Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
To embrace and deliver through the Name in the form of light.
To embrace and deliver through the Name in the form of light means, Amitabha embraces and delivers sentient beings with his six-syllable Name and also his light.
Master Shandao says in the Praise of the Rite of Rebirth, “The honorable Amitabha set forth a profound and weighty vow. He teaches and delivers sentient beings in the ten directions with his Name in the form of light. It enables them to have faith, aspiration, and practice Amitabha-recitation. Whoever recites until the end of his life, ten times, or just one time, can be easily reborn by the power of Amitabha’s great vow.”
Amitabha Buddha set forth the 48 vows in the causal ground, the most important among them is the 18th Vow. He embraces and delivers sentient beings in the ten directions with his Name in the form of light, in order to enable them to have full confidence in reciting this Name. This is true whether they are benefitted in the present life or in a future life. This Name is like a magic box. We can take out anything that we wish. No matter how much we want, we can get it through Amitabha-recitation.
(to be continued tomorrow)
光號攝化
「光號攝化」,就是阿彌陀佛以他的光明和六字名號來攝化、救度眾生。
善導《往生禮讚》云:彌陀世尊,本發深重誓願,以光明名號攝化十方,但使信心求念;上盡一形,下至十聲、一聲等,以佛願力,易得往生。
阿彌陀佛因地發下四十八大願,尤其第十八願,以光明名號來攝化十方所有眾生,使十方眾生有信心稱念這句名號,不論是現世利益還是當來利益,這句名號就像百寶箱,可以任運、隨意地支取,要支取多少,都可以以念佛為之。
Namo Amituofo!
