The Rejoicing in the Merits of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is the practice of the Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas who made the vow: “I vow to save limitless sentient beings.” What is rejoicing? Rejoicing without conditions is rejoicing, and rejoicing without conditions is not rejoicing. To put it more clearly, the Bodhisattvas must practice the word “saving” with the Rejoicing in the Merits method to be worthy of the nature of True Suchness. Why? In Mahayana Buddhism, having a mind is discriminating, is the arising of the mind and thoughts, so having a mind is a deluded mind. Once a practitioner uses a mind to do something, that mind is not pure. If one does it without a mind, everything follows its natural course, then the mind is pure, worthy of the nature of True Suchness.

Let us observe the current world situation and think, why is the world so chaotic now? Why are sentient beings suffering so much? What is the root cause? The cause is that there are intelligent people who want to dominate others. They want to be assertive and willful in place of others. They want others to do as they wish. They want unlimited freedom for themselves and their own parties so that they can freely act and do whatever they want, so they deprive others of their freedom. They want others to do this and not do that, so this world gives rise to many inequalities, causing arguments, wars and conflicts to reclaim justice in a society or for an ethnic group, etc. This is a situation that has occurred in this world throughout human history from ancient times until now, and there is still no way to resolve it satisfactorily. Why can't this problem be resolved? In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha clearly stated: As long as there is the image of a person, the image of an ego, the image of a living being, and the image of a life-span, then the six paths of ordinary people will continue to create karma. Only when these four characteristics are completely eliminated, will the truly pure land appear.

We have read the Infinite Life Sutra many times, and have we seen any place in the Land of Ultimate Bliss that is dominated or forced? Not at all! Everything in that land is spontaneous and spontaneous, manifesting according to each person's preferences. Even when the masses in that land bathe together in the same pond, the water, whether hot or cold, flowing fast or slow, rising or falling, all change differently according to each individual's preferences, causing each person to have a happy spirit, a healthy body, and everything is happy according to each person's wishes. Not only is the pond of seven treasures like this, but all the human and material circumstances in the Land of Ultimate Bliss are like this; this clearly shows that Amitabha Buddha practices the Dharma of Rejoicing in the Merits of the World to the point of ultimate perfection that is beyond imagination. Because all things and all things in that realm practice the Dharma of Rejoicing in Merit, that realm is the Pure Land!

Let us examine the Avatamsaka Sutra carefully. In the fifty-three times Sudhana studied, was there any good spiritual friend who took the initiative to ask, “What should I do?” There was no such thing! Everything was rejoicing in merit! When Buddhas and Bodhisattvas saw how living beings liked to do things, what they loved, if it was not a bad thing, they would wholeheartedly help them. This is called rejoicing in merit! In other words, rejoicing in merit not only does not hinder the Three Studies of Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom, but on the contrary, it increases the cultivation of Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom. Therefore, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the Patriarchs of all dynasties, all taught: “At all times, one must follow the conditions, not discriminate.” Discrimination is very reluctant, not good, good things are not as good as nothing, if there is no problem then the world will be peaceful, people can live a truly happy life. True Buddhism is to practice the Three Studies of Precepts-Concentration-Wisdom, not accepting many things, just following the circumstances and not discriminating. Following the circumstances and not discriminating not only does not destroy Precepts-Concentration-Wisdom, but also increases Precepts-Concentration-Wisdom, so only by following the circumstances and not discriminating can one attain full Dharma joy and true merit.

If practitioners know how to apply Buddhism in a joyful way in daily life, all activities will become very lively, active and at ease, then that is full Dharma joy. If the practice and daily life do not correspond, one will feel that practice is very difficult, and will not see any benefits in the present, and any benefits in the future will be too far away and impossible to predict. Therefore, the more one practices, the more fear, regret, and doubt arise in one's heart. This is not the full joy of the Dharma. We Buddhists, if we obey the Buddha's teachings, do not cling to all dharmas, and do not cling to any place or situation, we will definitely be able to blend the Dharma and life into one, and we will certainly feel that practice is very joyful. Therefore, do not be attached to the means of practice in the Dharma, but joyfully integrate them into your daily life, consider all daily activities such as walking, standing, lying, sitting, sleeping, eating, sweeping the house, bathing, changing clothes, working, going out, receiving things, entertaining people, etc. and practice as the same thing, not two separate things, you will definitely achieve real benefits in Buddhism and daily life. That is called knowing how to practice the Dharma of Rejoicing in Merits according to the standards of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra!

In the method of reciting Buddha's name, you must also apply the Dharma of Rejoicing in Merits of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra to be successful. For example, holding a rosary in your hand to recite is one of the methods used to remind yourself, lest you forget to recite Buddha's name. Seeing the rosary with your eyes, you immediately think that you must recite Buddha's name. Some people recite Buddha's name with a number in mind or don't want to remember the number, some hold a rosary or don't hold a rosary, some recite aloud or silently, each has its own matter and reason, each person has their own method, the important thing is to practice effectively, don't be bound by form, that is called Rejoicing in the Merit. In terms of matter, holding the Buddha's name without interruption is called Reciting the Buddha's Name. In terms of principle, although the mouth does not recite Buddha's name out loud, but the mind is like Buddha's mind, the vow is like Buddha's vow, the thoughts and understanding correspond to Buddha's wisdom, that is Reciting the Principle. Reciting the Buddha's Name is also called Direct Contemplation or Body Salvation, it is not reciting Buddha's name in form as mentioned. Reciting the Buddha's Name is a method for those with superior faculties and intelligence to practice, most of us do not have the ability to practice this Direct Contemplation method, so just rejoice by using your ears to listen, use your eyes to see, use your brain to think and remember the Buddha's name, once you are reborn, the merit you gain will be no different from those with superior faculties and intelligence. This achievement is due to the boundless and profound merit of Amitabha Buddha's rejoicing in giving alms.

Both the practice of recitation and the practice of reason are methods of cultivating human conduct in Pure Land Buddhism, the final result is One-pointedness of mind without confusion. In One-pointedness of mind without confusion there is One-pointedness of mind and One-pointedness of reason. Both One-pointedness of mind and One-pointedness of reason have different degrees of shallowness or depth. Those who do not understand this principle of Pure Land Buddhism often think that reciting Buddha's name is only suitable for those with dull faculties, and only by meditating can one attain enlightenment. Beginners who hear this cannot make their own decision because they do not know that the practice of reciting Buddha's name or directly contemplating Buddha's name is the practice of Reason. The meaning of Reason is very similar to the Zen sect's practice of not raising any doubts. Practicing meditation without raising any doubts is different from focusing all thoughts on one sentence of Amitabha Buddha to contemplate and achieve both samadhi and wisdom at the same time. Reciting Buddha's name is the most profound way of meditating, but Zen Buddhism does not acknowledge it. Why do they not acknowledge it? Because they do not clearly understand the mystery in a single Buddha name. After they have clearly understood, they will truly understand the reason why reciting a single Buddha name is a very profound and wonderful meditation practice. Therefore, if one wants to practice the Dharma of Rejoicing in the Merits of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, the practitioner must understand the meaning and the true nature of the Dharma he is practicing. If one does not have the wisdom to understand clearly, one will inevitably fall into attachment, giving rise to wrong notions, thinking that reciting the Buddha name is a Dharma for Shakyamuni Buddha to save those of dull faculties, and practicing meditation to save those of sharp faculties, then thinking oneself to be of very sharp faculties, unwilling to be a person of dull faculties practicing the Dharma of Reciting the Buddha name, then that is not knowing how to rejoice in the merits, which is also not knowing that one's own faculties are the dullest! If one is not of dull faculties, then how can one not know this principle? Furthermore, if one considers oneself to be of the highest faculties and wisdom, then why is it that the forty-one positions of Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas in the Flower Adornment Assembly all follow the teachings of Samantabhadra and Manjushri, and all develop the mind to recite the Buddha's name to seek rebirth in the Pure Land? Could it be that these forty-one positions of Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas are all of the dull faculties? The second patriarch of the Zen sect, Venerable Ananda, in the Infinite Life Dharma Assembly, stood before the two great teachers Shakyamuni Buddha and Amitabha Buddha and made a vow to recite the Buddha's name to seek rebirth in the Pure Land. Could it be that he is also of the dull faculties?

Many fellow practitioners of Buddha recitation hear a Zen practitioner say a few sentences, then become doubtful, stop reciting the Buddha's name, and switch to Zen. They encounter a Tantric Master who says a few sentences, stop reciting the Buddha's name, and stop reciting mantras. This is called not having the wisdom to understand the Buddha-recitation method, and also not having the good fortune to meet a truly good and wise friend, so they develop a false and regressive mind. In the Amitabha Sutra, Buddha calls this type of person as having little good roots, little blessings, and little affinity. This is the true dull root! The old woman who chews betel, is illiterate, and sincerely recites Buddha's name also has dull root, but is not truly dull root. However, because she preaches the Dharma in the style of Rejoicing in Merits, the ancient sages call them dull root. But in reality, they are the ones with the most good roots, blessings, and affinity in Buddhism. Why? Because they are the ones who know how to attribute all dharmas to the one phrase Amitabha Buddha to reveal the Buddha in their Original Nature. Attributing all things to the one phrase Amitabha Buddha is the Supreme, Profound, and Wonderful Zen!