Everything in this world is constantly changing - rising and falling, appearing and disappearing - all subject to impermanence. No feast lasts forever, every sun must set. Our joys and sorrows are like foam on the waves, destined to dissolve with the  tide.

       Yet human nature is restless. We crave novelty, chase after mysteries, and pursue illusions of countless shapes and colours. We cling to what we like and turn away from what we dislike.  Each of us spends our fleeting days caught between gain and loss, joy and sorrow. The rise and fall of external conditions tug at our emotions, and our hearts are tossed about accordingly.

       By observing the world with a still mind, we see that after the waves subside, the sea returns to calm; after the storms have passed, the earth grows quiet; and after emotional turmoils fade, the human heart, too, finds tranquility. Having weathered life’s tempests, and tasted its many flavors - sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy - we come to realize that the truest contentment lies in simplicity. No longer swept along by life’s forever changing fortunes, we learn to live simply, to recite Amitabha’s name in our daily lives, and to pass gently through this dreamlike world - moving naturally toward the Pure Land, at peace in both life and death.

       Yet the impermanence of the world, with all its vibrant allure, so easily stirs our hearts and leads us astray. Those who find peace in a simple life, who quietly recite Amitabha’s name, being embraced by his light, are like Puṇḍarīka - the rarest white lotuses. It matters little if such a person is utterly destitute, or unlettered; within them lies a wish-fulfilling jewel beyond all comparison.

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