E.4, Aspire to attain Buddhahood eventually:

Then may I, when my life there ends, instantly, 

in Sukhavati or other pure realms,

attain the Supreme Perfect Enlightenment

I pray that once my life in Sukhavati ends, I will immediately attain the supreme and perfect enlightenment in Sukhavati or in other pure realms, with the perfection of the merits and wisdom I accumulate previously.

Having achieved the perfect buddha state, may I like Amitayus

be able to ripen and liberate all beings just by hearing my name.

May I be able to guide sentient beings

by countless emanations –

may I accomplish boundless benefits for

living beings effortlessly and spontaneously.

After attaining buddhahood, one will also be like the protector Buddha Amitabha, with the inconceivable merits and wisdom that sentient beings can ripen and be liberated by just hearing one's name. With the inconceivable  activities of great compassion such as the emanation of countless nirmanakaya bodies to guide sentient beings in the ten directions, one will constantly benefit countless sentient beings in a manner that pervades all places, and is achieved spontaneously and without effort.

The above has already explained the fourth cause of rebirth in Sukhavati - dedication and aspiration.

The intermission verse:

After seeing this prison of sufferings that is samsara, 

For those who have the favorable condition to feel am acute renunciation from the depth.

If one yearns for the pure realm and feeling joyful, 

may the Buddha be a witness to this aspiration. 

The end of the fourth cause - Generating pure aspirations 

The "Amitabha Sutra" mostly expounds the first cause of rebirth in Sukhavati, which is to repeatedly visualize and think about Amitabha. The "Undying Sound of Drumbeat Sutra" (?)(无死鼓声经) expounds on visualizing all the qualities of the animate and inanimate worlds of that realm, and on aspiring to gain these qualities, so this is a very important point. This "Sukhavati Aspiration Prayer" is easy to understand, so when lay men and women recite it, they should not be scattered but should focus on the meaning of the words, and make aspirations in their minds while reciting the text.

For the perfect happiness in Sukhavati, one should also look it up in Sukhavati thangkas or while listening to the guru's explanation, see if one has understood it based on the words and sentences of the "Sukhavati Aspiration Prayer" text, and should memorize it indelibly, know it by heart. This is very crucial. Even just remembering the qualities of a flower or the birds in Sukhavati after understaing them definitely can purify the obstacles in one's mind and accumulate great merits. Because these are all created by the vows and merits of Amitabha, so they are no different from the merits of visualizing or contemplating the actual Buddha.

Generally speaking, for most ordinary people, if they hear that there is a beautiful and peaceful place somewhere, they will long for it very much and ask about the situation there again and again. When they hear about the many merits of the bliss, reposefulness, and the objects that gratify of Sukhavati, they have no interest, no desire, and do not know asking about the situation of that realm. These people are really foolish and have stepped into a terrible wrong path. Look at today, when some people hear others say "There are many foods in a hidden place", they will abandon all that is in their hands and go there immediately. But in the end they run in vain and get nothing, and finally return dejected and very frustrated. 

In no sutra or treatise does it say that, without accumulating any merits, one can be reborn in Sukhavati without giving up the physical body. We do not need to doubt the existence of Sukhavati (Sukhavati definitely exists), nor do we need to go through a lot of hardships to be reborn there. We do not need to return after rebirth there. If we diligently accumulate merits and aspire to be reborn there now, we can be reborn in Sukhavati effortlessly and enjoy ultimate bliss and peace in the future. Accumulating the cause of rebirth is actually very simple, and does not require a lot of effort: upon waking up each morning, offer some fruits and light an incense. With such simple accumulation of merits, combined with chanting the name, remembering the Buddha, is enough to be reborn in Sukhavati.

C.2, Ending with stating the merits of chanting the Buddha’s name:

O Amitabha, Dharmakaya Buddha of Infinite Light,

the unlimited life, merit, quality,

pristine awareness, and brilliance of the Tathagata,

O Bhagavan of boundless life and pristine awareness,

Pray that one gains the blessings of chanting the Buddha’s name in the current life. As mentioned above, the Tathagata Infinite Light has immeasurable merits in body and life. (Buddha Amitabha) accumulated a vast-as-sea amount of merits and wisdom in many great kalpas, and has the immeasurable qualities of the two accumulations in the causes, the immeasurable qualities of the ten powers, four fearlessnesses in the fruition. He also has the immeasurable merits of the five wisdoms, of the union of compassion and wisdoms; the immeasurable merits of the body of no unacceptance upon seeing, surpassing any others, and of infinite light of majesty; the immeasurable merits of the spontaneously accomplished four kayas and five kayas.

it is declared that whoever chant your name 

will remain protected from all threats of fire, water, poison,

weapons, yaksa, rakshasa, and so on,

except for already-ripened retribution of accumulated karma.

After focusing on comtemplating with faith these qualities of immeasurable merits, one needs to chant the Buddha's name. One can chant any of his names: Dharmakaya Buddha of Infinite Light, Protector Amitabha, because his life span and wisdom are immeasurable, he is also called the Bhagavan. Any virtuous man or woman who chants these different names of the Sugata and prays without doubt, except for the temporary ripening of the retribution fruit of negative karma from the past, can be saved and protected from all other adversities and obstacles, such as water, fire, poison, weapons, rakshasas, yakshas, ​​etc. This is the unerring teaching of the great Shakyamuni in the "Undying Sound of Drumbeat Sutra", one must have no doubt about it.

As I prostrate and chant your name,

please grant me your protection against all fear and suffering.

Please bestow your blessing for all auspiciousness,

everything in plenty.

I visualize that all places of refuge, including my root guru, are merged in you. With the faith that "you can discern all my deeds", I chant your name (in my mind), chant it aloud, prostrate respectfully, and pray sincerely for you to save me from all temporary fears and ultimately all sufferings of life and death, as well as bestowing the temporary benefits mentioned in the previous dedication section and dispelling obstacles to longevity mentioned here, etc.

In short, wish that my body, speech, and mind will always be in accordance with the Dharma in this life and the lives after, that all obstacles to practice the Dharma be eliminated, to have favorable conditions as desired, and finally attain buddhahood after rebirth in Sukhavati. Pray that you will bless me with auspicious and perfect goodness in every life. After thinking this way in mind, one should make aspirations.

If faith arises by remembering the merits of the Buddha, the merit is extremely great. As stated in the "Chapter on Causes and Conditions": "If a person makes a thousand offerings, every month for a hundred years, it is not as good as one sixteenth, of the blessings of having faith in the Buddha."

In today's degenerate world, there are so many fears internal and external that it is difficult to be saved from them by praying to the powerful mundane deities or any other methods. There is nothing more superior than praying to the perfect Amitabha, the perfection of enlightenment and collection of all places of refuge. Lhala Chodri Rinpoche said: "This is the age when the evil cults from dharmic border regions are rampant, the threat of many evil objects, charms, and curses appear frequently. If you pray to Buddha Amitabha, these will not harm you at all. This is the teaching from oral transmission of the supreme guru. I hope everyone will never forget it, engrave it indelibly in mind.

"The Quintessence of the Sun Sutra" (日藏经) says: "If a sentient being takes refuge in the Buddha, even kotis of demons cannot harm him. Even if he has broken precepts and is filled with disturbing emotions, he will definitely attain Nirvana." Even if one falls into the blazing fire that befalls at the end of the kalpa, if he prays to the Buddha, he will not be burned. He can even be saved from the fire of hell, not to mention ordinary fires?

In the past, a group of merchants went to an island (to get treasures), and a big whale hijacked the boat on the way. At this time, some people prayed to the earthly deities. A lay Buddhist merchant among them knew that if they prayed to the Buddha, they could be freed from fear, so he said to everyone: "Let's prostrate to the Buddha." As a result, the whale let go of the boat, and they arrived at their destination without difficulties. The whale heard the Buddha's name and was reborn in a heavenly realm after death.

Those who take refuge with faith in the Buddha cannot be harmed by the poisonous gas of venomous snakes and big black nagas. There are many koans in this regard: It is said that a man was walking at night. On the way, when he took rest, he mistook a venomous snake coiled on the ground for a block of wood and sat on it. When the venomous snake was about to hurt him, he prayed to the Supreme Liberator Tara and was spared.

As it is said: "When a sworn enemy throws a weapon, if one thinks of the Buddha, he will not be hurt by the weapon, and the enemy's weapon will break up; if one remembers Avalokitesvara, the enemy's weapon will break into pieces; if one prays to Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava, the executioner will be terrified and the weapon will fall to the ground."

If one takes the refuge precept vows, one will never be hit by a weapon, etc. There are many relevant texts in the sutras.

Once, when many merchants were camping in a place, a fierce non-human yaksha made trouble by blowing black wind everywhere. The merchants were at a loss. Later, they prayed to the Buddha. The Buddha came there in an instant and saved them.

A Yaksha named In Black Pearl (黑珠内) tormented the people in a pastoral area and took their sons to eat. (People give their sons to him as if they were paying taxes.) A couple was about to give their only son to pay the tax. Because the mother took refuge in the Perfectly Enlightened Buddha before, she prayed to the Buddha to dispel this adversity. When the Buddha knew about it, he came there instantly, taught the Dharma to the Yaksha, and let her take refuge. When the patron brought food and his son to the Yaksha, the Yaksha accepted the food and gave the child to the Buddha. The Buddha gave the child back to the patron, who was also freed from the adversity.

The Buddha's emanation Horse King Cloud Walker (巴拉哈马王, 云行力骏马王) liberated many merchants from the rakshasa continent, etc.

Taking refuge and praying to the Buddha can save one from from the fear of barbarity: In the past, a woman from a family went to a festival banquet and borrowed a piece of clothing from someone else. But she tore accidentally. She asked a lame old tailor to sew it. When her husband came back at night, she was afraid that the tailor would be discovered by her husband. She put the tailor in a bag and put it in a hidden corner in the room. At this time, a thief came, took the bag from her house, and carried it away. On the way, he felt that the bag was unusually heavy, and thought to himself: This bag must be packed with of treasures. He continued to walk ahead. As he walked, the old tailor peed in the bag, and the urine leaked out. The thief happened to see the moon rising at this time, so again he thought, judging from the liquid that leaked out and the rising of the moon, there must be wish-fulfilling crystals in the bag. When he arrived in a forest, he opened the bag and saw that there was an old lame man inside. All the thieves were furious and prepared to kill him. The old tailor was very scared and immediately took refuge in the Buddha. The Buddha transformed into a yaksha came there in an instant. He tamed the thieves and taught the Dharma to them and the tailor.

There is also a koan of being saved from the danger of wild beasts: A little girl went to pick flowers. A man-eating mad elephant happened to be there, and it was about to eat her. She was terrified and immediately prayed to Tara. As a result, the elephant felt happy with the girl, lifted her up with his trunk, served her respectfully, and brought her to the city. People thought this was strange and said, "Even a fierce mad elephant serves her so respectfully. This girl must be a person with great merits." Later, she became the king's queen.

A hunter named Lekgon Chogya (?)(勒滚秋嘉) hid behind a tree naked and was about to shoot a fire arrow at a water deer. At this time, a brown bear came from behind, pressed him down, and rolled and squeezed him. He knew to recite Guru Rinpoche's prayer for dispelling obstacles (The Prayer to Guru Rinpoche that Spontaneously Fulfils All Wishes): "When vicious wild animals menace us- tigers, leopards, bears and poisonous snakes, On our way through wild, terrifying and desolate places, With no trace of doubt or hesitation we pray:O Guru Rinpoche, along with your ging warriors and protectors,

You will drive off these ferocious creatures — of this we have no doubt.

To the Lotus-born Guru of Orgyen we pray! Grant your blessing, so all our wishes be spontaneously fulfilled!"(*) He prayed to Guru Rinpoche for help. As a result, the brown bear eased up, dazed for a short while, and slowly came down from him. It then just glanced at him and ran away. There are many koans similar to this.

(*taken from https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/tulku-zangpo-drakpa/leu-dunma-chapter-7)

Regarding being saved from punishment by the king, it is said in many sutras and treatises: If you pray to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, you can be freed from the prison. As heard there was an old thief in Mo-leh (?)(莫涅, in proximity of Kangding, Sichuan, China) who was imprisoned and sentenced to life imprisonment during the Ga-la (?)(加拉) period. He was thrown into a very horrible cell with both his hands and feet shackled. Because he recited "The Prayer to Guru Rinpoche that Swiftly Removes Obstacles and Fulfils All Wishes"(?), he did not feel much pain and suffering. One day, he felt that all the handcuffs and shackles seemed to be untied by itself. He thought: What's going on? He looked and saw that they were indeed untied. At this time, the iron door also opened automatically, and a person in white clothes called him: "Don't you want to leave?" He thought: In broad daylight, others will see me. But he still fled from the cell (following the man), trembling. Although he met many people on the way, none of them saw him. He returned home safely. Therefore, by praying to Amitabha and his emanations, one can receive blessings even in the current life, this is karmic fruition within one's lifetime.

In addition, (there is a koan:) King Pasenadi had a daughter who was ugly and bore many bad omens. Later, she married someone. The family did not dare to let her show her face, so they hid her in a room and locked the door. She was very sad and prayed to the Buddha. The Buddha came in person, radiated light from his body, and the door was opened. When she saw the form of the Buddha, all her negative karmic retrbution was purified, and she became as beautiful as a devi.

Especially in the current age, sentient beings cannot be subdued by wrathful means, but can be by peaceful means. Therefore, if one leads sentient beings with compassion to take refuge in the Three Jewels, there will be no ghosts or spirits that cannot be subdued by it. Especially when sudden life-threatening diseases are extremely numerous nowadays. Because people violate and break the precepts of the Ten Virtues, and diligently perform misdeeds, there are often wars between the devas and the antigods (asuras). Because humans do not perform virtues, devas are defeated tragically. After the antigods gain victory, they disperse poisonous gas in the human world of the desire realm, causing 21 different demonic diseases to spread extensively. Fog and smoke permeate everywhere, gales bluster, and dust swirls in the air. There are many extremely tiny microbes in it. They are strewn anywhere between the heads and feet of the people, causing various epidemics and infectious diseases, and resulting in numerous sudden deaths constantly. Most of the incurable, difficult to identify diseases nowadays belong to this category. If one prays to Amitabha, it will definitely be beneficial. This topic is described in details in many texts such as the "Undying Sound of Drumbeat Sutra" and the "Dharani Sutra On Longevity" (佛说大乘圣无量寿决定光明王如来陀罗尼经). 

It is said that in the past, a wise, erudite Brahmin with many disciples contracted leprosy. His body was covered with scars. He saw and prayed to a stone statue of Tara on the roadside, and drops of water flowed from the fingertips of the Tara statue. He and other lepers drank the water and bathed with it. They recovered from the serious illness. There are many such koans. 

About just praying like this can receive blessings and other points in these koans, this is based on praying without doubt, not that those who are full of doubts can also swiftly gain such blessings. This has been stated in the previous sessions already. Those who chant the Buddha's name and pray can temporarily gain benefits in the current life, and be reborn in Sukhavati eventually. As it says in the sutra ("Undying Sound of Drumbeat Sutra"), "From this world towards the west, there is the Pure Realm Sukhavati. There resides the Tathagata, the Sugata Infinite Life. Whoever chants his name, will be reborn there." Therefore, it is of great significance to diligently recite, "I prostrate to, make offerings to, and take refuge in the infallible Arha, Sugata, Bhagavan, perfectly awakened Amitabha" and "I pray to Amitabha, please bless me to be reborn in Sukhavati."