Post on 04-Jun-2018
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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PURE-LAND
ZEN
ZEN
PURE-LAND
Lettersfrom
Patriarch
Yin
Kuang
Translatedby
Master
Thich
Thi
`en
Tam,et
al
ForrestG
!mith,
consultingeditor
!"T#$
T#$%!L$T&'%
('MM&TT))
'FT*)
"%&T)+
!T$T)!$%+
($%$+$
%e
Yor-
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
2/797
.!an
Francisco
.Toronto
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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%ote
to
thereader
This
isan
electronic
/ersionof
the
boo-0Pure.Land
1en,
1en
Pure.Land23second
edition
455678,hich
is
atranslation
of
selected
9assagesfrom
the
lettersof
)lder
MasterYin
Kuang,
theThirteenth
Patriarch
of
PureLand
The
original(hinese
titles
areYin
Kuang
Fa
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!hih
:en
(h;ao
andYin
Kuang
Ta!hih
(hia
YenLu
)
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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and
=os
of
the>odhisatt/a
!amantabhadra8
ereleft
out,
butill
ho9efully
beadded
later
on
TG,
May?@@A
7re9rinted
and
donated
forfree
distribution
byThe
(or9orate
>odyof
the
>uddha)ducational
Foundation,
Tai9ei,
Taian,#'(
(ontents
9
69
A
9
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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B
$bout
the
authorPreface
&ntroduction
ThePure
Land
Tradition9
4C
TranslationsLetters
from
Patriarch
YinKuang
?A
letterson
General
>uddhism,1en
and
Pure
Land,Pure
Land
Practice
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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The
su9reme
andendless
blessings
of!amantabhadra;s
deeds,
&no
uni/ersally
transferMay
e/ery
li/ing
being,droning
and
adrift,!oon
return
tothe
Land
of
LimitlessLightD
The
=os
of!amantabhadra
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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and
established
the
#e9ublicof
(hina
alsobrought
in
itsa-e
a
numberof
9roblems
for
the>uddhist
sangha
HclergyIFolloing
the
9oliticalre/olution,
an
intellectual
climateas
ushered
inthat
as
unfriendlyto
the
interestsof
>uddhism
Theattac-
and
criticismagainst
>uddhism
resulted
in
a
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number
of
discriminatory
measures,such
as
s9ecialtauddhistimages
being
destroyed
3Kenneth
(h;en,
>uddhismin
(hina,
9AAff8
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$gainst
this
bac-dro9,
toeminent
mon-s
roseto
lead
theresurgence
of
>uddhismJMaster
T;ai
*su,
hoas
instrumental
inthe
re/i/al
ofthe
Mind.'nly
school
andMaster
Yin
Kuang,later
to
becomethe
Thirteenth
Patriarchof
Pure
Land
The
mon-mainly
res9onsible
forinstilling
ne
life
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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and
meaning
to
Hthe
9ractice
of>uddha
#ecitation
andchanting
of
sutrasas
MasterI
Yin
Kuang
ho,
afterhis
con/ersion
toPure
Land
9ietism,
concentratedon
li/ing
a9ure
religious
lifebased
on
faith,de/otion
and
holiness
HMasterI
Yin
Kuangcarried
on
histeachings
mainly
in
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
9ro/inces
of
Kiangsuand
(he-iang,
herehe
gained
numerousfolloers
and
disci9les
These
efforts
byHMasterI
Yin
Kuangand
his
folloersbrought
about
an
euddha
#ecitationI
!ocieties,
andothers
of
asimilar
nature
s9rangu9
all
o/er
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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(hina
3&bid8
The
com9endium
ofMaster
Yin
Kuang;sletters
e
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Preface
$fter
the
demiseof
the
historical>uddha,
*is
teachingss9read
in
to
maindirections,
southard
3Thera/adatradition8
and
eastardinto
(hina,
=ietnam,
Korea,a9an
3Mahayana
tradition8&n
)ast
$sia,these
teachings
de/elo9edinto
ten
different
schools,se/eral
of
hichremained
im9ortant
tothis
dayJ
1en,
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Tantric
and
Pure
LandPure
Land
isby
far
themost
ides9read
formof
>uddhism
in
)ast$sia
$ll
these
schoolsteach
the
same
basictruthJ
0+o
nothat
is
e/il,do
hat
isgood,
-ee9
the
mind9ure2
True
tothis
s9irit,
thePure
Land
a99roach
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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is
sim9le
and
straightforardThrough
mindfulness
ofthe
>uddha
3ie>uddha
#ecitation8,
the9ractitioner
can
calm
hismind
and
achie/esamadhi
and
isdomThus
reborn
in
thePure
Land
3ie,in
his
9ureMind8,
he
ille/entually
attain
>uddhahood
Thisis
also
thecore
teaching,
the/ery
essence,
of
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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1en
and
all
otherMahayana
schools
$s+T
!uu-i
has9ointed
out,
0the9sychological
effects
of
there9etition
of
theholy
name
areclose
to
the
effectsof
1en
meditation2
Thisnotithstanding,
the
mainem9hasis
of
the
PureLand
school
lieselsehere
Pure
Land9ro/ides
a
safety
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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net,
a
refuge
oflast
resort
fore/eryone,
through
thecom9assion
of
$mitabha>uddha
through
*is=os
Ta-en
together,these
to
conce9tsof
the
Pure
Land
as
Mindand
as
atranscendental
land
0effecti/ely
brought
ithinthe
reach
ofall
men
thedeli/erance
taught
by
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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!a-yamuni2
3$llan
$
$ndres8
>uthy
do
eha/e
to
9urifythe
mind
and
see-deli/erance
&t
isbecause
in
theasteland
of
>irth
and+eath,
subNect
tothe
three
9oisonsof
greed,
angerand
delusion,
e
allundergo
suffering
the
ultimate
sufferingbeing,
of
course,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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death
)choing
this
conclusion,a
ell.-non
$merican9rofessor
made
thisobser/ation
about
themoti/ation
of
:estern
>uddhistsJ
Probablythe
maNority
ofnon.'rientals
ho
become
9racticing>uddhists
do
sobecause
of
ano/erriding
need
forrelief
from
suffering
!ometimesthe
suffering
is9hysical,
but
moreoften
it
is
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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emotional
and
often
9sychosomaticThe
indi/idual
9racticingmeditation,
chanting,
orany
-ind
of>uddhist
0self.culti/ation2
is
moti/atedby
a
needfor
sym9tomatic
relief,mitigation
of
anuddhismin
$merica,
9
?E58
Thisis
9recisely
hy>uddha
!a-yamuni,
hen
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9reaching
the
Four
%obleTruths
to
Kaundinyaand
his
friends,taught
them
firstthe
Truth
of
!ufferingThe
letters
ofMaster
Yin
Kuangaddress
this
issue
sOuarely&f
you
aresuffering
and
ifyou
realistically
disco/erthat
you
ha/e
onlya/erage
moti/ation,
fortitudeand
self.disci9line,
thenPure
Land
is
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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for
you
Pure
Landis
about
sufferingand
the
liberationfrom
suffering
A
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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This
boo-
consistsof
euddhaHI
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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*ere,
then,
are
theletters
of
thePatriarch
Yin
Kuang:e
ho9e
the:estern
reader
ill
enNoyand
benefit
fromthem,
as
se/eralgenerations
of
)astern
readersha/e
$s
a1en
Master
hasritten
in
anotherconte
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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that
>odhidharma
brought
to(hinaJ
loo-
forthe
9rint
ofthe
Mind2
=an
*ien
!tudyGrou9
Festi/al
of!amantabhadra
%e
Yor-J455?
E
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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There
shall
beno
distinction,
noregard
to
maleor
female,
goodor
bad,
euddha
*onen!honin
3as
Ouotedin
0Pure
Land>uddhist
Painting28
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&ntroduction
The
Pure
LandTradition
The
goal
ofall
>uddhist
9ractice
isto
achie/e
)nlightenmentand
transcend
thecycle
of
>irth
and+eath
thatis,
to
attain>uddhahood
&n
theMahayana
tradition,
the
9reconditionfor
>uddhahood
isthe
>odhi
Mind,the
as9iration
to
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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achie/e
)nlightenment
for
thebenefit
of
allsentient
beings,
oneselfincluded4
!ince
sentient
beings
areof
different
s9iritualca9acities
and
inclinations,many
le/els
of
teachingand
numerous
methodsere
de/ised
inorder
to
reache/eryone
Traditionally,
the
sutrass9ea-
of
B,@@@,ie,
an
infinitenumber
of
methods,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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de9ending
on
the
circumstances,the
times
andthe
target
audience$ll
these
methodsare
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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his
de9th
of
9racticeand
understanding,
thatis,
on
hismind
$8
!elf.9oer,
other.9oer
Throughout
history,the
Patriarchs
ha/eelaborated
/arious
systems
tocategorie
+harma
methodsand
the
sutrasin
hich
theyare
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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those
that
rely
onthe
assistance
ofthe
>uddhas
and>odhisatt/as
3other.9oer86
Traditionally,
most
>uddhistschools
and
methodsta-e
the
self.9oera99roachJ
9rogress
along
the9ath
of
)nlightenmentis
achie/ed
onlythrough
intense
andsustained
9ersonal
effort
>ecauseof
the
dedicationand
effort
in/ol/ed,schools
of
this
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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self.9oer,
self.effort
tradition
allha/e
a
distinctmonastic
bias
Thelaity
has
generally9layed
only
a
su99orti/erole,
ith
themost
s9iritually
ad/ancedideally
Noining
the
'rderof
mon-s
andnuns
>est
-nonof
these
traditionsare
Thera/ada
and
1en
Parallelto
this,
9articularlyfolloing
the
de/elo9ment
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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of
Mahayana
thought
andthe
rise
oflay
>uddhism,
amore
fleuddhas
and
>odhisatt/asto
sincere
see-ersof
the
:ayMost
re9resentati/e
of
thistradition
are
the)soteric
and
PureLand
schools
*oe/er,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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unli-e
the
former
3or1en8,
Pure
Landdoes
not
stressthe
master.disci9le
relationshi9and
de.em9hasies
the
roleof
sub.schools,
roshisQgurusand
rituals
Moreo/er,the
main
aim
ofPure
Land
rebirth
in
theLand
of
"ltimate>liss
through
the
9oerof
$mitabha
>uddha;s
B
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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=os
isa
realistic
goal,though
to
beunderstood
at
se/eralle/els
Therein
lies
thea99eal
and
strengthof
Pure
LandA
>8
PureLand
in
a%utshell
Pure
Land,
li-eall
Mahayana
schools,
reOuiresfirst
and
foremostthe
de/elo9ment
ofthe
>odhi
Mind,E
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
as9iration
to
attain>uddhahood
for
thebenefit
of
allsentient
beings
Fromthis
starting
9oint,
themain
tenets
ofthe
school
canbe
understood
at
tomain
le/els,
thetranscendental
and
the9o9ular
de9endingon
the
bac-ground
andthe
ca9acities
ofthe
culti/ator
i8
&n
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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its
9o9ular
form,
ie,for
ordinary
9ractitionersin
this
s9iritually+egenerate
$ge,
sometenty.siuddha,
PureLand
in/ol/es
see-ing
rebirthin
the
Landof
$mitabha
>uddhaThis
is
achie/edithin
one
lifetime
throughthe
9ractice
of>uddha
#ecitation
ithsincere
faith
and
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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/os,
leading
to
one.9ointednessof
mind
orsamadhi
The
de/otees
ofthis
school
/enerated
$mitabha>uddha
and
soughtnot
outright
%ir/anabut
rebirth
in
the
0Pure
Land2of
$mitabha,
alsocalled
!u-ha/ati
&nthat
idyllic
en/ironment,
none
negati/e
-armicaccumulations
ould
becreated
and
all
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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euddhist*andboo-,
9
466.8
Thus,at
the
9o9ular
le/el,the
Pure
Landof
$mitabha
>uddhais
an
idealtraining
ground,
an
idealen/ironment
here
the9ractitioner
is
rebornthan-s
both
to
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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his
on
efforts
andthe
9oer
of$mitabha
>uddha;s
/os3other.9oer8C
%o
longersubNect
to
retrogression,
ha/ingleft
>irth
and+eath
behind
fore/er,the
culti/ator
can
nofocus
all
hisefforts
toard
theultimate
aim
of>uddhahood
This
as9ect
ofPure
Land
isthe
form
underhich
the
school
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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is
9o9ularly
-nonB
ii8
$tthe
ad/anced
le/el,ie,
for
culti/atorsof
high
s9iritual
ca9acity,the
Pure
Landmethod,
li-e
othermethods,
re/erts
the
ordinary,deluded
mind
tothe
!elf.
%atureTrue
Mind5
&nthe
9rocess,
isdom
and>uddhahood
are
e/entuallyattained
This
ise
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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folloing
ad/ice
of
theeminent
1en
master(hu
*ung
3a9!hu-o8,
one
ofthe
three
0+ragon.)le9hants2
of4Eth.4Cth
century
(hinaJ
#ightno
you
sim9ly
mustrecite
the
buddha.nameith
9urity
andillumination
Purity
meansreciting
the
buddha.name
ithoutany
other
thoughts&llumination
means
reflectingbac-
as
you
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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recite
the
buddha.name
Purityis
sammata,
0sto99ing2&llumination
is
/i9asyana,0obser/ing2
"nify
yourmindfulness
of
buddha
throughbuddha.name
recitation,
andsto99ing
and
obser/ingare
both
9resent
3((leary,
Pure
Land,Pure
Mind8
$s
statedin
>uddhism
of
:isdomand
Faith
3!ection4B8J
&f
e
ha/e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
roots
and
thetem9erament
of
Mahayanafolloers,
e
shouldnaturally
understand
thatthe
goal
of
>uddha#ecitation
is
toachie/e
>uddha.
hood
:hy
is
itthat
the
goalof
>uddha
#ecitationis
to
becomea
>uddha
5
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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&t
is
because,as
e
beginreciting,
the
9ast,9resent
and
futureha/e
lost
their
distinction,mar-s
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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This
state
is
>uddha.hood
hat
elsecould
it
be
Thishigh.le/el
form
of
PureLand
is
9racticedby
those
ofdee9
s9iritual
ca9acitiesJ
0henthe
mind
is9ure,
the
>uddhaland
is
9ure
to
recite
the>uddha;s
name
isto
recite
theMind2
Thus,
at
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
ad/anced
le/el,
PureLand
is
1en,1en
is
PureLand4@
&n
its
totality,
PureLand
reflects
thehighest
teaching
of>uddhism
as
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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(8
Faith,
=osand
Practice
These
threefactors
are
thecornerstones
of
Pure
Land>uddhism
&f
theyare
9resent,
rebirthin
the
Pure
Landis
achie/ed
Faithmeans
faith
in$mitabha
>uddha;s
=oto
rescue
all
horecite
*is
name,as
ell
asfaith
in
one;s
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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on
!elf.%ature,
hich
isintrinsically
the
sameas
*is
3torecite
the
>uddha;sname
is
to
recitethe
Mind8
=osare
the
determinationto
be
reborn
inthe
Pure
Land
in
one;s9ure
Mind
so
as
to
bein
the
9ositionto
sa/e
oneselfand
others
Practice
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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generally
means
reciting
the>uddha;s
name
tothe
9oint
hereone;s
Mind
andthat
of
$mitabha
>uddhaare
in
unison
ie,
tothe
9oint
of
singlemindedness!amadhi
and
isdomare
then
achie/ed
Pleasenote
that
all
>uddhistteachings
are
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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into
many
9arts
Faith,=os
and
Practice,although
three,
arereally
one
Thus,it
can
be
saidthat
rebirth
inthe
Pure
Landde9ends
on
three
conditionsor
to
conditions3Faith
and
=os8or
e/en
onecondition
3Faith8,
as
theone
contains
alland
all
iscontained
in
the
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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one
The
formula
tobe
used
de9endson
the
audienceand
the
timesThe
aim
is
toenable
sentient
beingsto
achie/e
rebirthin
the
Pure
Landas
a
ste99ingstonetoard
>uddhahood
+8
Transferenceof
Merit
(entral
to
thePure
Land
traditionis
the
figure
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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of
the
>odhisatt/a
+harma-ara,the
future
$mitabha>uddha,
ho
cameto
eodhisatt/a
ideal
and
thedoctrine
of
dedicationof
merit4?
Thismerit
transference
is
thesource
of
the/o.9oer,
or
other.9oer,in
Pure
Land>uddhism
TheMahayana
idea
ofthe
>uddha
beingable
to
im9art
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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his
9oer
to
othersmar-s
one
ofthose
e9och.ma-ing
de/iationshich
set
offthe
Mahayana
from
so.called
original
>uddhism
The
Mahayanistsaccumulate
stoc-s
of
meritnot
only
forthe
material
oftheir
on
enlightenmentbut
for
the
general
4@
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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culti/ation
of
merithich
can
beshared
eOually
bytheir
fello.beings,
animateand
inanimate
This
isthe
true
meaningof
Parinamana,
thatis,
turning
one;s
merito/er
to
othersfor
their
s9iritualinterest
3+T
!uu-i,tr,
The
Lan-a/atara
!utra,9
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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hich
on
the
surfacea99ears
to
runcounter
to
thela
of
(auseand
)ffect,
may
beeodhisatt/a
$/alo-ites/ara3Kuan
Yin8J
!ome
of
usmay
as-
hetherthe
effect
of-arma
can
be
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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re/erted
by
re9eating
thename
of
Kuan.YinThis
Ouestion
istied
u9
iththat
of
rebirth
in!u-ha/ati
Hthe
PureLandI
and
itmay
be
ansered
bysaying
that
in/ocationof
Kuan.Yin;s
nameforms
another
causehich
ill
right
aayoffset
the
9re/ious-arma
:e
-no,for
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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if
there
is
adar-,
hea/y
cloudabo/e,
the
chancesare
that
itill
rain
>ut
ealso
-no
thatif
a
strongind
should
blo,
thecloud
ill
becarried
aay
somehereelse
and
eill
not
feel
therain
!imilarly,
theaddition
of
onebig
factor
can
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
64/797
alter
the
hole
courseof
-arma
&tis
only
byacce9ting
the
idea
oflife
as
onehole
that
bothThera/adins
and
Mahayanists
canad/ocate
the
9racticeof
transference
ofmerit
to
others:ith
the
case
ofKuan.Yin
then,
bycalling
on
*ername
e
identify
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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oursel/es
ith
*er
andas
a
resultof
this
identification*er
merits
floo/er
to
us
Thesemerits
hich
areno
ours
thencounterbalance
our
bad
-armaand
sa/e
usfrom
calamity
Thela
of
causeand
effect
still
standsgood
$ll
thathas
ha99ened
isthat
a
9oerful
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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and
immensely
good
-armahas
o/ershadoed
theea-er
one
3Lecture
on
KuanYin
by
Tech
)ng!oon
Penang>uddhist
$ssociation,
c45E@
Pam9hlet8
This
conce9t
oftransference
of
merit,hich
9resu99oses
arece9ti/e
mind
on
the9art
of
theculti/ator,
is
em9hasiedin
Pure
Land
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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*oe/er,
the
conce9t
alsoe
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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less
/isible,
role
Thisinterrelationshi9
is
clearlyillustrated
in
theMeditation
!utraJ
theorst
sinner,
guilty
ofmatricide
and
9arricide,etc
may
stillachie/e
rebirth
in
thePure
Land
if,on
the
/ergeof
death,
heconcentrates
on
the
>uddha;sname
one
toten
times
ithutmost
faith
and
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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sincerity
This9assage
can
beunderstood
at
tole/els
$t
thele/el
of
e/eryday
life,Nust
as
theorst
criminal
oncegenuinely
reformed
is
nolonger
a
threatto
society
andmay
be
9ardoned,the
sinner
once
trulyre9entant
may,
throughthe
/o.9oer
of$mitabha
>uddha,
achie/e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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rebirth
in
the
PureLand
albeitat
the
loestgrade
Thus,
PureLand
offers
ho9e
toe/eryone
yet
atthe
same
time,the
la
of
(ause
44
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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and
)ffect
remains/alid
$t
the
le/elof
9rinci9le
orMind,
as
the
!iuddha
Therefore,once
the
sinner
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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re9ents
and
concentrates
onthe
>uddha;s
nameith
utmost
sincerityand
one.9ointedness
ofmind,
for
that
momenthe
becomes
anaa-ened
9erson
silentlymerging
into
the
streamof
the
!ages
can
)nlightenmentand
>uddhahood
thenbe
that
far
aay4A$s
the
Meditation!utra
statesJ
0theLand
of
$mitabha
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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>uddha
is
not
farfrom
hereD24E
=an
*ien!tudy
Grou9
Q455?
Festi/al
of
the>odhisatt/a
Kuan.Yin
348
!eethe
folloing
9assage,
bythe
late
founderof
the
>uddhistLodge
and
>uddhist!ociety
3London8,
on
thetrue
goal
ofall
>uddhist
9racticeJ&n
the
:est,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
need
for
someguidance
in
mind.de/elo9mentas
made
acute
by
asudden
s9ate
of
boo-shich
ere,
hate/erthe
moti/e
oftheir
authors,
dangerous
inthe
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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benefit
of
all
man-ind,and
the
readeras
led
tobelie/e
that
itas
Ouite
legitimate
tostudy
and
9racticemindfulness,
and
thehigher
stages
hich
ensue,for
the
benefitof
business
efficiencyand
the
ad/ancementof
9ersonal
9restige
&nthese
circumstances,
(oncentrationand
Meditation,
as
com9iled
and
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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9ublished
by
the
H>ritishI>uddhist
!ociety,
ithconstant
stress
onthe
im9ortance
ofright
moti/e,
and
am9learning
of
thedangers,
from
aheadache
to
insanity,
hichlie
in
aitfor
those
hotrifle
ith
thegreatest
force
on
earth,the
human
mind3(hristmas
*um9hreys,
The>uddhist
:ay
of
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Life,
9
4@@8
3?8
!incee/ery
method
isan
euddhisttheology
has
afine
com9rehensi/e
theory
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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to
euddhismis
a
series
ofattem9ts
to
reconcilethe
di/erse
schools
=arious
aysof
classification
and
reconciliationere
offered,
and
their
conclusionas
thisJ
>uddhism
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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su99lies
us
ith
somany
gates
toenter
into
thetruth
because
ofsuch
a
/ariety
ofhuman
characters
andtem9eraments
and
en/ironmentsdue
to
di/ersities
of-arma
This
is9lainly
de9icted
andtaught
by
the>uddha
himself
hen
hesays
that
thesame
ater
4?
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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drun-
by
theco
and
thecobra
turns
inone
case
intonourishing
mil-
and
inthe
other
intodeadly
9oison,
andthat
medicine
is
tobe
gi/en
accordingto
disease
Thisis
called
thedoctrine
of
Hs-illfulI
means
3The
)astern>uddhist,
=ol
,%o
?,
9
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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4?48
368The
crucial
roleof
other.9oer
in>uddhist
culti/ation
isem9hasied
in
the
Lan-a/ataraand
$/atamsa-a
!utras,among
others
38!ee
the
folloing
9assagefrom
+T
!uu-iJiri-i
3self.9oer8
isthe
HisdomIas9ect
of
enlightenment
andtari-i
3other9oer8
isthe
HGreat(om9assionI
as9ect
of
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
same
>y
HisdomIe
transcend
the9rinci9le
of
indi/iduation,and
by
HGreat(om9assionI
e
descend
intoa
orld
of9articulars
The
onegoes
u9ards
hile
theother
comes
donards,but
this
isour
intellectual
ayof
understanding
and
inter9retingenlightenment,
in
hosemo/ement
hoe/er
thereis
no
such
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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tofold
direction
discernible
3The)astern
>uddhist,
=ol6
%o
,9
648
3A8
*istorically,
theroots
of
PureLand
go
bac-to
$ncient
&ndia,
albeitthe
tradition
asnot
em9hasied
thereJ$lthough
a
cultdedicated
to
$mitabha
>uddhaorshi9
did
arisein
&ndia,
9ietytoard
this
>uddha
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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seems
to
ha/e
beenmerely
one
ofmany
9ractices
ofearly
Mahayana
>uddhism3)liabeth
ten
Grotenhuis,
inoNi
'-aa-i,
PureLand
>uddhist
Painting,9
48
%oteJ
$n
earlyform
of
>uddha#ecitation
can
befound
in
the
%i-ayasof
the
Pali(anonJ
&n
the
%i-ayas,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
>uddha
ad/isedhis
disci9les
tothin-
of
himand
his
/irtuesas
if
they
sahis
body
beforetheir
eyes,
herebythey
ould
be
enabledto
accumulate
meritand
attain
%ir/anaor
be
sa/edfrom
transmigrating
in
thee/il
9aths
3+T
!uu-i,
The)astern
>uddhist,
=ol
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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6,
%o
,
964C8
For
details,
seeGlossary,
0Pure
Land!chool2
3E8!ee
the
folloing9assage
on
>odhisatt/a9ractice,
from
the
0Practicesand
=os
ofthe
>odhisatt/a
!amantabhadra2J>ecause
of
li/ingbeings,
they
bring
forthgreat
com9assion
Fromgreat
com9assion
the>odhi
Mind
is
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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born
and
because
ofthe
>odhi
Mind,they
accom9lish
!u9reme,Perfect
)nlightenment
3$/atamsa-a!utra,
ch
@
!ee$99endi
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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be
born
in
mycountry,
and
ifthey
should
notbe
born
byonly
thin-ing
of
mefor
ten
times
may
¬
attain
the
highest)nlightenment
3Meditation
!utra,Ouoted
by
)liabethten
Grotenhuis,
o9cit,
9
4A8
46
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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3B8
Professor
$llan$
$ndres
hasnoted
that
thereare
to
le/elsof
the
Pure
Land9ractice,
hich
ha/eco.euddha#ecitationI
to
achie/e
9raNnaisdom
by
hison
self.
effortsT;an.luan
considered
H>uddha
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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#ecitationI
the
best
9racticefor
sal/ation,
thatis,
for
rebirth,because
HitI
isthe
easiest
9ractice
throughthe
9oer
of$mida;s
com9assionate
/os30%embutsu
in
the
(hinesePure
Land
tradition2&n
The
)astern>uddhist,
=ol
6,%o
?,
9
@8
Pleasenote
that
understandingthe
dual
nature
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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of
the
Pure
Land,as
Mind.'nly
andas
a
se9arateentity,
reOuires
meditationand
recitation
notintellectual
reasoning
&n
secularestern
thought,
aareness
of9sychological
9roNection
asa
source
ofsu9ernatural
being
hasser/ed
to
demythologie
demons,goblins,
angels
andsaints
and
robthem
of
their
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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9oer
The
>ardo
ThodolHTibetan
>oo-
ofthe
+eadI,
hoe/er,s9ea-s
of
thedeities
as
09roNections2
butne/er
as
0mere9roNections2
The
deitiesare
9resent
and
mustbe
dealt
ithreligiously
notNust
by
intellectualinsight
3+G
+ae
inThe
Perennial
+ictionaryof
:orld
#eligions,9
568
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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358
For
details,see
>uddhism
of:isdom
and
Faith,section
?5
Theordinary,
deluded
mind
3thought8includes
feelings,
im9ressions,conce9tions,
consciousness,
etcThe
True
Mind
isthe
fundamental
nature,the
'riginal
Face,#eality,
the
>uddha%ature,
etc
The
TrueMind
is
tothe
ordinary
mindhat
ater
is
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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to
a/es
theto
cannot
bedissociated
They
arethe
same
butthey
are
also
different$ll
methods
ofculti/ation
aim
atcalming
the
a/es,
restoringthe
ater
toits
original
stillnessThe
surface
thenbecomes
a
mirror,
reflectinge/erything
This
isisdom
or
)nlightenment
The
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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9ractice
of
meditation
3samathaQ/i9asyana8,in
one
formor
another,
isthe
basis
ofculti/ation
in
all
>uddhisttraditions,
including
PureLand
34@8
!ee
the
folloing9assage
from
+T!uu-iJ
:e
obser/ethat
e/en
theeuddhist
life
asre/ealed
in
theHPure
LandI
begins
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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in
its
last
stageof
0s9iritual
rest2
to
a99roachthe
1en
ty9e&ndeed
here
lies
theunity
of
>uddhiste
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
smallest
dharma
containsthe
largest
and/ice
/ersa
$sa
modern
euddhahood
&nthat
cha9ter,
it
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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is
taught
that
ateach
and
e/erystage,
the
actionsof
the
>odhisatt/a0ne/er
go
beyond
>uddha#ecitation2J
4
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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This
is
asummary
of
thetenth
stage
ofenlightening
beings,
called(loud
of
Teaching
:hate/er
acts
theyunderta-e,
hether
throughgi/ing,
or
-ind
s9eech,of
beneficial
action,or
coo9eration,
itis
all
ne/era9art
from
thoughts
of>uddha
H>uddha
#ecitationI,the
Teaching,
the(ommunity
3Thomas
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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(leary,
tr,
The
Floer'rnament
!cri9ture
H$/atamsa-a!utraI,
=ol
&&,9
4448
34?8
!ee
thefolloing
9assageJ
TheHLonger
$mitabha
!utraI
hich
as
ineuddha
!a-yamuni
in
res9onse
toOuestions
of
hisdisci9le
$nanda
!a-yamuni
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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tells
the
story
ofthe
>odhisatt/a
+harma-ara,ho
had
foreons
9ast
beendee9ly
mo/ed
by
thesuffering
of
sentientbeings
and
hohad
determined
to
establisha
Land
of>liss
here
allbeings
could
euddha
of
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
9ast,
Lo-es/araraNa,
+harma-aramade
forty.eight
/osrelating
to
thisParadise,
and
9romisedthat
he
ould
notacce9t
enlightenment
ifhe
could
notachie/e
his
goals
:hen,
after
countlessages,
+harma-ara
achie/edenlightenment
and
becamea
>uddha,
the
conditionsof
his
H4BthI/o
ere
fulfilledJhe
became
the
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Lord
of
!u-ha/ati,
the:estern
Paradise,
herethe
faithful
illbe
reborn
inbliss,
there
to
9rogressthrough
stages
ofincreasing
aareness
untilthey
finally
achie/e
enlightenment3)liabeth
ten
Grotenhuis,in
oNi
'-aa-i,Pure
Land
>uddhistPainting,
9
4.4A8
3468
Thelife
story
ofthe
=enerable
$ngulimala
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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is
one
of
themost
mo/ing
accountsin
the
Thera/adacanon
$fter
-illingninety.nine
9ersons,
$ngulimala
ascon/erted
by
the>uddha,
re9ented
hise/il
ays
and
Noinedthe
'rderJ
'neday
as
heent
on
hisround
for
alms
hesa
a
omanin
labor
Mo/edby
com9assion,
he
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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re9orted
this
9athetic
oman;ssuffering
to
the>uddha
*e
thenad/ised
him
to9ronounce
the
folloing
ordsof
truth,
hichlater
became
-nonas
the
$ngulimala
Paritta3Mantra8
0!ister,since
my
birthin
the
$ryaclan
Hie,
since
myordinationI
&
-nonot
that
&consciously
destroyed
the
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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life
of
any
li/ingbeing
>y
thistruth
may
yoube
hole
andmay
your
child
behole2
*e
ent
tothe
9resence
of
thesuffering
sister
and
uttered
theseords
&nstantly,
shedeli/ered
the
child
ithease
3%arada
MahaThera,
The
>uddhaand
*is
Teaching,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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9
4?8
348
Faith
isan
im9ortant
elementin
all
>uddhisttraditions,
but
it
is9articularly
so
inPure
Land
!eethe
folloing
9assage
fromthe
$/atamsa-a
!utraJFaith
is
thebasis
of
the9ath,
the
mother
of/irtues,
%ourishing
andgroing
all
goodays
Faith
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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can
increase
-noledge
and/irtue
Faith
canassure
arri/al
atenlightenment
3Thomas
(leary,tr,
The
Floer
'rnament!cri9ture,
/ol
4,9
6648
4A
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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34A8
This
istrue
at
thele/el
of
noumenonor
9rinci9le
$tthe
le/el
of
9henomena,there
are
infinitedegrees
of
)nlightenment,from
those
of
thesages
to
the!u9reme,
Perfect
)nlightenmentof
the
>uddhas3$
>uddha
is
oneho
is
com9letelyenlightened
at
alltimes8
34E8
The
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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strength
and
9er/asi/eness
ofPure
Land
teachingare
such
thatits
main
9ractice,>uddha
#ecitation,
is
foundin
other
schools,including
the
Tantricand
1en
schools
&nPure
Land,
>uddha#ecitation
is
9racticedfor
the
9ur9oseof
achie/ing
rebirth
inthe
Land
of$mitabha
>uddha
&nthe
Tantric
school,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
immediate
aim
isto
destroy
e/il-arma
and
afflictionsand
generate
blessingsand
isdom
in
thecurrent
lifetime
&n1en,
the
-oanof
>uddha
#ecitation
ismeant
to
se/erdelusi/e
thought
andrealie
the
!elf.%atureTrue
Mind
The
ultimategoal
of
allthree
schools
is,of
course,
the
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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sameJ
to
achie/e
)nlightenmentand
>uddhahood
4E
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Letters
from
PatriarchYin
Kuang
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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From
all
delusions,-arma,
and
demon.states,$mid
all
orldly9aths,
&
illbe
freed,
$s
thelotus
does
nottouch
the
ater,$s
sun
and
moondo
not
sto9in
s9ace
The
=osof
!amantabhadra
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Letter
4
Turn
$fflictionsinto
>odhi4
!ince
elast
met,
siodhi
3)nlightenment8,not
to
mentiongrief
into
9eaceand
NoyD
&f
you
sufferchronic
illness,
youshould
reflect
dee9ly
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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that
this
body
isthe
/ery
sourceof
suffering,
de/elo9a
re/ulsion
toardit
and
stri/e
toculti/ate
the
PureLand
9ath,
determinedto
achie/e
rebirth
inthe
Land
of"ltimate
>liss
The>uddhas
/ie
sufferingas
their
teacher,
thusachie/ing
"ltimate
)nlightenmentLi-eise,
you
shouldconsider
illness
as
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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medicine,
to
esca9e
>irthand
+eath
You
shouldrealie
that
humanbeings
are
bound
byall
-inds
of-armic
afflictions
:ithoutthe
sufferings
of
9o/ertyand
illness,
theyill,
by
nature,9ursue
the
orldof
sight
and
sound,fame
and
9rofit,finding
it
difficultto
let
go
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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:ho
ould
then
illinglyturn
around
toatch
and
9onderthe
state
of9erdition
to
come
The
sageMencius
once
saidJ
Those
hoill
be
entrustedith
great
tas-sshould
first
endurehardshi9
both
in
bodyand
mind,
sufferinghunger
and
destitutionor
failure
in
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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their
underta-ings
'nly
thenill
they
beable
to
forgetheir
character,
de/elo99atience
and
endurance
andattain
outstanding
abilities,beyond
the
-enof
the
multitude
4Letter
toTeng
Po.ch;eng
3(hineseed
=ol
&,9
6C8
45
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Therefore,
you
shouldrealie
that
humancharacter
is
usuallyforged
in
ad/ersity&f
ad/ersity
cannot
bea/oided,
you
shouldremain
at
9eaceand
9ractice
forbearance
Moreo/er,
ins9ea-ing
of
greattas-s,
the
sageMencius
as
referring
merelyto
mundane
underta-ings)/en
so,
enduringhardshi9
is
necessary
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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for
success
homuch
more
sohen
loly
beingssuch
as
oursel/esunderta-e
the
great
dualtas-
of
achie/ing>uddhahood
and
rescuingsentient
beingsD
&f
youare
not
testedto
a
certaine
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Land
9ractice
ill
bedifficult
to
9erfect:ith
your
Mind.mirrorclouded,
you
illre/ol/e
for
many
eonsin
the
e/ilrealms
not-noing
hen
you
ille/er
achie/e
liberationD
Theancients
ha/e
saidJ
&f
itere
not
fora
9eriod
of9enetrating
cold,
the
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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9lum
blossom
could
ne/er
de/elo9its
euddha;sname,
to
eradicate9ast
-arma
siftly
anda/oid
de/elo9ing
amind
of
afflictions,resenting
the
*ea/ens,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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blaming
your
fello
beings,considering
the
laof
(ause
and)ffect
as
afairy
tale
and
reNectingthe
>uddhas
andtheir
teachings
asineffecti/e
You
should
-nothat
from
timeimmemorial,
e
ha/eall
created
immeasurablee/il
-arma
$s
the$/atamsa-a
!utra
statesJ
&fe/il
-arma
had
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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9hysical
form,
the
em9tys9ace
of
theten
directions
could
notcontain
it
Thus,
ho
canha9haard,
intermittent
culti/ation9ossibly
annihilate
all
afflictionsand
obstructions
!a-yamuni
>uddhaand
$mitabha
>uddha,out
of
com9assion
forsentient
beings
holac-
the
strengthto
rid
themsel/es
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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of
e/il
-arma,
s9ecificallytaught
the
methodof
0relying
onthe
>uddha;s
9oerto
ta-e
their
residual-arma
along
tothe
Pure
Land2!uch
com9assionate
action
isall.encom9assing
e/en
ourobligations
to
the*ea/ens
or
toour
9arents
cannot
becom9ared
to
it
not
e/enon
a
scale
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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of
ten
thousand
toone
Therefore,
youshould
engage
inearnest
re9entance,
see-ingthe
>uddhas;
assistance
ineradicating
9ast
-armaand
achie/ing
9eaceand
tranOuility
of
bodyand
mind
?@
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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&f
illness
andsuffering
become
unbearable,in
addition
toreciting
the
>uddha;sname
morning
and
nightand
dedicating
themerits
toard
rebirthin
the
Pure
Land,you
should
callholeheartedly
u9on
the>odhisatt/a
Kuan
Yin3$/alo-ites/ara8
:ith
*er
silent/o
to
rescuesentient
beings,
the>odhisatt/a
a99ears
throughout
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
orlds
of
theten
directions
&fin
time
ofcrisis,
a
9ersoncan
-ee9
reciting
*ername
and
re/ere*er,
!he
illres9ond
according
to
thecircumstances,
enabling
himto
esca9e
sufferingand
achie/e
ha99iness
$lthough
>uddha#ecitation
is
sim9le,it
is
/ery
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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dee9
and
encom9assing
Themost
im9ortant
thingis
to
beutterly
sincere
andearnest,
for
only
thenill
your
thoughtsmerge
ith
thoseof
$mitabha
>uddha
andill
you
rea9true
benefits
inthis
/ery
life&f
you
are
layand
la
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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and
ae,
you
mayso
the
seedsof
future
liberationbut
you
muststill
bear
the
inconcei/ablee/il
-arma
stemmingfrom
disres9ect
ando/er.familiarity
)/en
if,
than-sto
residual
merits,you
esca9e
thee/il
realms,
youill
still
find
itdifficult
to
Nointhe
'cean.:ide
Lotus$ssemblyD
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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%oadays,
there
are
Ouitea
number
ofscholars
ho
study>uddhism
*oe/er,
almostall
of
them
sim9lyread
the
ordsof
the
sutrasand
commentaries
see-ing
argumentsand
rationaliations
to9ro/e
that
theyare
/ersed
inthe
+harma
Those
iththe
sincerity
andde/otion
to
culti/ateaccording
to
the
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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+harma
are
fe
indeedD&
ha/e
alayssaid
that
torea9
the
realbenefit
of
the
+harma,you
should
a99roachit
ith
atruly
re/erent
mind
'ne.tenthof
re/erence
andde/otion
annihilates
one.tenthof
afflictions
ande/il
-arma,
and
increasesmerit
and
isdomby
one.tenth
and
this
a99lies
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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to
to.tenths,
three.tenths
ortotal
re/erence
andde/otion
(on/ersely,
the
morelauddhasand
the
PatriarchsYou
must
notharbor
doubts
To
doubtis
to
turnyour
bac-
on>uddha
$mitabha,
distancing
yourselffrom
*im,
ma-ingit
difficult
tobe
in
communionith
*im
and
be0recei/ed
and
guided2at
the
timeof
death
The
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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ancients
ha/e
taughtJ
?4
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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'nly
the
>uddhascan
truly
fathomthe
ultimate
meaningof
Pure
Lande/en
those>odhisatt/as
ho
ha/eachie/ed
near
eOualityith
the
>uddhas
cannot
gras9it
com9letely
&f
e/enthe
highest
le/el
>odhisatt/ascannot
fully
understandthe
Pure
Landmethod,
ho
can
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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e
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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as
ell
as
thela
of
(auseand
)ffect
Littledo
they
realiethat
ithout
9henomenal
culti/ationand
belief
in(ause
and
)ffect,theory
and
noumenon
ceaseto
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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actions
are
no
differentfrom
those
ofthe
dullards
inthe
mar-et9lace
Theroot
cause
is
theirreNection
of
9henomenalculti/ation
and
(auseand
)ffect
This
gra/eerror
is
re9eatedby
other
9eo9leit
is
acase
of
betraying
the+harma
ith
one;sbody
3actions8
Thede9th
of
such
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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offenses
and
transgressions
isimmeasurableD
:itnessing
this,those
endoed
ith9rofound
isdom
canonly
sigh
in
9ityand
com9assion
$n)lder
Master
once
saidJ
Thoseho
s-illfully
discourseon
Mind
and!elf.%ature
surely
can
ne/erreNect
(ause
and
)ffectthose
ho
belie/e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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dee9ly
in
(ause
and)ffect
naturally
understand
theMind
and
!elf.%aturein
de9th
This
isa
natural
de/elo9ment
TheMaster;s
ords
are
atruth
that
hasithstood
the
testof
time,
aneedle
9ric-ing
the
headsof
those
ithdelusi/e
isdom
Last
autumn,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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during
your
esteemed
brother;s/isit
to
P;uT;o
Mountain,
&brought
u9
these0sincere,
res9ectful2
9oints
*oe/er,&
onder
hetherhe
has
ta-enthem
as
the
sincere,earnest
ords
theyere
meant
tobe
??
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Letter
?
$
PureMind
in
aPure
Land?
*o
delighted
&as
to
recei/eand
read
yourletterD
The
sage
(h;uPo.yu,
u9on
reachinghis
fiftieth
birthday,loo-ed
bac-
andrealied
the
errors
heas
still
committingat
age
forty.nine:hen
nearing
se/enty,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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(onfucius
eoo-
of
(hanges
inde9th
and
thusa/oid
maNor
transgressions
The
scholarshi9of
these
sageshad
reached
thehighest
le/el
ofmind
and
thought
Today;sscholars
li-e
tostudy
cha9ter
bycha9ter,
ith
fe
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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shoing
concern
for
theissue
of
rectifyingmind
and
thoughtThus,
they
9eruseboo-s
all
day
longithout
understanding
thetrue
intent
ofthe
sages,
their
ordsand
actions
differingfrom
those
ofthe
sages
asgreatly
as
day
fromnight
or
sOuarefrom
round
Thereis
no
9ossible
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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corres9ondence
:e
are
note/en
s9ea-ing
hereof
the
transgressionsof
mind
andthought
if
these
transgressionsere
enumerated,
thelist
ould
beendlessD
>uddhistsutras
teach
folloersto
9ractice
re9entanceconstantly
in
order
totranscend
delusion
andachie/e
>uddhahood
Thus,e/en
the
>odhisatt/a
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Maitreya,
ho
has
attainedthe
le/el
of)Oual
)nlightenment,
still9ays
res9ect
tothe
>uddhas
of
theten
directions
duringthe
siody
&f
this
istrue
for
the>odhisatt/a
Maitreya,
hatcan
e
say
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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of
common
beings
filledith
hea/y
-armicafflictions
&f
you
donot
feel
shame
andremorse,
your
!elf.%aturemay
be
thesame
as
the
>uddhas;,but
it
ishidden
by
afflictionsand
e/il
-armaand
cannot
manifest
itselfust
li-e
a9recious
mirror
hichhas
been
co/ered
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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ith
dust
for
eons,not
only
doesit
not
reflectlight,
e/en
itsreflecting
nature
is
hidden&f
you
realiethat
the
mirroralready
9ossesses
the
natureof
brightness
andstri/e
ceaselessly
toclean
it,
thelight
reflected
ill
graduallyincrease
until
itreaches
ma
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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then
become,
once
more,something
of
/aluein
the
orld
?$notherletter
to
Teng
Po.ch;eng3(hinese
ed
=ol&,
9
48
?6
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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You
should
realiethat
the
9otentialfor
reflection
isinherent
in
themirror
and
is
notthe
result
of9olishing
&f
itere
not
so,
abric-
ould
alsoshine
brightly
hen9olished
Yet,
youshould
also
realie
thatalthough
the
brightnessis
inherent
inthe
mirror,
ithout
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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9olishing,
the
day
ouldne/er
come
henit
ould
gleam
TheMind.%ature
of
sentient
beingsis
similar
$lthoughit
is
intrinsicallyidentical
to
that
ofthe
>uddhas,
Hitis
cloudedI
Thus,if
sentient
beingsdo
not
mend
theirays,
from
e/ilto
holesome,
andturn
their
bac-s
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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on
orldly
dusts
0tomerge
ith
)nlightenment,2their
inherently
/irtuousnature
cannot
a99ear!uch
a
mind.consciousness,
inherently9ossessing
the
>uddha%ature
in
fullbut
busily
creating
e/il-arma
and
suffering
mired
in>irth
and
+eathfor
many
eons
is
no
differentfrom
a
dar-house
filled
ith
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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treasures
You
not
onlycannot
ma-e
useof
the
treasures,you
may,
infact,
suffer
further
loss&s
this
notlamentable
PureLand
is
9reciselythe
sublime
methodenabling
the
9ractitionerto
turn
his
bac-on
orldly
duststo
merge
ith)nlightenment
and
return
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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to
the
source
3theMind8
Laymen
boundu9
in
mundaneaffairs
cannot
easilyfind
the
time
toattend
retreats,
9racticemeditation
and
recitethe
sutras
This
methodis,
therefore,
/erysuitable
for
9ersonssuch
as
yourself)ach
one
can
9ayres9ect
to
the>uddhas
and
recitesutras
or
>uddha
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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$mitabha;s
name
according
toindi/idual
circumstances
andca9acities,
dedicating
themerits
thus
accruedto
rebirth
in
thePure
Land
&naddition
to
yourregular
culti/ation
sessions,
youshould
9ractice
>uddha#ecitation
hen
al-ingor
standing,
recliningor
sitting,
s9ea-ing
orremaining
silent,
eatingor
dressing,
throughoutthe
day,
here/er
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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you
may
be
:hen
/eneratingthe
>uddhas
inclean
9laces,
youmay
recite
either
aloudor
silently
&ndirty
9laces
3suchas
ashrooms8
or
incircumstances
that
donot
call
forre/erence
3such
asslee9ing
or
bathing8
youshould
Nust
recitesilently
To
recitealoud
hen
reclining
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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is
not
only
disres9ectful,it
is
alsofatiguing
and
maylead
in
timeto
illness
!ilent
recitationbrings
the
sameblessings
and
/irtuesas
oral
recitation,
aslong
as
itis
distinct,
earnestand
not
subNectto
distractions
You
already
-nothat
you
must
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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confess
your
transgressions
and9ractice
re9entance
Thisis
/ery
muchin
accord
iththe
Pure
Land
methodbecause
0hen
themind
is
9ure,the
>uddha
land
is9ure2
*oe/er,
onceha/ing
re9ented,
youshould
change
yourays
and
9ractice
holesomedeeds,
lest
yourre9entance
consist
ofem9ty
ords
bringing
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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no
real
benefit
Thisis
also
trueif
you
ishto
be
freeof
euddha
#ecitationand
reach
?
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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one.9ointedness
of
mind%o
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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the
em9ty
s9ace
ofthe
ten
directionscould
not
containit
Than-s
togood
conditions,
&
ha/ebeen
reborn
ina
human
bodyand
ha/e,
in
addition,had
the
o99ortunityto
hear
the+harma
*oe/er,
gi/enmy
e/il
-arma,
&must
no
recitethe
>uddha;s
namesinglemindedly,
see-ing
rebirth
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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in
the
Pure
Land'therise,
hen
mybreath
has
ceased,H&
am
boundto
endure
the
sufferingsof
hells,
hungryghosts
and
animalityI$fter
reco/ering
a
humanbody,
&
ouldlac-
intelligence
andbe
deluded,
9roneto
create
e/il
-arma,unable
to
9erformgood
deeds
readily&n
no
time,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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&
ould
sin-
dee9erinto
the
e/ilrealms
:ith
myresidual
bad
-armafrom
9re/ious
li/es
stillnot
re9aid,
&ould
commit
nee/il
-arma,
constantly
re/ol/ingalong
the
!iuddhacoming
to
0recei/eand
guide2
them
bac-to
the
PureLand
This
beneficialfeature
euddha
throughout
*isteaching
career
Therefore,&
ha/e
alays
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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said
that
0if
the%ine
#ealms
ofsentient
beings
donot
9ractice
thismethod,
they
cannot
easily9erfect
the
fruitsof
)nlightenment,
hileif
the
>uddhas
ofthe
ten
directionsabandon
this
method,they
cannot
benefitthe
masses
far
andide2
&f
you
ha/eutmost
Faith
and
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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culti/ate
earnestly,
see-ing
esca9efrom
>irth
and+eath,
then
e/enthough
you
stillha/e
not
left
thee/il,
deluded
orld,you
ill
notremain
long
in
the!aha
:orld
either:hile
you
maynot
ha/e
reachedthe
Pure
Land
yet,you
ill
soonbe
a
neguest
in
the
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Land
of
"ltimate
>liss
Fromno
on,
henyou
meet
/irtuous9ersons,
do
your
utmostto
emulate
themhen
you
encounteran
o99ortunity
to
9racticegood
deeds,
donot
hesitate
*ocan
you
ha/ethe
heart
to
9rocrastinate,lest
the
errorof
one
momentlead
to
ten
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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thousand
lifetimes
of
regret!urely
those
ithhigh
as9irations
cannottolerate
being
0al-ingcor9ses,2
running
aimlessly
hileali/e
and
sim9lydecaying
after
death,along
ith
the
grassand
trees
#edoubleyour
efforts
ande
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Land
is
singlemindedness,
you,as
a
layman,still
ha/e
your9arents
and
yourfamily
$lthough
you
shouldnot
unduly
see-ealth
and
honor,you
should
still
fulfillyour
family
obligations
?A
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
178/797
for
to
culti/atethe
+harma
isnot
to
abandone/erything
&f
youcould
let
go
ofe/erything
and
stillmanage
to
9ro/idefor
your
9arents
andfamily,
that
ouldbe
all
tothe
good
'therise,it
ould
be
contrarynot
only
tohuman
morality
butalso
to
the
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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+harma
This
is
somethingyou
should
alsorealie
$s
a
filialson,
you
should
counselyour
9arents
concerningculti/ation,
so
thatthey
may
9ractice
>uddha#ecitation
and
see-rebirth
in
thePure
Land
&fthey
can
9ractice
ithfaith,
they
illsurely
achie/e
rebirth'nce
reborn,
they
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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ill
transcend
the
mundaneand
enter
sagehood,esca9e
>irth
and+eath,
Noin
the'cean.ide
$ssembly,
be
closeto
$mitabha
>uddhaand
e/entually
achie/e>uddhahood
Mundane
filiality
cannotbe
com9ared
ithsuch
an
achie/ementD
&fanyone
ere
to
ad/iseothers
to
culti/atethe
Pure
Landmethod,
the
merits
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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and
/irtues
from
suchteaching
ould
beentirely
his
&nthe
future,
heould
surely
be
rebornin
the
u99erlotus
grades
?E
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Letter
6
The
TrueMar-
=ehicle
hasno
Mar-s6
&t
is
/erydifficult
indeed
tores9ond
to
theim9ortant
Ouestions
raised
inyour
letter
:hy&t
is
becauseyour
as9irations
arelofty
hile
my
-noledgeis
limited
andmeager
Loftiness
andmeagerness
cannot
meet
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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therefore,
my
teaching
illnot
be
a99ro9riateto
your
needsD
*oe/er,in
the
True
Mar-!ingle
=ehicle,
themar-s
of
loftinessand
meagerness
cannot
befound
:ithin
this=ehicle,
hether
themar-s
are
loftyor
limited
de9ends
onho
they
areconcei/ed
Loftiness
andmeagerness
alays
9ossess
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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in
full
the
natureof
the
+harma#ealm
Moreo/er,
themeagerness
to
hich&
refer
encom9asses
allthe
dharmas
ofthe
Ten
#ealms
The
PureLand
Patriarch
!hanTao
has
saidJ
&fyou
ish
to
study0meaning,2
Hunderstand
the+harmaI
you
shouldstudy
all
dharmas,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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from
the
mundane
le/elto
the
le/elof
the
>uddhas*oe/er,
if
youant
to
engage
in09ractice,2
you
shouldchoose
a
methodcom9atible
ith
the
Truthas
ell
asyour
on
ca9acitiesand
le/el
andthen
concentrate
on
itearnestly
'nly
thencan
you
rea9benefits
siftly
'therise,
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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e/en
if
you
s9endmany
eons,
youill
not
beable
to
esca9e>irth
and
+eath
This
beingso,
there
isno
better
method
thanto
recite
the>uddha;s
name
itha
mind
ofFaith
an
=os,
see-ingrebirth
in
thePure
Land
&fyou
ish
to
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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go
dee9er,
you
shouldcarefully
9eruse
the(ommentary
on
the)ssential
Points
ofthe
$mitabha
!utra
andother
Pure
Landsutras
and
treatises
>uddhism
isan
o9en
methodithin
the
ten+harma
#ealms
e/eryoneshould
9ractice
itand
anyone
can9ractice
it
>ecause
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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they
do
not
fullyunderstand
its
truenature,
some
(onfucianscholars
blindly
criticie>uddhism
*oe/er,
thee/il
-arma
resultingfrom
maligning
the+harma
9ales
before
the-arma
of
/ilifyingit
ith
one;son
bodyD
Thesedays,
some
indi/iduals,
mouthingMahayana
teachings,
6Letter
tothe
layman
Teng
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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*sin.an
3(hinese
ed
=ol&,
9
8
?C
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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consider
themsel/es
aa-enedto
the
:ayThey
sayJ
0&am
HintrinsicallyI
a>uddha,
hy
recite
the>uddha;s
name
$fflictionsare
>odhi,
hatis
the
need
tose/er
them
Lust,anger
and
delusionare
9rece9ts,
concentrationand
isdom,
hy
se/erlust,
anger
anddelusion2
Their
ords
are
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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as
lofty
as
thehea/enly
clouds,
buttheir
actions,
u9onclose
euddhismTheir
e/il
-armais
ten
thousandtimes
orse
thanthat
of
9ersons
homalign
>uddhism
throughmere
ignorance
ofthe
+harma
:hile
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
192/797
their
efforts
in
studyingthe
+harma
arenot
entirely
asted,these
can
onlyconstitute
the
seeds
ofliberation
in
thefuture
Their
transgressions,on
the
other
hand
the
/ilificationof
the
+harmaith
their
bodies
ill
assuredly
resultin
retribution
alongthe
)/il
Pathsfor
countless
eons
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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to
come
You
should
studyMahayana
sutras
andcommentaries
to
ensurethat
your
understanding
isbroad
and
com9lete$s
far
asculti/ation
is
concerned,
youshould
concentrate
onFaith,
=os
andrecitation
of
the>uddha;s
name
?B
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Letter
The
eelled%et
of
&ndra
Fromyour
letter,
&
cansee
that
youare
concentrating
onreciting
the
>uddha;s
name,boing
to
theLotus
!utra
andtrying
to
reduceyour
transgressions,
but
youha/e
not
yetachie/ed
success
Youare
thin-ing
of
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
195/797
folloing
a
s9ecial
methodto
re/ie
your9rogress
day
byday
$ll
theseactions
demonstrate
that
yourculti/ation
in
recentdays
is
trulyaimed
at
self.im9ro/ement,
unli-ethose
ho
attem9tto
decei/e
othersith
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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in
your
actions
$
mindof
sincerity
andres9ect
is
the
-eyto
Pure
Landculti/ation
:ith
uttersincerity
and
res9ect,
e/enthough
you
areonly
an
ordinarybeing
hose
/irtuesare
not
yet
9erfected,you
ill
achie/eunimaginable
resultsD
(on/ersely,
ithout
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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sincerity,
boing
and
recitingare
no
differentfrom
9erforming
onstage,
singing
and9rancing
$lthough
you
maybe
dis9laying
thee
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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may
result
are
butdeluded
merits
ofthe
human
andcelestial
realms,
andthese
are
9recisely
thebasis
of
e/il-arma
and
theseeds
of
immense
sufferingin
the
futureYou
should
e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
199/797
the
benefits
idely
Youshould
not
thin-that
the
meritsand
/irtues
of
recitingthe
name
of,or
/isualiing
one>uddha
are
less
encom9assingthan
those
recei/edfrom
reciting
thename
of,
or/isualiing
many
>uddhas
Youshould
realie
that$mitabha
>uddha
isthe
+harma
#ealm
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
200/797
Treasure
>ody
$ll
the/irtues
of
the>uddhas
in
theten
directions
ofthe
+harma
#ealm
arefully
encom9assed
in$mitabha
>uddha
Thisis
li-e
the
Neellednet
of
&ndra,hose
thousands
andthousands
of
Neelsare
fully
reflected
inone
Neel,
theimage
of
oneNeel
is
reflected
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
201/797
in
thousands
and
thousandsof
Neels,
andeach
and
e/eryNeel
encom9asses
e/eryother,
in
9erfect,
unim9ededfashion
Letter
to
thelayman
Kao
!hao.lin
3(hineseed
=ol
&,9
58
?5
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
202/797
To
great
sagesho
ha/e
culti/atedfor
a
longtime,
idely
/arying
conditionsand
en/ironments
donot
matter
infact,
the
more
di/ersethey
are,
themore
focussed
theminds
of
thesesages
become
For
beginners,on
the
otherhand,
if
conditionsand
en/ironments
are
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
203/797
/aried,
the
mind.consciousness
grosconfused
and
unfocussedThose
ith
hea/yobstructions
and
shalloisdom
may
e/en,
attimes,
be
afflictedby
demons
Forthis
reason,
>uddha
!a-yamuniand
the
Patriarchsall
enNoined
usto
recite
the>uddha;s
name
singlemindedly
untilachie/ing
samadhi
at
hich
timehundreds
of
thousands
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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of
+harma
methods
andcountless
sublime
meaningsill
manifest
themsel/esin
full
Toe
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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Letter
A
The
TenThousand
+harmas
ha/eno
True
%atureA
From
yourletter,
&
learnedthat
in
recentdays
you
ha/e
engagedin
earnest
culti/ation,e
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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am
/ery
ha99y
indeedD
Tofollo
in
thefootste9s
of
the>uddhas
and
sages
andesca9e
>irth
and+eath,
you
shouldfirst
de/elo9
an
attitudeof
shame
andre9entance,
abandon
e/ilays,
9erform
holesomedeeds,
-ee9
the
9rece9tsand
9ractice
self.restraintYou
should
aimfor
the
Truth
8/13/2019 Yin-Kuan -- Pure Land Zen
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and
9ractice
to
yourutmost
ability
'therisethere
is
deceitithin
deceit
Thus,understanding
the
+harma
isnot
difficult
9racticeis
the
realdifficultyD
Many
intelligent
9ersonsmerely
/erbalie
butfail
to
9racticeThey
therefore
astean
entire
lifetime,
s9oilinga
/isit
tothe
Neelled
mountainand