後生念佛林鈺堂念佛的人要怎樣誘導小兒輩念佛呢？ 胎教期間，父母親要常念佛、唱佛、和放「五會念佛」樂曲給胎兒聽，這樣子可使胎兒消業障、增福慧。產婦在陣痛、生產時唸「觀音菩薩」可以減輕痛楚及保祐母子平安。襁褓期間，抱嬰兒看佛像，或把佛像放在他常見的地方；除了常常播放五會念佛的錄音帶之外，大人在撫摩、搖抱、哄睡嬰兒的時候，最好都輕念或默念佛號；半夜嬰兒啼哭起來，大人在照顧他時可以藉著念佛來平心靜氣，使氣氛平和安寧。 教導視聽殘障的幼兒，就要利用他沒有殘障的功能，譬如給聾兒看佛像，給盲兒聽佛號。萬一又盲又聾，大人可以一邊念佛，一邊輕拍、撫摩他，抱著他或牽著他經行。這樣父母的慈愛及寧和可以直接傳達而感化幼兒。此外，給他一串念珠，教他一圈又一圈的撥珠；這是利用觸覺來「念佛」。對於辛苦照顧殘障子女的父母，念佛可以淨心，減輕煩惱。 每天找一個固定的時間，全家一起念佛或唱五會念佛，養成習慣。這時候如果幼兒不樂意一起來念佛，還是要讓他習慣在場，不然將來要他參與就很困難了。小兒若不肯念誦，不要太勉強他，只要他在場就好。如果不能安靜，就稍微勸止，不要因為強制而鬧成一團；勸止不聽，就算了，全家佛課照常進行。等大家做完佛課後，再溫和地勸導、鼓勵他，陪他個別地再做一些佛課。這樣緩和勸進可以免得他蘊積反抗的情緒。 不要因為擔心法器或佛像可能被損，就不由分說地禁止幼兒接近，這樣會給孩子一個錯誤的印象，以為這些佛像、法器是不可親近的。小孩若喜歡佛像，可以看情況讓他擁有；若對法器有興趣，也可以讓他觸摸，教他使用，並且為他說明相關的意義或故事。千萬不要因為怕麻煩，而抑制了孩子們自然的親切感；只是需要大人在旁照顧指導，以免損壞了佛像或法器。引磬、木魚等法器，要教小孩用來伴唱、伴念，增加念佛的樂趣。我在德州奧斯汀講經時，看到佛學社的小朋友們敲木魚、擊磬來伴唱五會念佛，節拍分明，唱得入神。這樣活潑地引導小兒輩念佛，值得大家效法。 佛桌上供品的添換，供杯的清洗、擦拭等，到了小孩五歲左右就可以教他們怎樣做了。寄佛書、佛曲或講經的錄音帶給朋友，也可讓孩子練習幫忙；如果朋友回信提到他們得到的益處，也要說給孩子聽，使他們了解這些服務的意義，而對法務有興趣。 親子活動可以與佛法連接。例如一起閱讀佛教兒童故事、帶孩子去放生、去寺院上香、參加慈善樂捐、服務活動、法會、朝聖等等。 當小兒問我：「為什麼要念佛？」我的回答是：「我們有時生病了，覺得難過；跌倒、碰撞了，覺得疼痛；有時孤單、怕黑，覺得委曲；像這樣身體疼痛，心裡不安的時候，不斷地念佛會使心裡慢慢平靜下來，痛苦、委曲也就不會那麼難受了，黑暗也就不再那麼可怕了。當我們念佛的時候，心裡有佛陪伴著，就不覺得孤單了。我們每天都要飲食、運動，來維持身體的健康；我們也需要天天念佛，因為這是心靈的美食，也是心靈的體操，可以使我們自然地平安、快樂。」 有沒有必要教小孩念佛呢？ 有的。因為小孩也有心裡不平安的時候，也有任性發怒的時候，念佛調心對他們一樣有益。但是大人教小孩念佛，方法要善巧，態度要溫和，要有耐心，才會有良好的效果。小孩正在不安、發怒的時候，要先安慰他、開導他，等他平靜了，才能帶著他念佛。若是強迫壓制，令孩子心生反感，即使小時順從，將來長大了卻可能反抗、厭棄，這樣反而不妙。此外，孩子也可能有往生的問題。人壽無定；黃泉路上無老少。有時我去墳場超幽，也帶兩個兒子去。到了墳場，在一邊走、一邊念佛的時候，要他們注意個個墓碑上刻載的年歲。因此他們都知道，有的人剛生下來沒多久就死了，也有人在童年就走了。這些事實使他們了解死亡是自然的一部分，生命很可貴，要珍惜現在，努力念佛，認真做事。 一般而言，年輕人較少念佛，要如何勸他們念佛呢？ 首先是要身體力行，使他們了解這是真正值得做的，並且不是光說不練的。 其次是要待機而勸。不要老是自說自話，死背教條，不管他們想不想聽。如果一味嘮叨，他們遠遠看到你，就急忙走避了。寧可等到他們問起念佛是幹什麼，或者正為人生的問題而苦惱，再針對他們的興趣和情況來說明念佛的道理、方法和好處。使他們了解「我執」是世間苦惱的根本，而「念佛」可以漸進並且安穩地消除「我執」。並且這是心靈的體操，可使心地清明，而達到心力集中的功用。因此念佛並不是消極避世，而是清理自心，以便能為眾生做妥善的服務。「念念在佛」，使我們遠離世間的私慾及偏執，是真正能夠解脫「我執」的生路。我們每天借重這個修心的方法來「自淨其意」，希望能以完善的人格，來積極服務大眾。 「後生可畏，焉知來者之不如今也？」年輕人涉世未深，心地單純，若能了解念佛的意義，往往在行持上更能勇猛精進。因此我們不能看輕年輕的修行人。 兵法上說：「置之死地而後生。」就是說一旦身陷絕地，不得不拚命，反而能轉敗為勝，打開生路。念佛也是一樣，要先了解處境的脆危，才會拚命念佛，達到往生極樂。首先要想「無常」：人命短促，死期無定，而無可避免。死後若再輪迴，就不知要待何時才能再了解念佛的可貴，更難說有閒暇修習念佛了。跳出輪迴的機會十分難得，輪迴六道之中的苦無有窮盡，怎不叫人驚心？怎能不及時努力念佛，以求達到解脫？看看自己的親友舊識，一個個不是已死，就是離死不遠，而自己處於待死者之間，正一分一秒地接近死亡。現在念佛，就要當做臨終，拚命求佛施救；現在念佛，就要當做已死，放下一切掛慮。天天這樣念佛，將來必定往生極樂世界。這是「後生念佛」的題外一章。
跋 數日前於夢中見一頁文章，標題明顯是「後生念佛」四字。私揣佛意，囑我依題作文，而開始思索題義。今日作此，以呈佛，以勸後生念佛，以勸大眾念佛當「置之死地而後生」！ 純真助理此文二稿，琇瑩建議改進並修訂三稿，附此誌感。 王曾璧容女居士來信提示產婦念佛之功效，並囑於講經時轉告聽眾中之孕婦，因此我在本文第一段內加入勸語。謹此誌謝。 How to Teach Youngsters the Chanting of “Amitabha”A talk transcribed by Manli Peng, Ann Klein, Chun Jane ChenPreface My talk was based on my Chinese article titled “Hou Sheng Nian Fo.” It was delivered to members of the Miami Buddhist Lotus Society on July 29, 1991 in Miami , Florida . Dr. Manli Peng kindly transcribed my talk for publication. When I reviewed her transcript I realized that my spoken English needed a lot of refinement. Hence, I started to rewrite it based on the transcript. My sincere thanks to Dr. Manli Peng for her many days of hard work resulting in a very useful transcript, to Ann Klein for her improvement on my writing, and to Chun Jane Chen for her typing.
This is an interesting topic. I decided to write this Chinese article because I had experience in teaching my two sons to do Buddhist practices and wanted to share my experiences with other Buddhist parents. Another reason that prompted me to write this article was a dream I had a few days earlier. I saw in that dream a piece of paper that resembled the first page of an article. The title was clearly written in Chinese: “Hou Sheng Nian Fo,” and the text was marked by dots only. The title means youngsters chant “Amitabha.” Reflecting on the meaning, I took it to be a sign indicating that Buddha was assigning me the job of writing on this topic. Thus, I began to think about what I could say on this matter, and then I wrote this article in Chinese. This topic is very important for bringing up Buddhist youngsters, so today I have chosen to talk about it in English, based on my Chinese article, thereby making it available to the English speaking world. Generally speaking, the holy name chanted need not be restricted to that of Amitabha Buddha only. We may chant the name of other Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, or their mantras. Nevertheless, it would be more conducive to spiritual progress if we concentrate on chanting only one holy name or mantra as our main practice. The remarks made in this talk are applicable to Buddhist chantings in general. Hence, you do not need to switch to the chanting of “Amitabha” if you are already accustomed to chanting other holy names or mantras in Buddhism. If you have not chosen a certain chant for your main practice, I would like to recommend that you choose a short one, for example, “Amitabha.” The reason being that a short one would be easier to maintain in our minds throughout the ups and downs of life. Even when we become weak, sick, or are in a crisis we would like to be able to continue the chanting to maintain peace of mind and receive Buddha's blessing. A short one would be easier to recall and keep in mind. My article begins with this question: How does one who practices the chanting of “Amitabha” induce the youngsters to do the same? According to the Buddhist teaching, one's consciousness enters the mother's egg upon conception. Therefore, we begin the teaching of chanting from the time of pregnancy. The parents should chant “Amitabha” or sing the five-variation chanting of “Amitabha.” You are welcome to write me for a free copy of this melodious chanting tape. The parents can also play this tape for the baby and themselves. These practices will reduce the Karmic hindrances and increase the merits and wisdom of both parents and child. During labor the mother is advised to chant “Guan Yin Pu Sa (Avalokitesvara).” This will reduce her pain and help secure a safe delivery. Mrs. Bi-Rong Wang, a mother of three from Atlanta , Georgia , asked me to mention this application of the chanting practice because she herself had experienced its marvelous benefits. She had noticed that children thus born have a nicer temperament. During infancy we show the baby images of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas by either carrying him or her to the altar or setting up some images in a place where he or she can often see them, for example, somewhere near the cradle. We can also play the tape of the melodious five-variation chanting of “Amitabha” often so that the baby lives in an atmosphere of peace and harmony. When we caress the baby or gently rock him or her to sleep, it would be nice to chant “Amitabha” softly or silently. While taking care of the baby crying in the middle of the night the parents might get upset sometimes, then they may want to chant to calm themselves down. Only when the parents are at ease can the baby be calmed down by the peaceful feeling that they convey. When we teach children with visual or auditory disabilities we need to make use of their remaining faculties. For example, we could show an image of Buddha to a deaf child and play the chanting tape for a blind child. (Of course, these suggestions apply to all deaf or blind persons, regardless of their ages.) In case the child is unfortunately both blind and deaf we can gently pat or caress him, carry him or lead his way in circumambulation (walking clockwise in a circle), while chanting “Amitabha.” In this way the child can sense the peace and harmony of chanting. Under such loving care of the parents, the child's temperament will become more gentle. Furthermore, we can give the child a string of beads and teach him to move the beads one by one with his fingers. This amounts to “chanting” by touching. Parents who work hard to take care of children, especially those with a disability, would find chanting “Amitabha” very helpful in freeing their minds from worries and complaints, and in inducing a pure, fresh and peaceful state of mind. Consequently, the chores become easier to handle, and the parent-child relationship becomes smoother and sweeter. Since our goal is to help develop the habit of doing a practice rather than to provide the excitement of stimulations, the emphasis is not on showing a lot of variety. We simply provide in a natural way the same image for the child to look at frequently. For example, place or hang an image of Amitabha Buddha in the child's room, on his desk, or on the wall facing his seat. Likewise, we choose one chanting tape and play it most of the time; and we give him a string of beads to “chant” by hand. Communication between minds are not limited to our usual senses of sight, hearing, etc. Occurrences of supernatural communication are frequently experienced by spiritual practitioners. Therefore, when we chant “Amitabha” for a blind and deaf child we should not hold on to the mistaken notion that he cannot sense it. We need to chant with the understanding that the child can fully “sense” it. In fact, the effect of chanting is not limited by space or time. The touch of a person worrying is very different from that of a person chanting. When we are in the presence of a person who has been doing Buddhist practices for years we will sense that there is a difference. It is a harmony of serenity, clarity and profound compassion that permeates the atmosphere. Therefore, it is very helpful to others that we do chanting daily so that when we need to convey our love and sympathy through touch, the receiver will greatly benefit. We need physical exercise to keep our bodies in good health. Similarly, we need mental exercise to keep our minds in good spirit. Chanting “Amitabha” is a simple practice which helps to keep our mind active in a pure and concentrated way. Ordinarily, if we do not use our minds regularly, they will become dull and scattered; and if we use our minds for worldly activities, it is inevitable that we will become entangled in self-centered thoughts. Therefore, in order to maintain our mental equilibrium, it is of great benefit to adopt a simple practice like the chanting of “Amitabha” for daily spiritual exercise. Once a blind and deaf child is accustomed to moving the beads, he will gradually enjoy doing it because his mindfulness is constantly working while he moves the beads. Furthermore, this is a simple activity which is intuitive and direct, i.e., without the involvement of conceptual framework. Therefore, it induces the growth of one's inner purity. The blind and deaf children are fortunate in that they are not subject to pollution by human conceptualizations. Their natural purity is intact, and hence what they need is simply some repetitive activities to keep their minds active. Moving the beads is their “chanting of Buddha” because Buddhahood means returning to our original purity and they stay in touch with that purity through this activity. On a daily basis set a definite time for the whole family to get together to chant “Amitabha” or sing the five-variation chanting of “Amitabha.” It is very beneficial to form such a habit in educating youngsters. Unless they are taught ways to maintain their purity of mind there is no telling what they might pick up from the schools, the streets and their friends. They are constantly under the surreptitious influences of television, radio, movies, magazines, newspapers, etc. If the parents do not set good examples for them and give them proper instructions along the way of their growth, it is very likely that they could be led astray by pursuits of vanities and pleasures. It is important to start forming these habits while they are still very young, otherwise it may be too late when they get older. Sometimes children might be reluctant or do not want to join the family service. The parents should not force them to do the practice or punish them for that, but rather simply insist on having their presence in the room. The very young ones can be allowed to have food or toys with them. In this way they will not develop repulsive feelings toward the practice; besides, their presence makes it a passive participation, and they will not feel that they are entitled to ignoring these gatherings. If parents do not insist on the minimum requirement of the child's presence, then as he grows older it will become even more difficult to introduce the practice to him. For these family practices it would be better to do only those that are simple or attractive to the children, for example, singing “Amitabha,” chanting and circumambulating, making offerings, prostrations and playing musical Dharma instruments. If the children become restless or noisy while they are attending the family service, the parents should gently tell them to quiet down, and such admonishing should be given just a few times. If they do not obey, the rest of the family should simply continue the practice without stopping to correct them. Thereby the family service will not turn into chaotic shouting and frenzied crying. Nevertheless, they are not allowed to leave the room; otherwise they will have learned that making a fuss is a sure way to avoid the gathering. After the rest of the family has completed the routine practices, the parents should comfort the ones who misbehaved with gentle advice and encouraging words, trying to persuade them to do at least a little bit of the practice together with the parents. Such a gentle and gradual approach will in the long run prove to be effective and without backlashes. Since it is a daily task that will continue for years, it takes a lot of patience and kindness on the part of the parents. And we, as parents, can improve our own patience and kindness through such endeavors. When small children approach the altar, they tend to touch objects on the altar and play with them, and the adults out of cautiousness will tell them to stop playing or stay away. Consequently, children may get the wrong impression that they are not supposed to be near these objects, or they may develop a sense of uneasiness toward the Dharma instruments or images. We certainly do not want to have this kind of result. We would like them to feel dear and natural toward the Dharma. Therefore, first of all, our attitude should be gentle and encouraging. Although we still need to be aware of the possibility of accidents, we should not automatically stop them in a stern manner. Instead, we should teach them the proper way to use these objects, allowing them to play with the Dharma instruments as long as nothing is damaged, and telling them the significance or related stories in terms that they can understand. If they want to have Buddha images or Dharma instruments for themselves, we should try to make these available for them. If what they desire is too costly or impractical, we should try to satisfy them with substitutes, for example, a small statue in place of a big statue or a poster in place of a statue. When children are taught to use the musical Dharma instruments to accompany chanting, it will increase their enthusiasm in the practice. When I gave lectures in Austin , Texas , the children of the members of the local Buddhist group were gathered in the adjacent room. They tapped the wooden fish and the Qing (metal musical bowl) while singing the five-variation chanting of “Amitabha.” Their tempo was clear and their singing was full of devotion and absorption. I believe that Buddhists who had the chance to see their performance would enjoy having their own children to do the same; it was so lovely! The lady who taught these children the chanting told me an anecdote: Once she reminded the children that while chanting they should not think of anything else. A three-year old replied, “I cannot think of anything else while chanting.” Concentration is a natural quality of a pure mind, and adults tend to lose it owing to the accumulation of their attachments. Chanting practiced on a daily basis will gradually bring back our natural purity and its accompanying merits. As soon as your child is old enough to do certain Dharma activities, let him participate in them. When Howard, my first son, was five-years old, my late guru Yogi Chen told me to help him set up his own small altar so that he could practice the daily offerings of incense, water and candles. When Frank, my second son, was five-years old, Howard taught him how to empty, clean and set up the offering cups at the end of a day. Howard started to string prayer beads and duplicate singing “Amitabha” tapes for free distribution at age seven. He started the chanting of the hundred-syllable mantra of Vajrasattva even earlier, at age three and half. These are some examples of what kind of Dharma activities that children can do as they grow up. Now Howard is fourteen years old and in charge of duplicating tapes for free distribution. He makes sure that we always have ten copies of the chanting “Amitabha” tape available. Whenever people who have received the books and tapes we sent write back to thank and tell us how helpful those materials have been to them, I share this feedback with my sons so that they understand that their participation actually helps people. Once they understand the benefits, they would like to help with Dharma service. Do not ask them to work for the Dharma in an authoritarian way. Not understanding the significance may cause them to resent the extra work asked of them. Try to connect the family activities with the Dharma. For example, when reading to children, use books on the past lives of Buddha or other children's books that contain Buddhist teachings on impermanence, tolerance, compassion, giving and sharing, etc. Take children to Dharma activities such as releasing of turtles, birds and fish, Dharma talks, group practices, visiting monasteries or cemeteries, going on pilgrimages, etc. Encourage them to participate in charity activities or community services. Once my son Frank asked me, “Why do we chant ‘Amitabha'?” My answer was as follows: Occasionally we are sick and feel uncomfortable, we run into something and get hurt or feel pain, we feel lonely, we are scared of darkness, or we are angry. At times like these when our body is in discomfort or our minds are not at ease, if we remember to chant “Amitabha” and repeat it for a while, gradually our minds will calm down, and then the bodily pains will not feel so bad or the darkness will become less scary. As we chant “Amitabha” we have Amitabha's company in our hearts, so we are no longer alone and need not feel lonely. Everyday we need to eat, drink and exercise to keep our bodies in good health; similarly, everyday we need to chant “Amitabha” because it is both a wonderful spiritual food and a purifying exercise for our mind. It will naturally lead us to live a peaceful and happy life. I hope that my answer to Frank's question given above will serve as an example of how to explain the meaning of chanting to children. The next question is—is there a need to teach children the chanting of “Amitabha”? Yes, indeed, there is such a need. It is never too early to start this education because children also have emotional ups and downs, and hence they also need to learn how to maintain their mental balance. Besides, the practice can be taught without resorting to abstract words. We can simply let them start by listening to the melodious five-variation chanting of “Amitabha.” If we play this chanting tape often, the family is bathed in a harmonious atmosphere. This will help the children to grow robustly in body and mind. The methods employed in teaching children the chanting of “Amitabha” should be carefully chosen; our attitude should be kind and gentle; and we must be patient. Only then can we expect and get good results. When a child is angry or upset, we need to comfort him or her, and talk to him or her to calm him or her down. We talk to the child to find out what is upsetting him or her, and then we try to lead the child to look at things from many angles. Thereby we may be able to bring the child out of his or her entanglements. We can suggest an activity that the child would like to do and join him or her in doing it. Only after the child has calmed down or become happy can we play the chanting tape or ask him or her to join us in Dharma activities. While teaching children we should not be confined to using only Buddhist terminology. It would be better to exemplify humbleness and care for others in our daily lives rather than repeating idealistic talks. Do not force children to do Dharma practices. Right now they have to listen to the parents, but when they grow up they will not do it unless they want to. If children are forced to do Dharma practice, they will resent it and associate Dharma practices with oppression. Then it is inevitable that they will want to discard these practices as soon as they are on their own. Such cases would be, in my view, tragic. Another reason for teaching children the chanting of “Amitabha” is that youngsters are also not free from impermanence. Death comes to people of all ages! If you visit a cemetery and read the tombstones, you will see many who died in the womb, in stillbirth, in infancy, in childhood or in their teens. Accidents may happen to anyone. In Miami many people have a swimming pool in their backyards, and there are young children who have drowned in these swimming pools. By teaching children the chanting of “Amitabha” we could help them to obtain a better rebirth in case they die young. Now and then I go to cemeteries to pray for the dead, and read the inscriptions on the tombstones, thereby learning of many short life-stories and gaining an intuitive sense of the transience of life. I have invited my sons to go with me on these visits, but I have never ordered them to come along. Sometimes they joined me, and we walked among the tombstones and chanted. I asked them to read the tombstones to find out how long the deceased have lived, how long one of a married couple out-lived the other, etc. I especially pointed out to them the fact that there were even babies buried here, not to mention children and teens. Thus, they have witnessed and learned that death is a natural part of life, that life is short and hence precious. Therefore, we should make good use of it while we are still alive. Visits to the cemetery and praying for deceased ones have not produced a fear of death in my sons. Instead, when they hear in school that someone has passed away, after they return home they ask me to pray for the deceased. Generally speaking, older people are more likely to turn to religion because they have gone through life and encountered many situations, and thus realize how limited we all are. We need the teachings and practices of religion to help us maintain at least a balanced mentality, or even achieve inner tranquility and happiness. Youngsters, except those who have been reared from a religious background, are less likely to be even interested in religious practices or theories. How are we going to show them the benefits of chanting “Amitabha”? The first and foremost point is that we need to do the practice diligently ourselves; we teach others by setting examples ourselves. No one can persuade others the value of a practice without doing the practice himself. The second point is that we give advice only when the time is right. We should not keep repeating our views or try to indoctrinate the youngsters if they are not interested in the subject. If we keep advising people who are not interested, they will become resistant or feel offended. It simply will not work. Next time they will even avoid getting close to us. It is better to wait until they ask what we are doing and why, then it is their question and we are not forcing our views on them. Another opportunity to talk to them about chanting is at a time when they are suffering from worldly sorrows. Then we should first analyze their situation for them, pointing out the sources of their problems and give advice on practical solutions. We can then recommend that they try the chanting practice as a means to release their worries and tensions. We also explain the long term benefits of a daily chanting practice, emphasizing its merits based on our own experiences. For example, if a youngster is in a difficult situation we can show our empathy by sharing our experiences of such difficulties with him or her. Further, we can mention many other difficult situations that people have gone through; thus we help him or her enlarge his or her views, and his or her situation becomes more tolerable. We advise the youngster on how to handle the situation so that the result will be better for all involved. Finally, we recommend the chanting practice, explaining that without such mental exercises it would be very difficult for us to keep our heads above the muddy water of worldly sorrows. The central theme of our advice is the Buddhist teaching that egoism is the root of all our sorrows. A life free from the slavery of egoism is peaceful, harmonious, open and delightful. In order to enjoy such a life, we all need to work on the elimination of our self-centeredness. When we are not blinded by our self-centeredness, we will see the obvious fact that we are all very fragile and we all want love, peace, and all the good things that life may offer. Nevertheless, the resources are limited, so we simply have to save and share. Overpowering others by force will bring us only temporary advantages at the expense of others' miseries, and then we live in fear of losing our possessions and become enslaved by our possessions. Although the elimination of one's ego is very difficult to achieve, it is not impossible. When we look at the whole human race, progress toward the elimination of the ego seems like it could never become a reality. Nevertheless, if we do not advocate and practice this ideal of non-egoism, whatever we are enjoying now may soon be lost. (added later: Looking at the riots in Los Angeles in April 1992 one immediately realizes the often overlooked importance of religious teachings and practices. There are limits as to what the law and police can do. The best solution to the problems of our world does not lie in laws and powers, but in the good will among people.) Chanting “Amitabha” is a practical method for eliminating our self-centeredness. It is a slow, sure and safe practice. It will enhance the clarity of our minds because it helps to pacify our scattered thoughts. It will open up our minds because basically we are limited only by our self-centeredness. Chanting “Amitabha” also trains us to concentrate. From the above it becomes obvious that chanting is not a passive way to escape from the world; rather, it is a practice for purifying our minds. Only with a clear and pure mind can we render excellent services to people. As we concentrate on repeating the holy name “Amitabha” our minds become free from selfish desires and obstinate prejudices. Thus our minds return to their original intuitive and dynamic state. We employ this method daily to purify our intentions so that we may actively serve people with a pure and empathic mind. There is an old Chinese saying: “Youngsters are formidable; how do we know that the coming ones are inferior to the present ones?” Youngsters are less deeply entangled in the worldly ways, and hence have a simpler outlook on things. Once they have learned the significance of the chanting practice, quite often they will diligently practice it and even become very devoted. Therefore, we should not look down upon young practitioners. In a classic Chinese book on military strategy it is said, “Put the army into a dead spot, then it will survive.” That means once the army is in a desperate situation, it will exert its maximal force for survival and consequently come through. Similarly, in order for our chanting practice to bring about a spiritual renaissance we need to learn, first of all, the fragility and transience of our lives. In our daily lives we are accustomed to unconsciously assuming that life will go on as usual. We make so many plans for next year, five years, ten years, retirement and old age. However, there is no guarantee that we will live that long. When we drive a car on the streets we do not know if the other drivers are drunk, senile, absent-minded, angry, etc., hence our lives are not completely in our hands. We can easily get sick and we do not know when we will encounter a deadly fire, a flood, a hurricane or an earthquake. We are all on nature's death roll and we do not know when our time will be up. Even if we are lucky enough not to encounter any major personal disaster in our lives, eventually we will have to face death alone. We are deeply attached to living; while death means the unknown, fear and grief. The more wonderful our lives are, the harder it is for us to give them up. Nevertheless, an instant and complete relinquishment of possessions and separation from dear ones awaits every one of us. Hence we need to prepare for our death by practicing renunciation. Chanting is a training on renouncing our attachments and prejudices. If we build it into a daily exercise, then gradually we will sense the openness, freedom and relaxation that comes as a result of our spiritual growth. Furthermore, we will be able to face death, be it our own or others', with ease and understanding. Reflections on death will sober our minds and show us what is more important in our lives than our worries and fights. Death may knock on our door at any moment. When we do our chanting practice, we should be aware that death may be already on the doorstep outside. In this way our practice will become pure and sincere. Also we may use our daily chanting practice as a rehearsal for our final exit from the stage of the world of the living. This will help reduce the wild chases in our minds and add concentration to our practice because when we look back from the moment of death, things are simply either insignificant or helplessly unchangeable. At the moment of death we want to rely on chanting “Amitabha” because the only thing available to us is our consciousness and we use it to communicate with Buddha by calling his name for his compassionate help. If we chant “Amitabha” daily with the awareness of death's approaching, then we will surely gain the benefits of this practice; consequently, we will live in happiness and die in peace. My best wishes to you and may Buddha bless you all! [Home][Back to list][How to Teach Youngsters the Chanting of “Amitabha”] |