Chapter 32: Infinite Lifespan and Joy (13)

“They are self-restrained and upright, and their bodies and minds are pure and clean. They have no desires or greed.”

“Self-restrained” means to be cautious and controlled.

“Upright” means to be proper and correct. Our mind must be upright; our eyes and ears, all our senses, must be upright.

It is often said that while many people chant the buddha-name, few go to the Pure Land in their current lifetime. Why is this? Although we chant the buddha-name, our mind and behavior do not reach the necessary standard. This is why these sentences in the sutra are extremely important. We must examine ourselves. To do this, we chant certain chapters of this sutra in the morning and evening. We chant by clearly enunciating each syllable to a steady beat. The speed needs to be consistent and balanced: slow enough not to misread the text, yet fast enough to facilitate concentration. To reduce the temptation to analyze the words we are chanting, we chant in a monotone. As we become more accustomed to the text, our wandering thoughts will lessen, and our chanting will become more effective.

In the morning, we chant chapter 6, which contains Amitabha Buddha’s forty-eight vows. We then remind ourselves that today, when our six roots of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind contact the six sensual enjoyments of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mind objects, we have to abide by the Buddha’s teachings. In the evening, we chant chapters 32-37. We then reflect on our day to find our mistakes.

Thus, the morning session reminds us how we are to behave throughout the day. The evening session is for self-examination and reflection as we ask whether we lived up to these standards today. What did I fail to do, and how can I strive to correct it tomorrow?

“Their bodies and minds are pure and clean” refers to the standards just mentioned. Although we talk about body and mind, the mind is primary, the master, and the body is secondary, the follower. If the mind is pure and clean, the body will be clean. But the inverse is not so. If the body is clean, the mind may not be.

We cannot compare with people who lived in the past and sincerely cultivated. Consider the old monk, Venerable Master Xuyun. The master shaved his head and bathed just once a year. Yet, his body had a fresh scent. If we don’t bathe for a few days, our body will give off an unpleasant odor. Even if we use perfume, our bodies won’t smell as clean and fresh as Master Xuyun’s. His mind was so pure that his body was as well, even when he did not bathe and his hair grew long.

“They have no desires or greed.” How can the mind be pure? Eliminate desires and greed. As long as we have greed, our mind is impure. If we crave worldly phenomena, our mind is not pure. Even if we crave the Buddhadharma, our mind is still not pure. We should neither covet worldly phenomena nor transcendental teachings. Desires and greed here are a general representation of all afflictions. Some of the major ones are greed, anger, ignorance, and arrogance, but greed is the most basic affliction.

We cannot think that only greed needs to be let go, and that the other afflictions can remain. They all need to be eliminated. Only then can our mind be cleansed. Who among us does not want to let go of these afflictions? And yet, despite wanting to let go, we have failed to do so because our afflictions have become habits over countless kalpas and thus are ingrained. Even though we want to discard them, we cannot. To let go of afflictions, we need an easy method done properly. Among all the Dharma methods, mindfully chanting the buddha-name is the most suitable, good, and effective.

Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva taught practitioners to remember the Buddha and chant the buddha-name. This remembering is thinking of Amitabha Buddha. When we remember Amitabha Buddha, when we think of him, our mind is pure. When we chant the buddha-name aloud, our body is pure. This method is wonderful and convenient. Anywhere, at any time, whether moving or still, we can chant away our afflictions, discriminations, and attachments with the buddha-name.

The buddha-name is the inherent merits and virtues of the true nature. All Buddhas in the ten directions and the three time periods of past, present, and future become Buddhas by chanting the buddha-name. This is the only way to truly achieve the goal of “self-restrained and upright” and “bodies and minds are pure and clean.”

From "Commentary ofn the Infinite Life Sutra" Volume 3

Pure Land Translation Team

We have a responsibility to think and act, and not always wait for instructions on what to do.

Upon seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting,  

and touching, discriminatory thoughts arise. 

Habits solidify. Control lessens.

Suffering increases.

Through our senses, we perceive our world. Feelings arise, ideas form. Opinions become set. Liking this, we want more; disliking that, we want it to go away. Such impressions accumulate in our store consciousness. And from these we form our habits. Habits like acting from assumptions rather than from facts, and acting emotionally rather than with understanding. 

Reacting from habits, we do not stop to formulate the wisest course of action. We respond automatically, unaware that any control we have over our thoughts and behavior is waning. The more we fail to exercise control and the more careless we become, the more mistakes we make. Since we act negligently and harm others, our resultant sufferings will multiply. 

What can we do? Observe clearly, but do not attach, do not discriminate. Act from understanding, not from emotions.

Chapter 32: Infinite Lifespan and Joy (12)

“What is within their mind is reflected in their outward behaviors. Naturally well-disciplined, they have an awe-inspiring bearing.” 

“What is within their mind is reflected in their outward behavior.” The bodhisattvas in the Pure Land all have minds and behavior that naturally correspond with the Middle Way. Having realized the Middle Way, they are at ease and happy.

“Naturally well-disciplined, they have an awe-inspiring bearing.” The bodhisattvas do everything naturally, not intentionally. Nothing is forced. “Well-disciplined” is neat and proper, in perfect order. “Awe-inspiring” is magnificent. Externally, the bodhisattvas are naturally well-disciplined and awe-inspiring. There is no need to plan or think about what to do. As it is said, “Within, the mind is unmoved; without, the mind is not attached to phenomena.”

Why are we ordinary beings not natural? Readily affected by the external world, we are constantly distracted by current trends, always wanting to grasp what is deemed popular. This is not natural. Those who have achieved a certain level in their cultivation are no longer influenced by the external world. They have truly achieved. 

From "Commentary on the Infinite Life Sutra" Volume 3

Pure Land Translation Team