All Tathagatas in the ten directions are endowed with the same attributes; why then concentrate on Amitabha to the exclusion of all others, is the question.  The first reason is a deep, great vow; the second, a favorable condition in this Saha world; and third, the relation of Amitabha to the teachings.  We know the vow is deep and important because Amitabha generated forty-eight great vows prior to his great enlightenment and three of these directly concern sentient beings practicing recitation of the Buddha's name.  The three vows are as follows: "If there should be, subsequent to my enlightenment, one sentient being capable of generating buddha-mind, adorned with many kinds of merit who makes a sincere vow with aspiration to be reborn in western Pure Land; or, upon hearing my name, recites it with a one-pointed mind for one night and day; or, wishing wholeheartedly to be reborn in Pure Land is suffused with sincere faith and joy and recites my name ten-times; if such s sentient being is not reborn in the western Pure Land, I shall not attain buddhahood."

The favorable conditions in Saha world mentioned above are revealed in sutras.  The Sukhavativyuha sutra says: "‰I speak this sutra to let people see the Buddha and his country, namely Pure Land, wherein all virtues can be sought following my final nirvana and to dispel all doubt.  When all my teachings have vanished and there is no more Dharma left in the world, one sutra will survive for a hundred years more.  Whoever listens to that Amitabha Sutra with grateful heart will have all his/her wishes fulfilled, including complete enlightenment‰When all sutras have vanished and no Dharma is to be found in the world, the name of Amitabha Buddha will save sentient beings."  The reach of these conditions is long, wide and deep.  Whoever has faith and recites the name of Amitabha Buddha can enter Pure Land.  It does not make any difference if they have heard any dharma at all; or if they are monks, nuns, laity, men, women, nobility, rich, or poor.  Everyone can repeat the Buddha's name, including the one who has never heard any Dharma, the one without faith, the foolish, and the evil one.  Whoever finds himself/herself in troubled circumstances or in a dangerous situation can spontaneously recite "Amitabha".  Such is the extent of these conditions.

In what way is Pure Land related to this world?  According to the view of a wise forefather, there are two methods to regulate sentient beings: Subdue evil and become receptive to good.  The holy manifest itself in Pure Land and in the Saha world alike, i.e., in the pure and the impure worlds alike.  Due to that feature, the two worlds complement each other.  Suffering makes people surrender to their difilements and generate aversion to this Saha world.  Amitabha's land, by contrast, open one's view on a permanent and irreversible Bliss.  Sentient beings are encouraged to dislike this world and yearn for rebirth in Pure Land where the circumstances are happy and enjoyable.  Some beings have heard Sakyamuni's teachings but have not succeeded in exiting the three realms and therefore are still around.  They can be helped by Amitabha.  In that sense this Saha world and Amitabha's western Pure Land are mutually relevant.  Amitabha Buddha praises his land and never misses an occasion to urge sentient beings to be reborn in his western paradise.  That is a reflection of the relationship of the two worlds to each other and to the teachings as evidenced in certain Mahayana sutras.

These three profound vows are three ample reasons to revere Amitabha.  Each glance at this world evidences the untold suffering sentient beings must endure.  In Pure Land they are reborn on a lotus and there are no more rebirths.  In this Saha world, there is decay and senility, and the old and obsolete is disposed of and replaced by the new or the current.  Change rooted in time falling away by degrees, symptomatic of aging, does not exist in Pure Land.  In this world, disease is rampant because the four elements are out of control, but in Pure land the body undergoes transformation, thereby becoming fragrant and clean.  Life in Pure Land is eternal and therefore there is no grief due to death.  Here a quest for love causes immeasurable suffering because what comes together must separate sooner or later, but in Pure Land there are no personal intimate relationships and consequently no sorrow resulting from loss or separation from the loved one.  In this world we have no choice when it comes to people we come into contact with.  We cannot avoid those who loathe us any more than we can avoid those we resent.  In Pure Land we find ourselves surrounded by the best company and there is no disharmony due to resentment.  In this world we witness many kinds of deprivation, but in Pure Land, clothing, nutriment and treasures abound, waiting to be enjoyed at will.  Our worldly bodies are filthy and disgusting and some have organs or parts missing, but in Pure Land all bodies are well formed and all faces are radiant.  Here we are caught in the cycle of birth and death but in Pure Land we are forever unborn.  Due to transmigration, we must suffer in four evil destinations, to wit: The hells, hungry ghosts, animals and vengeful titans, but Pure Land has not as much as the names of these evil ways.  In this Saha world we have hills, ravines, rugged roads, we have dust, rocks, thorns, and dirt everywhere.  By contrast, the ground in Pure Land is covered with gold, precious gems are used for trees and buildings.  Many kinds of flowers, including the lotus, cover the ground as far as the eye can see.  The Buddha left this samsaric world and entered his final nirvana long ago, while Maitreya has not arrived yet, and therefore true Dharma is hard to find.  But in Pure Land, the land of ultimate bliss, Amitabha is teaching Dharma now.  In this world we can admire Avalokitesvara- (Guan Yin in Chinese) and Mahasthama-Mahasattva by their names, but in Pure Land they both become our close friends.  In this world our practice is marked by struggle with a bevy of demons and with heterodox ways, but in Pure Land none of these exist.  Corruption, dissipation and temptation seduce and confuse practitioners here, but in Pure Land there is no gender and all exist in its pristine state.  Sentient beings in this world are troubled by many goblins, monsters and evil animals but in Pure Land the forests, rivers, lakes and birds speak the wonderful Dharma.  There is much more to compare but we cannot go into it in any further detail.  The few comparisons show the contrast between the two worlds.

Pure Land is a wonderful region ready to receive all sentient beings and to provide them with the opportunity to purify their mind.  Our practice is improved and strengthened by surpassing local conditions, and therefore it is particularly important to recommend Pure Land and emphasize its importance.  There is one point I would like to make clear: Rebirth in Pure Land does not mean to become a buddha, to live unencumbered till the attainment of Bodhi.  We all know how short is life on this earth and that we spend more than one half of it playing and/or sleeping.  Furthermore, we have been confused through perpetual rebirths.  Let us ask ourselves what can we do to remain confident in view of the fact that we have not reached the stage of enlightenment yet.  For this reason alone we should seek rebirth in the western Pure Land.