings to his Pureland.
When the Buddha was a prince who has just renounced from palace life and trained under well-known ascetics of his time, one of them was so impressed with the former prince’s progress in his method of meditation and wisdom in understanding the method’s limitation in reaching full liberation, that he said something like this:
“When you have become fully-enlightened, please remember to come back to teach me.”
The Buddha promised without hesitation.
Did the Buddha promise knowing that he would certainly become a fully-enlightened one in this lifetime?
I do not know for certain, even though some may say he’s a Bodhisattva who has reached the Buddha to be stage and come down to manifest the attainment of Buddhahood.
Even anyone were to believe in Amitabha Buddha’s Pureland and really wants to go, and ask of me to deliver them should I reach the Pureland earlier, I would answer almost without hesitation, “Yes, I would.”
After saying that I would then tell them that personal effort in mindfulness practice of Amitabha Buddha is still the most important factor in gaining successful rebirth into Western Pureland.
We are going to the Pureland to become Buddhas. It doesn’t matter if we reach there earlier or later than those who we know. What matters is we believe and practise and we really want to go.
If one is certain that one really wishes to reach Pureland in their present lifetime and practises to ensure that the possibilty of that happening is very high, I see no issues with promising to help someone who is yet to believe and practise as diligently and wisely as I do (assuming that I am indeed doing everything right).
The Bodhisattva Vow starts now by having the courage to undertake any sentient beings’ sincere request to be liberated by you with the full understanding that you can only show the way.
It’s good to reflect on why we don’t promise others to help them as readily as we hope others to readily promise to help us. Most people I think prefer to just help whenever they can, and dread others being attached to them in expecting help or promises of help.
Since Amitabha Buddha is already a Buddha, I think it is not wise to expect someone who is not yet a Buddha to help oneself better, especially when Amitabha Buddha has made solid vows already, in contrast. A case of misplacing of trust? Refuge is in the Triple Gem, not unenlightened people like ourselves. A good Buddhist will try to instill faith in the enlightened, not in themselves, the unenlightened.
To expect ordinary people to readily promise to help another like the Buddha-to-be is not practical too, because he was on the brink of Buddhahood, and was a Bodhisattva who already made vows to help all he can. But yes, it is wonderful to be able to promise to help another – though the one promised should get the priorities right, especially for matters like aspiring for birth in Pure Land – because attachment to the unenlightened instead of faith in Amitabha Buddha cannot lead to rebirth there.
Whynot, I’m afraid you have missed the point of what I was trying to say.
Let me pick out the words you had used ‘expect’, ‘misplacing of trust’, ‘A good Buddhist will try to instill faith in the enlightened, not in themselves, the unenlightened.’
Let me quote again what I had said:
“Even anyone were to believe in Amitabha Buddha’s Pureland and really wants to go, and ask of me to deliver them should I reach the Pureland earlier, I would answer almost without hesitation, “Yes, I would.â€
After saying that I would then tell them that personal effort in mindfulness practice of Amitabha Buddha is still the most important factor in gaining successful rebirth into Western Pureland.”
The conditions were ‘should I reach Pureland earlier’ and ‘mindfulness practice of Amitabha Buddha is still the most important factor’. Obviously it also means refuge in the Triple Gems is still the important priority…
There’s no way I can help anyone better than Amitabha Buddha himself or even a sotapanna!
How did this appear as asking people to take refuge in me, an unenlightened one? This sounds weird to me…
The whole post was actually to encourage rather than to expect or demand as you have put it.
“Promising to help others with [b]whatever limited spiritual cultivation we have[/b] can be a [b]strong motivational force[/b] to practise better on mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha and his vows to deliver all sentient beings to his Pureland.”
“To expect ordinary people to readily promise to help another like the Buddha-to-be is not practical too, because he was on the brink of Buddhahood, and was a Bodhisattva who already made vows to help all he can.”
This is not a matter of whether someone in on the brink of Buddhahood or not. Just like Nirvana need not be something you have to wait until you gain Arahanthood.
Remember how Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva started? He started as an unenlightened being, but one with very high moral character and unshakeable faith in the Triple Gems.
Again it’s a matter of interpretation of the words used and I’m no language expert or a good Buddhist as you have mentioned.
I’m a learning Buddhist; neither good or bad. =)
But thank you for your opinion, I will not comment any further.
(As the original post is about going to Pure Land, these comments are about the most effective way of doing so, instead of about general promises to help someone.)
If, say, Tam reaches Pure Land first, it is still more efficient that that Tom practises mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha to go to his Pure Land, than to hope that Tam leads him there later, because Tam can never be as effective as Amitabha Buddha in the short run, while Amitabha Buddha already promised to help everyone who is mindful of him to reach his Pure Land.
If Tam is skilful, she should urge Tom to focus only on single-minded mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha, instead of harbouring some hope that Tam helps him reach Pure Land later. Tam and Tom are after all, Pure Land aspirants, who should look to the founder of the Pure Land as their common and primary helper.
So far, I have not come across any good Pure Land teacher, not even the Patriarchs, who do not focus on encouraging disciples to focus on Amitabha Buddha. Any vows they make are thus in general – probably to avoid having disciples become attached to them. However, fulfilling their vows, they still help in whatever ways that can.
For example, the late Venerable Shengyen said that his vows to help all will not cease even if space comes to an end. Note though, that he never went around promising individuals that he will save them. In fact, his final advice for how to remember him by at his wake was to chant Amitabha Buddha’s name ‘to form pure affinities for rebirth in the Western Pure Land’. This is for the disciples; not for him. This is really great compassion. An article on this can be seen at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amituofo/message/118
There is no most effective way, cos every sentient being is different. Only a Buddha can know the most effective way for every sentient being.
To me promises can be general or specific depending on the wisdom of the speaker and the listener.
I too don’t go around promising everyone I will save them. This is something that I need to reiterate.
If someone were to ‘promise’ me he or she would help me to go to Pureland if he or she reach there earlier, I would not harbour hope that he or she would definitely be able to do it and hence I don’t need to concentrate on cultivating the mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha.
As I see that my main message cannot be understood or accepted by most Buddhists, maybe the moderators can consider deleting all my commments in this post.
(As the original post is about going to Pure Land, these comments are about the most effective way of doing so, instead of about general promises to help someone.)
For birth in his Pure Land, the most effective way is via PERSONAL mindfulness of the name of Amitabha Buddha (with the right faith and aspiration). This is stated in Amitabha Buddha’s 18th vow and is advocated by all Pure Land masters. Rereading the original post a few times, I don’t see any fault in it.
Promises can be general or specific, but the original post is about whether to promise someone in terms of guiding her to Pure Land after reaching there. The writer seems wise and kind in urging the requester to focus on doing the right personal practice herself, instead of focusing on wanting a personal promise from someone else. Practice we must. Other than this, the rest is often missing the point. Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo.
“Rereading the original post a few times, I don’t see any fault in it.”
Disagreeing doesn’t mean I find fault with what the writer said. I only express reservations at the fear of promising someone when we are so firm on striving for rebirth in the Pureland.
The only thing I had reservations about was the method and tone in which one fellow Buddhist helps another to be personally mindful of Amitabha Buddha.
I too wouldn’t want anyone (friend or acquaintance) to focus on wanting a promise from me to deliver him/her to Pureland.
I’m just saying that I see no contradiction and harm in promising provided if I can indeed reach Pureland earlier. If that person focuses on wanting a promise from me without wanting to practise mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha at all, then he or she obviously does not really believe in or understand the Amitabha Buddha’s vows.
I see where you are coming from nowanden. There is no need for you to emphasise further your point. This is something that only I can understand because I’m not the writer nor the the writer’s friend, nor am I you or anyone reading this.
Thank you for putting across the point so clearly and strongly.
Think the writer was only expressing reservations of promising a friend who might be clingy and likely to digress from personal practice to reach Pure Land.
Perhaps there is no need to have reservations ‘about the method and tone’ which the writer used on her friend. As we can see, the ending of the original post suggests that the writer urged group practice with her together. That’s good advice. This beats a mere promise and leaving her to her own devices.
I know people who want to go Pure Land but don’t put their heart into practice and only talk and read about it. For those who are reluctant to practise personally for reasons like laziness, it’s important to not let them become complacent with our personal promises to help them, which might harm them instead. Instead, we should get them to promise themselves to practise diligently. Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo.
“This beats a mere promise and leaving her to her own devices.”
A promise is a mere promise if nothing else is done. So one could still promise and invite her to group practice. I don’t see how a ‘promise’ that is properly explained would pull her or anyone away from promising to practise diligently themselves.
Perhaps there is no need to express reservations about my reservations as your point has been made very clearly in your previous comments.
Back to the context of the original post, the promise discussed about is about Person A ‘bringing’ Person B to Pure Land AFTER Person A has reach Pure Land. (The below does not refer to the original post.)
Of course, promises must be kept if made. It is true, however, that some Buddhists are satisfied when someone else promise to ‘save’ them, and become complacent. When unsure if this might be so, it is safer to not promise, while continually urging them to join group practice.
If a promise can be properly explained and understood by Person B in a mature way, Person B probably would not ask for such a promise. Those who keep asking others to ‘save’ them usually don’t understand Buddhism well enough. For example, mature Pure Land practitioners know Amitabha Buddha had vowed to help them, and simply practise accordingly. They don’t expect other practitioners to vow (aka promise) to help them. It is thus better to urge them to learn and practise more – with them if necessary.
To sum it up, one must be careful when to promise and what is promised, depending on the situation.