Pure Land Monastics, Part Four

Question: Please could you write about the daily practice as a monastic. My background was mainly in Theravada Buddhism and I am interested to know what role mindfulness meditation might play in Pure Land practice. I am curious if quiet vipassana type meditation is part of Pure Land practice.

Response: The goal in Pure Land practice is to attain the state in which we always hold the thought of Amitabha Buddha in our minds. So in our practice we either just chant "Amituofo" or we combine this with chanting a sutra. Master Chin Kung recommends that we chant the Infinite Life Sutra, one of the primary Pure Land sutras, because it explains causality and rebirth in the Pure Land, and will build our confidence in the Pure Land method.

To hold "Amituofo" in our mind does not mean we do not think of anything else. It means that in whatever we are doing the thought "Amituofo" is always present.

We do not practice other types of meditation because to succeed in being reborn in the Pure Land, we need to excel in one method. We simply do not have enough time to spend some of it on another method. Practicing two methods would be like trying to get somewhere while taking two different routes.

Once we are in the Pure Land and no longer caught in the cycle of rebirth, we will have all the time we need to learn and practice other methods.

Comments

[Richard]

Thankyou for another interesting answer. Quite a difficult answer for me as the implication is that I should give up one method and concentrate fully on chanting. However, thankyou for your clarity, I certainly have a lot to consider!

[Michael]

Thank you for your postings on Pure Land Monastics. I look forward to them. I am also curious as to the differences between the Japanese and Chinese versions of Pure Land.

[Shi Wuling]

Richard, consider an analogy. If you're climbing a mountain for exercise, then following different paths will be interesting. But if your goal is to reach the top of a mountain, trying to follow two different paths won't work. So it all depends on your goal.

[Venerable Wuling]

Michael, I have not studied Japanese Pure Land so am not qualified to explain the differences between the Chinese and Japanese schools.