"A minute grain of sand, dropped on the surface of the water, will sink immediately. On the other hand, a block of stone, however large and heavy, can easily be moved from place to place by boat. The same is true of the Pure Land practitioner. However light his karma may be, if he is not rescued by Amitabha Buddha, he must revolve in the cycle of Birth and Death. With the help of the Buddha, his karma, however heavy, will not prevent his rebirth in the Pure Land."
We can see from this passage that, thanks to "other-power", the Pure Land method can help the practitioner "bring his karma along" to the Pure Land. The huge block of stone represents the weight of heavy karma, the boat symbolizes the power of the Buddha's Vows. Therefore, the cultivator should not think that residual greed, anger and delusion will prevent him from being reborn ... (Master Thich Thien Tam, Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith, sect. 68A.)
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