Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teachings about Classification of Teachings – the Difficult and the Easy Paths
淨宗判教 – 難易二道判
The Pure Land teaching is called the Easy Path, and is interpreted as easy-to-practice but difficult-to-believe. It is so named because of the easiness of taking the Easy Path and renouncing the Difficult Path. So, if a person can always exclusively recite Amitabha’s Name, his faith is already established.
Even though the Contemplation Sutra talks about meditative and non-meditative virtues - the Three Meritorious Deeds, the Nine Levels of Rebirth, and the two kinds of deep belief( in aptitude and teaching), it eventually advises us to disseminate the teaching of “always exclusively reciting Amitabha’s Name” to future generations.
Because name-recitation is easy, and everyone can do it. Because the merit and virtues are so splendid, reciters can achieve the Buddha’s fruition. The teaching perfectly and completely embraces all of the merit and virtues attained through meditative and non-meditative practices. All of the functional capacities within the two kinds of deep beliefs, in aptitude and teaching, are expediently included within it.
淨土門名之為「易行道」,解釋為「易行難信」,而捨難取易,此即是易行道之所以為易。因此,但能「一向專稱彌陀佛名」,信在其中矣。
是故《觀經》雖說定善散善、三福九品、信機信法等,然而最後流通之付囑,則唯取「一向專稱彌陀佛名」,流通於遐代。
正因稱名易故,人人都能;功德勝故,直至佛果。定善散善之功德,圓攝無餘;信機信法之功能,巧在其中。
Namo Amituofo!
