In the Infinite Life Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha teaches us to diligently receive, recite, copy, and make offerings day and night, because those who recite this sutra with a pure mind, without giving rise to sorrow, are showing us the method to receive the supernatural power of Amitabha Buddha's blessing. Those who can do so will be close to Amitabha Buddha and hear him preach the Dharma. Having been close to and heard Amitabha Buddha personally preach the Dharma, what is there to fear that they will not attain enlightenment? What Dharma does Amitabha Buddha preach that makes listeners quickly attain enlightenment? He preaches the Dharma specifically suited to each person, according to the capacity of each person's mind, helping that person to destroy afflictions, ego-clinging, and dharma-clinging, and to give rise to a joyful and pure mind to recite the Buddha's name with effective effort. For example: If that person is afraid of some affliction, Amitabha Buddha will make that person find Bodhi right in that affliction. If that person is afraid of hell, Amitabha Buddha makes him enter hell as if he were walking in a garden, etc. In general, Amitabha Buddha helps those who recite Buddha's name to find the Dharma body, Prajna, and Liberation right in the midst of their fears of defilements, karma, and suffering. Therefore, after the chapters of The Evil Sufferings of the Defiled World, Many Times of Admonition, Like a Poor Person Obtaining a Treasure, Buddha immediately speaks of the chapter of Worshiping the Buddha's Light. First, Amitabha Buddha leads us to see the five evils, five sufferings, and five burnings of the world, so that we will be afraid and develop the mind to practice. After successfully cultivating, one immediately sees the Buddha appear, giving the Bodhi prophecy, and foretelling the day and time the Buddha will come to take one to his country.

In the Book of Jin's Encouragement chapter, the Buddha said: “Everyone should think carefully, stay away from evil, choose the path of goodness, practice diligently, desire wealth and fame, but cannot maintain it, must stay away, cannot be at peace. One should be diligent, be born in the Land of Peace, have clear wisdom, and excellent merit. Do not let your mind wander, enter into places of desire, betray the sutras and precepts, must stand behind others.” In the past, the Buddha once said, in the Dharma-ending Age, no matter what form or appearance, outsiders are more dignified than the Buddha-dharma. When standing together with outsiders, Buddha's disciples are not as good as them in anything, inferior in everything; therefore, true disciples of the Buddha are often despised by people. Why does this situation happen in the Dharma-ending Age? Because outsiders cultivated blessings in their previous lives, in this life they are rich, powerful, and have a good appearance. As for Buddhist disciples, they abandon worldly blessings, do not seek wealth or love, and only focus on seeking rebirth in the Pure Land. Therefore, in this life, those worldly blessings do not appear in their physical appearance and appearance. Therefore, when we go to a Buddhist temple, we will see that the physical appearance and appearance of Buddhist disciples are far inferior to that of non-Buddhists. Non-Buddhists here refer to those who do not follow the Buddha's teachings to practice and seek true enlightenment and liberation, not just other religions. If we truly study Buddhism every day, come into contact with the Buddha's teachings every day, when we see these phenomena before our eyes, we will understand that the Buddha has not said a single wrong thing, that is the truth! Truly, the desire for wealth and riches cannot last, must be avoided, cannot be happy!

The ancient sages often said: "If there is a temple without religion, the teachings cannot flourish." Even if a place of study is very small, lacking in amenities and not crowded, if it has religion, it is still a Buddhist place of practice. On the contrary, no matter how large a place of study is, if it does not have religion, it is a waste of effort, has no effect on the Buddhist teachings, and is therefore not a Buddhist place of practice. If we want the Buddha's teachings to be revived, the place of practice must have a schedule for reading and lecturing on sutras. Although sutras are not religion, sutras are the only means to carry the religion. If a temple or place of practice does not lecture on sutras, then that place has no means to carry the religion. No matter how small a place of practice is, as long as it has religion, it can give rise to the Buddha's teachings. But a place of practice of Buddhism that is only concerned with and busy with large-scale architectural works from morning to night, but has no religion within, how can it give rise to the Buddha's teachings? Not only can it not give rise to the Buddha's teachings, but it also gives rise to many afflictions of greed, anger, and ignorance, which are contrary to precepts, concentration, and wisdom. This is the demon's place of practice, not the Buddha's place of practice. Therefore, the Buddha advised: "The desire for wealth and riches cannot be maintained, all must be avoided, cannot be at peace. One must be diligent, born in the Land of Peace, with clear wisdom and excellent merit. Do not let your mind wander, enter into the place of desire, neglect the sutras and abandon the precepts, and must stand behind others."

Because the circumstances in which most people in the world study Buddhism are like this, Amitabha Buddha must always remain in the world to preach the sutras and teach the Dharma for the sake of all living beings, never entering nirvana. Only then can he help living beings awaken, develop the mind to recite the Buddha's name to seek rebirth in the Pure Land, and enable everyone to attain Buddhahood. Amitabha Buddha must always remain, must forever be the present Buddha, in order to save countless living beings. If he did not remain permanently, preaching the sutras and teaching the Dharma, it would be extremely difficult for living beings to escape samsara, let alone attain Buddhahood. The Lotus Sutra says that in the future, when Amitabha Buddha passes into nirvana, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva will succeed him in becoming a Buddha and saving living beings. When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva's dharma affinity ends and he passes into nirvana, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva will succeed him in becoming a Buddha and saving living beings. From the words of the Lotus Sutra, we see that the lifespan of Amitabha Buddha's Sambhogakaya is still limited, and not truly limitless. So, how should we understand this correctly? After all, how long does Amitabha Buddha's Sambhogakaya have to remain in the Western Paradise before Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva becomes a Buddha? Is there really such a limit? In the Infinite Life Sutra, Amitabha Buddha said: “When I become a Buddha, my lifespan will be immeasurable… Suppose there are three thousand great thousand worlds of sentient beings who all become Pratyekabuddhas, and if we count them together for hundreds of thousands of kalpas, if we know the number, we will not attain Perfect Enlightenment.” This shows us that Amitabha Buddha’s Reward Body residing in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss has a number, but that number is so long that it cannot be counted. Suppose all sentient beings in the four great continents in a Buddha land, that is, in the four worlds, all attain the fruit of Pratyekabuddhas, with supernatural powers and wisdom like Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, if we calculate Amitabha Buddha’s lifespan together, we still cannot calculate it! Thus, although the number of Amitabha Buddha’s Reward Body lifespan is limited, because that lifespan is so long, so long that even if all four worlds of Pratyekabuddhas counted together, they still could not calculate it, then we have no way of knowing!

In the Sutra of Avalokiteshvara's Attaining Great Strength and Longevity, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva said: "Innumerable kalpas, irretrievable kalpas, irretrievable kalpas, then passed on to Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva." After Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva became a Buddha, the time he stayed in the Pure Land to transform sentient beings in the ten directions was also as long as innumerable kalpas like Amitabha Buddha. After that, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva will also stay in the world for innumerable kalpas like Amitabha Buddha and Avalokiteshvara. The lifespan of the Three Saints of the Western Paradise is so long that it can be considered as the Pure Land Dharma that will never be extinguished. Therefore, when we are reborn in the Western Paradise, we must decide to become Buddhas while Amitabha Buddha is still in the world, not waiting until Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva becomes a Buddha. After Avalokiteshvara entered nirvana, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva immediately took over. The previous Buddha had just entered nirvana, the next Buddha immediately attained enlightenment. The World of Ultimate Bliss always has a Buddha in the world preaching the Dharma, so the Dharma is always eternally present in the world, not having to go through the stages of the Dharma, the Dharma Image, and the Dharma Ending like in this world. These stories are all recorded in the Avalokiteshvara Mahasthamaprapta's Attaining the Prophecy Sutra, allowing us to truly understand the World of Ultimate Bliss in the West, with absolutely no doubts. It can be said that Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahasthamaprapta's aspirations, interpretations, and practices are exactly the same, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva are all descendants of Amitabha Buddha, their teachings are exactly the same, there is absolutely no difference. Therefore, although it is said that Avalokiteshvara preaches the Dharma or Mahasthamaprapta preaches the Dharma, in reality it is no different from Amitabha Buddha preaching the Dharma. Avalokiteshvara, Mahasthamaprapta, and Amitabha Buddha speak the same Dharma door, the same theory, the same method, the same realm, there is absolutely no difference. The teacher transmits to the student, the student's teachings and the teacher's teachings are exactly the same, not the slightest bit different. Today, we uphold, recite, copy, and make offerings, because the person who expounds the Infinite Life Sutra is exactly the same, not the slightest bit different from what is said in this sutra, then we are also the descendants of Amitabha Buddha!

Today, even if we see people who are lazy and indifferent to reciting the Buddha's name, not really making an effort to recite the Buddha's name, but in the end, within three asamkhyeya kalpas later, they will definitely be reborn as Buddhas while Amitabha Buddha is still in the world. Why? Because for the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, three asamkhyeya kalpas is only a very short time compared to the immeasurable and incalculable lifespan of Amitabha Buddha in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Therefore, when we arrive at the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, we will definitely become Buddhas while Amitabha Buddha is still in the world! Furthermore, the Infinite Life Sutra says that it has been ten kalpas since Amitabha Buddha became a Buddha. Compared to the countless kalpas of his stay in the world, ten kalpas is like having just opened the door to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss for ten days. Amitabha Buddha has just opened the door to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss for ten days, and we have already arrived there. Is this considered arriving early or late? In the future, when we arrive at the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, we will all be elders, veterans, and pillars of that land! This is true, not even a little bit false. If we take the time to consider it, we will know clearly for ourselves that it is indeed so! It has been ten kalpas since Amitabha Buddha became a Buddha, and his lifespan in that land is countless kalpas. Therefore, when we arrive there, we will all have the opportunity to come into direct contact with Amitabha Buddha. This is truly extremely wonderful, there is nothing comparable! When we meet Amitabha Buddha, we will see that he is extremely compassionate and friendly to us. He does not pretend to be a host or a guest. We can approach him at any time, without having to notify him in advance or make an appointment. It is extremely intimate and free. In fact, even in this world, if we concentrate on reciting Buddha's name, we can approach Amitabha Buddha. We do not need to wait until we are reborn to be approach Buddha.

In that world, as soon as a person has the desire to meet Buddha, Buddha will appear right in front of us. As soon as a person has the desire to request something, their wish will be granted. In this world, can an ordinary person like us meet a President or a Chairman? Can we request something from them? It is certainly not an easy task. We can even go to jail or lose our lives if our request goes against their wishes. In the Western Pure Land, no matter how low our status is, no matter how low our status is, we can still be close to Amitabha Buddha anytime, anywhere we wish, and all our wishes will be fulfilled. Amitabha Buddha is truly a very ordinary and simple Buddha. He is always present in the thoughts of each and every living being and fulfills their wishes according to their preferences. Not only Amitabha Buddha is like that, but all the holy beings in the Pure Land are also like that; that is why the rebirth verse says: “Never-retreating Bodhisattvas are our companions.” When we arrive in the Western Pure Land, all Bodhisattvas are our closest friends, and there is absolutely no discrimination between this person and that person, allowing everyone to truly feel what is called home. In this world, home is not like home. Although people in this world live together under the same roof, they do not truly treat each other with kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. Truth be told, even though people live together in the same house, they still treat each other with false intentions, let alone those who are not from the same house. In this world, who suffers or dies, it is up to us as long as we ourselves are happy and at peace. In the Pure Land, it is completely different. Amitabha Buddha and the people there all use sincere, pure, and equal hearts, loving and respectfully treating each other. They see others as themselves. There is absolutely no such thing as distance in the heart that people in the world call separation. The hearts of all people in the Pure Land and Amitabha Buddha are just one heart, so how can there be separation in the heart?

In this world, teachers transmit the Dharma to students. Students criticize the teacher for not being good enough and refuse to accept it. Students come up with other Dharma to speak of, that is called good. Only when the student is better than the teacher is considered civilized and progressive. In the end, the Dharma of teachers and students are completely contradictory, so there are situations where teachers and students argue, compete, and kill each other. If everyone together followed the Buddhist scriptures and commentaries of the Great Patriarchs and Great Masters to study and explain to others, then there would be no situation where teachers and students argue with each other. For that reason, every dharma in this world will eventually be destroyed, even the Buddha dharma is no exception, it is also destroyed by us ordinary people. This is because the Buddhist sutras do not truly exist in the human mind. Every day, people recite the Buddhist sutras only on the tip of their tongue, not with their true heart, so the sutras and the mind do not become one, so they cannot penetrate the Buddha dharma treasury and attain enlightenment. If the mind and mouth of those who study Buddhism from ancient times to the present are in harmony with each other, then the Buddha dharma will not fall into the period of the end of time. In the Pure Land, the disciples continue the career of their teachers, teachers and students speak and practice the same dharma exactly the same, so every dharma is endless, always the eternal Dharma, not falling into the period of the Dharma Image or the period of the Dharma Ending. Even though we are now in the status of ordinary people, living in the Dharma-ending Age filled with evil, suffering, and burning, if we know how to follow the Buddha's teachings, concentrate on reading the Three Pure Land Sutras, and rely on the theories and methods in these three sutras to cultivate, practice ourselves, and help others, we will certainly attain a little bit of Amitabha Buddha's destiny, be the true descendants of Amitabha Buddha, and receive Amitabha Buddha's personal blessing. We will not be ashamed to be traitors of the Buddha, and disobey the sutras and dharma taught by the Buddha.

Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, Mahasthamaprapta, Samantabhadra, Manjushri, Maitreya, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions all advise all living beings to truly believe, earnestly vow, recite the Buddha's name, and seek rebirth in the Pure Land, without saying anything different. If we truly concentrate on studying and researching the sutras, treatises, and commentaries of the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, and Patriarchs, we will understand this clearly. In the future, if we have the opportunity, we will also tell others the exact same words as the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, and Patriarchs, without any increase or decrease or difference. Only then can Buddhism hope to flourish again. Although we cannot teach the Dharma as well as they did, we will be roughly similar, and will not stray into the path of demons, nor will we be ashamed of being traitors to Buddhism. The Patriarchs of the Pure Land School used Amitabha Buddha's methods to guide sentient beings, which are no different from the methods that Shakyamuni Buddha and all the Buddhas of the ten directions used to transform sentient beings. We can use their commentaries, commentaries, and theories to open up wisdom for ourselves and others in the Pure Land Dharma. The foremost method that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas use to save sentient beings is to recite Buddha's name to seek rebirth in the Pure Land. Now we also use this method to advise others, so we are also educating sentient beings just like Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!