The Fourteenth Vow
The Fourteenth Vow: After I become a Buddha, if the number of voice-hearers in my land should be known by calculation, and be obtained through calculating for 100,000 kalpas by sentient beings in the Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World that all have become Pratyekabuddhas, I would not think that I have completed Buddhahood and I would not attain the perfect enlightenment.
This vow indicates that the voice-hearers of Amitabha Buddha are innumerable. In this world, when Shakyamuni Buddha in His first turning of the wheel of the doctrine, He has only five disciples present on the scene. Bhiksu Dharmakara vows that when he preaches Dharma, there will be countless voice-hearers assembled at the Dharma-meeting. This vow is a vow to ferry all sentient beings over the sea of mortal life of reincarnations to the other shore of nirvana.
When we see Shakyamuni Buddha attain Buddhahood in this world and first turn the Dharma wheel, there are only a few disciples, and later on there are 1250 constant followers. In “Welling Forth From The Earth” section of “The Lotus Sutra”, we find that Shakyamuni Buddha has delivered innumerable disciples ever since he has attained Buddhahood. In order to protect and assist the spreading of “The Lotus Sutra”, limitless thousands of tens of thousands of millions of these disciples simultaneously welled forth from the Earth. All of these Bodhisattvas possessed golden-hued bodies, the thirty-two marks, and limitless light, who are exactly like the celestial beings in the West Pure Land that we will talk about later. In truth, whenever Shakyamuni Buddha preaches Mahayana classics, limitless sentient beings are present to attend the meeting. It is just that the human disciples cannot see without divine power. Even the Arhats abiding in the fruit of a foe-destroyer know little about the pure worlds of Buddhas, but it is within their capabilities to know that when Shakyamuni Buddha preaches the Dharma, not only human disciples, but also sentient beings in the Worlds of Ten Directions benefit from these Dharma teachings.
The Fifteenth Vow
The Fifteenth Vow: After I become a Buddha, if the lifespan of gods in my land should have a limit, except being shortened by their own wish, I would not think that I have completed Buddhahood and I would not attain the perfect enlightenment.
This vow means that although celestial beings in the West Pure Land have infinite lifespan, they are entitled to decide on their own whether to shorten their life or not. Although living in blissful peace and having an infinite lifespan is the desire of all beings, some beings do not want to have such a long lifespan on account of various reasons. For example, some Bodhisattvas may wish to be reborn in other worlds to help sentient beings, so the vow is made for the sake of this kind of Bodhisattvas, allowing them to decide their own lifespan. This vow is carefully worked out. Being very considerate and thoughtful, Amitabha Buddha sets an example for human parents who shall take their children’s wish into consideration and learn not to force what they think is good onto their children. Buddha loves all sentient beings, just like parents love their children.
Infinite brilliance and longevity are what each and every sentient being in all worlds hopes for. However, Amitabha Buddha still respects the wishes of each Bodhisattva. When He initiates His vows to form the Pure Land, he takes each being’s wish into consideration to let them decide whether to enjoy happiness in the Pure Land until they attain enlightenment or to sacrifice infinite happiness and lifespan to woeful worlds to help saving sentient beings. Each Bodhisattva in the Pure Land has the option of deciding his way of practicing Bodhisattva’s path on his own. Of course, sacrificing one’s lifespan in the Pure Land is not as painful as committing suicide in our world. When the idea comes up in mind, a bodhisattva naturally fulfills his wish; otherwise, the West Pure Land will not be called a world of blissful happiness. Of course, this vow is made by Amitabha Buddha for the sake of those Bodhisattvas who want to deliver sentient beings in the Worlds of Ten Directions.
The Sixteenth Vow
The Sixteenth Vow: After I become a Buddha, if gods in my land should even the name of sin exist, I would not think that I have completed Buddhahood and I would not attain the perfect enlightenment.
This vow lays bare that even the name of sin does not exist in the West Pure Land. The celestial beings in the West Pure Land have no evil thoughts and evil doings, and even have never heard about the name of sin. In our world of Saha, though it may be small, and not doing something wicked even though it may be tiny” in the course of practicing the Bodhisattva’s path. On the one hand, at the beginning of doing good deeds, Bodhisattvas sometimes feel it dangerous practicing the Path, for they have to face the ugly side of human nature and learn to discern the false from the genuine. On the other hand, they shall rely on the Buddhist teaching about “not grasping at all marks” and “all conditioned dharmas are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows” to protect and assist their practice.
Some people in our world are incapable of having gratitude and understanding; instead, they may be envious and deceptive and even use your kindness to commit all sorts of evils so seriously that endanger the life of a Bodhisattva. In this situation, if a Bodhisattva cannot cultivate all good dharmas with no attachment to the good or the evil, he can hardly feel the blessings and rewards from good deeds, but rather he will constantly feel being betrayed and taken advantage of and experience sometimes the ugly and evil sides of human nature that know no bounds. Many beginners lack Samadhi and are unable to maintain the right view of the nature of the Void. Once they are treated unfairly while doing good deeds, they become disheartened and sink into the depths of despair. World-weariness and disappointment with both others and themselves envelope them. It is not uncommon for them to stop pursuing the way of Bodhi.
In the West Pure Land, all living beings are good. Even the name of sin is not heard of, and no comparison between good and evil is made, for no goodness can be grasped as goodness. With contentment, happiness and peace, every celestial being is imbued with the qualities of great bodhisattvas, ready to help others at any time. And all of this is achieved because Amitabha Buddha has perfectly fulfilled His vows made on the causal ground.
In the human world, even if a kind-hearted person has not encountered any evil things or committed any wrongdoings, but due to their definition and cognition of evil phenomena and their strong inclination to reject the evil, they have been already hurt both physically and mentally by the world’s evil phenomena. Holding these definitions deeply in their hearts, even when enjoying their good karma, they feel scared and often remain vigilant against possible dangers in times of peace. As long as evil phenomena and the name of evil exist, it is impossible for people not to suffer. In the Internet era, we can see a large number of news and films about violence, murder, deception, etc. Nowadays, there is cyber violence, with which some people out of ulterior motives list false charges to slander someone, while many people ignorant of the truth are misled and join the torrent of verbal abuse online. A kind and upright person under such accusations may feel so desperate that they commit suicide. To some extent, it is not necessary for villains inflicting harm to the kind-hearted beings; only the notion of “evil” may cause them harm. In the West Pure Land, even the name of sin does not exist. All beings there dwell in happiness, ease and comfort, without knowing what “evil” is.
Someone once asked me about the difference between being merciful and compassionate and clinging to goodness. I said those who cling to goodness had the cognition of “evil” in their eyes and hearts, and would be hurt by the evil they saw and perceived, while those who were compassionate did not have the cognition of “evil”. That was the reason why great compassion had no enemies. In the Pure Land, there is no such thing as the name of sin existing, which represents the perfect realization of Amitabha’s great mercy and compassion.
The Seventeenth Vow
The Seventeenth Vow: After I become a Buddha, if innumerable Buddhas in worlds in the ten directions should not praise my name, I would not think that I have completed Buddhahood and I would not attain the perfect enlightenment.
This vow made by Bhiksu Dharmakara shows that all the Buddhas in the worlds in ten directions will praise and spread His name together. Bhiksu Dharmakara makes this vow that all the Buddhas in the worlds in ten directions will glorify and spread his name together not because he seeks the attention and extolment out of vanity. Just like when Shakyamuni Buddha was first born, he pointed to the sky and said, “In heaven and earth, I am the only one.” This is not an utterance of arrogance or self-conceit. All Buddhas can represent the perfect original nature of all beings, and the purpose for all their manifestations in this world is to deliver sentient beings, enabling them to recognize their Buddha-nature within and to enter the great Nirvana of “nothing has been created, nothing can be destroyed”.
Amitabha Buddha hopes that the Buddhas in the Worlds of Ten Directions can recite and spread His name in order to welcome all beings to get reborn in His Land, to share the fruits and achievements of a Buddha when He eventually attains fruition state, and quickly become Buddhas in peace and comfort. All beings in darkness without illumination have no ability to verify the authenticity of the West Pure Land. But if all Buddhas in the Worlds of Ten Directions preach His fame and proclaim His praise in unison and His Pure Land and utter it together, then it must be true. Since sentient beings trust that Buddhas never speak false words, and because of such a strong faith in the words of Buddhas, they do not need to examine in person whether the Land really exists or whether it is so good or not. This vow provides an everlasting advertising effect for sentient beings to know about and wish to be reborn in the West Pure Land. It is through the praise and proclamation of Shakyamuni Buddha that we know everything about the Pure Land and about the benefits of chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha, so that the hearers with earnest faith wish to be reborn in the Pure Land. The importance of this vow is evident.