This life only lasts a few short decades—a century at most. Yet what follows death is an infinite, uninterrupted continuation of life. Will our future be spent in the endless suffering of hell, or in the eternal peace and joy of Amitabha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss?

       This is not a distant concern; it is the single most urgent question every human being must face. If we fail to resolve this one great matter of life while we have the chance, we squander the ultimate purpose and value of being born human.

       As the ancient Buddhist warning reminds us:

"Nothing matters more than birth and death.

Impermanence comes swiftly.

Should the next breath not follow,

we wander on for countless eons."

       Therefore, practicing Dharma is the most urgent priority of our lives—and our sole objective is to resolve the ultimate question of life and death without delay.

       We often speak of past lives, present life, and future lives, just as we talk about yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Yet this present life is our only chance in the entire continuum to hear the Buddha's teachings, reflect on our mortality, and settle our final destination.

       The Dharma rests firmly on the law of cause and effect running unbroken across the three lifetimes. Past karma shapes our present circumstances, while the choices we make now directly determine the life to come.

       We stand at a critical fork in the road: one path leads downward into hell, while the other leads upward to rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Which path we take depends entirely on whether we are prepared in this very life.

       Yet we are ordinary beings, bound by ignorance and wrongdoing, transmigrating endlessly in samsara. Only by entrusting ourselves to Amitabha’s deliverance here and now, and reciting his name—Namo Amituofo—can our vast accumulated karma across past, present, and future lives be extinguished at once.

       Through the power of the Buddha’s Vow, the cycle of karmic retribution is broken, and we are immediately embraced, protected, and established in the state of non-retrogression in this present life, assured of ultimate enlightenment.

       Therefore, resolving the great matter of life and death comes down to a clear, essential choice today: Do we recognize the urgency of this brief lifetime, entrust ourselves to Amitabha Buddha, and faithfully recite his name?

       Namo Amituofo!

(Translated by the Pure Land School Translation Team;
edited by Householder Fojin)