Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
Five Kinds of Augmentative Karma (continued)
4. Augmentative Karma of Being Embraced - “Embraced” means, when practitioners who wish to be reborn in the Pure Land are close to death, Amitabha Buddha and the sacred assembly arrive to welcome them. Embraced by the power of Amitabha’s vow, they immediately achieve rebirth. The relevant resolutions are primarily the 18thVow and, secondarily, the 19th , 20th and 35thVows.
5. Augmentative Karma of Verifying Rebirth - “Verifying rebirth” shows that the rebirth of sentient beings is real. The verifiers include Shakyamuni Buddha and Amitabha Buddha. As the Amitabha Sutra states, “countless Buddhas in all directions loosen their broad, long tongues to confirm that people who recite Amitabha’s name exclusively, though they are ordinary beings, are reborn in the Pure Land, where their karmic offenses are eliminated.
(to be continued tomorrow)
五增上緣
(4) 攝生增上緣
「攝生」即願往生行人,命欲終時,佛與聖眾自來迎接,願力攝得往生。以第十八願為主,旁及第十九、二十、三十五願。
(5) 證生增上緣
「證生」即證明眾生往生不虛,而有世尊證明及諸佛證明。如《阿彌陀經》 說,專修念佛之人,六方恆河沙諸佛皆舒舌相,定為凡夫作證,罪滅得生。
Namo Amituofo!
