47) 临命终持名

Buddha recitation at the Time of Death

At the time of death, make the effort to remember the words “Amitabha Buddha”, never letting them slip away from your mind. If you can recite aloud, by all means do so. If not, then recite softly. If you are too weak to recite at a l, think of the words “Amitabha Buddha”, engraving them in the depths of your m ind – and never forget them.

Those who attend the dy ing should counsel them, continuously urging them to remember the Buddha, to re-cite the Buddha’s name.

You should realize that because of scattered, deluded thoughts at the time of death, you have been wallowing in the Triple Realm throughout many lifetimes, many eons. Why? It is because Birth and Death are governed by your last thought at the time of death. If that single thought is focused on the Buddha, your body may be dead but your mind, being undisturbed, will immediately fo low that single thought toward rebirth in the Pure Land.(26) Therefore, remember to recite the Buddha’s name, always, without fail!

但记取阿弥陀佛四字勿忘也，能高念便高念，能低念便低念，或高低皆不能，亦宜将四字默记于心不令忘失，左右侍奉之人，亦宜常将此四字，频频提醒，当知百劫千 生，所有乱走之路全在此时一念，断得清楚，何以故？六道轮迥，皆一念为主，若一 念专注在佛，则形虽败坏，而神不散乱，即随一念，而往生净土矣！ 呜呼！但记取阿 弥陀佛四字勿忘也。

Commentary

The Pure land practitioner on the verge of death should have the fo lowing thoughts: “The last moment before death is of utmost importance for a Pure Land cultivator. If I do not guard it carefu ly and am not skillful, I will not only waste the efforts of an entire lifetime, I will be burdened by the sufferings of the cycle of Birth and Death, with no hope of escape. This is not to mention that this body came into being as a result of karmic consciousness, of the convergence of my father’s seed and my mother’s egg, and that it is subject to decay and death. Where there is form, there is decay, where there is life, there is death – nothing can last forever.

“The world I live in comes from filthy, deluded karma and is hardly a pure and peaceful realm meriting attachment. Today I singlemindedly recite the Buddha’s name, vowing to be reborn in the Pure Land at the time of death. This is no different

from throwing away a dirty old shirt and putting on a clean one – what can possibly

be better?”

If you can reflect upon the above and plan in advance, then at the time of death, you will be free of attachment to the body and the world around you. With pure thoughts and one-pointedness of mind, you will be re-born instantly in the Pure Land

– even ten thousand horses cannot drag you back!