Oct 6, 2018
慧淨上人法語
佛法知見
Ever since, only those in the Shandao lineage proposed rebirth in reward land; and those who propagated the Pure Land teaching later [after Master Shandao] dared not say that. So-called “those who propagated the Pure Land teaching later” refer to the practitioners of Tientai School in Sung Dynasty. Most of them followed Master Zhizhe’s demarcation of teachings of the Four Lands. Since Master Zhizhe is the de facto founder of the Tientai School, his teaching is usually taken as the benchmark in Tientai School, so they believe ordinary beings can only be reborn in the “Common Land for Sagely and Ordinary Beings”[the lowest in the Four Land] .
They demarcate the teaching in this way because 1. They follow the teachings of the Tientai School, 2. They have not come across the theology of Pure Land teaching of Master Shandao (except Master Yuanzhao)
自古以來，提出往生報土的就是善導流，即使後來弘揚淨土的人，也不敢這樣講。。所謂後來弘揚淨土的人，大部份是指宋朝時代研究天台宗的行者，他們多是依循智者大師四土的分判，因為智者大師是天台的創宗祖師，後來天台的思想都是以智者大師的思想為標準，認為凡夫是往生到「凡聖同居土」。
會作這樣的分判，一方面是由於他們是依天台宗的思想，另方面也因為他們沒有遇到善導大師的思想（唯除元照大師）。
Namo Amitabha!
