Oct 18, 2019
Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teachings about Faith in Pure Land Buddhism
淨土信仰
Master Honen employed an analogy based on gold: He said, “gold wrapped with a silk cloth or gold wrapped with a weed are the same gold.” This means, if we use a beautiful box to store a piece of gold, or use a tattered cloth to wrap a piece of gold, the value of the gold does not change, no more and no less.
This teaches us that rebirth does not rely on the virtues and offenses of a person, both a good man and a bad man who recite Amitabha’s Name will be reborn in Amitabha’s Pure Land. This is because rebirth relies on Amitabha’s Name. As far as rebirth is concerned, the chances won’t be greater if you are good; or reduced if you are bad.
Upon arrival in the Pure Land, we can throw away all of our past good and evil karma, and entirely receive the merits and virtues of Amitabha’s Name.
法然上人有一個黃金的譬喻:「如以錦鏽包黃金,與以蒿苞包黃金,同是黃金也。」意思是說用一個高貴漂亮的盒子裝黃金,和用破布包黃金,對於黃金的本質來說,沒有增加也沒有減少。
善惡凡夫同稱這一句彌陀名號,不是靠我們的善惡來往生,對往生來說,善不增,惡不減,都是依靠彌陀名號到淨土。到淨土之後,就拋開善惡凡夫的業,而完全領受這一句名號的功德。
Namo Amituofo!
