Pure Land Beginnings

Question: When did Pure Land Buddhism begin and come to China?

Response: In India, both Asvaghosa Bodhisattva and Nagarjuna Bodhisattva helped to form the basis for Pure Land through their commentaries on the sutras.

Buddhism came to China in 67 CE. The Shorter Sukhavati-vyuha Sutra (Amitabha Sutra) and the Longer Sukhavati-vyuha Sutra (Infinite Life Sutra) were first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese sometime between 147 and 180 CE. Two other translations were done around 250 CE.

Initially, Pure Land was practiced along with other methods. In the fourth century, the first Pure Land Patriarch, Great Master Huiyuan, founded the first monastery that focused solely on Pure Land practice. Pure Land is now considered to be the most widely practiced school in Asia.

Increasing Our Confidence

 
One builds faith through experiencing the teachings. We can experience causality in the everyday things we do. We get upset with someone and we feel badly. Either because we hurt the other person or simply because our outburst disrupts any peaceful thoughts we were feeling. When we help someone, the result is we feel better. When we chant, the result is that we feel calmer.

When we read the teachings they will make sense and explain things that were unexplained before. With more learning and experience from observing that they do work, we will develop our confidence. With practice we will experience the benefits. Gradually, when some number of the things that we can prove for ourselves are proved; we take the rest on faith. So we should not push ourselves to deepen our confidence; rather, we need to let it deepen as we see the truth and practicality in the teachings.

Why Do You Use a Swastika?

Question: I mean no disrespect, but why do Buddhist use the same symbol Hitler used? I see it on statues of the Buddha, in photos of monasteries, as a decoration in books.

Response: The swastika has been a sign of good fortune in Asia for millennia. The Nazis reversed the direction and used it as their symbol. The reversal of the direction is very fitting—they reversed a symbol of goodness into one of hatred. There is no need to apologize; this is a very common question.

For those who have grown up in western cultures, it is helpful to understand that for easterners this is an ancient symbol of goodness, of good fortune. And for those who live in eastern cultures, it is good to know that for westerners, even though the symbol is reversed in Asia, it continues to elicit painful thoughts of the unspeakable suffering that millions of people were forced to endure.

Two More Days To Mount Wu-T'ai

Long ago, in T'ang China, there was an old monk going on a pilgrimage to Mount Wu-t'ai, the abode of Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. Aged and weak, he was treading the long dusty road alone, seeking alms along the way. After many long months, one morning he gazed upward and saw the majestic mountain in the distance. By the roadside, there was an old woman working the field. "Please tell me," he asked, "how much longer I must proceed before reaching Mount Wu-t'ai?" The woman just looked at him, uttered a guttural sound and returned to her hoeing. He repeated the question a second and third time, but still there was no answer.

Thinking that the woman must be deaf, he decided to push on. After he had taken a few dozen steps, he heard the woman call out to him, "Two more days, it will take you two more days." Somewhat annoyed, the monk responded, "I thought you were deaf. Why didn't you answer my question earlier?" The woman replied, "You asked the question while you were standing put, Master. I had to see how fast your pace was, how determined your walk!"

A cultivator is in the same position as the old monk in this story. As he practices the Dharma, seeking to help himself and others, he sometimes wonders why no one comes to his assistance. However, others may simply be trying to assess him, to gauge his strength and determination. This process can take five years, twenty years, or even a lifetime. Therefore, seekers of the Way, do not be discouraged, but forge ahead!

~ Thus Have I Heard , Trans. Sutra Translation Committee

Let Go and Return

Cause and effect is inescapable. As we watch the news unfold daily, we can begin to see that our greed, anger, and ignorance are causing increasing suffering.

Everything arises from our minds. Just as we have given rise to the cause of increasing conflicts and environmental devastation, we can also give rise to another, greater cause that can maybe reduce or possibly even prevent them 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 wanting to get even and seeking revenge. We must let go!

Only by letting go, can we return to purity and tranquility. 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. For only with gentle hearts and serene minds will we 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 beings.