Please read "Vows" before this entry.
（I） Vows as Crucial Element
"Making a vow to attain birth in the Pure Land signifies a fundamental reorientation of the believer's motivations and will. No longer is the purpose brute survival， or fulfillment of a social role， or the struggle to wrest some satisfaction from a frustrating， taxing environment. By vowing to be reborn in the Pure Land， believers shift their focus. The joys and sorrows of this world become incidental， inconsequential. The present life takes on value chiefly as an opportunity to concentrate one's awareness on Amitabha， and purify one's mind accordingly." （J.C. Cleary， tr.， Pure Land， Pure Mind.）
"Elder Master Ou I， a high-ranking Pure Land monk， has said， 'To be reborn in the Pure Land or not depends entirely upon Faith and Vows; the grade of rebirth （high or low） depends on whether one's Practice is deep or shallow.' He further added， 'Without Faith and Vows， you cannot be reborn， even if you recite the Buddha's name to the point where neither the blowing wind nor the falling rain can penetrate and your recitation is as solid as a bronze wall or an iron gate.' Those who practice Buddha Recitation assiduously but lack Faith and Vows will merely obtain the merits and blessings of the human and celestial realms， according to their level of cultivation. When their blessings are exhausted they are once again subject to birth and death." （Thich Thien Tam， Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith， sec. 21.）
（II） Forms of the Rebirth Vow
Buddhism of Wisdom dc Faith/ excerpts:
"In each Buddha Recitation session， after the recitation itself， the practitioner immediately pays respect to Amitabha Buddha， seeking His guidance. He then kneels down and recites verses of repentance， Vows and dedication （transference） of merit. This last part is very important， because it is the time when he concentrates his mind to direct merits and virtues toward the desired goal. This is similar to a boat which moves by human strength or engine power but whose direction is determined by the person at the rudder. The Vow for rebirth is the part of Pure Land cultivation in which the practitioner uses his mind to steer the boat of Buddha Recitation toward the Western Pure Land. As far as the form of the Vow for rebirth is concerned， some cultivators prefer long compositions through which they can develop an earnest mind. Others prefer a shorter version that includes the desire to achieve rebirth in the Pure Land. These ideas are succinctly expressed in the 'Prayer to Amita（bha） Buddha，' as follows: 'Of Buddhas in all places and at all times， Amita（bha） Buddha is the foremost. He delivers sentient beings of all nine grades. His glory and power are unlimited. We now are taking complete refuge in him， and repent our physical， oral and mental sins. If there is any blessing or good action， we sincerely apply it as parinamana （transference of merit）. May we， as fellow Amidists， enjoy miraculous manifestations from time to time. At the end of our lives， the scene of the Western Paradise will manifest itself clearly in front of our eyes. What we
（参见：and hear will contribute to our good progress toward rebirth in Paradise. We shall see the Buddha and end further births and deaths， just like Buddhas who deliver all beings. May boundless klesas （afflictions） be severed. May countless approaches be practiced. We vow that we wish to deliver all sentient beings and that all may achieve Buddhahood. Even if the Void is finite， our wish， however， is infinite...'（The Buddhist Liturgy， p. 271-273））
"If the cultivator is of limited capacity or failing memory and is unable to recall long involved sentences， he should simply memorize the following short form of the Vow for rebirth in the Pure Land: On .... （date）， this disciple， （name） ... vows that through the virtues just accumulated， he will， at the time of death， be welcomed and guided by Amitabha Buddha to the Land of Ultimate Bliss， so that he may achieve Buddhahood and save sentient beings. This short Vow， accompanied by its exact date， has the effect of strongly focussing the practitioner's mind at all times on the Pure Land and on rebirth there. This small detail is an expedient that renders the Vow that much more powerful and firm."
（III） Note According to the Buddha， as sentient beings， we all have strong attachments -- particularly to our bodies and possessions. At the time of death， as we are about to lose both body and possessions， our consciousness， impelled by these deep-seated attachments， rushes to reincarnate itself in another body. It is at this juncture that vows， particularly the vow for rebirth in the Pure Land， are crucial: instead of just following our karma， good and evil， we may， through the power of these vows， achieve rebirth in the Pure Land.
"When making the Vow for rebirth in the Pure Land， we should do so from the depth of our earnest mind. If we merely recite pro forma at our convenience， without earnestness， our practice of Buddha Recitation will not be true and sincere. Elder Master Yin Kuang has said: Deep sincerity is a major element that leads to one pointedness of mind. One part of deep sincerity destroys one part of bad karma and yields one part of merit and wisdom. Ten parts of deep sincerity destroy ten parts of bad karma and yield ten parts of merit and wisdom. The ancients have also said: The power of deep sincerity focussed in any direction can explode mountains and melt gold in that direction."
See also "One-pointedness of Mind."