Clarifying Doubts About the Pure Land (II)
淨土釋疑(二)
Answer to Q51 : (continued)
When we speak of “faith, aspiration, and practice,” although all of us aspire to be reborn in the Pure Land, if what we believe is not the teaching and doctrine of this Dharma gate, then our faith is different. When our faith is different, our practice will naturally be different as well.
As for the question, “Does striving to attain samadhi involve an element of self-power?”—not necessarily. If someone has an other-power mind and recites Namo Amitabha Buddha one hundred thousand times a day, while aspiring to attain Buddha-recitation samadhi, that is still other-power. Conversely, if someone has a self-power mind and recites Namo Amitabha Buddha only once or twice a day, without undertaking any particular practice, that is still self-power.
Among fellow practitioners, some set a goal of exclusively reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha tens of thousands of times each day. They do so because they are afraid of becoming lax and hope to encourage themselves to recite more diligently. After all, when they are not exclusively reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha , their minds are still filled with scattered thoughts and delusions.
With a correct understanding of these matters, we will not develop unnecessary worries or attachments.
續答 Q51:
我們說「信願行」，雖然都是願生，如果信的不是我們這個教理，就是信不同； 信不同，行就會不同。
「努力追求入三昧是不是有自力的成份？」這不一定。如果是他力心的人，一 天念佛十萬聲，追求念佛三昧，一樣是他力；如果是自力心的人，一天念一聲 兩聲，沒有修什麼行，那也是自力。同修中有的人規定自己一天念幾萬聲，是因為怕懈怠，希望精進念佛，因為平常不念佛還是妄想雜念。如果對這些有 正確的了解，就不會產生其他不必要的掛礙。
Namo Amituofo!
