Questions and Answers about the Amitabha Sutra - Q1: Why did the Buddha expound the Amitabha Sutra without being asked?

A: The Amitabha Sutra is a dharma that the Lord Buddha took the initiative to expound to his wisest disciple Sariputra at Jetavana Park in the city of Shravasti. It's very rare for the Buddha to expound a sutra without being asked to do so. Why did the Buddha expound this sutra without being requested to do so? It was out of the Buddha's compassion, which could not bear to see the suffering of all sentient beings. Lotus Pond Master (Yun Qi Zhu Hong), who attached great importance to this sutra and wrote the "Amitabha Sutra Exegesis", once said: since a) the suffering sentient beings of the Dharma Ending Age have dull karmic roots and heavy karmic obstructions, and; b) it is extremely difficult to achieve success through other dharma methods, the compassionate Buddha specifically taught this expedient method as a shortcut to help sentient beings break out the cycle of birth and death. Hence, expounding the sutra without being requested demonstrates the Buddha’s urgency and compassion to save the world.


Extended Reading:

The Amitabha Sutra (the Shorter Sukhavativyuha Sutra)

Practice Method of Amitabha Buddha

Questions and Answers about the Amitabha Sutra - Q1: Why did the Buddha expound the Amitabha Sutra without being asked?

Questions and Answers about the Amitabha Sutra - Q2: Why is Amitabha Buddha's land called "World of Ultimate Bliss"?

Questions and Answers about the Amitabha Sutra - Q3: Why are the teachings expounded by the Lord Buddha in the Amitabha Sutra difficult to believe?

Questions and Answers about the Amitabha Sutra - Q4: Why is it possible to be reborn in the Pure Land by reciting a single Buddha's name?

Questions and Answers about the Amitabha Sutra - Q5: Why is "Amitofuo" considered a phrase for blessing?

Questions and Answers about the Amitabha Sutra - Q6: Is the "Amitabha Sutra" a sutra chanted exclusively for the deceased?


Resource: Issue 344 of Life Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Photos: Issue 344 of Life Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Translation: Glen Sha    
Editing: YKL, Keith Brown