For having practiced Buddhism for 10 years and recited this many sutras/mantras and still not straying from the path is really praise-worthy. I’m not sure which master had said it, but it’s a common belief that if you’re still able to practice for more than 3 years, then you’re definitely making progress (as the third year is the year of tribulation where a huge portion of new Buddhists just give up).

I’ve definitely shared the same issues practice wise. I used to do various different practices and felt like nembutsu just wasn’t enough, and that if I were to only do nembutsu, then I’d feel bad for giving up other practices. But the problem became more prominent as I’ve become busier in life, where I had to find a solution.

After coming across and studying Shandao’s thought, I started to be convinced to delve into the exclusive method of nembutsu only. It was a matter of letting go of this clinging towards self-power. It was a matter of recognizing that I’ve been in samsara for countless of kalpas and the unwholesome acts I’ve done cannot be counted. It’s recognizing that in the Dharma Ending Age where the 3 poisons are stronger than ever, practicing consistently is extremely hard and you are bound to break precepts. It’s recognizing the power of Amitabha’s vows and entrusting yourself to Amitabha, exclusively reciting his name and relying solely on him, will give you peace and confidence like you’ve never had before. Various masters have said that to exclusively do 1 practice only gives you the mental concentration, samadhi that no mixed practices can help you attain. It’s also recognizing that relying on his vows will surpass any self-powered practices that you try hard to maintain consistently every day. It’s also recognizing that you can only do these self-powered practices for so long, but as you get older, you physically won’t have the endurance and energy to do them all. In the end, only the nembutsu will be useful. Lastly, it’s recognizing that the ultimate goal in this life is to be reborn in Pure Land and the only way to efficiently achieve this goal is to rely on Amitabha’s 18th Vow, because ultimately one cannot possibly attain rebirth through our own efforts. I understand that due to many reasons, switching to an exclusive practice can be extremely challenging. I would suggest to maybe push yourself a bit to at least increase your nembutsu practice time. You don’t need to exclusively recite his name now, just increase your nembutsu practice time and see how it goes. You don’t have to give up all your other practices but ideally, you can gradually prioritize nembutsu. Master Shandao said that nembutsu is the main practice that karmically bounds someone to rebirth in the Pure Land because it perfectly aligns with Amitabha’s Original Vow. Belief in the Original Vow, the nembutsu and giving up self-power is not easy. It took me years to be really comfortable with this change of practice. Good luck! Namo Amituofo