Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teaching about Classification of Teachings – Other-Power and Self-Power
淨宗判教 – 自他二力判
Amitabha’s Name is “other-power”, because its functional power is “other-power”. It is just like moving a boulder on board a ship; wherever the ship goes, the boulder goes there too. Isn’t that “other-power”?
If some people deliberately act upon, perceive, plan and consider, it should be here and it should be there, mixing different ideas “artificially”, the “other-power” will not be a hundred percent, whole, or absolute.
In an overall sense, we should simply follow in accord with the Buddha. Say the Buddha asks us to recite, we recite; the Buddha asks us to aspire to be reborn, we aspire. That’s it! This is known as absolutely “other-powered” Amitabha-recitation. It is the theology of Master Shandao.
彌陀名號就是他力,彌陀名號的功能就是他力。好像只要把這顆石頭搬上船,隨著船的運載,船到哪裡,石頭自然就跟著到那裡。這豈不是他力嗎?
如果還有人為造作、思惟、計度、籌量,應該這樣,應該那樣,就還摻雜人的思惟在裡面,就不完全、不是絕對性的、不是百分之百的他力了。
總之,我們只要隨順佛,佛要我們稱念,我們就稱念;要我們往生,我們就往生,這樣就可以。這就是絕對他力的念佛,就是善導大師的思想。
Namo Amituofo!
