Waiting to be Rescued

Question: If many beings have been reborn in the Pure Land and they have vowed to help us, where are they? Why aren't they helping?

Response: Beings are here helping us, they just don't walk up and say "I'm from the Pure Land, and I'm here to help you." That may sound silly, but seriously, how would people react if someone said they had been born in the Pure Land and had just returned to help others do the same thing? We wouldn't believe them. We'd be asking for proof.

The reality is that we ourselves have to do the hard work to be helped. There's no magic wand. The help we receive isn't obvious and it won't knock us off our feet with its impact. But beings are here teaching us and they are showing us how to act correctly and practice. The problem is, we're not paying attention. We're too pre-occupied in all the daily things we consider so important. If Amitabha Buddha came to us and said "I'm from the Pure Land and I'm here to take you there this moment" how many of us would say "I'm ready!" 
 
Your question reminds me of the story where a man drowned and went to heaven. He asked God why God hadn't saved him from drowning. God asked if the man remembered the farmer who came by in a boat and offered to rescue the man. But the man had said, no thanks he was waiting to be rescued by God. The drowned man said yes, he remembered the farmer and the boat. God looked at him and said "That was me. But you refused my help because you were waiting for 'God.'"
 
This may be a humorous story, but the principle is serious. We're so wrapped up in our pre-conceived expectations of how awakened beings will help us, that we don't recognize true help when it is offered. True help comes from the cook who prepares the meals at the retreat, so we can stay in the cultivation hall and chant. It comes from the master who spends hours trying to find the right words to help his students understand and thus dedicate themselves to their practice. It comes from the man who works patiently and quietly helping to build the center.

Our help is here, we just need to open our hearts and minds to see it. And learn from it.