Thrice Yearning Ceremony By: Lin Ai Wei The Thrice Yearning Ceremony means intending, for three times

with the same intention, that those who have passed to listen to the Buddhas teachings, put down their attachments and take a vow to be reborn in Amitabha Buddhas Pure Land. It is not a funeral ceremony, nor is it a superstitious one either. It has a function and the function is quite obvious; to bring methods of wisdom teachings to those who can comprehend the principle, to offer a setting of comfort and safety to those who cannot comprehend the meaning and to transfer merit and virtue from the practice itself to those who do not have enough nourished good causes to hear the teachings. Ghosts, spirits and those who are not manifest with a physical body are usually overlooked as being unreal, yet what most fail to realize is our thoughts and emotions hold no physical manifestation until they are experienced by either of the 5 senses. Until they are made manifest, they are unreal to the standards of most people. What is the difference then between ghosts, spirits and our thoughts and emotions? The difference is our capability of perception. We living beings can only perceive of things that we have the capability to perceive of. Its quite simple. The Thrice Yearning Ceremony is put together in a way that provides those who can not be readily seen to be welcomed to the way place, to listen, practice and attain rebirth in the Pure Land. Notice how in the second paragraph above this one, I wrote 5 senses instead of 6. The reason is because most people think that their mind makes things that are not real, and so a ghost, or spirit that manifests is just a figment of their imagination. The discriminative truth is that before you were born, your parents imagined you, imagined a lifetime with you. Before you were born, werent you just a figment of your parents imagination? There is no difference at this point. Most people think ghosts and spirits are superstitious ideas formulated to bring comfort to the living that their loved ones are not really dead. The truth is if the loved ones were seen as a physical body, then they are dead indeed to that person, but if the attachment to them in views was not in the manner of them being a physical body, then they are not really dead. Superstition means anything that cannot be readily seen and or does not maintain a logical and rational reasoning behind it. Yet, one cannot say something is superstitious or not because they are not working with the full capacity of undefiled karma to actually see the truth of reality. Therefore, they are not in the place to decide what is real or not. Karma is felt and experienced by all, but what most dont realize is the cause of ones karmic condition goes unseen due to the lack of wisdom. If it is unseen, how then can an outcome manifest? It is due to the lack of the capacity to see the causes. Does this

mean the causes are a form of superstition? Does this mean that outcomes bear no cause just because one cannot readily be aware of the cause? Not at all. When we call the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, we are not invoking them, evoking them, or begging them to come, nor to lend us power or bestow, without our own efforts, their wisdom. The intention to have living beings vow to be reborn in the Pure Land is not a prayer for them to go to a better place either. Calling the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas at the time of such ceremony is basically to gather the mind and turn it back to the original mind. Gather ones concentration and turn it from going out to going in. Understand that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are not Gods and spirits who want to give you something in order for you to return the favor. They dont need for you to praise them, they simply respond according to your sincerity of practice. Therefore the calling of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is simply just the cultivator returning their focus inward, pointing it to the original mind, without a mark, and shining that inner light of wisdom, clear wisdom, throughout all directions. The application of mind in terms of selfless service is just the Bodhisattva mind. The application of mind in terms of unconditioned compassion and undefiled karma is just the Buddha mind. Tell me then, what Buddhas and Bodhisattvas would not be present at the time of application? Amitabha Buddhas Pure Land is nothing like a heaven, nothing like a hell, and is not easy to get to if there is no sincere application of ones own efforts. Its not a place you get to by being a good person alone, nor is it a place that Amitabha Buddha yearns for you to go to. One way or another we will all be there at some point; he doesnt have to worry about when. The Pure Land is either far, far away, or right there in front of you. Its the decision of the cultivator whether or not the Pure Land is easy to get to. Some do not believe in such teachings, and that is okay because its due to the capacity to understand the principles and teachings of the Buddha Dharma. One doesnt have to believe, yet one should not disregard the teachings and methods as false or superstitious if they personally have not properly investigated them. To do such would be irresponsible. So far, the above is a brief explanation, very brief, on a few points of concern. Now, we look at some of the effects of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony application. When living beings who have passed on hear the teachings, they are attracted to it because the energy and light that is emitted from the way place is comforting and peaceful, bright and all pervasive. Because ghosts and spirits, and living beings without physical bodies are more Yin in essence than those with a physical body, or high cultivated in mind, they are attracted to the bright and warm light and energy of the Yang ceremony, Yang meaning active and bright, wise and all pervasive. When they hear the bell being struck, they get curious, when its hit a second time, they move closer to the origin of the sound and when its hit a third time they are thus drawn into the way place and find it comforting to know that someone cares for them.

Those living beings who have passed, that have the conditions to stay and cultivate the teachings expounded in the ceremony, stay and some attain their vows that were taken during the ceremony. Some who do not have the conditions to be free from their state, cannot attend due to their own causes and heavy karma. Thus, the merit and virtue that is transferred throughout the ceremony is given to them so one day they can be present and hear the principles spoken, vow to apply their mind and efforts to be reborn in the Pure Land and be freed from their own caused suffering. Though the teaching of the Pure Land method sounds very comforting, and almost too easy to apply, it requires hard work in practice. Being a good person is easy to a degree, but being a good person who is mindful of the Buddha and who applies them self to proper practice is very hard in regards to the heaviness of their karma, or the conditions to understand the teachings. During the Thrice yearning Ceremony there are practices like Bowing and reciting taken place. What is the function of bowing? Its function lies in the principles of humility, respect and selflessness. Humility towards the Buddha mind being one of undefiled wisdom, respect for the Buddhas and their teachings and selflessness in practice for when bowing, ones legs and back may hurt, arms can get tired too, and one may feel fatigued. Also, during bowing, false thinking may arise and a flood gate of tolerance breaks, causing one to feel frustrated, bored and lazy. Bowing has its function in applying your mind to something while maintaining focus. Its like a test of will. How much can you push forward? How much can you withstand? Dont give up too soon, like having to walk 5 miles, but decide to turn around after you reach the half way point. When ghosts and spirits see the efforts of the cultivators on their behalf, they are astonished, humbled and offer their respect and gratitude. To do something for those who one does not even know about is wonderful and worth acknowledgment for. Thus the ghosts and spirits revere the cultivators and listen to what they have to say, as well as feel really comfortable saying whats on their own mind as well when the time permits. The recitations function is towards the expounding of the teachings. Whether in Chinese or English, or any other language, the teachings can be felt and realized through mind to mind transference. This means it doesnt matter what sound of the words is spoken, because the inherent intention, meaning and function of the cause pervades time and space. There is no boundary with applied concentration, especially when it comes to the Buddhas teachings. Sometimes ghosts and spirits do not have the capacity to understand the meaning. What happens then? Well if they can apply their sincere efforts towards the practice itself, have faith and vow to attain rebirth in the Pure Land, they will thus nourish the causes of such outcome and eventually be brought to a place of comprehension, by their own means, and be able to attain the fruit of their causes in terms of the vows they took during the ceremony.

There is no boundary as to how far the intentions for the Thrice Yearning Ceremony reach. It pervades all time and space, meaning it goes every where and reaches those who have the karmic conditions to attain it. Transferring merit and virtue to those who may not have the conditions to be reborn in the Pure Land, cause them to slowly, but surely, nourish such causes and lead them to attain enough merit and virtue to be able to hear the teachings, comprehend its meaning and attain their goal. To perform the Thrice Yearning Ceremony without the congregation of Monks and Nuns of the Left Home Sangha requires just the sincere intentions of getting the job done! There is no fame or money in doing it alone. The more and more it is done, the better one becomes at doing it. The merit and virtue attained from doing such a thing is immeasurable, but if once the thought arises that the cultivator saves living beings by crossing them over to the other sure, the merit and virtue depletes, its not worth anything. All the cultivator does is simply offer a platform where living beings can hear the teachings and apply themselves to the practice, nothing more. The Thrice Yearning Ceremony offers a platform where the cultivators taking part in it can offer their sincere application of mind to their heavy, turbid karma, to the living beings they have hurt in times past and to the recent present time and to the living beings throughout the 10 directions. The function of this is to illuminate the mind, purify the mind by accepting the mistakes one had performed, apologizing for them, sincerely offering whatever merit and virtue attained from practice to these beings and giving them a way out from their suffering. Sometimes the living beings who want revenge appear in the forms of rage, anger, sadness, sickness and disrespectful behavior. They try to negatively influence our lives by wishing harm on us for the sake of making things even. What they fail to understand is that they cause even more suffering for themselves by harming others. This principle never really passes through their mind, only revenge. Therefore during the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, these beings are called out only by pure sincerity for them to attain goodness. They undergo conflict in their mind because here the cultivator is offering them something good when in the past all the cultivator did was hurt them. These beings dont want to let go of their anger and want revenge only, but because of the cultivators sincerity, and the manner of the teachings, the vengeful beings slowly begin to change their views. Sometimes it takes more than just a few times of doing the ceremony. In the end, the outcomes are always wholesome. One must push through their afflictions in order to attain, therefore when false thinking arises during the ceremony, or even ones personal practice, its best to simply keep going, apply more effort in concentrating on what you are doing and be sincere. The goals of the ceremony are to guide living beings, who have passed on, towards Amitabha Buddhas Pure Land, to offer a platform of the Buddha Dharma, to transfer merit and virtue to the living who have not yet heard the Dharma and who may not have enough nourished good causes to meet the Buddha Dharma and for rebirth in

Amitabha Buddhas Pure Land. There is only good that can come out of this practice when sincerity and concentration are applied. This, in brief, is an explanation of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony. There is still much more to discuss, so please do not take this as the end. In truth, speaking on the merits and virtues from participating and performing in this ceremony will take countless eons to complete. Even explaining the benefits from this ceremony are too vast to complete. I personally advise everyone who wants to do something wholesome and good, to take part in such a ceremony. The community energy of care and compassion is really wonderful. It would be a time in service never forgotten.