..续本文上一页 there is none of the suffering and defilement and delusion that norma ly blocks people”s efforts toward enlightenment here in our world (which the Buddhists named “Endurance.”)

　　The immediate goal of Pure Land believers is to be re-born in Amitabha”s Pure Land. There, in more favorable surroundings, in the presence of Amitabha, they will eventually attain complete enlightenment.

　　The essence of Pure Land practice thus consists of invoking the name of Amitabha Buddha, contemplating the qualities of Amitabha, visualizing Amitabha, and taking vows to be born in the Pure Land.

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　　Making a vow to attain birth in the Pure Land signifies a fundamental reorientation of the believer”s motivations and will. No longer is the purpose of life brute survival, or fulfillment of a social role, or the struggle to wrest some satisfaction from a frustrating, taxing environment. By vowing to be reborn in the Pure Land, believ-ers shift their focus. The joys and sorrows of this world become incidental, inconsequential. The present life takes on value chiefly as an opportunity to concentrate one”s awareness on Amitabha, and purify one”s mind accordingly.

　　The hallmark of Pure Land Buddhism is reciting the buddha-name, invoking Amitabha Buddha by chanting his name. Through reciting the buddha-name, people focus their attention on Amitabha Buddha. This pro-motes mindfulness of buddha, otherwise known as buddha-remembrance [buddha recitation].

　　In what sense is buddha “remembered”

　　 “Buddha” is the name for the one reality that underlies all forms of being, as well as an epithet for those who witness and express this reality. According to the Buddhist Teach-ing, all people possess an inherently enlightened true nature that is their real identity. By becoming mindful of buddha, therefore, people are just regaining their own real identity. They are remembering their own buddha-nature.

　　Buddha as such is a concept that transcends any particular embodiment, such as Shakyamuni Buddha (the historical buddha born in India), or Maitreya Buddha (the future buddha), or Vairocana Buddha (the cosmic buddha) or Amitabha Buddha (the buddha of the western paradise). Buddha exists in many forms, but all share the same “body of reality,” the same Dharmakaya, which is formless, omnipresent, all- pervading, indescribable, infinite – the everywhere-equal essence of all things, the one reality within-and-beyond all appearances.

　　Dharmakaya Buddha is utterly abstract and in fact inconceivable, so buddha takes on particular forms to communicate with living beings by coming within their range of perception. For most people, this is the only way that buddha can become comprehensible and of practical use. The particular embodiments of buddha, known as Nirmanakaya, are supreme examples of com-passionate skill-in-means.

　　Pure Land people focus on buddha in the form of Amitabha, the buddha of infinite life and infinite light. Believers put their faith in Amitabha Buddha and recite his name, confident in the promises he has given to deliver all who invoke his name. All classes of people, whatever their other characteristics or shortcomings, are guaranteed rebirth in the Pure Land and ultimate salvation, if only they invoke Amitabha”s name with singleminded concentration and sincere faith.

　　Buddha-Name Recitation

　　Buddha-name recitation is practiced in many forms: silently or aloud, alone or in groups, by itself or combined with visualization of Amitabha or contemplation of the concept of buddha, or combined with the methods of Zen. The aim is to concentrate one”s attention on Amitabha, and let all other thoughts die away. At first and all along, miscellaneous thoughts intrude, and the m ind wanders. But with sustained effort, one”s focus on the buddha-name becomes progressively mor…

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