For those having a karmic affinity with Amitabha Buddha
wishing to practise a religious life in truly simple faith,
freeing themselves of sophistication and attachment to all forms of cleverness,
the method of opening oneself to Amitabha’s grace
is the practice of Nien Fo with body, speech and mind,
particularly verbal recitation of “Namo Amida Bu”.
This is not something done as a form of meditation,
nor is it based on study, understanding and wisdom,
or the revelation of deep meaning.
Deep meaning is indeed there
for the nembutsu is a window
through which the whole universe of Buddha’s teaching
can be perceived in all its depth,
but none of this is either necessary
or even helpful to success in the practice.
Rather such study cultivates secondary faculties
to be held separate from the mind of practice itself.

The primary practice requires only one essential:
realise that you are a totally foolish being
who understands nothing,
but who can with complete trust recite “Namo Amida Bu”;
know that this will generate rebirth in the Pure Land,
without even knowing what rebirth in the Pure Land truly is.
This is the practice for ignorant beings
and ignorance is essential for its accomplishment.
This practice automatically encompasses the three minds
and the mind of contrition as a fourth.
To pursue something more profound or more sophisticated,
or to have a theory,
or to think that understanding will yield greater enlightenment than this
is to be mislead
and to fall back into self-power
whereby the whole practice is spoilt.
However wise, learned or skilled you may be,
set it aside and be the foolish being completely
in the performance of the practice.
Nothing else is required
and anything else is too much.
Faith and practice cannot be differentiated.

The Buddha-body is delineated by the precepts.
How deficient we are by comparison!
By our daily difficulty in the preceptual life,
we awaken to the presence of the myriad karmic obstacles
without which we would already perceive the land of love and bliss,
we would be as the vow-body of Buddha.
Thus we know in experience
that we are foolish beings of wayward passion.
This knowledge of our condition is part of the essential basis
when it gives rise to contrition.
Thus all obstacles become impediments to faith
unless we experience contrition and letting go.
Saving grace,
as was made clear by Shan Tao’s dream
and advice to Tao Cho,
only comes through the sange-mon.

If you can perform the practice in this simple minded way,
Amida will receive you and you may fear for nothing
since all is completely assured.
Dwelling in this settled faith
you may then use your secondary faculties,
your knowledge and skills and accumulated experience,
as tools for helping all sentient beings.
But do not then think that anything of relevance to your own salvation
is thereby accomplished,
nor that you are making something of yourself.
Whatever merit there may be in your actions of this kind,
immediately and totally dedicate it to the benefit of others,
that they may enter the Pure Land
and that you yourself may not be encumbered by consciousness of virtue
which will only contaminate the practice.
As Honen says,
“without pedantic airs, fervently recite the Name.” *