what should i do if auspicious signs appear when chanting buddha’s name?

the method of reciting buddha's name belongs to form. the "amitabha sutra" appears because the evil king ahrashi, in the era of the buddha shakyamuni, usurped the throne and imprisoned his father, bimbisara and his mother, empress vitihi. in the imprisoned place, vitihi prayed that the buddha sakyamuni would come to visit and preach. the buddha responded to his feelings and showed the pure and wonderful land of all buddhas in front of madame vitihi. the wife specially chose the western paradise of amitabha buddha, and the buddha taught her sixteen ways of practicing to seek rebirth in that country. so madame vitishi and her five hundred maids all attained the dharma of non-birth and were reborn in that country.

the pure land of rebirth in the western paradise introduced in this sutra is divided into nine levels. at the time of death, no matter what level of life, there will be auspicious signs such as seeing buddhas and bodhisattvas, and seeing the lotus platform. therefore, during the process of reciting the buddha's name, it is normal to see all buddhas and bodhisattvas showing various auspicious signs or the solemnity of the pure land.

in the "ksitigarbha sutra", when ksitigarbha bodhisattva was a woman in the causal realm, he recited the pure lotus eye tathagata and set up a statue to offer it. he dreamed of the buddha, emitted light and gave it to him, and heard the buddha's manifestation and confession. in addition, when ksitigarbha bodhisattva was a brahmin girl, he offered to the image of tathagata, the buddha, and heard the buddha telling him in the air, and asked him to go home and sit upright and think, recite the name of the buddha, and then went to hell in person for a day and a night. it is also said that being able to see the buddha, the buddha of the realm of concentration and freedom, is auspicious sign of extinguishing sins.

if you usually recite the buddha's name without seeking to see auspicious signs, but rather auspicious signs appear on their own, it may be good, and it may not be good. seeing auspicious signs can increase people's confidence because they have experiences in their own situations, that is, they have real feelings. if you recite the buddha's name just to see the auspicious signs, the mind of chanting the buddha's name will not be pure enough, and the appearance of the auspicious signs may be an illusion caused by the trance of the mind.

illusions are easily generated when the mind is stimulated, the mind is overworked, or urgently expects it, and pursues effectiveness. in mild cases, it becomes neuroticism, and in severe cases, it becomes a chaotic disorder. at that time, you need to be very careful. also, due to the response of pious heart or the realization of seeking heart, auspicious illusions may also appear; it may also be due to incorrect knowledge and unclear mentality, which may lead to the disturbance of demons.

therefore, from the perspective of the correct buddhist teachings, the purpose of chanting the buddha's name is not to seek the presence of its auspicious appearance. if you see the light, see the flower, smell the fragrance, and hear the sound, such as seeing the supreme scenery of bliss and seeing the buddhas and bodhisattvas, as long as your mind is not greedy, your mind is not inverted, and you just focus on chanting the buddha's name, this is the safest.

also, if you see auspicious signs at the end of your life, it is not out of imagination, but naturally.

if auspicious signs often appear when chanting buddha's name, this is not a good thing, because it will make the chantist unable to concentrate on chanting buddha's name, and may even mislead it to leave buddhism and become a tool for ghosts and gods to express superpowers and preach the thoughts of heretics. if you cannot distinguish between evil and good, then ignore it. as long as you focus on the buddha's name at any time, the auspicious signs will naturally disappear. if you are entangled by it and cannot get rid of it, it is best to ask the eminent monks and lay buddhists to enlighten them according to the righteous dharma principles.