Master Jìng Jiè - Guidance of Volition is Important than Power of Chanting Buddha 往生淨土 願力引導 比 念佛力道重要

(English Subtitles) 往生淨土 願力的引導 比 念佛的力道重要, Lectured by Master Jìng Jiè (淨界法師) from Taiwan.
Subtitles:
May Master reveal how we can remember the majesty of the Pure Land and the merits of the 48 vows. Being mindful of Buddha, from the view of the Pure Land Sect, has 2 key factors. One is the power of chanting Buddha, another is the guidance of chanting Buddha. The guidance is due to wisdom; The power of chanting Buddha is meditative concentration. Beginners should first realize the power of chanting. You must establish the Buddha's name amid delusions. This is the first priority. If you didn't establish the Buddha's name, how can you guide the Buddha's name? So, when you are chanting Buddha, first, you need to listen to the sound. You speak, chant, and listen to the phrase of Buddha's name. Hearing your voice, you have dot-shaped Buddha's name in your mind.
1:00
Certainly, it mixes up with many delusions. Therefore, it is not too difficult to settle the Buddha’s name in your mind. But when you are practicing during the Buddha-7 session, on the 3rd or 4th day, it's not easy whether you can keep settling Buddha in your mind or not. How can you connect the dot-shaped Buddha's name into a piece? In other words, they were originally scattered rosaries, so how do you string them together with a thread? To continue the Buddha's name and reduce delusions. At this time, Master Yinguang issued a method to respond someone's question, Master, I have delusions when chanting Buddha. How can I do? Master Yinguang said, You must chant if you cannot chant. You must focus if you cannot focus. After the name of Buddha, you need to be more persistent. But where does the persistence come from? Then you need to practice taking refuge. You need to visualize that you are a mortal with karmic hindrance. You are a sentient being that need salvage. In addition, Amitabha has 48 vows, which will save me, so I take refuge in Amitabha.
2:00
If you didn't establish positioning between you and the Buddha's name, but only a sound, you will not recite the Buddha's name well. Impossible. It's not gonna work. You don't have relationships between each other. Why do you always interact with your mother? Because you have relationships. She is your mom. Why do you always interact with your children? Because you have relationships. They are your children. Let me ask you, What's the relationships between you and Buddha's name? I have nothing to do with Buddha's name. Then you are done for no relationship. No relationship, it's just a sound. How can you be mindful of it well? There must be a relationship. He is the only Master who can save you and lift you up, and that's the relationship.
3:00
He is your boss. He is our fundamental and supreme Master. So you must establish a relationship with him. To put it more clearly, you must seek something from the Buddha. All the spiritual practice, one doesn't seek anything, except the Pure Land Sect. Pure Land Buddhists have to seek, if you don't seek anything from the Buddha, you are done. The relationship between you two is over. You seek for salvage, and Buddha happened to be able to save us, so that you chant the Buddha's name persistently. Just like the poor, who need money. When seeing treasure, he grabs it. So at the beginning, we must establish refuge in our heart, this is the first. When you take refuge in Amitabha, the Buddha's name arise in your heart. What's next? The Buddha's name has infinite light and infinite life, which has no direction. How to guide it?
4:00
It's from the roots of kindness. You have faith and establish the Buddha's name. The 2nd, volition. You have to lead the Buddha's name in two directions. One is to disgust with Saha and turn away from it, and the other is to seek Bliss joyfully. That needs wisdom. Before chanting Buddha, we need to establish faith, right? We need to have faith in the Buddha,
then we can establish Buddha's name. Because delusion will resist the Buddha's name. What about persistence? It's established by faith. When Buddha's name is established in mind, you have to visualize the merit of the Pure Land via wisdom. It is not only the Buddha but also the Pure Land.
We disgust the Saha World with its demerits and turn away from it, and joyfully appreciate the Bliss World and redirect the Buddha's name to the Pure Land . So we Buddhists who chant Buddha do two things. 1St, Take refuge in the Buddha.
5:00
Raise the Buddha's name in mind and focus on it. 2nd, delightedly seek rebirth in the Pure Land by reciting the Buddha's name. One is to establish the Buddha's name, which is the part of meditative concentration. The other is to lead the Buddha's name, which is the part of wisdom. It's crucial here. Any question? This the basic skill of the Pure Land Sect. Two steps of reciting the Buddha's name. So you must be very familiar with the Pure Land Sect.