# The Chinese Repository/Volume 15/Number 7/Article 4

Omito fuh (Amidha Budha) receives and leads those who worship Budha and are virtuous to go far away and be born in the western region.
In comparison with the repairing of great and small roads—with the rendering to others of various kinds of assistance—with whatever is most straight forward, rapid, comprehensive, and easy (in order to secure our future happiness) everything is inferior to the worship of Budha. The whole object of the worship of Budha, is to seek, for life in the western region and is to obtain a pure country. This means that the western region is an extremely happy world, and is the pure country of Budha. There are 12 Classical or sacred books of the Three Tsáng (a name of Budha) and each of these leads to the great happiness. There are 84,000 doctrines (or law gates) each of which exhorts us to go to the western region. But the doctrine which enjoins the worship of Budha is by far the best and most important; and than it, there is no doctrine more conducive to a benevolent life.
(The Budha) Kúteh says, he who attends to the other doctrines is like an ant ascending a lofty mountain, which in an hour only gets a single step in advance. But the doctrine which enjoins us to go to the western region, is like a vessel with full sails and favorable wind and tide, which in an instant advances 1000 miles. When we have once reached the western region, we are no more obliged to go out, or exposed to fall. The highest grade (of votaries) is able to ascend the Budha's ladder. The lowest grade is far superior in happiness to those who live in an emperor's palace. The worshiper of Budha's merits are very lofty, his duties are very easy. All, whether honorable or mean, talented or stupid, old or young, male or female, the eater of ordinary food, or he who restricts himself to vegetables, the man who has left his family (the bonze) or he who still remains in it,—all may discharge these duties.
I therefore exhort the virtuous males and believing females of the ten region (all the empire), into whose hands this may come, immediately to put forth a believing heart, and with the whole heart to worship Budha and seek for a life in the western region. If ​perchance you are involved in family affairs and endless worldly transactions, and cannot devote your whole mind to this, then you ought every day to recite Budha's name 3000 or 5000 times, and make a regular constant practice of this. If even this you cannot do, your recitation of this sheet will be reckoned as one degree of merit. Having recited this one hundred times, then dot one of the circles on the margin, and when the dots are all made they will amount to 150,000. Whether it is for yourself or for your father and mother that you are asking for life in the western region; or whether you are asking for your father and mother, protection from disease, peace, increased happiness, or protracted old age—in all such case, you must in the presence of Budha burn one of these sheets. If you pray for the happiness of your deceased parents or for your six orders of relations and their relations, you must, before the ancestral tablet, or over the graves, burn one of these sheets. Whether you worship the gods, or sacrifice to your ancestors, either at the festival of the tombs, the winter solstice, the middle of the seventh month, or the end of the year, you must recite this sheet, and then burn it on the tombs of orphans, or of those who are buried by charity, and thus provide for the happiness of destitute souls who have no relations to sacrifice to them. In doing all this you may rely on the strength of Budha to secure their translation to the pure country. You may do this once or many times, according to your ability; and the merit you will obtain is inconceivable.
I fervently desire that you may together put forth a believing heart, be together virtuous friends, together see Budha, and together arrive at the extreme of happiness.
Hwui Chau, the head priest of the Drum Mountain (Kú Shán,) monastery in Fuhkien has respectfully printed this, bows and exhorts.
Here follows a picture of a vessel in full sail. It is called, "The Compassionate vessel, Poh-joh" (a name of Budha).
The flags have inscribed on them, "For the exceedingly happy world." And, "Receive and lead to the western region."
On the sides of the cabin doors are the two following antithetical sentences:
"Man, if he wants to go on the road to heaven, ought first to think of securing happiness (by worshiping Budha)."
"Among the passages (or defiles) that lead to life or death the Worship of Budha is the chief."
​On the sail the following is written.
The single phrase Mi-to (or Bi-to or Amidha) is a precious sword that can behead the herd of evil spirits, and can destroy the bravest general of hell; it is a clear light that can illumine the blackest darkness; it is a compassionate boat that can carry us across the bitterest seas; it is the road by which we obtain a new birth into the world; it is the excellent prescription by which we escape the evils whether of life or death; it is the infallible specific for enabling us to become genii; it is the divine medicine for changing our bones. The 84,000 doctrines are all comprehended in these six characters (O mi to Fuh tsieh yin). The 1700 tendrils of flax or rattan, (emblematic of life's miseries) by one stroke it can sever asunder. By uttering this phrase, Míto, without any other mental effort, or troubling you even to move a finger, you will arrive at the western region.
The blocks for printing this sheet are deposited in the monastery, Bubbling Fountain, on the Drum Mountain.
Chinese of the foregoing.