August 10, 2025

Aug. 10, 2025

Clarifying Doubts About the Pure Land (I)

淨土釋疑(一)

Question: Master, can you explain what is meant by the Real Mark Body (實相身) and the Body for Saving Sentient Beings (為物身) ？

Answer: Even if you don’t understand what the Real Mark Body or the Body for Saving Sentient Beings is, as long as you believe in Amitabha’s deliverance and exclusively recite his Name, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, without regard to the time or duration; in every moment that you recite the Name, the Real Mark Body and the Body for Saving Sentient Beings are already present.

To explain it simply:

The Body for Saving Sentient Beings refers to the body that saves sentient beings. The Real Mark Body refers to the body of Buddhahood, the perfected form upon enlightenment.

The Real Mark Body is spoken of from the standpoint of Amitabha Buddha's perfect self-benefit. That is, once he attained enlightenment and fulfilled his own path, he achieved the Real Mark Body; and precisely because of this, he is also able to enable sentient beings to be reborn in the Pure Land. (through his Body for Helping Sentient Beings)

Although the Real Mark Body is described in terms of self-benefit, Amitabha did not seek enlightenment for his own sake. He attained Buddhahood solely for the sake of saving sentient beings. Thus, the Body for Helping Sentient Beings is

spoken of from the standpoint of perfect altruistic fulfillment, as found in the vow: “If I do not enable all beings to be born [in my land], I will not attain perfect enlightenment.”

(to be continued tomorrow)

14問：請師父解釋一下「實相身」與「為物身」。

答：

你即使不知道「實相身」是什麼、「為物身」是什麼，可是你只要相信彌 陀的救度，那就在裏邊了。

只要相信彌陀救度、稱念彌陀名號，就像剛剛所講的，「行住坐臥，不問時 節久近」去念念稱名，那實相身、為物身就在裏邊了。

若簡單解釋，「為物身」就是救度眾生之身，「實相身」就是成佛之身。

實相身是從阿彌陀佛的自利圓滿方面來講的，如果自己自利成佛的話， 那取正覺了，成就實相身了，必能使眾生往生，所以，同時又是為物身。

Namo Amituofo!

August 9, 2025

Aug. 9, 2025

Q and A about Practicing Amitabha-Recitation

Part Three - Assisted-Recitation near the End-of-Life

第三部分 有關臨終助念

Question: Is it always better to have more people participating in assisted recitation ?

Answer: Not necessarily. For group-based assisted recitation, having six to eight people in a team is sufficient. Fewer people often leads to better coordination, while too many can result in disorder. The environment for assisted recitation requires mental focus and chanting Amitabha Buddha’s Name in unison. There should be no idle chatter, no unnecessary entering and exiting, or disturbances such as fans or noises from other controllable sources.

47 問：助念的蓮友是不是越多越好？

答：不一定。分班助念，一班有六、七、八個人足矣。人少往往統一，人多 每每雜亂。助念的現場要求精神專注，佛號整齊，不要有閒話雜語，也不 要人來人往地走動，電風扇等機器搖動、聲響等都儘量避免。

Namo Amituofo!

August 8, 2025

Aug. 8, 2025

Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teaching about the Grace of Deliverance

慧淨法師之救恩法語(一)之愛的心語

A person who grows up with love has no fear and does not harm others. One who loves others will not do things that harm them.

在愛裡成長的人沒有懼怕，也不會傷害別人。

一個愛別人的人，不會做出傷害他人的事。

Namo Amituofo!

August 7, 2025

Aug. 7, 2025

Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teaching asking “What does life look like?”

慧淨法師之「人生像什麼」

Life is just like a person who is attached, and driven by the Five Desires.

人生如被五欲驅使而無厭的苦惱人。

Namo Amituofo!

August 6, 2025

Aug. 6, 2025

Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School

淨土宗妙喻

Metaphor 38: The Eight Aspects of Consciousness (continued)

Accordingly, the Verses Delineating the Eight Aspects of Consciousness by Master Xuanzang have this to say:

Accepting and influenced by past karmic habits sows the seeds for future bodies and material worlds.

The Alaya Consciousness is always the last to leave an aged body at death and the first to be present at birth, totally in control of the mind at all times.

This is an accurate description of the eighth consciousness. According to the first line of the verse, whatever one has perceived and conceived by the first six aspects of consciousness is sown like seeds in the Alaya Consciousness.

Over time, all of those seeds will grow into karmic fruits which one has to bear.

The meaning of the second line of the verse is this: at the end of one’s life, the Alaya Consciousness will stay with the body until the last moment, when the body has cooled to the core and completely died, i.e. when the first six aspects of consciousness have lost all their functions.

As to birth, the eighth aspect of consciousness is always the first to be present at the moment of conception, when the six sensory faculties are yet to develop. The Alaya Consciousness is the master of the mind, totally in control of it.

As I mentioned just now, the sixth aspect of consciousness works like a general manager giving orders from the head office. Now, let’s see the two ways by which it works – to accompany the five sensory aspects of consciousness and to work through its own consciousness.

38. 八識喻 (續)

慧淨法師

所以，玄奘大師《八識規矩頌》就有兩句話說：

受熏持種根身器，

去後來先做主公。

這就是在說第八識。

「受熏持種」：接受，而且把眼、耳、鼻、舌、身以及第六意識所看、所聽、所 想，形成一個影子、一粒種子，落在第八阿賴耶識的田地裏面、倉庫當中，而 成為未來的果報，所以說「受熏持種根身器」。

「去後來先做主公」：去最後，來最先。「去後」，也就是一個人死的時候，這 個第八識最後才離開，也就是說，身體先冷，逐漸逐漸地冷，如果沒有全部冷 的話，他還沒有死，他的阿賴耶識 — 第八識還在身體當中。必須要全部冷透 了，第八識最後才離開，這個人才稱為死亡。「來先」，也就是投胎的時候，它最先到，還沒有眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意的時候，它已經到了。它是主人公。去 是最後，眼、耳、鼻、舌、身已經沒有作用了，但是它還沒有離開，它是最後才 離開的，所以「去後來先做主公」。

剛剛講總經理就是第六意識，第六意識是在家出主意的。它好像老闆一 樣。第六意識，有所謂「五俱意識」跟「獨頭意識」。

Namo Amituofo!

August 5, 2025

Aug. 5, 2025

Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School

淨土宗妙喻

Metaphor 38: The Eight Aspects of Consciousness

One might lament, “I don’t normally feel like I have any worries or delusions; but, once I concentrate on reciting the Name of Amitabha Buddha, my mind races with all sorts of thoughts.”

This is quite normal. Previously, we talked about the eight aspects of consciousness. They are the eight different functions of the mind. A verse describes them as follows:

There are these eight brothers: One is a fool, rather dim-witted. Five do business at the front door. One commands from home, and one looks after money matters.

The “eight brothers” refers to the eight aspects of consciousness. Although they are inseparable, these eight types work in different ways, each with a function and effect of its own.

Which type does the so-called “foolish, dim-witted” brother represent? It is the eighth consciousness (aka the Alaya or Storehouse Consciousness). This part of the mind works like a warehouse, storing everything it receives, good or bad, without selection or rejection. Such an indiscriminate nature is personified as “a dim-witted fool”.

The five brothers busy trading at the front door refer to the five sensory faculties - the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body. Without their effective functioning, one would not be able to see, hear, smell, taste, or touch to perceive the outer world. Only by means of the effective performance of the roles of these five types of consciousness can the sixth type work.

The brother who commands from home refers to the sixth consciousness (aka the “Mental Consciousness”). It enables us to memorize, distinguish, deliberate, and decide to do something or not. This is why it is compared to the general manager of a business entity.

The brother who acts like a financial controller refers to the seventh consciousness (aka the “Mano Consciousness”). The main working of this consciousness is the passionate attachment to the ego. After the sixth consciousness (i.e. the general manager brother) has assembled the input from the five sensory faculties into a coherent whole, the Mano Consciousness (the financial controller brother) stores

it in the warehouse of the Alaya Consciousness (the dim-witted brother), without discrimination.

If the Mano Consciousness is compared to the general manager of a company, then the Alaya Consciousness can be likened to the chairman of the board of directors. It is responsible for the ultimate direction of the company. If this part of the mind turns the afflicted consciousnesses into wisdom and purity, all defilements will become superior merit and virtue. The mind will attain perfect enlightenment. On the other hand, if the Alaya Consciousness lets the defilements remain, it will be stuck in the six realms, reincarnating endlessly.

(to be continued tomorrow)

38. 八識喻

慧淨法師

有人感嘆說：「我平常不覺得有什麼煩惱、有什麼妄想雜念，可是，不念佛 便罷，一旦想靜下心來念佛，妄想雜念就特別多。」

其實這是很正常的。

剛剛講，我們的心有八識，就是有八種功能，這八種功能，有一首偈是這 樣描述的：

兄弟八個一個呆，

五個門前做買賣，

一個在家出主意，

一個司帳管錢財。

兄弟八個是指八識，因為八識是一體的，是一個心分為八種功能和作用。 一個呆是哪一識呢？就是第八識。第八「阿賴耶識」，也叫做「藏識」，這個倉 庫本身是不選擇的，人家搬好的進來，或是搬不好的進來，倉庫通通接受，不 會分別好壞，所以「兄弟八個一個呆」。

五個門前做買賣⇒ 這五個就是眼、耳、鼻、舌、身。我們沒有眼睛，就不能 看外面的色（也就是境界）；沒有耳朵，就不能聽聲音；沒有鼻子，就不能嗅氣味；沒有舌頭，就不能嚐味道。透過這五識，第六識才能產生它的作用，所以 說「五個門前做買賣」。

一個在家出主意⇒ 這是第幾識？就是第六「意識」。可以說，這八識當中， 第六識是總經理，它在家出主意呀！所以，第六識能夠有什麼？有記憶、有 分別、有思惟、有判斷（要與不要）等等這些功能，所以，它是總經理。

一個司帳管錢財⇒ 這就是第七「末那識」。末那識就是執著、執取，把倉庫 當作自己的身心性命。什麼都為這個身心性命設想，愈多愈好，只怕少，不怕 多。所以，凡是前面五識 — 這五個兄弟所做的買賣，經過第六識這個總經理 的收納之後，末那識通通把它們 — 點點滴滴，不管是好是壞，都沒有推拒地 收在阿賴耶識裏面。

可說阿賴耶識是董事長，它要負最後的責任，它如果轉識成智，通通是妙 善的功德，它就能成佛；如果是粗惡的話，它就永遠六道輪迴。

Namo Amituofo!

August 4, 2025

Aug. 4, 2025

Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching

淨土小常識

159. The Three Levels of Nianfo ( Buddha-Recitation) (continued)

" The Fundamental Vow Nianfo" possesses two exceptional qualities: superiority and ease. “Superiority” means that one attains “the assurance of Buddhahood” in this very life. “Easy” means that both ordinary and sacred beings, whether good or evil, are able to practice it.

It can thus be said to be both extraordinarily supreme and remarkably simple to practice. It can universally save all beings without distinction and equally enables all to attain Buddhahood.

This is what Master Shandao meant when he said: “Among all ordinary beings, both good and evil, who attain birth [in the Pure Land], without exception, all relied upon Amitabha Buddha’s great Vow and karmic power as their decisive cause.”

He also said: “Precisely because they entrust themselves to the power of the Buddha’s Vow, the beings of the five vehicles are all able to enter [the Pure Land] together.”

And again: “Beings of the human and heavenly realms, whether good or evil, are all able to be reborn; and once there, there are no distinctions — all equally attain non-retrogression.”

To summarize into a single principle: Although this collection (i.e., the text) speaks of three aspects, they are mutually supportive and essentially express a single idea:

When we speak of Amitabha-recitation, it is not merely any kind of Amitabha-recitation; but, Amitabha-recitation based on his Fundamental Vow. Furthermore, that is not just any “Fundamental Vow Nianfo;” but, the specific name-recitation selected by Amitabha Buddha in his Fundamental Vow.

In general, the term Buddha-recitation can refer to many practices — such as “Buddha-recitation of the true nature,” or visualization practices, or various meditative or conventional Buddha-recitation methods — and while they are all called Buddha-recitation, they are not the Buddha-recitation of Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow.

To avoid confusion, we use the term “Fundamental Vow Nianfo” or “Buddha-recitation based on Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow.”

Furthermore, what Master Honen called “selection” is essentially the same as what Master Shandao called “the Primal Vow.” Though the words differ, the meaning is the same.

159 三重念佛 (續)

本願念佛，具勝易二德：「勝」，則現生入正定聚；「易」，則凡聖善惡都能 行。可謂殊勝超越而又簡便易行，既普遍性救度任何眾生，也平等性使其皆 證佛果，這是善導大師所說的「一切善惡凡夫得生者，莫不皆乘阿彌陀佛大願 業力為增上緣」。大師又說「正由託佛願以作強緣，致使五乘齊入」，又說「人 天善惡，皆得往生；到彼無殊，齊同不退」。

總成一義者，此集書名，雖分三義，但三義相成，唯是一意：所謂念佛，不 只念佛，乃是本願念佛；本願念佛不只本願念佛，乃是彌陀選擇之本願念佛。

凡談念佛，或指實相念佛，或指觀想、觀相之念佛，或其他通途之種種念 佛，都名念佛；然而都非彌陀本願的念佛，為免相濫，故說「本願念佛」。

又，法然上人所說「選擇」，與善導大師所說「本願」，辭異義同。

Namo Amituofo!