The Preciousness of Time: A Discourse on Buddha-Recitation

The Fleeting Sands of Time

The preciousness of time is a truth that may seem like an old, familiar story, yet its importance remains absolute. Because our days often pass without significant change or novelty, we frequently forget this fundamental reality. We allow the precious moments of our lives to slip away, flowing past us like water through our fingers. I bring this matter to your attention once more, hoping to remind you of the urgency of your spiritual journey. If you can recite the Holy Name of Namo Amituofo in the present moment—whether silently in your heart, softly with your lips, or aloud—you ensure that your time is never spent in vain.

The Holy Name as Our Eternal Companion

The Holy Name is your most vital treasure. You must treat it as a companion that never leaves your side. By thinking of the Buddha, chanting the Buddha, and keeping the Buddha in every thought, your very actions and state of mind demonstrate that you understand the value of time. You are truly learning how to grasp the fleeting seconds of your life. However, one must ask: when you recite the Holy Name, is the Buddha truly present in your practice? To ensure your practice is authentic, you must cultivate the presence of the Buddha in four distinct ways:

• In your heart: Your mind must be filled with the Buddha, free from the interference of delusions, messy thoughts, or wandering distractions.
• In your speech: Whether you chant aloud or silently, every syllable of the Holy Name, Namo Amituofo, must be articulated with absolute clarity.
• In your eyes: When you look upon the Buddha, your gaze should be focused and steady, not wandering or distracted by the external world.
• In your ears: You must listen intently to the sound of the Holy Name, ensuring that every word enters your ears with perfect clarity.

When your heart, mouth, eyes, and ears are all unified in the Holy Name of Namo Amituofo, your practice becomes a continuous, unbroken stream. With no other thoughts or distractions, your focus becomes singular and unwavering. This is how you ensure that not a single moment of your life is wasted. Such a state of mind belongs to a wise person who truly knows how to make the best use of their precious time.

Beholding the Buddha in All That Is

If you can maintain the Buddha in your eyes, you can elevate your practice even further. You can transform the heart that looks upon a Buddha statue into a heart that sees the Buddha in every single being you encounter. This shift in perspective is a powerful way to elevate the quality of your spirit. When you look at the world, you must recognise that the Buddha is present in all things: the people you meet in your daily life, all sentient beings—whether they are visible or invisible to the naked eye—and the insentient world, including the very molecules of air and water that sustain us. By seeing the Buddha in all these forms, you are not only practising true mindfulness but also elevating the very quality of the Buddha-nature within your own heart. You move beyond the limitations of physical representations—such as wood carvings, paper paintings, stone sculptures, or jade statues—and elevate your devotion to the level of the heart and the spirit. To be able to look past the physical form without becoming attached to it is a sign of significant progress in your practice. You must continue this path, maintaining your momentum without interruption.

Anchoring the Heart in Devotion

If you find it helpful to hold prayer beads, use them to anchor your heart to the Buddha, preventing your mind from scattering. Holding the beads while chanting is far superior to merely chanting with your mouth while your heart remains elsewhere. It is difficult to remain focused and settled in the Holy Name if your ears hear the chanting but your heart does not participate. Remember, Buddha-recitation is your own personal responsibility. You must take ownership of your practice, keeping the Holy Name firmly in your mind until chanting then becomes a continuous, flowing stream that never stops. You must strive to reach the state of chanting without chanting, and chanting while not chanting. Only then will you fully realise the profound benefits of this practice. Your precious time can also be dedicated to other essential activities: performing prostrations to the Buddha, reciting the sacred Sutras, serving the community with a compassionate heart, and listening to sutras and hear the Dharma. When you serve others, do so with the heart of serving a living Buddha. While you work, keep the Holy Name in your heart, on your lips, and in your ears. Even during your daily morning service or while walking during the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, if you can maintain this fourfold unity of heart, mouth, eyes, and ears, your practice will be exceptionally powerful. By chanting aloud, you can inspire the very cells of your body, as well as your karmic creditors, attached spirits, and even the demon crowds, to join you in chanting the Holy Name. This is the most effective way to reduce or even eliminate feelings of drowsiness and to prevent the intrusion of negative energies.

The Path to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss

To chant at all times, to have the Buddha in your heart, and to embody the Buddha’s actions is the fundamental duty of every monastic and every member of the fourfold assembly. If you vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, you must master this practice. In the Pure Land school, this is the essential skill required for success. When your chanting becomes second nature, you will eventually reach the state where you are chanting without effort, and your silence is itself a form of chanting. This is the basic foundation for achieving rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and the most concrete way to cherish and utilise your precious time. I urge all of you to practise in this way. Namo Amituofo.