There are many examples of people who were able to sever their greed, able to let go. A well-known one is that of Master Ying Ke, a monk who broke many rules. But he had one good quality. He knew that he had committed many bad deeds and that after his death we would go the hell realms. He asked his Dharma brothers what he could do. They showed a biography of people who had been born into the Western Pure Land.
Deeply moved by the accounts and feeling remorseful he sought seclusion in his room. He chanted continuously for three days and nights, without food, water or sleep. With deep sincerity of mind, he let go of everything and he received a response from Buddha Amitabha who told him that he still had ten more years to live. Buddha Amitabha told him to cultivate diligently for ten years and then he would come back to escort Master Ying Ke to the Pure Land. But the Master said, “I have many weaknesses and bad habits and am unable to resist temptation, I cannot wait ten more years so I wish to give them up and go with you now.” After three days, Buddha Amitabha came back to escort him to the Pure Land.
This example proved what was stated in the Amitabha Sutra , that is we chant sincerely and diligently from one to seven days, we could definitely achieve. The Pure Land method is easy to practice so this is not the problem. The problem is whether we truly want to go. If we hung a poster at the entrance to the chanting all that said, “After chanting for three days, you will go the Western Pure Land”, no one would come to the chanting hall because they would think that they would die in three days. And very few of us are ready to leave this world. And this is the main reason we do not go to the Pure Land.
The Buddha says very clearly in the sutra that we stay in the cultivation hall to attain “One Mind Undisturbed”, which consists of three main levels, the lowest of which is Constant Mindfulness of Buddha Amitabha. Reaching at least this level, we can go to the Pure Land. When we go we can be born into one of these three levels. Accomplishment of the top level enables us to decide when we will go the Pure Land. At that time we will go without any illness and may be in a standing or sitting position. Accomplishment of the middle level enables us to know when we will go to the Pure Land a few months in advance. Again, we may leave this world in a standing or a sitting position. In the lower level, we will know several days in advance of our death, when we will leave but we may become ill.
When some fellow practitioners asked Master Chin Kung what level his teacher, Mr. Lee had reached, he told them that he knew Mr. Lee had at least reached the top level of Conduct Mindfulness of Buddha Amitabha because he was able to decide when he would be born into the Pure Land. These levels are attainable by everyone, the question is whether we are wiling to practice. Once we are, we can achieve this level. If we reach Constant Mindfulness of Buddha Amitabha, can we be born into the Pure Land? Yes, everyone can.
Many people were born into the Western Pure Land after a few years of Buddha Name Chanting. When this happens does this mean that their life expectancy has been reached? No, it means that they had reached the state of purity of mind that enabled them to be born into the Pure Land and they had decided to go, not to wait. Most people who can go earlier choose not to remain in this world any longer, not to continue suffering. Those who choose to wait still have affinities with beings in this world, with those who accept and follow their guidance. But if, for example, the practitioner is giving lectures and no one in the audience is sincerely following his or her guidance, then there is no reason to stay.
This was the case of Mr. Lee, for although his audience was large, the few who had been following his guidance, were already capable of achievement, so he was able to leave. If just one had been following his teaching and still needed guidance, then he could not have gone. Since their first of the great four vows is to help all sentient beings, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will never abandon anyone, even if that being has harmed, slandered or even murdered them.
In ancient times way places had eight hours of cultivation and eight hours of learning. Our way place, here in Singapore, has two hours of lectures and twelve hours of Buddha Name Chanting every day. But we have not yet attained improvement in our cultivation because we have not yet attained the perfect understanding and this is why we cannot let go. Only when we have truly seen through to the true reality will we be able to let go.
Today, we still have obstacles due to this lack of understanding. Why can we not let go? We are still clinging to something. Because of this clinging, we are still mired, still lost in the cycle of birth and death, still lost in the ten realms of existence. We need to know that if we cannot transcend the cycle of birth and death, most of our time will be spent in the three bad realms. Why are we born into the animal realm? Because we were ignorant. Greed is the cause of the karma that results in our being born into the hungry ghost realm. And anger is the cause of our being born into the hell realm.
With enough good karma, we can go to the highest heavenly realm of Neither Thought nor Non-thought, where the beings have a life span of eighty thousand eons. But we also go the hell realms, where the beings have a life span of infinite eons. When compared to eighty thousand eons, the time spent in the hell realms is unimaginably long. And this is why Master Ying Ke was so frightened and wanted to leave this world just as soon as he could. When we consider the time spent in this world and the time spent in the other realms, our time here is as a flash of lighting, a drop of dew. It is inconsequential.
The cycle of birth and death is what is important, the major problem in front of us that we continually ignore. Even though Buddhas and Bodhisattvas try so hard to teach us the truth, we do not listen. We do not believe. We do not accept. So although these awakened beings try to help us, we still doubt, we reject their guidance. When will we truly be able to believe and accept this teaching? When we have listened for many year, then we will suddenly awaken.
Those who can awaken after one lecture are exceptional. They must be a manifestation of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. Most of us have to listen to a lecture and practice every day. After we listen to the lectures, contemplate the meanings and follow the teachings accordingly we will be able to achieve. But today, where can we find a teacher who can give us eight hours a day of lectures? We cannot. But what we can do is listen to one video or cassette tape several times every day. Do not listen to different tapes because by the time we finish the last tape we will have forgotten what the first tape said. Focus on only one. If we can continue to do this then after three years we will be able to attain some level of concentration, some degree of enlightenment.
After we listen to the lectures and truly understand the teaching then we will be able to apply the principles to our daily lives. If our understanding and cultivation can accord with the Buddhas teachings then we will know how to permanently transcend the cycle of birth and death as well as the ten realms. The safest method to accomplish this is to seek birth into the Western Pure Land.
At breakfast one morning Fa Zhao the Fourth Patriarch of the Pure Land School looked into his bowl and saw an image. He asked his fellow monks about what he saw and they told him it was the Five Platform (Wu Tai) Mountain Way Place of Manjushri Bodhisattva. He then started to search for the place he had seen. When he found it, he joined ten thousand other beings who listened to a Dharma talk by Manjushri Bodhisattva. He then asked the Bodhisattva for guidance, “Since we are entering the Dharma Ending Age, which method is the most suitable for human beings?” Manjushri Bodhisattva answered that it was the Pure Land method. When the Fourth Patriarch asked how to practice this method, Manjushri Bodhisattva taught him to chant “Amituofo”. After the Fourth Patriarch left the way place, he looked back to see it one more time, but it was gone. Then he understood that Manjushri Bodhisattva had come to teach him the most suitable method for our Dharma Ending Age.
Once we can go the Pure Land and meet Buddha Amitabha, we can tell him that we wish to go back to our world to help sentient beings. With his help we will never again be deluded or lost in the six realms. But, if we do not to the Pure Land to meet Buddha Amitabha then we will remain deluded. It is crucial that we understand this.
Master Chin Kung has been giving lectures for forty years. Every week he gave at least three talks. Now that he is here in Singapore he is giving a lecture every day. From age forty-five to over fifty, he spoke at least thirty hours every week. Who benefited the most? He did! He did not miss one lecture while the audience missed many. It is very difficult to cut off our bad habits. He spoke almost every day and urged the audience and thus himself to correct all bad habits. He has been giving dharma talks continuously for forty years; this is why he can cut off his bad habits. This is why he can let go.
Fellow practitioners and guests, please listen carefully. The Law of Cause and Effect is unchangeable, immutable. Even Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot alter it. Our greed, anger, ignorance and arrogance have resulted in disasters that are increasing in both frequency and severity and are approaching a scale that is impossible for us to imagine.
Everything arises from our mind. But just as we have given rise to the cause of this approaching disaster, we can also give rise to another, greater cause that can maybe reduce or possibly even prevent it from happening. We must replace thoughts of self with thoughts of all others. We must give up feelings of pride, the desires for fame and wealth. We must let go of thoughts of trying to control others. Let go of narrow-mindedness and biased viewpoints. Let go of criticizing, of blaming, of gossiping. Let go of the thought of those who owe us, of those we owe. We must let go!
Only be letting go can we return to purity and tranquillity. Only in this way, will our hearts become gentle, our minds become serene, as we give rise to the wisdom to accord with all beings, animate and inanimate. For only with gentle hearts and serene minds will we be able to solve our problems. The goodness that we can bring to others by using our loving-kindness and compassion is infinite, is boundless. And this is our best, our only way to bring true peace to our world. Not for ourselves but for the sake of all sentient beings.
