It says that to go to the Pure Land you need the following: good from the past, a good teacher, Amida’s light, faith, and saying the nembutsu. I was wondering if your good from the past could come from multiple lives, just the present life, or a combination of the two? Could you consider hearing and reading the Dharma that you have good from the past?
There are answers on several levels, from traditional Pure Land, from Honen, and from Shinran.
From the traditional Pure Land tradition, it was thought that one need, as you listed: “good from the past, a good teacher, Amida’s light, faith, and saying the nembutsu.” This is because it was a monastic practice among the monks with a lot of disciples and needing teachers.
From the Japanese insight of Honen, the emphasis became reciting the Nembutsu (saying Namu Amid Butsu) at the moment before death, and then Amida and his entourage appears to take one to the Pure Land.
From the insight of Shinran, the moment of Awakening (Faith/Shinjin) is all that mattered, and it could be while still alive or for sure, at the moment of death (and with or without having reciting the Nembutsu with our last breath). Amida’s Compassion is complete, total and infinite, so there are no exceptions for everyone to enter the Pure Land.
In other words, for Shinran, past lives, teachers, etc., do not matter. Everyone, no exceptions, shall enter the Pure Land. This universal inclusion of everyone led to a lot of controversary because most people want to believe that “only good people should go to the Pure Land,” which is part of the usual concept of the chosen few.
Shinran reminded people that we should listen to the Dharma, lead good lives and help each other. As he reminded his followers: “One does not take poison just because there is an antidote.”
Gassho (with palms together), Rev. Ron