Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
The Three Meritorious Deeds
The three kinds of karmic blessings mentioned in the Contemplation Sutra are: worldly blessings, the blessings of taking precepts, and the blessings of cultivation.
Blessing is an alternative name for a virtuous root. The virtues are: kindness, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. These are known as the worldly blessings. The precepts in Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism are called the blessings of taking precepts. The splendid cultivation of various practices in Mahayana Buddhism is called the blessing of cultivation.
1. The worldly blessings
Caring for one's parents, attending to one's teachers and elders, compassionately refraining from killing, and performing the ten good deeds. The first two are respecting those who are older and the last two are being kind to those who are your age and younger. Refraining from killing is the first of the ten good deeds, so it is highlighted here.
(to be continued tomorrow)
三福
為《觀經》所說三種福業,即世福、戒福、行福。所謂福,即善根之異名。世間之善,如仁義禮智信等,稱為世福。佛教大小乘戒律之善,稱為戒福。 特別以大乘殊勝之行善,稱為行福。
1.世福
「孝養父母,奉事師長,慈心不殺,修十善業」,前兩句為敬上行,後兩句為慈下行。慈心不殺為十善之首,故特別提出。
Namo Amituofo!
