Stream of merit

The Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is wonderful and majestic, surpassing all other Buddha lands. Jeweled trees and lotus ponds fill the entire Buddha land. The water in each pond is composed of seven treasures, fragrant and clear, with eight virtues. When that mani water flows into the flowers, up and down the flower stems, it emits sounds that expound the wonderful and mysterious Dharma, causing those who hear those sounds to have their good roots mature. In terms of individual characteristics, the shape, size, and depth of each pond have no fixed dimensions. The ponds appear in various sizes, from ten yojanas to hundreds of thousands of yojanas, all to accommodate the capacities of the living beings in that land. Although the ponds are different in size, their shapes are still proportional to each other, so each living being sees the shape of the ponds and the virtue of the water in the ponds as identical.

Why is it that the water in this world is also cool, also has the characteristic of permeating, can be used for bathing, washing away the dirt on the body, but cannot be called meritorious water? Because the water in this world can be transformed according to environmental conditions; for example, water is heated by the sun and becomes hot, water heated on fire boils and evaporates, water turns into ice when cold, etc.; but the water in the Western Paradise, even though it is heated by the sun, is still cool, no matter how hot it is heated on fire, it is still cool, does not evaporate. Even if the Fire of the Calamity could burn the entire world, it could not heat the water in the Pure Land, that water is always cool. Furthermore, the water in this world can wash away the filth of the body, but cannot wash away the filth of the mind. The water in the Pure Land transforms immeasurably, knowing how to teach the Dharma to save living beings according to the nature of living beings, causing the spirit consciousness to open, the five roots and five powers to grow, the habitual afflictions of the worldly world no longer arise, etc., so that water is called the water of merit. The water in the Pure Land has countless merits, but here the sutra only mentions eight specific merits, which are: quiet, clean, cool, delicious, soft, permeable, shiny, peaceful, drinking it eliminates hunger, thirst, and countless sufferings, after drinking it it definitely nourishes the four great roots and increases all kinds of excellent good roots.

· The quiet, clean nature of the water in the Pure Land: The water in the Pure Land is composed of seven treasures, so it is calm, clear, pure, clean, not polluted, not mixed with other things. The water in this world is made up of hydrogen and oxygen, and usually contains silt, bacteria, and other toxic chemicals, so it is not pure or clean. The water in this world absolutely cannot compare to the water in the Pure Land, but because in this world there is no water that is made up of seven treasures that are so miraculously clear, the Buddha had to use the water here as an example, to help us imagine the water in the other world. In fact, the water in the Pure Land is not like the water in this world.

· The cool nature of the water in the Pure Land: The water in the Western Pure Land is always cool, not too cold nor too hot. Although it is in the same pond, each person bathing in the pond feels a different degree of hotness or coldness depending on their wishes. This is an extremely miraculous and rare thing, unlike the water here, which is either very cold in winter or hot in summer.

· The delicious nature of the water in the Pure Land: The water in the Western Pure Land is all sweet, delicious, and has a wonderful taste. Whoever drinks this water will be free from hunger and thirst, and their faculties will grow. In this world, seawater is salty, while ordinary water is bland.

· The soft nature of the water in the Pure Land: The water in the Western Pure Land is soft and gentle, not only can it flow down, but it can also flow upwards, horizontally or vertically, according to each person's preference, which is very interesting. The water in our world is heavy, it can only flow down, it cannot flow up, or flow horizontally or vertically.

· The shiny, permeable nature of the water in the Pure Land: The water in the Western Pure Land is fresh, smooth, not dry, like the best skin care products today, the more you bathe your skin, the fresher and smoother it becomes. The water here has a corrosive effect, making the skin dry, if you wash your face or bathe too much, it can damage your skin.

· The peaceful nature of the water in the Pure Land: The water in this world sometimes flows rapidly, overflows, becoming a water disaster, a flood, very dangerous. The water in the Pure Land does not have this phenomenon, the water in that world is calm, peaceful, does not flow rapidly, does not overflow. Furthermore, the water there also knows how to follow the wishes of living beings, flowing up, down, horizontally, vertically, or stopping in one place, so there are no phenomena of water disasters, floods, or drowning.

· The nature of the water in the Pure Land to eliminate hunger and thirst and limitless suffering: The water in the Western Pure Land has a superior power, not only eliminating thirst but also curing hunger. People in that land can not eat anything, just need to drink water instead of rice, and still have abundant nutrients. People in this land who do not eat will starve to death, but people in the Pure Land do not gradually grow up from childhood, they have a body that is pure and empty, their body is infinite, forever indestructible, so why do they need to eat and drink? But why does the sutra here talk about hunger and thirst? Hunger and thirst here refers to lack of physical strength. The water in the Pure Land helps the people in that land to increase their strength to fly throughout the ten directions, above to worship Buddhas, below to transform living beings.

· The nature of nourishing the four great elements and increasing the good roots of the water in the Pure Land: The water in the Western Pure Land grows and nourishes the body and mind from the inside out. On the surface, this sentence seems to be talking about the physical body, but in reality it is not talking about the physical body. Why? Because the physical body of a Bodhisattva in the Pure Land does not need to be replenished with nutrients lost through activities like people in the world. The phrase “grows and nourishes the body and mind” here means increasing the capacity of the six senses. Because those who are reborn with karmic hindrances do not yet have the capacity to cut off afflictions and attain enlightenment, the merit of the water there helps them cut off afflictions, destroy ignorance, and develop merit in their Self-nature.

Not only does the water in the Land of Ultimate Bliss emit a fragrant scent, but all the precious trees on the banks of ponds and streams, from trunks, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits, all emit thousands of fragrant scents. Those trees, leaves, flowers, and fruits also emit a brilliant light; that is because those precious trees are all composed of countless kinds of precious scents. The forests of precious trees on the banks of ponds and streams all have large, strong branches, lush leaves, stretching out into space, their tips touching each other, reflecting on the surface of the pond. The forests of trees also emit wonderful scents, not the kind of scents found in this world. The fragrant scents are carried by the wind and the flowing water, spreading everywhere in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, so that sentient beings with affinity in the ten directions of other realms can also smell this strange scent. Whoever smells this solemn fragrance will have a gentle and pure body and mind, develop the Bodhi mind, and enjoy practicing Buddha's conduct. This is an auspicious sign resulting from the 43rd Vow: "The precious fragrance pervades everywhere" of Amitabha Buddha.

Those who sincerely study, recite sutras, listen to the Dharma, and recite Buddha's name, and have a peaceful, pure, and uncontaminated mind, will often encounter auspicious signs of smelling a strange fragrance from the Pure Land. We must know that this realm cannot be achieved by a mind of delusion, desire, or greed; therefore, when a person with affinity smells this fragrance, he should not let his mind move, think, or contemplate this or that; because once a thought arises in the mind, the fragrance will disappear. In other words, this fragrance can only be smelled with a peaceful and pure mind, and cannot be smelled with the normal sense of smell. If we often wish to smell the fragrance emanating from the Western Paradise, even if we do smell it, I am afraid that the fragrance is only created by our own wishes and imagination, and is not the solemn fragrance emanating from the Western Paradise. If a Buddhist practitioner develops a deluded, confused, and vain mind, and demons and ghosts find out, they will play tricks on us and deceive us. They may burn incense for us to smell, but the fragrance is not from the Western Paradise. Only when we are mindless and smell the fragrance will that fragrance truly be a good omen, a spiritual response to the Western Paradise. But we must know that this auspicious sign cannot be found often. Only when we are truly mindless and truly pure can we smell it. If we always smell a fragrant scent, it is a phenomenon of being possessed by a ghost, we must be alert to this.

Buddhism teaches us to use our normal mind to cultivate a pure mind, in order to increase morality, concentration, and wisdom. On the contrary, magic teaches us extraordinary, strange, and bizarre things to seduce, enchant, and make us increase greed, anger, and ignorance. Therefore, a true Buddhist practitioner, even if he sees the Buddha appear, even if he smells a strange fragrance, still acts as if none of these things happened, then he will truly have the state of mind mentioned in the Diamond Sutra: “All things with form are illusory.”

Usually, these good responses appear in three periods of practice:

· The first period, when we first start to study Buddhism, we just develop a liking for Buddhism but do not really believe in Buddhism much, we are still half-believing and half-doubting, but because of our affinity with Buddha and Bodhisattvas, they manifest those good signs to help us arouse our faith, joyfully develop the mind to practice. After we truly believe, those good signs will no longer exist.

· The second period, when we have cultivated to a certain level of success, we can also smell the fragrance. This time, the Buddha and Bodhisattvas are testing us to see how we react when we smell the fragrance. If we smell the fragrance and then have a thought, then that is a failure, a failure. It is like a student taking a multiple-choice test; if he does not do the test according to the curriculum, he will fail. The Buddha taught us: “Contemplate the dharma as transformation, samadhi is always quiet,” “All appearances are illusory,” etc. Now, if we smell the fragrance and then have a thought, then that is a failure, not a good omen. In any realm, every time we have a thought when we come into contact with the external world (form, sound, smell, taste, touch, dharma), it is a failure, a failure, not a good omen. On the contrary, even if we are facing the hellish scene, but our mind is still calm, not a single thought arises, then that is a good omen. The Shurangama Sutra says, if there is a person who meditates and attains a pure mind, suddenly sees Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appear, cutting across the sky. In his mind, he thinks that he has attained enlightenment, and immediately falls into the devil's net. When a practitioner has achieved a certain level of success, he can see Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifest to test him, to see if he has any thoughts or feelings about those auspicious signs. The devil can also manifest auspicious signs to deceive him, mistakenly thinking that he has attained enlightenment, that he has successfully practiced, causing all kinds of delusions of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, etc. to arise in his mind. Then it is all over!

· In the third period, at the time of death, if that person recites Buddha's name with a pure mind, he will see Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifest clearly right in front of him to guide him, he will smell the fragrance and the light emitted from Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, etc. What he sees is the same as what has been described in the Infinite Life Sutra. After seeing the auspicious signs, that person announced to the assembly: “I have seen Amitabha Buddha come to receive me. Goodbye everyone, I am leaving now,” then they peacefully departed, leaving behind a beautiful voice as proof. Sometimes even those present also saw the auspicious signs and had a particularly strong response. We must know that this person was definitely reborn in the Pure Land at the highest level of the highest birth.

Generally speaking, people of middle and lower grades who are reborn, especially those of lower grades who are reborn, at the time of death, although they also see the Buddha and smell the fragrance, they cannot say anything. Even though they really want to tell us that the Buddha has come to receive them, they do not have the strength to speak, not even a word can be uttered. People like that are also reborn, but we do not have real evidence to be sure that they have been reborn. Good signs such as a soft body, a rosy complexion, etc. are not sufficient evidence to confirm rebirth. Why? Because people born into the blessed realms of gods and humans also leave behind similar good signs after they pass away. These signs can only tell us that the person was born into the blessed realm, not falling into the three evil realms, but cannot confirm that the person was reborn in the Pure Land. Only when that person sees Amitabha Buddha appear to guide and tell us, then we will know for sure, otherwise our predictions are all without evidence.

The most important thing to be reborn is to firmly believe in the Pure Land, have steadfast faith, believe that the Buddha will not deceive us, and not have the slightest doubt. If one has faith and vows that are always as firm and steadfast as Mount Sumeru, without the slightest doubt or change, and not shaken by the eight winds, then one must always concentrate on reciting Amitabha Buddha. Practice is reciting Buddha's name, reciting Buddha's name in accordance with the Buddha's teachings: "Practice as you wish, freely practice the path, and be joyful in all things." What does that mean? When you are tired from chanting, rest; when you are refreshed, continue chanting. If there is something that needs to be done, put down the Buddha's name, concentrate on that task, and when you are done, continue chanting. If the task is light manual labor that does not require concentration or thinking, then you can work and chant Buddha's name at the same time. If the task requires concentration, attention, and thinking, then absolutely do not work and chant Buddha's name at the same time; that is wrong; that is mixing things up. Working and chanting Buddha's name like that can easily lead to distraction, is very dangerous, and will not produce good results. While chanting Buddha's name and thinking about work, mixing work with the Buddha's name, not only will you not be able to chant Buddha's name completely, but you will also not be able to do the task well; both sides will be in trouble. Furthermore, there are heavy manual labor jobs that are extremely dangerous and require concentration; if you are not mindful, it will cause a very dangerous accident. For example, if we are doing construction work on the roof of a building, On a high floor, if you do not pay attention to your work and safety, you may slip and fall to your death. Then it will be a disaster! If people publish in the newspaper that someone who recites Buddha's name to pray for rebirth fell from a building and died, it will be even worse. Anyone who hears about the Dharma door of reciting Buddha's name to pray for rebirth should stay away. With such basic things, each of us has the ability to think and realize the truth. Nothing is certain. That is why the Buddha told us to know how to practice at will, to know how to practice freely in order to receive all the joys of Buddhism. We should not study Buddhism in the style of "following the text but not the meaning," causing the Buddhas of the three periods to cry out in injustice.