In the introductory section of the Sutra on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, the World-Honored One, Śākyamuni Buddha manifested auspicious light. The sutra states: “At that time, the World-Honored One, with all his faculties joyful and at ease, appeared with a pure and serene countenance, majestic and sublime.” Moved by this, Ānanda raised a question. In response, the Buddha expounded to the assembly the Dharma Gate of Amitābha’s Ocean of Vows—an encounter exceedingly rare and difficult to behold even across innumerable kalpas. The Buddha further expressed heartfelt admiration for Ānanda’s seemingly curious question, declaring that the merit generated thereby surpasses by hundreds of millions of times the merit accumulated through making offerings across many lifetimes to all arhats and pratyekabuddhas, as well as through acts of generosity extended to devas, humans, and animals alike.
Just a single question—yet the merit it generates surpasses, by hundreds and thousands of times, the merit accumulated over countless lifetimes of offering and generosity made to all supramundane sages, heavenly beings, humans, and animals. Such a comparison appears so exaggerated and inconceivable that it is difficult for one to fully comprehend.
However, the Buddha’s words are free from deception. While we may accept this conclusion on the basis of faith, even from a standpoint accessible to ordinary beings—when examined through Buddhist doctrinal reasoning—it remains well-founded and coherent, and is by no means an exaggerated or empty claim.
From the standpoint of Mahāyāna Buddhist doctrine, the most boundless, immeasurable and inconceivable merit lies in upholding and propagating the Mahāyāna Dharma. Even if one were to expound only a single sentence or a single verse for the benefit of sentient beings, the merit arising from that act surpasses that accrued by bestowing worldly benefits upon beings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. The Buddha repeatedly taught this principle to his followers in the Diamond Sutra and other Mahāyāna scriptures.
Why is this the case? The reasoning is as follows:
When we reflect deeply on all the sufferings in this Saha World—the realm in which beings endure suffering —we find that their ultimate root does not lie in external wars, pestilence, or famine, nor even in the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion within ordinary beings. Rather, it lies in the fact that people lack a right, comprehensive, and ultimate understanding of the world and of life. In other words, they lack a right, comprehensive, and ultimate worldview, view of life, and system of values.
Whether the commonly spoken “three views”—one’s worldview, view of life, and system of values are correct or not, determines not only an individual’s misfortune and blessing, suffering and happiness, but also those of entire groups. Since a different worldview gives rise to a different view of life; a different view of life shapes a different system of values; and differing values lead to differing choices and conduct, which in turn result in different forms of misfortune and blessing, suffering and happiness.
For example, if one regards the world as purely material, such a view becomes the most basic form of one’s worldview. Accepting this worldview naturally leads to the conclusion that life consists of only a single lifetime, and from this arises a corresponding view of life. If life is seen as a one-time, accidental occurrence, then maximizing benefit within this single lifetime inevitably becomes the core of one’s value system. On the basis of such values, harming others for one’s own advantage easily becomes an unquestioned principle of choice and conduct. The commonly promoted ideas of “the law of the jungle” and “the survival of the fittest” in contemporary society are precisely expressions of this same logic, are they not?
Furthermore, if one believes that the world was fashioned by some independently existing external divine being, then life must likewise originate from that being. With such a worldview and view of life, the highest value of living naturally becomes following the discipline of the divine, seeking its protection and blessing, and hoping to return—after death—to the realm where the divine dwells, directs, and determines. One’s choices and conduct would also naturally be shaped by this understanding. The problem, however, is this: how can the existence of such a divinity be verified? How to determine what the divine actually intends? And who can truly claim to represent the will of the divine?
The prevalent distortions and errors in the three kinds of views mentioned above are too common to require further elaboration. Yet it is precisely these views that give rise to the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion within ordinary beings, which then expand into wars, famine, pestilence, and other such calamities. As a result, beings remain unceasingly in the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra), unable to endure the human suffering.
Only the three views taught in the Mahāyāna Dharma hold that the Saha World is fashioned by the mind-consciousness of sentient beings, that individual existence continues in saṃsāra because of the mind’s ignorance, and that misfortune and blessing, suffering and happiness arise as karmic retributions resulting from one’s discernment and choices of good and evil. When one upholds such views, one naturally refrains from harming other living beings in ordinary life, thereby avoiding misfortune and receiving blessings, and thus freeing oneself from suffering and attaining happiness. More importantly, by realizing and awakening to this worldview, one can bring saṃsāra to an end forever and attain liberation from all suffering, while also bringing immeasurable benefit to countless beings.
If we can truly realize the worldview taught by the Mahāyāna Dharma—what is commonly referred to as “enlightenment”—then, as stated in the Heart Sutra, we can “clearly see the emptiness of all five skandhas and thereby cross beyond all suffering and distress.” For one who abides in such profound and unobstructed realization, all sufferings of the world are diminished or even entirely dissolved by the awakening. Such a person would not even regard the explosion of a nuclear bomb, the destruction of the world, or any other calamity as genuine suffering for oneself.
Some may wonder: while the explosion of a nuclear bomb and the destruction of the world may not constitute genuine suffering for an enlightened one, would they not bring overwhelming suffering to countless sentient beings, who would undergo profound fear and inner struggle, only to perish tragically?
Yes, for the sentient beings confronted with such a calamity, it is indeed suffering. However, when viewed over an extended period, which sentient being does not eventually die? Long before most people ever encounter a nuclear bomb, many have already died from the explosion of a gas cylinder in their own homes. For an individual, dying in a nuclear explosion or dying in a household gas-cylinder explosion ultimately leads to the same result. For a community, while a single nuclear detonation may instantly kill several million people, those same several million lives would, in any case, be lost through countless ordinary occurrences of death—occurring at different times and under different circumstances, yet amounting to the same number of lives lost. From the standpoint of death itself, there is no real difference.
However, if one realizes the Mahāyāna worldview and abides in awakened nature, then no real death exists at all. What ordinary beings fear as “death” is, for an enlightened one, merely a game of changing the body—nothing more than returning in another form—and one’s nature of mind can never be extinguished.
Therefore, for every sentient being, the greatest suffering is not death itself, but failing to recognize the nature of mind, failing to understand the three Mahāyāna views, and not knowing the true nature of life. Because of such “ignorance” and “not-knowing,” you may be killed by a nuclear explosion countless times. Even if this particular nuclear bomb does not reach you, another one will eventually do so. Throughout beginningless saṃsāra, you have almost certainly experienced many nuclear explosions already; yet due to ignorance, you do not remember the pain of being killed. It may well be that in the previous cycle of human civilization, you yourself perished in a nuclear blast.
Not only that—you will also experience many other, even more terrifying forms of death, cycling endlessly from birth to death and from death to birth. What need is there to speak of suffering? For beings in saṃsāra, suffering is an inherent and ever-present feature. With “ignorance” and “not-knowing,” it is utterly impossible for us to attain genuine happiness.
Moreover, a single death of an individual is not in itself extremely frightening. But if one does not recognize the nature of mind, one will undergo countless deaths without end—and that is overwhelmingly terrifying!
Therefore, as long as one has not truly recognized the nature of mind and has not been liberated from saṃsāra, then the so-called misfortune and blessing, suffering and happiness, hold very little true significance. Even if one were to make offerings to the Arhats and give generously to devas, humans, and animals over countless kalpas—thereby gaining immense merit—one would still undergo the alternation of birth and death. That merit would likewise be exhausted, joy would turn into suffering, and there would still be no escape from saṃsāra.
For any sentient being to truly recognize the nature of mind, one must begin by studying the three views taught in the Mahāyāna and engage in long-term practice and internalization; only then can genuine liberation be attained. Therefore, in order for sentient beings to have the opportunity to learn and become thoroughly familiar with these three Mahāyāna views, to uphold and further propagate the Dharma becomes the unique and supremely essential undertaking.
This is why the merit of propagating the Dharma is so vast: only the Mahāyāna Dharma can give sentient beings a true and accurate understanding of the world, of life, and of liberation. Only by realizing the correct worldview can one thoroughly free oneself from the suffering of saṃsāra.
Even if your bodhicitta is still slight and nascent—such as the “king-like” bodhicitta that seeks liberation for oneself first—on the surface it may seem that you are saving only yourself. In fact, however, you are already saving countless beings, for the you who is not yet liberated must undergo death innumerable times. If the bones of all your countless past lives were piled together, their volume would likely exceed even that of Mount Sumeru.
This is why Ānanda’s single question carries such vast merit: because it prompted the Buddha to expound the exceptionally wondrous Pure Land teaching, which gives countless beings both the hope and the path to attain liberation in this very life and swiftly achieve Buddhahood. In other words, countless beings will be freed from death and released from immeasurable suffering because of it. Its merit thus generated is truly vast and boundless, incomparable in every way.
