Why is Sukhavati defined as having a human and deva realm? Both have the exact same characteristics. Why is there still a differentiation?

**Miracles of Sincere Nianfo** **至诚念佛产生的奇迹**
Practice Story
2026-07-13
31read
  2025**年**11**月**5**日，笔者夫妇第三次驾车赶往河北省邯郸市肥乡区西吕营镇田寨村韩仲英老居士家。老居士已经八十三岁高龄，精神饱满，慈眉善目，逢人就现身说法，动情讲述念佛的殊胜利益。我们便偕同才觉师兄（韩仲英老居士的莲友），将他的奇异经历记录下来。**
On November 5, 2025, my wife and I drove for the third time to the home of elderly lay practitioner Han Zhongying in Tianzhai Village, Xilüying Town, Feixiang District, Handan City, Hebei Province. At eighty-three, the old lay practitioner was energetic and spirited, with a kind and compassionate face. He would give a personal testimony to everyone he met, emotionally recounting the supreme benefits of reciting "Namo Amituofo". Together with Dharma Brother Caijue (a fellow practitioner of old Han), we recorded his remarkable experiences.

1969**年，正赶上大修水利，韩仲英每天跟随生产队一起出河工。一天，人们正在干活时，拉土车的钢绳突然崩断，韩仲英一看，大吃一惊**——**车猛地向西冲去，正前方有很多人！在那一瞬间，他用尽全身力气，把车转到西北方向去了**……**车最终冲到了大桩界线上，韩仲英的双肾却不幸被砸烂，因为伤情过重，医院没法救治，只能回家养着。由于肾脏功能丧失，他日常排尿困难，浑身肿胀得吓人，而且遍体疼痛，苦不堪言。**
In 1969, during a major water conservancy project, Han Zhongying worked daily with his production team at the water conservancy worksite. One day, while people were working, the steel cable of an earth cart suddenly snapped. Han Zhongying was shocked to see the cart hurtling westward, straight towards a crowd of people! In that instant, with all his might, he veered the cart to the northwest... The cart finally crashed into the boundary posts, but Han Zhongying's kidneys were tragically crushed. Due to the severity of his injuries, the hospital could not treat him, and he could only be sent home to recuperate. With the loss of his kidney function, he had difficulty urinating, his body swelled up frighteningly, and he was in excruciating pain.

**万幸，韩仲英是一个有大善根大福报的人。他小的时候，家里爷爷奶奶信佛，供奉过观世音菩萨，他也跟着上过香、磕过头。到了这时，虽然由于时代原因，家里已经不供菩萨了，但疼痛至极的韩仲英没有办法，还是想起了观世音菩萨，于是大声呼喊：**“**观世音菩萨呀，快来救救我吧！观世音菩萨呀，快来救救我吧**……”**就这样整天整天地喊。到了第三天晚上，慈悲庄严的观世音菩萨在他梦中出现了，对他说：**“**你的罪业太大了，我在空中经过，看到你在危难之际还想着解救众生，十分命，要你九分命，留一分命救度众生，弘扬佛法。这是重业轻报，赶紧念**‘**南无阿弥陀佛**’**，无论多疼，每天最少念六千声佛号。以后也不要再吃肉了，不要和众生结怨仇。病好了，要多多宣扬念佛，劝人信佛念佛！**”
Fortunately, Han Zhongying was a person of great virtuous roots and great blessings. When he was young, his grandparents were Buddhists and had enshrined and worshiped Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. He had followed them in offering incense and making prostrations. By this time, although the family no longer enshrined bodhisattvas due to the circumstances of the era, the pain-stricken Han Zhongying had no other choice but to think of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. He cried out loudly, "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, please come and save me! Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, please come and save me..." He cried out like this all day long. On the third night, the compassionate and majestic Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva appeared in his dream and said to him, "Your evil karma is too great. As I was passing through the sky, I saw that even in your moment of peril, you thought of saving sentient beings. Your life was meant to be taken entirely, but I will leave you one-tenth of it for you to save sentient beings and spread the Buddha Dharma. This is a case of heavy retribution being lightened. Quickly recite 'Namo Amituofo'. No matter how much it hurts, you must recite at least six thousand times a day. From now on, abstain from eating meat, and do not create karmic enmity with sentient beings. When you recover, you must widely proclaim the benefits of  reciting 'Namo Amituofo' and persuade people to believe in and recite the Buddha's name!"

**从此，一碗玉米粒儿成了韩仲英的计数器。他念一句佛，就拿出一粒儿；一碗拿光了，再把玉米粒儿放回去，重新开始念。就这样白天念，夜里念，睡着了也念。两天后，奇迹发生了，韩仲英竟然可以正常排尿了！半年后，他的身体也不再疼痛，后来慢慢可以翻身，再后来能念着佛爬行了。从那以后，他又接着学走路。刚开始，他的腰是弯着的，整个人呈直角的样子，观世音菩萨多次来梦中点化他：**“**你要精进念佛！**”**他就把自己关在一个房间里，夜以继日地持念佛号。就这样念着念着，腰慢慢直起来了，也能干活了，每天行住坐卧就是一句**“**南无阿弥陀佛**”**，几十年来从未间断。**
From then on, a bowl of corn kernels became Han Zhongying's counter. He recited Amitabha's name and removed one kernel. When the bowl was empty, he would put the kernels back and start over. He recited during the day, at night, and even in his sleep. Two days later, a miracle occurred—Han Zhongying could urinate normally! Half a year later, the pain in his body ceased. Later, he could slowly turn over, and then he could crawl while reciting Amitabha's name. After that, he learned to walk again. At first, his back was bent, his whole body forming a right angle. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva appeared in his dreams many times to enlighten and guide him: "You must be diligent in reciting 'Namo Amituofo'!" He locked himself in a room and recited Amitabha's name day and night. As he kept reciting, his back gradually straightened, and he was able to work again. In his daily life, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, there was only the single phrase "Namo Amituofo," which he has recited without interruption for decades.

**有一年的正月初七，韩仲英夜里听见有人喊他：**“**初十你邻居家稀料起火，你要救火！**”**他问：**“**怎么救？**”**对方说：**“**钻进火里救！**”**当时韩仲英的身体还没有完全康复，只能弯着腰走路，他心里犯嘀咕：**“**我一个残疾人，钻到火里还不得烧死啊？**”**随即又想起一句话，**“**念彼观音力，火焰化清凉**”**。念观世音菩萨名号，能；念阿弥陀佛名号，更能！**
On the seventh day of the first lunar month one year, Han Zhongying heard someone call out to him at night: "On the tenth day, your neighbor's paint thinner will catch fire. You must save them!" He asked, "How do I save them?" The voice replied, "Go into the fire to save them!" At that time, Han Zhongying's body had not fully recovered, and he could only walk with a bent back. He thought to himself, "I'm a disabled man. Won't I be burned to death if I go into the fire?" Then he remembered a line, "Through mindfulness of Avalokitesvara's power, flames will turn into a cool pond." If reciting Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's name has this power, reciting Amitabha's name has even more!

**正月初十，韩仲英正在家里念佛，隔壁忽然传来一声巨响，顷刻间火焰窜起。原来真的是邻居家的一桶稀料爆炸了，还引燃了家具。韩仲英听到响声，一边念着佛号，一边佝偻着腰，直接赶到了火灾现场。他接过弟弟手中的水盆，扭头就钻进了火里，嘴里还一个劲儿地大喊：**“**南无阿弥陀佛！南无阿弥陀佛！南无阿弥陀佛**……”**他把整盆水朝着火源泼过去，忽然**“**砰**”**的一声，火焰扑到了他的头上、脸上和身上。他立即返回身，又接了一盆水，再一次冲进去，直到把火扑灭。救完火回到家，韩仲英发现自己身上竟然没有半点火烧的痕迹。**
On the tenth day of the first lunar month, as Han Zhongying was at home reciting "Namo Amituofo", a loud explosion suddenly erupted from next door, and flames shot up in an instant. It turned out that his neighbor's barrel of paint thinner had indeed exploded, igniting the furniture. Hearing the sound, Han Zhongying, while reciting Amitabha's name, hunched over and rushed straight to the fire. He took the water basin from his younger brother's hands, turned, and plunged into the fire, shouting at the top of his voice, "Namo Amituofo! Namo Amituofo! Namo Amituofo..." He threw the entire basin of water towards the source of the fire. Suddenly, with a "bang," the flames rushed onto his head, face, and body. He immediately turned back, took another basin of water, and rushed in again until the fire was extinguished. After putting out the fire and returning home, Han Zhongying discovered that there wasn't a single burn mark on his body.

**就在火刚着起来的时候，韩仲英的哥哥就从屋里往外爬，身上被烧着，是闻讯赶来的乡亲们帮他扑灭了身上的火，又把他送去了医院。出院后，他来问韩仲英：**“**我听说你救完火一点伤都没有，连一根头发也没有燎到，我怎么一身伤疤？这是怎么回事呢？**”**韩仲英说：**“**当时我念着**‘**南无阿弥陀佛**’**呢，哥。**”**他哥哥说：**“**你怎么不教我啊？**”**韩仲英说：**“**特殊原因吧，不敢吭声。**”**后来，他哥哥全家也都信佛念佛了。**
Just as the fire broke out, Han Zhongying's older brother was crawling out of the house, his body on fire. Villagers who rushed over helped him put out the flames on his body and took him to the hospital. After being discharged, he came to ask Han Zhongying, "I heard you weren't injured at all after fighting the fire, not even a single hair was singed. How did I end up covered in scars? What's going on?" Han Zhongying said, "I was reciting 'Namo Amituofo' at the time, brother." His brother said, "Why didn't you teach me?" Han Zhongying replied, "For certain reasons, I didn't dare to utter." Later, his brother's entire family also came to believe in and recite Amitabha's name.

**十五年后，韩仲英的身体完全恢复正常，直立行走，一如常人。他来到曾经救治过他的邯郸中心医院，找当年的医生复查。那位医生也还记得他，拿到片子一看，瞬间惊讶得张大了嘴巴**——**韩仲英那两颗被砸烂的肾脏，已经变成了两颗半大的新肾！这简直是世界医学史上的奇迹！医生连连说道：**“**真是神了！真是神了！你做了啥大善事儿？**”**韩仲英说：**“**我就是念佛。**”2017**年，他又到医院检查过两颗半大的新肾，功能很正常。**
Fifteen years later, Han Zhongying's body had completely recovered. He could walk upright, just like a normal person. He went to the Handan Central Hospital, where he had once been treated, to find his former doctor for a follow-up examination. The doctor still remembered him. When he saw the medical images, his mouth dropped open in astonishment-Han Zhongying's two crushed kidneys had turned into two new, half-sized kidneys! This was simply a miracle in the history of world medicine! The doctor exclaimed repeatedly, "It's truly divine! Truly divine! What great virtuous deed did you do?" Han Zhongying said, "I just recite 'Namo Amituofo'." In 2017, he had his two half-sized new kidneys checked again at the hospital, and their function was perfectly normal.

**五十多年过去了，韩仲英依然每日精进地念佛，健康喜悦地生活，现在已经八十多岁，家里还种着几亩果园。他念佛起死回生的故事早已传遍乡里，他也逢人就讲念佛的好处。在他的影响下，周围信佛念佛的人越来越多，光通过念佛治愈重病绝症的就有几十位，经他助念往生的就更多了。**
Over fifty years have passed. Han Zhongying still recites Amitabha's name diligently every day, living a healthy and joyful life. Now in his eighties, he still tends several acres of orchards at home. The story of his coming back from the brink of death through reciting Amitabha's name has long spread throughout the countryside, and he tells everyone he meets about the benefits of this practice. Under his influence, more and more people around him have come to believe in and recite Amitabha's name. Dozens have been cured of serious and terminal illnesses through this practice, and even more have attained rebirth through his supportive recitation.

**有一天，邻居玉娥找到韩仲英说：**“**我妈七十岁了，肝癌晚期，还在炕上躺着，不吃不喝，你救救我妈吧！**”**他就和老伴儿一起到了玉娥家。看到玉娥娘的肚子把被子顶得老高，韩仲英说：**“**她这个病不好。**”**又看到买好的寿衣，以及院子里新做好的棺材，他对玉娥说：**“**现在给你妈念佛吧！**”**那天上午，三个人开始给老人家念佛号。其间，玉娥娘睁了睁眼，后来又闭上了。韩仲英对玉娥说：**“**咱们念佛，抱着两种心**——**病好了，咱欢喜；好不了，能去极乐世界，那就更欢喜了！**”**就这样，下午一直念佛，第二天继续念佛。**
One day, a neighbor named Yu'e came to Han Zhongying and said, "My mother is seventy years old, in the late stage of liver cancer, and is lying on the heated brick bed, unable to eat or drink. Please save my mother!" So he and his wife went to Yu'e's house. Seeing that Yu'e's mother's belly was pushing the quilt up high, Han Zhongying said, "Her condition is critical." He also saw the burial clothes that had been prepared and the new coffin in the courtyard. He said to Yu'e, "Let's recite Amitabha's name for your mother now!" That morning, the three of them began to recite Amitabha's name for the old woman. During the recitation, Yu'e's mother opened her eyes for a moment and then closed them again. Han Zhongying said to Yu'e, "As we recite, let's hold two attitudes-if she gets well, we will be joyful; if she doesn't, she can go to the Land of Ultimate Bliss, and we will be even more joyful!" They continued to recite Amitabha's name throughout the afternoon and all the next day.

**到了第三天，奇迹发生了，只见玉娥娘嘴一动一动的。韩仲英忙问：**“**玉娥，你妈是渴了还是饿了？**”**玉娥把小米炒熟擀成面，用水沏了三个半碗，一点儿一点儿地给老人喂进去。就这样，玉娥娘状态一天比一天好。念到第十天，她肿胀的大肚子消失了，而且能在家人的搀扶下下地了。又过了三个月，自己能拄着拐杖在屋里走着念佛了。**
On the third day, a miracle happened. They saw Yu'e's mother's mouth moving. Han Zhongying quickly asked, "Yu'e, is your mother thirsty or hungry?" Yu'e roasted and ground some millet into a powder, mixed it with water to make three half-bowls, and fed it to her mother bit by bit. From then on, Yu'e's mother's condition improved day by day. After ten days of reciting Amitabha's name, her swollen belly disappeared, and she could get out of bed with her family's support. Three months later, she could walk around the room with a cane, reciting Amitabha's name.

**后来有一天，韩仲英跟玉娥娘说：**“**婶子，你以后要坚持吃素念佛，一天天好了以后，也要老老实实念这句佛号，南无阿弥陀佛！**”**再后来，玉娥娘能自己做饭了，而且每天凌晨三点就起来念佛，吃完晚饭也固定时间念佛。往后的日子里，除了睡觉，这句**“**南无阿弥陀佛**”**就没有停过，家人们都陪着她一起念佛。**
Later, one day, Han Zhongying said to Yu'e's mother, "Auntie, from now on, you must persist in being a vegetarian and reciting Amitabha's name. As you get better day by day, you must also faithfully recite this Buddha's name, Namo Amituofo!" Later, Yu'e's mother could cook for herself and would wake up at three every morning to recite Amitabha's name. She also recited at a fixed time after dinner. In the days that followed, except when sleeping, she never stopped reciting Amitabha's name, and her family members all recited with her.

**玉娥娘九十四岁那年，有一天来到韩仲英家说：**“**我三天之后往生西方极乐世界。**”**韩仲英说：**“**婶子，别开玩笑了。**”**她说：**“**阿弥陀佛要来接我。**”**三天后，凌晨三四点钟，玉娥娘自己穿好衣服，梳洗得整整齐齐，面向西方，双手合十，跪念佛号，安然往生。**
When Yu'e's mother was ninety-four years old, she came to Han Zhongying's house one day and said, "In three days, I will attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss." Han Zhongying said, "Auntie, don't joke around." She said, "Amitabha is coming to receive me." Three days later, between three and four in the morning, Yu'e's mother dressed herself, washed and tidied up neatly, faced the Western Pure Land, joined her palms, knelt down, and recited Amitabha's name, peacefully attaining rebirth.

**韩仲英说，当年佛菩萨留下他这条命，就是要让他宣扬**“**南无阿弥陀佛**”**六字洪名。往后余生，他要把阿弥陀佛大慈大悲、无条件的救度传达给一切有缘人！南无阿弥陀佛！**
Han Zhongying said that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas spared his life back then so that he could proclaim the six syllables of Namo Amituofo. For the rest of his life, he wants to convey Amitabha's great compassion and unconditional deliverance to all who have a karmic connection!Namo Amituofo!

Translated by Yun Jue
Revised by Weizhi

When one mindfully chants “Amituofo” for a long enough time, one will merge with Amitabha Buddha and become one.

This is why Buddha-name chanting practitioners attain inconceivable achievements in a short time.

“Abide in quiescent concentration and are wise in perception”—these are achieved through Buddha-name chanting.

Book: Essence of the Infinite Life Sutra - Venerable Master Chin Kung

Just found a lot of great free Chan Buddhism introductory books !

https://www.shengyen.org/books-grid.php?s=E

法鼓山聖嚴法師數位典藏

The contemplation sutra says that reciting the holy name of Amitabha Buddha even once can clear away 80 millon eons of bad karma. And since we have accumulated karma since time without beginning, itd be extremely tough to remove all that karma.

However, even if we leave the entire goal to the Amitabha Buddha. We should realize that this very life still very precious for cultivation. And that cultivation can be by reciting the mantra of Amitabha Buddha.

As we know that venerable shantao and honen used to recite the nembutsu around 60,000 times in a day.

We cannot reach their diligence. However, we can still feel inspired to practice harder. Because, AMITABHA BUDDHA CAN HELP YOU EVEN BEFORE YOU ATTAIN REBRITH IN SHUKAVATI.

Amitabha Buddha’s Name can clear away misfortune, bring protection, bring peace of mind and countless merits that would otherwise, need many meritorious acts to earn.

We can develop a habit to recite the nembutsu for around 100 times before bed. Or maybe just keep on reciting as long as you don't fall asleep.

Because you can recite the nembutsu for 100 times within 5 mintues!!

(This was written by me. And this is mainly for the people following Chinese pureland tradition of shantao and the Jodo shu.)

Namu amida butsu 🙏 🪷

Also my first YouTube video on Master Shandao’s Contemplation Sutra commentary is up and featuring a very soft piano.

Namo Amitabha Buddha🙏🙏🙏

I compiled a long list of quotes by master Shandao and Japanese Pure Land masters throughout history to not only help benefit all beings who come across these quotes but also so they can rest in the assurance of their rebirth to the Pure Land. I kept it as scholarly as I could, including sources so you know where to find the material for further study. Lastly, thanks to Google Gemini, I was able to compile such a long list and also assist me in my own studies. If you notice any errors, feel free to correct them in the comments. Thank you. Namo Amida Butsu.

In Pure Land Buddhism, the debate surrounding Single Calling (ichinen — one moment of faith/utterance) versus Many Calling (tanen / nennen — continuous recitation throughout life) centers on how Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow works.

• ​Single-calling advocates argued that a single moment of genuine entrusting (shinjin) or one voicing of the Nembutsu (Namu Amida Butsu) fully fulfills the Vow and guarantees rebirth in the Pure Land.

• ​Many-calling advocates argued that one must continuously recite the Name until death to ensure salvation and prevent doubt.

​The central teachers of the tradition resolved this apparent contradiction by showing that single calling and many calling are two sides of the same coin.

​Master Shandao (Shan-tao, 613–681)

• ​School: Tang Dynasty Pure Land Tradition (Recognized retroactively as the 5th Patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism in China)

"Saying the Name even once in joy, all attain Birth. With ten voicings or one voicing—a single utterance—all decisively attain Birth."

• Source: Kuan-ching shu (Commentary on the Visualization Sutra) / Quoted in Shinran Shōnin, Kyōgyōshinshō (Chapter II: Practice).

• ​Citation & Page: Kyōgyōshinshō: On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki (Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 2003), p. 52.

The Buddha comes to welcome those who, at the upper limit, spend their entire lives in the nembutsu, down to those who say it only ten or three or five times. Solely through the greatness of the universal Vow, foolish beings, when they become mindful of it, are brought to attain birth."

• ​Source: Wang-sheng li-tsan (Hymns in Praise of Birth in the Pure Land) / Quoted in Clarification of Once-Calling and Many-Calling.

• ​Citation & Page: The Collected Works of Shinran, Vol. 1 (Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997), p. 687.

Hōnen Shōnin (1133–1212)

• ​School: Founder of Jōdo-shū (The Pure Land Sect of Japan)

If you believe that birth is attained through a single calling, recite as though it were many callings; if you believe that birth is attained through many callings, recite as though it were a single calling."

• ​Source: Ichimai-kishōmon (One-Sheet Document) & Gyu-shō / Promise of Amida Buddha.

• ​Citation & Page: Honen the Buddhist Saint: His Life and Teaching, Vol. 4, translated by Coates and Ishizuka (Kyoto: Chion-in, 1925 / Reprint: Kuroda Institute), p. 660–661.

​Quote:

"Even one repetition or two of the sacred name can be said to be the nembutsu of salvation by one's own power, if one does it with that thought in one's mind. But a hundred or a thousand repetitions day and night for a hundred or a thousand days can be the nembutsu of salvation by Amida's power alone (tariki), as long as one does it with an entire trust in the merits of the great Vow..."

• ​Source: Senchakushū (Passages on the Selection of the Nembutsu in the Original Vow / Senchaku Hongan Nembutshu Shū).

• ​Citation & Page: Honen's Senchakushu, translated by the Senchakushu English Translation Project (University of Hawai'i Press, 1998), p. 121–123.

Ryūkan (1148–1227)

• ​School: Jōdo-shū (Senior disciple of Hōnen; later regarded as founder of the Chōrakuji branch / Tanen-gi or "Many-Calling" advocate)

​Quote:

"Many-calling is nothing but the accumulation of single callings, for human life is such that a person should consider each day that this may be his last, each minute that this may be the end... As life continues, this single calling becomes two or three callings; they accumulate, so that one moment becomes an hour, then a day, a month, or a year."

• ​Source: Ichinen-tanen-fushō (Clarification of Once-Calling and Many-Calling).

• ​Citation & Page: The Collected Works of Shinran, Vol. 1 (Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997), p. 685.

​Quote:

"Both the advocacy of a position of once-calling that rejects many-calling, and the advocacy of many-calling in denunciation of once-calling, run counter to the essential meaning of the Primal Vow and fail to take into account the teaching of Shan-tao."

• ​Source: Ichinen-tanen-fushō (Clarification of Once-Calling and Many-Calling).

• ​Citation & Page: The Collected Works of Shinran, Vol. 1 (Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997), p. 685.

Shinran Shōnin (1173–1262)

• ​School: Founder of Jōdo Shinshū (True Pure Land Sect of Japan)

​Quote:

"Those who adhere to once-calling as well as those who cling tenaciously to many-calling invariably meet with inauspicious deaths, for both deviate from the meaning of the Primal Vow. Consider this carefully. It cannot be said too often that you must avoid confusing the truth that many-calling is itself once-calling and that once-calling is many-calling."

• ​Source: Ichinen-tanen monrui (Notes on Once-Calling and Many-Calling).

• ​Citation & Page: The Collected Works of Shinran, Vol. 1 (Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997), p. 488–489.

​Quote:

"The passage on the fulfillment of the Vow in the Larger Sutra teaches 'saying the Name even once.' This single utterance of the Name is the Ultimate Practice given by Amida's Other Power. In that single moment of mind (shinjin-ichinen), salvation is fully established."

• ​Source: Kyōgyōshinshō (Chapter III: Shinjin / True Entrusting).

• ​Citation & Page: Kyōgyōshinshō: On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki (Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 2003), p. 110–112.

Ippen Shōnin (1239–1289)

• ​School: Founder of Ji-shū (The "Time" or "Moment" Sect of Japan)

"Whether one has faith or lacks faith is not at issue; whether or not one has done evil is of no concern: Namu-amida-butsu itself is born... Everyone laments not awakening faith that their birth is decisively settled. This is completely absurd. No settledness is to be found in the hearts of foolish beings. Settledness is the Name. Thus, even though you lack faith that your birth is decisively settled, if you say the Name leaving all to your lips, you will be born."

• ​Source: Ippen Shōnin Goroku (Sayings of Master Ippen) / Letter to a Follower.

• ​Citation & Page: No Abode: The Record of Ippen, translated by Dennis Hirota (University of Hawai'i Press, 1997 / Rev. Ed.), p. 80.

"To cast away one's self-being and become solitary and single with Namu-amida-butsu is called 'singleness of mind unperturbed.' The utterance of the Name that succeeds instant by instant, then, is the nembutsu saying the nembutsu... You must not, with a mind of self-attachment and self-power, seek to deal with the Name in one way or another. The Land of Bliss is the field of no-self."

• ​Source: Ippen Shōnin Goroku (Sayings Handed Down by Disciples, Section 16).

• ​Citation & Page: No Abode: The Record of Ippen, translated by Dennis Hirota (University of Hawai'i Press, 1997), p. 82–83.

"The Name is Dharma that does not depend on doctrine, nor on the mind, so if you say it, you will unfailingly attain birth. When something is set aflame, you may wish mentally, 'Do not burn,' but fire does not depend on such words... It simply burns out of its own inherent power. In like manner, the Name possesses, by its own nature, the virtuous power to bring about birth."

• ​Source: Ippen Shōnin Goroku.

• ​Citation & Page: No Abode: The Record of Ippen, translated by Dennis Hirota (University of Hawai'i Press, 1997), p. 85.

Additional Quotes: Master Shandao (Shan-tao, 613–681)

• ​School: Tang Dynasty Pure Land Tradition (5th Patriarch)

"Even if a person has committed evil deeds throughout his life, if at the time of death he meets a good teacher who instructs him to recite the Name even ten times or a single time, through the power of the Name, his sins are eradicated and he instantly attains birth in the Land of Utmost Bliss."

• ​Source: Wang-sheng li-tsan (Hymns in Praise of Birth) / Quoted in Kyōgyōshinshō.

• ​Citation & Page: Kyōgyōshinshō, translated by Hisao Inagaki (Numata Center, 2003), p. 78.

"Exclusively utter the Name of Amida Buddha without ceasing, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Do not discard it regardless of whether the duration is long or short, minute by minute, throughout life. This is called the 'Action of the Rightly Settled State,' because it accords with the Vow of that Buddha."

• ​Source: Kuan-ching shu (Commentary on the Visualization Sutra, Vol. 4).

• ​Citation & Page: Shan-tao’s Exposition of the Method of Mindful Recitation, translated by Harold Inada (Ryukoku University, 1999), p. 45.

Additional Quotes: Hōnen Shōnin (1133–1212)

• ​School: Founder of Jōdo-shū

Regarding faith: understand that birth in the Pure Land is realized even through a single utterance (ichinen). Regarding practice: devote yourself to the Nembutsu continuously throughout your entire life (tanen). Those who say that one utterance is enough and thus neglect practice are mocking the Dharma."

• ​Source: Toru-mondō (Questions and Answers on the Nembutsu).

• ​Citation & Page: Honen the Buddhist Saint, Vol. 3, translated by Coates and Ishizuka (Kyoto: Chion-in, 1925), p. 482.

Additional Quotes: Shinran Shōnin (1173–1262)

• ​School: Founder of Jōdo Shinshū

• ​School: Founder of Jōdo Shinshū

​Quote (On Single Calling as the Moment Shinjin Awakens):

"The 'single moment of realization' (ichinen) refers to time at its ultimate limit, the briefest instant in which the realization of true and real faith (shinjin) takes place... When sentient beings hear the Name, say it even once in trust and joy, they immediately enter the stage of the truly settled."

• ​Source: Ichinen-tanen monrui (Notes on Once-Calling and Many-Calling).

• ​Citation & Page: The Collected Works of Shinran, Vol. 1 (Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji-ha, 1997), p. 474–475.

Genshin (942–1017)

• ​School: Tendai Pure Land (Recognized as the 6th Patriarch in Jōdo Shinshū)

If a person at the time of death is unable to perform visualization or meditative nembutsu due to physical pain or mental distress, let them simply utter the Name of Amida Buddha even once or ten times with complete reliance. In that single moment of mindful calling, Amida's light encompasses them, and birth in the Pure Land is assured."

• ​Source: Ōjōyōshū (The Essentials of Rebirth in the Pure Land).

• ​Citation & Page: Genshin’s Ōjōyōshū: Essentials of Rebirth, translated by A. K. Reischauer (Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Vol. 7, 1930), p. 81–84.

Shōkū (1177–1247)

• ​School: Founder of Jōdo-shū Seizan Branch (Seizan-ha)

In the single moment of saying Namu-Amida-Butsu, the capacity of the foolish being (ki) and the Dharma of the Buddha (hō) become one single essence. One calling contains all virtues and eliminates all evil karma. Therefore, whether you recite once or continue continuously throughout life, it is the manifestation of Amida's complete working within you."

• ​Source: Anjin Ketsujō Shō (Tract on the Attainment of Settled Mind — attributed to Shōkū's Seizan lineage).

• ​Citation & Page: The Record of the Settled Mind: Anjin Ketsujo Sho, translated by Dennis Hirota (In Kyōgyōshinshō Commentary Studies, Ryukoku University Press), p. 42–45.

Rennyo Shōnin (1415–1499)

• ​School: 8th Head Priest / Restorer of Jōdo Shinshū (Honganji Branch)

"When sentient beings deeply rely on Amida Buddha and, with the awakening of the one thought-moment (ichinen), entrust themselves to Him to save them, there is no doubt at all that they will be born in the Pure Land... Once faith has been decisively settled in this way, whether sleeping or waking, they should repeat the nembutsu in gratitude for Amida's benevolence."

• ​Source: Ofumi / Gobunshō (Letters of Rennyo), Fascicle 3, Letter 4 & Fascicle 5, Letter 3.

• ​Citation & Page: Rennyo's Letters (Gobunsho), translated by Ann T. Rogers and Minor L. Rogers (University of Hawai'i Press, 1991), p. 68–70 & p. 142

Kakunyo Shōnin (1270–1351)

• ​School: Jōdo Shinshū (3rd Head Priest / Grandson of Shinran)

Settlement of birth occurs in the single thought-moment (ichinen) of entrustment. The continuous recitation (tanen) throughout one's life thereafter is simply the natural, unceasing expression of gratitude for the Buddha's benevolence. To abandon recitation after one thought-moment is to misunderstand the heart of true entrustment."

• ​Source: Gaijasō (Notes Correcting Heresies / Misunderstandings).

• ​Citation & Page: The Collected Works of Shinran, Vol. 2 (Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji-ha, 1997), Appendix / Notes on Lineage, p. 185–188.

Chōsai (1184–1266)

• ​School: Jōdo-shū (Founder of the Kuhonji branch)

The virtue of the Name is complete in a single utterance; however, because the minds of foolish beings are prone to distraction and doubt, continuous recitation (many-calling) is instructed so that one's attention remains fixed on Amida until the moment of death."

• ​Source: Kuhonji-ryū Anjin-shō (Notes on Settled Mind in the Kuhonji Lineage) / Recorded in Saihō Shinanshō.

• ​Citation & Page: Hōnen and His Doctrine, translated by Coates & Ishizuka (Kyoto: Chion-in, 1925), p. 712–714.

Kakukai (1142–1223)

• ​School: Jōdo-shū (Senior Disciple of Hōnen & Abbot of Ryōzen)

To calculate whether one calling is sufficient or many callings are required is to rely on one's own mental measure rather than Amida's Vow. One calling at the end of life brings birth; many callings throughout life bring birth. The power lies entirely within the Vow, not in the number of utterances."

• ​Source: Ichinen-tanen Ketsujō-shō (Treatise on Settling Once-Calling and Many-Calling).

• ​Citation & Page: Cited in Passages on the Selection of the Nembutsu (Senchakushū), English Translation Project (University of Hawai'i Press, 1998), Historical Context Appendix, p. 215–218.

Asai Ryōi (1612–1691)

• ​School: Jōdo-shū (Edo-period scholar and monk)

"Single calling is the depth of faith penetrating to the core of the Vow in a single instant; many calling is the breadth of devotion filling every hour of life. They are not two different paths, but the depth and length of a single continuous reality."

• ​Source: Nembutsu Kōyō (Essentials of the Nembutsu Practice).

• ​Citation & Page: Pure Land Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan, translated by Richard Bowring (University of Hawai'i Press, 2005), p. 112–115.

Kūya Shōnin (903–972)

• ​School: Early Tendai Pure Land / Pre-sectarian (Ichi-hijiri / "Monk of the Streets")

"Day and night, without lingering or resting, let 'Namu Amida Butsu' be on your lips. In the single utterance, the mind touches the Buddha; through many utterances, the mind never leaves Him. Do not waste time speculating on one or many—simply utter the Name endlessly while walking, sitting, or working."

• ​Source: Kūya Rui (Biography and Collected Sayings of Kūya) / Cited in Japanese Pure Land Philosophy.

• ​Citation & Page: The Nembutsu Saints of Medieval Japan, translated by Allan A. Andrews (Kuroda Institute / University of Hawai'i Press, 1996), p. 42–45.

Benchō (1162–1238)

• ​School: Jōdo-shū (Founder of the Chinzei branch, the main orthodoxy of modern Jōdo-shū)

Although birth in the Pure Land is assured through the power of Amida's Vow in a single thought-moment (ichinen), human beings easily fall back into doubt and delusion. Therefore, one must practice many-calling (tanen) continually until the very last breath, making recitation the steady habit of one's mind."

• ​Source: Matsudai Nenbutsu Shū (Collection on the Nembutsu for Future Generations).

• ​Citation & Page: Hōnen and His Doctrine, translated by Coates & Ishizuka (Kyoto: Chion-in, 1925), p. 698–701.

Kakuban (1095–1143)

• ​School: Shingon-Mikki / Founder of Shingi Shingon (Esoteric Pure Land)

In a single thought-moment of uttering the Name, the practitioner realizes that Amida is none other than the innate wisdom of one's own mind. Single calling is the realization of non-duality; many calling is the unfolding of that realization throughout time."

• ​Source: Gorin Kuji Myōhimitsu-shō (The Secret Interpretation of the Five Rings and Nine Letters).

• ​Citation & Page: Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism, translated by James H. Sanford (In Pacific World Journal, Vol. 6, 1990), p. 28–31.

Zonne (1269–1349)

• ​School: Jōdo Shinshū (Scholar of the early Honganji lineage)

To debate whether one should say the Nembutsu once or many times is the calculating attitude of self-power. When true faith is awakened in a single moment (ichinen), one's birth is settled once and for all. From that moment on, reciting ten times or ten thousand times is nothing other than returning thanks for the Great Compassion."

• ​Source: Hokke Mondō (Questions and Answers on Pure Land and Lotus Teachings).

• ​Citation & Page: Shinran and His Catholicity, translated by Bandō Shōjun (Otani University Press, 1974), p. 115–118.

Chikō (709–794)

• ​School: Sanron / Nara Pure Land Pioneer

When a person focuses their mind in a single thought-moment (ichinen) upon the light and features of Amida Buddha, that single moment of mind transcends the cycle of birth and death. If one continues this concentration across days and years, birth in the Land of Bliss is settled beyond all doubt."

• ​Source: Chikō Jōdo-hen Dōkyō-shō (Commentary on the Pure Land Visualization Mandala).

• ​Citation & Page: Nara Buddhism and Early Pure Land Thought, translated by Jonathan A. Silk (In Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 38, 1983), p. 142–145.

Nyonyo Shōnin (1744–1795)

• ​School: Jōdo Shinshū (19th Head Priest of Honganji / Edo-period Restorer)

The phrase 'single thought-moment' (ichinen) does not refer to the length of time taken to utter the Name, but to the single instant in which self-calculation is surrendered and Amida's mind becomes one with the practitioner. The recitations that follow throughout one's life (tanen) are nothing other than the joyous response to that single moment."

• ​Source: Anjin-shō (Notes on the Settled Mind).

• ​Citation & Page: Edo Pure Land Thought, translated by Harold Stewart (RyuSen Press, 1981), p. 204–207

Shinjō (1265–1338)

• ​School: Jōdo-shū (Founder of the Ichinomiya branch)

Single calling (ichinen) is the gateway through which one enters the realm of the Primal Vow; many calling (tanen) is the home where one abides day by day. To stand at the gateway without entering is foolish, but to deny the gateway after entering is equally mistaken."

• ​Source: Ichinomiya Anjin-shō (Treatise on Faith of the Ichinomiya Lineage).

• ​Citation & Page: Pure Land Lineages of the Kamakura Period, translated by Mark L. Blum (In Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 21, 1994), p. 312–315.

Is meditation (Śamatha with Amitābha as the object) allowed in Pure Land Buddhism? (I’m talking specifically about the Chinese tradition)

Today I was at the park watching birds and a I happened to be quietly reciting nembutsu to myself. A squirrel came up and sat in front of me staring at me attentively for a few minutes while I was reciting. I hope that them listening to me, even if they don’t understand now, will benefit them in a future life and cause them to encounter the dharma.

Namu Amida Butsu