We were happy to celebrate Amitabha Buddha today, December 15. Each year, we chant Amitabha Buddha’s great vows, practice prostrations, and practice Buddha recitation: Nam Mô A Di Đà Phật. (Our English-speaking service begins on page 36 of our service book.)
After our practice, our Dharma class is dedicated to studying and learning Pure Land practices. These skillful means help us train the heart-mind to understand the conditions that support cultivating wisdom and compassion, leading to Awakening, relying on the boundless merit of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the ten directions – especially Amitābha Buddha, Kuan Yin (Quan Âm) Bodhisattva, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta (Đại Thế Chí) Bodhisattva:
“Over time, the practice goes deeply within, transforming our heart-minds. Pure Land teachings emphasize the cultivation of sincerity, faith, and the aspiration to be reborn in the Pure Land. Its broad vision is compelling, assuring Awakening. The Venerable Thích Thiên Ân described it as a place where ‘Everything … teaches the Dharma.’ The birds sing Dharma songs, ‘the rivers hum sutras,’ and ‘flowers blossom in harmony with the blossoming of wisdom.’ All the conditions support the cultivation of wisdom and compassion. ‘In the Pure Land everything is a stepping stone on the way to Perfect Enlightenment.’ …
“The more we are in touch with this vision, the more we understand what conditions make such a Pure Land possible. When we sing Dharma songs, we start to hear the Dharma from the birds. When we recite sutras, we start to hear the rivers hum them. When we cultivate wisdom, we recognize the wisdom of the flower. And more and more of our experiences become steppingstones on the path to Awakening. The wisdom and compassion of Amitābha’s Pure Land can then shine from us. Venerable Thiên Ân described this as the Buddha’s radiant light ‘growing larger and larger and brighter and brighter until it merges with our own inner light.’ And it offers to us a path by which ‘this world will become transformed into the Pure Land, this Samsara become Nirvana, and all the bliss and purity of the Western paradise become realized in the here and now of everyday life.'” (from Now is the Time to Practice)
After Dharma class and as an expression of our commitment to skillfully embodying the love and wisdom of Amitabha, we also made a collection of cold weather gear to donate to The Connecting Grounds. Thank you for everyone who is dedicated to practicing in this way!
Nam Mô A Di Đà Phật.