Three Points of Doubt at the Time of Death

The key words here are "utmost faith". According to a well-known Elder Master, Tzu Chao, the Pure Land practitioner faces three points of doubt at the time of death:

1. Fearing that his past karma is heavy and his period of cultivation short, and that therefore, he may not be reborn in the Pure Land;
2. Fearing that he has not yet fulfilled his vows nor eliminated greed, anger and delusion, and that therfore, he may not be reborn in the Pure Land;
3. Fearing that even though he has recited the Buddha's name, Buddha Amitabha may not come, and that therefore, he may not be reborn in the Pure Land. (Thich Thien Tam, Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith, sect.68.)

Meditation Sutra, Sixteenth Meditation

The two operative phrases here are "on the verge of death" and "utmost sincerity and devotion". When a wicked person, on his deathbed, senses evil omens arising from his subconscious and he sees no possible alternative, a mind of utter sincerity and devotion is sometimes possible. Such a frame of mind is pratically impossible to develop in the course of everyday life. The following is a good illustration.

There was once a Zen monk meditating on a deserted mountain far away from all human habitation. Because of the rigors of the climate and the isolation of the place, he found it difficult to concentrate. His mind constantly wandered toward life in the village down below. One evening, as he was seated lost in errant thought, he had the sensation that he was being watched. He slowly turned his head, and lo and behold, there was a tiger crouched in the bushes behind him! One false move and the tiger would pounce on him. He had no choice but to remain ramrod straight, in singleminded concentration. When dawn broke, the tiger, fearful of the light of day, gave up this cat-and-mouse game and disappeared. The next two evenings, the monk, faithful to his vow, resumed his meditation at the appointed time and place. The tiger returned and the scene repeated itself each evening. When daylight came on the third day, the monk, after three nights of singleminded concentration, experienced a Great Awakening, collapsed and died. At his funeral, it was reported that a tiger was seen watching and wailing in the distance.

First Principle of Zen

The first principle of Ch'an [Zen] practice is to empty one's mind. One must first paste the two words "life-death" on the forehead, and regard them as seriously as if one owed a debt of a million tales. In day or night, while drinking or eating, travelling or staying at home, sitting or lying, entertaining friends, in a quiet moment or at a noisy hour, you must hold on to the ... [koan]. (Zen Master Han-Shan Te-Ch'ing, in Sung-peng Hsu, A Buddhist Leader in Ming China, p. 130.)

Repentance

Buddhist sutras teach followers to practise repentance constantly in order to transcend delusion and achieve Buddhahood. Thus, even the Bodhisattva Maitreya, who has attained the level of Equal Enlightenment, still pays respect to the Buddhas of the ten directions during the six periods of the day, so as to wipe out delusion and attain the Dharma Body. If this is true for the Bodhisattva Maitreya, what can we say of common beings filled with heavy karmic afflictions?

If you do not feel shame and remorse, your Self-Nature may be the same as the Buddhas', but it is hidden by afflictions and evil karma and cannot manifest itself. Just like a precious mirror which has been covered with dust for eons, not only does it not reflect light, even its reflecting nature is hidden. If you realise that the mirror already possesses the nature of brightness and strive ceaselessly to clean it, the light reflected will gradually increase until it reaches maximum radiance. The mirror can then become, once more, something of value in the world.

You should realise that the potential for reflection is inherent in the mirror and is not the result of polishing. If it were not so, a brick would also shine brightly when polished. Yet, you should also realise that although the brightness is inherent in the mirror, without polishing, the day would never come when it would gleam.

The Mind-Nature of sentient beings is similar. Although it is intrinsically identical to that of the Buddhas, [it is clouded]. Thus, if sentient beings do not mend their ways, from evil to wholesome, and turn their backs on worldly dusts "to merge with Enlightenment", their inherently virtuous nature cannot appear. Such a mind-consciousness, inherently possessing the Buddha Nature in full but busily creating evil karma and suffering - mired in Birth and Death for many eons - is no different from a dark house filled with treasures. You not only cannot make use of the treasures, you may, in fact, suffer further loss. Is this not lamentable?

(Taken from Pure-Land Zen, Zen Pure-Land)

Pure Land teaching, at the higher level, stresses vipasyana

The Pure Land method is not reserved for people with low or moderate capacities alone; it embraces those of the highest capacities as well. Sentient beings of middling and low capacities who recite the Buddha's name will be able to rid themselves of afflictions and karmic obstacles and develop merit, virtue and wisdom, leading in time to the state of concentration. Depending on the amount of effort they exert, they will be reborn within the nince lotus grades of the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Those of high capacities, on the other hand, enter deeply into the sphere of concentration and wisdom as soon as they begin uttering the Buddha's name. Whether walking, standing, lying down or sitting, they are always in the "Buddha Remembrance Samadhi". After death they will be reborn in the highest grade. (Master Thich Thien Tam, Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith, sect. 18.)

Achieve Rebirth in the Pure Land

The following passage explains how sentient beings burdened with heavy karma may, nevertheless, achieve rebirth in the Pure Land:

There is a parable in the Questions of King Milinda Sutra:

"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, of 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." (Master Thich Thien Tam, Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith, sect. 68 A.)

Role of Illness

Similar to Vimilakirti's concept and to Sakyamuni's fundamental teachings, an illness when properly dealt with can serve as a major event that propels one onwards towards higher spiritual attainment. In the case of healings by [the Medicine Buddha], the sincere act of faith by the ill person results in healings granted. During the healing process, insight arises that causes the person to reform the patterns of his deeds, words and thoughts, so that they accord with the quest for enlightenment. (Raoul Birnbaum, The Healing Buddha, p. 69.)