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?

A: The Amitabha Sutra clearly states that upholding and reciting the Buddha's name is the most clear, direct and easy method to be reborn in the Pure Land. In addition, the eighteenth vow of Amitabha Buddha's forty-eight vows also points out that having ten thoughts or even one thought of that Buddha country at the end of life is an expedient method to be reborn in the Pure Land. Moreover, the twentieth great vow states that one does not even need to hold the name, visualize, or recite the Buddha's name. As long as one hears the Buddha Amitabha's name and keeps one's mind on the Pure Land of Amitabha, one can surely be reborn in the Pure Land.
 
Master Sheng Yen pointed out in his book "Mindfulness of the Buddha for Rebirth in the Pure Land" that as long as you believe in the power of Buddha Amitabha's vows and have the aspiration to be reborn in the Pure Land, you will be led to the Pure Land by the compassion of Buddha Amitabha. Of the 84,000 Dharma approaches, the most convenient and simplest one is to recite the name of "Buddha Amitabha". Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, Chan Master Yongming Yanshou of the Five Dynasties, Lotus Pond Master and Master Ouyi of the Later Ming Dynasty, and even the present-day Master Yin Guang and Master Hong Yi, all have encouraged people to recite the Buddha's name. Master Yin Guang also pointed out that "holding and reciting the Buddha's name" is the practice method most suitable for modern people. In particular, the practice of the "ten-recitation method" is widely accepted worldwide.


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