Above all Worry and Care
November 12, 2007 A laywoman once approached a well-known Elder Master and asked: “I have recited the Buddha’s name for some time now, but have not seen any sign of progress. Can you explain to me why this is so?"
The abbot said, "Reciting the Buddha’s name is not difficult; the difficulty lies in (1) perseverance. Perhaps you have not recited regularly and in a persevering manner.”
The laywoman replied, “You are entirely right. I am usually interrupted in my recitation and have not been persevering, because of family obligations. From now on, I will put aside all distractions and vow to keep reciting exactly as taught.”
Some time later, she returned and asked, “Since receiving your instructions last time, I have put aside all external distractions and recited the Buddha’s name regularly, every day. Why is it that I still do not see any results?”
The abbot replied, “Reciting the Buddha’s name is not difficult; the difficulty lies in perseverance. Persevering is not difficult; the difficulty lies in (2) being single-minded. Although, on the surface, you may have put all distractions aside, in your mind you still worry about possessions and property and are still attached to children and family. You have neither discarded worry nor eliminated the root of love-attachment. How can you achieve one-pointedness of mind and see Amitabha Buddha?”
Hearing this, the woman sighed aloud “That is so true, Master! Although I have seemingly abandoned all distractions, my mind is still preoccupied with them. From now on, I vow to disregard everything and recite the Buddha’s name singlemindedly.”
Thereupon she went home and, from that time on, each time her children or anyone else sought her advice or confided in her, she would invariably reply, “I want peace of mind, and do not wish to be bothered by anything.” For this reason, everyone referred to her as “the woman who is above all worry and care.”
A few years later, she went to bow to the abbot at his temple, saying, “Thanks to your advice and teaching, I have now achieved one-pointedness of mind and have seen Amitabha Buddha. I have come to pay my respects and take leave of you, Abbot, because I will soon be reborn in the Pure Land.”
The laywoman in our story achieved liberation because she was enlightened to two principles: perseverance and single-mindedness. Thus, to be successful, the Pure Land practitioner should consider everything, from personal possessions and property to family and friends, to be illusory and phantom-like, coming together temporarily and then disintegrating.
If we care about family and friends, we should ensure our own rebirth and liberation and then rescue them. This is true affection! Therefore, to recite the Buddha’s name effectively, we should not only ignore one hundred distractions, we should discard all distractions, be they one thousand or tens of thousands!
~ Seeker’s Glossary of Buddhism
Reader Comments (1)
Does this mean that in order to achieve single-minded concentration in buddha recitation we have to rid ourselves of attachment?
Thank you!