Jan 3, 2020
Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teachings about the Contemplation Sutra
《佛說觀無量壽經》
What do sentient beings of the lowest level in the low tier rely on, so that they can clear their karmic offenses of birth-and-death in the past 8 billion eons, escape from hell, and even be reborn in the Land of Bliss? The sutra tells us to” rely upon exclusive recitation of Amitabha’s Name”.
Because “that person is too tormented by pain to be mindful of the Buddha”, he has no faith nor aspiration at all. Thus, it reveals that faith and aspiration return to Name-recitation – assured rebirth through Amitabha-recitation. It is what he believes and what he aspires to. In other words, he believes in assured rebirth through Amitabha-recitation and aspires to be reborn through the method of Amitabha-recitation.
From the meaning of rebirth for the lowest level in the low tier, we know that faith and aspiration return to the practice of “reciting even ten times”. We also know that faith and aspiration are only an expediency leading to the practice of Name-recitation. Moreover, when Master Shandao (the incarnation of Amitabha Buddha) explains the 18th Vow, he sometimes omits faith, or omits aspiration, and sometimes omits both of them; but, he always underscores exclusive practice of recitation of Amitabha’s Name.
下品下生的眾生之所以能夠「除八十億劫生死之罪」,進而脫離地獄,甚至往生極樂,憑靠的是什麼?經文說「稱佛名故」。
由於「彼人苦逼,不遑念佛」,因此無所謂信,無所謂願,顯示若信若願,皆歸稱名,「只要念佛,必定往生」,信者信此,願者願此。亦即信者信「眾生稱念,必得往生」,願者願往生而「稱名以往生」。
由下品下生之涵意,便知第十八願之信與願,皆歸「乃至十念」之行,亦知信之與願皆是稱名之前方便。因此,彌陀化身之善導大師解釋第十八願,有時略去信、有時略去願,有時信願皆略,而唯標專稱佛名。
Namo Amituofo!
