Jul 1, 2018
慧淨上人法語
佛法知見
慧淨上人法語
佛法知見
Why does Buddhism emphasize on enlightenment? According to teachings of the Sagely Path that cultivates with one’s own efforts, a practitioner has to rely on his own power to terminate afflictions and realize Buddhahood. Hence, he should at least have enlightenment to begin with—that is to say, to have “direct realization of Buddha-nature, to commence cultivation of the Buddha-nature, and to ensure that all being cultivated are related to the Buddha-nature”.
If he doesn’t have the direct realization of Buddha-nature, he is like a blind man who doesn’t know the way ahead. How does he cultivate? Where should he go? That is merely “cultivation and practice without any vision”?
However, the Pure Land teaching is different. The Pure Land practitioner doesn’t worry about enlightenment, or not having “direct realization of Buddha-nature. They worry only about not reciting Amitabha’s name, and not aspiring to be reborn in the Land of Bliss, because the Land of Bliss is an unconditioned realm of nirvana, and one can attain rebirth in the Land of Bliss only through Amitabha-reciation. Here come the saying, “Amitabha-recitation is the gateway to nirvana”.
為什麼佛教重視開悟呢？因為一般聖道法門是自力修行，必須靠自己的力量斷煩惱、證佛果，所以最起碼必須要先開悟，所謂「明心見性，稱性起修，所修皆性」。
如果沒有明心見性，就像瞎子一樣，不曉得前面的道路，那他要怎麼修？要走到哪裏去呢？豈不是盲修瞎練。
可是淨土法門不一樣，淨土法門是不愁不開悟，不愁不能明心見性，只愁你不念佛、不願生極樂。因為極樂世界是涅槃的境界，所謂「極樂無為涅槃界」，而要到極樂世界只要念佛，所謂「念佛即是涅槃門」。
Namo Amitabha!
