"He, having ended his life, will arrive in
the Land of Happiness, the Buddhaland of that
very Thus Come One Limitless Life (Amitayus)."

     This sentence of the Buddha Speaks of
Amitabha Sutra continues to answer the question
asked in Vajra Bodhi Sea issue number #131:
Why should beings make the vow to be reborn in
the Land of Happiness (Sukhavati) of Amitabha
Buddha (also called Amitayus--in either case
Amita Buddha)?  In answering that question, the
Sutra has been leading up the critical moment
of death and the saving power of mindfulness of
Amita Buddha's name at that crucial  time.   In
this lesson we learn that not only will the
Buddha appear before one (issue #136) so he or she
will pass on with mind unconfused (#137), but

if any good man or good woman has heard his name
and been singlemindedly mindful of Amita Buddha
for up to seven days (#134 & #135), SA (SAS
before the sound combination) "he" (or "she"--
see previous issues for discussion;  here it is
masculine singular nominative of the demonstrative
pronoun and subject of the finite verb),
KALAM KRTVA "having ended his (or her) life,"
will not have to continue suffering on the wheel
of rebirth among the six destinies of gods,
asuras, humans, animals, hungry ghosts and hell-
beings, never  knowing in which he or she will
turn up next.  Again root û KR- "do/make" is
used (see previous issues), but here with the
gerund suffix -TVA (used rather than the suffix
-YA which occurs when there is a prefix before
the root).

    The finite verb of the sentence expresses
the culmination of mindfulness of the Buddha:
UPAPATSYATE "(he or she) will arrive."  This
verb is formed from root û PAD- and prefix UPA-
which occurred as UPAPANNA in #129, there
translated as "have reached," and as UPAPADYANTE in
#133: "(they) do arrive."  Note how the final
suffix showing person and number in the finite
verbal forms in this case ends in -E (-ME,-TE),
indication that it is not an active verb but
"middle" voice (also not passive, acted upon).
UPAPATSYATE is third person singular future
indicative middle.

     Where he or she will arrive is stated in
the locative phrase BUDDHAKSETRE SUKHAVATYAM
LOKADHATAU (-U becomes -V in sound combination
with following initial U-, and the letters are
combined in writing):"in the Land of Happiness,
the Buddhaland."  That phrase was discussed at
length in various lessons--see #131 for
references. TASYA-EVA "of that very (EVA)" combines
in sound and writing to make TASYAIVA, the final
 A of which in turn combines with the initial A-
of AMITAYUSAS-TATHAGATASYA "Thus Come One Limitless
Life (Amitayus)."  Those two words would
normally link the final -S and initial T- when
written, but are here separated because on
different lines.  See #129 for discussion.

    This is the great advantage that mindfulness
of the Buddha Amitabha (Amitayus) can have
for living beings:  rebirth in the Land of
Ultimate Bliss.  For that reason in Buddhist Way
Places seven-day sessions are regularly held,
during the course of which cultivators can with
one mind hold the name of Amitabha Buddha and
seek rebirth In the Land of Happiness Sukhavati.