Venerable Jingjie
If you do not achieve rebirth in the pureland in this life, even if you’ve cultivated much merits and you are reborn next life with great blessings, what then?
Your (future) father indulges in enjoyment, your mother is indulgent, your sister is over there watching TV—and there you are, in the middle of it all, prostrating to the Eighty-Eight Buddhas? Is that likely? In a family of four, three people are giving out the vibrations of being lazy and indolent while you alone are sober among a crowd of drunkards? I really don’t think it’s possible! Your mind has to be strong enough to resist so much negative force.
That’s why Master Yinguang said, “In the Dharma-ending age, it’s like a fish swimming against the current.” When you step outside and see everyone indulging themselves, what can you do? You’ll just end up becoming like them, what other choice do you have? You can’t remain detached because everything you see and hear becomes an habitual influence. Even if you practice diligently every day, it would only barely offset the negative vibes others impose on you. Sustaining the present level of mind is already considered quite good!
Like a fish struggling upstream, just staying in place is an achievement. All its effort barely counteracts the force of gravity. No one is there to help you, no one encourages you. Instead, they coax you, saying, “Hey, relax! Take it easy…” Because the whole environment is moving toward indulgence. The more virtuous practitioners of the past have already gone to the pureland, leaving behind those of duller acumen.
So you must realize that if you don’t attain rebirth in the pureland in this life, it will be even harder in the next life to achieve it. Truly! Some may think, “If I don’t make it this time, no big deal. I’ll just try again next life.” That’s the wrong mindset. If you need to practice 4 hours a day in this life, then you will need 8 hours in the next life, just to counteract the resisting force coming from your environment.
Departing for the pureland works like this. One bus comes carrying a hundred people; the next may only take sixty; the one after that, thirty… The later you try to board, the harder it gets—understand? It only gets more difficult!
If you’re serious about this, don’t delay—really! If you fail to attain rebirth in pureland in this life, it’ll be even tougher next time. Much tougher. Because negative forces in the world are growing stronger. The Buddha prophesied that in the Age of Decline, the world is headed downhill. “Tomorrow will be better” is just a lie! It’s just wishful thinking, contrary to reality. Things will only get worse.
