How to Ensure Perseverance

56) Cultivate Step by Step

If the Pure Land practitioner wishes to cultivate in a lasting way, he should establish a timetable and, depending on his inclinations, health and particular situation, grow progressively more diligent. He should not be over-ambitious at the very beginning, reciting too much for too long. Like a pedestrian who should not walk too fast lest he stumble and trip, those who do not know their limits and go overboard in practice can be discouraged by fatigue and stress and abandon all cultivation.

In general, the Buddha Recitation practitioner should have two periods of practice: fixed and unfixed. "Fixed period of practice" means that each day we should have a predetermined period of recitation during which we record the number of utterances. "Unfixed period of practice" means that outside the fixed period, we should always silently recite the Buddha's name whether walking, standing, reclining or sitting, but no recording is necessary. The main point to remember about Buddha Recitation is that whether reciting slowly or fast, we should do so distinctly and deliberately, the mind closely paralleling the utterances, mind and utterances in unison. Reciting in that way over a long period of time makes recitation second nature, and the practitioner can go from one thousand to over one hundred thousand utterances per day.

57) Recitation Should be Pure and Unmixed -- the Number of Utterances is Secondary

Certain practitioners do not like to finger the rosary as they recite the Buddha's name; they just decide in advance the duration of each recitation session. This method has the advantage of "sustaining" the mind, each utterance clearly registering in the Alaya consciousness. However, if the practitioner lacks strong power of mind and determined will, he will be prone to languid, dilatory recitation (making it difficult to achieve results), boredom, fatigue and frequent glances at the clock. On the other hand, fingering the rosary and reciting the predetermined number of utterances reinforces the power of diligent recitation, just as a weak person leaning on a cane can climb mountains. However, if the practitioner does not follow the cardinal principle of Buddha Recitation (i.e., to recite distinctly and deliberately, with mind and recitation in unison) he will fall into the error of reciting too much too fast, thus becoming sloppy.

We should know that as soon as the practitioner begins to recite, each utterance penetrates deeply into his Alaya consciousness. As the utterances accumulate, the Buddha's name will eventually emerge, whether he is awake or asleep. This is called the "state of non-recitation being recitation." If the cultivator recites clearly and distinctly in daily life, the utterances emerging from the Alaya consciousness will be clear and distinct; if he recites perfunctorily in an unclear manner, the utterances will not be clear.

Cultivation usually fails in this particular area and therefore, practitioners should be cautious from the very beginning. If reciting many utterances swiftly is motivated by the desire for fame and the reputation as someone who recites tens of thousands of times a day, we will be better off reciting less and concentrating on the quality of the recitation.

This author knows of a laywoman who practices Buddha Recitation regularly. She has great faith in the Triple Jewel; however, she likes to socialize a lot. Every evening, when she returns home and is invited to the dinner table, she says, "I have promised my master to recite ten full rosaries every day. If I do not keep my promise, I will commit a transgression against the Triple Jewel. Please wait while I fulfill my promise, and then we will sit down to dinner." So saying, she hastily dons her Dharma robe, recites the Buddha's name at top speed, as though she were trying to put out a fire, and is done in about fifteen minutes. How can such recitation lead to rebirth in the Pure Land? Like this laywoman, many practitioners recite the Buddha's name in such a manner "to fulfill the required number." We should know that there are two areas crucial to Buddha Recitation: a true, earnest mind and clear, distinct recitation. Only in this way can we hope to achieve results.

Another anecdote concerns a laywoman who 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 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 being singleminded. 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 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 I Land "

The laywoman in our story achieved liberation because she was enlightened to two principles: perseverance and singlemindedness. 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!

58) Let Us Not Lose our Place within the Lotus Grades

When a practitioner recites the Buddha's name seeking rebirth in the Pure Land, a lotus blossom grows there, in the Seven-Jewelled Pond. If he perseveres in his efforts without interruption, the lotus blossom will continue to grow. Otherwise, it will, of itself, wither and die. If the practitioner later resumes recitation, becoming diligent once more, another lotus blossom appears. The flowers come into being as a consequence of the practitioner's power of cultivation and vary according to his deeds. There are nine grades of lotus blossoms, corresponding to the nine grades of rebirth, from low to high (Meditation Sutra) . These grades, in turn, comprise an infinite number of subgrades.

Pure land practice differs with each cultivator, as such practice depends on his capacities and circumstances. There are some cultivators who utter the Buddha's name from a few hundred to tens of thousands of times each day. However, regardless of how busy a cultivator may be, he should practice at least ten recitations per day.

"Ten recitations" refers to the Ten Recitations method taught by a well-known Master, which is based on the lowest grade of rebirth described in the Meditation Sutra. It is reserved specifically for those who are busy with mundane activities, so that they, too can practice Buddha Recitation and achieve rebirth in the Pure Land. The method consists of uttering Amitabha Buddha's name approximately ten times each time one inhales or exhales. The real intent behind this practice is to use the breath to concentrate the mind. Depending on the cultivator's breath span, he may recite more than ten utterances or fewer. After ten inhalations/exhalations (or some fifty to one hundred utterances in total) the cultivator may proceed to recite the Transference of Merit stanza:

I vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land, 
The nine lotus grades are my parents. 
As the lotus flowers bloom, I will see Buddha Amitabha and reach No-Birth, 
Liberating all sentient beings ...

After reciting the stanza, the practitioner bows to the Buddhas three times before retiring. This practice has its roots in the boundless compassion of Buddha Sakyamuni and the Patriarchs. However busy a practitioner is, he can engage in this method and step onto the path of liberation.

There is one caveat about the Ten Recitations method. While inhaling and exhaling, the practitioner should recite the number of utterances with which he feels most comfortable, without trying to lengthen or shorten his normal breath span. Otherwise he might develop a respiratory ailment.

On one of his lecture tours, a respected Chinese Master was told by an elderly layman, "It is because of Buddha Recitation that I have become hard of hearing, and at times cannot hear anything." When the Master inquired further, the old man said, "A junior monk once secretly transmitted a method of Buddha Recitation to me. He said that 'nowadays, high-ranking Masters do not really know the Ten Recitations method because there is a little known oral tradition within the method which is now lost.' I sincerely sought his guidance and he taught me to recite the Buddha's name one hundred and eight times with each breath [corresponding to the number of beads in a long rosary]. I did as I was told, exerting myself until I began to hear a continuous, rumbling noise. My hearing loss dates from that time. Please, tell me whether or not such a method is in keeping with the Buddhas' teaching."

The Elder Master, hearing this, immediately rejected what the young monk had taught, blaming him for subverting the Dharma and converting it into an externalist practice detrimental to health. The Elder Master then gradually taught the layman the Buddhist method of Ten Recitations.

Pure Land cultivators should pay heed and learn from this anecdote.