On
Chanting "Amitabha"
Under the guidance of the Buddhist Yogi C.
M. Chen
Let me, first
of all, talk from my own experiences:
In 1976, when I
was a graduate student in the Group in Logic and the Methodology of Science at
the University of California, Berkeley, I came across a Chinese Gong-fu novel
Tian Long Ba Bu (i.e., the eight departments of gods, dragons, etc.) The author
incorporates some Buddhist philosophy into his story. Driven by a Logician's
fondness for accuracy, I wanted to verify his version of the Buddhist
philosophy, hence I went to the East Asiatic Library on campus. Alas! There
were thousands of books on Buddhism in the library, and I didn't know where to
start. Back home in Taipei we had a copy of the Diamond Sutra on the altar, so
I felt a kind of familiarity with it. Thus, I began my study on Buddhism by reading
various annotations on this Sutra. The next three years I read quite a few
books on Buddhism; gradually my interest shifted toward the study of classical
Chan (Zen) stories (i.e., the Gong-An of Chan masters.) Nevertheless, I
gradually came to realize that reading by itself is not a reliable method. On
the one hand, my interpretation of the same story would change from time to
time, and I wouldn't know when I had the right one; on the other hand, even if
my understanding of the philosophy were quite good, it was not readily
applicable when I had to face the facts of life. The practice of chanting
"Amitabha" is consistent with the profound philosophy of Buddhism. As
long as I couldn't grasp the essence of Chan at once, I might just as well adopt
this practice, the step-by-step path which is generally recommended for being
safe and sound.
I worked rather
hard on it; I tried to stick with it all the time. While chanting
"Amitabha" I would even ignore visiting friends or relatives. Three
months later I felt mentally and physically a bit more relaxed than before.
During my first year of doing this practice, I chanted, on the average, ten
thousand "Namo Amitabha Buddha" per day. Gradually I gained some
supernatural experiences. At the time my accumulation had reached four million
repetitions, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to move on to the
tantric path of Tibetan Buddhism. I voluntarily gave up my social activities so
that I had more time for my practices. On the day after I received my Ph.D., I donated
all my logic books to either the Math Library or the Logic Group's small
library. I have been a full-time Buddhist practitioner ever since.
Although I'm now
doing the more advanced tantric practices, I still adhere to my daily chanting
of 1,000 repetitions of "Amitabha." Since our lives are impermanent,
if I fail to realize the tantric goal of attaining Full Enlightenment within
this body, I'll definitely need to reach out for the salving hand of Amitabha
Buddha. Until today (12/09/92) I have accumulated 8,426,000 repetitions of
"Amitabha." After each and every Dharma activity I always turn the
merits to all sentient beings for their rebirth in Amitabha's Pureland.
Let me tell you
one of my supernatural experiences:
Some people think
that chanting Buddha's name is superstitious or self-hypnotic. In fact, the
numerous records of Buddha's miraculous responses to faithful Buddhists'
appeals are still well preserved today in the Buddhist literature. They certify
that, although supernatural experiences are not common to people in general,
Buddha's answer to our calls can be realized. However, there are still people
who do not accept these records as evidential, and even consider these as mere
propagandas. Thus I, serving as an eyewitness, would like to reveal my own
story.
If I cited my
dreams as examples, the critics would say: "You are so crazy about Buddha
while you are awake; no wonder you dream of Buddha when you sleep. How could
this be accepted as an example of supernatural experiences? It is nothing but
your own imagination!" Therefore, the example I give below is not a dream;
it happened when I was fully conscious and among a group of over 1,000 people.
The 16th Karmapa,
the spiritual head of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, came to San Francisco
six years ago. My guru Yogi Chen led my wife, our son, and me to attend the
Black Crown Ceremony bestowed by His Holiness. The origin of this ceremony is,
briefly, as follows: the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, attained Buddhahood and
manifested as the Buddha Chakrasamvara; simultaneously 100,000 dakinis (i.e.,
female Buddhas) gathered around and cheered him in celebration. Each and every
one of them offered him one thread of her hair, and the hairs were woven into
the Black Crown for him to wear.
Since then there
have been 15 reincarnations of Karmapa, and they all wear this holy crown.
However, this spiritual crown is not visible to the ordinary human eye; only
those with great faith or high spiritual attainment may witness its presence.
The fifth Karmapa, Deshin Shegpa, was invited by the Chinese emperor Yong Le of
the Ming dynasty to go to Nanjing. So he went to China and gave the emperor
many tantric teachings. Once during a ceremony the emperor witnessed the
presence of the spiritual Black Crown on his teacher's head, hence he ordered a
replica made and offered it to Karmapa. Karmapa accepted the gift and agreed to
the emperor's request that whoever sees this crown will receive the same
blessings as seeing the spiritual one.
Thus began the
tradition of Karmapa's Black Crown Ceremony, and each generation of Karmapa had
conducted it over and over again to bless the faithful. Before the ceremony my
guru taught me the mantra of Karmapa, and instructed me to recite it during the
ceremony so as to become more receptive to the blessings. Guru Chen also
explained to me that concurrent with the present Karmapa's wearing the crown,
the first Karmapa would be spiritually present and we should stand up to
express our respect.
The ceremony began
with lamas reciting the ritual text and playing the ritual music, then His
Holiness put the Black Crown upon His head. We stood up and I continued to
recite the mantra in my heart. Right at that instant, when the Crown rested on
His head, a strong force filled me. My blood circulation sped up and the force
was so powerful that I shouted out the mantra in spite of myself. In the
presence of so many people during a meditative ceremony, I knew quite well what
my manners should have been. Nevertheless, such a force had never been
experienced by me before, nor did I expect it. It simply came and took me over.
Karmapa supported the Crown with His right hand, while reciting the mantra of
Avalokitesvara and counting a crystal rosary with His left hand.
At the end of one
round of the 108 beads, His Holiness took the Crown off. The force was with me
all that time and the outburst of chanting from my mouth—to be more precise,
from my heart—just kept going. Then, with the coming down of the Crown, the
force left me, and my chanting quieted down. I was baptized by the Grace of
Karmapa, the Dharma King. My experience, in Buddhist term, is called the sign
of receiving initiations. In other words, I had, in fact, received the
blessings. I was the only one there who did the shouting.
Afterwards I asked
only my wife and our son to see if they also shared the same experience; they
did not feel the force. It is not because Karmapa's blessings are partial to
anyone, rather it's because I had accumulated over four million repetitions of "Amitabha,"
and that made me spiritually more receptive to the Grace of Karmapa. I hope
that the above eyewitness account would help people understand that Buddhism is
not just a philosophy, but also contains spiritual contents that could be
experienced.
Living in this
world, each one of us has more or less some worries. The universal problems of
overpopulation on Earth, safety of the uses of nuclear energy, environmental
pollution by industrial wastes, etc., plus the personal problems of health,
career, social relations, family, etc., all weave into a web of sorrows. We
would seem to be no better than the insects hanging on a spider's web. Aging,
sickness and death arrive in no time, and we have no escape from them. Our
lifelong efforts in the pursuit of wealth, fame, fun and pleasures will neither
prevent the misfortunes nor prolong our lives.
Upon death all
worldly efforts become futile, and the habit of worldly worries would render a
peaceful departure impossible. Worldly things and worldly concerns take up the
best of our time and energies, bring us numerous sorrows, and disturb us
unceasingly up to our final moments. Were death the end of our consciousness,
then the suffering would last but one lifetime. There are numerous records of
reincarnations in the histories of mankind; how could we just ignore them as
insufficient proof? Even today there are new evidential cases of reincarnation
reported by researching scientists.
Buddhism teaches
that our mentality at our final moments has the most influence on the outcome
of our next rebirth. Shouldn't we reflect upon the goals and ways of our lives?
Wouldn't it be better to go after a way of life guided by the wisdom of Buddha
who is free from all sufferings? The teachings of Buddha are applicable, not
only to our individual ways of life, but also to the direction and path for the
human race. In a word, Buddha teaches us to "Forget yourself; Serve
others!" A detailed and precise presentation of Buddha's teachings is
beyond the scope of this talk, hence we go no further on this.
However, I would
like to emphasize the fact that Buddhist practices can lead to the following:
1. The development of inner strength and tranquility
that pacifies the storms of life.
Above all, the
most precious thing about Buddhism is its ultimate goal of achieving complete
liberation from all suffering for all sentient beings.
There are Buddhist
books collecting records of people who had obtained rebirth in the Pureland of
Amitabha. Due to their diligent practice of chanting "Amitabha," many
of them knew in advance the time of their departure from this life. Hence they
could make their final arrangements in time, and bade friends and relatives
adieu with grace, as if they were about to set out on a long journey. Moreover,
their departures were often accompanied by miraculous phenomena, such as the
coming of Amitabha Buddha with His holy attendants to welcome the dying person,
supernatural lights, heavenly music coming from the sky, and/or extraneous
fragrance, etc. In contrast, we ordinary people neither know when we'll have to
leave, nor have any guaranty for a peaceful ending.
We may encounter
an inopportune death, such as drowning, freezing, being shot, crushed or burned
to death, or death due to diseases like cancer, heart attack or AIDS. After
death we would go through endless transmigrations in the six realms—heaven,
asura, human, animal, hungry ghost and hell—and endure countless repetitions of
sufferings; while those who have gone to the Pureland of Amitabha Buddha are
forever free from this vicious recycling of sorrows; we couldn't help but envy
them. Fortunately Buddha's teachings are not patented by them; owing to the
boundless compassion of Buddha, as long as we are willing to learn and practice
the teachings diligently, we shall be at ease with life and death, and be
liberated from all suffering.
Buddha gave
various teachings to different people, always choosing the most appropriate one
to suit the students' levels and needs. All the teachings from Buddha are sure
paths leading to complete liberation, but which one is the best for ordinary
people? The traditional choice is the practice of chanting
"Amitabha." Even today it remains the most popular practice adopted
by Buddhists all over the world.
From the talk
above we know that Buddhist philosophy is based on empirical spirituality and
that Buddhist practices are indeed beneficial. Now I am going to explain the
practice of chanting "Amitabha," using learning to swim as my
favorite analogy. No matter how many books on swimming you have studied in
great details, if you haven't tried it out in water, you won't be able to swim!
Children who live by the ocean and play daily in the water learn to swim in no
time, without reading any book on the subject. Most of them can even dive, surf
and somersault in water; they are at ease and have a lot of fun! Of course, if
they were to become experts, reading the right books would be helpful. But if
their goal is simply to be able to swim, then reading becomes unnecessary.
Likewise, studying Buddhist books is very important, but understanding the
teachings without carrying out the practices will not float you through the
tidal waves of life. Chanting "Amitabha," at the beginning, is like
children wading; although with just a few tries a day, gradually they learn to
float.
Numerous are the
books on Buddhism; abstract and complicated are the terms and theories
contained therein. One could hardly expect a thorough grasp of its essence in a
short time. Furthermore, real understanding of the teachings can be gained only
through the extraordinary experiences that come with the actual practices. The
habit and experiences of chanting "Amitabha" will enable one to gain
insights into Buddha's teachings. Moreover, the essential benefits of Buddhism
would be tasted by the practitioners, and this is what really matters.
As modern men we
generally have good common sense about diet and hygiene. We are selective and
particular as to what to eat, how much to take, and how to combine and prepare
the food. In contrast, we are generally quite careless about our consumption of
spiritual foods. Willy-nilly we take in the commercials and gossips from
television programs, newspapers or magazines. Upon reflection we would seem to
be a spiritual dump filled up with all kinds of junk. This junk will not get us
out of our sorrows; yet they are sure to incite our worldly desires or
reinforce our prejudices.
Thus we become
even tenser and more sorrowful. What a waste of life! If we build up the habit
of chanting "Amitabha," it would be like drinking milk or fresh
water, or eating nutritious food. A sorrowful mind is like a glass of muddy
water; as the pure drops of "Amitabha" drip in continuously, at first
the muddy water runs over, finally it becomes a cup of clear water—pure, clean
and ready to serve. People who chant "Amitabha" not only benefit
themselves. They will try to persuade others to do the same so as to share the
same benefits. They will also help dying people by chanting
"Amitabha" near the deathbed, or pray for people who are in trouble.
In fact, the basic principle behind all Buddhist practices is to help all
beings to achieve Buddhahood. Hence chanting "Amitabha" would
transform one into, so to speak, a glass of fresh water that would quench
others' thirst.
The holy name
"Amitabha" can purify our minds, because Buddha transmits His
blessings through it. Beginners could hardly sense this; old-timers may become
aware of it. It is analogous to tuning in for a radio or television station.
"Amitabha" is the particular frequency or channel that we want; our
practice of chanting it is an attempt to tune in. Beginners, with all sorts of
worldly concerns in their minds, cannot concentrate on the chanting. Even while
they are chanting "Amitabha" loud and clear, deep down inside there
are still many thoughts running through, therefore, they are not tuning in to
Buddha.
No wonder
beginners cannot see Buddha's presence. Nevertheless, it is more a matter of
sincerity and concentration than time, so it is also possible for a beginner to
sense Buddha's grace, especially in the case of people who had done much
practice in their previous lives. In general, however, we need to build up the
habit of chanting "Amitabha," then gradually its strength will
overcome our indulgence in worldly thoughts. Only then, with a pure mind, can
we feel the transmission of power from Buddha. Like a 24-hour radio station,
Buddha is transmitting His grace constantly; but we are unaware of it, simply
because our minds are not tuning in.
Some advanced
practitioners have witnessed the existence of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the
dream state; the more advanced ones have seen the holy ones in meditation,
which is a state of high concentration with ease. Some practitioners have even
visited the Pureland of Amitabha Buddha either in dream or in meditation. These
dreams differ from the ordinary ones in that the contents are orderly, symbolic
and in agreement with the teachings; they can be recognized by experienced
practitioners and be interpreted systematically.
Some of these
dreams show concurrent distant events, foretell the future or impart teachings;
they are indeed meditative states of a lesser degree. We should not discard
them as mere dreams and confound them with the ordinary ones that reflect and
extend our confusions, desires, and emotions.
When worry comes,
it wouldn't be stopped: we would lose our appetite, forget our thirst, and
sometimes even stay awake all night worrying. Suppose you say to yourself:
"I won't think about this anymore!" Such a thought just shows that
you are still tied up with it. So it seems that there would be no easy way to
leave one's worries behind. Moreover, the things that vex us are various and
abundant. On our backs we are carrying so many burdens picked up along the road
of life—no wonder the years could have hunched our backs. Chanting
"Amitabha" is a simple yet sure way out.
All worldly
thoughts and emotions are intertwined. The whole complex could be activated by
the slightest stirring of any limb, although we might not be sensitive enough
to be aware of this. It is not unusual for trivial arguments to lead to big
fights, or minor misbehavior to be taken as great offenses; all the tiny,
insignificant annoyances in the past may be triggered by a careless remark into
a volcanic eruption. The holy name "Amitabha" is transcendental and
free from the whirlpool of sorrows. It is ideal to do this practice at the same
time daily, for at least a certain number of repetitions. The fixed schedule
would help us to form the habit of practicing daily. The preset minimum number
of repetitions would make sure that our practice won't deteriorate. Ideally,
one should gradually raise his minimum to a higher number, just as swimmers
would gradually increase their number of laps.
Besides the daily
practice, it would be helpful to chant "Amitabha" whenever possible,
e.g., while driving, waiting, bathing, doing chores, etc., and even in dreams.
One may chant "Namo Amitabha Buddha" (meaning homage to the Amitabha
Buddha, and the name "Amitabha" means boundless light and infinite
life), "Amitabha Buddha," or simply, but with equal reverence,
"Amitabha." As time goes by, our hands will slowly be untied from
holding the big bags of sorrows on our backs. Then one day, all of a sudden,
the bags will be off our backs, because we have joined our hands with
Amitabha's.
Jogging has been a
popular exercise in recent years because it is simple, effective and
beneficial. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be very useful, unless you did it
regularly and persistently. Chanting "Amitabha" resembles jogging in
that profound changes would ensue only after long-term practices. Chanting
"Amitabha" is the spiritual jogging for our minds; it will increase
our wisdom and endurance, and produce a healthy and mature mentality. Why don't
we get into the habit of spiritual jogging? We may even unify the physical
jogging with the mental one. Just add the chanting to your jogging by running
to the beat of "Amitabha, Amitabha, Amitabha..."
The resulting
concentration will improve the effectiveness of your jogging. Moreover, the
mental jogging becomes a daily rush toward the spiritual summit of
Enlightenment. Daily the repetitions would bring us a certain height upward.
The spiritual strength which ensues would shelter us against the storms of
life; the spiritual power that may be acquired by devotees could even render
help to sentient beings in distress.
We would like to
take care of our family members, especially aging parents and growing kids.
Nevertheless, unless we ourselves are dependable and well-off, we could even
become a millstone to the family. Who in the world has the guaranty that no
accident will befall him? The habit of chanting "Amitabha" would
invoke Buddha's mercy to protect us—afflictions would be eased and things would
change for the better. One who constantly chants "Amitabha" keeps a
pure mind; he would naturally do no harm, but good. Consequently he will be
well-received by society, and live a stable and happy life.
Taking good care
of our folks involves not only the provision of physical comforts and mental
amusements, but it is also important to comply with their wishes and likings.
But, most of all, we should endeavor to help them feel peaceful and calm when
they are sick or dying. This is of course no easy job, but it is not
impossible. The best thing to do is to convert the whole family into Buddhists;
preferably all would gather together to do this chanting day by day. This will
bring about a harmonic and peaceful atmosphere in the family. When someone in
the family is sick or dying, remind him to chant "Amitabha" and the
rest of the family would take turn in chanting along beside him. Under Buddha's
blessings the one-mindedness of the whole family would relieve the suffering
and conquer the distress. Best of all, the deceased would get rebirth in Amitabha's
Pureland.
Even when the
person needing help, be he a family member or not, has no experience of
Buddhist practices, he may still receive Buddha's blessings through our
chanting and praying for him. It is customary for Buddhists to pray for the joy
and happiness of all sentient beings. I believe that our sincere concern for others'
well-being should include easing their pains and sufferings, especially when
they are sick or dying. Handing patients over to the hospital, leaving the
funeral to the undertaker, and paying the bills are not good enough; we should
strive for spiritual help that are direct and most significant to the sick or
dying. These considerations are among the reasons that led me to give up
worldly activities for Buddhist practices.
The practice of
chanting "Amitabha" won't cost you a dime. Maintaining the holy name
in your heart will keep your mind clear and pure. Isn't it better than
indulging in self-centered wishful thoughts compounded with emotional
entanglements? At least it would be more relaxing and effortless. I have
savored the flavor of chanting "Amitabha," and I do pray that you
will also have the same good fortune. Please realize your chance by trying it
out. Good luck and best wishes!
July 27, 1986
Written during a retreat
Epilog
This article
focused on the chanting of the holy name of Amitabha Buddha, but the ideas
therein are not limited to this specific holy name only. For those who want to
practice chanting, they may select other Buddhist holy names or mantras
according to personal inclinations, for example, Namo Healing Buddha, Namo
Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin) Bodhisattva, Namo Ksitigarbha (Di Zang) Bodhisattva,
Om Mani Peme Hung, etc. The key point is to engage oneself deeply into one
practice, i.e., to base one's chanting practice mainly on one specific holy
name or mantra and practice it frequently. For other holy names and mantras
besides the main one, one may chant a few repetitions during regular morning or
evening sessions or at some other time. The wisdom and compassion of all
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are based on Non-Self, and they are indivisible in
Limitless-Oneness. Therefore, one may choose any one of their names or mantras
for practice.
This supplementary
explanation is added in response to Ms. Yun-hua Huang's request.
April 9, 1998
A Study for the
Cultivation of Harmony
El Cerrito, California
My Bodhicitta Vows
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