Once, I went to a temple; that temple had always been for holding Zen retreats. Eh! There was actually the sound of Buddha-recitation!

I asked, "This is a temple for Zen retreats, where we investigate 'who is the one reciting the Buddha's name'; why is there supportive recitation going on?"

He said, "Dharma Master! There is no other way; Zen practice is Zen practice, but when the end of life approaches, one defecates and urinates right in the bed, and the conscious mind cannot be controlled at all. Although we understand the principles and have some capacity for insight, we cannot win against the force of karma!"

When we normally investigate Zen or sit in meditation, how will you sit when the end of life comes? For example, if you get cancer and your abdomen keeps swelling up, or you suffer headaches or a stroke, falling into a coma and remaining unconscious, what can you do? What Zen will you investigate then? Being able to maintain a clear and pure brain and pass away like that—that is not simple! Right?

Therefore, I tell everyone: too many who practice the Avataṃsaka or Tiantai, including those who practice Zen or the Vinaya, end up relying on supportive recitation in the end. Why? There is no choice; usually, their skill looks very good, sitting for over ten hours at a time, but when the end of life comes and they collapse, or a car accident causes a concussion and coma, in the end, you only have Buddha-recitation; only this is a method for liberation. Otherwise, what will you do? It is very simple; may I ask, if you are currently suffering from sickness and abdominal pain, what school do you practice? You say you practice Esoteric Buddhism—that is fine! Show me your hand mudras when you are on your deathbed; you probably won't even be able to lift your hands. But the Pure Land school is too convenient; as long as your mind is not confused and you single-mindedly seek birth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, even if you do not recite aloud, if in that one thought you rely on the vow-power of the Buddha’s Name, you can be reborn in the World of Ultimate Bliss. Since ancient times, how many people have benefited from this, and how many have transcended?

However, precisely because it is too simple, it has turned into something people do not believe; mainly, they are neither thorough nor knowledgeable regarding the doctrinal principles of Pure Land. They think, "If one has not severed delusions, how is it possible to transcend the Three Realms?" They do not know that the nature of karma is originally empty, and that the single thought at the moment of death is the most important. Therefore, at the end of life, one must hold firmly to the Buddha's name. Whether one recites aloud or not does not matter; it is enough as long as you can recollect that single Buddha-name.

Master Hui Lü: How should one recite the Buddha's name to correspond with the Buddha?

Question: Which Buddha should one recite, and how should one recite to be able to be reborn in the World of Ultimate Bliss?

Answer: Reciting any is the same; the issue is to see one's true nature. If one sees one's true nature, one is a Buddha even without reciting. Buddha does not recite Buddha; Buddha does not circumambulate Buddha; Buddha does not bow to Buddha.

Buddha does not recite Buddha: Intrinsic nature is precisely Buddha; thought after thought is prajñā; the Marvelous Mind of Nirvana is Buddha. Buddha does not circumambulate Buddha: All dharmas are originally empty; there is no subject that circumambulates nor object that is circumambulated; all dharmas are quiescent. Buddha does not bow to Buddha: Bowing back and forth, fundamentally speaking, is still one's own pure intrinsic nature. Speaking of today, it is incorrect to say that Amitābha Buddha comes to receive and guide us; Amitābha Buddha has never come or gone, and the fundamental Essence of all Buddhas has no coming or going.

We generally assume that Amitābha Buddha comes to receive and guide us, but this is not the principle; it is that our mind is pure, which manifests Amitābha Buddha. From the perspective of sentient beings, Amitābha Buddha manifests at the end of life to receive and guide sentient beings to the World of Ultimate Bliss; in reality, the Buddha has no coming or going, no arising or ceasing, and no increase or decrease. If the Buddha had coming or going, arising or ceasing, or increase or decrease, then he would not be called a Buddha. So one must understand that the so-called "receiving and guiding" is spoken from the perspective of sentient beings. It is because we are utmostly sincere and earnest that we induce a sympathetic response from the Buddha's pure land; therefore, at the end of life, we see the image of Amitābha Buddha coming to receive and guide us. The image is symbolic of the Dharma. However, in the true ultimate meaning, the Buddha, Amitābha Buddha, and all Buddhas who have realized the fundamental Essence do not have any coming or going, arising or ceasing, or increase or decrease.

Because sentient beings do not know this level of principle, they keep praying for the Buddha to come and receive them. Of course, this is a good thing, but they have not grasped the most important element: the mind is not pure. They recite the Buddha's name for a lifetime but do not receive the benefit. It is like a person whose mind is heavily burdened with greed, anger, and delusion; while reciting the Buddha's name, they argue with others. They are greedy when seeing anything; greedy when seeing jewelry, greedy when seeing clothes. Although they apply effort every day, doing their daily liturgy and reciting the Buddha's name, their mind is not pure enough, so their end of life will be very dangerous.

But if there is someone with the Mind-nature skills of the Zen school, he understands this level of principle. We rely on self-power, and also on the other-power of the Pure Land method, but the most important thing is to work on oneself. Many people who recite the Buddha's name do not understand this level of principle; they think that by reciting the Buddha's name, they can rely on Amitābha Buddha for everything, yet they forget that they must subdue their own greed, anger, and delusion, subdue their own ignorance, and open the Great Wisdom of the Buddha. They are unwilling to listen to the sutras, unwilling to hear the Dharma; their inner being is mixed with ignorance, and ignorance is mixed with arrogance. If someone’s opinion differs slightly from theirs, they get into a chaotic quarrel with them, saying others have karmic obscurations, saying others do not understand, saying others cannot be reborn [in the Pure Land]. Every day they only blame others; this is very sorrowful. If the mind is not pure, how can one be reborn in the Pure Land? Therefore, this concept of reciting the Buddha's name is completely wrong; he constantly wants to rely on other-power, while forgetting that other-power is a contributory condition, and that one must rely on self-power as the proximate cause.

If we compare the mind to a mirror, when we wipe this mirror clean, this mirror will naturally reflect light. If our mind is stuck in ignorance while reciting the Buddha's name, how can Amitābha Buddha come to receive and guide us at the end of life? Ordinarily he looks fine, but over small matters he haggles with others, cannot let go, and cannot see through things; for a tiny amount of money, he makes life difficult for others. If someone's opinion differs from his, he says that person is possessed by demons, is a heretic path, or has gone down the wrong road. Every time, he praises himself, yet he does not figure out clearly what his own gateway is.

So those who practice the Pure Land method and recite the Buddha's name must understand that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas fundamentally have no coming or going. Speaking of reception and rebirth is because our mind is pure, and furthermore, our utmost sincerity and earnestness have moved the Buddha. Therefore, with two kinds of power, one will certainly be reborn.

First, recite the Buddha's name with a pure mind: moment to moment subdue the self, break through ignorance, and use this kind of mind to recite the Buddha's name. When reciting the Buddha's name, absolutely do not give rise to greed, anger, or delusion, and absolutely do not haggle with sentient beings in a hundred ways. If sentient beings offend me, I forgive them all the same; internally maintain this kind of pure thought continuously. At the end of life, Amitābha Buddha and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva will certainly appear before you. If one does not know how to subdue the self, and argues while reciting the Buddha's name, making life difficult for oneself and making life difficult for others, then the power of this Buddha-recitation will be extremely small, and one will be in a dangerous state at the end of life.

Second, recite the Buddha's name with utmost sincerity and earnestness. Therefore, people who recite the Buddha's name must hold fast to these two points.

Question: How should one face the suffering of the dispersal of the four elements at the end of life?

Answer: As long as you recognize that the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death exists for everyone, and I am no exception, and you view it with detachment and accept this fact, your suffering will vanish.

Question: Some students think that one cannot attain liberation by studying Buddhism in this life, and that the only way is to rely on Amitābha Buddha to be reborn in the World of Ultimate Bliss, and then return after verifying a certain level of realization; do you consider this ideology and concept correct?

Answer: Staking one's life on one Buddha-name and one Infinite Life Sūtra—this ideology and concept has its specific time and space context. For an elderly person, if they lack the ability, the physical strength, and the power of wisdom to read other classics, it might be relatively suitable for them. But for young people, where is Amitābha Buddha? They have not seen Him; if you ask them to go all out reciting a single Buddha-name, they will have doubts. Furthermore, starting to recite the Buddha's name from one's twenties until death in one's eighties—the days in between will make them feel dull and tasteless; they need to open up their present wisdom and find something deeper.

So, we do not say we should reject any kind of thought, but speaking from the core of Buddhism, this counts merely as a special skillful means; Buddhism has a real purpose, which is that one can be liberated in this very life. All Dharma assemblies and the Twelve Divisions of the Tripitaka are set up for the living, not set up for the dead. Dharma assemblies are held to deliver the living, to liberate sentient beings from greed, anger, and delusion, not to liberate dead people. If the Buddhadharma cannot be applied to living people, and one expects death every day, expects the future, then that is not the True Dharma. How do you know that you will certainly be able to be reborn in the World of Ultimate Bliss at the end of life? Therefore, rebirth in the World of Ultimate Bliss is a matter for the present, not a problem for the end of life. The Buddhadharma is for solving problems in the present moment. If you cannot solve so much greed, anger, delusion, and confusion right now, how can you have assurance at the end of life? Śākyamuni Buddha manifested coming to the human realm to become a Buddha; the purpose is that the Buddhadharma is in the human realm, not in the next world after death. Using Buddhadharma to pray for a world that exists in the next life can never align with the True Dharma; Śākyamuni Buddha wants you to solve the confusion of your life in this life, right now, not to look forward to an unknowable future; this is not the core of Buddhism.

Having said that, if there is someone who lives very painfully, is very confused, and has no reliance, telling him there is a Land of Ultimate Bliss and a Buddha, and that while alive he should diligently seek birth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, making him full of hope—this thought can also save him.

Question: How can one transcend the cycle of birth and death?

Answer: The fastest way to exit the cycle is to recite Namo Amitābha Buddha often, seeking Amitābha Buddha to receive and guide us to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. However, going there is also not very simple; one must cultivate merit, cultivate wisdom, and at the same time listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma often, and recite the Buddha's name often, reciting until the mind is undisturbed; in this way, one can exit the Three Realms—this is from the perspective of relying on other-power. If it is the Zen school, relying on self-power, if you have Great Awakening and see your true nature, severing all afflictions, you will naturally exit the Three Realms and naturally leap out of the cycle. Simply put, there are two routes to transcend the cycle of birth and death: one relies on self-power, and one relies on Buddha-power.

Question: Some people think that in the present Dharma-Ending Age, it is enough to exclusively recite one Buddha-name and exclusively chant one sutra; how do you view this issue?

Answer: Looking at it from the Buddha's View: all dharmas are equal; the Buddhadharma does not lie in the issue of reciting one Buddha-name or chanting one sutra; the Buddhadharma is a Dharma of the Mind. Mind is without shape or characteristics; the most important thing is to open wisdom. If your wisdom is not opened, and you recite the Buddha's name or chant sutras mixed with delusive thoughts, all of this is called "mixed practice." If you apprehend the Mind and see the nature, opening the Buddha's wisdom, then whether reciting the Buddha's name or chanting sutras, all are "focused practice." This distinction between focused practice and mixed practice does not lie in the characteristics, but in the mind. If we have no afflictions, chanting any sutra is focused. The main point is to have wisdom internally and to be without afflictions.

Question: Must lay practitioners perform food offerings when doing their daily liturgy? Is it okay to just recite the Buddha's name?

Answer: Lay practitioners do not necessarily have to perform food offerings; if you perform food offerings, you must do it every day, otherwise the ghosts and spirits will get angry. As for whether it is good to only recite the Buddha's name, or if one should add other liturgies, this depends on time. If there is a lot of time, besides reciting the Buddha's name, one can also recite the Great Compassion Mantra; Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva has made a vow that if one recites the Great Compassion Mantra 108,000 times, one can be reborn in any of the lands of the ten directions according to one's wish. Additionally, one can also recite the Rebirth Mantra, or recite the Universal Gateway Chapter of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva in the morning and the Amitābha Sūtra in the evening. Or recite the holy name of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva in the morning and the holy name of Amitābha in the evening; if one has free time throughout the day, just recite the holy name of Amitābha, and so on. So, it is not that one must do a specific kind of liturgy for it to be good; this depends on time and space.

Question: Which method is most suitable for lay practitioners to practice? Which allows one to resolve birth and death as quickly as possible?

Answer: Let go of all myriad conditions; one still must recite the Buddha's name; reciting the Buddha's name is the fastest, as relying on self-power in the Dharma-Ending Age has difficulties. But many people think that just reciting the Buddha's name is enough; this concept is wrong—one must open wisdom, and one must be thoroughly versed in the sutra teachings. Although one recites the Buddha's name, if one cannot let go in ordinary times and is very attached to everything, then one will have no assurance at the end of life. Therefore, listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma is particularly important; one must place equal emphasis on understanding and practice; deviating towards either angle will not work. Deviating towards understanding will not work; deviating towards practice will not work. Understanding is like the eyes, practice is like the feet; understanding is like eyes, practice is like our two legs walking. Walking without eyes will not work; if the road is seen very clearly but you are unwilling to walk (that is, unwilling to actually practice), then you also will not reach the goal.

Many people in our era have misunderstood Buddhism, thinking that reciting one Buddha-name and chanting one sutra is enough, and that they do not need to read or listen to anything else; that is a dead end. What will you do when afflictions come? You are not a sage; if you say that by reciting one Buddha-name and chanting one sutra you can be completely single-minded and undisturbed, and be completely unattached to the illusory appearances of arising and ceasing phenomena in the world, then there is nothing more to say, because this kind of skill is the skill of samādhi; but if one does not have this kind of skill, then one must proceed step by step—that is, one must listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma, and adjust oneself properly.

Question: How can one eliminate karma quickly? How should one do this in terms of phenomenal characteristics?

Answer: Thoroughly change your habitual tendencies; this can transform karma. If you rely solely on bowing to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas—for example, if your habits of lust, habits of hatred, habits of resentment, habits of greed, habits of deception, etc., are all so heavy—and you merely ask the Buddha to forgive us, bowing before the Buddha, but privately go and do some illicit dealings again, how can the Buddha forgive you? One must make a determined resolution to thoroughly change erroneous habitual tendencies. A person can be confused for a moment, but cannot be wrong for a lifetime.

Question: How can one achieve assurance of rebirth at the end of life?

Answer: First, recite the Buddha's name until even when sleeping at night, one can still recollect the Buddha and recite the Buddha, and in all dream states one can see lotuses and see Amitābha Buddha. In ordinary life, it is always the single Buddha-name, without ceasing or resting. No matter what your job is—whether a worker, a housewife, or a high-level leader, and no matter what political party—as long as you recite the Buddha's name single-mindedly, recollecting the Buddha and reciting the Buddha throughout the twenty-four hours of the day.

Second, one must cultivate merit and cultivate wisdom. Cultivating merit means that if we are financially well-off, we should support the weak and help the poor. Cultivating wisdom implies one must definitely listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma often, seeing which Dharma Master you have an affinity with. The sutras state: one cannot be born in that land with few good roots, blessings, and causal connections. With few good roots, there is no way to be reborn; with few blessings, there is no way to be reborn; with few causal connections, there is also no way to be reborn. So, how can one possess all three fully?

Many good roots: this is reciting the Buddha's name single-mindedly and practicing the ten virtuous deeds.

Many blessings: one must cultivate merit; all fields of merit do not depart from the square inch [of the heart]; all fields of merit lie in a joyful heart. That is to say, whatever I do, I do it willingly; when practicing charity, I do not feel that I am practicing charity, nor am I attached to the fact that I am practicing charity; when saving people, I also do not feel that I am saving people. Simply put, being able to forgive others' shortcomings, being able to tolerate the stains of all sentient beings, simply accepting one's own purity, and speaking without hurting people—the reward of blessings will manifest.

Many causal connections: for example, it is best if we can organize a supportive recitation group here; under the leadership of a Dharma Master, everyone can help each other—I help you, you help me; when someone is at the end of life, try your best to go and help with supportive recitation; this can also help oneself be reborn at the end of life. In this way, many good roots, many blessings, and many causal connections are all fully possessed.

At the same time, if you often dream of the Buddha in your sleep, often see lotuses, and personally smell fragrance, then this guarantees rebirth in the Pure Land without problem. To speak directly, if your mind remains undisturbed even in the dream state, then rebirth at the end of life is one hundred percent certain, without any accident.

Question: Since one's karmic obscurations from beginningless kalpas are heavy, yet a human body is hard to obtain and the Buddhadharma is hard to hear, how can one resolve birth and death in this very life?

Answer: All dharmas are originally empty; the nature of karma is originally empty; karmic obscurations are originally empty. But if there is no realization and one has not yet attained Great Liberation, then cause and effect is not empty. In ordinary times, one should recite the Buddha's name often, do good deeds often, and starting from today, starting from now, refrain from all evil and practice all good; it can still be changed. Today you have met the Master, so you have hope; if you had not met the Master in this life, it would be hard to say. Therefore, as long as one starts, it is never too late; one should watch the Master's discs often.