Part A

I. Gatha on Impermanence

       Aging is inevitable for it’s an inescapable human condition.

       Sickness is inevitable and no one can escape from its suffering.

       Death’s call we all must heed, no mortal can elude Grim Reaper’s grip.

       Love, pleasure, all shall fade,

       Surrendered to fate’s silent depth.

       Karma’s tapestry, woven with threads of good and ill,

       Binds me in the samsaric cycle, an unyielding will.

       Come everyone, contemplate this: life is impermanent,

       Have faith, recite the Buddha’s name, and seek rebirth in his Pure Land.

2.  The State of Regret and Fear

       The Infinite Life Sutra states:

“When facing death, remorse and fear are felt in succession. Wicked people do evil, suffer pain after pain, and wander from darkness to deeper darkness. The cycles of birth-and-death never cease, and the evil paths continue, life after life, with no end in sight. It is indeed difficult for them to gain release, and the pain they must endure is indescribable.”

       If we do not have faith in Amitabha Buddha and recite his name to address the profound question of what lies beyond death during our lifetime, we will inevitably shed tears of regret at the end of our life.  The regret for the past and the fears of the future will intertwine, causing immense suffering.

       What are these regrets? When it comes to the time to let go of everything you’ve relied on throughout your life - your health, family, career, wealth and so on - you suddenly realize that all of these are just material possessions and are superficial, fleeting like bubbles. They have no real meaning and offer no real support. You might wonder, “For whom did I toil and strive all my life?” You never took the time to cultivate your own spiritual practice or accumulate merit. You didn’t prepare for your own end. Now, as death approaches, it’s too late, and a deep sense of regret floods you.

       What is this fear? You find yourself utterly alone and completely unprepared for what lies beyond death - the consequences of countless past transgressions, such as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and more. Now, overwhelmed by a multitude of afflictions, you are in a state of turmoil and don’t know what to do. There’s no one to turn to, and the future is uncertain. You panic: Where will I end up? What will happen to me? Can I start over and do more good? I am so scared!

       We have all gone through this fear and remorse countless times in past lives, yet we have never managed to break this cycle.

       Come, sentient beings! Recognize the stark and harsh truth of transmigration in the six realms and prepare properly for your own end.

       Have faith in Amitabha Buddha, recite his name and be reborn in the Pure Land. This is the way to free yourself from the karmic bondage of samsara.

Part B

3.  Faith Blooms Like a Lotus in Mud 

       The Vimalakirti Sutra says:

"Lotus flowers do not grow on high, dry ground; they thrive in low, damp, muddy places.”

       I am like the mud, an ordinary being filled with worldly afflictions.

       Ah! In the depths of my troubled heart, a flower of faith in Buddha’s deliverance has bloomed.

       As a mere mortal mired in mud, I say goodbye to the endless cycles of reincarnation in this very life. 

       Ah! This pure and noble flower of faith, born from Amitabha’s enlightenment,will fully bloom at the moment of death.

       Nagarjuna Bodhisattva in the Chapter on Easy Path says:

“If a person plants good roots and has pure faith, the Lotus flower will blossom and
he will behold the Buddha; if he has doubts, the flower will not blossom.”

       Vasubandhu Bodhisattva in Treatise on Rebirth says:

"Those reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss are all transformed and born from the pure lotus flowers of Amitabha’s perfect enlightenment."

       Master Shandao in the Parable of Two Rivers and the White Path says:

“In the midst of sentient beings' evil passions of greed, anger and vexation, a pure aspiration for rebirth arises (sentient beings’ wish for rebirth).”

“We should bear in mind [the teachings by Shakyamuni Buddha and Amitabha Buddha], have faith that our rebirth is by virtue of the power of Amitabha’s primal vow  (the power of Amitabha’s vow).”

       Sentient beings’ wish for rebirth in their mired and afflicted minds align perfectly with the power of Amitabha Buddha’s vow to save us. This alignment results in the unity between the practitioners and Amitabha - ordinary beings and Buddha are one.

       How wonderful! The Pure Land Path is indeed noble, extraordinary, and supreme!

(Translated by the Pure Land School Translation Team;
edited by Householder Fojin)