The above eight-line poem, through the 1st and 2nd couplets, reveals that the Buddha’s teachings and the teachings he imparted to humanity are profound and mysterious. They possess the wondrous power to help practitioners eradicate greed, delusion, and attachment, and to abandon sound, and form, returning to the righteous path of non-action.
The third couplets (3 and 4) show that people born into the world are often captivated by appearances and colors, thus incurring sorrow and bitterness. Therefore, any sentient being wishing to escape must turn towards the Pure Land, and whole-heartedly practice the Amitabha recital. With six words, “Namo Amitabha,” if resolutely recited, the recital will eradicate the root of suffering (desire). It’s like someone riding a large, sturdy boat, crossing the river of delusion and the sea of suffering:
“Free from suffering receiving boundless blessings;
Eradicating calamities, there are countless scriptures.”
(Tỉnh Bạn Trần Gian: Awakening from the Worldly Realm).
Notes on the Oracle (TT:1975)
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