Translated By Tony Qin
Written by: Yunkong
Translated by: Tony Qin
In the rolling dust of the mundane world, sentient beings exhaust themselves in the pursuit of fame and gain. Swept along by the force of karma in this troubled realm of the Five Turbidities, they revolve endlessly through birth and death, enduring suffering beyond measure. Yet, in southern Richmond, the International Buddhist Temple offers a cool and peaceful sanctuary where the heart may come to rest.
In addition to regularly offering prayers for the peace and well-being of the public, the temple’s abbot, Venerable Guan Cheng, together with the monastic community under his guidance, introduced the “One-Day Buddha Recitation Retreat” Dharma Assembly early this year. Centered on Buddha Recitation, the assembly brings together seated meditation, circumambulation, prostration, and chanting. Its purpose is to purify the unwholesome karma planted in present and past lives, to gather abundant merit and spiritual provisions, and ultimately to transcend the turning wheel of karma and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
According to the Infinite Life Sutra, before Amitabha Buddha attained Buddhahood, he made forty-eight great vows in one of his previous lives as Dharmakara Bhikshu. He vowed to establish the Land of Ultimate Bliss for the liberation of all sentient beings, so that they might leave suffering, attain happiness, and swiftly realize enlightenment. Until these vows were fulfilled, he vowed not to attain Buddhahood.
Regardless of the depth of their spiritual practices, sentient beings need only recite Amitabha Buddha’s sacred name with utmost sincerity. Relying upon the power of Amitabha Buddha’s principal vows, they may be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and never again regress from the path. Since Amitabha Buddha attained Buddhahood ten kalpas ago, countless sentient beings have been liberated this way. The Pure Land path is therefore regarded as the “Easy Path” and is one of the most revered and widely practiced Dharma methods in Chinese Buddhism.
During the “One-Day Buddha Recitation Retreat” Dharma Assembly under the guidance of Venerable Guan Cheng, we purify the three karmas of body, speech, and mind by reciting the Amitabha Sutra and the sacred name of Amitabha Buddha, combined with prostration, circumambulation, and chanting.
With compassionate care, Venerable Guan Cheng earnestly instructs us to cultivate through proper discipline in accordance with the Dharma, so that we may advance on the spiritual path and realize the greatest benefit:
When prostrating, bow with reverence to express sincerity and devotion. When reciting the Buddha’s name, chant with focused attention in a slow, steady rhythm, allowing the sound to enter through the ear and become planted in the consciousness. When circumambulating the Buddha, proceed in harmony with the Dharma and the assembly to harness the benefit of group practice. In this way, recitation, prostration, and circumambulation keep body, speech, and mind from scattering or falling into disorder, thereby gathering the mind into right mindfulness and purifying karma.
The Dharma assembly also incorporates seated meditation, allowing practitioners to deepen the Buddhist path through both movement and stillness. At the start of meditation, Venerable Guan Cheng leads everyone in a fast-paced recitation of Amitabha Buddha’s name to gather the mind and stabilize consciousness. This is followed by the method of silently reciting the Buddha’s name in rhythm with the breath, allowing the mind to settle one-pointedly upon its object, cultivating the power of concentration.
Sentient beings are often afflicted by delusions and attachments. Immersed in the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance, they cannot find peace even for a single breath. Yet they do not realize that all things are like flowers in a mirror and the moon in water, like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows. Only when the mind becomes still can we begin to perceive the true nature of the world and see into our own true mind. Just as only a calm lake can clearly reflect the bright moon, only by clearly understanding causality and impermanence can we gain the opportunity to leave the cycle of birth and death and realize the supreme path.
This was my first experience of meditation. The guidance of Venerable Guan Cheng and the support of fellow practitioners helped me develop concentration, wisdom, and purity of body and mind through the harmony of Chan and Pure Land practice, and experience a measure of serenity and freedom.
Time passes swiftly, all things are impermanent, and the path is long. Having encountered the Buddha-Dharma in this very life, and having the guidance of a good teacher, we should practice with diligence, so that this life will not be lived in vain.
May all of us, and all sentient beings, be reborn in the Western Pure Land. May the lotus blossom open, may we behold the Buddha, and may we realize enlightenment.
Editor’s Note: The “One-Day Buddha Recitation Retreat” Dharma Assembly is held every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For details, please see the related article on the temple website: https://buddhisttemple.ca/zh-hans/%e3%80%8c%e4%b8%80%e6%97%a5%e5%bf%b5%e4%bd%9b%e4%b8%89%e6%94%af%e9%a6%99%e6%b3%95%e4%bc%9a%e3%80%8d/
