Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teaching of the Patriarchal Lineage of the Pure Land School – the 18th Vow
淨宗傳承之第十八願
(continued)
The meaning of the words “ If you are not reborn there, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment” is vast and very deep. If you cannot be reborn, I cannot become a Buddha. I must enable you to be reborn to enable me to be a Buddha. You cannot be reborn without me. If I exist as Amitabha Buddha, you can be reborn in my Pure Land of Bliss..
Amitabha Buddha offers his body of complete enlightenment in exchange for the deliverance of all sentient beings from the bondage of reincarnation in the Three Domains and Six Realms, and their rebirth in the Land of Bliss, where they will become Buddhas. So, when referring to the meaning of these words, don’t they mean that Amitabha Buddha ties his achievement of Buddhahood to our rebirth? We become an inseparable entity. If we are not reborn there , there will be no Amitabha Buddha. And, if there is no Amitabha Buddha, we cannot be reborn .
「若不生者，不取正覺」這兩句八字，意義非常深遠。你不能往生，我不成佛；我必須讓你往生，我才能成佛。沒有我，你不能往生；如果有我，你就能往生。
阿彌陀佛以正覺之佛身為質，救贖十方一切罪惡眾生離開六道輪迴，往生極樂成佛。這八個字有這種含義，豈不是阿彌陀佛的成佛跟我們的往生是綁在一起的？綁在一起是一體不離，如果沒有我們的往生，就沒有阿彌陀佛；沒有阿彌陀佛，就沒有我們的往生。
Namo Amituofo!
