Amitabha by Alexander Berzin
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Amitabha
To work with any Buddha-family, such as that of Amitabha, we need to put together, in a meaningful manner, all the various aspects that are associated with the Buddha-nature aspects that are its family-traits. Consider the example of Amitabha. The associated factors are:
The deep awareness of individualities,
The Aggregate of distinguishing,
Speech,
Nose Consciousness (like an animal being able to distinguish finely by means of individual scents),
Fire,
Longing desire and Attachment (with which we focus on and exaggerate the good qualities that distinguish an individual),
The Symbol of the Lotus (born from muddy water, but not stained by the mud),
Compassion,
Upholding the various classes of Sutra and tantra.
When we
relax our distinguishing people and things into the fixed categories of words and concepts, as implied by speech and specific scents,
and when we relax the longing desire and Attachment that we experience toward these people and things, which arise when we exaggerate their individualizing good qualities that we distinguish in this way as making them special,
then we naturally settle into the underlying Buddha-nature quality of the deep awareness of individualities, which, like the flame of a lamp, merely illuminates items enabling us to specify them. By nature, this deep awareness is unstained by longing desire and Attachment, as in the example of the Lotus.
Awareness of individualities then enables us to communicate compassionately with each individual.
To help us reach this level, we uphold all the classes of Sutra and tantra, distinguishing their individual features, without the prejudice of Attachment to one as being more special than the others.