This world of ours is a defiled world filled with sin and suffering; neither the wise nor the ignorant are free from sin, the noble as well as the poor are suffering from pain. He that declares himself to be sinless must be either an insane man or an idiot. Even when, judging from our own ignorant conditions, we imagine ourselves happy, we may be deceiving ourselves; for in the Buddha's eye our apparent happiness may be a real pain. In such a world of impurity as this, it is impossible to find a true state of peace and happiness. Fame, wealth, love, learning,--so many evils are ever leading us downward into the abyss of utter darkness. Where can we then find a region which harbors no pain? There stands Amida pointing to his Land of Purity and Happiness (Sukhavati), where our worldly sufferings and tribulations are no more. In this land there always smiles the spring of peace. No pain, no sin,

but all beauty, goodness, and joy. Those born there enjoy a happiness that knows no ending; they are endowed not only with infinite wisdom and liberty, but with pure love and compassion which has the power to save all beings from the world of pain. All this happiness enjoyed by those who are in Pure Land is the outcome of Amida's love and will to save.

Amida thus grudges nothing for our deliverance from sin; with various contrivances, good and excellent, he ever leads us to the way of salvation, and it is through his grace that we have in ourselves the reason of salvation and are allowed to enjoy its fulfilment. Now, Amida has two ways of showing his grace towards us: the one is called the "woso yeko," which means that the Buddha supplies us not only with the cause of our rebirth in Pure Land, but with its result; and the other is called the "genso yeko," meaning that

he confers upon us the power to come back to this world of pain even after our rebirth in Pure Land, in order to deliver our fellow-beings from sufferings. In the "woso yeko" there are four things to be distinguished, which are teaching, practice, faith, and attainment. The following scheme will make us understand this better:

The Woso yeko

1. Teaching, as set forth in the Amitayus-sutra (in two volumes).

Cause.

2. Practice, or reciting the name of Amida.

3. Faith, or believing in his will to save...

4. Attainment, or being born in Pure Land and becoming a Buddha...

Effect.

The Genso yeko

Coming back to the world of suffering to save the fellow-beings

This will be explained more in detail:

The Teaching. Amida once assumed a human form and appeared on earth