Many people look with admiration at the Pure Land, which is said to be a paradise adorned with treasures and precious gems beyond imagination. Many people desire a life free from suffering, immersed only in joy and happiness. There are also many who aspire to be like Amitabha Buddha, shining with infinite light and blessed with eternal life.

       However, there are others who think, "Reaching the Pure Land is extremely difficult. After all, it's the realm of enlightened beings, a gathering place for the utmost virtuous. It must be reserved only for the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, not for us ordinary beings who are trapped in this Saha world. We are afflicted with desires, anger, and ignorance, struggling to perfect even a single practice out of the numerous cultivation paths. How can we ever hope to reach the Land of Ultimate Bliss?”

       But here's the truth. Rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss doesn't hinge on what we are; it's all about one’s affinity with Amitabha Buddha. As Master Shandao said, "Those with the karmic connection with the Buddha will enter his land." He also emphasized that "All ordinary beings, regardless of their virtues or vices, rely on the power of Amitabha’s strong transformative cause to be reborn in the Land of Bliss."

       Therefore, all sentient beings reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss do so because of their karmic affinity with Amitabha Buddha - the karma of intimacy, karma of closeness and karma of strong transformative cause.

       It all comes down to the affinity we share with Amitabha Buddha who had cultivated merits and virtues over an inconceivably long time to fulfill the vows which took him five eons to develop. Thanks to this affinity, we are able to be reborn in his Pure Land where we are transformed from ordinary beings into Buddhas.

       It's as simple as reciting the Buddha's name, which can turn “rubble into gold.” There's a saying that goes, "With a single magical elixir, one can turn lead into gold." The great name of the Buddha, "Namo Amitabha Buddha," is like that miraculous elixir and can transform ordinary beings into Buddhas.

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