Reciting Amitabha's Name & Drinking Bean Water

 

This article is excerpted from For You Information 佛友资讯 magazine [ Singapore], Issue 442, published in February 2026, section “Books”

 

Page 40, 41

 

Author: BRONZA TEE

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Reciting Amitabha's Name & Drinking Bean Water

 

A Contemporary Expression of Pure Land Practice

 

Written by BRONZA TEE

 

Reciting Amitabha's Name & Drinking Bean Water is a newly released ebook written by Tran Tri Cam Tu that gently introduces readers to a contemplative ritual rooted in Vietnamese Pure Land Buddhism.

 

At its heart, the book explores a practice that is both humble and profound-reciting Amitabha Buddha's name while mindfully preparing and drinking bean water.

 

Through clear guidance and reflective insight, it presents this ceremony not as a rigid formula, but as a living spiritual experience, one that reveals how ordinary actions can become gateways to mindfulness, devotion, and inner clarity.

 

Pure Land Buddhism has long been woven into the spiritual fabric of Vietnamese culture.

 

Across generations, the recitation of Amitabha has served as a steady anchor for practitioners seeking liberation through faith, consistency, and sincere intention.

 

Unlike practices that demand extended retreat or complex study, Pure Land devotion is deeply accessible.

 

It meets people where they are- at home altars, in temple halls, and within the rhythms of everyday life.

 

This emphasis on continuity rather than intensity has shaped a distinctly Vietnamese expression of Buddhism: calm, grounded, and quietly enduring.

 

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Within this cultural landscape, ritual is not separate from daily living.

 

Acts such as preparing food, offering tea, or cleaning a space are often approached with reverence, transforming necessity into practice.

The bean water ceremony emerges naturally from this worldview.

Beans- simple, nourishing, and familiar-are rinsed, brewed, and served with care.

 

Water, warmed patiently, becomes a medium for attentiveness.

 

When paired with the recitation of Amitabha's name, these gestures evolve into a unified practice where body, speech, and mind align.

 

The ebook outlines the steps of the "Amitabha & Bean Water Ceremony" with clarity: rinsing the bean seeds, brewing the bean water, serving it respectfully, and sipping slowly while fully inhabiting the moment.

 

Yet the essence of the ritual lies not in the sequence itself, but in the awareness that accompanies it.

 

Rinsing becomes an opportunity to let go of mental impurities.

Brewing cultivates patience and presence.

 

Serving expresses generosity.

Sipping-slow and deliberate-anchors the practitioner in the present moment, allowing the sound of Amitabha's name to settle gently into the heart.

 

 

In contemporary Vietnamese Buddhist communities, this ceremony is increasingly regarded as a form of spiritual artistry.

 

It is practiced not only as devotion, but as a meaningful cultural tradition-one that embodies simplicity, beauty, and intention.

 

The ritual's quiet elegance reflects a broader Vietnamese Buddhist sensibility, where spirituality is neither dramatic nor distant, but intimate and embodied.

 

In this way, the ceremony becomes a bridge between tradition and modern life, offering a contemplative refuge amid the pace of the present world.

 

What the book offers, beyond instruction, is perspective. It invites readers to see

how ritual functions as a vessel for the Dharma-how mindful repetition, when infused with understanding, becomes transformative.

 

The recitation of Amitabha's name is not treated as a mechanical act, but as a reminder of compassion, boundless light, and the aspiration toward awakening.

When paired with a mindful physical action, the recitation gains texture and depth, allowing the teachings of Pure Land Buddhism to be experienced rather than merely understood.

 

Underlying the ceremony is a core Buddhist principle: that the highest offering is not material, but spiritual.

 

As the teaching reminds us, "Among all offerings, the offering of the Dharma of the Buddha is supreme."

 

To recite, to practice, and to share the Dharma-whether through spoken words, written guidance, or a quietly observed ritual-is itself an act of generosity.

 

The ebook stands as such an offering, extending a practice shaped by Vietnamese Buddhist culture to readers beyond geographical and cultural boundaries.

 

In a time often marked by distraction and urgency, the ritual described in the book offers a gentle countercurrent. It reminds us that awakening does not always arise from complexity or effort alone.

 

Sometimes, it unfolds through simplicity-through a repeated name, a warm cup held with care, and a moment of stillness fully inhabited.

 

May all who encounter this practice, whether through ritual or reading, come closer to realising their own Buddha- nature.

 

And may the merit of listening to, reflecting upon, and engaging with the Proper Dharma extend to all sentient beings.

   

Photo Credit: Tran Thi Cam Tu [ Guo Tu-C.T MLS]