The world is vast, boundless and wide,

Yet it all exists within the “I”.

Because of “I”, the world unfolds,

Because of “I”, the cycle of samsara rolls.

The path of the sages and wise,

Demands the practitioner to cast away the “I”.

With “I” completely removed, enlightenment draws near,

Liberation from samsara is clear.

Yet, we mere ordinary beings, frail and flawed,

With egos firm, into the earth of reincarnation claw,

How can we let go of “I”,

When “I” is all we know in life?

Since we can’t release the “I”,

Let this ordinary being “I”,

Become an “I” who recites the Buddha’s name,

The ordinary being “I” still feels life’s pain;

With each repetition of Namo Amitabha,

The reciter “I” finds his sins eradicated.

The ordinary being “I” has doubts and fears;

The reciter “I” embraced by the Buddha.

The ordinary being “I”, the reciter “I”,

Both are cherished in Amitabha’s eyes.

Now, we are but ordinary beings wandering in the Saha world,

Yet in the future, we shall enter the realm of nirvana.

the Ordinary being and the Buddha,

Separated by just one recitation, “Namo Amitabha”.

Accept the ordinary being self,

And find peace in the reciting self.

Learn to embrace our imperfections,

For in unwavering recitation of the Buddha’s name,

We are his perfect children.

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