Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
The Buddha’s body and land – as reward and as manifestation
Regarding the status of the Buddha-body and the Buddha-land, there are three tiers. In other words, all Buddhas have a threefold body that dwells in three lands at the same time: the Dharma Body dwells in the Land of Dharma-Nature; the Reward Body dwells in the Reward Land; and the Manifestation Body dwells in the Manifestation Land.
The Dharma Body of a Buddha exists everywhere. As Dharma-Nature is stillness that cannot be depicted, it is better not to comment. With respect to “reward”, the Reward Land is a pure land adorned with a myriad of virtues that are accomplished as the reward of a Buddha, resulting from the cultivation of his pure karma in the causal ground in his past lives.
A Reward Land is actually a realm of the Buddha himself; so, it is called the Real Land, or Real Reward Land. This land is the embodiment of the Foremost Truth, which is eternal and unchanging.
(to be continued tomorrow)
佛身土報化
關於佛身、佛土之位格,有「三身、三土」之說,即佛有三身,住於三土: 法身佛住法性土,報身佛住報土,化身佛住化土。
法身理佛,遍一切處;法性寂滅,不可說示,姑且不論。
「報」為酬報,報土即酬報佛過去因位之清淨願行,果上所成之萬德莊嚴淨土。報土乃佛本身之境界,又稱「真實土」「真實報土」。此土為第一義諦所攝,建立常然,無衰無變。
Namo Amituofo!
