Do you ever feel like your mind is too messy or distracted for spiritual practice? Master Honen offers this beautiful, comforting advice:

Don’t be bothered by deluded or wandering thoughts.

Don’t worry about a scattered or impure mind.

Just recite Amitabha Buddha’s name.

If you keep reciting, then through the virtue of the Buddha’s name,

delusions will fade on their own,

your scattered mind will quiet down,

your body, speech, and mind will naturally become wholesome,

and the wish for rebirth will spontaneously arise.

And so -

When your aspiration feels weak, say Namo Amitabha Buddha.

When your mind is scattered, say Namo Amitabha Buddha.

When deluded thoughts arise, say Namo Amitabha Buddha.

When wholesome thoughts come, say Namo Amitabha Buddha.

When your mind feels impure, say Namo Amitabha Buddha.

When your mind feels pure, say Namo Amitabha Buddha.

When the Three Minds* are lacking, say Namo Amitabha Buddha.

When the Three Minds are established, say Namo Amitabha Buddha.

When the Three Minds begin to arise, say Namo Amitabha Buddha.

When the Three Minds are fully realized, say Namo Amitabha Buddha.

This is the skilled and assured way to attain birth in the Pure Land.

Hold this advice close to your heart—don’t ever lose it.

       *Note: The "Three Minds" refer to the Sincere Mind, Deep Mind, and the Mind of Merit-Dedication and Aspiration.

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