My friends and I have different views on dharma attachment and vow. As you guys know that to be born in Pureland, one must have strong vow to be born in Pureland but my friend said her master said it is also a kind of dharma attachment if one has too strong will to be born in Pureland. Her master said to be born in Pureland, one must also let go dharma attachment.
I have a few friends who told me they will try their best to be good but whether can be born in Pureland is all �缘。I'm now confused, can you guys advise me is strong vow a kind of dharma attachment ? What her master said was it correct ?
I remember when I took refuge, must say bodhisattva's vow... so i am not sure vow can still be considered an attachment or not...
but I believe to be born in Pureland, one must
信愿�� (xin yuan chi ming) ，自他二力 (zi ta er li)
Must input hanyu pinyin
Paiseh Bro Likeyou cannot read chinese characters from PC, lol not purposely to make fun of u :D )
perspectives and thoughts are just to be watched. faith and right understanding goes hand in hand.
A vow is like a lamp that will lit up the path ahead so that you won't trip and fall, it's also like a boat that can ferry us across. It gives us a direction and energy to go in a particular direction - of course, if we just recite or make vows sloppily then thats different case. If making vows is attachment, than Amitabha Buddha will have 48 attachments! haha...
I am not sure what is meant by too strong will to be born in the Pureland. But from my little understanding, if one has strong faith, one will make earnest vows and practice sincerely. As for Dharma attachment - don't think old illiterate men and ladies can understand what is meant by this? But they still can go to the Pureland, so it is not much of a concern from what I see.
"Whether can born in pureland is �缘" - If we say this, it means we are ok with another round of rebirth, do you think this has sufficient faith and/or vow? I don't think �缘 is the correct term to use here - because the meaning implied sounds more like "whether can born in PL or not anything lor..".
Originally posted by zero thought:A vow is like a lamp that will lit up the path ahead so that you won't trip and fall, it's also like a boat that can ferry us across. It gives us a direction and energy to go in a particular direction - of course, if we just recite or make vows sloppily then thats different case. If making vows is attachment, than Amitabha Buddha will have 48 attachments! haha...
I am not sure what is meant by too strong will to be born in the Pureland. But from my little understanding, if one has strong faith, one will make earnest vows and practice sincerely. As for Dharma attachment - don't think old illiterate men and ladies can understand what is meant by this? But they still can go to the Pureland, so it is not much of a concern from what I see.
"Whether can born in pureland is �缘" - If we say this, it means we are ok with another round of rebirth, do you think this has sufficient faith and/or vow? I don't think �缘 is the correct term to use here - because the meaning implied sounds more like "whether can born in PL or not anything lor..".
Yeah ! Why didn't I think of it, Amitabha has 48 vows. I have a strong point to friendly debate with them now ha ha...............
Letting go dharma has to achieve the great insight of understanding �缘, living beings should not blindly follow this �缘after acquainted with Buddha dharma. �缘 is sentient beings dharma body or 何其本性本自常�光土 or also the ultimate abode of Amitabha Pureland. However, �缘 if practice correctly with guidance from dharma master is still able to born in the Embryonic birth 邊地疑城第四�,
ä¸�å�˜éš�缘 佛光大辞典 ä¸çš„ 解释:
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NamoAmitabha
The Buddha has taught. Although the Dhamma is good and great, but you too must give up the Dhamma as well.
He gave an analogy of a man, taking along the boat with him to cross a river. Once he has crossed the river, do you think he still need to take the boat along? think about it.
when u reach pureland, isnt it the same dhamma, which is taught by Shakyamuni and the past Buddhas, the same as what Amitabha Buddha will teach?
Firstly if u didnt think of going to tour will u book an air ticket ???出离心 is a must. In our 6 cycle of birth there is this heaven aka 天众, who are the ppl to reborn there??? those very good in meditation for example and why are they reborn there???
secondly sad to say that ,even if u wanna reborn in pureland almost must depend if u have the credit to go there aka ur merit and wisdom and MOST important is ��心. There cant be one who doesnt know anything and worse even without the tot of reborning in pureland to reborn there. To reborn in pureland means at least u r an arhat or bodhisattva and doesnt mean to reborn in pureland then u sit there and relax. if u think arhat and bodhisattva is abt magic power then devil also have if not much better, u wanna money or girls also can, somemore dun need to do gd deeds, chanting, studying sutra etc etc etc......
Ask urself why u wanna reborn in pureland??? wat is ��心???
If u tell me u wanna to reborn in pureland is to end eternal suffering then u only understand part of buddhism and the most is attain arhat. Wat is the diff between arhat and bodhisattva and even buddha???
Who is buddha??? or rather how to be a buddha??? if you do not understand, how to join them in their pureland???
when reached already, Amitabha will teached us to forsake altogether. :)
i think it's what Visualisation (of Pureland and Amitabha) Sutra è§‚æ— é‡�寿ç»� is for. This practice starting from the very first one of visualizing the Sun, is so intense until the person have to see the Sun in front of them where ever they go. it's not easy though. hence we use Name recitation.
i used to said that it's only a name, very easy to forget after attainment. but the con is that it's not as fast as Visualisation or image. Visualisation/image in the mind is fast but harder to forget after attainment.
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Originally posted by Dawnfirstlight:My friends and I have different views on dharma attachment and vow. As you guys know that to be born in Pureland, one must have strong vow to be born in Pureland but my friend said her master said it is also a kind of dharma attachment if one has too strong will to be born in Pureland. Her master said to be born in Pureland, one must also let go dharma attachment.
I have a few friends who told me they will try their best to be good but whether can be born in Pureland is all �缘。I'm now confused, can you guys advise me is strong vow a kind of dharma attachment ? What her master said was it correct ?
Hi Dawnfirstlight,
There are many teachings in Buddhism but the most important thing is that the teaching must be adapted to the listener's needs. If you are practising Amitabha's pureland path, then you shouldn't mix its views with other schools of teachings because you may easily get confused as you are now... in the end, you are neither here nor there right?
The non-attachment to all dharmas view is a very high view, and it applies to those who are more actively pursuing meditation and realisation right in this life. Many people can talk alot about non-attachment to all dharmas, but it may be very far from being realised in their mind.
Amitabha's practice is more for first go Amitabha's pureland then later attain enlightenment there so it emphasize the view of faith and wish to go to the pureland. You have to be attached, in fact super attached to Amitabha's pureland to succeed here. Do you see that Amitabha is so compassionate, he knows that we beings are so attached anyway, so he give us a way out of samsara using our attachment?
His pureland is so beautiful why? To attract us to go. The bodhisattvas there are constantly in meditation on the nature of emptiness, they don't care if the environment is beautiful or not... but for us beings, we care alot, we are attached to all our sense objects. Therefore, Amitabha filled with unbearable love for us, do not wish that we continue to on in samsara, practiced more more eons than needed to accumulate the merit to create this pureland. It is a very special swift way to enlightenment, one needs alot of merit just to have faith and practice this way to go Amitabha's pureland.
If you mix the views of different teachings together, you will not be able to practice properly. So i feel that one should choose a school of teachings / or a particular lineage and focus deep. Don't do shopping with dharma... it will make you helpless and hopeless at the point of death. Even the old ladies who chant devotedly Amitabha without any knowledge of dharma may do much better than one who is with much knowledge but can't really put into focused practice.
In the end, the nature of Amitabha's pureland is emptiness. If one practice wholeheartedly 100% Amitabha's pureland practice, one can awaken to realisation of the nature of reality too. Don't underestimate this practice. But you need to be clear about what you are practising and the viewpoints involved. Don't get confused by others.
Hope this helps you. Amituofo!
Hi dawnfirstlight,
I want to add something... i think it is very important to remember death, contemplate impermanence and ponder and observe the sufferings of samsara from your life. This will help you alot to increase the level of your practice of Amitabha.
Thinking of impermanence and the sufferings of samsara should be meditated and contemplated upon everyday.
Thanks guys for your replies. I'm clearer now. What Wisdomeye said made sense to me, letting go of dharma attachment is from another school of teachings. It is mainly for those who have attained enlightenment or aim to attain enlightenment in this life and not for people like me who practice Pureland. I should super attached to Amitabha's pureland.
It is a pity that my friends do not understand this and I doubt they will agree if I tell them because they have gone through many years of Buddhism studies but I've just started studying.
Originally posted by Rooney9:when u reach pureland, isnt it the same dhamma, which is taught by Shakyamuni and the past Buddhas, the same as what Amitabha Buddha will teach?
Whether it is the same or different doesn't matter.
If it is the same, good! Because in samsara we can't even fully comprehend one sentence of a Sutra in one lifetime, less to even learn all the Buddha taught. At PL, there you can learn all the Dharmas you want. In samsara, once this life is lost, it's not for sure where we are headed for next.
If there is more Dharmas to be learnt in PL, then all the more better to go.
Why is going to PL good? And why do I choose this door?
1) All roads lead to Rome, but some roads are shorter and easier to travel, this door is like the shorter and easier road.
2) Don't have to realise enlightenment this life to be able to born in PL, for other doors, if I rely on self-power alone and don't strike enlightenment, I will have to go for another round of rebirth again. And once we go for another round of rebirth, we are very likely deluded again.
3) Once reach PL, will never retreat from Bodhi, and only progress forward unlike here.
4) In PL you are trained to be a Buddha by the Buddha, and also you will have many friends who are arahats and bodhisattvas. In samsara, it is not even easy to come across an arhat who can train you. And the human life is too short to master a practice, unless you have very good roots and few karmic obstructions.
I think Sinweiy posted a posted ealier on Mind Seal of the Buddhas - If you want to understand the Amitabha Sutra and Pureland, this book gives very good explanation.
Originally posted by Wisdomeye:The non-attachment to all dharmas view is a very high view, and it applies to those who are more actively pursuing meditation and realisation right in this life. Many people can talk alot about non-attachment to all dharmas, but it may be very far from being realised in their mind. Amitabha's practice is more for first go Amitabha's pureland then later attain enlightenment there so it emphasize the view of faith and wish to go to the pureland. You have to be attached, in fact super attached to Amitabha's pureland to succeed here. Do you see that Amitabha is so compassionate, he knows that we beings are so attached anyway, so he give us a way out of samsara using our attachment?
Well said. Buddhism is in practice not in talking. It is difficult to even let go of mundane attachments not to say realizing non-attachment to Dharmas.
one old disciple (practicing PL method) told old MCK that he had let go of everything, but except his grand son. he still love and attached to his grand son very much. old MCK told him that if he can convert his attachment of his grand son to the attachment of Amitabha, then his rebirth in Pureland is assured. :)
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