Do you really need a pure mind to be reborn in the Western Pure Land?

Q: After learning about the supremely efficacious practice of nianfo (the continual recitation of the Buddha’s name to seek rebirth in the Pure Land), I feel the threshold for rebirth in the Western Pure Land is very low, and that one can be reborn there as long as one has faith and aspiration. But there is a widespread claim that habits of clinging to TV and entertainment defile one’s pure mind, and once the pure mind is defiled, it is very difficult to connect with Amitabha Buddha, so rebirth becomes hopeless. Is this claim correct?

Venerable Da’an replies: From the standpoint of spiritual practice, the threshold for rebirth in the Western Pure Land isn’t just low — it doesn’t exist at all. This is unconditional salvation, born of perfect compassion. Even those who have committed the five heinous crimes and ten evil deeds can be reborn there if they have faith and aspiration and recite the Buddha’s name. What threshold is there? There is no threshold whatsoever. This is the Buddha’s salvation for all sentient beings, whom he regards as his own only child, motivated by boundless compassion. Why would he set conditions for entry? You do not need to reach any level of attainment first to be allowed in. No such conditions are set at all.

But that does not mean attaining rebirth is easy. The Pure Land path appears difficult yet is easy, appears easy yet is difficult — it is deeply challenging in its own right. First, generating genuine faith is not easy. Truly letting go of attachment to this Sahā world and wholeheartedly seeking rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss is also very difficult.

Some people even struggle to recite 10,000 repetitions of the Buddha’s name in a single day. They claim they have no time, that they are far too busy. They have this task to do, that obligation to handle. They prioritize mundane affairs far above Buddha name recitation, treating the practice as unimportant. When they do try to recite, they complain of back and leg pain after just a few minutes. If they catch a cold one day, they say they are too unwell to recite. If they run a fever a few days later, they still cannot recite. If they feel better a couple of days after that, they say they have urgent mundane tasks to attend to and still cannot recite.

They always have an excuse. Anyone who can come up with endless excuses clearly has flawed faith and aspiration. Especially when they face hardships or setbacks: they take up recitation only out of a fleeting urge to escape this world. But a few days later, when their luck changes — when they have money to earn, an official post to win, and all kinds of sensual pleasures to enjoy — they cast the Buddha’s name into the eastern ocean, never to think of it again.

So for sentient beings, cultivating genuine faith and aspiration is by no means easy. If faith and aspiration were so simple to attain, we would not still be trapped here in this Sahā world — we would have already been reborn in the Pure Land long ago. If you truly have faith and aspiration, and a sincere determination to end the cycle of birth and death, how could you possibly find time to watch TV, or to engage in karaoke and other forms of entertainment? All these distractions must be abandoned. If you cannot even let go of these, where is your genuine desire to escape the cycle of birth and death? How do you manifest it? This is not a matter of empty words — it must be expressed through concrete action.

But this does not mean you need a perfectly pure mind to be reborn in the Pure Land. In terms of your practice attitude, you must place Buddha name recitation above all else, and recite whenever you have a free moment.

Because this lifetime is very short. Life and death are impermanent, and death can arrive at any moment. Do not assume you will live for many more years to come. You never know: an earthquake, a tsunami, a plague, a war — any of these could snuff out your life in an instant.

You must constantly bear the awareness of death in mind. Death can come at any time, in any form, and you never know when it will arrive. So regard every day as the final moment of your life. If you truly hold this view, how could you possibly find time to watch TV or seek out entertainment?

It is this sincere faith and aspiration that connects you to Amitabha Buddha’s vow power, making rebirth possible. If your faith and aspiration are not genuine, if they are mere empty words, or if you continue to prioritize mundane affairs and relegate Buddha name recitation to the back burner, you will not be able to be reborn in the Pure Land either.