Dharma Attachment and Vow

Dawnfirstlight SG

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 随缘。I'm now confused, can you guys advise me is strong vow a kind of dharma attachment ? What her master said was it correct ?

2009novice SG

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

信愿持名 (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 )

geis SG

perspectives and thoughts are just to be watched. faith and right understanding goes hand in hand.

zero thought SG

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 随缘" - 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 随缘 is the correct term to use here - because the meaning implied sounds more like "whether can born in PL or not anything lor..".

Dawnfirstlight SG

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...............

Amitayus48 SG

Letting go dharma has to achieve the great insight of understanding 随缘, living beings should not blindly follow this 随缘after acquainted with Buddha dharma. 随缘 is sentient beings dharma body or 何其本性本自常极光土 or also the ultimate abode of Amitabha Pureland. However, 随缘 if practice correctly with guidance from dharma master is still able to born in the Embryonic birth 邊地疑城第四十,

不变随缘佛光大辞典中的解释:
(一)圆成真如有不变、随缘二义。此乃法性宗之通说。真如为一切诸法之实体，超越时空，为不生不灭、无为常住之存在，称为不变。真如全其不变之自性，而能随染净之缘，全体起动，显现森罗万象，称为随缘。就大乘起信论之法门而言，不变即心真如门，随缘即心生灭门，即将众生之心，自一心之两面来彰显其相成之二义。［起信论疏笔削记卷二、华严五教章卷四、华严玄谈卷四］
(二)‘随缘不变’之对称。谓诸法虽由因缘而生起，然其体则为不变。十不二门指要钞卷上（大四六·七○九下）：‘心性二字，不异而异，既言不变随缘名心，即理之事也。随缘不变名性，即事之理也。今欲于事显理，故双举之。例此合云不变随缘名佛，随缘不变名性。

Embryonic birth 邊地疑城第四十

佛告慈氏：若有眾生，以疑惑心修諸功德，願生彼國。不了佛智(随缘)、不思議智、不可稱智、大乘廣智、無等無倫最上勝智，於此諸智，疑惑不信。猶信罪福，修習善本，願生其國。復有眾生，積集善根，希求佛智、普遍智、無等智、威德廣大不思議智。於自善根，不能生信。故於往生清淨佛國，意志猶豫，無所專據。然猶續念不絕。結其善願為本，續得往生。若有眾生，明信佛智，乃至勝智，斷除疑惑，信己善根，作諸功德，至心迴向。皆於七寶華中，自然化生，跏趺而坐。須臾之頃，身相光明，智慧功德，如諸菩薩，具足成就。

NamoAmitabha

Rooney9 SG

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.

sinweiy SG

Depend on perspective. i would still be “mindful” of pureland and Amituofo even though i know that it’s a boat carrying us across the shore. Amituofo is my heart. My heart is Amituofo. Dharma is like the boat. When reach the other shore than forsake, not before u reach the shore. U will sink into the sea. I also know that ultimately pureland can be here, still i am mindful of Amituofo. The pureland in the sutra act as a visualisation and increase our mind of leaving samsara 出离心.

Rooney9 SG

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?

ocy SG

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 菩提心. 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 菩提心???

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???

sinweiy SG

when reached already, Amitabha will teached us to forsake altogether. :)

i think it's what Visualisation (of Pureland and Amitabha) Sutra 观无量寿经 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.

wisdomeye SG

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?

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!

wisdomeye SG

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.

Dawnfirstlight SG

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.

zero thought SG

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.

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.

sinweiy SG

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. :)