The Conditions for Rebirth in the Amitabha Sutra

Original text of the Amitābha Sūtra: 若有善男子、善女人。闻说阿弥陀佛。执持名号。若一日。若二日。若三日。若四日。若五日。若六日。若七日。一心不乱。其人临命终时。阿弥陀佛与诸圣众。现在其前。是人终时。心不颠倒。即得往生阿弥陀佛极乐国土。舍利弗。我见是利。故说此言。若有众生。闻是说者。应当发愿。生彼国土。

Explanation: If there are good men and good women who hear that Amitābha Buddha exists in the land of bliss (sukhāvatī), and, aspiring for rebirth there, they recollect the name of Amitābha Buddha—whether they recite for one day and reach the state of single-minded concentration without confusion, or recite for two, three, four, five, six, or seven days respectively and reach the state of single-minded concentration without confusion—when such a person approaches the end of life, Amitābha Buddha together with the multitude of noble ones will appear before this person. If, at the time of death, this person's mind is not inverted, not thinking of any people, matters, or things in the Sahā world, then he can be reborn in Amitābha Buddha's land of bliss (sukhāvatī). Śāriputra, because I have seen such a supreme benefit, I speak these words. If there are sentient beings who hear this teaching, they should make the vow to be reborn in Amitābha Buddha's land of bliss (sukhāvatī).

Here the Buddha has made the conditions for rebirth very clear: one must cultivate to the point of single-minded concentration without confusion, with the meditative concentration/meditative absorption (samādhi) of recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) manifesting, and at the time of death the mind must not be inverted—one must not be thinking of the Sahā world. If one is thinking of the Sahā world, then even if Amitābha Buddha and the multitude of noble ones come before one, they will turn back and be unable to receive and guide one. This means that even if one recites the Buddha's name to the point of foreknowing the time of one's death, rebirth still cannot be guaranteed, because at the time of death, meditative concentration is a variable, not something fixed and unchanging, and the mental states and karmic forces are also variables. Once the power of concentration vanishes, the mind becomes scattered and distracted thoughts appear—then nothing else can be discussed. And there are many factors that affect the power of concentration; at the time of death, some condition or other may arise, the mind becomes scattered, and rebirth becomes impossible.

Single-minded concentration without confusion can be achieved, but having a mind that is not inverted at the time of death—this is the key, and it is extremely difficult. At the time of death, if karmic obstructions manifest and creditors from past grudges and debts come knocking, probably very few will be able to keep their minds uninverted; even giving rise to a single thought of greed will prevent one from going there. How should faith be held, and to what degree? What aspirations should the vow contain? What actions should the practice involve? What should one do? The contents of faith, vow, and practice are very rich. If one wishes to be reborn there, one should first steep oneself in the content taught by the Buddha at the beginning of the Zuochan Sanmei Jing (Sūtra on the Meditative Concentration/meditative absorption (samādhi) of Sitting in Chan) on taming the various kinds of minds; only by regulating the mind so that it is not inverted can one have hope of rebirth there.

People who are elderly or who have illnesses in their bodies should put more effort into the path of practice and spend less time intellectually understanding unnecessary dharmas, because at the time of death it is the practice of this lifetime that determines the destination of the next life; intellectually understood dharmas do not play a decisive role. The most important things for seeking rebirth in the Pure Land are the power of the vow and the actions of the vow; the power of one's aspirations and mental states is very important. If one wants the power of the vow to be firm, one must deeply recognize the suffering of the world; if one does not know the suffering of the world, the mind will become lax due to craving and attachment. Many Buddhist learners, no matter how long they have studied Buddhism, still remain leisurely and without any sense of urgency; every day they look here and glance there, are interested in everything, absorb bits of knowledge in a disorganized manner, have no correct understanding or plan for their practice, and are also ignorant and fearless about the next life. Such people are usually beginners in Buddhism—like a newborn calf that does not fear the tiger; beginners in Buddhism fear neither suffering nor death.

Those who wish to study and practice the dharma gate of recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) should first look at the cultivation story of Master Huiyuan, the first patriarch of the Pure Land school—see how the Master cultivated, and why he was able to behold the sacred image three times within meditative concentration/meditative absorption (samādhi)? How should we apply effort in our practice to guarantee rebirth in the Pure Land at the end of life?