The Dharma Master Chapter of the Lotus Sutra states: “After the Tathagata has passed into extinction, if there is anyone who upholds, recites, preaches, or copies the Lotus Sutra, you should know that this person has attained Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, and was reborn in this world out of compassion for the human world. If anyone criticizes them, their sin is heavier than cursing the Buddhas; but if anyone praises them, their merits will be immeasurable and boundless, because this sutra is the secret essence of the Buddhas.” The Lotus Sutra is the secret essence of the Buddhas, and the Infinite Life Sutra is the core of the Lotus Sutra. So, the person who upholds the Infinite Life Sutra is the person who is residing right at the center of the center of the center, so how can the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas not bless them? Why is the Infinite Life Sutra considered the center of the center of the Lotus Sutra? The Lotus Sutra Samadhi Contemplation teaches: “All sentient beings in the ten directions who single-mindedly recite Namo Buddha will all become Buddhas; there is only one Mahayana, not two or three vehicles.” Because the Infinite Life Sutra teaches only one thing: single-mindedly reciting the Buddha's name to seek rebirth in the Pure Land and attain Buddhahood in one lifetime, the Infinite Life Sutra is the most profound and the highest point of the Lotus Sutra, the bull's-eye of the bull's-eye of the Lotus Sutra.

Why is the cause and effect of reciting the Buddha's name so excellent? Where does the principle lie? Great Master Lian Chi explained it very well: "Because all dharmas are only one aspect, not two aspects, one practice, not two practices. Therefore, it is only the One Vehicle!" This explanation is similar to what the Avatamsaka Sutra says: "One is all, all is one." The Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng also said a sentence that was even more concise and decisive: "Two dharmas are not the Buddha-dharma." What does the word "one" mean here? "One" here is not a number but the One Mind. But how can one truly attain this One Mind? The Lotus Sutra and the Five Pure Land Sutras (Avatamsaka, Shurangama, Amitabha, Amitayus, Contemplation on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life) all say exactly the same thing: “Chanting the Buddha’s name is one method to attain the One Mind Principle!” Furthermore, the sect often says “all dharmas return to one”, which is talking about the One Mind, all ten thousand dharmas manifest from the One Mind, all dharma doors also flow from the One Mind. Cultivation in the Zen sect is to cultivate from the foundation, the foundation is the One Mind. Pure Land sect also cultivates directly from the One Mind, the purpose of reciting the Buddha’s name is to directly attain the One Mind. The One Mind unifies all dharma doors into one dharma, the One Mind encompasses all dharma doors, the One Mind encompasses all dharma doors. Therefore, as long as we attain the One Mind, we will attain all dharmas, that is the principle of the word “one.”

The Dharma Master Chapter of the Lotus Sutra also says: “If there is a place where there is the Lotus Sutra, a precious stupa should be built to make offerings, without the need for relics; because in that stupa there is the Lotus Sutra, which is the Buddha’s entire body. If a Bodhisattva has not yet received and upheld the Lotus Sutra, he must know that he is still far from Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. It is like digging a well on a plateau and seeing that the ground is dry, he knows that he is still far from water; if he continues digging until the ground is wet with mud, he knows that he is about to reach water. The same is true of practicing the Bodhisattva path. If a Bodhisattva hears this sutra and does not yet understand it, he is just beginning to develop the mind. If a Sravaka hears the sutra and becomes afraid, he is arrogant.” The Lotus Sutra says, if anyone hears the Lotus Sutra, they will know that they are close to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. The Infinite Life Sutra says, “Whoever upholds and recites the Infinite Life Sutra will attain the great Omniscience.” These two sentences of the sutra clearly state that the person who upholds the Lotus Sutra is “close” to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, meaning that he will become a Buddha in the next life. The person who upholds the Infinite Life Sutra will “in this very life” attain the great Omniscience, meaning that he will be reborn in the Pure Land and become a Buddha in this very life; this is the real bull’s-eye within the bull’s-eye! To put it another way, to make it easier to understand, the Infinite Life Sutra is for those who have enough good causes and conditions to be reborn in the Pure Land and become a Buddha at the end of this life, so the sutra says “will attain the great Omniscience.” The Lotus Sutra is for those who attain Buddhahood in a particular time, meaning that the person who upholds the Lotus Sutra will still have to go through many more lives before he can become a Buddha, so the sutra says “close” to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Why do those who uphold the Infinite Life Sutra receive such great retribution? The Bodhi Prophecy Chapter of the Infinite Life Sutra says: This is because in their previous lives they have made offerings to countless Buddhas and planted good roots; therefore, in this life they are blessed with the power of Amitabha Buddha, helping them encounter such a vast sutra. If in this life, they uphold and uphold this sutra, they will definitely attain the great Wisdom of All-Knowing, that is, they will be reborn, and become a Buddha in one lifetime.

The Lotus Sutra continues: “After the Tathagata has passed away, if there is anyone who wants to preach this sutra, they must enter the Buddha's house, wear the Tathagata's robe, and ascend the Dharma throne, and then speak the Lotus Sutra for the assembly. The Tathagata's throne is Prajna wisdom, the Tathagata's robe is gentle conduct, the Tathagata's house is the compassionate mind, determined to save the assembly, not for other reasons. If they do so, I will tell gods, humans, and non-humans to come before the Dharma Master, listen to the Dharma, and make offerings. If people come to harm them, I will cause the Vajra Eightfold Path to protect the Dharma Master. If they abide in correct concentration, they will see my body, hear me preach the Dharma, and increase Buddha wisdom. Whoever is near this person will have a peaceful mind and see countless Buddhas, quickly reaching the Unsurpassed Bodhi.” Although Bodhisattvas live in the Buddha world, they generate great compassion and go to impure lands to preach sutras, teach the Dharma, and educate sentient beings on behalf of the Buddha. Therefore, those who uphold sutras, propagate sutras, compile sutra commentaries, and those who expound sutras are all messengers of the Buddha who have returned to the world to do these tasks. It is natural that the Buddhas must bless and protect them. Thanks to that, they always have steadfast faith and steadfast will, and are not caught in the net of demons. This is all because they receive the Buddhas' divine light and blessing. The relationship between Bodhisattvas and Buddhas in the human world is like that of a baby in its mother's womb; a baby in its mother's womb is very secure and does not fear lightning strikes from outside. Even though Bodhisattvas are in difficult and life-threatening situations, and are despised and slandered by people for their work such as translating, commenting on, or preaching sutras, they still always feel peaceful and have no worries or fears. Why is that? Because Bodhisattvas are always protected, patted on the head, and prophesied by Buddhas. Buddha teaches us to learn from the Bodhisattva's conduct, which means to be sincerely respectful, to abandon discrimination and attachment to the faults of living beings, and to do everything only to benefit living beings. Therefore, while practicing the path and propagating the Buddha's teachings, if a Bodhisattva practitioner can do so, then even if people criticize, slander, or destroy them, they will be protected and guarded by Buddhas, just like a mother protects her unborn child. Therefore, the Lotus Sutra says: “If anyone criticizes them, the sin is heavier than cursing the Buddhas; but if anyone praises them, they will receive immeasurable and boundless merit, because this sutra is the secret of the Buddha.” This is the protection and shelter of the Buddhas for those who practice the Bodhisattva path for all living beings, practice the Bodhisattva path, translate, comment on, or expound the Mahayana sutras. This truth is a thousand times true. The Buddhas strongly bless those who practice the Bodhisattva path, with the aim of enabling them to complete the work of educating living beings and quickly attain the Tathagata fruition.

Each person’s realm of practice is different, so the request for the Buddha’s blessing is also different. Some people are so poor, hungry, ragged, or sick that they must first seek to escape from suffering, and they do not have the mind to think about other things. There are also people who, for the sake of the Bodhisattva path, develop the true Bodhi mind, hoping to seek the Buddha’s wisdom to dispel ignorance and enlighten themselves and others. If we use a sincere and respectful heart to generate such a genuine Bodhi mind, then all our wishes will definitely be answered and fulfilled. For those who generate the Bodhi mind and truly study Buddhism to be able to practice the Bodhisattva path and teach sentient beings, they will certainly receive special blessings, protection, and instruction from the Buddhas, helping them to do all good deeds to perfection and quickly attain the Tathagata stage. Therefore, the Bodhi Prophecy Chapter of the Infinite Sutra records: “If there are living beings who, in this sutra, copy and make offerings, receive, uphold, read and recite, for a single moment, for others to explain, encourage and listen, without giving rise to sorrow, until day and night, think of that land, and the Buddha's merit, in the unsurpassed path, ultimately without regression. At the time of that person's death, even if the three thousand great thousand worlds are engulfed in great fire, they will still be liberated and born in the Pure Land. That person has already met the Buddhas of the past, who received the Bodhi prophecy, all Tathagatas, simultaneously praised. Therefore, it is necessary to wholeheartedly believe, accept, uphold, recite, speak and do.” People with such a mind and conduct, even if they do not ask for help, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will naturally come to help them, because such a vow is the vow of a Bodhisattva, not the vow of an ordinary person.

We live in the filthy, impure Saha world, our minds are heavily polluted by the five desires and six dusts, so we only reluctantly know the meaning of the sutras, only knowing to rely on the text to guess the Buddha's wisdom and Buddha's mind. What we think and say are only the filthy understanding of ordinary people, not true understanding. Because our mind and conduct are not in accordance with the Buddha's and Bodhisattvas, whatever we ask for will not be effective. Unless we truly understand the principles, clearly understand the Buddha's wisdom and Buddha's mind, then whatever we ask for will be effective. Therefore, the Dharma Master Chapter of the Lotus Sutra says: “The seat of the Tathagata is Prajna wisdom, the robe of the Tathagata is gentle conduct, the house of the Tathagata is the mind of compassion, determined to save sentient beings, not for any other purpose. In Buddhism, it is also often said: “In the Buddha's gate, all requests are answered.” If we have true wisdom, pure precepts, and compassion, and whatever we do is for the benefit of sentient beings, then that is called “having requests.” Because of the correct request, whatever request is made, all Buddhas will actively bless our vow to save sentient beings to be fulfilled. If we propagate the Buddhist sutras without seeking fame or profit, not for ourselves, but only for the benefit of sentient beings and to help others, then we will certainly receive the blessing of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We must believe in this in order to perfect the Bodhisattva path. Once we receive the blessing of the Buddha's divine light, every word we speak will be in accordance with the true nature of suchness, not things born from the impure land of shallow understanding of ordinary people. Only by speaking the Dharma in this way will we not lead sentient beings to misunderstanding, to error, to become further and further away from the Tathagata's true Dharma, further and further away from the Western Pure Land. The same is true for those who listen to the Dharma. If they do not have the good causes and conditions to receive the blessing of the Buddha, they will not be able to understand the true nature of the Dharma. Therefore, both sides, the one who speaks the sutras and the one who listens to the sutras, need the blessing of the divine light. Only by being in the Buddha's world, can Bodhisattvas know the Buddha's wisdom and the Buddha's mind.

Savatthi is a Sanskrit word meaning patience and endurance. This world is too miserable, and is full of extremely bad things, there is nothing good, but because we have been in this world for too long, we have become accustomed to the bad and miserable conditions, and can be willing to stay here to suffer, so the Buddha named this world Savati, which means patience. For example, there is a mouse that has been accustomed to living in a sewer. If we take it to a bright, clean place, it will certainly not like it immediately; but if it is placed in that bright, clean place for a long time, it will gradually become accustomed to the new living conditions and will no longer be suitable for the dark, dirty living conditions in the sewer. Likewise, Shakyamuni Buddha told us that there is an extremely good place of Buddha A Amitabha, He very much wishes that all sentient beings would be weary of the Saha world and migrate to the Pure Land to leave suffering and find happiness. Yet people do not want to leave; they still want to stay here to suffer, so this world is called Kham-nhen. So, Kham-nhen also means that it is better to stay in the Saha world to suffer, than to seek rebirth in the pure land of Amitabha Buddha to enjoy happiness; therefore, the Unsurpassed Sutra says: “The supreme Dharma is boundless, easy to reach but has no one.” The Saha world has many kinds of suffering and is tormented by impermanence, yet people in this world are not bored and vow to be reborn in the Pure Land. Therefore, the number of people in the Saha world who migrate to the Pure Land is truly very small, so the Buddha lamented: Although the Western Pure Land is easy to reach, there are not many people in the Saha world who truly want to be born there. Therefore, we should ask the Buddha's power to bless us, to help us eliminate all erroneous views, to gain true wisdom to understand the truth, to recognize what is truly beneficial and to develop the mind to recite the Buddha's name to seek rebirth in the Pure Land.

When we wholeheartedly recite the Buddha's name, that is, we wholeheartedly take refuge in Amitabha Buddha; that does not mean we forget Shakyamuni Buddha. Thanks to whom do we know about Amitabha Buddha and the Western Pure Land? We in the Saha world know about Amitabha Buddha and the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss because our Master Shakyamuni Buddha introduced us to him; therefore, we cannot forget the Great Kindness, Great Virtue, Great Kindness, and Great Compassion, Shakyamuni Buddha! If we do not sincerely pay homage to Shakyamuni Buddha, then no matter how much effort we have put into reciting Buddha's name, Amitabha Buddha will still refuse us and will not accept us into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The person who introduced us to Amitabha Buddha and the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss has such great virtues, yet we have forgotten them, so how can Amitabha Buddha accept them? People with sincere hearts cannot forget their roots; no matter what Dharma door they practice, or which Buddha's land they wish to be born in, they must first pay homage to Shakyamuni Buddha, their fundamental teacher. We cannot say, I do not need to rely on anyone to be born in the Pure Land! Relying here means relying on, not relying on. The first person we rely on is Shakyamuni Buddha, the fundamental teacher who introduced and taught us the Pure Land Dharma. Next, we rely on Amitabha Buddha to receive and guide us. After that, we rely on the Bodhisattvas, the virtuous and holy monks, and all good and wise friends to guide and help us learn the Dharma of cultivation. If we do not forget our roots, have a heart of gratitude, and are sincerely respectful toward these beings, then Amitabha Buddha will definitely praise, protect, and help us escape from worldly obstacles until we are reborn in the Pure Land and are forever liberated.

In the past, Mr. Liu Yimin, one of the one hundred and twenty-three (123) fellow practitioners of the Donglin Lotus Society, lived together in the same place and recited the Buddha's name with the First Patriarch Huiyuan at Mount Lu. In the end, everyone was reborn, without exception. Those who were reborn later all saw with their own eyes Amitabha Buddha, Avalokitesvara, and Mahasthamaprapta coming to receive those who were reborn earlier. Each person, when reborn, displayed extremely auspicious signs. At that time, Mr. Liu Yimin saw with his own eyes the Three Saints of the Western Paradise and the holy assembly appearing to receive him. He quickly lit an incense stick, first bowed and thanked the Buddha Shakyamuni, and said: “If it were not for the Buddha Shakyamuni preaching the sutras and introducing the Pure Land Dharma, how could I have achieved what I have today?” After paying homage to the Buddha Shakyamuni, he bowed to Amitabha Buddha, and then followed Amitabha Buddha to leave. From this story, we learn Liu Yimin’s way of showing gratitude and repaying kindness. In general, as a person with morality, one should not forget one’s roots, one must know how to show gratitude and repay kindness. Those who forget their roots are people without sincerity, so Amitabha Buddha will not accept them into His land. Therefore, the Contemplation Sutra on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life states that the first condition for rebirth is a sincere heart. If we truly have a sincere heart and want to repay the kindness of our Master Shakyamuni Buddha, then we should never forget the person who introduced this sutra and this dharma door to us.

The Buddha recitation practice hall of the First Patriarch Hui Yuan is truly the most brilliant practice hall of accomplishment from ancient times to the present, with a hundred people practicing and a hundred attaining enlightenment. Next, in the Zen sect, the practice hall of the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng has the most accomplished people. The Sixth Patriarch taught at Nan Hua Temple for thirty-seven years. Those who followed him in practice and attained great enlightenment, enlightened their minds and saw their nature, totaled forty-three (43) people. No other Patriarch in the history of the Zen sect could compare to the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng. However, if we compare the number of people who achieved success in the Zen assembly of the Sixth Patriarch Hui-Neng with the number of people who achieved success in the Buddha-recitation dojo of the First Patriarch Hui-Neng, the number of people who achieved success in the Dojo of the First Patriarch Hui-Neng is greater and their level of enlightenment is much greater. Why do we know that the level of achievement of those in the Buddha-recitation dojo of the First Patriarch Hui-Neng is greater than that of those in the Zen assembly of the Sixth Patriarch Hui-Neng? Because from the Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist stories, we know that a person who has a great enlightenment in the Zen sect cannot be called a Buddha. A person who has attained the first stage of the Sravaka fruit in the Zen sect is also called a great enlightenment, but it is not necessarily a person who has attained the Non-Retrogression fruit (i.e., an Abhidharma-wisdom Bodhisattva), while a person who is reborn in the Pure Land, even if he is a low-grade low-born, will immediately attain the Non-Retrogression fruit, become a Buddha in one lifetime, and become a Buddha in one lifetime; that is why it is said that the Dharma-door of Buddha-recitation is the bull's-eye of the bull's-eye of the Buddha-dharma. Such things have been clearly taught in the Pure Land sutras, especially in the Infinite Life Sutra. Therefore, we should not doubt what the Buddha said in the Boundary Doubts chapter of the Infinite Life Sutra: “If anyone believes in this sutra, he clearly believes in the Buddha's wisdom, the inconceivable wisdom, the immeasurable wisdom, the vast Mahayana wisdom, the peerless and unrivaled wisdom, and the supreme and supreme wisdom.”