All-Knowing Wisdom & Unsurpassable Eloquence
From Amitabha Buddha’s Great Vows 32, 33 & 34
All-Knowing Wisdom and Unsurpassable Eloquence
Amitabha Buddha’s Great Vows 32, 33 & 34
Sakyamuni Buddha speaks of the monk Dharmakara, his practice, and his forty-eight vows before he became Amitabha Buddha. Excerpted from the Infinite Life Sutra:
When I become a Buddha, those who are born in my land will have infinite good roots. Like Vajra Narayana, they will have strong, indestructible bodies. Their head and body will emanate light. They will achieve all-knowing wisdom and acquire unsurpassable eloquence. They will excel at expounding the profound essentials of the Dharma. Speaking the sutras and practicing the Way, their words will be like the tolling of a bell. If this is not so, I will not attain perfect enlightenment.
- Vow 32. Body like that of Narayana.
- Vow 33. Light, wisdom, and eloquence
- Vow 34. Excel at expounding essentials of the Dharma.
The first sentence here is, “When I become a Buddha, those who are born in my land will have infinite good roots.”
“Good roots” means solid and unbreakable goodness of mind. Those going to the Western Pure Land have good roots, the most important one being the resolute aspiration to go there. When these beings encounter setbacks and great suffering, their aspiration will never waver. This is the best mind because it is determined to attain buddhahood and then to perfectly help all beings. This mind is greater in goodness than any other mind.
The beings’ good roots will continue growing in the Pure Land. The good roots with the unbreakable aspiration to become a Buddha to help all beings will result in having an indestructible body like Vajra Narayana (Narayana is a name for the king of the Brahma Heaven who is brave and strong. His body is indestructible.)
“Vajra Narayana” is a metaphor for good physical health and strength. Here in samsara, our body is said to be like a bag of skin containing flesh, tissues, blood, and bones. Our body ages and grows ill. It has difficulty withstanding bad weather and difficult circumstances. Encountering a little bit of wind and cold, we can get sick and our body can become weak. If we eat some bad food, we easily become ill. Our body is very fragile. Inevitably, it dies and decomposes. It is manifestly unsuited to kalpas of spiritual cultivation.
But in the Pure Land, our body will be very different. It will not be subject to fatigue, illness, and deterioration. Strong, unchangeable, and indestructible, like a “vajra,” a diamond, our body will remain so for as long as we need it to. This is a body of purity and emptiness, a body of infinity. It is without any impurity, and neither exists nor does not exist. It can be seen but if one touches it, there is nothing. It is just like clouds and mist.
Is there a cloud? Yes.
Can one grasp it? No.
They can merge into one another without hindrance or they can remain separate. This body has no obstacles! Like light and shadow, it never breaks. It has an infinite lifespan and is truly immeasurable.
In Dharmakara’s thirty-third vow, for those born in his pure land, he vowed, “Their head and body will emanate light. They will achieve all-knowing wisdom and acquire unsurpassable eloquence.” The heads and bodies of the bodhisattvas in the Pure Land emanate constant light like that of Amitabha Buddha. The “light” is the wondrous prajna wisdom within the true nature.
With Amitabha Buddha’s supporting power, the bodhisattvas in the Pure Land uncover this wisdom. The wondrous Dharma also comes from this innate wisdom. As a result, they are able to propagate the wondrous Dharma with great eloquence.
From where does this wisdom arise?
It arises from the pure mind.
In other words, when a pure mind is functioning, wisdom will be revealed. The best way to realize the prajna wisdom in one’s true nature is to have fewer wandering thoughts. In other words, one should not use their false mind, the deluded mind. Not having a deluded mind means letting the mind be calm and focused, able to observe everything clearly and correctly.
If one has no thoughts and is not clear about the external world, then one is in the state of ignorance, not true meditative concentration. What if one is clear about the external world, but has many rising thoughts? Then one’s view is incorrect. It is not true meditative concentration.
What then is true meditative concentration?
It is clearly knowing the external world while the mind remains in an unperturbed and tranquil state, and not clinging to any external phenomena.
If one does not know how to practice, then one can chant Amitabha Buddha’s name. Having one chant continuing after another achieves buddha-name mindfulness samadhi. It is the cultivation of a pure mind, an impartial mind, and an awakened mind.
These three qualities of “Purity, Impartiality, and Enlightenment” are found in the full title of the Infinite Life Sutra: Buddha Speaks the Mahayana, Infinite Life, Adornment, Purity, Impartiality, and Enlightenment Sutra.
Since we have many things to do in our lives, we need to know when to mindfully chant the buddha-name and when to be mindful of Amitabha Buddha. When doing ordinary tasks like cleaning or exercising, we can mindfully chant at the same time. But when we need to concentrate on our work, instead of chanting, we can strive to be mindful of Amitabha Buddha by acting in accordance with his teachings. In this way, our work does not interrupt our purity of mind and our purity of mind does not interrupt our work.
When we are mindful of Amitabha Buddha when working, we will work more effectively. Whatever we are doing, we should be mindful of Amitabha Buddha. In this way, we will increase our purity of mind and with purity of mind both innate wisdom and innate eloquence will come forth.
Vow thirty-four contains the phrase expounding “the profound essentials of the Dharma.” This refers to the Infinite Life Sutra and the name of Amitabha Buddha. This teaching is hard to understand, hard to believe. As ancient accomplished masters said, this buddha-name is the most profound of all profundities, the most meditative of all meditations, the most truthful of all truths, and the most perfect of all perfections. If we can explain so people accept and believe it, then we will excel at “expounding the profound essentials of the Dharma.”
“Speaking the sutras” is teaching through speech.
“Practicing the Way” is teaching through actions. It is not just talking about doing something but sincerely following the teachings; that is, doing everything that is taught in the sutras.
“Their words will be like the tolling of a bell” continues from the previous sentence. This is a simile, the meaning of which is very profound. Carrying a long way, the sound of a temple bell can catch people’s attention and caution them to guard against their improper thoughts. Everyone who hears it will have a different insight depending on their current conditions and understanding. Similarly, the teaching of the Dharma and each chant of Amitabha Buddha’s name carry infinite wonderful meanings. It can reach far and universally awaken all sentient beings in the nine Dharma realms.
Having themselves suffered previously, the bodhisattvas in the Pure Land have the great compassion to wish that sentient beings do not suffer. In order to guide beings to transcend suffering, we need to possess unsurpassable eloquence and excel at expounding the profound essentials of the Dharma. Unfortunately, we ordinary beings normally lack such abilities.
But in the Pure Land, even though we have not ended our afflictions, with the support of Amitabha Buddha, we will possess these abilities to help beings who are suffering. If we truly wish to devote ourselves to the practice of the bodhisattva way and hope to see beings out of suffering sooner, we need to aspire to be born in the Pure Land as soon as we can.
>> Learn more: The Initiation, Amitabha Buddha’s Forty-eight Vows
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Dedication of Merit
May the merits and virtues accrued from this work
adorn the Buddha’s pure land,
repay the four kinds of kindness above,
and relieve the sufferings of those in the three paths below.
May all those who see and hear of this
bring forth the bodhi mind
and at the end of this life,
be born together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Note: The above is excerpted from the book “Awakening the Bodhi Mind: Amitabha Buddha’s Forty-Eight Vows”, which is available for download at eLibrary collection, Amitabha Gallery.
The Amitabha Buddha’s forty-eight vows is derived from the Chinese verses of the Infinite Life Sutra, that we are immensely grateful to the compilation efforts by Mr Xia Lianju. Translation credits go to The Pure Land Translation Team, Pure Land College Press.
