Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
The Characteristics of the Aptitudes of Sentient Beings
The Great Wisdom Shastra says, “ In the worldly realm of the five desires, (such as sound, matter, smell, etc.) most sentient beings crave them, and are unwilling to depart from them. With respect to all Dharma, they compare existence with non-existence, or permanence with impermanence.”
We are born in the world of Five Kinds of Turbidity. Basically, we have turbidity of views and turbidity of afflictions. Our thinking and our behaviours are also turbid, they are unfolded from the deeply -rooted afflictions caused by greed, hatred and delusion. So, this world of course contains more wickedness than virtues.
The Ksitigarbha Sutra directly says, “Among sentient beings in Jambudvipa, all of their actions and thoughts are karma and also a source of offenses. For this reason, we have to look at ourselves honestly, to appraise whether we do more good or bad. Who dares to say that they possess more virtue and less wickedness?
眾生機相
《大智度論》言:「諸眾生,於世間一切聲、色、香等五欲境界,多生貪愛,不能捨離;又諸眾生,於一切法,計有計無,及計斷常等見。」
我們都生於五濁惡世,根本上都有見濁、煩惱濁。從思想上的混濁,以及根深蒂固貪瞋癡的煩惱所展現出來的心念、行為,當然就是惡多善少。
《地藏經》就直截了當地說:「南閻浮提眾生,舉止動念,無不是業,無不是罪。」
所以,老實反省、檢討自己一生到底是善多還是惡多的時候,我們誰都不敢說自己是善多惡少。
Namo Amituofo!
