Preface

In the latter half of 1999, Master Yuanyin, in light of the circumstances then prevailing in Buddhist circles and drawing on his own personal experience, offered a profound exposition of the principles found in the Pure Land scriptures, articulating what earlier generations had not articulated.

With deep compassion, the Master personally put this into practice and wrote his final essay during his lifetime, entitled “An Essential Guide to the Pure Land.” He earnestly prayed that fellow practitioners of Pure Land practice would genuinely take birth and death seriously and arouse bodhicitta. Yet years later, we discovered that some printed editions had omitted Sections Four and Five of Part B, which we deeply regret. These two sections contain the Master's most crucial instructions for Pure Land practitioners in their cultivation. Therefore, in this edition, we have restored the original text of these two sections for the benefit of later generations.

Summer, Yichou Year Respectfully written by a disciple of the Heart-of-Heart Dharma