The Rarity of the Pure Land Path: An Interview with Skanda Bodhisattva

The Vigilant Guardian of the Dharma

As the Dharma Protector, I never leave the temple for even a single moment. My manifestations are distributed throughout the surroundings of the temple, and I also follow closely by the side of Practitioner Su and his Dharma Body. I am also present within the teams that travel around the globe to chant the name of Namo Amituofo. Whether I am in my main form or one of my many manifestations, I am fully aware of every situation that arises. My primary duty is to guard and protect this temple.

Namo Amituofo is constantly surrounded by countless Dharma protectors. Among them are celestial beings, deities from various realms, and even spirits from this world and beyond. To say that Namo Amituofo has merely billions of manifestations is an understatement. In any given moment, He possesses immeasurable and boundless manifestations that pervade the entire Dharma-realm and empty space. When sentient beings have a thought and chant His name, Namo Amituofo knows it instantly. The Buddha who appears to them is one of His infinite manifestations.

The Manifestation of Sacred Vows

Every Buddha and Bodhisattva makes different vows during their period of practice. When they reach the stage of having countless manifestations, it is the time when the vows they made before attaining Buddhahood are fully realised. Therefore, when the actions of sentient beings align with these vows, that is where the manifestations of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appear to protect them. This allows the power of their vows to transcend mere words and mental notes, transforming into actual deeds that perform their intended functions.

This is why the vows made by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas during their practice were spoken by Shakyamuni Buddha and recorded by his disciples to be passed down to future generations. This allows those who have the karmic affinity to encounter the corresponding Buddha or Bodhisattva, practise their Dharma gate, follow the teachings, and receive the benefits of the Dharma. The so-called 84,000 Dharma gates exist precisely because sentient beings have different capacities and karmic affinities.

The Only Path in the Age of the Dharma’s Decline

Shakyamuni Buddha taught that in the age of the Dharma’s decline, sentient beings can only be saved through the Pure Land. He clearly pointed out that given the capacities of beings in this age and the suffering of this defiled world, only the Pure Land can resolve their suffering and provide salvation. In China, it is said that every household chants the name of Namo Amituofo and Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. This was the guidance provided by the compassion of Namo Amituofo and Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva as we transitioned from the Age of Semblance Dharma into the age of the Dharma’s decline.

Today, the age of the Dharma’s decline is filled with chaos, and only the Pure Land can save us. However, because misleading teachers are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, the true spirit and compassion of Namo Amituofo in saving beings to the West have been distorted. Consequently, the true teachings cannot be revealed to save the suffering beings who are lost in the fires of this world. This is why the True Teachings of the Pure Land are so hard to encounter. Chanting the name of Namo Amituofo is the shortcut and the primary method of study in the Pure Land Dharma gate. Yet, in our current society and even within Buddhist circles, a common phenomenon has emerged: while many people know the six-character name of Namo Amituofo, they mostly hear it only during funerals or when dealing with the affairs of the deceased. This has led the vast majority of people to mistakenly believe that Namo Amituofo is a Buddha for the dead. This is the primary reason why the Pure Land path struggles to exert its actual power of purification and salvation. People fear and reject death, which leads them to avoid chanting the holy name of Namo Amituofo. While this causes no loss to Namo Amituofo or the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, it is a tremendous loss for humanity and all other living beings.

Internalising the Buddha-Name

Even those who encounter the Pure Land and make the vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss often limit their practice to chanting with their mouths and hearing with their ears. They neglect to take the Buddha-name into their hearts. Beyond chanting with a sincere heart, one must also act in accordance with the vows of Namo Amituofo to achieve the goal of rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This requires those who transmit the Dharma to educate the masses.

The vows of Namo Amituofo are manifested in the Forty-eight Great Vows. It is rare to find a transmitter of the Pure Land Dharma who truly understands the spirit of these vows to save all beings. It is a great pity to limit the Pure Land path only to chanting. The great vows of Namo Amituofo extend from the highest level of Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattvas down to the beings in the hells, without any limitations of time or space. Practitioners must transform their learning into action that aligns with the Buddha-vows. The most urgent task is to resolve the conflicts with and save one's own karmic creditors and attached spirits, for they are also within the scope of Namo Amituofo’s salvation.

Beyond chanting with a sincere heart to receive a response, one can rely on a practitioner of high virtue to lead a Dharma assembly to receive the actual benefits of delivering sentient beings to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Looking at the current situation, how many Buddhist practitioners truly understand the importance and purpose of these Chao Du ceremonies? How many of those who lead these ceremonies are truly virtuous practitioners? Most are merely going through the motions, chanting along with the crowd. How many can actually deliver the deceased to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? Often, the virtue of the leader can only deliver beings to the celestial or human realms—which is good, but it is not the ultimate goal of rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Unique Role of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre

This is the common situation in society, temples, and among practitioners today, and it is the main reason why so few people are reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss despite the large number of people who chant. Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre has appeared in this world at this time, led by Practitioner Su, who has realised his true nature through the Pure Land path. He does not leave the fourfold assembly of disciples for twenty-four hours a day, staying by their side to give lectures and share his experience of realising his true nature and his deep understanding of the vows of Namo Amituofo. He teaches how to implement these in daily life and points directly to the problems of each disciple based on their individual capacities. Changing one's personality, habits, and overcoming drowsiness and agitation are the most urgent tasks for everyone to break through right now.

Furthermore, Namo Amituofo truly abides at this temple, twenty-four hours a day, bestowing blessings and watching over the fourfold assembly and the spirits of the Dharma-realm. This is something unheard of. What I, Skanda, have described is merely a glimpse of the reality within this temple, yet it already breaks through the blind spots of current Pure Land practice. The benefits of participating in the practice here are even greater. The greatest benefit is the fastest method to realise one's true nature and the fastest method to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. It truly benefits both the living and the deceased. I hope that those who have the karmic affinity to hear these words will draw close to the temple and cherish this Dharma affinity. By diligently practising or visiting, you will surely receive the blessings of Namo Amituofo, improve your current practice, and even achieve the ultimate goal of every Buddhist practitioner: to realise one's true nature, attain Buddhahood, and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss with ease.

I sincerely hope that the Venerables and lay practitioners of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre will cherish these rare days of pure practice. Work hard at prostrations to dissolve your karma, and truly listen to the sutras so that they enter your heart. This is the most important method to resolve conflicts with sentient beings, for he who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. Sincere repentance and diligent efforts to change one's ways are the best methods to untie these knots. The Thrice Yearning Ceremonies at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, led by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, are a peerless combination. There has been nothing like it before, and whether there will be anyone to carry on this great Dharma in the future depends on whether there are those among the fourfold assembly who can realise their true nature.

The spirits accumulated within Practitioner Su due to previous resolutions and Chao Du are still being invited out by myself and other Dharma protectors. The Buddha-words, messages from sentient beings, and memorial tablets written daily by the Venerables have also played a great role in inviting these beings. If this can be continued, it would be even better. Today’s Thrice Yearning Ceremony is a great day for inviting and delivering spirits. I encourage all participating Venerables and volunteers to take this opportunity to recite the sutras and chant the Buddha’s name diligently. This will help you deliver the karmic creditors and attached spirits within your own bodies, which will be of immense help to your own practice.

Namo Amituofo.

Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.