Sep 1, 2018
Master Huijing’s Dharma Words about the Infinite Life Sutra Spoken by the Buddha
《佛說無量壽經》
The Infinite Life Sutra is the most important and fundamental sutra in the Pure Land School. The main theme of this Sutra and its key points are listed in the Five Texts of the Great Sutra (The Great Sutra is a short title of The Infinite Life Sutra. It refers to five selected scriptures of the Great Sutra). If we can grasp and understand them thoroughly, it can be said that we have mastered [the main ideas of] the entire Infinite Life Sutra.
The first text is about the original intent of Shakyamuni Buddha’s entering to this world:
With infinite great compassion, the Tathagata commiserates with the beings of the Three Domains. Therefore he appears in the world to teach and enlighten them. He wishes to save the multitudes by endowing them with real benefits.
The infinite Life Sutra talks mainly about Amitabha Buddha’s 48 great vows. With reference to this passage, we know that, before Shakyamuni Buddha expounds the 48 great vows, he tells explicitly that the purpose of his appearance in this world is to talk about the 48 great vows.
(To be continued tomorrow)
《無量壽經》是淨土宗最主要、最根本的經典。此經的大意，它的眼目，在於「大經五文」（《無量壽經》簡稱《大經》，大經五段經文）。這五段經文如果能夠掌握，能夠融會貫通，可以說整部《無量壽經》已經掌握了。
第一段經文是釋迦牟尼佛「出世本懷文」：
如來以無盡大悲，矜哀三界，所以出興於世，光闡道教；欲拯群萌，惠以真實之利。
《無量壽經》主要在說阿彌陀佛的四十八大願，由此段經文可知，在尚未宣說四十八大願之前，就已經顯明這部經所要說的四十八大願是釋迦牟尼佛出現在世間的目的。
Namo Amituofo!
