This explanation is from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Medicine Master Sūtra.

When the Buddha was about to enter Nirvāṇa, Ānanda was so overcome with grief that he could only cry. Although Ananda was a third-stage Arhat, he was still emotional. He couldn’t bear to think that the Buddha was going to enter Nirvana, so he wept piteously, forgetting about everything else.

Then another bhikṣu (Venerable Aniruddha) reminded him, “You’re in charge of remembering the Dharma spoken by the Buddha. The Buddha is about to enter Nirvāṇa, so you’d better think things over clearly. There are some important matters you should ask the Buddha about before he enters Nirvāṇa. All you know how to do is cry! What will become of us in the future?”

Hearing the Venerable One’s words, Ānanda collected his wits and said, “Yes, you’re right, but I’ve been crying so hard I can’t think straight. What should we ask the Buddha?”

The Venerable One said, “First of all, when we compile the sūtras in the future, how should they begin?”

Ananda replied, “Right! That’s very important.”

“Second, when the Buddha is in the world, we take the Buddha as our teacher. After the Buddha enters Nirvāṇa, whom should we take as our teacher?”

Ānanda said, “Yes, that’s also an important question.”

“Third, when the Buddha is in the world, all the bhikṣus dwell with the Buddha. After the Buddha enters Nirvāṇa, with whom should we dwell?”

“That’s certainly a good question.” Said Ānanda.

“Fourth, when the Buddha is in the world, he can subdue the evil-natured bhikṣus. After the Buddha enters Nirvana, who should discipline them?”

“These four questions are all extremely important,” said Ananda. “Now I will go and ask the Buddha.”

Then he went before the Buddha, knelt, placed his palms together, and said, “World-Honored One, since you are about to enter Nirvāṇa, there are some important questions I would like to ask. I hope the Buddha will compassionately answer them.”

The Buddha replied, “What are your questions? You may ask them now.”

“Buddha, you have spoken the Dharma for forty-nine years and expounded the sūtras in over three hundred assemblies,” said Ananda, “In the future, when we compile the sūtras, how should they begin?”

The Buddha told Ānanda, “Our sūtras are different from the scriptures of other religions, which begin by speaking of either existence or non-existence. You should begin the Buddhist sūtras with the four words, ‘Thus I have heard’ which means, ‘I, Ānanda, personally heard this Dharma, which is thus; it is not hearsay.”

Ananda said, “Okay, I will use the four words, “Thus I have heard.’ My second question is, when the Buddha is in the world, we bhikṣus take the Buddha as our teacher. Whom should we take as our teacher after the Buddha enters Nirvāṇa?”

The Buddha said, “After I enter Nirvāṇa, you bhikṣus should take the precepts as your teacher. The Pratimokṣa is your great teacher. If you uphold the precepts, it will be the same as when I am In the world. You should avoid all evil and practice all good deeds.” …

“Now I’ll ask the third question,” continued Ānanda. “When the Buddha is in the world, we dwell with the Buddha. We always live and study with the Buddha. After the Buddha enters Nirvāṇa, with whom should the bhikṣus dwell?”

The Buddha answered, “After I enter Nirvāṇa, all the bhikṣus should dwell in the Four Applications of Mindfulness.”

The Four Applications of Mindfulness

1. Contemplating the body as impure.
2. Contemplating feelings as suffering.
3. Contemplating thoughts as impermanent.
4. Contemplating dharmas as being without self.

The first application of mindfulness is to contemplate the body as impure. “But,” you say, “I take a bath and keep my body clean every day, and I put on makeup and jewelry to make it beautiful.” You may adorn your body with expensive jewelry and designer clothes, but it’s just like decorating a toilet; no matter how beautiful the toilet looks, it will still stink. …

Second, contemplate feelings as suffering. Feelings refer to sensations. No matter how enjoyable the sensation is, it is basically suffering. Happiness is the cause of suffering.

Third, contemplate thoughts as impermanent. Thoughts arise in continuous succession, one after another; they don’t last.

Fourth, contemplate dharmas as being without self. All dharmas (phenomena) are free of the notion of “me and mine.”

These are the Four Applications of Mindfulness. …

“Here is my fourth question,” said Ānanda. “When the Buddha is in the world, the Buddha can subdue the recalcitrant bhikṣus. After the Buddha enters Nirvāṇa, how should we deal with them?”

The Buddha said, “When you encounter a recalcitrant bhikṣu, just ignore him – don’t talk to him.” To ignore him is a passive way of expelling him. If no one pays attention to him or argues with him, he will soon grow bored of making trouble. If you pay attention to him or try to fight with him, he will think that he is getting somewhere. But if you ignore him, he won’t be able to do anything.  …

Recalcitrant bhikṣus are perverse and unreasonable. The more you argue with them, the more they enjoy it. That’s why the Buddha instructed us to ignore them.

The Three Doubts of the Assembly

When Ananda first ascended the Dharma seat – the seat where the Buddha spoke the Dharma – to begin the compilation of sūtras, there were many auspicious portents. For instance, Ananda became endowed with the thirty-two features and eighty subtle characteristics of a Buddha. Seeing those portents, the members of the assembly immediately had three kinds of doubts:

1. They thought that Ananda was their teacher, Śākyamuni Buddha, who had come back to life.
2. They thought that Ananda was a Buddha from another world. “Is this a Buddha who has come from another world to speak the Dharma in the Sahā world? Otherwise, why would he look like that?”
3. They thought Ānanda himself had become a Buddha.

The entire assembly was startled and at a loss, but once Ānanda said, “Thus I have heard,” their three doubts were dispelled. He was in effect stating, “This is the Dharma that I, Ānanda, personally heard Śākyamuni Buddha speak.”

Even the Arhats had three doubts when they saw Ānanda leading the compilation of the sūtras. As we listen to this sūtra, we may have a thousand or even ten thousand doubts. “Is this sūtra true? Did the Buddha really say this? What proof is there?” Our human brain starts plugging away, generating millions of doubts. So, you see, studying the Buddha-dharma is not that easy. Why haven’t we had any attainment? Too many doubts, that’s why!

A cultivator should take care not to doubt.
Once you doubt, you go astray

This quote is from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Medicine Master Sūtra.

[Medicine Master’s Vaiḍūrya] Buddhaland has always been completely pure. It is always clean, pure, and undefiled, as bright and clear as vaiḍūrya.

There are no women in the Vaiḍūrya Land. Some women’s rights activists object to Amitabha Buddha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss, saying, “Why are there no women in that land? Does Amitabha Buddha look down on women? Does he favor men over women?” Not at all. We should realize that the Sahā world, in which men and women engage in lust, is filled with all kinds of evil and suffering. There is nothing worthwhile here. Everything is unclean.

The Sahā world Is known as the World of the Five Turbidities. Our time is very impure–that’s the turbidity of the eon. The things we see with our eyes are also unclean–that’s the turbidity of views. We all have incredibly many afflictions–that’s the turbidity of afflictions. Living beings are all born from emotional desire, and they are differentiated into males and females–that’s the turbidity of living beings. Not only human beings, but all beings with blood and breath are this way–born from sexual desire and dying from sexual desire. Even germs are imperceptibly brought into existence by this kind of desire. As long as there is desire, one is impure. The turbidity of life comes about because beings in the Sahā world live in an extremely unclean environment. The things we see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think about are all unclean. Thus, this is known as the Evil World of the Five Turbidities.

In contrast to our dusty, defiled world, there is no dirt in the heavens; nor in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, where the ground is paved with gold; nor in the Eastern Vaiḍūrya Land, which has ground made of vaiḍūrya.

The people in the land of Ultimate Bliss are born transformationally from the vows of Amitabha Buddha, and they are free of desire. The Vaiḍūrya Land is created from the vows of Medicine Master Buddha. Because these Buddha lands are completely free of desire and birth occurs by transformation, not by sexual reproduction, there are no women in these lands.

No lower destinies and no sounds of suffering. The hells, hungry ghosts, and animals do not exist in the Vaiḍūrya Land. There aren’t any heartbreaking sounds of pain, sorrow, or distress.

This quote is from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Medicine Master Sūtra.

We were born from ignorance. Ignorance is the root of birth and death, the source of all troubles and afflictions. The goal of our practice is to break through ignorance. Ignorance confuses us, so that we live as if drunk or dreaming, driven by the desires for wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. Ignorance causes us a lot of trouble. Once there is ignorance, it manifests in activity. We act on what we don’t understand, and then we become attached to appearances. When consciousness arises and begins to make distinctions, the marks of self, others, living beings, and a life span appear. Activity and consciousness generate name and form, making it possible to talk about things. Then the whole body comes into being, and with it, the six entrances (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind). The six entrances come into contact with the external environment, and that contact brings on feeling. We differentiate between good and bad sensations, trying to avoid unpleasant sensations while craving pleasant ones. Thus, feeling then brings on craving. As we grasp at the object of our craving, there is becoming, then birth into the next life, and then old age and death all over again. The Twelve Links of Conditioned Causation describe the endless rounds of rebirth that all living beings undergo.

Pratyekabuddhas feel that this cycle is a lot of suffering, so they practice the Path in order to liberate themselves from birth and death. When they succeed, they attain to the fruition and become Pratyekabuddhas or Solitary Enlightened Ones, who belong to the Two Vehicles.

The Two Vehicles consist of the Hearers and Those Enlightened to Conditions (also called Solitary Enlightened Ones). The term “vehicle” is used to designate a class of cultivators. The practice of the Two Vehicles is not ultimate, because they have ended only physical birth and death, not the birth and death of thoughts. This is why Medicine Master Buddha vowed to lead the cultivators of the Lesser Vehicle to abide in the Great Vehicle and to resolve their minds on realizing the Buddhas’ Unsurpassed Enlightenment.

This is a stylized version of Medicine Master Buddha’s Mantra with 108 repetitions.

Below are quotes from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on The Sutra of the Merit and Virtue of the Past Vows of Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya.

Sūtra:
At that time, the World-Honored One entered a samādhi called “extinguishing the suffering and distress of all beings.” After he entered this samādhi, a great light came forth from the prominence on top of his head. From amid that light he proclaimed this magnificent dhārāṇi:

Na mo bo qie fa di. Bi sha she. Ju lu bi liu li. Bo la po. He la she ye. Da tuo jie duo ye. E la he di. San miao san pu tuo ye. Da zhi tuo nan. Bi sha shi. Bi sha shi. Bi sha she. San mo jie di. Suo he.
…

Commentary:
If you recite this very short mantra faithfully and single-mindedly, you will find that it has infinitely many wonderful functions. A doctor can use this mantra to enable his patients to have a speedy recovery. With the mantra’s help, he can become an extremely good doctor. Everyone, whether you are a doctor or not, should recite this mantra. If you recite it on behalf of sick people, they will soon get well.

The mantra consists of transliterated sounds, which cannot be explained. You are not supposed to understand what the mantra means. It is wonderful precisely because it is not understood.

The ninth great vow concerns destroying the nets of demons and gaining liberation from the dense forests of the wrong views of heretics. Medicine Master Buddha said: “I vow that in a future life when I attain Bodhi, I shall free sentient beings from the nets of demons.” Right now as people, we are very close to the demons and very far from the Buddhas. If we wish to be a demon, we can do so anytime. If we wish to become Buddhas, we have to break through many dense forests of wrong views. We have to cast out wrong views and constantly cultivate right views before we can escape the demons’ nets. As these nets are very tough to break, we may easily become followers of demons and asuras. If we are always getting angry or doing stupid things, we are in the demons’ nets.

When a fisherman nets a big fish, he thinks, “What a big fish I’ve caught for supper today!” When a demon catches a person in its net, it thinks, “Great! I’ve got another person for my retinue.” How can we escape the nets of demons? It’s very simple. Just avoid getting mad and doing stupid things. Demons use their tricks to lead people to believe in wrong views, and it’s very difficult for them to get free. However, if we rely on the power of Medicine Master Buddha’s vow, it becomes very easy to escape the demons’ nets.

Because Medicine Master Buddha knew that living beings have many bad habits and faults and are prone to make mistakes, he made the fifth great vow, saying: I vow that in a future life when I attain Bodhi, when I become a Buddha, I shall enable limitless and boundless numbers of sentient beings, which includes you and me, who cultivate Brahmā conduct within my Dharma to perfectly uphold the three clusters of precepts without exception.” Brahmā conduct refers to pure conduct, to the strict observance of the precepts. Medicine Master Buddha vows that whoever practices the Buddha-dharma will be able to perfectly uphold the pure precepts. Pure upholding of precepts can be compared to a perfectly round, full moon.

The Three Clusters of Pure Precepts

1. The precepts for gathering in living beings
2. The precepts comprised of wholesome dharmas
3. The precepts comprised of the rules of discipline and deportment

Since it’s not easy for people to uphold the precepts, Medicine Master Buddha vowed, “Should there be any violation, upon hearing my name, they will regain their purity. In the event of having violated the precepts, if one hears my Buddha-name, one will return to the origin and not fall into the lower destinies. One will not fall into the hells, the realm of hungry ghosts, or the animal realm.”

In the “three clusters of pure precepts,” each cluster is a collection of many precepts. Just as there are said to be “three hundred rituals and three thousand modes of awe-inspiring deportment,” the precepts comprised of the rules of discipline and deportment are also a large collection of rules.

Wholesome dharmas refers to innumerably many kinds of dharmas. The precepts comprised of wholesome dharmas tell us to “do no evil and practice all good.” The precepts for gathering in living beings encompass all living beings. One wants to take all living beings across to Buddhahood. The three clusters of precepts are very many and therefore not easy to cultivate. What should we do if we accidentally transgress them? Medicine Master Buddha’s vow says, “If sentient beings transgress the precepts, after they hear my name, they will attain purity. They won’t fall into the lower destinies.”

Think it over. Medicine Master Buddha works so hard to gather in living beings. Shouldn’t we acknowledge his compassion? Shouldn’t we cultivate the precepts seriously and stop relying on his aid? Don’t think, “Medicine Master Buddha has vowed to save me even if I violate the precepts, so I don’t have to worry.” If we violate a precept unintentionally, without realizing it, he can help us regain purity. On the other hand, we cannot violate the precepts on purpose and think that the Buddha will save us.

Below are quotes from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on The Sutra of the Merit and Virtue of the Past Vows of Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya.

Sūtra:
“The seventh great vow: ‘I vow that in a future life when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings beset by many illnesses and who are poor and wretched without aid, without a place to turn, without a doctor, without medicine, without relatives, and without a family, upon hearing my name, they shall be cured of their illnesses, be peaceful and happy in body and mind, gain a family and relatives, acquire abundant property and wealth, and eventually realize unsurpassed Bodhi.”

Commentary:
Many newcomers still don’t know who Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya Light Tathāgata is. I shall tell you a little more about this Buddha. He is a great king of physicians who cures people without using medicine. Living beings only need to hear his name, and their illnesses will be cured.

Chinese physicians use the methods of observing, listening, inquiring, and feeling the pulse to diagnose a patient’s condition. Physicians are classified as “spiritual,” “sagely,” “skillful,” or “clever.” The “spiritual” are the very best, while the “sagely” are not quite as incredible. “Skillful” refers to those who have to apply some skill and effort before they can know a person’s condition. The “clever” can know in an ingenious way. In general, the “spiritual” know by observing; the “sagely” know by listening; the “skillful” know through inquiring; and the “clever” know through feeling the pulse. Ordinary doctors must use these four methods to diagnose sickness.

Medicine Master Buddha, however, doesn’t use these methods. He can cure people as long as they sincerely recite his name. That’s his special way of helping people. Such formidable spiritual power comes from the following vow.

The seventh great vow: “I vow that in a future life when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings beset by many illnesses who are poor and wretched without aid, without a place to turn, without a doctor, without medicine, without relatives, and without a family. They have no one who can help them, and no safe place where they can take refuge. Being sick is the greatest suffering. They are poor and alone and beset by hardships.

Upon hearing my name, they shall be cured of their illnesses. If they hear my name, ‘Medicine Master Buddha Who Quells Disasters and Lengthens Life,’ they will be cured of all disease, without having to take medication or get shots, X-rays, or CAT scans. There’s no need for electrotherapy, acupuncture, or any other treatments or operations. However, this passage doesn’t mean that doctors will be out of business, so doctors should not worry.

These people will be peaceful and happy in body and mind, gain a family and relatives, acquire abundant property and wealth. They will fully regain physical and mental health. They will not be alone in the world, nor will they be poor.

And finally, they will eventually realize unsurpassed Bodhi.” All living beings have the Buddha-nature and can become Buddhas. The Buddha didn’t say, “I alone can become a Buddha, and no one else can.” Buddhism is very democratic. The Buddha is just the same as us, except that he has great wisdom, so he doesn’t say or do confused things. We study the Buddha’s teachings in order to learn to live in harmony, be good people, and ultimately, become wise Buddhas. However, if we do not behave properly, we will never become wise.

Next: Medicine Master Buddha’s Mantra

Below are quotes from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on The Sutra of the Merit and Virtue of the Past Vows of Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya.

Reciting the Name of Medicine Master Buddha
At the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, we recite the name of Medicine Master Buddha in the morning and dedicate the merit to the Dharma-protectors of the City, praying that they will be safe from disasters and will enjoy long life. At noon we recite “Namo Fundamental Teacher Śākyamuni Buddha” in order to repay the kindness of Śākyamuni Buddha, who taught the Dharma to us. In the evening we recite the name of Amitabha Buddha, vowing to be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, where the three lower paths do not exist. In the Sahā world, we are troubled and afflicted every day, but in the Land of Ultimate Bliss and the Vaiḍūrya Land, there is only happiness.

The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is a new monastery, and we recite the names of three different Buddhas in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. In this respect, we differ from monasteries in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and other countries where they follow the Chinese Buddhist tradition and recite Amitabha Buddha’s name all the time. When monastics from other places visit the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, they think that we do everything wrong and do not understand the rules.

We do not claim that what we do at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is correct. However, when we rise in the morning, we should emulate the vows of Medicine Master Buddha Who Quells Disasters and Lengthens Life. This will give us the fresh, youthful energy of dawn; an invigorating vitality like that of trees reviving after a drought or a spring bubbling forth from the ground. When we rise at dawn, the fire of our life burns brightly and everything is auspicious. At noon, we should be grateful to Śākyamuni Buddha for all the Dharma and sūtras that he taught us. At night, our thoughts return to the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the final haven where we wish to be reborn.

Two Buddhas, East and West
Śākyamuni buddha came to the Sahā world in order to help living beings resolve the problem of birth and death. He was born into a royal family, but he renounced the wealth of the kingdom and left his home in order to pursue the Truth. After he attained Buddhahood beneath the Bodhi Tree, he contemplated the conditions of living beings in the Sahā world and discovered that we have the deepest affinities with two Buddhas – Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya Light Tathagata in the East and Amitabha Tathāgata in the West. …

Although Akṣobhya (Medicine Master) Buddha is in the Vaiḍūrya Land and Amitabha Buddha is in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, both of these Buddhas teach and transform the living beings of the Sahā world. They have deep affinities with each and every one of us. Medicine Master Tathāgata is also known as “Medicine Master Buddha Who Quells Disasters and Lengthens Life;” Amitabha Tathāgata is known as both the “Buddha of Limitless Life” (Amitāyus) and the “Buddha of Limitless Light” (Amitābha).

If you are mindful of Medicine Master Buddha, he will bestow blessings and long life upon you and save you from disasters, illnesses, and offenses. He fulfills the wishes of all living beings. Amitabha Buddha enables beings to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. If you wish to be reborn in that land, simply recite Amitabha Buddha’s name. If you wish to be born in the Vaiḍūrya Land, then recite the name of Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya Light Tathagata.

Magnetic Vows
Every Buddha and Bodhisattva, before achieving Buddhahood, makes infinitely many great vows to benefit and help living beings. When he becomes a Buddha, his vows come true, and, like a magnet, they attract living beings from the ten directions. If his vows are great, then the power of the magnet is great, and no matter how many living beings there are and how heavy their karmic obstacles are, his vows can draw them in. Living beings, despite their ignorance, can sense that he wishes to help them, and so they feel especially close to him. Deep down in their souls they intuitively sense this affinity. In the past, Medicine King Bodhisattva burned his body and gave up his life as an offering to the Buddhas. We, in contrast, can’t even bear to burn a finger, let alone our whole bodies.

Ordinary Origins of Great Vows
Medicine Master Buddha made this vow in his past lives when he was still cultivating as a bhikṣu; he was no different from you, me, and other living beings then. But because he made great vows, he was able to achieve Buddhahood very quickly. We still haven’t become Buddhas, because we are too selfish, greedy, and quarrelsome, and we don’t want to make great vows.

Next: Medicine Master’s 7th Great Vow