The Buddha as the Source of Blessings

       The Buddha is revered as the World Honored One, complete in both blessings and wisdom. The Buddha serves as a field of merits for ordinary beings in this world. As they say, "Blessings flow effortlessly when one follows the Buddha’s teachings.”

       Blessings come in worldly and transcendent forms. When we compare worldly blessings to transcendent ones, it’s like comparing rubble to pure gold.

       All actions of ordinary beings, whether wholesome or harmful, contain the seeds of reincarnation. Those who do good inevitably receive blessings such as rebirth in the heavenly realms; those who do evil will descend into the three wretched realms and suffer immensely. The law of cause and effect is infallible. However, whether one is transmigrated to heaven or hell, one is still trapped in the six realms of existence. In truth, people are deluded by both good and evil, wandering blindly within the cycle of samsara.

The Indispensable Role of a Wise Teacher

       For a Dharma practitioner, encountering a wise teacher is the greatest blessing, an unsurpassed fortune. Of course, I’m referring to a truly wise teacher. The scriptures have this to say: "Sentient beings’ enlightenment comes wholly through connection with a genuine wise teacher." As another saying goes, “If you wish to find the path up a mountain, ask someone coming down.”

       A wise teacher is like someone with clear vision among the blind, guiding the latter safely out of danger.

       For well over a thousand years, Master Shandao’s writings - his renowned Five Works in Nine Fascicles have served as that illuminating eye for the Pure Land path, guiding countless Amitabha-reciters to the Land of the Ultimate Bliss. The previous persecution of the Dharma was akin to removing the eye of liberation from sentient beings, plunging them into darkness. Now that these texts have reappeared in the early 20th century, this is the greatest blessing for innumerable sentient beings!

       Today, Master Huijing and the other Pure Land school masters are the "eyes" and true wise teachers guiding us. Anyone fortunate enough to encounter their teachings is truly blessed. Although we may lack wisdom, we are rich in blessings. These blessings actually contain a form of wisdom that ordinary intelligence cannot access - yet through good fortune, we’ve gained it nonetheless.

       This blessing is immeasurable, surpassing all worldly and even transcendental forms of merit. It exceeds the blessings of heavenly beings, the merit of becoming a sage, the blessing of escaping the six realms, and even the fortune of Bodhisattva practice. Why?

       As Master Yinguang said: "Be not surprised that a single recitation of Amitabha’s name should surpass the ten stages on the Bodhisattvas path. We should know that this Buddha’s name encompasses the teachings of the Three Vehicles of the Sravaka, Pratyekabuddha and Bodhisattvas.

       This blessing promises enlightenment in a single lifetime!

       The Infinite Life Sutra tells us: "One hundred million Bodhisattvas, lacking faith in this teaching, retrogressed from Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (supreme enlightenment).”

       This means that, on the day we achieve Buddhahood after this brief life, there may still be Bodhisattvas struggling with progress and setbacks on the path to awakening. Doesn’t this mean our blessing exceeds even those of Bodhisattvas?  Truly, the blessings of the Pure Land path defy comprehension. For those who recite Amitabha’s name, their blessings are so vast and subtle that we may not even be aware of them. Like air, invisible yet ever-present, and we cannot live without them - not even for a moment. 

       In this Dharma-Ending Age, true wisdom is in short supply. Our so-called wisdom is good at committing harmful actions, which rage like a tempest, keeping us bound to the six realms of transmigration. Yet our wisdom proves utterly feeble when it comes to liberating ourselves from samsara, which it has no power to achieve. That is why I believe blessing is more important than wisdom.

       To be free from samsara, a practitioner of the schools of the Sacred path must cultivate and rely on supreme wisdom, whereas a practitioner of the Pure Land path relies solely on the power of the Buddha’s compassionate vows.  As one of Master Shandao’s quotes states, “Amitabha’s name is like a sharp sword of wisdom; just one recitation severs all karmic bonds.” Recognizing this difference is vital. Confusing the practice that relies on self-power with the practice relying on the Buddha’s other-power might lead one to treat the priceless treasure of Amitabha’s name as if it were an ordinary gem. Such a mistake could cost us the unique opportunity to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Merit Versus Blessing

       It is important to distinguish between merit and blessing. Merit arises from a purified heart yet, too often, ordinary beings mistake fleeting worldly blessings for merit. The so-called good deeds committed by ordinary beings come from a deluded mind and are flawed. Even when we strive for purity, our intentions can be as transient as a drawing on water - they disappear as quickly as they are formed. This is the hallmark of sentient beings in the Saha world. 

       Ultimately, the Buddha is a great benefactor, bailing out the impoverished and afflicted in all lands universally, bestowing them with boundless blessings through his name, Namo Amitabha Buddha. Unlike the common notion that we begin losing blessings the moment we receive them, the blessings of Amitabha’s name only grow stronger as they are received, perfecting our life until the end and carrying us to rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

       By having faith in the Pure Land path, and teaching others to embrace Amitabha, we share in the Buddha’s compassionate power. In doing so, we pave the way for our rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss and, one day, join the Buddha and Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in moving freely throughout all dharma realms - offering infinite blessings to every being with whom we have karmic connection.

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