“My Pure Land will never be destroyed,
Yet all view it as being burned up, And grief and horror and distress Fill them all like this.
All those sinful creatures,
By reason of their evil karma,
Throughout asaṃkhyeya kalpas
Hear not the name of the Precious Three.”

… As long as we accumulate either negative or positive sins, that is, evil karma, we cannot obtain good results because we do not produce good causes. However much time may pass, we cannot meet the Buddha, nor hear his teachings, nor join the ranks of his disciples. This situation is expressed in the words “hear not the name of the Precious Three.”

The Precious Three are the three basic elements that Sakyamuni Buddha taught his disciples as the spiritual foundation of Buddhism soon after he began his missionary work: the Buddha, the Law, and the Saṃgha. Because of their supreme value, they are also called the Three Treasures.

Mention of this spiritual foundation immediately reminds us of the teaching “Make the self your light, make the Law your light.” These are most reassuring words and a great encouragement to us. But here the Buddha does not refer to the self that is filled with illusions but the self that lives in the Law. We must burn with the fire of the Law and cast its light over society. Though we must live through our own efforts, our way of life should always be in accordance with the Law.