While every individual may find different areas in which to apply their best efforts, the true essence of this practice lies within the heart. Some may dedicate their energy to the maintenance of the temple or the performance of their duties. Others may focus on utilising their unique talents and skills for the benefit of the greater community. Still others may strive to bring their full attention and sincerity to every single task they undertake.
For those who have taken the vow to save all beings, the definition of doing one's best is clear: it means to exert yourself in every action that brings benefit to others. If a task is beneficial to all beings, you should strive to do it with your whole heart. Conversely, if you only exert yourself for tasks that serve your own personal interests, you are acting from a place of self-attachment. When you act solely for the sake of , you are driven by the constraints of your physical body and your personal personality traits. This way of living inevitably keeps you trapped in the cycle of comparison, gain and loss, profit and status, and success and failure. The result of such a life is inevitably the suffering of the cycle of rebirth.
The Practice of
To truly progress, you must direct your best efforts toward the path of awakening. This involves the simultaneous cultivation of the following practices while chanting the name of :
(Discipline), Concentration and Wisdom: Maintaining moral discipline, a steady mind, and the clarity to see the true nature of reality.
The Six Perfections: Practising the virtues of generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom.
You must dedicate yourself to the daily lessons of chanting Namo Amituofo, performing prostrations, and reciting the Sutras. Chant until the Buddha-name becomes second nature to you. Chant until you reach a state of selflessness, where the sense of 'I' disappears. When you reach the state of chanting while not chanting, and not chanting while chanting, your will be firmly established, and the wisdom of the Buddha-name will naturally manifest.
Elevating Your Spiritual Quality
You must also apply your best efforts to everything that elevates the quality of your spirit. This is the foundation of a life lived in accordance with the Truth. You should strive to:
See Good: Look for the inherent goodness in all people and situations.
Think Good: Cultivate thoughts of kindness, purity, and .
Speak Good: Use your words to encourage, comfort, and uplift others.
Do Good: Perform actions that are helpful, selfless, and virtuous.
By consistently maintaining a good heart, speaking good words, doing good deeds, and striving to be a good person, you will naturally give rise to all and achieve the fruit of .
The Ultimate Goal of Rebirth
Finally, you must direct your best efforts toward the goal of being reborn in the of Ultimate Bliss. One cannot be reborn in that land with only a small amount of good roots, , or causal conditions. Therefore, you must work diligently to increase your roots of goodness and blessings, and to cultivate broad affinity with all beings.
Apply your best efforts to the work of changing your personality traits. This includes:
Diligent Practice: Maintaining a consistent schedule of chanting, prostrations, and recitation.
Humility: Cultivating a humble and modest heart in all interactions.
Service: Developing a spirit of service to the community.
Emotional Mastery: Learning to extinguish the fires of anger and replacing them with kindness, compassion, and a vast mind-capacity.
Virtues: Growing in your ability to be inclusive, grateful, and filial.
Let go of the past, do not dwell on the future, and live fully in the present moment. You must chant one Buddha's name to the end. This is the one thing you must do with all your strength, for the merit and virtue of the Buddha-name are inconceivable. By holding firmly to this one practice, all the goals mentioned above can be achieved simultaneously. Chanting the name of Namo Amituofo, giving rise to Bodhicitta, and focusing your mind exclusively on Namo Amituofo is the most important practice on the Pure Land path.
