The Nature of Thought

The Ksitigarbha Sutra says:

"Whenever thoughts arise in the minds of sentient beings in Jambudvipa, they are all but sinful. If by chance they happen to gain some benefits, they often retrogress from their initial wholesome mind. In evil conditions, evil thoughts grow successively one after another."

This is a well known passage in the Sutra but people often misunderstand it, thinking that we sentient beings are all born in sin, not unlike what is taught in Christianity.

Thought arising in the mind is evil not because sentient beings are evil or thought itself is evil, but only because it is tainted by our fundamental ignorance (avijja). When Avijja is in control of our mind, thinking, not thinking, between thinking & not thinking, neither thinking nor not thinking are all klesha (defilement). But when Avijja is shattered, thought IS the Buddha!

Using a good thought (eg. thinking of Amitabha) to conquer evil thought is an expedient means taught by some Pureland Buddhist teachers, but it won't be very effective unless you understand the nature of thought. Amitabha refers to the Buddha-nature, and in the Buddha-nature there is no good thoughts or evil thoughts. No pure or impure thoughts, no right or wrong thoughts, no thought & no no-thought. All these are still in the realm of duality & are thus unreal. If you can think of Mara in the same way you think of Amitabha or Buddha; think of evil thoughts as fundamentally no different from good thoughts, then that can be called true "Nian Fo", "Nembutsu" or Buddha thought.

善念恶念，皆是妄念，
有念无念，无非魔念；
即念离念，亦不断念，
念佛念佛，念即是佛！

Good thought evil thought, all are false thoughts.
Have thought no thought, not apart from evil thoughts.
Think thought leave thought, do not cut thoughts.
Think Buddha think Buddha, thought IS Buddha!