Q: Amituofo! May I ask what it means to be learning the Buddha’s teachings (or Buddha Dharma)? What should be our mindset? What is it that we’re really trying to learn from the Buddha? I understand that the ultimate goal of learning the Buddha’s teachings is liberation, yet I find I have no desire for it. Is this a problem? Should it be addressed? What to do to address it?

A: You have asked a series of questions. I guess you’re a beginner in the learning of the Buddha Dharma. These are important questions and are difficult to answer well. I can only share my thoughts for your reference.

      What does it really mean to be learning the Buddha’s teachings? My answer is: Have faith that reciting Amitabha’s name assures our rebirth in the Pure Land. Share this faith with others when opportunities arise, and live each day with peace of mind and loving-kindness - this is the mindset we should have.

       Everyone’s path is different. Some meditate, others practice generosity, or follow the Bodhisattva path - each to his own. I believe that all Buddhist practices should start with taking refuge in the Three Gems (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha). And throughout the journey, we should never cease reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha. We recite, knowing it leads to rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land. We long for the Buddha’s realm. Learning the Buddha’s teaching is about aspiring for the Buddha’s enlightened state, and ultimately attaining Buddhahood ourselves.

       If you recite Amitabha’s name with complete faith and aspiration, you’re guaranteed rebirth in the Pure Land and will definitely become a Buddha.

       So, I believe the first thing anyone learning the Buddha’s teachings should do is to recite Amitabha’s name -  it’s a sure path to the Pure Land.

       The second thing to do is to encourage others to practice Amitabha-recitation when the circumstance is conducive. Let them know this practice is so easy, extraordinary and yields inconceivable benefits - something too precious to keep to ourselves. We should help all those who are karmically connected to us to reap the benefits of reciting Amitabha’s name.

       This leads to a life filled with peace and loving-kindness. Life without inner stability is fearful. That is why Amitabha Buddha reassures us and says this in the Infinite Life Sutra: “All fear-ridden beings will be given great peace.”

       Our greatest fear is the endless suffering of birth and death in the cycle of samsara. Once freed from this fear of samsara, we can live with genuine serenity in this world.

       True inner peace is hard to come by. People take out insurance, yet this only reveals their underlying anxiety. They follow strict health routines and seek out the best doctors - all stemming from a fear of mortality. They avoid any mention of death, treating it as taboo during Chinese New Year.

       True inner peace comes from Amitabha Buddha's boundless compassion and loving-kindness. It naturally generates in us a benevolent and caring spirit toward ourselves and others.

       So what are we really seeking in Buddhist practice? The Buddha's state may be far beyond us but, essentially, we're learning to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and awakening.

      While the Buddha’s state may seem unattainable for us, fortunately, the name “Namo Amitabha Buddha” contains both infinite light - representing Amitabha’s wisdom, and infinite life - representing his compassion. The Buddha is revered as “Perfect in Both Merit and Wisdom.” When we recite “Namo Amitabha Buddha,” we both aspire to and receive his blessing for compassion and wisdom.

       Reciting Amitabha’s name is practicing the Buddha Dharma - it’s the path to  Buddhahood itself. This is the simplest, easiest, most extraordinary and swiftest path to enlightenment, bypassing the long and arduous stages of Bodhisattva cultivation.

       Some say, “I don’t care about liberation.” This is half-true, half-false. Everyone seeks liberation. After all, who wants suffering? Who wants bad luck? Who wants poverty? Who wants illness? No one does. That itself is the desire for liberation.

       A liberation from misfortune to find happiness, from poverty to find abundance, from suffering to find peace, joy and contentment.

       While it’s human nature to seek liberation, it’s also human nature to be lazy, to avoid challenges, and to take the easy way out.

       If liberation means struggling to practice the Bodhisattva path and realize emptiness, it seems too difficult. People might say, “Let’s just forget about liberation.” It’s an honest reaction, looking at it this way.

       So is this a problem? Yes. Does it need fixing? It does.

       How to fix it? Find a path that doesn’t require practices beyond our ability -  something we can actually do in our daily lives.

       Tell me ‘all is empty,’ and I can’t cope - it’s frightening and confusing.

       So let’s work with what’s real in our experience then.

       When we understand the Pure Land teaching, we find there's an easy, joyful and reassuring path.

       The Pure Land path is easy and simple, and offers a swift way to attain the state of non-retrogression. Just as Bodhisattva Nagarjuna said in his Chapter on the Easy Path, “It’s like a pleasant journey on water.” It gives us joy and great peace of mind.

       With such a practice available, why struggle through countless lifetimes of grueling cultivation when liberation is freely offered? Who would refuse such a gift? Naturally, you’d accept it.

       It’s like living in a shack that barely keeps out wind and rain. Asked to buy a luxury apartment in the city’s best district, you’d say, “Forget it.” Not because you don’t want it, but because you can’t afford those sky-high prices.

       “I’ll just stay where I am,” he says. But what if someone offered him the house for free? He would certainly accept it in a heartbeat.

       Similarly, if liberation seems to depend on our own efforts, we might say, “Forget it, I’ll just coast along.”

       I can tell you that, just by reciting Amitabha’s name, you will receive his blessings in your daily life - more peace and ease. At life’s end, Amitabha Buddha comes with Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta, holding lotus flowers, to receive you to the Pure Land where you’ll become a Buddha. All freely given. Who would refuse?          Only a fool would turn this down. I would certainly take it.

      Don’t dismiss this as something laughable or treat it as just a parable - these benefits are real.

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